Bring Me Flowers (Detectives Kane and Alton #2)(6)

Kane glanced behind him. Susie Hartwig was heading toward them, carrying a laden tray. Heart thumping against his ribs, he smiled at Wolfe in an attempt to keep the atmosphere casual. “I see, but what has all this got to do with me?”

“I’ll be straight back with a pot of coffee.” Suzie unloaded the tray and strolled back to the kitchen.

“I have no idea why I’m being forced to take a job as a deputy in a backwoods town, unless you put in a request to HQ for backup and I’m it. Although, I don’t know why the hell they picked me. I’m not an agent and I’ve been behind a desk for years. I don’t have your training.” Wolfe’s glare spoke volumes.

Not willing to give an inch, Kane let the man’s words percolate through his mind and waited for Susie to deliver the coffee pot. He ate a spoonful of chili and sighed in contentment then lifted his attention to Wolfe. “As a deputy, you will watch my back. It’s normal procedure.”

“Cut the crap, Dave.” Wolfe spit out the words. “I can give you information on the last three calls you made to me. The name of the man you suspected set the bomb that killed your wife. I won’t go into details. I know you sent a request to attend your own funeral. The next call was a background check on Sheriff Alton. Don’t worry, your cover isn’t compromised.”

“Really?”

Wolfe sipped his coffee, and his ice-gray eyes observed Kane over the rim of his cup. “You know damn well the line is secure. How else would I know?”

“Maybe you tortured some poor bastard to death for information.” Kane snorted. “There’s been a lot of that going around here lately.”

“That’s not my style.” Wolfe attacked his meal. “And before you ask, intel on Alton was way above even your security clearance. What I can tell you is the Department of Homeland Security has her file locked up like Fort Knox. I could hack it but the information wouldn’t be worth spending the rest of my life in federal prison.”

Not willing to trust anyone claiming to know him, Kane placed a plate over his bowl of chili to keep it warm and stood. “I’ll be back in five.” He walked out of Aunt Betty’s and strolled two doors down to the cellphone store.

After purchasing a burner phone, he punched in the number of his contact. When a stranger’s voice greeted him, he gave his code name and asked to speak to the chief of operations, code name Purple Sky. A familiar voice came down the line. He sighed in relief. “I’ll keep it short. Did you send a man by the name of Shane Wolfe to my location?”

“Affirmative.”

“Why?”

“I was informed Alton was recruiting more skilled deputies and we couldn’t risk an unknown quantity working alongside you. Wolfe is solid. You can trust him.”

Relief flooded over him and he relaxed. “I don’t trust too easy.”

“Does the name ‘Terabyte’ ring a bell?”

Oh yeah, he recognized the code name of his handler. The mysterious man at the end of the phone who had saved his life many times. “Yeah.”

“Same person. He is the only one in the loop we could trust. The rest of the world believes he is a desk jockey and retired to care for his wife. He has been unofficially retired for years. It’s not as if you are in witness protection or working undercover. Being off the grid makes you vulnerable and without the resources you used to rely on if compromised. We don’t intend for that to happen. Sheriff Alton needed boots on the ground and he’ll slide in under his own name without question.”

“Before I arrived here, you should have given me the heads-up on Alton. I recognized her as an agent the moment I dragged her out of a car wreck. Up until now, I wasn’t sure whose side she was on but had an idea she was in witness protection. I guess you don’t have plans to bring me up to speed?”

“Not exactly. I can tell you she has clearance and you can trust her. We didn’t give her a handler because it’s not necessary. Some years back, she brought down a major player, and she has enough information in her head to bring down a country. We need her safely tucked away where no one can find her. She was perfect for the job—no family ties.”

“Why send us all to the same location?”

“Black Rock Falls isn’t the most popular of towns. It’s hardly noticeable on the map but big enough to swallow you. Only two people know where you are now: the president and me.”

“Off the grid, huh? Really? HQ acted like I was finished, retired, and sent out to pasture. Does this mean I will be called back to active duty?”

“Yeah. You’ll be involved with catching the men who killed your wife. I’m sure you and Alton would make a good team when the time comes but for now, nothing has changed and we have zero intel on who was involved. The moment I have more, you’ll be informed.”

“Then I want out now. You know damn well, I’ll be able to find the assholes.”

“Not yet. You are far too valuable to risk, and Black Rock Falls is the closest to secure we could find. Play the role, that’s an order, and allow us to do our job. Do what you do best and work with Alton. Don’t contact me again unless you are compromised—understand? Every call you make puts you both in danger of exposure.”

Kane scratched his stubble and groaned. “Sure, I’ll be a good boy and spend my time filing complaints about cats peeing on cars. Have a nice day.” He shut the phone, removed the SIM, snapped it in half, then dropped the phone and SIM down a drain.