Page 43 of Disavowed

“You move pretty good for a guy with a bum knee.” Smith stared at Dom from behind narrowed lids.

Good enough to shove my boot up your ass.

“Mr. Smith,” the boss said. “What is your opinion of Lieutenant Carew?”

Dom’s gut churned at the boss’s reference to him as lieutenant—the last rank he’d achieved before retiring from Delta. Not only was it a cutting reminder that he was no longer Detective Carew but not everyone knew his last military rank. Colonel Marsden, however, would know.

“I don’t trust him, and I won’t vet him. He did the job against the rules. I couldn’t verify the hit in person.”

“Mr. Schneider, do we have anything else besides the video?”

“Yes, sir. I confirmed with the local precinct and hospital staff that the target was pronounced dead at five o’clock this evening. His body was taken to the morgue pending cremation by the city.”

“And are you willing to vet Lieutenant Carew?”

Jack met Dom’s hard stare with one of his own. “I am, sir.”

“Fuck,” Smith muttered, then stormed across the room to the elevator, yanked the security grating closed behind him, and took the elevator down.

“Lieutenant,” the boss continued, “Mr. Schneider has thoroughly briefed me on your record with the police department, and I am personally familiar with your military history with Delta Force. I believe you would be a welcome asset to the team.”

He did his best to remain cool and not give any outward appearance of excitement. But inside he was on fire. Nearly twelve months of preparatory work was about to pay off. If things went well, in less than another month, the Pyramid would no longer exist. And it hadn’t escaped his notice that the boss had said he was personally familiar with Dom’s military record. It still didn’t prove his suspicions about the boss’s identity were on point. What it did mean was that somewhere in the past, the two of them had run in the same military circles.

“Joining our elite ranks,” the boss continued, “is not something to be taken lightly. Strict allegiance is required. And if you betray us—any of us—there is a price to be paid.”

The boss didn’t say it, but his meaning was clear. If Dom crossed any member of the Pyramid, including that scumbag Smith, the price was death.

“Before making my offer complete,” the boss added, “I need to know why you want to work for me. You’ve been a model military man and a highly decorated police officer. Getting fired is one thing. Joining the Pyramid is a big leap from your law-abiding life.”

He tensed, knowing how he answered this one question would spell success or failure. “That’s just it. I’ve spent my entire life playing by the rules and following orders. I go through one rough patch and they fire my ass. No mitigating factors and no second chances. Getting tossed aside like that tends to leave a bitter taste in a guy’s throat. I don’t owe the NYPD a fucking thing.”

Dead silence met his response. Then the boss laughed, a hoarse, raspy sound, like someone rubbing sandpaper against a wall. “Your enthusiasm is duly noted. Mr. Schneider will fill you in. Welcome to the Pyramid.”

Jack’s phone beeped as the call ended. Dom sent out a silent prayer. He’d passed.

“Congratulations.” Jack shoved the phone into his pants pocket and clapped Dom on the shoulder. “The next job is unusual. Although the last job was atypical enough, and that was a total fuck-up.”

“How so?” He assumed Jack was referring to Fatima and Abdullah.

“Don’t play dumb, Carew.” Jack’s eyes sharpened. “When your partner’s new wife was grabbed for information, two of our associates were killed, one of them by your own partner.”

“What did you expect? When a guy’s got it bad, he’ll do anything to protect his woman.” Which was exactly how he was beginning to feel about Daisy. Only she wasn’t his woman and he had no business feeling that way.

“It’s no secret within the department that you and your partner were tight,” Jack said. “I need to know where your loyalties lie.”

His and Gray’s friendship was well known. Still, it left him with the uneasy feeling there was another mole inside the department. “Gray was the only one willing to stand by me. But I don’t owe shit to the department. My only loyalty is to myself.”

Again Jack watched him closely, as if gauging his response. “Good,” he said after another long moment. “Because there’s another reason the boss wanted to shortcut the vetting process. I’m retiring right after this next job.”

“Well shit, buddy.” He thought he’d done a thorough job on Schneider’s background, but he hadn’t seen that coming. “What brought this on?”

“Like the boss said. This is a lucrative business. If you can stay alive long enough to enjoy your money.” He leaned back against the desk and crossed his arms. “I’ve squirreled away more than enough to live on for the rest of my life, and I’ve met someone. I’m planning on settling down by the end of the year.”

Dom’s gut churned with unease. “Met someone?” Settling down? Fuck. He already knew who he was talking about.

Daisy.

“Yeah, she was totally unexpected.”