Page 25 of Soul of Discretion

CHAPTER EIGHT

He’d gotten updates from Simon. But Nick hadn’t returned to suite 1002 again, and it was Tuesday already. Ben and he followed up on the Barronian Company lead, finding some interesting similarities with the Baronne family. When he’d told the inspector about the leads Simon gave them, he’d explained that it was information they had dug up in the files at Breakforce. He hated lying, but he had no other choice.

Once Reggie, the door-to-door drug dealer, realized how many charges he faced (and after his own court-appointed defender advised him it would be a good idea to cooperate), good ol’ Reg opened up and told them everything he knew. The Baronne family had been running drugs through Pearson International Airport for the past six months exactly as Nick had believed. Jack had worked for them. Nick was sure that Jack had been more than likely pressured into his part in the scheme. The next step would be asking Simon for access to his many warehouses in the area.

According to Reggie, they had distributors covering all of southern Ontario, running the drugs coming in on international flights from South America. Nick realized this would take a healthy number of insiders either looking the other way or being paid off. They’d begun listing the people involved and those they still were unsure about. He needed more evidence to bring the Baronnes down; they were too large to be hurt by a single arrest. This had to hit at the core of their criminal organization.

Nick had been chasing down leads almost twenty-four hours a day. So far, they had a few low and midlevel Baronne thugs behind bars to cool their heels. Each one had no fewer than ten charges and warrants over the last four years. Nick figured the RCMP might as well make themselves known so if the Baronnes made a slip, he’d be the first to attack it.

“Well, if it isn’t the cop who’s pretending to belong with the rich and powerful. You waiting on his next booty call?” Officer Jeffries’s snide remarks meant nothing to Nick; the man had had it in for him since Nick took his place on the force, forever slinging side comments and sly slurs to Jeffries’s like-minded friends. “It’s disgusting how you people conduct yourselves. Dis-gus-ting.”

Well that made it clear: he was homophobic and, somewhere along the line, he must have realized Nick was gay. He’d be damned if he would hide after all he’d done in his life to protect and serve, from the armed forces to officer. Nick almost stood to knock Jeffries through the wall when Steph casually strolled in.

“Now, now, Jeffries, I swear I heard some homophobic shit coming out of your mouth. That can’t be true, considering the strict human rights laws of this wonderful country of ours.”

“Bitch,” Jeffries snarled.

This time Nick did stand. No one insulted a lady and especially not one of his friends. As he stormed across the floor, Jeffries was quick to back up. Nick knew he was a big man, and he used his size to intimidate people into backing down. He never wanted to fight anyone, but because of his size, people took shots at him to show how tough they were. Right now, he was more than ready to fight for Steph’s honour.

“Apologize now,” he thundered as Inspector McKenzie walked into their general office area in the centre of the station. Shit.

“What the hell is going on here?” the inspector demanded with his arms crossed in front of him.

Nick never took his eyes off Jeffries, waiting for him to make the choice of how far he wanted to go. Because he wasn’t afraid to take this higher. He was tired of Jeffries and his constant berating and homophobic vitriol.

“Nothing, Inspector, we’re joking around,” Jeffries explained quickly.

The inspector looked between the three of them then stopped when he got to Nick. “Is that true, Sergeant Cooper?

Without a second thought he agreed. “Yes, sir.” Best not get into this now. He had enough to deal with, but later… Nick squinted at Jeffries, hoping his stare conveyed a later reckoning to come.

McKenzie looked over at Steph. “And you?”

“Me, what would I know?” Steph smiled and looked at her nails as if this all bored her. Nick loved her to death for taking his lead.

Inspector McKenzie’s expression said he didn’t buy it, but he shook his head, told them to get back to work, and returned to his office. The inspector had always been a fair and decent guy, but anyone who assumed things made it past him were wrong. That man knew everything that went on in his station.

Jeffries shot Nick the finger before walking out of the room. One of these days Nick knew he might not hold back, and he worried that day was coming quickly.

His cell phone rang, and he was quick to pick it up, “Sergeant Nick Cooper.”

Simon’s voice came on the line. It shook slightly, putting Nick on alert. “Nick, I think it would be best if you sent a few officers my way.”

“You need officers? What’s wrong?”

“We had a visit at our offices this morning from two rather large men claiming to be from the Baronne family.”

“Are you or anyone hurt?” Nick asked in a panic.

“No. I believe this would be what was considered a warning to stop digging into matters involving Jack Teeman. Also, they’ve misplaced two kilos of cocaine and assume Jack took it. They want it back,” Simon explained.

“I’m on my way. Make sure the building is secure and allow no one up to your floors uninvited,” Nick advised.

“I’ve already sent the employees home. Decker and I are the only ones left in the office. My other employees had nothing to do with this,” Simon assured in a brisk tone.

“You hold tight, we’re on our way.”

“Thank you, Nick.” Then the line went dead.