I couldn’t dig into her hard drive at her house other than glimpsing at where she’d saved her password.”
“And you didn’t see anything?”
Perry shook his head, frustrated. “Give me the case. I can prove their connections, or learn who kidnapped Kathleen Long.”
Rad slid the hard drive across his desk toward Perry. “The case is yours,” he said, but then pointed a finger at Perry. “Keep Carl with you when you’re doing your investigating. Promise me you won’t spend one minute on this case without him by your side.”
Perry grabbed the hard drive and stood, turning toward the door. “No problem,” he said, getting the hell out of Rad’s office before he changed his mind.
“Flynn!”
Perry turned, studying Rad’s hard gaze as the Chief stood slowly. “I’m serious about this. Watch your ass, Flynn. You hear me?”
Perry rested his hand on the doorknob, hearing the Chief loud and clear but not liking his tone. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“You’re a good cop.”
“I’m a damn good cop.”
Rad nodded. “Keep it that way. Don’t fuck me over.”
Perry let go of the doorknob and walked toward Rad’s desk, squaring off with the large man who stood opposite it. “You mind telling me what you’re trying to say?”
“This is my town, Flynn. Not a goddamn thing goes on here that I don’t know about. We’ve got a criminal on the loose and he’s going to go down. And when he does, it’s going to be bad and ugly.” Rad pierced Perry with a fiery glare. “I’m going to see to it.”
“Wait in line,” Perry hissed. “This is my fucking town, too. And if you think I’m going to tolerate a monster preying on teenage girls one minute longer than I have to, then you disappoint me, Chief.”
“I’m giving you this case because I think you’re the man for the job,” Rad said, his voice taking a low, calm tone that was almost unnerving. “But I’ll have some explaining to do.”
“What?” Perry hissed.
“That’s all I’m saying.” Rad pressed his lips into a paper-thin line and wrinkled his brow when he scowled. “You’re a good cop and I believe that, which is why you just got this case. Don’t make me regret giving it to you.”
Perry didn’t have a fucking clue what Rad was talking about and was getting pissed off listening to him ramble. But he had the case and that was what mattered. He headed out of the Chief’s office, forcing himself to relax his grip on the hard drive before he snapped it in two.
“Flynn!” Rad bellowed when Perry had barely reached his desk. “Take that hard drive over to the KCMO 3rd precinct. I’ll call and tell them to be ready for you.”
Perry nodded, not trusting himself to speak at the moment. He didn’t like being told to watch his ass and not being told why. Worse yet, there was obviously something wrong, or Rad wouldn’t have spoken to him that way. If someone had told the Chief something about Perry, he had a right to know what it was. But Rad wasn’t asking him to justify his actions, just watch himself in the future. Perry didn’t like it. But he didn’t have a problem taking the hard drive to the KCMO precinct instead of the FBI field office. At least this way, he could get answers faster.
Carl walked over toward Perry, a question in his eyes although he didn’t say anything. Perry preferred running alone, but whatever was bugging the crap out of Rad, if he pushed him Rad looked wired enough to yank him right back off the case, just to cause a fight.
“Let’s go,” he grumbled, not bothering to elaborate. He’d credit Carl for having enough sense not to ask questions but simply follow him out of the station.
He’d run over to the Kansas City, Missouri, precinct, hang there while they tore through the hard drive, then drop Carl off at his car. They’d have some answers today. One way or another Perry would know if Kathleen had been involved with Peter.
After he had that information, Perry planned to seek out one hot little blonde. Player or not, she had a right to know the man she had tried meeting was running in a car with illegal tags. Perry wasn’t seeking her out to fuck her but out of his sworn obligation to protect his community. If Kylie wanted to be an idiot and meet men in dark parking lots, that was her business. He wouldn’t be able