Infiltration Read online

  Infiltration

  Book 1 of The Mirror Trilogy

  By Ana Ban

  Infiltration by Ana Ban

  © 2017 Ana Ban. All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any written, electronic, recording, or photocopying without written permission of the publisher or author. The exception would be in the case of brief quotations embodied in the critical articles or reviews and pages where permission is specifically granted by the publisher or author.

  The author can be reached through Facebook @anabannovels

  Although every precaution has been taken to verify the accuracy of the information contained herein, the author and publisher assume no responsibility for any errors or omissions. No liability is assumed for damages that may result from the use of information contained within.

  All Persons Fictitious Disclaimer:

  This book is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and situations within its pages and places or persons, living or dead, is unintentional and coincidental.

  1.Crime 2.Romance 3.Police Procedural

  First Edition

  Printed in the USA

  In lieu of a dedication, I would like to recognize the

  Baltimore Police Department

  for their hard work and dedication.

  This work is completely fictional and any similarity between persons or events is purely coincidental.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1

  As I ran my fingers through my long, dark hair for the third time, my partner approached my desk, leaning against it with a hip.

  “It’s seven o’clock,” he reminded me.

  “Hm,” was the only response, and not a surprise to him.

  “Go home.”

  “Sure.”

  “Mia,” he forced my chin up with delicate fingers, waiting until my amber eyes met his green ones. “Go home. It can wait.”

  Frustrated, I leaned back in my chair and clasped my hands behind my head. “Eighteen months, Alec. Eighteen months we’ve been chasing a ghost and we’ve got nothing.”

  “And any more time here tonight will not change that. Go home. You have a date, remember?”

  Unclasping my hands, I used two fingers to rub against my aching eyes. “Yeah, you’re right. I shouldn’t be late, again.”

  With a satisfied nod, Alec pushed off the desk and studied me just a moment longer. “Promise me you’ll get some sleep tonight, too.”

  “Trying to tell me I need beauty rest?” I teased, standing and gathering a few files to review before bed. Alec shook his head but didn’t bother to remind me it was supposed to be a night off.

  “No,” he answered firmly. “I’m telling you that you need sleep. For once, listen to me, would you?”

  Sending him a faint smile, I replied, “I’ll do my best.”

  Finding my way to the door and jogging to the lot across the street, I threw the files on the passenger seat and started the engine. Glancing in the mirror, I frowned at my reflection, rubbing at the mascara smeared beneath my eye. With a sigh, I realized I wasn’t wearing mascara.

  Though I’d never admit it to his face, Alec was right. I needed sleep, I just doubted that would happen until Selena was caught.

  Rushing home, I jumped in the shower and was out again in record time. Sweeping my hair up into a messy bun, I rubbed some concealer under my eyes, slipped on a slinky black dress and was back out the door in 20 minutes.

  The clock showed me arriving at the restaurant 15 minutes late. I was lucky to be dating a guy so understanding.

  Cole was at a table, waiting as usual. He looked handsome in black slacks with a dark blue dress shirt that brought out his eyes, leaving the top buttons undone for that carefully disheveled look. Planting a quick kiss on his cheek, I slid into the opposite chair without noticing Cole’s smile didn’t quite reach his baby blue eyes.

  “You look great,” he told me.

  “Thanks. And sorry I’m late.”

  “I’m used to it by now. Just glad you’re here,” Cole replied, opening his menu. “I’ve ordered some appetizers; thought you might be hungry.”

  “Starved,” I replied gratefully, not sure the last time I actually had eaten.

  Pushing all thoughts of the elusive Selena out of my mind, I studied the menu. The restaurant was an oyster bar on the waterfront I’d never been to; most of my meals were by delivery service to the central precinct. The waterfront was an odd mixture of upscale restaurants and warehouse buildings, interspersed with trendy nightclubs. Typically, none of the above interested me, so I tended to avoid the area all together.

  “I’d like you to come with me,” I heard Cole say, and realized there was a chunk of conversation I hadn’t been a part of.

  Folding the menu and setting it on the table, I struggled to focus. “I’m sorry, Cole, what were you saying?”

  Cole sighed, leaning back in his chair and fidgeting with the silverware laid carefully out. “You haven’t heard a word I’ve said.”

  “No, I just...” Excuses came to mind, but they didn’t seem adequate. “Please, I’m all yours. Talk to me.”

  “My parents are in town this weekend, and I was inviting you to dinner to meet them,” he began again. In a move that was purely instinctual, I scanned the sidewalk in front of the restaurant through the large front windows. A shadowed image caught my eye.

  “They’re only in town for a few days,” Cole was saying.

  Nodding, I forced myself to listen. But again, my eyes strayed.

  The man was tall, lean, dressed in black. His dark hair was cut short and though he walked with his head down, I knew automatically that he was aware of every inch of his surroundings.

  “Really, Mia, you can’t even give me five minutes?”

  “Cole, I’m sorry, I have to go-”

  Before I could finish, Cole threw up his hands. “Why do I even bother? Is this work?”

  “Yes,” I said, already grabbing my small purse, feeling for the gun on a leg holster. “I thought you understood.”

  “Understood that your work takes precedence over everything? No, I don’t get it. And let me say, if you walk out that door now, we’re done.”

  That caught my attention. I stared at him for a full five seconds before slowly shaking my head.

  “I’m sorry you feel that way,” I told him, genuine sadness in my tone, before turning to rush out the door.

  Once outside, I whipped my cell phone to my ear.

  “Alec,” my voice came out rushed when he picked up. “How fast can you get to Thames and South Ann St?”

  “Five minutes, what’s up?”

  “Make it two. I think I’ve found Donovan.”

  Before he could respond, I ended the call and slipped the phone back into the purse, simultaneously flipping the switch to silent. Though it was just a small clutch, I never would have purchased it without the long cord attached. Quickly I slung it over my head, keeping it close without being in the way.

  Continuing down the street in the direction I saw what my gut told me was the criminal mastermind, and right hand to Selena, I whippe
d my head back and forth, searching. Down a narrow side street, I saw a dark figure pause at a doorway and I silently followed. Sticking close to the wall, gun now at the ready, I made the approach on my toes to keep my heels from clacking.

  He began to turn, and I immediately dropped into a crouch behind a dumpster. Heart beating quick in my chest, I counted to five before risking a glance.

  He was gone.

  “Damnit,” I said aloud, on my feet once again. Running to the door, trying the knob even though I knew it would be locked, I quickly reached for my purse and the lock picking set that was inside. A hand grabbed my wrist, and before I could respond, I was shoved against the wall in a small crevice next to the door.

  A hard body and unbreakable grip left me immobile as a harsh voice whispered in my ear.

  “Don’t move.”

  Chapter 2

  Immediately, my years of training kicked into gear. Classics were classics for a reason, I thought as my heel shot up towards my attacker’s groin. There was a knee instantly blocking the assault, and I used the off-balance position to my advantage. First I pulled against the grip on my wrist, as the automatic response of an attacker is to pull back. As he did, I went with the momentum and in a move almost dancelike, twirled to become face to face with him.

  Recognition hit just as my free fist made contact to the ribs. There was a small grunt of pain, but nothing more than he was used to.

  “Alec,” I whispered. “What the hell?”

  Not speaking, Alec simply put a finger to my lips, continuing to hold me tight against the wall.

  Forgetting for a moment that my partner had slammed me against the wall, and was still invading my personal space, I listened carefully. Within seconds the voices I heard became clear.

  “...meeting tonight. Think we’ll get the details ahead of time, or on the fly like normal?” The first voice said.

  “Are you kidding? She would never trust anyone to know anything, except Donovan. We knew that going in.” The second voice answered.

  “Yeah, I’d just like to know what’s going on for a change.”

  “That’s not what we’re paid for.”

  There was a knock, two quick, one pause, three quick. A code?

  The door opened and talking ceased. When it closed again, Alec released me from the wall.

  “Please tell me you were not about to go charging into a building, illegally, by yourself, while these two goons were coming up behind you.” I could see the anger in Alec’s eyes, and knew it came from fear for me.

  “If you want the truth, I can’t tell you that.”

  “What were you thinking? You could have been killed. You think that’s above these guys? Killing a cop? Killing a woman? It’s not!”

  “I’m sorry, Alec. You’re right, I wasn’t thinking,” I tried to calm my partner down. Approaching him, I could see every muscle was tense, like he was preparing for a fight. Laying a hand gently on his arm, I waited for him to make eye contact. His eyes, normally a deep, calm green with specs of brown, were now on fire. Slowly, one muscle at a time, I felt him begin to relax. The flames eventually receded, leaving only a spark.

  He took a deep breath before speaking. “I thought you had a date.”

  Grinning then, I knew I’d been forgiven for the moment. “I did,” I told him, the smile quickly disappearing. “When I saw Donovan, he was walking past the restaurant. I couldn’t let the opportunity pass me by. Cole didn’t agree.”

  “Oh,” Alec understood. “I’m sorry, Mia.”

  With a casual shrug, I began walking towards the street. “My work comes first.”

  Slinging an arm around my shoulders, Alec said, “Well, since we’re both free, how about a little dinner? I hear the Chinese place on this street delivers.”

  His car was parked at the end of the narrow street, in position to see anyone entering or exiting the door. Opening the passenger door, I told him, “Sounds perfect. I’m starving, and you’re buying.”

  Though we sat for several hours, the stakeout was a bust, leaving me more tired and frustrated than when the night began.

  “We’ll find them,” Alex assured me as he dropped me off at my car. “We’ve got a location now, there must be several entrances. Get some sleep and we can try again tomorrow.”

  Nodding, I slipped into my own car, knowing that no amount of rest would ever be enough.

  As I sat and scanned through the street videos for the third time, I took a sip of the thick liquid that passed for coffee in the station. With my eight years on the Baltimore PD, I had every CCTV camera and angle in my precinct memorized from thousands of hours watching them for a perp.

  Selena was the first criminal I’d chased that no one had any idea what she looked like. For that matter, we weren’t positive it was even a female, just that Selena was the name we were chasing.

  Donovan was almost as good at avoiding cameras, but over the last four years that he’d been on our radar, we had gotten two very clear shots of the mysterious man. There were also several eyewitness reports by petty criminals we’d arrested, who squealed after mere hours in lock-up.

  None of these had ever dealt with Selena directly. For a while I toyed with the theory that Selena didn’t exist, and Donovan was the true leader. Something in my gut told me otherwise, and it seemed to be popular opinion that she was real.

  “Anything?” Came a voice from the doorway.

  I glanced up at Alec and shook my head. “He’s good.”

  “We’re better,” Alec grinned, sinking into the chair beside me and placing a sandwich in front of me.

  “Thanks,” smiling appreciatively, I took a bite as my eyes continued to follow the screens.

  “Didn’t sleep well, did you?”

  “No,” I answered. “As usual.”

  Alec slid a small piece of paper in front of me. Sparing it a glance, I scoffed. “Therapy? Really?”

  “Sleeping disorders are a real thing,” Alec defended. “If you don’t want to talk through your issues, you could at least get some drugs…”

  “I don’t take drugs,” I interrupted him.

  “I realize you’re against medication, and for good reason, but if you could see what I see…” Alec trailed off, seeming nervous. My eyes flicked to him, surprised. “I’m just concerned if you don’t start getting proper sleep, it will affect your judgement, your health.”

  “You’re worried about my decision last night to go after Donovan alone.”

  “Yes,” Alec agreed. “Among other things.”

  Not wanting to argue, knowing I didn’t have a clear head the night before, I nodded. “I’ll think about it.”

  That night, I found myself parked outside the same building, trying my luck on a different entrance. The buildings were some of the oldest in the city, big brick affairs with undoubtedly twisting pathways and unlimited hallways inside. There were also several well-known tunnels from trains, along with the theorists who believed there were hidden tunnels below ground, existing from the days of the underground railroad. I’d often wondered if there were any truth to the seemingly outlandish claims. It would certainly explain our lack of ability to catch Selena on camera.

  There was a tap on my window and I jumped. It was unlike me to be caught off-guard, and that, if nothing else, told me I was running on fumes. The thought reminded me of the card tucked into my back pocket that Alec had given me earlier in the day.

  Rolling the window down a few inches to the man himself, he passed a small object through. “You didn’t call me.”

  Knowing I was in trouble, I was contrite enough to look sheepish. Tucking the small earbud he’d handed me into my ear, I said, “Thanks, partner.”

  “One of these days, you’re going to give me a heart attack,” he complained with a smile. “I’ll take the east side of the building. Let’s catch us a bad guy.”

  Grinning, I gave him a thumbs up, rolling the window back into top position. He disappeared around the corner, and I settled in for a lo
ng night.

  Several hours later, there was activity down one of the narrow alleys. Sitting up straight and squinting into the dark, I notified Alec. “Three bogeys. By the build looks like men. I’m going to get a closer look.”

  “Wait for me,” Alec was in my ear.

  Ignoring him and slipping out of the car, I ran to the edge of the building, risking a glance around. Two of the men had disappeared through a doorway. The third stood in the alley, taking a slow look around him. Perhaps he sensed my presence. Quickly I hid my head behind the wall.

  “That’s him,” I said in a deep whisper of excitement. “I’m going after him.”

  “You will wait for me,” Alec sounded sterner than I’d ever heard him, and it made me pause. But he could be minutes away, and I had only a moment to decide.

  “I’m sorry,” the words were merely a thread of sound. I took off down the alley as the door Donovan had just walked through began to close. Slipping through the crack of the nearly closed door, I was immediately launched into pitch dark as it shut with a soft click.

  Tentatively, I extended a hand and brushed against something soft, like cloth. Exactly like cloth.

  Before I could react, my back was slammed against a wall so hard my breath was knocked out, along with my earbud. Struggling just to breathe, my arms flailed about wildly.

  “Who are you?” a deep voice growled in my ear.

  Though my fists continuously made contact against the hard body pressed up against me, I was making no impact whatsoever. Sagging against the wall, allowing the strong arm still pressed against my middle to support my weight, I made a conscious effort to speak.

  “My name is Detective Gonzalez. And you’re under arrest.”

  The deep, rough laugh that should have sent chills down my spine instead sent heat curling wildly, starting in the pit of my stomach and spiraling out each limb. Before I could analyze that, he was speaking again. Without the growl that accompanied his earlier words, his Irish brogue was very prevalent.

  “The infamous Mia Gonzalez. So lovely to finally meet you. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to chat as your partner is just outside the door. Another time, perhaps…”