Page 67 of Clumsy in Love

“Pft. Dude, that thing’s at the bottom of the Hudson for sure.”

“You’re probably right.”

Cole spent the next few days stewing. Mad at Holly for backing out. Mad at himself for being so rude to Holly. Mad at the system for letting Cruz out of jail. He had too much time on his hands. He needed to go back to work but still had another week of mandatory vacation. Riding with the detectives was his only link to the job, so he called Flanigan and arranged to ride along again.

“You’re not gonna just bail on me?”

“No,” Cole said. “I promise.”

“Uh-huh. You heard Bennett’s comin’ back to town. Is that why you called? To get in on that action?”

“What? No. What action?”

“Guess she had second thoughts. Called the DA and told him she’d testify after all. They got with us to make a plan to rearrest Cruz.”

“That’s fantastic,” Cole said. Finally, some good news. “Yes, I want in. What’s the plan?”

“We’re gonna have a CI leak information that Holly’s coming to town to talk. He’ll tell Cruz she’s staying at the Hotel New York again, but instead of her, he’ll find us.”

“You’re gonna use Holly as bait?” Cole’s enthusiasm dampened, souring on the plan immediately. “What if something goes wrong?”

“She won’t be anywhere near the Hotel New York. We’ve put her up in the Stay and Play on Madison. Once Cruz is in custody, she’ll meet with the DA. This is all going down soon. If you want in, you better get over here.”

“Wait for me.” Cole clicked off and gathered his things. He wore khakis and a black polo, but hung his badge on his belt. Hefelt like a detective wannabe but didn’t want to stand out in a uniform. Technically, he wasn’t on duty anyway. He put one gun in a holster on his waist and strapped another to his ankle. He rushed down to the station, where they had already mobilized.

“Four plain clothes in the lobby to spot. Two of you in the room. And two pairs of you on each stairwell. As soon as he finds out Holly’s not there, he’ll retreat. We’ll take him in the hallway. Questions?”

“Who’s guarding Holly?” Cole asked.

“She’s fine. Cruz has no idea where she is.”

“That seems risky.”

“You’re not even a detective, and you think you should be in charge now?” The detective sergeant glared. Cole shook his head. “All right. Let’s go.”

“That’s not a good career move,” Flanigan said under his breath.

“Dude. Holly’s a sitting duck if Cruz finds out where she really is.”

“How’s he gonna figure that out?”

“I don’t know.” All of a sudden, Cole didn’t trust anyone. The more he thought about it, the more he wondered if the PD had a rat. Sure, there were lots of ways Adams and Lambert could have been exposed, but the whole thing wasn’t sitting right. “Yeah. Never mind.”

Flanigan exited with the other officers. But rather than follow, Cole slipped out a side door. And hit the street running. The Stay and Play was only two blocks from the precinct, but it felt like two miles. Cole arrived at the front doors and slowed, taking in everything on the street before entering.

He put his badge in one pocket and slipped his gun in another. It was midafternoon, and the lobby was sparsely populated. Hesaw Holly first, turning away from the front desk and heading toward the elevators, dragging a roller suitcase behind her.

Then he saw Cruz. A baseball cap hid most of his face, but Cole watched as shrewd eyes followed Holly from just a few feet away.

Cruz was so focused on Holly that he didn’t notice Cole easing in behind him. Holly pushed the call button for the elevator and waited, tapping her foot to something playing in her earbuds. Cole was still closing in from several feet away when the doors opened, and Holly stepped in.

Cole’s heart jumped into his throat as Cruz ran over and pointed his gun directly into the elevator. An ear-piercing scream rang out.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

One minute, Holly was stepping into the elevator. The next, she was staring down the barrel of Cruz’s gun. Instinct kicked in, and she waved her hands and screamed as if scaring off a bear. At the same time, she stepped to the side, attempting to get out of the direct line of fire. Cruz moved to enter the elevator but got distracted when someone yelled his name.

“Cruz! Drop the gun,” a deep voice commanded. Cole!

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