The Counterfeiters
By Reid
Two guys. Easy collar.
Michelle knew that kind of thinking could get her in trouble. Who knew if it was just two guys? Sure, she could see two guys from her vantage point on the hill overlooking the trucking depot. But the warehouse across the parking lot was big. There could easily be more.
You’re being a pessimist one side of Michelle thoughts.
You’re a detective. Pessimism is part of the job the other side shot back.
It was night. And it was cold. Detective Michelle Grey was fantasizing about a hot bath, a glass of wine, and maybe some quality time with the cast of Grey’s Anatomy and a vibrator if the mood struck her. But she’d learned long ago that her chosen profession – her calling, really – didn’t always allow her to have what she wanted.
Which, incidentally, was why she was camped out ten miles outside of the city, spying on two goons unloading a truck.
Michelle was what the forced called a “second round rookie”. A new detective, still in her first year on the job. She was brash, 26, and looking for just about any way to prove herself to the primarily male group of detectives she worked with, and, most of all, her Captain, Frank Parker.
Rookie detectives got the shit assignments. While the more seasoned guys were checking out murderers and drug dealers and all sorts of cool stuff, Michelle had been working a counterfeit goods place for the better part of a month.
After tonight, that’s all done, she thought. The case was sprawling, including everything from counterfeit bills to diet pills to booze. She’d had a hunch from the beginning that they were all stemming from the same place. And now, as she watched the two goons – blonde guy and tall guy, she’d named them, for obvious reasons – unload boxes of contraband from the trucks, she knew she might actually get to make an arrest.
Her first, as a detective. So, yeah, she this was kind of a big deal for her.
Michelle shivered as a night breeze blew past. She considered her maroon pantsuit and sheer white blouse. Should have brought a jacket. Mental note, self she thought. Michelle prided herself on never letting a setback hold her up, but always learning from every mistake.
She walked back toward her car, which she had conspicuously parked far enough away from the edge of the hill that no one in the depot would be able to see. She’d be better off staying warm in her car while she figured out how to best catch these guys in the act and make her arrest.
As soon as she slammed the door, Michelle knew she wasn’t alone. She may not be that experienced a detective yet, but she had intuition. Someone was hiding in her car.
And one quick whiff of the Target-brand perfume gave the intruder’s identity away.
“Kate… what the hell are you doing?”
Michelle eyed her rear mirror as Kate Parker rose from the back seat. Her red hair was pulled back in a pony tail, and her large glasses were fogging up from the cold. She wrapped her arms around herself as she shivered.
“You mean besides freezing to death? Turn up the heat, would ya?”
Kate was a… well, Michelle tried to think of a more specific word than thorn in her side, but she came up empty. Kate was 19, a freshman at the city college studying criminal justice and psychology, and had been constantly begging Michelle for a ride along ever since Michelle made detective.
She was also Captain Frank Parker’s daughter, which was why Michelle had never granted Kate’s request. Michelle liked Kate like a little sister, and she knew Frank was proud that his daughter was looking to follow his footsteps and go into law enforcement. But, the Captain had made it explicitly clear, on numerous occasion: Kate is off limits. He wanted his daughter in school, not out solving crimes.
Apparently, this had something to do with a series of incidents from Kate’s high school days where she had gone off on her own to solve “mysteries” and ended up getting in over her head. Michelle didn’t know the full story, and had always been too intimidated by Frank to ask.
And now, Kate was in Michelle’s back seat, while Michelle was working. The exact place the Captain had ordered his daughter not to be.
Bully for me Michelle thought.
“You got a jacket or something?” Kate pulled her glasses off, wiped off the fog, and returned them to her freckled face.
“You can’t be here. You know your dad’s rule. I’m working—”
“Counterfeiters. Bills, pills, boring stuff. Looks like it’s all coming out of this depot. Small operation, which is why they haven’t been caught yet.”
Michelle turned around in her chair, giving Kate an incredulous look.
“And how exactly did you know all that?”
“Oh, I went through your case files the last time I visited dad at work. Great stuff, Michelle. Way better than what I’m studying.”
“Studying is all you should be doing.”
“I know” Kate frowned. Not quite pouting… but clearly in a frustrated state. “Is it bad I just want to skip the next four years and get right to it?”
“Yes” Michelle answered. She almost relished Kate’s surprised expression. It clearly wasn’t the answer she’d anticipated. “Take it from me. These years will fly by so fast that by the time you’re my age, you’ll wish you could re-live it all. Enjoy this time, because it isn’t going to last.”
Kate crossed her arms. “Okay, guru Michelle. I’ll give a shot… after I help you out”
“No way”
“Well, the way I see it, you don’t have a choice”
“And how do you figure that?”
“I have no ride”
“How did you get here?”
“Uber. And it was expensive. So you either have to give me a ride home—”
“And miss my shot at making an arrest.”
“You’re following me! Great. So, yeah, you miss your chance… or I stay and help”
Michelle almost smiled, but fought it. She didn’t want to encourage Kate. But, she had to admire the spunk.
“Okay, listen, and listen good. You can stay, you can watch, but you do exactly as I say, got it?”
Kate made an obnoxious salute gesture. “Aye-aye, ma’am!”
“You stay here, on this hill, you do not go near anyone but me.”
“But—”
“No buts, Kate. This is dangerous. We don’t know these men, we don’t know who’s down there, and you being here just complicates things”
“Then let me help—”
“And get fired, immediately? Do you have any idea what your dad would do if he found out about this? No. We do this my way, or I call him right now and see whose side he takes.”
Kate crossed her arms. Pouting. “Fine” she whispered.
Now Michelle smiled. This was the best-case scenario; Kate would get her exciting “experience” without really interfering. Most importantly, she’d be safe.”
“All right. Let’s do this.”
They got out of the car and headed toward the hill. Kate shivered and hugged herself, clearly regretting her skirt, tights, and sweater combo.
“You have a jacket anywhere in that car?” She asked?
“If I did, trust me, I’d be wearing it.” Michelle shot back.
They reached the edge of the hill, overlooking the depot. Michelle held up her binoculars. Tall guy and blonde guy were still unloading boxes. Michelle wondered how she’d go about this, considering she only had the one pair of handcuffs.
“Can I see?” Kate had already extended a hand, demanding the binoculars. Michelle handed them over. “Tell me what you notice.”
Kate eyed the activity down below. “Two guys. Man, that one’s tall dude. Uh… I take it those boxes aren’t filled with candy.”
“Great guess. What else?”
“Well, it’s just the two of them, and it’s taking them awhile. Means this is a smaller operation than you might have thought. The less people working, the less chance there is of getting caught.”
“Watch your step.” Michelle had realized that Kate was leaning forward, with the binoculars, and becoming dangerously close to the edge of the hill.
“If they’re unloading, then where are they taking those boxes? Is this storage, or—”
“Kate!”
Michelle reached out for Kate. Too late. In her focus on what was going on down below, Kate had stepped forward yet again… and lost her footing.
She tumbled down the hill.
“Kate!”
The girl was already gone, through the darkness of the trees.
Michelle looked back at the car. She could call this in, right now, and have the place swarming with cops in minutes.
And then, she’d have to explain to her boss why his daughter had ended up at the site of an active crime scene.
Michelle gritted her teeth and slowly started to move down the hill.
“Kate! Kate!” she whispered, doing her best to keep her voice down while still being audible.
No response. Nothing but the wind and the birds.
Michelle slipped and landed on her butt, sliding the rest of the way down the hill. So much for my nice suit pants.
She reached the bottom of the hill and got to her feet, reflexively reaching for her gun, just to remind herself it was there.
“Kate?”
Nothing. The kid must have rolled at an angle down the hill and landed closer to the depot.
Closer to the bad guys, Michelle thought, her mind filling with dread.
She held in a sneeze, suddenly becoming aware of the amount of dirt and dust she’d kicked up with her fall.
Shit. They may have seen it.
Michelle ducked, as if she expected one of the goons to pop out at any minute. She started to creep ahead, slowly, toward the light given off by the depot.
Okay. Okay she thought to herself, trying to calm down. Find Kate and get out of here. Call it in, let the rest of the force handle it. It would hurt her pride, but it was a better alternative to trying to make the arrest with Kate in tow. The kid was priority number one.
She emerged from the clump of trees, making a point of avoid the harsh shine of the nearby street light. The last thing she needed was for those two goons to spot her while she was looking for the missing girl.
Speaking of…
Michelle crouched beside a concrete barrier and glimpsed over, toward the truck.
One of the goons – the tall one, was standing right by the truck.
And he was staring at her.
There’s no way he can see me she thought to herself. But where’s the other one?
As if in answer, she heard a twig snap, right behind her. Michelle turned, reaching for her gun, but he was already right there.
Blonde guy.
“Hello, ma’am” he grinned. Michelle pulled her gun from its holster—
WHAM
--and promptly keeled over as blonde guy delivered a rough punch to her stomach. She dropped her gun at his feet, gasping for breath.
When the stars cleared, she looked up to see Blonde, kneeling over her. Her gun, in his hand.
“Freeze. Your under arrest” Michelle wheezed as she struggled to sit up.
“Very funny. Come on”. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to his feet. Michelle tried to pull away, but he was impressively strong, for his sized. He turned her around and held her close, his forearm pressed against her neck.
She felt the cold barrel for own gun press against her back.
“We don’t like snoops. And we like cops even less. Come on”
He started moving forward, keeping the gun squarely pressed against her back.
“Where are you taking me?” Michelle demanded, doing her best to sound in control.
“Boss is gonna decide what to do with you.”
Michelle didn’t like the sound of that.
Kate hated the fucking woods.
She scratched at her thighs through her ripped up tights. The twigs and dirt had done a number on her fair skin.
Gonna be wearing long pants for awhile. She grimaced, partly from pain, and partly at the thought of her scratched up legs. But she knew there were more important things to worry about.
Kate kept low as she crept past the trees, trying to get a sense of where she’d fallen.
She pushed out past a brush, right up against the concrete barrier surrounding the truck depot’s parking lot.
One of the guys she’d seen from the hill – the tall one – was close by. He was staring at something, and Kate followed his gaze to…
Michelle!
Kate didn’t have time to make the incredibly stupid move of yelling for Michelle. She saw the blonde man sneak up on her, punch her and grab her gun.
She watched, helplessly, as Michelle was pushed across the lot to where the other man waited. They spoke – Kate couldn’t hear, she was to far away, and then both men grabbed Michelle by the arms and led her inside.
And Kate was suddenly alone.
She grabbed at her phone, frowning at the cracked screen and jittery image. She’s smashed it in the fall.
Fuck.
She looked back up the hill, wondering how fast she could get to Michelle’s car to use her radio.
Then she wondered what those men might do Michelle in that time.
Kate realized. She’d have to go into the depot.
She had to save Michelle.
“HRRRRRRMMMPH”
Michelle closed her eyes, half expecting to open them and find out her current predicament was a dream.
She opened them. This was no dream.
The two goons had taken her inside to a stage area. They shoved her against a chain fence that sectioned off a storage space, raised her hands over her head, and used her own handcuffs to cuff her arms above her head. A length of rope around her ankles kept her precariously bound to the fence.
Michelle had been in the process of protesting the treatment when Blonde guy pulled a sweaty bandanna from his pocket and tied in around her mouth, cleave gagging her.
They stood before her, both staring, and Michelle didn’t have to use her detective skills to guess why. With her hands tied above her head, her chest was puffed out, and her D-cup breasts were practically squeezing against the thin material of her blouse.
“That is a good-looking woman” Blond guy said.
Tall guy didn’t respond, except by rubbing his hand over his crotch.
Jesus, these guys aren’t subtle Michelle thought.
“You get the boss?” Blonde guy asked his partner.
Tall guy turned to face the door that led deeper into the building.
“Boss! Get down here!” his yell echoed across the room as he turned back to Blonde guy. “She probably heard me. She’ll come when she’s ready.”
Michelle perked up at that. She? Who the hell is ‘she?”.
At the very least, she might get an idea of who was running this whole operation.
That is, if she survived the night. And as Tall guy slowly walked toward her, she started to doubt her chances.
“What are you doing?” Blonde guy asked.
Tall guy said nothing. Instead, he licked his lips as he reached out and undid the top button of Michelle’s blouse.
“MMMM! MMMMN! MNNNNNO!” Michelle writhed back and forth, rocking the chain link with her, to no avail.
“You know she doesn’t like it when you do this without permission!” Blonde guy called out.
“Oh, I don’t think anyone on their right mind wouldn’t like this” Tall guy shot back.
He undid another button. Michelle tried to struggle, but he placed a hand, surprisingly tender, against her shoulder.
“None of that” he whispered. “S’a nice shirt. You don’t want to ruin it.”
Michelle didn’t move as he undid the rest of the buttons, pulling her shirt open to reveal her nude bra and toned stomach.
Blonde guy whistled, from nearby. “You shouldn’t have done that, but damn, I’m sure glad you did.”
Michelle closed her eyes, her face turning red with shame as Tall guy cupped one of her breasts. “Godamm, these puppies are real. Hey, get my knife, I wanna let these babies breathe.”
Michelle held her breath as Tall guy backed away from fondling her and turned to Blonde guy, who had eagerly pulled out a knife.
“MMMNY! MMMMNY!” her protests weren’t going to have any effect, but she felt good, knowing that she was doing something to express her distaste for what these men were doing.
Tall Guy accepted the knife from his comrade and turned back to Michelle. He reached out, with the blade, the tip of it just barley caressing Michelle’s stomach…
“What the fuck are you doing?”
Both turned to the sound of a third voice. Michelle turned as well.
It was a woman, clearly “The Boss” that had been mentioned. She would have been tall even without the six-inch heels. Immaculately put together. Pencil skirt, blouse, jacket… all black.
She was platinum blonde, close cropped. Stunning in every way.
And she looked fucking furious.
She crossed her arms, like an impatient mother, waiting on her two sons to explain themselves.
Finally Blonde Guy spoke up.
“We found a cop snooping around”
She said nothing. Instead she looked… more furious, somehow?
“And you brought her here?”
Blonde Guys didn’t seem like he had an answer he trusted. The woman shook her head.
“How do you know she’s a cop?”
“She tried to arrest me.”
The woman sighed. “Did you see a badge?”
The two goons looked to one another, neither one wanting to answer.
The boss lady pushed past her two employees and walked right up to Michelle. She stood before the bound and gagged detective, taking her in.
“Hmmm”.
What the hell does that mean? Michelle wondered. The woman reached forward with both hands, running them into the lines of Michelle’s jacket, ever-so-lightly grazing her breasts.
“HMMMP!” Michelle squirmed, but it was no use.
“Oh calm down, puddin’” the boss lady purred. “No time for that at the moment. But just you wait.”
Her hands found Michelle’s jacket pocket, and she produced her police badge. She turned, showing it to the goons.
“The next time a cop shows up, you let them do whatever you want. Bailing you two from jail is easy. Dealing with a cop that we’ve restrained is a whole other matter.
The two men looked from their boss, then back to Michelle.
“So….” Blonde guy asked. “What do we do with her?”
The boss lady sighed. “Well, you’re not getting free reign to do to this one as you please, I can promise you that.”
The men both looked supremely disappointed… which sent a shiver down Michelle’s spine.
Boss Lady made a decision. “Get back outside, finish unloading. Hurry up, and I may just let you keep her.”
The two men grinned. Blonde guy even looked to Michelle and winked.
“Hmmmph!” Michelle meowed, letting him know that she was not onboard with whatever it was he was thinking.
“Get going!” The boss lady snapped. “I’m going to finish with the files and then we can all get out of here.”
With that, she turned and moved back toward the door.
As soon as she was out of site, Tall Guy moved on Michelle.
“I wouldn’t…” Blonde Guy offered, but Tall Guy kept moving on Michelle. He stood, right in front of her. She could basically smell his breath.
Their eyes met.
“Come on, the sooner we finish, the sooner we can… y’know” Blonde guy said.
Tall guy cupped Michelle’s breast one more time. A ‘goodbye’ squeeze. “HMMK MMM”! Michelle spat at him, through her gag.
They both turned and left. Michelle was alone again. Her stomach was covered in goosebumps from the cold air and sweat from the exertion of her struggles.
“HMMMMMPH! HMMMPH! HMMMMMM!” Michelle cried out through the bandanna, hoping that someone would here.
And then…
She felt someone grab at her ankle.
“Hmmm?” Michelle tried to crock her head down, to see.
“Shhhh!” She heard, from right behind her. It could only be one person… Kate!
The kid whispered, just loud enough that Michelle could hear her. “Stay still. I’m getting you out of here!”
“Mmmm-nnn!” Michelle shook her head, hoping that Kate would take the message and get out of there.
She felt Kate’s fingers reach into one of her boots. She realized, suddenly… her pick! Michelle, paranoid to a fault, always made a point to keep a lock pick or two on her.
Kate’s hands retrieved the pick. Michelle pressed her handcuffed hands back, hoping to give Kate room to pick the lock. But, to her surprised, Michelle felt the pick slide in between her fingers.
“Okay, you get free. I’m gonna follow that boss-looking lady and see if I can nab any evidence!”
“KNNNNT! NEEEEW” Michelle wiggled in place, urging Kate to not do that. They needed to get out, now, and come back with a better squad.
Damn it Kate, this is not the time to snoop! Michelle thought.
Footsteps, and then…
Kate was gone.
Michelle did the only thing she could: she got to work at picking the lock.
She had only just begun when she heard the approaching footsteps from the door. The goons were coming back.
She shivered when she heard the voice…
“Alright, detective. Work is done. It’s play time.”
Kate kept low to the ground as she navigated the dimly lit hallway.
After she’d seen Michelle get grabbed, Kate had managed to find an unlocked door that led her into the loading area. It had been tough to watch those two creeps feel up Michelle, but Kate knew she would have to wait for the opportune moment if they were going to get out of life.
I just know that no one’s tying me up like that! Not again. Never again.
But there was no time to think about the past. Kate needed to get evidence. Surveillance video. Receipts. Documents. Anything that might help with Michelle’s case.
And, as luck would have it… there was a light shining through a nearby open door. Some kind of office, most likely.
Kate kept her back to the wall as she slowly crept up to the edge of the door. She just barely stuck her head past the frame. The office inside seemed empty.
She kept her crouch as she moved, silently, into the office. The place was a mess. Files and papers everywhere. But, the computer was on.
Kate got behind the desk and started hitting keys. The screen prompted her for a login.
Shit.
She began to shuffle through the papers on the desk, hoping to find a note or some indication of the password.
She was so occupied with what she was doing – real detective work! – that she didn’t even clock the shadow of someone standing in the door frame, until…
“Well, well. Sleuthing around, are we?”
Kate froze, looking up to see that woman. The one who seemed to be in charge. She was imposing, in the door frame. And, she seemed mad as hell.
“Who are you?” She demanded.
Kate couldn’t think of any real response, so she just counter: “who are you?”
The women actually laughed.
And then she pounced.
No one should be able to move that fast in heels, but before Kate could even get around the desk, the woman was barreling toward her.
They collided right at the side of the desk. The woman grabbed Kate’s wrists and pushed, pinning her against the wall.
“Hey! Let me go!”
Kate squirmed, but the woman held firm. Then, she leaned forward and ran her tongue along Kate’s neck.
“Ew! What are you doing!”
Kate shuddered, feeling gross and more than a little violated. Before she could push back again, the woman shot her head forward, head butting Kate.
Dazed, Kate collapsed to the ground as the woman let go.
She was seeing stars as she struggled to get her bearings.
“Ow!” she said, softly, as the woman grabbed at her elbows and pulled up.
“Pretty things like you shouldn’t snoop. Mama Mallory’s going to show you what happens to bad girls like you”.
Mallory… Kate was still dazed from the blow, but she made a point to remember that name.
She lifted Kate up by the arms and dropped her, belly down, over the seat of a chair. Kate felt a tightness around her wrists.
She finally shook her head, snapping out of the daze, and realized that the woman had tied her hands to the legs of the chair!
“Hey! You better let me go right now, or—Hmmm!” Kate cried as a strip of cloth was pulled taught across her open mouth. “Hmmmn! Hmmmm hmmm!”
She shook violently, to no avail. Mallory had placed her hands on the small of Kate’s back, just above her butt, effectively pinning her to the chair.
“You’ve got spunk. I like that” she purred, as she ran one her hands over Kate’s ass, squeezing her through the fabric of her skirt.
Kate’s face turned bright red at the touch. “MMMMMM!” She screamed into the gag, but her cries seemed to encourage the woman more.
“Let me show you how I deal with pesky snoops.”
Kate closed her eyes, suddenly very afraid, as she felt Mallory reach her hands up her skirt.
**
“I do love it when they fight”
Michelle closed her eyes and pressed her head as hard as she could against the fence, all to avoid the stench of Tall guy’s breath.
He was pressed up against her, his hands roaming free up her sides, her stomach, her bra-covered breasts. He pressed his face against her neck, breathing in her smell.
Fucking creep! Michelle thought to herself. She tried to stay as calm as she could and keep her focus on picking that lock.
“Time to unwrap my gifts”. He slowly unbuttoned Michelle’s pants and pulled them down to her ankles.
“HMMMMNP!” Michelle squealed as he ran his hands up her bare thighs, brushing his fingers against her white-panty-covered crotch.
He reached his fingers into the waistband of her underwear and pulled them down as well, exposing her landing-strip pubic hair.
“Damn” He muttered to himself. “I would’ve bet you were shaved. Ah, well.”
He got his knees, so that his face was level with her exposed vagina. He licked his lips, and Michelle realized what he was about to do. He grabbed her ass and started to lean in…
Click.
Her timing in unlocking the handcuffs couldn’t have been more perfect.
Michelle brought her free hands down, grabbing Tall Guy by the head. She rammed her knee up, crying through the gag as it connected with the underside of his face.
He fell back, knocked out from the blow. Michelle didn’t give herself time to breathe as she kneeled down and pulled her panties and pants back up.
She pulled the gag from her mouth. “Fucker!” she whispered as she delivered another kick to Tall Guy’s gut. She kneeled by him, cuffing his hands behind him so that she could make the arrest.
Her gun was on a stool, nearby. She grabbed it and checked the clip. Loaded. She took a few deep breaths, reminding herself not to unload the clip at Blonde Guy, if he were to show up.
She needed to grab Kate and get going.
As if in answer to that though, a muffled scream suddenly rang out, through the nearby hall.
Michelle recognized it immediately.
It was Kate.
Tears streamed down Kate’s cheeks, dripping into a growing puddle on the floor below.
Mallory had her bent over the chair, her wrists bound to the chair legs. Kate’s skirt was pulled up over her back, and her tights and panties had been pulled down to her knees, exposing her bare ass.
Her bare red ass. Mallory was positioned behind her. She brought her open hand against Kate’s butt, spanking her. Kate screamed over the loud clap of flesh-on-flesh contact.
I’m going to kill this bitch if I ever get the chance! Kate thought to herself.
She quivered as Mallory ran her fingers over her welted, red, bottom.
“You know, dear. This is one of my favorite sights. A bound girl with a red butt.” Mallory gave Kate’s buttock a healthy squeeze.
“You’ve taken to my hand quite well. Let’s upgrade.”
Upgrade? What does THAT mean?
Kate struggled to turn her head so she could look at Mallory. She flinched as she felt something long and leather touch her butt.
A belt.
“This will teach you not to snoop!” Mallory cackled as she brought the belt and back and swiped it across Kate’s ass.
“MMMMMMMMNNNNNPH-MMM”! Kate gasped, crying through her gag at the sudden pain. She tried to brace herself for the second hit. She didn’t know if she’d be able to take it. But then..
“Back. The fuck. Up” Kate looked up to see… Michelle! Gun in hand, the cloth that gagged her still lose around her neck.
Mallory raised her hands, still holding the belt, and backed away.
“Well, you really can’t count on men for anything, can you?” Mallory sneered. “Don’t worry, detective. I’ve taken good care of your friend here.
Something snapped in Kate. She pulled herself to her feet and, with the chair still tied to her, SWUNG AROUND, bashing the chair against Mallory.
Mallory collapsed to the ground, dazed.
Michelle went to gate and quickly untied the ropes binding her. The chair fell to the floor.
“Are you okay?”
Kate blushed as she kneeled down to pull up her tights. She winced as the fabric of her panties brushed along her sore backside.
Michelle saw the tears in Kate’s eyes. She reached out and, gently, pulled the gag out of Kate’s mouth.
“This fucking bi—”
Kate stumbled, suddenly, as Mallory kicked out her foot, swiping her legs out from under her.
She was on her feet in an instant. Michelle tried to raise her gun, but Mallory was already past her, and out the door.
“Hey!”
Michelle knelt down to help Kate up. Kate swatted Michelle’s hand away. “Don’t worry about me! After her!”
Michelle nodded as she turned and bolted for the door.
They reached the loading area, together, to find it empty. Tall guy was gone, as were the cuffs he’d been left in. The whole place seemed eerily alone.
“What do we do now?” Kate asked, rubbing her still sore backside.
“We call it in” Michelle responded, a little defeated by the fact that they’d let all three perps get away.
“You okay?” Kate put a hand on Michelle’s shoulder. Michelle smiled; after all the kid had been through, she was holding it together.
“yeah. Yeah. I just realized… your dad is going to kill me”
Kate grinned. “Maybe what he doesn’t know… won’t hurt him.”
Kate started for the door. “C’mon. My phone’s cracked, so we’ll need to call from the car anyway.
Michelle followed Kate to the door. She stopped, suddenly, turning back to the chain link fence where she’d been bound.
“What is it?” Kate had stopped to see Michelle staring.
Michelle couldn’t explain the uneasiness in her stomach.
“I just feel like we haven’t seen the last of them.”
Days later…
Mallory stormed out of Sue’s office. She knew she was going to be chewed out after word got out about what happened at the depot. The police had seized hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of counterfeit goods after that nosy detective had called it in. And Mallory worked for an organization that didn’t suffer failure lightly.
She reached her own office and sat down, stewing in anger. She hated being condescended to, and know one knew that better than her boss, Sue. Her mind drifted back to that night, and that adorable feisty redhead she’d had at her mercy…
She had to stop herself as she realized her hand had been sliding toward her crotch. She looked at her desk and realized the files she’d asked for sat before her.
She opened them, revealing full dossiers of the detective and the snoop.
Michelle Grey. Kate Parker. Mallory knew she was going to be seeing them very soon.
THE END