“What?” the chief asked. “You know him?”
Jonathan was silent.
My heart flipped and my mouth dried. There was no way we could confess to where we’d been the night before. The last thing I wanted was for the chief to know my kinks. Nor Balko and Sean for that matter. Ricardo, I didn’t care, he knew I could be way out there, and a trip to a BDSM club wasn’t unusual.
Jonathan swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “I recognise him.”
“From where?” The chief frowned.
Jonathan didn’t speak, but glanced at me.
I shook my head a fraction, almost imperceptibly.
Ricardo sent me a quizzical look. He knew something was up.
“I can’t recall,” Jonathan said, shoving his hands into his pockets and turning away from me. “But he looks a mean motherfucker.”
“He is.” The chief flicked his notebook open. “Which is why I’m pleased we have an address for him.”
“We do?” Good. This was getting us somewhere. I wanted the bastard to pay for what he’d done the night before and to every other woman he’d encountered and tortured just so he could sell their pain and misery to other creeps.
“Yeah, we know exactly where he is.” The chief nodded. “And you guys are going to get him. Now.”
Chapter Eight
I climbed into the back of the sun-heated van, the air sticky and clinging to my skin.
“Get the aircon on,” I called to the front and buckled up the strap on my helmet. I slipped on my shades.
Balko did as I’d asked, then set the GPS. He wore fingerless, non-slip gloves with a strap around each wrist. His forearms were coated in light brown hair. “It’s four and half miles to this ass-wipe’s trailer park.” He glanced over his shoulder at me.
“I hate them,” Ricardo muttered, turning the engine on. “Damn rabbit warrens.”
I agreed with him, but felons loved the maze they offered so it wasn’t unusual for us to execute a raid there.
We’d studied a detailed map, knew which trailer we were headed for. Now it was just a case of getting on with the job and causing as little ruckus as possible.
As Ricardo drove, Jonathan, who sat to my left, leaned close. “Didn’t expect to be seeing him again so soon, did we?”
I shook my head. “No, but it seems the stars are shining down on us. Let’s get this pervert.” I glanced at Sean, wondering if he was listening. He didn’t appear to be, he was tapping on his iPhone.
Jonathan squeezed my knee.
I frowned—gestures of affection on the job weren’t our style. And it definitely wasn’t okay on the job. “What?” I shifted away from him.
“He’s a woman-hater, don’t forget that.” He set his clenched fist on his thigh. It was as though he was having to force himself not to touch me.
“I should think he’s a cop-hater too, which puts us all in the same boat.” I gave him a look that dared words to spill from his mouth that suggested he didn’t think me as capable or tough as my team.
It seemed common sense reigned after all, and he was quiet as he shifted his attention to the road ahead.
I glanced again at Sean. His head was bowed to his phone, but I had the distinct feeling he was very much listening to us, watching us. You didn’t get on a SWAT team without being alert to everything and everyone around you.
We edged through several sets of lights, then hit the one-way system. After passing the airport, the easy banter Balko and Ricardo had set up dampened down. We were getting into the zone. Putting ourselves in the headspace needed to think and act fast…to survive.
Eventually we pulled up a block away from the trailer park. No point advertising our arrival with bells and whistles.
“Right, let’s get this piece of shit.” Sean released the safety on his weapon and stood.