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Turning away from his kids, he looks at me. “You’re a fucking cop? Arrest her for attempted murder. Do your fucking job! That bitch beat me and dumped me in the desert to die.”
“You look healthy enough,” I counter.
“Not recently, you dumb shit. This was seven years ago.”
“Did you file a report?” I ask, knowing full well he hasn’t. I’d run Viper’s record when I first met her and found nothing. Not even a parking ticket.
“Fuck you,” he snarls. “Fine, let her get away with it. I don’t care. I’m not here for her. I want Angelica.”
“You can’t have her,” Puma says, which has the CPS agent puffing up like the toad she is.
“I have a warrant here that says otherwise,” she states with obvious glee. “You are to return her to her father. If you don’t, I’ll go into your clubhouse and get her.” She glares at me before continuing. “We’re getting her.”
“She isn’t here,” Puma says. I know he’s lying because I just saw her before coming outside. Puma glances at me before glaring down at the agent.
“I don’t believe you,” she snarls.
“I don’t care.”
Puma’s response is so dismissive and insulting that I can’t help but chuckle. She turns her glare onto me, but I just look back at her without expression.
“Are you going to execute this warrant? Or do I need to contact your superiors?”
I glance at Puma, who gives me a barely perceptible nod. Stepping forward, I snag the warrant out of her hand. She moves forward, but I don’t. Instead, I take several minutes reading through it to ensure I know what it covers. The warrant onlyspecifies the clubhouse and the acquisition of the little girl, Angelica Turner. Since rescuing her from a human trafficking ring in New Orleans, Dice and the others have been calling her Angel. Seeing how close they came to calling her by her real name is a little spooky.
“You’re wasting time!” the agent screeches at me.
“Hold your horses, Karen. I have to read the warrant to know what it covers. Or maybe you aren’t familiar with following procedures.”
“My name’s Gloria, not Karen,” she huffs.
“My mistake,” I say without glancing at her. “You remind me of a Karen.”
I ignore her huff and focus on Puma. Handing him the warrant, I let him read it while I study Viper. She’s looking back at me and seems so lost that I want to comfort her. The desire to pull her into my arms and assuring her that everything will be okay overwhelms me. Knowing I can’t guts me. Not for the first time has my job stood as an obstacle between us. I knew when we first started dating that I’d have to deal with the juxtaposition of her being a member of a 1% club and me being a cop. But some days are worse than others. Like today.
“Looks legit,” Puma says with a smirk. “Search, but just for the little girl. She’s not here, but you’ll see that soon enough.”
Gloria follows me into the clubhouse. Dice follows. She stays close to me, but her eyes scour the room as if she’s memorizing for a test. She immediately heads down the hall to the offices. I share a glance with Dice before following.
“Unlock this door,” she demands when she reaches Puma’s office.
“Don’t have the key,” Dice says. “I’ll have to get Puma.”
She tries every door in the hallway, only to find them locked. Her growl of frustration has me sniffling a laugh.
“You won’t find her in the club offices,” Dice admonishes her. “Children are only allowed in the common areas.”
“Why don’t we start in the bedrooms,” I suggest.
“Protecting them?”
“From a snoop? Yeah.”
“The warrant says…” she starts, but I ignore her and gesture for her to head back into the common room.
“I know what the warrant says. Since I’m the cop here, I’ll decide how we’ll conduct the search. So either get in line or get out.”
She huffs but follows me down the hall to the bedrooms. I skip past the entertainment room, knowing that if Angelica is in the building, she’s in there. Gloria insists on searching through every closet and bathroom before she’s satisfied. I share a look with Dice but keep my mouth shut. Gloria seems intent on finding something more than a little girl. I know that she’ll be unsuccessful. Puma and his men are careful.
