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—I'm sorry, Detective, but I honestly don't know what you're talking about.
Gonzales shrugged, still looking confused.
—All right. Then I'm going to give you two options —Ethan said, losing his patience—The first: you tell me the truth, and I politely invite you to come with us to the station, where we can talk.
Gonzales remained silent.
—The second: you keep lying to me, I kick down that door, take you to the ground, and handcuff you in front of your children. And that's not all. I'll also call Immigration, and before tonight is over, I'll have your wife and children on a plane back to Colombia.
Ethan raised his wrist and checked his watch. Time was running out, and he had no time to play good cop, so he decided to pressure Gonzales with what mattered most to him: his family. It wasn't pleasant, but someone had to do it.
—You have five seconds to think about it. Three… four…
—No… no! I'll talk!
Eric shouted, interrupting Ethan's countdown before it reached five. He hesitated for a few moments, anguish reflected in his eyes, and finally gave in.
—I didn't want to do any of this. Rollo threatened to kill my children. He knew I had experience in security, so he forced me to take a job at that bank. He wanted me to keep an eye on Perko and notify him as soon as they pulled the job.
Ethan and Hank Voight exchanged a look. They had found the right man.
—Listen, you have to protect my family —Gonzales demanded as he wiped the sweat from his forehead—Otherwise, I won't tell you anything else.
—You're in no position to make demands. —Ethan replied with a grimace—But we can work something out. If you tell us where to find him, we'll arrest him, and he'll never threaten your family again.
—All right.
Gonzales glanced at his wife and children before answering in a strained voice.
—I don't know where Rolo is, but I know how to find him. He loves hookers, especially white ones. He and his men frequent the Sunset Club on 19th Street. They just pulled off a major score, so they'll definitely want to celebrate and will call tonight looking for company.
He pulled out a card from the club and handed it to Ethan.
Voight narrowed his eyes.
A few steps away, Burgess listened to the conversation with renewed interest. She pursed her lips as if something had just occurred to her.
Ethan kept his word and gave him a few minutes to say goodbye to his family. Afterward, Burgess and Atwater transported him to the station.
Voight knew those kinds of establishments inside and out, so he and Ethan immediately headed to the Sunset Club and tracked down the man who ran the business.
After a «friendly» conversation, the man agreed to notify Voight directly as soon as Millares or his men contacted them. From that point on, he could arrange the rest however he saw fit.
When they returned to the district, Ethan explained the entire plan for that night under the expectant gazes of his colleagues.
After spending the day driving around the city, Ethan went straight to the coffee machine in the break room. In the end, everything depended on that night's operation going well.
Then he heard footsteps.
Burgess and Atwater entered the operations room together, and when they saw him, they headed straight toward him.
—Detective, the suspect is currently in a temporary holding cell. —she informed him—And Sergeant Platt assigned an extra unit to watch his house.
—Good, understood.
Ethan nodded. It was a minor matter, so he didn't understand why Burgess had come upstairs personally to tell him.
—About today's operation, I… —she began.
She clutched the bulletproof vest in her hands, hesitating before continuing.
The door to Voight's office suddenly swung open.
—I just received a call —the sergeant announced as he stepped out—Millares contacted the club and requested two girls.
Everyone turned toward him.
Voight paused briefly.
—We need to send someone in undercover as one of them.
—I'll do it —Burgess offered immediately—They like white women, right? I fit the profile.
Atwater looked at her in surprise. Now he understood why his partner had been so insistent that they come upstairs. She had been waiting for that opportunity.
Ethan's first instinct was to dissuade her. However, he remembered what she had told him about her ambitions and decided not to interfere. If she performed well in that operation, she would earn a lot of points with Voight.
The sergeant crossed his arms, still undecided. His first choice had been Erin because of her experience, but Lindsay was too tough and had a much stronger presence. On a mission like that, it could work against her.
—All right —he finally decided—Go get ready and change your clothes. The meeting is in an hour.
—Understood.
Burgess gave Ethan an excited look, grabbed her vest, and hurried down the stairs.
Atwater went after her, determined to ask what she had planned. That mission wasn't a game. More than a dozen people had died during the case, and the risk was far too high.
—Everyone get ready and grab something to eat while you can. It's going to be a long night. —Voight ordered, looking over the team—The party starts tonight. I don't want any mistakes.
—Understood.
The members of the unit began leaving the operations room. Ethan and Erin stayed behind for a moment. After exchanging a brief glance, they both approached Voight.
—Are you sure about sending Burgess? —Erin asked—She's not ready yet.
—I know, but we don't have time —Voight replied—Besides, she still doesn't have that cop air you and I carry around with us. For this mission, that makes her a better choice.
Erin watched Burgess for a few seconds before nodding.
—I'm not against it. We all had a first time. If she wants to grow, she needs an opportunity to prove what she can do.
—Please… —Voight smiled and shook his head—When you put it that way, I'm starting to suspect you're just looking for an excuse so we won't see you wearing a dress.
—Of course not. The guys aren't that lucky.
Erin ran both hands along her figure, looking proud.
Ethan cleared his throat as he approached.
—We have to look at it from another angle —Ethan interjected—Burgess is new. If something unexpected happens, she might not know how to react. We need to reduce the risk as much as possible. What do we know about the other girl?
—That worries me too —Erin admitted, frowning—We can't send her in with a complete stranger. It would be too dangerous.
She thought for a few moments before adding:
—One of my informants used to work as an escort. I can ask if she's willing to go with her.
—Very well —Voight approved, patting her on the shoulder—Take care of it.
Erin pulled out her phone and stepped away to make the call.
Seeing her take action put Ethan more at ease. He exchanged a few words with Voight about the details of the operation and then left the station to get something to eat.
When he finished, he headed straight to the locker room.
Just as he expected, Burgess was there. She had already changed and was wearing an outfit fit for a streetwalker. She had taken down her ponytail, and her brown hair fell over her shoulders.
She wore black stockings, a tight skirt, and high heels. Her jacket was only zipped halfway up, revealing a sequined V-neck shirt. The plunging neckline exposed a good deal of her fair skin.
Ethan leaned against one of the lockers and cleared his throat to announce his presence.
—Hi.
Burgess lowered the mirror and pursed her lips to check the lipstick she had just applied.
—How do I look?
Without waiting for an answer, she spun around a couple of times. Her heels clicked against the floor as she showed off the outfit with her usual energy.
Ethan scratched his chin as he carefully examined her from head to toe. It wasn't often that he got an opportunity to look at her so openly, and he had to admit that he liked the result.
—Like a streetwalker… but there's one small problem.
He remembered what Miranda looked like and shook his head.
—You look too cheerful. You still have that sparkle in your eyes —Ethan pointed out—You need to look more tired, as if life has knocked you down too many times. As for the details, I wouldn't know how to advise you, but someone with experience will be here soon to help you.
He had just exchanged messages with Erin. Her informant had agreed to help, and given her experience, she would probably notice details they would overlook.
—Someone with experience? —Burgess asked as she sprayed perfume behind her ears—An escort?
—Something like that.
Ethan waved a hand in front of his nose to disperse the intense fragrance.
—She's one of Erin's informants. By the way, are you sure you want to do this?
—Yes. And you don't need to try to convince me otherwise. Atwater already did.
Burgess looked at him with determination.
—If you really know me, then you know what I want and how far I intend to go. I have to take advantage of this opportunity. Some risks can't be avoided.
She slammed the locker door shut and walked straight toward Ethan. When she stood in front of him, she took a deep breath.
—Besides, I feel safe knowing you'll be part of the operation. Promise me you'll protect me.
—You don't have to ask. I've got your back.
Ethan raised his fist for her to bump, but Burgess pushed his hand aside and hugged him tightly.
The scent of her perfume immediately enveloped him, as did the warmth of her body. At first, Ethan felt a slight tremor running through her, but it disappeared after a couple of seconds. Burgess regained her composure, pulled away, and quickly headed toward the garage.
Ethan brushed off his clothes in an attempt to disperse the perfume before following her.
When they reached the garage, Burgess entered the technical room to wait for the operational briefing. Ethan, meanwhile, headed to the armory and caught the bulletproof vest Ruzek tossed him.
As he put it on, he noticed Ruzek sniffing the air around him.
—What the hell are you doing? —Ethan asked with complete seriousness as he adjusted the Velcro straps.
If he didn't stop him, Ruzek would end up coming closer to smell him directly.
—Ha, ha… —he laughed awkwardly—It's that horrible perfume.
—I ran into Burgess by the lockers. She used too much streetwalker perfume. —Ethan explained indifferently—
He took two ballistic plates and handed one to Ruzek. Then he opened the front compartment of the vest and inserted the other one.
Ruzek helped him insert the rear plate and adjust the vest until it was secure and comfortable. Ethan then approached the weapons rack, picked up an AR-15 and two magazines. Under normal circumstances, that would be more than enough; the vehicle carried additional equipment for any emergency.
Stocking up there was much easier and prevented unnecessary complications.
He slipped the magazines into the empty pouches on his vest and gave them a couple of pats to secure them. The plates responded with dull thuds that gave him a certain sense of reassurance.
Once equipped, Ethan and Ruzek left the armory together.
At that moment, the garage's side door opened, and Erin walked in accompanied by an attractive young woman with brown hair, a green military-style jacket, and a blue miniskirt.
As soon as Ruzek recognized her, his legs seemed to give out. He instinctively pressed his thighs together, and an uncomfortable expression took over his face.
—Well, well —Ethan greeted her, surprised—It's you.
—Good evening, Detective.
The young woman in the blue miniskirt held out her hand.
—In case you've already forgotten my name, I'm Nadia.
—Of course I remember.
Ethan shook her hand.
—Thank you for helping us.