Nickel City Storm Warning (Gideon Rimes Book 3) Gary Ross (most popular novels txt) 📖

you or your writer? Say anything she can use to file a complaint?”

“The threat was implied. The flag, the swastika, the Klan cross and—”

“Did he say he wanted to harm her?”

“No.”

Another sigh, longer. “Send the file anyway. He does something, it’ll give us a head start. That’s the best I can do.”

I thanked him and broke the connection.

As I attached the pdf John C to an email, Pete came into the living room. Like me, he wore no tie and was in a jacket and vest that promised more perspiration than protection. “Great minds always check the weather app,” he said, pointing to my open collar.

In another summer dress that covered her armor, Drea walked in next. “We gotta remember to put water bottles in the van cooler,” she said. “Maybe Gatorade. Even in here, the AC is working overtime.”

“Copy that.” Pete moved to answer the knock at the door. “But I hate Gatorade.”

Cissy and Yvonne entered the suite, both wearing sandals, shorts, and loose-fitting tops. In each hand, Yvonne held an office-sized box of Tim Horton’s coffee with a cup caddy attached. Cissy carried two boxes of donuts. They put everything on the side table beneath the flat screen and sat at the computer table. Yvonne turned away from her sister and began her morning equipment check.

Ramos and Bishop came two minutes later. A green and gold dashiki dress covered Bishop’s armor. The sag of the small black purse she wore with a cross-body strap said her Colt was inside. A glance at Ramos told me at least one of us would be cool in the expected heat of the day. He wore a beige guayabera large enough to cover his Taser and unbuttoned enough to catch Cissy’s eye. She grinned. If they hadn’t yet slept with each other, they soon would. As if I needed another worry.

As everyone got coffee and found a seat for the morning briefing, I called Ramos and Cissy into Pete’s room and closed the door behind them.

“I see the glances and smiles,” I said. “If I check your phones, I wonder if I’ll find sweet texts and emojis. So I’ll be direct. I need to know if you two are screwing.”

Cissy’s mouth fell open, and Ramos reddened. “Chief!” he said. “We just met!”

“I’m not mad at you and you’re not in trouble.” I shook my head. “I was your age once. I know what it’s like to start something fast, something new and so hot you can’t think of anything else. Don’t say it’s none of my business. Keeping Drea alive is my only concern. Her life depends on you doing your jobs without distraction. So, I’m going to ask again—”

“Yes,” Cissy said, looking directly at me. “Once, late last night.” She swallowed and stood up straighter. “It won’t happen again.”

“I said I needed to know in case it was a distraction. I didn’t say you had to stop.”

They exchanged a look of confusion before Ramos narrowed his eyes at me.

“You firing us?” He looked again at Cissy, maybe now seeing a techie more valuable than an inexperienced museum guard. “Or just me?”

“If I sack you, I’ll have to start from scratch to get your replacement up to par,” I said. “Cissy might follow you out in indignation and take Yvonne with her, leaving us in worse shape.”

“I wouldn’t do that to Drea,” Cissy said. “Neither would my sister.”

“Glad to hear that.” Sighing, I wrestled with my uncertainty. “Truth is, I like you both and I want to keep you. But I need to know you can work without getting so wrapped up in each other you compromise what we’re doing.”

“I think we can,” Ramos said.

“Think isn’t good enough.” I drew in a long breath. “Then everything depends on the answer to my next question. Cissy, what happened last night at PAUSA Art House?” I held up a finger that told Ramos to remain silent.

Cissy shrugged as if the obvious answer made the question stupid. “Nazi clowns tried to ruin things. Why?”

“How do you know?”

She jerked a thumb at Ramos. “He couldn’t stop talking about it when he came over. He was pissed, said you looked like you wanted to punch the leader.”

“I wanted to Tase him myself, chief,” Ramos said. “I mean—”

He was cut off by a tap on the door.

Pete stuck his head in and gazed at each of us in turn. “Damn. Wonder what you all would look like if I hadn’t made the bed.” When no answer came, he said, “Mark and Matt Donatello are here.”

“Be right out,” I said. When Pete withdrew and closed the door again, I turned back to Ramos. “So you told her.”

“Racist fucker called me a spic,” he said. “And Pete a chink.”

“He wanted us to do something to him,” I said. “Maybe so he could file an assault charge or so somebody else could hurt Drea in the chaos.” I studied Ramos for a moment. “Whatever it was, you knew the whole thing was serious so you talked about it with Cissy.”

“Yes,” he said.

“Not exactly date talk,” Cissy said. “But I needed to know, and so did Vonnie.”

“Right. He valued you as part of a team that demands your full attention. Your trust in each other is important too.” I paused as if still considering the decision I’d already made. “Okay, I know you still want to see each other, but nothing cutesy on the clock. I can tell you it’s best not to go near each other till Drea’s on a plane back home, but you’re no good to me if you’re walking around miserable either. So I’ll depend on you both to be the responsible consenting adults the law says you are. What you do on your own time is your business, unless I see it affecting your work. Trust me, though. You do not want to piss me off by putting this client’s life in danger.”

“No,” Cissy said, after studying me a moment. “You’re not a guy to piss off.”

“No