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  “All right,” Fred announced as his thumbs flew across the phone’s itty-bitty keyboard. “It looks like we’ve got the address for tonight’s bust.”

  As the little old lady clunked down a pile of pennies and started separating them, Derek turned to Fred. “Refresh my memory on why we’re chasing after the lone copy of some stupid horror movie?”

  Still texting, Fred replied, “Some moron hijacked the reels to Terror in the Trees while it was en route to LA. We think that they are trying to smuggle it across the border to get it duplicated.”

  Derek tried to contain his frustration with the little old lady and Fred. “Yeah, I got that part. My question was, why are we involved? Sounds like something the locals should be handling.”

  Derek resisted the urge to count the money for the old lady as she lost her place and started over. Heavy sighs and agitated mumblings began behind him. Derek glanced over his shoulder, giving them his best “shut the hell up” stare. Yeah, he had other things he’d rather be doing, too, but bullying an old lady wasn’t one of them.

  “Video piracy. It’s our jurisdiction,” Fred stated as he fiddled with his phone. “Don’t you read the warning labels at the beginning of your DVDs? There will be no rerecording or ...”

  “Fantastic. Now we’re the Netflix Police. Next, we’ll be shaking down perps for illegal downloading.”

  This was not the kind of case that inspired Derek to join the White Collar Crime Division. He liked his nice, boring cases where the perps hung out in high-rises, ensconced in their well air-conditioned offices. Then, after an arduous day of wagging a finger at Harvard grads, you went back to the office, feet propped up, and keyboard on your lap. The most dangerous situation in White Collar was a pencil-necked executive giving you a paper cut with his lawyer’s card.

  Derek really, really, really did not want to go back out into the world of syringe-laden alleys and crack hos. Especially not with Fred. Had the kid even drawn his weapon in the line of duty? Everyone thought they were cut out for fieldwork. Hadn’t Derek thought himself more than ready? Then … Well, then fieldwork took a cut out of you.

  “Ma’am, you’re still thirteen cents short,” stated the owner of the hot dog stand. Traffic whizzed by, horns blared. Everyone was in a rush, except ...

  “Oh, dear ...” the old woman replied softly.

  For the love of .... Derek shifted his coat and put his hand into his jacket pocket. His fingertips grazed the velvet box inside. Derek jerked his hand back as if he had been stung. Crap. He’d nearly forgotten about that. Derek quickly pulled out a quarter, placing it on the cart next to the woman’s change.

  Surprised, the woman looked up at Derek, a slow smile spreading across her face. She clutched her age-spotted hands to her chest.

  “Oh thank you! You are the kindest, sweetest man! You are a true gentleman,” the old woman exclaimed as she leaned in, placing a papery kiss on Derek’s cheek.

  She quickly collected her hot dog and soda, as well as Derek’s change, and hobbled toward a nearby bench.

  Derek’s face burned as he adjusted his tie. It was just a quarter. A jab to the ribs from Fred rudely interrupted his attempt to satisfy his hunger.

  “You only did that to hurry up the line,” Fred chided, giving Derek a lopsided grin.

  “Yeah, well, I'm starving.” It wasn’t so much a lie. He was starving. But the woman and her frailty reminded him of his own grandmother. He watched under hooded eyes as the old woman sat on the bench sipping her soda. Guilt tightened his throat. If he wasn’t on that damn case in Washington, D.C. He didn’t even know about the funeral until he came off the assignment three weeks later. Fucking undercover work.

  “Don’t they have any Tofu Pups?” Fred asked, peering around the side of the metal cart. “Anything vegetarian at all?”

  The cart owner looked from Fred to Derek. But the kid seemed oblivious. “Hummus? A nice artichoke and spinach would be lovely.”

  Fred looked up as the cart owner frowned. “What?”

  “It’s a hot dog cart,” the owner grumbled, already looking past Fred to the next customer in line.

  “Hummus. You know, ground-up chickpeas,” Fred explained, making the hand motion.

  Yep, he was going to be stuck in the car with this guy all night.

  The smell of sauerkraut, mustard, and beef made Derek’s stomach growl. Where did Fred think they were, Westwood? Tofu Pups in this part of town? Right.

  Derek stepped in. “Hey, Phil! Give me two brats. Loaded.”

  “What? I don’t want—”

  Derek gave Fred the same look he gave the line earlier—the one he used on pimps back in D.C. Fred opened his mouth, and then shut it again as Phil pushed two brats heaping with pickles, sauerkraut, grilled peppers, and onions toward Derek.

  He put a ten down on the counter. “Keep the change,” Derek added as he grabbed the enormous buns. Stepping out of line, with Fred trailing behind like a scolded puppy, Derek stopped at the car. He tugged the brat out from one bun and put it on top of the other. Extending his hand, he offered the now-meatless bun to Fred.

  Face scrunched in disgust, Fred stared at the sandwich.

  “What’s the problem?” Derek asked. “You wanted veggies, so I gave you veggies.”

  With what looked like a mixture of horror and intrigue, Fred accepted the bun.

  Maybe tonight wouldn’t suck quite so bad, after all.

  * * *

  Fred watched Derek open his mouth to the max to stuff in his brat. Or should Fred say two brats? Loaded with saturated fat and nitrates, Fred could feel his cholesterol elevate just by sitting in the car next to him. Fred glanced down at the menagerie of greasy, so-called vegetables. What the hell did Derek see in this coronary-waiting-to-happen food? Not even a sprout in sight. But Fred was hungry, and he seriously doubted that Derek was going to agree to a run to Whole Foods.

  Oh, what the hell? Fred bit down into the bun, juices popping in his mouth. Hmm. This was no Tofu Pup, but it wasn’t bad, either. He took another bite. Okay. Maybe there was something to be said for properly sautéed onions.

  “Hey,” Fred asked in between bites. “I thought we had to stop by the pawnshop?”

  Derek shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He actually stopped chowing down to answer. “I can do it tomorrow.”

  “What?” Fred asked, trying to engage Derek in some kind of dialogue. “You got some old eight-tracks you’re trying to unload?”

  Derek turned his head and glared. Whoa. Fred knew that look, and knew when to back off.

  Pronto.

  Fred guessed that this stakeout wouldn’t be quite the bonding experience that he had hoped. Would it be too much to ask to have a case that might actually boost his career? Would it be asking too much to stumble onto a video piracy ring? Now, that would look good on his résumé.

  As Derek turned his full attention back to his brat, releasing Fred from his “Eye of Sauron” glare, Fred looked out the windshield. The neighborhood had seen better days. Most of the buildings were condemned. And the one they were staking out?

  Broken windows scarred the face of the crumbling brick structure.

  Fred pulled out his phone and scrolled down the texts. Yep, 501Vermont Street was the correct address. Derek wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin. Glad to see the man had some manners.

  “This is the place, right?”

  Fred slipped his phone back into his pocket. “Yeah, the informant said there was gonna be a sneak preview for potential buyers tonight.”

  “But here?” Derek said with a frown.

  Fred had to agree with his reluctant partner on that. The building looked like it was held together with duct tape and paper clips. He could only guess at the clientele that would set foot in this neighborhood. He knew crack whores with higher standards.

  Derek did not want to let on that the darkened building, with its multitude of shadows, made his stomach tie up in knots. Or was it the brat grease? Sure, it was the slime le
ft over from the brat.

  “And we’re sure that the showing is at 8:00 p.m.?”

  “Look,” Fred answered, “the next time you want all these questions answered, you return the text from the junkie snitch.”

  “Hey, all I’m saying is if this thing is scheduled to go down after eleven, then whoever is on call for swing should take it.” “Really?” was all Fred could think. Really? This was the Derek Boulder of legend? The same Derek Boulder who singlehandedly brought down the Venezuelan Cartel? The same agent with the highest conviction rate in the Bureau three years running? The ATF, CIA, and Homeland Security all had wanted a piece of this guy.

  Now look at him. Derek’s biggest priority was making it home for Letterman.

  What in the hell happened to him in DC? Derek had been the golden-haired child. He had the kind of career Fred dreamed of. Getting the juiciest assignments and had even received a commendation from Bush. Guess that was a rare mistake on George W’s part. Coming out of the academy Fred thought he’d hit the partner jackpot when he was assigned to Derek. Now, he realized that he’d won the booby prize.

  Well, if Derek’s star was on the wane, Fred’s was waxing, fast.

  Fred closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. This could be the one. The case that would get him away from check fraud and identity theft. If he had to enter a rat-infested crack den with a burnt-out, has-been agent, so be it.

  Catching movement out of the corner of his eye, Fred looked toward the building. A gangly man with a comb-over awkwardly carried a large gym bag. Yeah. Like that guy went to the gym. The man paused at the corner of the building, peering into the dark alley before it swallowed him up.

  “Our guy?” Fred asked.

  “Nah. He looks like he has legitimate business down here ...” Derek replied, shaking his head as they exited the car.

  Fred swept his gaze up and down the deserted street as they crossed. Apprehension, or the brat juice, twisted his gut. A building like this? Lots of easy hiding places for someone to pop off a shot. Hopefully, this was just a bunch of geeky movie fanatics like the guy carrying the bag. That this would be a clean bust. One big break. That’s all he needed.

  Well, that and a partner who actually gave a crap.

  * * *

  Derek resisted putting his hand on his holster. Was it the dim, splotchy light, or the odor of stale urine that had his teeth on edge? From the cracked façade to the littered hallways, this building felt way too much like the one in D.C. He swore he would never set foot into another cockroach motel again. But, here he stood at the door of yet another derelict building.

  With Fred on his six, a bit closer than Derek may have liked, he put his hand on the doorknob. It opened easily. Which did not make his apprehension any less intense. They stepped into the entryway and were greeted by a six-foot-four bouncer. His steroid-induced arms were as thick as telephone poles.

  Derek flashed his badge. “FBI,” he said.

  The Neanderthal’s eyebrows knitted together. It seemed that this new information was taking a few minutes to cross the synapses of his addled brain.

  “I am sure you are a law-abiding citizen,” Derek stated, “and don’t want the kind of trouble an FBI investigation into your life would bring.”

  It seemed to finally dawn on the guy that they were law enforcement.

  The bouncer opened his mouth, ready to shout a warning, but Derek lifted a finger and wagged it from side to side, then put it up against his lips. Okay, the pantomime this guy got. Derek then moved his hand, shooing him away. With a dissatisfied grunt, the bouncer walked past them, out the door.

  Good security was so hard to find when you were a video pirate.

  Cautiously, Derek led Fred down the corridor. They followed the sound of the click from the projector and tense music. Clearly, a film was playing deeper within the building. Their intel seemed to be correct. Something wasn’t right about this bust, though.

  First off, if these pirates really did want to have a screening, why hold it here? Why not cross into Tijuana, where a couple of Jacksons could have bought them all the privacy they wanted? And what serious criminal organization of any caliber hired a meathead like Steroid Boy to do their protection? The guy had turned tail and ran faster than some third graders he knew.

  “Gross!” Fred hissed as he tried to scrape a used condom off the bottom of his shoe.

  “Shh!” Derek replied. The hairs on the back of his neck stiffened.

  Something was wrong. Very wrong.

  “Unsnap your holster,” Derek whispered to Fred as he took his own advice.

  “But regulations state that we should keep them—”

  A bloodcurdling scream shattered the night.

  Derek’s gun was out in one swift movement as Fred fumbled with his snap. Trotting ahead, Derek couldn’t wait, as another scream punctuated the first. He made his way to a room at the end of the corridor. Light filtered into the hallway flashing and swirling on the walls.

  Fred finally caught up as Derek plastered himself against the doorjamb. As Fred took up position on the other side, Derek worried. Was Fred up for this?

  Hell, was he up for this? Could he really point his gun and shoot? That was a question neither he nor the Bureau psychiatrist could answer.

  Derek had to shove aside a thousand vivid memories of blood splattered against a little girl’s pink top as he tried to remain focused.

  There was only one way to find out if either of them were up for this. And that was to take action. Derek poked his head around the corner to survey the room. A quick count added up to around two dozen people seated on the cement floor, apparently entranced by what was transpiring on the screen—if you could call it a screen. A dirty sheet hung from the ceiling, while a black and white film played against the backdrop. Not exactly a high-class bidding environment for the hottest film of the year.

  Another scream rent the air, as a battered and bleeding woman ran across the screen. Derek felt nauseated as the film bounced and shimmied. But at least the screams were emanating from the film, and not a real-life massacre.

  Score one for the night.

  However, just because they had breezed in this far did not mean that there weren’t a half a dozen AK-47s in there—with perps ready to use them.

  He raised an eyebrow to Fred, the question clear. Are you ready? Fred gulped twice, and then nodded back. He guessed that was going to have to do. Derek mouthed, one ... two ... on three.

  They burst into the room. Derek swung his gun toward the wide-eyed projectionist.

  “FBI! Stop the film, and back away from the projector!”

  The projectionist, a kid really, not more than twenty, held his hands up in surrender. He shook the whole time as his eyes darted to the audience, who acted as if two FBI agents hadn’t just burst into the room. A sheen of sweat broke out on the kid’s lip.

  That was the look of someone ready to do something really stupid. The kid grabbed the projector and shoved it toward them.

  As the projector grazed his hip, Derek swore under his breath. Like he said—stupid. Fred dodged the projector as the image onscreen lurched and fell away from the grimy screen. Derek lunged for the projectionist as pandemonium erupted. Snapped out of their trance, men and women began to scatter like roaches when the lights were turned on, creating the perfect cover for the projectionist to grab his bag of film reels and bolt. Derek threaded his way through the crowd, never taking his eyes off the kid.

  Fred, on the other hand, was like a billy goat, jumping over boxes and sprinting toward the projectionist. Seems like his partner might have been a hurdler in another life. Derek, on the other hand, had a sharp pain on his left side—a gentle reminder that maybe he shouldn’t have eaten two brats just before a perp rabbited on them.

  “Stop!” Fred yelled with more baritone than Derek had heard before.

  Of course, the kid didn’t obey him, but that was beside the point.

  Fred actually had some game. Would the surprises never e
nd?

  * * *

  Fred ran full tilt, being sure to breathe through his nose and out through his mouth. For such a skinny little jerk, the guy was fast. Guess adrenaline helped even the scrawny. Only the faint glow of the moon lit the way ahead. The air was stale in his lungs. Glass crunched underfoot.

  Fred followed the projectionist up a rickety staircase that had seen better days. He had to dodge a few holes in the steps. When he looked up, the kid was gone.

  Suddenly, the projectionist jumped out of the shadows, slamming the bag filled with metal reels into Fred’s face. Thrown off-balance, Fred careened over the railing. His hands snatched at the wood but came up with only empty air. He tried to turn his body so that his shoulder took the hit, but he just didn’t have the time. Slamming into the floor, Fred felt his ankle buckle under him just before a loud snap.

  Holy mother of …

  Fred bit his lip, not wanting Mr. Uber-Agent to see him cry.

  Derek aborted the pursuit and charged back down the steps. “You okay?”

  Fuck, no! was the answer Fred wanted to give, but he held it together. “Yeah, just my ankle.”

  They both looked down at the unnatural angle of his foot.

  “It’s broken.” Derek stated the obvious.

  “Go,” Fred encouraged. “Get the SOB.”

  While Fred did want the projectionist to pay for his crimes, he also really wanted Derek to get going so that he could nurse his ankle in peace. But clearly, the senior agent was loath to leave a man down.