was going to be hard enough to explain why the I.D. in his pocket said a different name than the one he’d just given the officers.
Officer Dorrell proceeded to pat them down, first Mike and then Juliet. When he was finished, he escorted a visibly shaken Juliet into her bedroom, shutting the door behind them for privacy.
“Okay, Mr. Reynolds. Let’s see some I.D.”
Here we go.
Keeping his voice low, Mike admitted, “My name isn’t actually Jay Reynolds.”
“Excuse me?”
As quickly and quietly as he could, Mike went through a short version of why he’d used that name. Smudging the lines between fact and fiction, he made it sound as if he were still working undercover for Juliet’s protection. Then he went through the night’s events starting with hearing the first gunshot.
After getting permission from the officer, he pulled out his real I.D., as well as the card Benjamin Lopez had given him in case he’d ever found himself in a sticky situation.
Pretty sure this qualifies and then some.
“The CIA?” The other man rose a skeptical brow.
“Look, Officer...” Mike glanced at the shiny name badge on the front of the man’s uniform. “Lane. I know how all this sounds, but it’s the truth. Just...call the number. And if that doesn’t convince you, call this one.” Mike pulled out another card. The one with the letters R.I.S.C. embossed on the front. “Ask for Jake McQueen.”
Officer Lane’s face oozed with doubt. “You know Jake McQueen?”
“You’ve heard of him?”
“Who hasn’t?”
Thank fuck. “Good. Then that makes this even easier.”
“Yeah?” Lane stared back at him. “Why is that?”
Mike smiled. “Because Jake McQueen is my brother-in-law. And my boss, although we grew up together, so it’s still feels weird to call him that. Actually, I’m still not used to the whole brother-in-law title, either so—”
“Fine,” Lane cut him off. “I’ll make the call. But you stand right there and don’t try anything funny.”
Raising his hands palms-up, he assured the other man, “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
While he waited for Officer Lane to make the calls and verify his story—because yeah...even to him, that shit sounded crazy.
Mike glanced behind the other man and into Juliet’s bedroom. Standing with her arms crossed in front of her, she was still talking with the other officer.
A nod here. A spoken word, there. And through it all, every so often, her gaze would shift in his direction. Damn, what he wouldn’t give to know what she was thinking.
“Yes, sir.” Officer Lane’s voice snapped him back to attention. “I will. Thank you, Mr. McQueen. I appreciate it.”
Mike watched him carefully as he ended his second call and pocketed his phone. “Well?”
“Well.” The other man exhaled loudly. “Looks like you were telling the truth.”
He raised a brow. “So what now?”
“Now I wait for my Captain to call to tell me how he wants me to proceed with this mess.”
This made Mike smile. “Jake knows your boss?”
“It appears so, yes.”
Of course, he does. Lucky for Mike, his brother-in-law seemed to know everyone these days.
Right on cue, Lane’s phone began to ring. He was half-way through his conversation with whom Mike assumed was the guy’s boss when Officer Dorrell started to come back outside. Thankfully, Lane gestured for him to wait, and he and Juliet went back into her bedroom.
Even from where he stood, Mike could see the confusion and worry crossing over her gorgeous face. With a wink and a grin, he did his best to assure her everything was going to be fine.
“Okay.” Lane ended his third call of the evening. “Everything checks out.”
“So, we’re good?”
“We are.” The man glanced down at the body lying behind Mike. “He’s not.”
“Listen, about the whole name thing...”
“Don’t worry. Your cover will remain secure.”
“Thanks, man.” Mike held out his hand. “I appreciate it.”
Returning the gesture, Officer Lane shot a quick glance over his shoulder then back to him. “She really Alexandar Volkov’s daughter?”
Mike nodded. “Unfortunately for her, yeah. She is.”
“Damn. Talk about a screwed-up family.”
He let his grip tighten around the man’s hand. “She’s nothing like her father.”
Lane pulled his hand free. With a shared look of understanding, he motioned for Officer Dorrell to rejoin them outside.
“Everything okay out here?” the younger officer asked.
“Hunky dory.” Mike smirked. “Well, the dead guy probably wouldn’t agree.”
Juliet approached him with trepidation. Hugging herself again, she brought her eyes to his. “So what happens, now?”
“Now, we wait for the medical examiner and the forensics team to get here.”
Hours later, both had come and gone. Juliet had been taken into the privacy of her bathroom and