He wondered briefly about how she’d gotten the scar on her cheek but reminded himself that Di’s personal life was none of his business. Like his father, he was a cop, and his job was to protect and serve.
Running into Di Milbrath was just an unwelcome blast from the past.
“We’ll give you a ride to the precinct,” he said, when she’d finished with Detective Andrews. He didn’t anticipate getting any pushback from the detective, knowing full well the older cop put as little effort into his cases as possible while counting down the days until he could retire.
Jarek was next in line for the promotion, he’d already passed his detective exam, and Andrews knew it. Oddly, Andrews resented knowing Jarek would be taking over as detective in forty-three days. Jarek didn’t know why Andrews cared one way or the other.
“What about the dead guy?” Di gestured to the fallen man. “It would be nice to know his name. Hopefully, his prints are in the system.”
“The techs will take care of that.” Jarek gestured to the white panel van that had just pulled up. “In the meantime, I’d like to get your formal statement on record.”
“Fine.” Her expression was disgruntled. “But we can talk here. There’s no reason for me to go back to the station.”
He mentally rolled his eyes. Typical Di, being difficult. “The way it works is you provide a statement and sign off that the information is correct.”
“I know how it works,” she shot back. “Doesn’t mean the process isn’t stupid.”
He clenched his jaw and stepped toward his cruiser. “Let’s go.”
Di stalked past him and slid into the back seat. He almost felt bad for making her ride in the cage like a criminal, but then she smirked. “Nice ride. Bet you have a hard time getting girlfriends to sit back here.”
“I use my own personal vehicle for that.” He met her gaze in the rearview. “Since you’re so interested in my personal life, I’m single. No girlfriends to sit back there or in my own car.”
“No surprise there. Any woman with half a brain would avoid you like the plague.” She turned to look out the window. “How long will it take to run the dead guy’s prints?”
“Not long.” While he could understand her curiosity about the dead guy who’d been following her, he sensed there was more behind her question about the prints. He narrowed his gaze. “Don’t even think about working the case on your own. Leave it to the detectives.”
“Andrews?” She scoffed. “Yeah, like he’s going to crack the case.”
The fact that she was right about Andrews didn’t mean he appreciated her comment. Yet pushing would only make her dig in her heels more, so he tried a different angle. “You should consider getting out of town for a while, until we catch this guy.”
“I don’t run from trouble.” There was no hesitation in her tone. “Besides, I’m pretty sure you’ll need my help to find him.”
He could feel Jim Kent’s curious gaze on him and tried not to sigh. Of course, Di wasn’t going to leave town. “I thought you didn’t know who was gunning for you?”
“I don’t know for sure, but it’s possible this is related to a case I worked a few weeks ago.” She frowned. “Although I must say that guy back there doesn’t look like a typical gangbanger.”
Gangbanger? He sought her gaze in the rearview. “Why would a gang member be after you?”
She sighed. “I helped get a nineteen-year-old by the name of Caden Avery escape the K2 Bloods gang. In the process of doing that, I also provided some key inside information to the narcotics officers to get their boss, Terance Warren, arrested.”
Having confirmation that she’d held back just as he’d suspected only fueled his anger. “Why didn’t you mention that sooner?”
Her brown eyes flashed. Even with the scar marring her cheek, Di was beautiful with her straight, long dark hair and tanned skin. She was well trained and could take care of herself, but he also knew there were plenty of men who would underestimate her because of her looks. “I already told you, he doesn’t look like he’s from the K2 Bloods gang. Obviously, anything is possible, but he didn’t have the K2 Bloods tattoo or cash in his pocket.”
“I thought the K2 Bloods gang disbanded,” Jim Kent said.
“Maybe. Maybe not.” Di shrugged again. “It wouldn’t surprise me if Pablo Hernandez has stepped in as the leader and is attempting to rejuvenate their drug business.”
That she even knew the name of the second-in-command of the K2 Bloods gang bothered Jarek. But he didn’t say anything more as he pulled into the parking lot of the precinct. After pushing out of the driver’s seat, he opened the back door for Di.
Her expression remained stoic as they headed inside. She didn’t look around curiously, the way most people did when entering a police precinct. After hearing about her run-in with the gang, he felt certain she’d been in the precinct before. He led her to an interview room, then stepped back out to address his partner. “Get her a bottle of water, will you? I can take over from here.”
“Sure.” Jim turned slightly, nodding at the door. “She’s feisty.”
“You have no idea,” he muttered, grabbing a laptop computer off the table. Jarek preferred to type witness statements directly into the system. That way he could print the document and have the witness sign off.
Surprisingly, Di accepted the water with a nod of gratitude, then objectively provided her statement from the beginning, this time leaving nothing out. She briefly described how she’d infiltrated the K2 Bloods gang to befriend Caden Avery. “It was clear to me the kid was in way over his head. I helped him get out of there, and he’s back in Yonkers with his father where he belongs.”
