Page 4 of Girl Code
“Online shopping? Did I pay my credit card statement late?” Mickey pretended to think hard and then snapped her fingers, “Is this about that link I clicked on PornHub? Because I swear I didn’t know it was going to take me to that other subscription site.”
God, she was still a smartass. He swiped a hand over his face to keep a small smile from showing but the snort of laughter from her male friend wiped away all his good humor as quickly as it had appeared. He didn’t know if he wanted to strangle her or kiss her but he was fairly certain he wanted to put his fist through that pretty boys face.
That had always been a problem with Mickey.
“Wait, no.” She frowned at him now, really getting rolling, “Pornhub isn’t illegal and even if it was, you’re not a cop so, tell me what this is about and then go away, Dante. This is where I work and you’re not welcome here.”
He snorted. She was still bitchy too. He’d always liked that about her. He also liked proving her wrong and she’d just given him the only opening he needed to have her at his mercy.
“Actually…” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his badge, tossing it towards her so that she was forced to catch it or let it hit her in the face, “That’s where you’re wrong.”
When the badge landed in Mickey’s open hands, her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. She stared at the shiny piece of metal like he’d just handed her a grenade. She looked from him to the badge and back again, her neck jerking almost comically. She opened her mouth, closed it again and then shook her head.
“What? No.” She blinked quickly, “That is fake. You’re not a cop.”
“I am, actually.” He thoroughly enjoyed her shock as well as the slight gasp that came from her friend who was still lurking behind her on the desk. He stuck his hand out towards the other man now, “Detective Dante Chinn, and you are?”
“Cam.. Cameron Britt.” The other man stuttered slightly as he extended his own hand but before they could shake Mickey stepped between them.
“No.” She snapped.
“Mickey…”
“No.” She shook her head again and this time he chuckled a little at the clear desperation in her eyes. ”Stop it. You’re lying.”
“Mickey, it’s true. I’m a cop. It’s not fake. I’m not lying to you. I’m a detective.”
“But… but… but you work for…” She trailed off, her mouth hanging open in something akin to horror.
Her friend, Cameron, looked between them again. In fact, as Dante gave the open office a quick glance he noticed that everyone in their vicinity was looking at them. They were also no doubt listening. He swiped his hand over his face again, this time cursing inwardly that he hadn’t already dragged Mickey out of here to talk, instead letting her act defiant until he could make his big reveal.
She made him stupid. He knew that. But he’d vowed he wasn’t that same boy that lost all common sense in her presence before he even came here.
“Yeah.” He said low and soft, moving his hand to her arm and gripping her just tight enough to get her attention back on him, “Like I said, we need to talk, Mick. Somewhere private. Now. Point me in the right direction.”
“Uh… that way.” She half-heartedly whined, pointing down a corridor and then letting him lead her away.
They moved quickly and when they reached the end of the hallway, Dante noticed the small conference room. He assumed this was the private place Mickey had been talking about and opened the door. He all but pushed her into the room and then shut the door behind them, drawing the blinds on the windows for good measure. When he finally turned back to her, Mickey was shaking her head again.
“You’re not really a cop, right?”
“I am.”
“But… you work for the National Association for Gun Owners Rights.”
Some part of him was oddly pleased that she knew that bit of information about him. It meant that she’d been keeping up with him. Even if they hadn’t been in touch, hadn’t been a part of each-other’s lives, she’d been keeping tabs on him, just as he had with her. It was only the look of disgust on her face when she said the words that managed to douse the pleasure.
“Undercover.” He cleared his throat and forced himself to focus on the practicalities and not his feelings, “I’ve been working undercover at NAGOR, Mick.”
Mickey gaped at him for a long moment and he could practically hear the wheels in her head turning. She was doing the math and she’d always been damn good at math. He saw the shift in her eyes the moment she put it together.
“When you dropped out of college, that wasn’t because of…. You went to the police academy. Like your father. Even though you said you never wanted to be a cop. You became a cop.”
He nodded, letting her work it all out for herself, “I had a lot to think about that year so I took a break and decided to go to the academy, yeah.”
“And you don’t really work for the organization that is undermining our democracy by paying off politicians to vote for less stringent gun laws therefore allowing automatic weapons to be put into the hands of criminals and children alike?”
“No, of course not. I’ve been undercover, like I said. It was my job to get inside and find evidence of their illegal activity.”
