Ryker (Hope City #6) - Kris Michaels Page 0,13
the last of the containers. Peña was bragging to Rubio that he’d figured out a different way to get the drugs in and couldn’t have anything that would come back to them. I heard enough. I fucking ran, but not before I heard what they said and saw who was doing the talking. I’ve been hiding. Eating out of dumpsters and stealing to get my needs. I can’t do it no more, man. They’re hunting me. Peña and Rubio have a bounty on me.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because Bingo tried to tie me up last night after we high-balled some H. Said with the money he would get by turning me in to them, he wouldn’t be living on the street no more.”
“How did you get free?”
“Fucker coasted on a highball. I ran while he was flying. Asked Alice to untie me and text that address to your number.”
“How’s Alice? Trustworthy?”
“She ain’t a fan of Peña. She doesn’t know whose number I gave her. She told me to leave town and not to come back, said if I didn’t, I’d be dust.”
“Where were you hiding?”
“Cardboard Cottages, some. Abandoned buildings past the harbor. Never anywhere long.”
“How did Peña know it was you in the warehouse?”
Mouse stilled and examined her fingers. Finally, she spoke, “I had my stash there. Clothes, my winter coat, gloves. My name was in my clothes so if they got stolen I could prove they were mine.”
“All right, Mouse. You hold tight here. I’ll send you in some food and then my guys will take you to the cells. You can take a shower and sleep until I get this all sorted.”
“Rehab, man? Out of the city? Not under my actual name. Peña’s connected. If anyone could figure out who I really am, he could.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Mouse whined, “Your best? Man, that could get me killed.”
He shook his head. “I won’t allow that to happen, but neither will I make promises I can’t keep.”
Mouse nodded and started rocking in the chair. “I got nowhere else to go. Try hard, yeah?”
“I guaren-fucking-tee it.” He rose from the chair and headed to his office. On the way past the pen, he crooked his finger at Rayburn and Watson, who followed him. He motioned to the door and Watson shut it. “You’ve got a new assignment. Mouse is your new best friend. Get her food, shower, clothes, and put her in a cell here, not in city holding. One of you cut out now and come back for night shift. Don’t leave her alone.”
Rayburn arched his eyebrows. “She must have some serious 411 this time.”
He nodded once. “Something that could blow shit apart for us.”
“You’ve got it, Cap.” Watson and Rayburn said the words at the same time.
“That was just fucking weird. Get out of here and you report to nobody but King, Theron, or me. Loose lips on this one will get people killed.” The men hustled from the office, and he walked to his door. “Theron! King! My office.”
Not a head in the bullpen turned his direction. They were used to his intercom system. Unless he bellowed their names, they kept working.
Terrence and Brody walked into the office and he once again nodded to the door, waiting for it to shut before he relayed the information Mouse had given him.
“I think Cliff would be very interested in this information.” Brody leaned forward as he spoke. “I know we can trust Cliff, but I got to tell you, information comes from the DA’s office when it is convenient for the DA. Is there a way to handle outside of HCDA’s office?”
He nodded. “It was the hit ordered on Clare Edelman. We can tie it into the federal drug case. Federal prosecution.”
“How are we going to avoid briefing Fenton?” Terrence asked. “We can’t trust him to keep this to himself. He’ll spout the information at a press conference to make himself look good.”
“I’ll brief the Deputy Commissioner and tell her of our concerns. She can make the call who gets a brief.”
Brody rolled his shoulders. “I hate that we can’t trust one of our own.”
“The police force is a microcosm of our society. There’re good and bad people on the force, even though we’ve done everything we can to weed out the bad seeds. Hell, ninety-nine percent of the people on this force would stand in the way of a bullet meant for someone they’d never met. The one percent who abuse the power of a shield are the ones