Read Online Deadly Pursuit (SCVC Taskforce) by Misty Evans - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Misty Evans
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Jagger to put his weapon down? The moment he opened the door? The moment I jumped off the porch? I didn’t even know he was in there, much less that he had a weapon the size of Forester’s ass pointed at me.”
Cooper laughed. And then sighed. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but they’re right on most of those counts.”
She bristled. “If I had known Jagger was in the house—”
“You still would have tried to offer yourself as a hostage for those kids.”
“Yes,” she nodded. “But I would have been waving a Maxim magazine instead of an Avon catalog.”
Her selfless bravery, even though misguided, impressed him. And equally scared the hell out of him. “Don’t make logic calls based on emotions. It will get you killed.”
“So save my own skin and let the kids become hostages.”
He wasn’t going to win this argument. Didn’t stop him from trying. “You plan for the worst-case scenario but you don’t walk in and cause it. Forget Jagger. What if Richardson had grabbed you, shot Ronni, and still held her kids in that house? Refused to let them go, knowing she had the upper hand, because now she had an FBI agent. She could have demanded whatever she wanted and, in the end, still killed you. The FBI and SWAT teams would’ve had to rush the house at some point and the kids might have died along with you. Your sacrifice would have been for nothing.”
Celina’s eyes were on the tabletop. She swirled her drink with the straw. Poked at the chips before teasing one out of the pile. “Okay, maybe I messed up. You’ve never done anything stupid based on emotion?”
Cooper didn’t want to talk about what had happened after the doctors told Dyer he’d never walk again, but he knew Celina was smart enough and connected enough in the Federal world to find out. “I punched out my unit chief right after you left town.”
Celina choked on her chip. “You punched out your unit chief,” she repeated deadpan.
“She didn’t take it well.” Cooper shrugged. “Got a little miffed.”
“ She ? Your unit chief is a woman?”
“Lana has a black belt and bench presses two hundred pounds without breaking a sweat. Don’t cut her any slack because she’s female.” Cooper took a swig of his beer. “She didn’t cut you any during the Londano operation. She had everyone convinced you were sleeping with Emilio to get the goods on him.”
Celina’s smile faltered and Cooper wish he’d kept that to himself. “It’s my fault Dyer ended up paralyzed,” he said, bringing the subject back on track. “From the information you forwarded to us from Emilio’s e-mails, we had the details of loads and money shipments of all his cocaine and meth cells working in the United States. We knew the how, when, and where of every batch, right down to the markings on the packages. We even had the necessary search and arrest warrants. What we didn’t have was the go ahead from above.
“As you know, it was a career-making case for people in both the FBI and DEA camps. The SCVC taskforce was ready to move in based on your first batch of information, but Lana wouldn’t let us. She wanted more evidence to be sure there would be a successful prosecution. I got fed up hearing that. I was obsessed about the case and I was worried Valquis was going to dig deep enough to figure out you weren’t Celina Mendez. After your second batch of info came through, I made the call to grab Emilio and I followed you instead of backing up Dyer. It was the biggest mistake of my life.”
“But why did you punch out Lana?”
The beer from his next pull tasted flat in his mouth. “After the case was over, I was at the hospital with Dyer. We knew he was permanently paralyzed, and there wasn’t much to say, but I went to sit with him, just to be there. I didn’t know how to say I was sorry, you know? And I didn’t want him to think I was deserting him.
“Anyway, not even ten hours after the doctors tell Dyer he’ll never walk
Cooper laughed. And then sighed. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but they’re right on most of those counts.”
She bristled. “If I had known Jagger was in the house—”
“You still would have tried to offer yourself as a hostage for those kids.”
“Yes,” she nodded. “But I would have been waving a Maxim magazine instead of an Avon catalog.”
Her selfless bravery, even though misguided, impressed him. And equally scared the hell out of him. “Don’t make logic calls based on emotions. It will get you killed.”
“So save my own skin and let the kids become hostages.”
He wasn’t going to win this argument. Didn’t stop him from trying. “You plan for the worst-case scenario but you don’t walk in and cause it. Forget Jagger. What if Richardson had grabbed you, shot Ronni, and still held her kids in that house? Refused to let them go, knowing she had the upper hand, because now she had an FBI agent. She could have demanded whatever she wanted and, in the end, still killed you. The FBI and SWAT teams would’ve had to rush the house at some point and the kids might have died along with you. Your sacrifice would have been for nothing.”
Celina’s eyes were on the tabletop. She swirled her drink with the straw. Poked at the chips before teasing one out of the pile. “Okay, maybe I messed up. You’ve never done anything stupid based on emotion?”
Cooper didn’t want to talk about what had happened after the doctors told Dyer he’d never walk again, but he knew Celina was smart enough and connected enough in the Federal world to find out. “I punched out my unit chief right after you left town.”
Celina choked on her chip. “You punched out your unit chief,” she repeated deadpan.
“She didn’t take it well.” Cooper shrugged. “Got a little miffed.”
“ She ? Your unit chief is a woman?”
“Lana has a black belt and bench presses two hundred pounds without breaking a sweat. Don’t cut her any slack because she’s female.” Cooper took a swig of his beer. “She didn’t cut you any during the Londano operation. She had everyone convinced you were sleeping with Emilio to get the goods on him.”
Celina’s smile faltered and Cooper wish he’d kept that to himself. “It’s my fault Dyer ended up paralyzed,” he said, bringing the subject back on track. “From the information you forwarded to us from Emilio’s e-mails, we had the details of loads and money shipments of all his cocaine and meth cells working in the United States. We knew the how, when, and where of every batch, right down to the markings on the packages. We even had the necessary search and arrest warrants. What we didn’t have was the go ahead from above.
“As you know, it was a career-making case for people in both the FBI and DEA camps. The SCVC taskforce was ready to move in based on your first batch of information, but Lana wouldn’t let us. She wanted more evidence to be sure there would be a successful prosecution. I got fed up hearing that. I was obsessed about the case and I was worried Valquis was going to dig deep enough to figure out you weren’t Celina Mendez. After your second batch of info came through, I made the call to grab Emilio and I followed you instead of backing up Dyer. It was the biggest mistake of my life.”
“But why did you punch out Lana?”
The beer from his next pull tasted flat in his mouth. “After the case was over, I was at the hospital with Dyer. We knew he was permanently paralyzed, and there wasn’t much to say, but I went to sit with him, just to be there. I didn’t know how to say I was sorry, you know? And I didn’t want him to think I was deserting him.
“Anyway, not even ten hours after the doctors tell Dyer he’ll never walk
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