Virginia pulled up to the station with Spinelli's smug mug still stuck in her thoughts. As she neared the door, it swung open and she pivoted to hold it for the two people leaving before making her way inside. Judging by the crowded lobby that greeted her, it was going to be a tough night for the next shift. A smile crossed her face, her frame of mind brightening. God, how she loved her job. The high energy level never failed to get her adrenaline pumping.

After pushing her way past the throng, she searched the bullpen's chaotic arrangement of desks to find Jack hunched over his at the far side of the room. She zigzagged a path through the maze.

"What's up?"

Jack looked up and grinned. "You're back. How did it go?"

"As expected—I'm not sure I accomplished anything, but it was interesting."

"Uh-huh." He put his elbows on the desk, lacing his fingers together under his chin while giving her a slow wink. "And what did you think of him?"

She dismissed the question with a flick of her wrist, not in the mood for any of his jokes. Still bristling from her encounter with Spinelli, she wasn't feeling the humor.

Thankfully, Jack cut the comedy, getting back to the issues at hand. "We brought in Vito. Cap wanted to ask him how they knew we were coming."

"What did he say?"

He gave a toss of his head, directing her focus behind him. "He's in there now."

The glass-walled office at the back of the station gave her a clear view of Vito and her boss sitting opposite each other. "Cap doesn't look too happy."

"You should have seen him fifteen minutes ago. I actually felt sorry for that little douche bag."

She studied the back of their snitch's head. Vito's reliability was questionable, no doubt about it, irrespective of the last name. He was a nephew of Augustus Chilvati, the cagey boss of the family, a man who understood the wisdom of keeping a low profile. Augustus didn't appreciate mistakes being made that caused unwanted police attention, which was exactly what Vito tended to do. A lot. Hence, Vito's responsibilities had been reduced to the equivalent of an errand boy. And, yeah, Vito was a little bitter, to put it mildly. He'd provided the 411 on the restaurant.

"Hey." Jack snapped his fingers in front of her face. "FYI, he wasn't too happy with your little stunt, either."

"Robins! Kelly!" Cap hollered.

Jack pushed back from the desk and stood up. "Our turn."

Walking out, Vito gave them a quick nod from across the room.

"I swear, if that idiot warned them . . ." Jack huffed.

"I know," she said, watching Vito tuck his chin to his chest and scurry his way through the desks. She had to wonder about his motives, though. He'd been the one to approach them with the deal, information for the promise that he would be overlooked when they gained enough evidence to shut the family down. Newly married to a young schoolteacher, all he wanted was a normal future with the woman he loved. Virginia had to give him kudos for that. The things some men would do for their—

Don't go there, she thought as she entered Cap's office.

Jack stayed standing, allowing her to sit in the guest chair Vito had just vacated. The thing was more concrete slab than seat cushion. Cap had probably picked it out himself, not wanting anyone to get too comfortable in his space. She shifted her weight, knowing it wouldn't help, and gave all of her attention to her boss.

Here we go, she thought. Captain Thaddeus Beal—the "Thaddeus" went unspoken unless you wanted to pull the night shift for, like, eternity—was a man of few words. He preferred to let the look on his face get his message across, which at the moment was an obvious WTF.

"Well?" he demanded, his voice its usual gravel, rough and firm.

"He was just a scared kid."

When he didn't respond, she added, "And I wanted to meet Spinelli—" The small cough coming out of Jack had her shooting a glare in his direction. "—Hoping. He'd. Slip. Up."

"And?"

She shook her head. "It was a waste of time."

"Yes, so it seems. He called here."

What? " . . . What?"

Cap's eyes narrowed as he nodded. "He left a message with the front desk, thanking us for our assistance with his nephew, complimenting Lieutenant Robins on how she handled the situation."

The thrill racing through her veins was unexpected. And irritating. Without giving the conflicting reactions much thought, she blurted, "I hope whoever answered told him to go jump—"

"Did Vito have anything to say?" Jack asked, to take the heat off her. Or to shut her up. Probably the latter. Geez, what was her problem tonight?

But Cap knew exactly what Jack was up to. His gaze slid over to her partner, and the only thing breaking the silence that followed was the rhythmic tapping of his fingers on the desk. Then, "He had no idea we were going in today. He said the leak must be on our side."

Virginia stiffened. "How ridiculous. You don't believe that, do you?"

"I don't know what to believe. All I know is a month of work is down the drain. The Chilvatis know what we were after. They'll be more cautious now."

Jack tried to placate him. "They are bound to make a mistake sooner or later."

Cap grunted his doubt as he gathered the files scattered across his desk. "Why don't you two take off and clear your heads. We'll get the team together tomorrow." He looked up at Virginia when she stood. "And I want you back in that chair first thing. I'm not done with you."

"Yes, sir," Virginia muttered, rubbing at the numb spot on her butt as she followed Jack out.

They took a few minutes to organize their respective desks before leaving. Jack had offered to drive Virginia home, knowing her car was in the shop.

Halfway across the parking lot, a weak sounding "hey" had them both turning around. Vito walked out of the shadows at the side of the building. The light from the fixture over the front door reflected off his dark, slicked-back hair as he hustled his way over. He always carried an edge of nervousness, but tonight he seemed downright twitchy, his palms rubbing up and down along the outside of his thighs. He stopped in front of them. "Does anyone else know I'm your source? If Gus gets wind of what I'm doing, I'm a dead man."

He'd get no argument from either of them on that point. Gus Chilvati Jr., heir to the family throne, was known to be violent, merciless, and cunning. Vito's fear of his own cousin gave new meaning to the word dysfunctional.

"How do we know it's not you working both sides?" Jack said snidely.

"Do I look suicidal to you, moron?"

Virginia stepped between them, figuring Vito's new wife would prefer he not take a direct hit to the kisser. "We'll look into it."

Vito gave her a long squint before nodding. "I'll let you know if I hear anything on my end." He turned and walked off.

Jack shook his head as he dug in his pocket for his keys. She followed him to his '76 Mustang. It was a cool car, black with gold accent stripes. With Jack as its owner, the thing was treated like a baby. In order for him to use it for work, though, he'd had to let MTD outfit his baby with a police push bumper at the front, a wig-wag mechanism to the vehicle's stock lighting, and flashers on the grill, dash, and mirrors. But there was no light bar on the roof. No one could tell it was a police car unless he wanted them to, and by then it was too late.

As they settled in, she couldn't resist. "You sure this thing is roadworthy? Safety standards are much stricter than what they used to be."

"Are you kidding? This is safer than any piece of crap the department issues you." He patted the top of the dash. "Faster too." With a turn of the key, the motor started its rumble. He gave her a sly look as he revved the engine, an ominous roar coming from under the hood.

Her fingers gripped the edges of the seat. "Don't do it. I was just joking." He didn't look all that convinced, but he let her off easy and pulled out at a normal pace.

Virginia gazed out the passenger window as Jack drove through the streets she knew so well, the streets the two of them walked on almost a daily basis. Nighttime was always flattering here. Darkness hid some of the deterioration and despair, the slow-death effect of organized crime moving into a once-thriving community.

"Do you think he's telling the truth?" she asked softly.

Jack's silence had her swiveling in the seat to face him. His face was hard to read in the dim light coming from the gauges on the dash.

He glanced over at her. "You worried?"

"I just hate the thought of being out there, focused on who's in front of me without really knowing who's behind me."

"That's why you have me. I watch your behind." He gave her a roguish grin. "It's a tough job but somebody's got to do it."

She smiled. "Very funny."

"Music?" Without waiting for her answer, he pushed a button and the raspy voice of Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks filled the space around them.

"Really? Don't tell me you have an eight-track player somewhere in here."

"Oh, no, no, no. Even I have to give credit to audio technology. It is one of the few things that have improved with time."

"That's very twenty-first century of you." Leaning back, she allowed her body to relax for the first time in eight hours, letting Jack's favorite oldies take her mind off the day.

She hadn't realized she'd drifted off until the click, click of the Mustang's indicator pulled her from her reverie. She opened her eyes just as Jack turned into her Brentwood subdivision. Her husband had insisted on the move six years ago. It meant a longer commute, but that never bothered Tom. He told her to quit whenever she complained about traffic. He'd gotten what he wanted: big house, big mortgage, big golf-course lot. Neither one of them golfed.

But it had status. And Tom was all about status.

Virginia straightened from her slouch against the window and checked for drool. "I fell asleep," she said with a yawn.

"You were snoring."

She turned to glower at his profile. "I was not!"

He smiled a little. "Yeah, you were."

"Well, you try staying up half the night with a sick kid."

"Janine's sick?"

She shook her head. "Just a stomach ache. She was fine this morning."

Her heart warmed at his sigh of relief. Jack was endearingly protective when it came to Janine. She pitied the first boy who wanted to take her daughter on a date. The poor guy probably wouldn't make it to the end of the street before being pulled over, only to be frisked and put through a breathalyzer while his plates were being run.

Jack made a noise in his chest that sounded close to a growl when he saw the Mercedes in her driveway. "Looks like the mayor is here."

"He's not mayor yet."

"Thank God for that."

"Jack . . . be nice." One thing she knew for certain: Tom would not be getting Jack's vote on Election Day.

"Thanks for the ride, partner." She stepped out, closed the door, and gave him a wave. Deciding to wait until the morning to pick up her own car, she was looking forward to winding down after the hectic day.

Entering the house, she called out.

No response.

Tom's voice drifted down the hall. He had to be on the phone, his tone indicating it was work related. It was always work related. She headed toward the sound. He nodded when he saw her.

"Love you too," she muttered.

Hearing the television on in the family room, Virginia focused the search on her daughter. She opened the door and there she was, a moving, breathing eye to the circling storm of colorful stuffed animals surrounding her on the floor.

"Hey, sweetie." Virginia held her arms open.

"Hi, Mommy!" Janine squirmed out of the pile and ran into the embrace.

"How's the tummy?"

Janine shifted to look up at her. "Good."

Tom walked into the room. "We had pizza. Leftovers are in the fridge."

"Mmmh, pizza." Virginia flared her eyes as she smiled at her daughter. "I'm going to go shower and change before putting you to bed."

Janine scrunched up her nose at the word.

Virginia leaned down and kissed her forehead. "You've got five minutes."

Upstairs she was putting her gun away when Tom appeared in the doorway. "I have to go to Washington next week," he said.

She shut the safe, punched in the code, and waited until she heard the lock slide into place. "I'll let Mrs. Walker know." Jean Walker was their housekeeper. She was always willing to help out when needed.

"We wouldn't have to worry about it if you would just quit that stupid job. There are a lot of women who would love to be able to stay home with their kids."

"And there are plenty who stay home and are miserable." She was tired of the same old argument about her job.

"You do realize, when I'm elected—"

If, Tom, if you are elected, she silently amended.

"—you may have to quit. As first lady you will have to establish a relationship with the city government. Those things take time."

"I already have a relationship with the city. By the way, their new help desk in our lobby is up and running. Remember? I told you about it a couple of months ago." It had been her idea, a resource for the poor and homeless who didn't have access to a computer, a way for them to learn about the social assistance programs available.

"Please"—Tom looked up to the ceiling with a sigh—"aim a little higher, Virginia." He turned and walked out.

When was the last time Tom had shown any interest in what she did? Trying not to let his indifference bother her, she headed into the shower and lingered under its warm spray, washing off the sweat and grime that came with working out on the streets during the summer months.

Thirty minutes later, with story read and sheets tucked, she grabbed a slice of cold pizza and rejoined Tom in the family room. Glasses sat perched on the end of his nose, a newspaper open in his lap. He didn't look up when he said, "There is a political fundraiser coming up in two weeks. My wife will be expected to make an appearance."

She held back the groan. Kissing the asses of the city's wealthiest one percent wasn't exactly her cup of tea, but Tom rarely asked her to join him at these events, so she would just have to suck it up for his sake. "Okay."

"We need some additional security. Could you arrange for a few officers to show up?"

Her eyes flew to him in surprise. He had sounded a little respectful for a brief—

He removed the glasses and met her stare. "There are going to be some important people there, so make sure you hire someone with a few brains, if that's possible."

There was the Tom she knew. She ignored the insult. It wasn't worth the effort.

"Sure, they'll love the off-duty work. Some of them are a little strapped for cash."

"Yeah, wonderful." He went back to reading.

She was often mystified by the career path Tom had chosen, working for the people when he never really seemed to like people. Except, of course, his rich political cronies-he could find no fault with them. That, in her opinion, was what would ultimately hold Tom back. He might be a good mayor someday, but he would never be a great one.

"Why don't I work it as well since I'm going to be there anyway? I'll make sure everything runs smoothly."

"Fine. Just don't tell anyone you're working. It's embarrassing."

"Thanks, good to know I embarrass you."

He tossed the newspaper and glasses to the table as he unfolded himself from the chair. "I'm off to bed."

That was unusual, Virginia thought, studying his back as he walked out. He didn't normally let her get the last word.

END OF CHAPTER TWO

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