Total pages in book: 188
Estimated words: 182255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 911(@200wpm)___ 729(@250wpm)___ 608(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 182255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 911(@200wpm)___ 729(@250wpm)___ 608(@300wpm)
“Wait. What? Not only do you have a son, you proposed to your girlfriend? Congratulations, man! Obviously she said yes. What’s her name?”
Seth couldn’t help but smile as he whipped out his phone to show his pal a picture. “Heavenly. She’s a nursing student from Wisconsin. And she’s every bit as sweet as she sounds. Smart as hell, too. Works harder than anyone I know.”
He didn’t mention Beck. Besides Tony knowing some of the cops his mom still talked to, he was a practicing Catholic. Chances were high gossip could get passed on. Or Tony wouldn’t understand.
His former partner raised a brow. “Damn, she’s gorgeous. How did you meet a girl from Wisconsin in LA?”
“She moved out there for family.” Seth opted for the simple version. “And we met through mutual friends. She’s incredible. I never thought I’d find someone like her.”
Tony grinned. “You’re clearly in love.”
“Yep, I’m totally gone,” Seth admitted without embarrassment.
“When’s the big day?”
Seth shrugged, hedging. “We’re still deciding. There’s no rush, and she’s in her last year of nursing school.”
When the server set down Tony’s club soda, he thanked her before sending Seth a wry grin. “Your life sounds anything but boring.”
“You got that right. What about you and Megan? You still planning to make an honest woman of her come spring?”
Tony’s face lit up. “Yep. We found a venue, and she’s got a dress on order. We’re working on the rest. We found a house in Queens—nothing fancy, but it’s got a yard and good schools for when we have kids.”
“That’s great, man. I’m really happy for you.”
His former partner raised his glass. “Here’s to finding the right women and some happiness before life kills us.”
They clinked glasses, and Seth couldn’t help but wonder… “You ever think about leaving the force?”
“Every damn day.” Tony’s smile faded. “Especially lately.”
Seth leaned in and dropped his voice. “Last time I saw you, you mentioned that things at the precinct had gone south.”
Tony scanned the nearly empty bar, his shoulders tense as he checked for unfriendly ears. “Like I said after the nine-eleven memorial ceremony, things have changed, gotten more political. It feels…corrupt.”
“Fucking shame,” Seth murmured.
“And getting worse every day.”
“We’ve always known there are a few dirty cops at the station who—”
“This is bigger. Darker.”
His dad would be rolling over in his grave, Seth thought sourly. “What do you mean?”
Tony glanced around the bar again, this time even more cautiously. “Good cases are getting tossed. I’m talking slam-dunks, especially drug dealers having their charges dismissed over bullshit technicalities. But it’s not like the place has gone soft. Some dealers are getting skewered with felony charges for what should be minor possession. It’s shady.”
Seth frowned. “That could be shitty lawyers or overworked assistant DAs.”
“I thought that, too. At first. But witnesses started disappearing.” Tony’s knuckles were white around his glass. “Key informants started turning up dead, execution style. Their deaths were ruled suicides. Makes no fucking sense. And it’s not just informants. Cops, too. Good cops who asked the right questions got transferred or demoted. Or dead.”
His gut tightened. “Someone’s offing cops?”
“You remember Patrick Kowalski? Narcotics detective, worked Vice for a while?”
Seth nodded. “Younger guy. Sharp.”
“Yep. Patrick came to me about three weeks ago. Said he had something huge that would blow up half the precinct. Next morning, his body turned up in an alley a few blocks from the station with three bullets in his chest.” Tony drained his club soda. “The detective in charge of the case called it a robbery gone wrong, but I’m not buying it. Street thieves want shit to sell, not bodies to hide. Bad for business. Patrick’s wallet was still in his pocket, cash and all.”
That sounded sus as hell…like his dad’s death being ruled a drug deal gone wrong. Different people and different situations, but corruption always left behind the same stench.
“Yeah, that sounds fishy as fuck.”
“Exactly. Maybe I could believe it was random, but not right after Patrick said he’d uncovered something big. I’ve been a cop too long to believe in coincidences like that.”
Seth, too. A chill went up his spine. “Be careful.”
“I am.” But Tony’s hand shook slightly, belying his words. “I’ve done some digging but—”
“Unless it’s your case, you should stop. Have you discussed this with the higher-ups?”
“Of course. But nothing changed—except that I feel like I’m being watched now. Followed. Maybe that sounds paranoid but…”
Tony had always been too level-headed for that. Besides, Seth felt the prickle of unseen eyes now, too. Unease crept up his spine as he scanned the bar again. He didn’t see anyone obviously watching them, but that just meant that whoever observed them was damn good. “And you have no idea who’s pulling the strings?”
“None. That’s what scares me.” Tony’s voice dropped to barely above a whisper. “Whoever this is, they’ve got friends in high places and the kind of power that buys silence.”