Kate bent down and opened the desk file drawer and searched through it. She pulled out a manila file and glanced at it. “They haven’t. That’s strange because I got the information on the other firearms you confiscated from his car, but not on the military weapon.” Kate consulted her notes again. “The shotgun was purchased legally, but the two handguns were stolen from a shipment in Colorado.”
“They were? Hmmm, seems like Tyrone and I need to have another little chat.”
Sienna took the file out of Kate’s hands and picked up the phone. She dialed the FBI and waited while it rang. When the person picked up the line, Sienna stated who she was and what she needed.
The receptionist transferred her to the lab, and they put her on hold. She glanced at Kate and leaned back against the chair, the fatigue dragging at her.
Kate tilted her head and gave her a scolding look. “I’m telling this to you as a friend, Sienna. Get more sleep. It’s clinically proven that sleep deprivation will take years off your life.”
“Spoken like a true scientist.” Sienna switched her attention back to the phone as the lab attendant came back on the line.
“Detective Parker, we’re very sorry, but somehow, we overlooked that serial number when we were processing Ms. Quinn’s request. We’ll try to get to it as soon as possible,” he said without an ounce of apology in his voice. If anything, he sounded annoyed and distracted.
“Make it a priority. I needed that information yesterday,” she ordered.
“We’ll do the best we can,” he promised.
Sienna ended the call. “Great. Lab mix-up. Would you call me the minute you get the report?”
“I will. Keep me updated on your progress.”
“With the case?”
Kate rolled her eyes. “No. With the SEAL.”
Sienna rose, giving Kate a grin in acknowledgment. “I’ve got to go. Gotta check in with the cyber geeks and see what progress they’ve made on Buckner’s smashed computer, and check on a list of gunrunners active in the San Diego area, which I requested this morning.”
“I’ll see you later. Hopefully, I’ll be having some hot sex of my own soon,” Kate said, giving Sienna a cheeky smile.
“You bet, girlfriend. We’ll make sure that Jericho St. James doesn’t overlook you.” With a wave, Sienna slipped out of Kate’s office.
* * *
A.J. had been cooling his heels in Sienna’s office for an hour. He was impatient to find out why she’d left him without even a note. He also had to admit to himself that he was miffed about it.
To take his mind off the reason he was miffed, he flipped through some of the files on her desk. The reports were filled with that strange cop jargon, a language that was both succinct and elaborate. Suspects were in possession of controlled substances, committing a B and E, and aggravated assault.
Although Sienna had told him she hated paperwork, she wrote a damn good report. Rules-and-Regulations Parker, he thought and closed the file. Maybe most of his anger came from the fact that he wasn’t prepared to accept that there was a lot more to her than the straight-arrow cop.
He’d seen her track down leads like a bloodhound, her eyes alive with determination. He’d felt her electric response, a spontaneous and burning embrace. Most importantly, he couldn’t ignore her deep compassion.
There had been plenty to take in, but he knew there was more beneath that tough-cop act.
David was his priority, had to be. Yet Sienna was like a loaded gun with a hair-trigger—dangerous.
It made him angry. It made him edgy. And when she swept into the room, a printout under her arm, it made him snarl.
“I’ve been waiting for an hour. Where have you been?”
She gave him a cool look as he took in her disheveled clothes, the dark circles under her eyes.
“You’ve been here all night?” he asked.
“I couldn’t sleep.”
“So, you left without telling me or leaving me a note.”
“I didn’t want to wake you. Besides, I don’t have the luxury of working one case like TV cops. I have to go to court the day after tomorrow and I needed to prepare.”