Even if he did call it in, nothing would stick.
Because Callum knew exactly how far he could go without crossing a line.
And how much he had hanging over Jude for him not to be able to do that.
Chapter seventeen
Compromised Position
Well, that was textbook.
Textbook on hownotto handle an undercover assignment.
Warren had played it like a piss-poor UC.
No—worse. Like some lovesick teenager who couldn’t keep his hands or his head in check.
God, fuck… all he’d wanted in that moment was to scoop Jude up and get him out. Take him away from all this shit. Jude didn’t deserve it. Didn’t deserve to be a sitting duck, waiting for CID to decide if and when he’d be allowed protection.
He deserved some fucking humanity.
Hell, he deservedlove.
Now Warren sat in his car outside the school, eyes on the gates, scanning for any sign that Callum Reid might make a return appearance. He knew Jude was in his classroom as he’d already done a sweep but hadn’t gone in. He was keeping his distance. Doing exactly what Patel had ordered. Monitor. Identify the threat. Gather the intel. And doing exactly whatJude was asking him to do. Stay away. Even if it was torture not to cross that threshold. Not to tell Jude he knew. Not to hold him.
Warren scrubbed a hand over his face. Yeah, he was compromised. Not like the last op. This was worse. Much worse. And if he wanted to keep his warrant card, he had to keep his head. Especially after Callum clocked him earlier, camera in hand during the exchange. He hadn’t bitten. Textbook said don’t. Feign it. Act like nothing landed. Maintain cover. He’d already pushed the stills of Reuban taking something off a known face to CID. Fast-track PNC and intel checks had confirmed what he suspected, the bloke was working the Radley line.
Even if Callum had put two and two together, Warren could still play it off. A PE teacher being cautious about a dodgy handover near the school gates. Exactly the sort of safeguarding spiel a headteacher would back him on. But the more Warren kept showing up, the more Callum was likely to suspect. And if Callum suspected him, that could filter to Naomi.And all this would be for nothing.
But under it, every muscle in him had screamed to put Callum flat on his back in the mud and keep swinging until his jaw shattered. Until he was physically incapable of ever laying a hand on Jude again.
And Warren didn’t even know if he had.
He suspected. No proof. Which was the whole reason he was here—to get it.
He just didn’t want that proof to be a fresh bruise.
His burner buzzed. He thumbed it on. “Yeah?”
Naomi. “Check-in. I won’t be home tonight. Vivienne’s asked me to stay over. Full clean, heavy supervision. She’s out. Graham’s in. Could be my window.”
“You got someone keeping you company?”
“Already called Patel for a van. They’ll keep me company outside. I’ll call if I get lonely.”
“Good. Don’t take any risks.”
“You’re the risk taker.”
“Only if it’s worth it.”
“You got anything for me?”
“Reid was on school property.”
“Oh. He’s left the safety of cover, has he? What made him do that?”
“Guess? Ellison.”
