“There was a robbery at the hotel he was staying at and a gun was used.” She sounded so sure of herself, but I didn’t miss the wobble in her words—weakness.
“Was it Finn who robbed the hotel and fired the gun?” I crossed my arms and stared down at her. Having my height was an advantage in situations like this because people were easily intimidated when they had to crane their neck backward to look up at me.
“According to witnesses... no.” There it was again—uncertainty. She shot Finn a sharp stare, and I had a hunch the cops knew the Killough Company was in town. That was the only explanation for their overreaction. Usually coppers were laid-back around here, but I supposed a gun being involved changed things.
“Mr. Sweeney.” The smug drone of a familiar voice made my teeth grind together. I turned, keeping my expression neutral as I gave Constable Campbell my attention. He’d moved here from New South Wales a few years back and had been a bindy in my side ever since. Because my business involved running drugs along the entire east coast of Australia, he’d heard of our mob, and part of me suspected he’d moved to Townsville to try and catch me, as if there was ever a chance of that. He wanted to make a reputation for himself.
He was nothing more than a copper, and if he had plans to become a detective, being in North Queensland wasn’t the place for it. All the action happened in locations like Sydney and Melbourne, and I kept my nose out of anything that slapped my name on the dirty jobs down south. That’s why I had men I trusted running those cities, such as my cousin Ezra. Yet, Campbell was here, hoping to become a hero in taking down the southern hemisphere’s biggest mob boss.
“Constable Campbell.” I bared my teeth at him. “Was it you who took my associate in using handcuffs for no reason? I shouldn’t be surprised.”
“I’m pretty sure all of our passports were stolen,” Finn said, raising his hand as if he were in a classroom. It was cute and made me want to drag him into a hug. “Does anyone care about that? I would love to find out.”
Campbell ignored Finn. He wasn’t much taller than Sturgis, but he had the arrogance of a man my height. He hooked his thumbs in his utility belt like he was a hero in a movie. “There were shots fired. We had reason to believe our suspect was armed.”
“And Mr. McCorkell was a victim.” I rocked forward and stared down my nose at him. “If you think it was wise to drag him in here with handcuffs, then you’re about to be proven wrong. I’ll have my lawyer handling this within minutes, and we’ll sue Queensland Police for unfair treatment of a victim.”
“How do you know he was cuffed? We weren’t certain he was a victim,” Campbell said, some of that smugness disappearing.
“I have my ways. You had witnesses, didn’t you?” I stuck my tongue to the inside of my cheek. “Your incompetence at your job puts other coppers to shame, Campbell. There’s actually some of you who can do what they’re paid to, but you’re not one of them.”
He pointed a finger at me, close to my chest. “I’d be careful if I was you, Sweeney. I can arrest you, too.”
“Please do,” I drawled with a smirk. “My lawyer would have a field day with you, and I’m sure your officer in charge would appreciateall your hard work.”
His cheeks turned a deep red and his finger shook. “Don’t threaten me, Sweeney.”
I stepped in closer to him. The top of his head came to the middle of my chest, and he tilted his chin back farther. “I’m going to do more than that, Campbell. By the time I’m done with you and—” I glanced over my shoulder at Sturgis. “—anyone else involved in forcing a victim in handcuffs and driving him to this station, there won’t be any cops like you left in this place.”
Campbell’s jaw hardened and he stepped back, making the first move of pulling away, which was the human way of showing his bare arse, if anyone asked me. “Yourfriendis free to go, Sweeney.”
I smiled. “Thank you, Constable. And his belongings? I’m assuming you took those, too?” I turned to Finn for confirmation, and he nodded, pointing at a room with a door open and suitcases dumped on a table, clothes strewn across the surface. My spine stiffened, and I glared at Campbell. “Did you start searching through those belongings? Is this really how you want to do this? You keep giving me the ammo for my lawyer, Constable.”
Campbell snorted and waved his hand toward the room. “This is evidence,Mr. Sweeney.”
I dropped my arms from my chest and clasped them in front of myself, aiming for professional. “Let me talk to your superior.”
“If you think—”
“Campbell!” A wide man with strong shoulders, a thick mustache, and a brown crew cut came stalking down a hallway behind us, his strides determined.
I smirked when I recognized him, then shifted around to include him. Senior Sergeant Vincent Lazzarini wasn’t quite on our side, and he didn’t take money from us, but he didn’t entirely hate us, either. He preferred us over the Italian mafiosos. They’d brought bloodshed to North Queensland before we’d kicked them out, and Lazzarini preferred our morequietapproach. He scanned my face with his amber eyes as if he could learn my secrets that way, then pursed his full lips, making his hard jawline stand out.
“Lazzo,” I said, holding out my hand.
He ignored my gesture with a glare toward my palm and pointed at Campbell. “You’ve done enough.”
“Sir—”
Lazzarini sliced his hand through the air in front of Campbell, effectively shutting him up. “Go back out there and do some real work, Constable. Find out who the guy with the gun was. Ridges already came to get me and told me this bloke here—” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder at Finn. “—isn’t our man. What have I told you about going off half-cocked?”
I raised my eyebrows at Finn, and he grinned.
Campbell’s shoulders slumped and he nodded sharply. “I’m sorry, sir.”
“Get out of my bloody sight.”
Campbell did exactly as ordered, but not without sending me a sharp glare before he scampered off down the hallway Lazzarini had come from. Sturgis made herself scarce as well, heading back toward the front desk, where she’d been when I’d charged my way into the station.
