Before the Dawn(57)

His jaw hardened. "He was stabbed in the chest and in the throat. No one at the motel saw or heard anything, and the poor bastard died choking on his own blood."

God. She sucked in a hard breath.

"I don't buy coincidences. I don't think that the only witness we had just randomly got killed in some robbery or some shit like that. The killer we're after...he found Red. He eliminated him. I don't want him doing the same to you." His shoulders squared. "So I get that Malone is your friend. I get that he doesn't like cops, but what you need to get... I won't risk you. I can't. So if you want to go and see him-fine. But you're doing it with a shadow. You're doing it with me."

Damn it. She got what he was saying, she really did. She didn't want to take unnecessary risks. But she also wasn't the hiding type. She wanted to fight. She wanted to catch that bastard who'd hurt her friend and so many others. She wanted to do something. And not just sit on her ass waiting for the bad guy to find her. So she nodded once, decisively, and said, "Then this is the way it will work." Not an argument, not a plea, just flat speech. "Be at my side, but don't cage me. Don't pull rank and cut me out of the investigation-that's not working for me. This is my life, and I'll stay with you." Dawn hesitated. "I'll stay with your team, but not as someone who sits on the sidelines. I will be a part of this investigation. I won't be a prisoner."

He was quiet a moment, and she didn't realize she was holding her breath until he nodded. "I'll clear it with Agent Dark."

What? Yes, hell, yes! "Good." She glanced at her phone. "Now we need to hurry. Malone is waiting, and that man does not like to wait. He's going to be pissed enough when you show up with me." She'd have to deal with that anger and calm Malone back down. She brushed by Tucker.

"We're not going to talk about it, are we?"

Dawn stilled. "It?"

"Last night. The sex. The secrets."

"No, we're not talking about that right now." Dawn glanced over at him. "Unless you've decided to really trust me?"

"I do trust you."

"Then stop holding back." She faced the front again. "Because you're the one pushing me away this time."


      ///
       
         
       
        

* * *

VOODOO TATS WAS DARK. The closed sign hung from the front door, a bit crookedly.

Tucker stared at the building, his gaze sweeping over the windows. "Doesn't look to me like Malone is here."

"He's here." Her fingers swiped over her phone. Tucker knew she'd gotten another text on the way there. "He said the back door is unlocked. To come in that way." Dawn slanted him a quick glance. "You can wait outside while I talk to him. The guy is going to be torn up, and Malone isn't exactly the kind of man who likes for others to see him hurting."

Yeah, he could buy that, based on his previous chat with the guy. Malone had struck him as the hard-as-nails type. But the place looked deserted, and the idea of Dawn just sauntering inside alone...

Hell, no.

"I need a few minutes to talk with him alone before you come in."

Without answering, he moved to the side of the building. A narrow alleyway waited there. Dawn slipped ahead of him, moving easily. It was so quiet out there. The streets were empty, the town barely awake. She turned up ahead, moving to the back of Voodoo Tats. Dawn reached for the door and, sure enough, the handle turned beneath her hand. She opened the door and started to walk inside.

"I don't like this." Tucker's gaze swept the alley. "I don't like this scene one bit."

She'd looked back at him. Her lips parted as if she'd argue with him.

"Take out your phone."

"Tucker..." A warning edge had slid into her voice.

"The phone, Dawn, now." And, yeah, he was biting off orders, but every instinct he had was screaming at him. The setup was wrong. The place was empty. The guy was telling her to come in the back door? All alone? Fucking ambush. That was what this felt like. Some kind of trap.

Glaring, she pulled the phone out.

"Call him," Tucker ordered. "Talk to him. Make sure your buddy Malone is here." He didn't want a text. He wanted to hear the guy's voice.

She dialed the number, putting it on speaker so he could hear the phone ring. The back door to the tattoo shop was open and-

He heard the phone ringing inside. Malone's phone was there, but the guy wasn't answering. He saw the worry flash on Dawn's face as the phone continued to ring. 

And then voice mail picked up.