And his head tips like he’s thinking of leaving me tied up. A smile breaks over his face, and he winks, pulling a flick knife from his pocket and slicing through the rope with ease.
Holding his finger to his lips, he hands over the knife before pulling a run-of-the-mill scanning device from his backpack. By the time he’s done a full sweep of the room, I’ve cut myself free.
“Come here, give me a hug,” he teases.
I ignore him and race in the opposite direction, into the bathroom. Once done, I don’t waste time looking at myself and rejoin him in the main room. His eyebrow is curled up and he’s looking way too smug.
My glare has him laughing as he drops my backpack in front of me, helping me get out of the clothes I’m in. We have to work together putting a hasty dressing over my side, and over my poor finger but then I’m dressed, ready for active service. Both injuries will need some serious medical attention soon, but they’re so bad they’ll stop me doing my job.
“Come on, Murph, at least say you’re glad to see me.”
I gratefully accept the dark blue jeans and long-sleeve top he hands over. “What happened to your face?”
“What do you think happened?”
I can’t help the smile. It’s not because Johnny’s obviously taken a serious beating; it’s about knowing who did it.
“They got it bad for you,” he says, holding my boots upright so I can slide my feet right in them.
“Theyare criminals.”
“Aren’t we all?” Johnny rolls his eyes up at me. “Technically, we’ve been breaking the law for years.”
“Can we just focus on what we’ve got coming up?”
“So, you’ve got it as bad for them, then?”
The look I give my handler should have him cowering, but it only makes him smile and laugh quietly. If we weren’t on a bust, he’d be belting out a laugh loud enough to hurt my ears.
Johnny’s been deep undercover in the world of the Irish for a long time. We actually met when I first arrived in London, where I was working as Nina. He’s done a hell of a job here, playing both sides with a finesse that I’ve always aspired to in my career.
I’m pretty sure falling in love with criminals in the Irish Mafia is one of the scenarios we’re told during our intensive training to avoid. That’s a problem for tomorrow. Today, we need to deal with an infection that’s spread like a disease through the local Garda. Black, the Fanning brothers, and Doyle are our sole objective. The only reason I am in Ireland.
The organized crime guys can come in and sort out the streets, if they’re brave enough. I won’t be sticking around for that; my heart couldn’t take it.
I bob down to rummage through the other things he brought for me. Finding the pill bottle, I read the label explaining what pills are what and take them all. Johnny has to help me maneuver my short tactical vest over my head, my side screaming. In protest. And bless his heart, he doesn’t make mention or even act like he sees my struggle. He knows how hard I’ve worked and how much I want to see the end of this case. The same goes with him, though. His face is a disaster; his nose is going to need to be reset, and I’m no doctor, but I’d say his eye is fractured and at least a couple of his fingers are too.
There’s a piece of me that’s been missing, and I always assumed it was my badge. But as I slide it around my neck while I make sure my guns are ready to go, my police ID doesn’t fill the void like it used to.
For a long time, finding out what happened to Liam, and Oscar, was my only drive in life. Everything shifted when Oscar all but threw the truth at me, in such a way to inflict as much pain as possible. My motivation for doing this changed in that instant. I went from wanting a sit down with Oscar, to wanting him held accountable and punished for what he did to Liam, and all the other children. The lies and deceit he’d fooled me with would now be used as evidence against him. I’d see to it.
Johnny’s phone buzzes. “Cat’s here. And everyone else is in position.”
He swings the door open to let in our other undercover operative. She’s been working a completely different angle, and it’s important we keep her identity hidden, but it’s also all hands-on deck. She’ll be taking a support role, running comms for us.
Cat’s still wearing the same dress she wore back at the warehouse. Her hair is styled to perfection, but there’s a warmth, a camaraderie, in her eyes that wasn’t there before.
She pulls me into a hug. “I’m sorry.”
I squeeze my eyes shut and breathe through her reminder. Honestly, I crammed the memories of what Fanning did into a box and buried it in a deep recess in my mind. Later, the psychologists will help me unpack and work through the trauma.
So many “later” problems.
“You’re my inspiration, Murph. I want to be you when I grow up,” Cat says softly, giving me another quick hug before she starts setting herself up in the corner.
She’s Catalina on this job. Catherine, or Cat, in real life. She’s years younger than Johnny and me, but working undercover isin her blood. She graduated with honors, and when we were assigned to each other in the professional mentoring program through the department, our friendship took off.
“I don’t even know what day it is,” I grumble to the both of them.
