Chapter FOUR
MITCH SATat his desk reviewing the latest files. He’d obtained documentation Rowena Muddleton had prepared—an indirect personality assessment. Basically it confirmed what he already knew about Rocky. He lamented the direction the case was taking. Mitch itched to see things moving forward, but more than that, he wanted to talk to Peter. Heneededto talk to him, to find outwhat the hell he was doing tangled up with Rocky and the Soldiers. The sleeplessness of the last couple of nights had taken their toll. He didn’t think he could handle another night of tossing and turning. His gut churned as he downed the last dregs of his coffee and tossed the empty cardboard cup into the waste bin.
“I take it you’re not a greenie, then, Mitch.”
He glanced up into the smilingface of Lana Jacobs. She planted her denim-clad butt on the edge of his desk and raised a brow. And waited.
“Jeez, Lana, you’re worse than my mother.” He leaned down and retrieved the cup, and placed it on the desk to take to the kitchen later. “With a look like that, no wonder you get all the confessions; no one would dare stand up to you.”
“Yeah, well, let’s just say I have my ways,” she saidwith a laugh.
“And how are those ways working with the Brutes?” Mitch asked.
Lana, like Mitch, had been on the gang task force, known as Operation Solo, for six months. A forensic accountant, she spent her time cloistered in the office, digging into the depths of gang-related activity and transactions. She looked for taxation abnormalities and breaches, providing evidence for issuing infringements—anythingto disrupt the outlaw clubs. Her recent focus had been on the Brute Riders MC, the major rival of the Soldiers of Fury MC, but she had just started looking into the Soldiers. She and Mitch had become good friends during the time they worked together.
She laughed lightly. “I wish I had the chance to practice my skills on the Riders. I feel like I haven’t been away from my computer in months, andI’m mighty sick of the inside of this office. What about you? Itchy feet?”
Mitch swiveled his chair to face her. “Looks like I won’t be hanging out here with you for much longer.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Do tell.”
“It appears we have an opening to get some direct info on the Soldiers of Fury. An old… ah… friend of mine has started hanging out with them.”
She lifted her eyebrows even higher. “Soyou’re going in?”
“That’s the plan. At least try to make contact with the guy. Peter. There’s a full briefing shortly.”
“Well, aside from knowing your friend, you’re the perfect man for the job. I can just picture you in your leathers, all tatted up and astride that bike of yours.”
Mitch sat up straighter and pulled the collar of his dress shirt, flushing uncomfortably at the compliment. “Howdo you know I have a bike?”
“Your reputation precedes you. Everyone has heard of you and your bike.” She laughed. “Actually I only know because of that time you crashed and took a few days off work last year.”
Mitch rubbed unconsciously at his thigh, as if he could still feel the pain caused by dragging that leg over asphalt. The scars had faded, but he was reminded of them every day. “Oh right.I forgot about that.”
“Aren’t you going to ask how I knew about the tattoos?”
That did puzzle him. “Yeah, how did you know about my tattoos?”
Lana chuckled. “I didn’t know you had any, but I do now.”
Mitch rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe I fell for that one.”
Lana patted him on the arm. “Don’t worry about it, hon. It’s one of my special talents for getting information.”
“Well, now I’veseen it in action, I’m officially impressed.”
“So when do you go?” Lana asked, suddenly serious.
“As soon as possible. It’s turned out to be hugely difficult to get Pete on his own. He’s forever in Rocky Cummings’s company, the two of them traveling between Rocky’s house, the motorcycle business Rocky owns, and the pub. They have minimal time apart. I don’t want to wait any longer, as everypassing day is just another day for this goddamn turf war between the Soldiers of Fury and the Brute Riders to escalate. One of the Soldiers was found shot in the head a few days ago.”
“I heard about that.”
“The Soldiers will be pissed and no doubt planning their retaliation.”
“Good luck, then. I hope you can get some useful information from your friend.”
“Speaking of useful information. Anyluck with the anonymous tip-off?” A note had been sent to the task force the day before, hinting at some tax evasion. It was the second they’d received, the first note providing the address of a house that was now under surveillance. Now they knew Pete was affiliated with the Soldiers, and due to his past relationship with Mitch, he was the most likely candidate to be the sender.
