shook his head. “We had an
understanding that my mere presence in this city was not a green
light for him to set up shop on the west coast. There are far
too many existing… well, let’s just say that the west coast has its
own problems. He didn’t want a territory war.”
I dragged one hand over my face. “If
you think of a name, anyone at all that you think could be under
Sully’s influence, call me. Officer Thomas will make sure
everyone knows that I’m at your disposal if you have
information. I will not accept calls for status
updates. Are we clear on that point?”
Datello’s eyes narrowed. “As long as
you’re clear on something from my perspective, Helen.”
“ What’s that?”
“ When you find the bastard
who stole my daughter, you be ruthless. You be every bit the
cold hearted bitch you were with Rick.”
I didn’t have to respond. Datello read
the agreement in my eyes. Seems we had more than a few traits
in common. It was definitely not ok to screw with kids.
Chapter 7
Darnell called Devlin before we were out of
the parking lot at the jail. He disconnected the call and
slammed on the brakes.
“ What’s wrong?”
“ We’re supposed to meet
Briscoe at the bay. Pier 20.”
I gripped his arm. “Why?”
“ Dead body.
Female. A child, Helen.”
“ Fuck!”
“ Calm down. We don’t
know much. Bay View summoned CSD. Maya’s on her way out
there too. We’re just gonna go check it out before we do
anything else.”
“ They could call us if the
search is off. Even Briscoe isn’t too dumb to identify a dead
infant.”
Something dark and ominous unfurled in my
belly. The pain was so intense that everything faded to a
tiny pinpoint of light. I clutched my stomach and
groaned. Sweat burst from every pore on my body.
The next thing I knew, Devlin was hovering
above me, slapping my cheeks lightly. Disorientation hit in
crashing waves. I gasped for breath. One hand gripped
his wrist before the hand connected with my cheek again.
“ What the hell are you
doing?” I rasped.
“ You fainted!”
“ Don’t be
ridiculous.”
“ Helen, what’s going
on? We were talking about going to the bay, you were arguing
about why we shouldn’t be there, and the next thing I know, you’re
slumped over in your seat.”
I sucked breath through my nose. The
nausea crawled up the back of my throat and choked me. “Gonna
be sick,” I gasped.
Dev jerked the handle on the car door and
tipped my head toward the ground before my dinner made its
reappearance. I retched for what felt like hours. Hair
plastered to my head. Every muscle in my body quaked.
“ You shouldn’t be out
here,” he murmured. “Jesus, Helen. What were you
thinking? Why didn’t you tell me you were this
sick?”
“ I’m not,” I whispered two
weak, barely audible words. No telling how he understood me,
but he did.
“ The hell you
aren’t.”
“ Kids,” I rasped. “I
can’t stand dead kids.”
“ Oh honey.”
“ Let’s just get this over
with. You’re right. It’s part of the job. I’ll be
fine.”
He pulled a bottle of water from somewhere
in the back seat and handed it to me. “Rinse,” Devlin
said.
“ Sorry about the
mess.”
“ You’re not gonna get car
sick if I start driving, are you?”
I shook my head. “It’s this
case. Any cases with missing kids. When we find bodies,
I have a history of losing it. Not like I just did, but like
you said. I’ve been a little under the weather this week, so
there you have it.”
“ Are you sure you should
be out here?”
I shot him a glare. “Remember what I
told Datello? Do you think somebody else in this goddamned
city is more capable of finding a missing child than I am?
They aren’t. If this child is …” another wave rippled through
me. “If this is the Datello infant, we lost. Game
over.
understanding that my mere presence in this city was not a green
light for him to set up shop on the west coast. There are far
too many existing… well, let’s just say that the west coast has its
own problems. He didn’t want a territory war.”
I dragged one hand over my face. “If
you think of a name, anyone at all that you think could be under
Sully’s influence, call me. Officer Thomas will make sure
everyone knows that I’m at your disposal if you have
information. I will not accept calls for status
updates. Are we clear on that point?”
Datello’s eyes narrowed. “As long as
you’re clear on something from my perspective, Helen.”
“ What’s that?”
“ When you find the bastard
who stole my daughter, you be ruthless. You be every bit the
cold hearted bitch you were with Rick.”
I didn’t have to respond. Datello read
the agreement in my eyes. Seems we had more than a few traits
in common. It was definitely not ok to screw with kids.
Chapter 7
Darnell called Devlin before we were out of
the parking lot at the jail. He disconnected the call and
slammed on the brakes.
“ What’s wrong?”
“ We’re supposed to meet
Briscoe at the bay. Pier 20.”
I gripped his arm. “Why?”
“ Dead body.
Female. A child, Helen.”
“ Fuck!”
“ Calm down. We don’t
know much. Bay View summoned CSD. Maya’s on her way out
there too. We’re just gonna go check it out before we do
anything else.”
“ They could call us if the
search is off. Even Briscoe isn’t too dumb to identify a dead
infant.”
Something dark and ominous unfurled in my
belly. The pain was so intense that everything faded to a
tiny pinpoint of light. I clutched my stomach and
groaned. Sweat burst from every pore on my body.
The next thing I knew, Devlin was hovering
above me, slapping my cheeks lightly. Disorientation hit in
crashing waves. I gasped for breath. One hand gripped
his wrist before the hand connected with my cheek again.
“ What the hell are you
doing?” I rasped.
“ You fainted!”
“ Don’t be
ridiculous.”
“ Helen, what’s going
on? We were talking about going to the bay, you were arguing
about why we shouldn’t be there, and the next thing I know, you’re
slumped over in your seat.”
I sucked breath through my nose. The
nausea crawled up the back of my throat and choked me. “Gonna
be sick,” I gasped.
Dev jerked the handle on the car door and
tipped my head toward the ground before my dinner made its
reappearance. I retched for what felt like hours. Hair
plastered to my head. Every muscle in my body quaked.
“ You shouldn’t be out
here,” he murmured. “Jesus, Helen. What were you
thinking? Why didn’t you tell me you were this
sick?”
“ I’m not,” I whispered two
weak, barely audible words. No telling how he understood me,
but he did.
“ The hell you
aren’t.”
“ Kids,” I rasped. “I
can’t stand dead kids.”
“ Oh honey.”
“ Let’s just get this over
with. You’re right. It’s part of the job. I’ll be
fine.”
He pulled a bottle of water from somewhere
in the back seat and handed it to me. “Rinse,” Devlin
said.
“ Sorry about the
mess.”
“ You’re not gonna get car
sick if I start driving, are you?”
I shook my head. “It’s this
case. Any cases with missing kids. When we find bodies,
I have a history of losing it. Not like I just did, but like
you said. I’ve been a little under the weather this week, so
there you have it.”
“ Are you sure you should
be out here?”
I shot him a glare. “Remember what I
told Datello? Do you think somebody else in this goddamned
city is more capable of finding a missing child than I am?
They aren’t. If this child is …” another wave rippled through
me. “If this is the Datello infant, we lost. Game
over.
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