Never Surrender Read online

  Standing in front of the open wardrobe, Maggie stared blankly into the contents. “I’ll tell you when I find it.” She rummaged through the wardrobe. “Angel’s backpack is missing.” A faint hope flared. “Maybe she bolted. She definitely didn’t want to go with whoever came for her.”

  “Conrad?” He righted the bedside table and lamp.

  “His thugs more likely. Conrad doesn’t get his hands dirty.” Maggie sank down onto the bed, picked up a pillow, and crushed it to her chest. Her tired eyes found Quinn’s. “They had so much on him. There must be a leak somewhere. I hate to think it, but it could be in the department.”

  “Why?” Quinn walked to the windows and scanned the darkness outside.

  “Nothing specific. Information I’d forwarded to the task force that wasn’t followed up on.” Standing up, Maggie flung the pillow onto the bed. “When that raid on the De’lisle didn’t come off, and I had to bring those two kids out on my own, I was so angry I could have killed Roberts for letting me down. Now I know he’s missing, and I…” She massaged her temples trying to ease the tiredness away.

  Tears burned her eyes. Her voice wavered. “Those two young girls trusted me, and I disappointed them.”

  “I’ll help you find her.” Quinn checked the window locks and crossed the room to her side.

  Maggie’s head snapped up. Her mouth opened and closed. She didn’t know how to respond. Her gaze took in his face, and she saw the strength etched there.

  She remembered their first meeting. He was on her team for an operation. With his size and shaved head, he’d been a mean-looking son of a bitch. The sort to punch first and ask questions later. Then someone had cracked a stupid joke, and he’d smiled. That tough facade had evaporated like an ice cube in a heat wave. Just like her defenses. They’d become inseparable until that night twelve months ago.

  She wanted to rest her head against his powerful chest and have him wrap his arms around her. Cocooned in his bear hug, surrounded by his scent, she wouldn’t feel so lost, but she resisted the temptation. She knew with Quinn’s help, she could sort this mess out.

  “We have to contact HQ,” he said.

  Maggie shook her head. “Dream on, Keller. If there’s a leak at Cop Central, I won’t risk my witnesses by asking for their help. I’ll see it through without them.”

  “It’s too dangerous. Too unstable.”

  “You said you’d help.” She cringed at a pathetic wobble in her voice.

  “You do realize this is too big for just us.”

  Old habits die hard. Rather than argue a point with him, she changed the subject. “I have to go back to the club tonight. Now.”

  Quinn’s brows shot up. “You’re joking, right?”

  “No.”

  He checked his watch. “It’s almost three in the morning. The club will be closed.”

  “That’s why I have to go now. Conrad will have left for the night and his thugs with him. The only one left on the premises will be the night watchman. Old George will let me in.”

  “Maggie, what aren’t you telling me?”

  She gnawed on her bottom lip.

  He touched her shoulder. “Maggie?” His tone demanded a response.

  “When Roberts didn’t show here earlier, I recorded Beth’s and Angel’s statements. It’s all on USB. They told me so much more than I knew.”

  She rushed on. “I know how Conrad transports the girls from state to state and who works with him. You know, Quinn, it’s really amazing how far slime can travel.”

  Anger simmered in his eyes again. “Where is this USB?” His deep voice rumbled.

  Maggie, never intimidated by people bigger or stronger than she was, looked at the explosion about to erupt from Quinn, and a twinge of apprehension snaked into her belly. “In the janitor’s cupboard at the club.” She shut her eyes briefly willing away his anger. The silence went on too long. “Say something.”

  “Why would you stash something that volatile in a damned cupboard?” He plowed his fingers though his hair.

  “Because I forgot to take it out of my bag before I left here. At the club I was terrified my dressing room was bugged or at least under some type of surveillance. It seemed a safer option at the time.”

  “So why didn’t you get it before you went back to your apartment?” He huffed out a breath.

  “I told you. From the minute I finished my final bracket, Conrad never let me out of his sight. When I said I wanted to leave, I was escorted to my dressing room for my coat and then to my apartment. They’re probably still watching it. But if they are, they didn’t recognize me as I left.”

  His eyes traveled her length. “I’ll bet.” His jaw clenched. “Are you sure the caretaker will let you in? Dressed like that, he probably won’t recognize you either.”

  Maggie smiled. “I’ll wipe some of this excess makeup off and button my coat from neck to knee, that should get me by.”

  “I don’t like it, Maggie.” He crossed his arms.

  “Me neither. But the sooner I’m in, the sooner I’m out.”

  “What I don’t understand is if you thought you were being watched, why did you want to meet there?”

  “Before tonight, I had the run of the club. I could go anywhere any time. There was no area out of bounds. I also wined and dined the patrons, so meeting you wouldn’t have aroused suspicion.”

  Quinn scanned the room then checked his watch again. “Who did you have to screw to get those privileges?”

  “Conrad.” But only once, Quinn. Only once.

  His head snapped up. The air between them crackled so hard she smelled ozone. Maggie momentarily scrunched her eyes shut to block out the flash of disgust she expected to see in Quinn’s expression. His comment had been a throwaway. Maggie knew that, but she wasn’t going to lie about this to him. She met his blazing eyes. His mouth was like a crack in a granite facade. He was disgusted, but to give him credit, he seemed to be doing his best to hide it.

  His furious stare pinned her. “I don’t believe it. I saw your reaction to him earlier. You’re terrified of him.”

  “It’s not important what you believe. Maybe now you’ll accept your Maggie is dead.”

  “Why?” He shook his head.

  She didn’t pretend not to understand. Because he caught me in his office, rifling through his stuff. When he questioned me, my training flew out the window, and I froze. I lost it. “Insurance.”

  “For what?”

  “My safety. His muscle hassled me from the minute I walked into that club. When Conrad showed an interest, I played up to him.” She nervously fiddled with her ankh. “No one bothered me again, and that allowed me the freedom to come and go as I pleased.”

  “Was it worth it?”

  Maggie squared her shoulders. “I got those girls out, didn’t I?”

  “For all the good it’s done one of them.”

  She shook her head as her breath stalled. His eyes flashed fire, and his lips twisted into a snarl. He clamped his jaw hard.

  Does he think I did it for fun? Even now her skin crawled at the thought of having sex with Conrad. She threw up her chin and glared at him. He wasn’t going to intimidate her into feeling dirty.

  She was capable of that all by herself.

  Quinn cleared his throat, and his gaze moved away, looking anywhere but at her.

  Maggie accepted his distancing. Needed it. But where to from here? “Are you still going to help?”

  Chapter Four

  Quinn watched as Maggie squared her shoulders and stood tall and proud, daring him to say something.

  He didn’t.

  Her brow hitched. “Time’s ticking, Quinn.”

  Quinn had a decision to make. It seemed their relationship really was over. He should cut his losses and walk away. Right now. But there were girls in trouble and filth to get off the streets, so he’d do his job. “I’ll help find the girl.”

  “Thank you.”

  He scowled, dismissing her gratitude. “Let
’s just get this over with. Then we can go our separate ways.” His gaze raked her. “You’ve changed, Maggie.”

  “Really?” She drawled sarcastically.

  “Not just the way you look. You’ve lost you. Your gentleness has been devoured by your time under.”

  “I did tell you your Maggie was dead. Now you might believe me.” She crossed her arms and glared at him.

  “Whatever. We’ll grab a cab,” Quinn said. “It’ll be quicker. The sooner this business is behind us, the better.”

  They walked out of the unit and downstairs. Out in the street, Quinn sucked in a lungful of cool air. Then another. He fought to get his emotions back under control. “So what’s your plan?” he asked, barely able to keep his voice civil as they strode toward the main road and the closest taxi rank.

  She bowed her head before speaking slowly, almost as if to herself. “I swore to the girls they would go home to their families. Now Beth will go home, but it won’t be the homecoming anyone expected.” She paused then added, “And somehow, I have to claim Beth’s body from the morgue.”

  “We,” he corrected.

  Maggie ignored him, and they resumed their silent walk. He didn’t care. She’d had sex with Conrad. He believed it happened; he’d been undercover himself and knew as well as anyone else that things happened. But not to the woman he loved. Had loved. But it had happened, there was no changing that, and it churned in his gut.

  How often had they done it? No forget the euphemisms. How often had they screwed? Who had made the first move? Had she enjoyed it? Quinn fisted his hands and rammed them into his pockets. Had she come as hard and fast as she did with him? Was the slimy bastard as good a lover as he was? Better? Was that why she’d stayed under cover longer than she should have?

  Quinn knew he was being unfair, but if he was going to think about it at all, he might as well pour the acid on in one hit rather than drip it into his mind one drop at a time. Face it head-on and get it over and done with, then once they’d found the girls, he could forget he’d ever known Maggie Sinclair.

  Yeah, right.

  He was so busy flailing himself he almost missed it when she began speaking again.

  “I know exactly where the USB is. I’ll go straight in, then out. No worries.”

  He had to force himself to concentrate on the present instead of endless images of them having sex. “And if the security cameras are still activated?”

  “After tonight, I’m never stepping back inside that club. I’m finished with this assignment.”

  Right. That’s what you’re saying now. But what about after? Quinn spotted a flash or orange out of the corner of his eye and flung up his arm, bringing a cab to a squealing halt at his side. He ushered Maggie into the back seat before climbing in and giving the cabbie the address. It was like pouring salt onto an ulcer as he settled close beside her so he could keep his voice low. “When we get there, you have exactly five minutes. Then I’m coming in after you.”

  “Quinn—”

  He raised his palm. “It’s the only way I’ll let you walk back inside that hellhole. You do realize if your cover is busted, your life is on the line?”

  “Of course I do, but I need to do this.”

  “Maybe, but I don’t have to like it. Maggie, this goes against everything I believe in.”

  “Helping out an old friend?”

  Quinn stared at her. “Allowing my…an operative to walk into what might be a death trap.”

  Maggie closed her eyes and rested her head against the padded seat. “Then walk away. I wouldn’t want you to go against your beliefs to save a life or two. I’ll manage without you.”

  All too soon, the cab arrived at its destination. Quinn was still paying the driver when Maggie started walking toward the club. Shit. There was being in a hurry and there was being recklessly rash.

  “Maggie!” He grabbed the sleeve of her coat, stopping her. When she turned, he straightened to his full height and stepped closer. “Remember. Five minutes. Then I’m coming in and calling for backup.” He tightened his grip. “Understand?”

  After a brief pause, she nodded. “I understand.”

  “Good.” He let go of her sleeve and flicked back his own cuff, exposing his watch. “Time’s a-ticking.”

  He watched Maggie until she reached the imposing double doors of the club. Then his cell phone rang. He grabbed it from his pocket and pushed the button. “Keller,” he snapped.

  “Hi, Quinn. It’s Felice.”

  “Why the fuck are you calling me at three in the morning?” Quinn swallowed the irritation her little-girl voice triggered in him. He didn’t know why this woman grated on his nerves. She was supposed to be Maggie’s best friend, although he never understood why. They were as different as sugar and spice, and he couldn’t tolerate her. Nobody was that damned sweet.

  “There’s a meeting later this morning at HQ concerning Roberts’s disappearance. Seems some operative fed him false information.”

  Quinn clenched his fist. He didn’t want to ask. “Who?”

  “They suspect Maggie.” A brief silence settled before she whispered, “Can you believe that?”

  Quinn stared at the closed doors of the club and clamped his jaw shut.

  “Nothing to say?” Felice asked.

  “What do you want me to say?” Her huffy tone told him she’d expected a great deal more from him. Tough.

  “Meeting’s at ten, major incidents muster room. Don’t be late.” She cut the connection.

  Quinn wanted to hurl the phone onto the ground. Instead, he shoved it back into his pocket.

  Maggie playing both sides? Quinn clenched his fists and took a deep breath to still the rolling in his stomach at the thought of Maggie betraying Roberts. He could almost understand, almost, her getting into a situation that had her betraying their relationship, which to be fair was supposed to have finished, but betray a fellow officer? And her superior to boot? A man they both looked on almost as a father figure during the long years of training. Could she have betrayed Roberts? And if she had, could he turn her in? The shock on her face earlier when he’d told her of Roberts’s disappearance hadn’t been faked. Or had it?

  C’mon. Maggie’s not capable of something like that. But this Maggie wasn’t the same Maggie of a year ago. She was tougher. Harder. And she’d threatened to kill. Twice. He sighed, rested his shoulder against a brick wall, and looked at his watch. Three minutes and counting.

  Maggie shoved her shaking hands deep into the pockets of her coat and clenched her jaw, pushing away the unexpected sense of vulnerability swamping her. Until this instant, she didn’t realize how exposed she’d feel being back here. “In and out,” she whispered and quickened her pace.

  At the front entrance, she counted to ten to steady her thudding heart and banged heavily on the door. With her nose pressed against the glass, Maggie peered into the darkness beyond. Her brows drew together. Usually the security lights were left on all night. Even the neon promoting the club was blank. Her breath stuck in her throat. Don’t go in. It’s not worth the risk.

  Yes it is.

  She rapped on the door again, refusing to look at her watch. Five minutes wouldn’t be long enough. Maggie grimaced and pounded harder. Finally George’s voice rang out. “Who is it?”

  A shaky sigh escaped as Maggie stepped into her alter ego’s shoes. “George, it’s me. Cassie.”

  “Miss Cassie, what are you doing here at this time?” he asked through the crack of the now slightly opened door.

  “I have an early morning rehearsal with Jacques, and I left the sheet music in my room.”

  “Sorry, Miss Cassie, nobody’s to come in after hours. Boss gave the order.”

  All too conscious of Quinn’s ticking watch, Maggie ground her teeth and plastered a smile on her face. “I’m sure Conrad wasn’t referring to me. I’ve been out with friends and thought if I got my music now, I could have a bit of a laze in later.”

  “Can’t let them in.” />
  “That’s okay; they’ve gone home already. I’m just dropping by on my way home, too.”

  George opened the door wider and looked around as if to ensure she told the truth.

  Cassie planted what she hoped was an innocent look on her face. “Why are the lights off, George?”

  He shook his head. “Was on my way to check the power board when I heard you hammering.”

  “Are the cameras out, too?”

  “Reckon so, Miss Cassie, seeing as the power’s blown.”

  “Oh.” Maggie offered a small prayer of thanks.

  As she followed George though the darkened cabaret area, Maggie sniffed. Her instincts screamed. Was that—she sniffed again—ammonia? This is so not right. What in hell is going on? She was wondering how to get rid of Old George when the phone rang. Why would anyone call at this time?

  “Back in a minute.”

  “I’ll be okay, George. It’ll only take me a second to get what I need.” Seeing he was about to argue, she added, “You’d better get that. It might be important.”

  Maggie watched him amble out of sight then dashed to the cleaner’s cupboard, relying on pure instinct to guide her through the darkness. Inside, she groped for the cord, pulled hard, then groaned when she remembered the power outage. Her heart thrashed like a wild beast, and her breathing was shallow. She clenched her fists to stop her hands shaking and began the blind search, hoping her eyes would adjust quickly to the darkness. Come on, come on, I know you’re here. I tossed you in here myself, not six hours ago.

  Maggie worked quietly so as not to alert George. She moved the bucket and mop into the hall, wincing as it grated on the floor. The vacuum followed. The broom and damp polishing cloths were next. All the time her hands groped in the dark. Nothing. “Damn, Damn, Damn.” Shoving aside the cleaning products dumped on the floor, she closed her eyes. Calm down. Think.

  A clunking sound! Her eyes snapped open. She’d heard a small clunking sound when she tossed the USB in, as though it rebounded off a metal surface. But she’d moved all the metal cans and things, and there was nothing. Her time must be up. She had to go before Quinn came storming in like her knight in shining armor.