“Florida.”
Stryker shook his head as he lifted the child, razzed his cheek, then set him in the stroller. “Thanks for coming by, buddy.”
“Bye, Uncle Syker Tooman.”
Trudi hugged her brother. “Just give him a chance. You sure you still want me to have this credit card?”
“I’m not interested in talking to him, but I’m not gonna punish you for being a—”
“Softie,” she interrupted.
“Bonehead,” Stryker replied.
“What’s a bonehead, Mommy?” Aaron asked as Trudy wheeled him toward the door.
“I love you.” She waved the credit card. “Best brother ever.”
4
Forced Together
Emerson had been summoned to Captain Perry’s office.
“Did you read my police report?” Emerson asked.
“Yes,” Captain Perry replied. “You didn’t have to finish it at three this morning.”
“I couldn’t sleep, plus, I want to get started with the case today.”
“You’re dealing with a deviant mind. You’ll have to use all your best resources if you want to catch him or her. To help, I’ve secured you a confidential resource.”
“A CI?”
“More like a confidential partner. He can help you gather information…er…faster.” Captain Perry offered a warm smile. “Go through the normal procedures to secure whatever you need, but this person can get you most everything much, much quicker.”
“Sounds great.”
“Not too long ago, he helped me with a high-profile case. We wouldn’t have caught the unsub without his phenomenal hacking skills.”
“Can I get his name and number so I can contact him?” Emerson asked, phone at the ready.
“It’s Stryker Truman.”
Emerson stared at the captain in disbelief. “My off-the-books resource is Stryker Truman?”
“Correct.”
Emerson could not believe how an already bad situation could get any worse. “That’s not gonna work.”
“He’s already proven to be a great asset to the department.”
Emerson flashed the warrant. “So, I won’t be needing this.”
The captain smiled. “Show it to him anyway. It’ll break the ice.”
A single piece of paper would not melt that glacier of a man.
“He can’t work here at the precinct and you can’t be seen at his cybersecurity firm,” Captain Perry continued, “so you’ll work at his club.”
