Up in Smoke (Crossing the Line, #2)(51)

Goddamn, she made him feel things. He’d always been dominant in the bedroom, but last night had been on a whole different level. She’d unearthed something primitive inside him, something so intense it had almost been alarming. But he wouldn’t bury it again for anything in the world. No, he wanted to cultivate it and see how far she’d let him go. As she’d lain on the kitchen table beneath him, body slick with sweat, he’d felt taken over. Feed her, comfort her, care for her. Commands inside his head that had no known origin, but there they were, begging to be obeyed. It felt like a homecoming. Like she’d fit something together inside him that had been detached. Now it was electrified, bringing him to life.

“There some reason you’re growling at me, Bannon?”

It took Connor a moment to focus on Derek where he sat in the van beside him. They were parked two blocks away from Maxwell Stark’s office, waiting for Austin’s voice to come through their headsets. “I didn’t eat breakfast,” he finally answered.

“Right.” Derek tossed him a PowerBar, cleared his throat a little uncomfortably. “It doesn’t get easier leaving them in the morning. Believe me, I know.”

Considering how the captain had reacted when they’d simply shaken hands with Ginger, Connor was a little surprised he’d brought up something so personal about their relationship. Although he suspected Derek was a control freak and wanted to be aware of the inner workings of his squad more than anything. “Yeah, well. It’s even worse when it’s f*cking Austin that drags me out of bed. Explain to me again how he came up with this idea?”

Derek hit two keys on his laptop and crossed his arms. “Polly was able to get Stark’s meeting schedule for this afternoon. He’s meeting with a corporation looking to set up shop in town, but without some red tape being eliminated, it would cost them a lot of time and money. All Austin’s research, by the way. Turns out he’s not as useless as you thought.” He put the headset to his ears a moment and listened before lowering them again. “Austin had a hunch there would be a bribe offered at the meeting. So we called and rescheduled for first thing in the morning.”

“But instead of the CEO, Austin is going to walk in.”

“And offer the bribe,” Derek confirmed. “I thought it might be too risky. If he fails, we could tip off Stark that we’re watching him. So I had Polly eliminate the risk.”

Conner raised an eyebrow. “How?”

“Put a freeze on their corporate bank accounts.” Derek’s lips twitched. “The real meeting will never take place, at least not until they get through Polly’s firewall. So Stark won’t get spooked when CEO number two walks in at the original time this afternoon.”

A crackle came through the headphones, but no voices. “What happens if they call to cancel?”

“Polly intercepts it. She’s got their phone lines rerouting until noon, when the meeting is scheduled. They don’t have a high call volume, so it shouldn’t seem too out of the ordinary.”

“Austin posing as a CEO. Polly hacking into bank accounts. All before breakfast.” He chuckled under his breath. “Some group you’ve assembled here.”

Derek turned serious. “My city. My family’s city. I’ll protect it no matter what it takes or who it pisses off.”

Connor didn’t give a response because it didn’t require one. He understood that mentality all too well. Every member of the squad had something they were protecting, be it a secret or a loved one. He wondered if the captain knew he wasn’t so different from a ragtag group of criminals.

Derek snatched a two-way radio off his belt and spoke briskly into it. “All units hold your positions. Stand by for further instructions.”

“You’ve got uniforms ready to move on this?”

“Why do you think you’re here? If Stark takes the bribe, I’ll have to go in and make the arrest, bring him downtown.” He tossed Connor a second radio. “That puts you in command of three units. I’m sure his office is under orders to shred evidence if something like this happens. You’ll see to it that they don’t.”

“And that no one leaves with a laptop or safe strapped to their back.”

“Right.”

It felt good, falling back into this pattern. No bullshitting or second-guessing, just getting the job done. It reminded him what it felt like to be part of a team. Until now, he hadn’t realized he missed it or even gave a shit one way or another. Apparently he did. Having someone put their faith in him for something more than a money drop or gang retaliation. Maybe this was more than a job. Maybe he belonged here. Doing this.

Just then, Austin’s voice crackled to life over Connor’s headphones. He exchanged a nod with Derek and placed them over his ears. Gone was the slight British flavor to Austin’s voice, replaced with a distinct Texas twang. If Connor didn’t know who he was listening to, he wouldn’t have believed it was the con himself.

He recognized the second voice as Stark’s based on the audio file Derek had played for them in the second squad meeting. “Good morning, Mr. Caster. Can Evelyn get you a drink?”

“Nothing for me, thanks. I don’t drink while the sun is up and I only trust Texas tap water.” He laughed deep and hearty, voice completely unrecognizable. The sound of hands clasping could be heard, likely from a handshake. A heavy thud followed, metal on wood. A briefcase being set down. “How do you breathe inside all this concrete? I tell you, after K-Worth is up and running, I’m hiring a manager and visiting once a year. No, sir. City life ain’t for me.”