Part 7 (2/2)

”So,” she began, just as cheerfully as she had before, settling in behind her desk, ”we find anything new on the home invasions?” As far as she knew, Hawk didn't get any personal calls. He hadn't in the nine months they'd been together. Which meant that the call he'd just finished had to have something to do with work. With their case if they were lucky.

Hawk rose to his feet. ”I'm going to check out something.”

She stood in an instant, picking up the small shoulder purse she hadn't had time to put away yet. ”Okay.”

”Alone.” The look he tossed over his shoulder was meant to glue her feet in place.

It didn't.

”Hey, we're partners, remember?” She fell into step beside him. ”Where you go, I go-unless it's the men's room.”

He paused, debating. He really did prefer doing things alone, especially when it came to seeing his contacts. But there was no reason he could give her that would make her stay in the office. ”You can come, as long as you leave the suns.h.i.+ny att.i.tude behind.”

She saluted, earning herself a deeper frown. ”I'll do my best.”

Without saying another word, he led the way out of the office. He had a feeling that her best was going to fall woefully short of his expectations.

Chapter Seven.

T he alleyway between the two crumbling buildings was enshrouded in darkness despite the suns.h.i.+ne that existed on the street just beyond the perimeter. It was as if nothing bright could be allowed to enter here-no suns.h.i.+ne, no hope.

The air was foul, filled with the smell of decay and rotting garbage the city had neglected to pick up. Pickup was sporadic.

Following behind Hawk, Teri glanced over her shoulder toward the curb where he'd left the car parked, wondering if they would find it in one piece when they were finished here.

Teri nearly tripped over what she thought was a mound of garbage, catching her balance just in time. The mound moved, drawing into itself. She sucked in her breath. Two eyes stared out at her from somewhere within the pile of filthy rags, then closed again into slits before disappearing altogether.

Adrenaline doing double time, she felt for her weapon as she hurried to keep up pace with Hawk. The phone call he'd received earlier had brought them here, to this unlikely place where people existed in the moment, hoping the next would not be as bad as the one they were in. He'd been typically uncommunicative, only saying that the call was from someone about a tip regarding the home invasions. She a.s.sumed it had to be one of his snitches.

She scanned the area. Beyond the person beneath the rags, there didn't seem to be anyone else around. Just who was he meeting? ”Is this where you hang out when you're not working?”

He glanced in her direction, wis.h.i.+ng she was back in the office. He was at home here; she wasn't. ”n.o.body asked you to come.”

And the friendliness continues. ”You're my partner,” she emphasized. ”I'm supposed to have your back, remember?”

He led the way to where four sagging buildings in various degrees of disrepair stood with their backs to one another, like feuding members of a family who had long since forgotten why they had gotten angry in the first place.

”Nothing'll happen to me here.”

Hawk said the words with resignation rather than confidence. ”Now who's being a superhero?” she asked.

His answer made the smile fade from her lips. ”I grew up here.” Pointing off toward what appeared to be an abandoned apartment building that had been dark and dreary long before it began to crumble, he said, ”There. Third floor. In the back.” His voice was completely devoid of any emotion.

She stared at the building that had only rats and the homeless for its tenants now. Sympathy flooded through her. ”My G.o.d,” she whispered.

Picking his way farther into the shadows, Hawk spared her a hint of a cynical smile. ”No. He never came calling.” Memories crowded into his head. Horrible memories he pushed back. ”These were the people even He gave up on.”

They stopped by the next alley. She stared at Hawk, not knowing what to say. The last thing he wanted was pity and it wasn't really pity she was feeling. Just a tremendous desire to comfort, to somehow erase that period of time from his mind. To help him pretend it never happened.

But before she could find the words she needed, she saw someone coming. Teri tensed as a dirty-looking man in even dirtier fatigues walked toward them.

Toward Hawk.

Seemingly oblivious to the weather, the man wasn't wearing a jacket. He was scratching at his arm as if trying to systematically tear away the flesh and get clear down to the bone.

This was who they'd come to meet.

The thought telegraphed itself through her brain. She looked at Hawk for a sign of recognition.

To her surprise, Hawk smiled. ”Hey, Jocko, how's it going?”

The man shrugged paper-thin shoulders that echoed within a s.h.i.+rt that might have fit him once, but was now at least two sizes too large.

”Complaining ain't gonna do me no good.” And then his red-rimmed, bloodshot eyes brightened. ”But you look good, man.”

”Thanks.” Hawk hated seeing the man this way, hated it because he knew what Jack Armstrong had once looked like, had once been. But drugs and alcohol had long since destroyed that man, leaving behind only a sh.e.l.l that went through the motions of living. ”You have something for me?” He saw Jocko's eyes dart toward his partner. ”She's okay.”

”She's more than okay, Jackie.” The man smiled and Teri saw that he had more s.p.a.ces than teeth in his mouth. ”She's fine.” Jocko drew out the last word as if he was savoring it. As if he was remembering another time when women mattered in his life. ”You got a name, pretty lady?”

There was something about the derelict that told her she had nothing to fear, even if Hawk hadn't been standing next to her. Even if she hadn't a loaded weapon at her disposal. She smiled at him. ”Teri.”

”Teri,” the man repeated as if he was in love with the name.

Any second now Jocko's thoughts would wander, taking with it what he needed to know. He'd seen it happen before. Hawk laid a hand on the man's shoulder, hating the feel of his bones as they met his touch. ”Jocko, what do you have to tell me?”

Jocko ran his tongue along his lips. His eyes looked a little crazed as he drew back into his life, retreating from the momentary respite he'd sought. He struggled to think.

”I do a little donation gathering' around Bancroft Avenue, you know, where all those restaurants are. Kind of upscale for me, but you know, man's gotta try.” He shrugged. ”One of the chefs there behind Angelino's, sometimes he gives me a little something to tide me over.”

”Food?” Teri asked only to have Hawk give her a silencing look.

”For the soul, pretty lady. Food for the soul,” Jocko told her with a wide grin. Hawk tapped his shoulder and he returned to his narrative. ”I heard these two guys talking last night. They didn't see me there.”

”What two guys?” Hawk pressed.

But his thoughts already appeared to be fading. Jocko frowned as he tried to think. ”I dunno. Guys in uniforms.”

”Soldiers?” Teri suggested.

”No.” Jocko looked down at the fatigues he was wearing, then shook his head. ”Not like this. Just something that made them look alike.” He looked up at Hawk. ”One guy was talking about maybe laying low for a while now that those two guys were caught for the home invasion. The other guy said that once the guys were out, they could maybe make a big score, then move on somewhere else, like before.” He licked his lips again. ”Did I do good, calling you?” And then he grinned again. ”A cop. Who'd've thought it?”

Hawk stared into the other man's eyes, willing him to focus, to pull up this one incident from his jumbled brain. ”Think, Jocko. What kind of uniforms?”

Jocko sighed, shaking his head helplessly.

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