Unauthorized Affair (Unauthorized #1)(48)
“You’re right. Come on.” He prepared to dial another number as she followed him down a flight of stairs, but his phone rang in his hand. “Foley,” he said, menace in his voice.
The DA let loose a flood of swearing and instructions in his ear.
“Yes ma'am. I saw it too. I’m going to Assistant Chief Powell right now,” he answered, then stuffed the phone in his pocket.
He pushed past the receptionist in the next office, ignoring her cries to stop. He threw a look back over his shoulder and saw Jen talking to her, holding her hand on the woman’s phone. Rip it out of the wall, sweetheart, he thought. Whatever you have to do to give me a few minutes here.
Assistant Chief Powell was at his desk. He was older than the Chief, by at least ten years, and had been an officer fifteen years longer, his beer belly growing a little each year now that he didn’t have to wear a uniform. Talk around the station said Powell should have been elected police chief, but Carver had charmed the voters somehow. After his election, in order to alleviate the cop on the street’s outrage at his election, Carver had appointed Powell one of his Assistant Chiefs. But there was no love lost between the two. In fact, they often butted heads over what was best for the officers. Plus, Powell had been Hunter's Captain while he had been a patrol officer. Best damn Captain in the department. Always had his officers' backs.
Powell looked up at the intrusion, his eyebrows drawing together, but then his face relaxed pleasantly as he recognized Hunter.
Before Powell could say anything Hunter started talking, his words tumbling out. “Chief, you gotta call the DA, right now. It’s an emergency. Chief Carver is feeding information to Fiore Savoy. He just gave an order to have me killed. DA says we are to arrest him.”
Assistant Chief Powell sat stock still for a second. Probably trying to process this complete shake up of his world. Hunter snatched the phone off his desk and dialed the DA’s number, then held out the receiver. Powell just looked at it, then seemed to come to life.
“Sonuvabitch,” he whispered, taking the receiver and pulling it to his ear.
After a short conversation, Powell stood up. “Just me and you, Hunter. No hesitation. He has a gun on his hip and another in his desk. You got handcuffs?” Hunter pulled them from the pouch on his belt and tried to hand them to Powell. “No, you keep them. We go in fast, me first.”
Hunter nodded and followed Powell out of his office. Jen had indeed ripped the secretary’s phone out of the wall and pitched it into the hallway. “Delia,” Powell bellowed. “Get upstairs, get all the secretaries away from the Chief’s office. Nobody makes any phone calls. I’m arresting Chief Carver, but you don’t breathe a word of that until it’s done, or unless we need help.” He pointed at Jen. “Who’s that?”
“Undercover officer.” Hunter answered.
“Good. Delia, she’s in charge. Officer, you follow us up the stairs. If we holler for help you make sure the officers coming in know the Chief is under arrest per the DA.”
Jen nodded tightly and pulled the stunned secretary to her feet, preparing to follow them upstairs.
Chapter 25
Jen’s ears filled with the sounds of feet pounding up the stairs. She followed Hunter and the assistant chief, pulling Delia behind her. Delia puffed and panted already, and they hadn’t even made it up the full flight of stairs. Jen hoped she wasn’t about to have a heart attack. As they burst through the door, Jen actually dragging Delia now, she saw Hunter’s boots disappear into Carver’s office. The yelling started immediately. She pushed Delia in front of her. “Tell the secretary to come with you now.”
Delia told the shocked-looking secretary who was staring open-mouthed at the door to the Chief’s office. Jen looked back and forth down the hallway, trying to decide where they should go. “What’s down there?”
“R-records,” the woman answered.
Jen could hear smashing and crunching sounds coming from the office. “Both of you, get down there, and get under something. Don’t come out till I say so.” She watched the women hurry that way, grabbing onto each other for support. She turned to the Chief’s door, wondering if she should go in.
Someone in the office roared in pain, forcing Jen’s decision. She ran to the door and pushed it open. The Chief’s desk was overturned, Hunter and Powell were both on top of Chief Carver, trying to force his hands together enough that they could handcuff him. Carver fought with every ounce of strength he had, and each of the men had blood on him; Carver on his face, Hunter in his hair, and Powell smeared across his shirt.
Two feet in front of Carver’s face was a gun, lying impotently on the carpet. But if Carver got one hand free… Jen sprinted into the room and snatched the gun up, moving sideways and pointing it at Carver’s head. Carver struggled for a moment longer, then gave up, dropping nervelessly to the carpet. Hunter snapped the final handcuff and leaned back, panting.
Assistant Chief Powell stood up and put his hand out for the gun in Jen’s hand. She gave it over. “Nice job, young lady, now get back out there and holler if anyone tries to come in this door.”
Jen nodded mutely and ran for the door, trying to calm the adrenaline that was still pouring into her bloodstream.
She paced back and forth in front of the door, eying the stairs, the elevator, and the hallway. No one came. She heard Hunter and the Assistant Chief talking at the same time from behind her. They both seemed to be on the phone. Chief Carver never made a peep.