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“Sonny Robinson.” She went back to the police database and a record filled the screen, the picture of a hardened youth with a buzzed skull, big brown eyes that seemed…empty. “Whoa. This guy has a sheet. Suspected of armed robbery, selling drugs, and many assaults. Surfer from Maroubra, a crime-ridden, blue-collar burg of social housing.” She went to the next guy. “Heath Ferguson is a former AFP copper who was fired for allegedly accepting bribes.” She remembered this case. It had been in the news, and Heath’s picture had been splashed along with it. Short blond hair, blue eyes, and a cheeky grin beneath his AFP cap. “And the last guy, Louis Campbell, is a petty thief with a long sheet with vindictive and sadistic tendencies. Assaults, drug possession, robbery, suspected of murder.” He had shaggy red hair and green eyes.
She swiveled her chair as he backed up a few steps, giving her a breather. He was still close.
“Mickey wasn’t kidding. Bad dudes,” Kodiak said. “I think our priority is this Archie guy. He’s the one in immediate danger, and he might have some answers for us. Once we secure this guy, we have a chat with Mitchell and Coen, Lenny’s boys, and the boss himself.”
“Yeah.” She rose and came face to face with him. His eyes went a little unfocused. Lifting his free hand up to her face, he gently brushed the backs of his knuckles against her flushed cheek before threading his fingers through her hair and curling them around the nape of her neck. He dropped his head down to hers, and the last thing she caught was the desire simmering in his eyes, before his lips grazed along her jaw, all the way to her ear.
“You are damned distracting,” he whispered.
Her heart suddenly hammering, Kaiya gazed back at him, the clamor in her chest making it hard for her to think. A glimmer of humor twinkled in his eyes. “I could say the same thing about you, Jay, and you started it.”
“I’m going to finish it, too, Kaiya. Just a matter of timing.”
She didn’t know how to respond. The glimmer deepened, and suddenly the knots in her stomach relaxed. She gave him a warped smile, her tone dry when she responded, “There’s a fine line between confident and arrogant,” she responded. “Don’t get a big head.”
“Too late,” he whispered. Then he smiled a disarming, sensual, intimate smile that did unbelievable things to his eyes and even more unbelievable things to her equilibrium. The smile held, the creases around his eyes deepening, the glint turning her heart to jelly.
“Even with all these bad dudes running around, I think I’m in more danger from you, Kodiak.”
“Maybe,” he said, hauling in a hard breath and stepping back so she could get past him. “But let’s get organized here. We can split the team into groups. While we go after Archie, they can track down those four thugs. Let me update Anna and the guys.”
She nodded, adrenaline slipping into her bloodstream. Getting potential terrorists off the street was her job, but she’d take great pleasure in messing up NSH’s plans. “I’ll update Tessa, and we can get going.”
“Kaiya, I think we should leave Lenny and his muscle to you and me with some backup. You know him and his illicit activities. Should be your collar.”
“I appreciate that and, yeah, splitting the workload will make this go faster. Meet you up front in the lobby in about fifteen?” she said, exiting the office. She thought his effect on her would diminish, but it didn’t, and she worked at getting herself under control before facing Tessa.
Even with all the intel they had, people weren’t inclined to talk to her and Kodiak. They went to the usual haunts for Archie. When they stopped at the soup kitchen, a guy dressed in a ragged jacket told them Archie’s last name was Baker, and he played the violin like an angel before it’d been stolen. He said the man had been sad before, but after the theft, he was never the same.
Kaiya felt for the poor guy. He was so destitute and now he had to run from Lenny’s thugs. They checked the junkyard, but his makeshift home was empty. They headed down to the opera house, thinking he might have taken refuge in the one place that gave him peace.
One of the most unique buildings in the world with its billowing sails, it was considered an architectural masterpiece and a vibrant performance space where the past shaped the future, where conventions were challenged, and cultures were celebrated. It housed dance, theater, opera, and the Sydney Orchestra. Her pride for the attention and praise the building received was nothing compared to the pride she felt that the location of the building was on Bennelong Point. It was named for Bennelong after one of two Aboriginal people who resided there in a small home and served as a liaison between Australia’s first British settlers and the local population.
Bennelong Point was part of Port Jackson, an inlet of the Pacific, one of the world’s finest natural harbors, and the principal port of New South Wales. The entrance to the harbor was between North and South Heads, where naval and military stations were located. The Parramatta River, Cockatoo Island, housing shipyards, and Middle Harbor Creek formed the inlet’s western and northern branches. People, on the other hand, used the Sydney Harbor Bridge, constructed with a dramatic arch. The structure moved vehicles, cyclists, walkers, and rail from the central business district to the North Shore. The view of the bridge, the harbor, and the opera house was an iconic representation of both Sydney and Australia.
But the jewel of the area was the Sydney Royal Botanical Gardens, located from behind the opera house all the way to the end of the point. It was free with benches to sit on, wildlife, rolling lawns, ancient trees, and gorgeous ornamental plants to see, along with several restaurants and a coffee shop. Her favorite was the succulent garden.
After parking in the Wilson parking area off Macquarie Street, Kaiya and Kodiak started walking toward the opera house, keeping a watchful eye for Mickey’s description of Archie Baker.
It was beautiful and peaceful, the wind blowing gently off the water, bringing with it a fresh scent of sea. She’d often come here with her parents, and the memory of holding her mom’s hand washed over her. As usual, the feeling of love when she thought of her mom was overshadowed with confusion and frustration. Everywhere they went, even here to Port Jackson, her mom made it a point to tell her stories of the past and the history of her city. However, when Kaiya asked aboutherpersonal history, things like where she was born, her mom clammed up. It had been a constant source of confusion until she’d started attending school, then her father had explained. It hadn’t helped in any way that mattered.
They combed the area and didn’t find even a glimpse of Archie, so they stopped at the coffee shop to grab a late lunch.
“This place is beautiful,” Kodiak said, looking around as the waitress set menus on their table. He picked his up. “What should I try?”
“Vegemite,” she said. “It’s so delicious.”
“What exactly is that?” he asked, his gaze caressing her face, sending bouts of tingling down her spine and through her blood.
“It’s a thick, dark brown food spread made from leftover brewer’s yeast extract with various vegetables and spices added.”
He stopped reading the menu and looked up at her with a grimace on his face. “Sounds worse than MREs,” he said. “Pass.”
She gave him a steady stare. “Oh, come on. Vegemite is synonymous with Australia. You should try it at least once.”
He gave her a wry look. “Yeah, thick, dark brown food. Pass.”
She giggled. “Kodiak?—”
