IT HAD been a roulette wheel of partners since Ian was away, and today I had self-proclaimed metrosexual Eli Kohn sitting at Ian’s desk when I got to the office.
“Hey, Jonesy,” he greeted me cheerfully.
I flipped him off.
“So grouchy first thing this morning. You must need coffee?”
I needed my partner back. That’s what was missing and making me foul. “You’re with me?”
“Always, baby.”
I shook my head as he cackled.
Kage filled the doorway of his office and notified us that we were on transport this morning and retrieval in the afternoon. Kohn walked over and took the piece of paper Kage held out.
“Remember, gentlemen, not getting updates makes me cranky.”
I knew that firsthand. Kage liked to know where we all were. Not checking in got you sent home without pay. “Yessir.”
“Jones.”
I stopped moving and gave him my undivided attention.
“The feds said that you were invaluable to their investigation, though they felt that your methods bordered on misconduct.”
I coughed.
“They said that you flirted with Dr. Hartley and that he extracted a promise for you to see him twice a year.”
“I think that whatever they heard, or didn’t, has no bearing on their case.”
“Agreed.” He clipped the word. “You did good work today.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“How does it feel to have the cast off?”
I flexed my hand for him. “You have no idea.”
He nodded quickly, retreating back into his office but leaving the door open like always. I caught up with Kohn in the hall.
“You know, you and Doyle make the rest of us look good.”
I missed Ian too much to take any crap about him. I was in defense mode. “What’re you talking about?”
“You guys jump off balconies.”
“That was just the once,” I said snidely, stuffing my scarf into my quilted black jacket, hoping it didn’t get much colder.
He grabbed my right bicep, stopping me so he could step in front of me. “I was there for the first one, but I heard that the second time, you flew.”
“That’s not how I remember it.”
“Tell me how you remember it, then.”
Easing my arm free, I explained about jumping off Emma’s balcony after the drug dealer as we walked. By the time we got to the elevator, he was staring at me like I was insane. “What?”
“Are you kidding?” he said dryly. “You don’t follow people off balconies, Jones.”
I scoffed, pulling my phone out of my coat pocket as it started buzzing.
“You’re not the Green Beret, ya know. Your partner is.”
“Yeah, okay,” I placated him, grabbing his wool and cashmere toggle coat and holding out my phone so he could see the text from the Chicago PD homicide detective our office was working with. “Rybin says that he and Cassel will meet us at the safe house in Brookfield so we can take custody of our witness to transport her to court for her deposition.”
“Why are you getting a text from a detective and not someone on our team?”
“You know White gives out our numbers to the detectives he’s working with.”
He shook his head. “That’s not protocol.”
I scoffed.
“Shut up.”
“Mr. I took time off my last security detail to go bang some girl before picking up dinner.”
“One time!”
I did my best Sam Kage impersonation. “Perhaps you need an extended vacation, Mr. Kohn, so you can get all the fucking out of your system.”
“Crap,” he groaned. “You would have thought Ching would have warned me that he was on his way over from the safe house.”
I snickered. “Ching lives for that shit, you know that.”
“I know it now,” he said, exasperated.
I couldn’t help laughing.
“And that Kage impression is kinda creepy.”
We rode the elevator down in silence and when the doors whooshed open, Chris Becker stood there with his partner, Wes Ching.
They made an interesting pair, Becker, the ex-University of Kentucky linebacker, and Ching, his smaller though decidedly more aggressive partner. Becker was one of those guys women watched when he walked down the street, a confident stride and easy smile. Ching was quieter, and, people thought, the saner of the two, until he kicked down a door and charged through. After a raid it was always “That black guy and the Asian guy, what the fuck was with them?” Of course that was only if Kage wasn’t around. If he was, you could bet no one said a word about any member of his team. It wasn’t healthy.
When Becker saw us, the cocky grin instantly appeared. “Morning, ladies,” he teased, waggling his thick brown brows.
Kohn flipped him off.
“What’s wrong with you, you havin’ your period?” Ching asked loudly.
I smiled at all the women in the hall getting on the elevator. “Make sure you all report that bullshit to Supervisor Kage upstairs.”
“Fuck you, Jones!”
Kohn pointed at Becker before turning to follow me down the hall. “Asshat,” he grumbled.
“Yes,” I agreed. “But when Becker’s coming through the door after your ass, you like him, right?”