Tied Bond (Bonded Duet 2)

“What the hell, man!”

“You’re under arrest,” I started, and proceeded to read him his rights. He shuffled to the left, but I clamped my hand on his cuffs and led him away from the SUV. The rest of the agents were arresting the people who were on the flight with him, and although we were only after him and two people in his operation, we had to take them all in. One of them was a snitch who had provided us with valuable information, and we didn’t want to blow their cover and put them in danger.

The guy tried to squirm away, but as soon as the van pulled up, I pushed him inside and closed the door on him. His whiny voice was grating on my last nerve.

“I’ll come around and get you,” Jord said in my ear, and I slapped my hand on the back of the van the prisoner was in to let them know they could go. A couple of minutes later, the van Jord and I had been in pulled up, and his grinning face was turned toward me.

“Enjoy that?” he asked.

“Hell yeah, I did.” I grinned and pulled the driver’s cap off as Jord peeled out of the airport grounds. “My first arrest since Garza.” His name wasn’t one I often said because it was like a black cloud hanging over me. He’d been dealt his sentence, and he’d never see the light of day outside the prison walls again, but that didn’t mean the threat of him still wasn’t there.

W

e followed the van to the offices where I booked the dealer and decided to make him sweat before I presented him with the evidence. The DA was already set to press charges, so at this stage, it was just a case of what we would find on his plane and the formality of letting him know the deep shit he was in.

I stopped at my desk and pulled my personal cell out, checking to see if there were any messages, and just as I was about to click open one from Belle, I heard, “Ford, come into my office,” from Brody.

Flicking my head up, I met Brody’s gaze, and my stomach churned. I hadn’t seen him since Belle and I had told him and Lola she was moving in with me. I stored my cell away and pushed my shoulders back, preparing for what he had to say. I had no doubt he had an opinion on it, but it wouldn’t change what would happen. Belle and I were moving in together, and I was going to provide for her and my son, just the way she needed me to.

My feet felt heavier as I walked to his office, and it felt like everyone’s attention was on me. I closed the door behind me and took two steps inside, then waited. His gaze was focused on his cell, and after a few seconds, he looked up at me, his dark eyes almost black.

“I need you to look over Curtis again.”

I frowned, not having been expecting that. “What? Why?”

He let out a breath and stared out of the windows to his office that looked out into the den. “I just got the coroner’s paperwork.” He pushed a piece of paper across his desk. “Take a look at who signed it.”

I stepped forward and picked the paper up, scanning the top of the document and then the bottom, and reading who the body was released to. “Rory?” My eyes widened, and I stumbled back a step. “Why would Rory pick the body up?”

“That’s what I want to know.” Brody stood and crossed his arms over his chest. “Ryan was tasked with investigating him when you were away, and he came up with nothing. He’s been on sabbatical these last few weeks.”

“I wondered where he was,” I commented, only just now realizing I hadn’t seen him in the office or around any of the houses since Belle had returned.

“But something seems…off. Why is a member of the cartel picking up Curtis’ body? I don’t remember Belle saying anything about Curtis being connected.”

I stared at the ceiling, trying to recall the things she’d told me, and also the statement she’d given when they interviewed her. I knew the statement didn’t depict exactly what Curtis had told Belle he’d done—that he’d killed Stella and Justin—and although I’d had my doubts about it, maybe he’d been telling the truth. I’d thought that maybe he was only saying it to hurt Belle, to cause her more pain than he already had, but what if he wasn’t? What if he had killed Stella and Justin? What if the cartel signature was his because he was connected? There couldn’t be another reason for him to have taken ownership of what happened to Stella and Justin and for Rory to pick his body up.

Things were starting to slot together, but I still couldn’t fully figure it out. It was as if I was wearing sunglasses at night, and I needed to take them off to see clearly.

“I’ll look into it,” I told Brody, determined to put all the pieces together. It was all there, I just had to make it all fit.

“Good.” He nodded. “All the files are in storage. Comb through them all and find out what the hell is going on. I don’t care how long it takes.”

I held the paper up. “Can I keep this?”

“Yeah.” Brody went to sit back down but paused. “And don’t think I’ve forgotten about Belle moving in with you.” His eyes narrowed. “I should give you the talk about protecting her and treating her right.”

“You don’t need to,” I told him, puffing my chest out. “I’d never hurt her. Ever.”

“I know you wouldn’t because if you did, I’d kill you.” It wasn’t just a threat, but a promise too. One he’d never have to uphold because I had no intention to hurt Belle.

“Noted,” I said with a clip of my head. “I’ll go get those files now.”

“Keep me updated,” he gritted out as I spun around and exited the office. He was right. We were missing something, and I was determined to find out what exactly it was. Christmas was three days away, so I knew I wouldn’t get the files until after then, but I’d put a request in, and as soon as I was back in the office, I wouldn’t stop until I knew what the hell was going on.

* * *

BELLE