But she found nothing other than some mice-chewed life jackets. She quickly moved to the front of the boat to check those compartments. They were empty too. Stunned to realize her suspicions were way off base, she returned to the side of the boat and slipped back into the water.
Her impulsive swim had been for nothing. And worse, Jarek’s deep frown indicated he was not at all happy.
A wave of regret hit hard as she realized Jarek might be angry enough to walk away from their joint investigation.
What in the world was Di thinking? Obviously, she wasn’t thinking at all because they had absolutely no probable cause to search a private boat. Even if she had found drugs, which he deduced she hadn’t, the evidence couldn’t be used in a court of law.
He wanted to yell in frustration but managed to hold on to his temper as Di climbed out of the river and tried to sluice water from her black jeans and T-shirt as she padded back toward him. He glared at her as she slipped her feet into her shoes and then held out her hand for her phone and weapon.
“That was a stupid move, Di.” He was proud of his restraint. “You trespassed on someone else’s property and could have been arrested.”
“I just thought that guy looked a little like Pablo,” she began, but he cut her off.
“Doesn’t matter. You had no business going through his boat. If you’d have found anything, we’d be in even worse shape. I’m sick of you acting like there are no rules. There are!” His voice had started to rise in anger, so he dialed it back with an effort. “I’m heading back to the safe house.” He turned and strode away, needing to put some distance between them.
He heard the swishing sound of her wet jeans as she caught up to him. To her credit, she kept her mouth shut. A good thing because there was absolutely no justification for her actions.
Teaming up with her had been a mistake. He’d allowed his personal feelings for her to cloud his judgment.
“You’re right. I’m sorry.” Her soft apology did not improve his mood.
“Yeah, you’re always sorry after you do something stupid.” He knew he was being overly harsh. “You’re going to get me fired or worse.”
“I was the one on the boat, not you.” Her tart response belied her earlier apology. “And you have to admit that the boat looked suspicious.”
He stopped and rounded on her. “A boat is a thing. An object. It can’t look suspicious, Di. Just because it’s older and has faded decals doesn’t make it a drug boat. And like I said, even if there were drugs on board, we couldn’t use them to nail the guy because we didn’t have probable cause for a search!”
“I know, I get that.” She tipped her chin, not shying away from his intense gaze. “I was thinking more along the lines of watching that boat from afar. Seeing if we can track the drug movement from the boat to the ultimate destination.”
He sighed and cast his gaze skyward, seeking patience. “Same rule applies. We can’t track the drugs from one location the next based on an illegal search.”
“But if we saw Pablo or someone else with drugs in their possession and exchanging them for cash, you could arrest them.”
Maybe. Not that he was willing to concede even that much. The last thing she needed was encouragement to pursue any more wild ideas. “You should call your buddy Ray Bond. Maybe he doesn’t care if you work outside the confines of the law the way I do.”
When she didn’t say anything in response, he resumed his trek back to the rental car. He was hungry, but they needed to stop at the safe house first. They couldn’t sit in a café with river water puddling around her feet.
“Jarek? Wait.” Di snagged his arm. He stopped to look at her. She nodded toward a warehouse. “See that guy going inside the warehouse? He’s wearing the same army green shirt and torn cargo shorts as the guy who was on the boat.”
He squinted against the bright sun. “Maybe, but we’re too far away to know for sure.”
“I’m telling you, I think it’s the same guy. It could be that the drugs are in the warehouse, waiting to be put onto his boat.”
He hated to admit that was a possibility. “We can check back on the warehouse later if you like. Right now, you’re too noticeable.”
“Yeah, okay.” Di watched the warehouse for another long moment before turning to follow him back to the rental car. When they were within sight of the vehicle, she said, “I know you’re angry with me. I deserve it.” She glanced at him, then back at the car. “I won’t try something like that again.”
“Yeah. Sure.” He didn’t bother to hide his doubt. He blew out a breath and turned to her. She still looked incredibly beautiful, even with the wet clothes and hair plastered to her skin. It was downright annoying. “Remember when I said you’d make a good cop? I was wrong. You’re too impulsive in your quest to find answers with blatant disregard for anything remotely close to police protocol.”
“I never considered joining the police force.” She looked a little puzzled by his comment. “And you’re right, that was pure impulse on my part. I should have waited to run the idea past you.”
“You think?” There was no missing the heavy sarcasm in his tone.
“I’m not used to working with a partner. And I already apologized, okay?” She looked cross, even though he was the one who had the right to be angry. “Besides, after we find the person trying to kill me, our paths will never cross again.”
That thought bothered him more than it should. Despite his anger, he could secretly admit he’d have liked nothing more than to see her again, outside of his job and the danger nipping at her heels.
Apparently, he’d learned nothing about protecting his foolish heart. With a sigh, he pulled out the key fob and unlocked the car. “Let’s go.”
