Raw Redemption (Crossing the Line #4)(5)

“Who are you referring to, Henrik?” Derek asked, wariness in the lines of his shoulders. “Or do I already know?”

Henrik stayed silent, giving the captain his answer.

“Jesus Christ.” Derek raked a hand down his face, then turned to Polly. “You lied about Ailish O’Kelly being off the radar. You said you were working on pinning her down, but you already had.”

Austin spoke before Polly could respond. “My fault, as usual.” Cockiness laced the Brit’s tone. “We needed leverage on Henrik, and Polly, darling genius that she is, procured it. But it was my plan. So direct your outrage at me, if you please.”

Of course, the arrogant con referred to his and Polly’s scheme to draw their own big-fish enemy out into the open last month, by using Henrik as bait. They’d made the claim to their mark, who also happened to be Austin’s ex-business partner, that Henrik was willing to throw an underground fight for a big payoff. In exchange for participating in their con, Polly had given Henrik Ailish’s location, the fruit borne of hours spent hacking security cameras and cell phone towers.

Bowen’s chair scraped back, the ex-Brooklynite jumping up to pace, his usual restless energy a living thing inside the room. “Man, Austin. I won’t ever get used to the way you talk. And I sure as shit don’t want to.”

Henrik ignored the verbal posturing that ensued between Austin and Bowen—and the quiet patience with which Bowen’s girlfriend, Sera, attempted to calm them—focusing instead on what Derek had revealed. “You asked Polly to look for Ailish O’Kelly?” He took a step closer to the captain. “Why? We cleared her of charges. In case you forgot, that’s the reason I’m not wearing a badge anymore.”

“Oh, I didn’t forget. It’s the same reason I didn’t tell you we are looking for her.” Derek shook his head. “You might have destroyed the evidence against her, but she’s still an asset in the case against her father.”

Henrik resisted the urge to check his stomach for holes. “You can’t put her on the stand. They won’t let her live to see the trial.”

“I have no such plans.” Derek paused, obviously taking Henrik’s measure. “She’ll be more useful to us inside the house.”

“Hell no. Not happening.” Henrik schooled his features so they wouldn’t portray the worry eating him alive. “If she lit out of Chicago, even as a free woman, she had good reason. Caine. And he might have already gotten to her.”

A hand patted him between the shoulder blades in the rhythm of “Shave and a Haircut.” Erin. Had to be. His guess was proven correct when the blonde stepped into his tunnel vision. “She’s probably alive.”

Connor, Erin’s ex-SEAL boyfriend, who was never far behind the blonde, cleared his throat and drew Henrik’s attention. “If you hadn’t found the knife, I would assume her father found her. Caine O’Kelly is a ruthless bastard, but I can’t imagine he would want his own daughter killed in cold blood.”

Erin tilted her head. “Not without saying good-bye first.”

Henrik held up both hands in a request for silence. “No more theories. No more guessing. I need facts.” He turned to send Polly a pointed look, but she already had her laptop open. Her fingers stopped flying over the keyboard long enough to flip him the bird before she went straight back to typing, while Austin looked on proudly from his lean against the wall.

“What do you plan to do with those facts?” Derek asked. “You’re not operating on your own this time. You’ve already proven you’re far from objective where Ailish O’Kelly is concerned.”

There was a surge of adrenaline that always rushed through Henrik before a bout, when everything in his body went loose, apart from his fists. It happened now, the familiar slide into no-man’s-land, causing his decreased vision to narrow even further, further until all he could see was the bloody knife on the ground.

But he beat back the claustrophobic feeling and forced himself to breathe, to think. If he displayed nonobjective behavior, Derek and the squad would have no choice but to cut him out. And this dank basement of an abandoned community center was all he had left to his name. He’d been given a reprieve from prison—sent to purgatory with other misfits just like him. Now compromises needed to be made. Oh, he would find Ailish. Wouldn’t stop until he’d achieved that end. He couldn’t, however, risk being cut out of the picture once he did.

Henrik gave Derek his full attention. “You’ve got it out for Caine O’Kelly. I understand. Your department has been trying to make something stick since I went through the academy.” He swallowed the discomfort the next part instilled. “You need Ailish in order to do that? Fine. But we both know what I’d put on the line for her best interest. If you want to bring her back to Chicago—before anyone else goes after her with a butcher knife—I can guarantee I’m the one who’ll get her here safely.”

A muscle ticked in Derek’s jaw. “Polly?”

The hacker punched a few more keys. “I’ve got a hit. Do you want the good news or the bad news?”

“Bad,” everyone answered at the same time, except Henrik, who desperately needed some good news. Fucking cons.

“Is it too late to choose prison over joining this team?” Henrik wondered out loud.