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My Glock lies securely inside my purse as Galecki gives me the order to put it down. A resigned sigh leaves me and I do as I’m told. Carefully, with slow and stiff movements, I bend to set my purse on the office floor. He keeps the gun on me as he punts my purse halfway across the room.
“Your phone in there?” he asks.
When I take a second too long answering, he shoves me from behind. I stumble half a step forward.
“I asked you a question,” he says. “Your phone in there? Stay still—I’m gonna search you just in case.”
The gun returns to its place at the dip in my spine. I wince at the feel of it. His free hand is on me at once. It travels all over me, sliding up and down my body. I’m still wearing my workout clothes, the fabric thin even with my hoodie, not as protective as I’d like.
His rough and invasive touch feels like a violation. On my hips. My chest. Between my legs. He’s giving me a police pat down.
My eyes clench shut so not to panic at the unwanted touches. I focus on breathing instead.
When he’s satisfied, he gives me another hard shove forward. “Go sit down on the sofa. Keep your arms up. You lower them or make any sudden movements, I’m firing. Understand?”
I nod, my voice stuck in my throat, and pad over to the sofa. I’m trying to figure out what to even do in a situation like this—never did I imagine I’d be held hostage at gun point in my office by a Northam City police officer. The situation is so strange and confusing, I can’t begin to make sense of what the hell is happening.
“Where’s Cade?” I ask finally, my tone restrained.
“Don’t worry about Cade. I took care of him. Hehackedmy shit. He won’t be doing that again—or much else. You put him up to it, didn’t you?”
My brows knit. “I asked him to look into Doukas’ ring camera. But I’m guessing you didn’t want that. You didn’t like whatever it is he found.”
“You’re too nosy. Even for an ADA. I knew I had to get rid of you as soon as you kept insisting something was up with the security footage of Doukas’ brownstone. Then you took all that time off. You didn’t think I would just let you come across my secret, did you?” he asks with a casual wave of his handgun. “But you’re a hard one to get rid of. Do you always have private security following you everywhere?”
“You sent the text from Cade’s phone to lure me here because—”
“I knew your security doesn’t follow you inside city hall. Funny thing about that security of yours. I recognize a few of the guys. Is there a reason why they happen to be guys I’ve brought in on charges in the past? All guys under the employment of the Mancino crime organization?” Galecki uses the barrel of the gun to scratch at his scruffy beard as if in deep thought. “Am I right in saying the ADA—future district attorney of Northam if the election goes your way—is in bed with the mob?”
A sense of dizzying shock rolls over me. I feel lightheaded at the mere accusation, though I don’t let it show on my face. I simply blink at him, taking a page from Salvatore’s book. My expression remains blank with no signs of emotion.
“Are you projecting, Detective?” I ask, my arms aching as I hold them midair. “It sounds like you’re hiding a lot more than I am. What secret were you trying to cover up?”
Galecki’s phone rings and he shushes me with a jerking motion of his gun. I sit still and watch him as he answers the call and explains to whoever is on the other line that he’s handling what he calls “a loose end”.
Apparently, I’m that loose end he doesn’t want to leave unhandled.
My gaze darts to my purse, strewn across the floor on the other side of the office. If only there was some way of getting to it quickly enough to grab my gun. If only there was some way Galecki could become distracted long enough for me to use my phone to call for help.
Stitches said he’d come up in fifteen minutes if I didn’t make it down.
I have no reference of time around me, but it usually takes me about five minutes just to make it to my office. All I have to do is last the next ten.
“Wait, what?” Galecki says, the phone pressed to his ear. The lines in his face crease even more as he casts me a look. “She’shis girl? Is that why his guys go wherever she goes? So what if I take her out? He said nobody go after her? You don’t know what I know about this bitch—she’s not gonna leave us alone. You know how she picked and picked and picked at Giorgio ’til she had charges.”
I’m on edge listening to him and the other person on the phone discuss my fate. Whoever he’s speaking to seems to want Galecki to leave me alone. Galecki couldn’t disagree more. They end the phone call without resolving the matter.
He pockets his phone. “I’m being told not to fuck with you. Yourboyfriendpromised he’d raise hell if we do. My boss doesn’t want that kind of trouble right now.”
“Which boss would that be? Frausto? Or is it Hector?”
He chuckles. “See, there you go proving my point. You’re too stubborn for your own good, ADA. Pick, pick, pick. That’s all you do.”
“So you’re a dirty cop,” I say. “You’ve been working on the inside for the Belinis. You were scheduling the security detail for Doukas. You were the first detective on the scene of her murder. You radioed it in. The evidence we had against Giorgio? You tampered with it. You told his lawyers. They motioned to have it thrown out. Judge Ortiz listened. Probably for an extra payday.”
“That’s right. I couldn’t have him or Frausto going away—it’d bemyass on the line.”
“You should be ashamed of yourself. You’ve betrayed your oath. You swore to protect this city against crime!”
