glass divider. He waved her in.
Dexter stood as the woman entered. He saw that she was tall, had black hair, large brown eyes, and a determined mouth. She also looked familiar although he couldn’t say why. While not drop-dead gorgeous, she was very attractive, and well dressed. The businessman had been expecting an FBI agent, but this lady looked more like a prospective tenant, so he reacted accordingly. “Hello…. Can I help you?”
Rossi inspected the man on the other side of the desk the same way she inspected everyone, as a potential scam artist, thief, or murderer. Dexter didn’t look like a criminal though. Far from it. He had hazel eyes, even features, and an athletic build. The last was somewhat predictable, given his special ops background, but hadn’t been apparent in the photo that the Department of Defense (DOD) supplied along with the ex-officer’s military record. “Yes,” the FBI agent said as she offered him a look at her badge and credentials. “My name is Christina Rossi.”
“Please, sit down,” Dexter replied, as he updated his stereotypes of female law enforcement officers to include pretty FBI agents. “I’m Jack Dexter. Most people call me Dex.”
Rossi struggled to remember whether the man opposite her was married as she sat down. “Thank you for taking the time to see me. I’m here because one of your tenants is under criminal investigation.”
Dexter nodded as he returned to his chair. The agent had a hard-soft quality that he found appealing. “Can I ask which one?”
“Yes,” Rossi answered, “you can. The man we’re interested in is Joe Chow.”
Dexter sighed. “I should have known.”
Rossi raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow. “Really? Why is that?”
“Mr. Chow is the only tenant who employs bodyguards. When they aren’t in his apartment they’re usually sitting in his Hummer with the sound system turned up. They love hip-hop and it drives my maintenance man crazy.”
Rossi nodded as she scribbled in her notebook. “Yes, well, Mr. Chow has numerous enemies, so it pays to be careful.”
Dexter nodded. “What about the rest of my tenants? Are they safe?”
“As far as I know,” Rossi answered cautiously. “Our experts tell me that you have an extremely good security system. So good that it would be difficult to install surveillance devices without you knowing about it. That’s why I came to see you.”
The news that the government was familiar with his security system was disquieting to say the least. Dexter thought about the one-way mirror, the viewing room, and the tie to his illegal sex life—all things he wanted to conceal from the FBI and the agent on the other side of the desk. Like all special ops warriors he’d been trained to handle interrogations and kept his voice neutral. “Are you sure that’s necessary?”
“Yes,” Rossi replied. “I’m afraid it is. I am not at liberty to go into the details, but suffice it to say that we need to know what Mr. Chow is up to, and we need your help.”
Dexter felt the trap close around him but was powerless to object. First the sadistic episode between Chow and his mistress, now this. “Okay, if that’s what you need, then so be it. Should I ask to see a court order or something?”
“Yes, you should,” Rossi said, as she opened her briefcase. “Take a look at these.”
The ex-SEAL scanned the documents that the FBI agent put in front of him but his thoughts were elsewhere. The woman across from him was not wearing a ring, but was far too attractive to be single, so what did that mean? A live-in boyfriend perhaps? Probably, but what if there wasn’t? What if he asked her to have a drink with him and she said “yes?” That would trigger the very series of events that he had worked so hard to avoid. A successful date could lead to more, the inevitable moment would arrive, and the businessman would be expected to remove his clothes. Now, more than two years later, he could still see the
Dexter stood as the woman entered. He saw that she was tall, had black hair, large brown eyes, and a determined mouth. She also looked familiar although he couldn’t say why. While not drop-dead gorgeous, she was very attractive, and well dressed. The businessman had been expecting an FBI agent, but this lady looked more like a prospective tenant, so he reacted accordingly. “Hello…. Can I help you?”
Rossi inspected the man on the other side of the desk the same way she inspected everyone, as a potential scam artist, thief, or murderer. Dexter didn’t look like a criminal though. Far from it. He had hazel eyes, even features, and an athletic build. The last was somewhat predictable, given his special ops background, but hadn’t been apparent in the photo that the Department of Defense (DOD) supplied along with the ex-officer’s military record. “Yes,” the FBI agent said as she offered him a look at her badge and credentials. “My name is Christina Rossi.”
“Please, sit down,” Dexter replied, as he updated his stereotypes of female law enforcement officers to include pretty FBI agents. “I’m Jack Dexter. Most people call me Dex.”
Rossi struggled to remember whether the man opposite her was married as she sat down. “Thank you for taking the time to see me. I’m here because one of your tenants is under criminal investigation.”
Dexter nodded as he returned to his chair. The agent had a hard-soft quality that he found appealing. “Can I ask which one?”
“Yes,” Rossi answered, “you can. The man we’re interested in is Joe Chow.”
Dexter sighed. “I should have known.”
Rossi raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow. “Really? Why is that?”
“Mr. Chow is the only tenant who employs bodyguards. When they aren’t in his apartment they’re usually sitting in his Hummer with the sound system turned up. They love hip-hop and it drives my maintenance man crazy.”
Rossi nodded as she scribbled in her notebook. “Yes, well, Mr. Chow has numerous enemies, so it pays to be careful.”
Dexter nodded. “What about the rest of my tenants? Are they safe?”
“As far as I know,” Rossi answered cautiously. “Our experts tell me that you have an extremely good security system. So good that it would be difficult to install surveillance devices without you knowing about it. That’s why I came to see you.”
The news that the government was familiar with his security system was disquieting to say the least. Dexter thought about the one-way mirror, the viewing room, and the tie to his illegal sex life—all things he wanted to conceal from the FBI and the agent on the other side of the desk. Like all special ops warriors he’d been trained to handle interrogations and kept his voice neutral. “Are you sure that’s necessary?”
“Yes,” Rossi replied. “I’m afraid it is. I am not at liberty to go into the details, but suffice it to say that we need to know what Mr. Chow is up to, and we need your help.”
Dexter felt the trap close around him but was powerless to object. First the sadistic episode between Chow and his mistress, now this. “Okay, if that’s what you need, then so be it. Should I ask to see a court order or something?”
“Yes, you should,” Rossi said, as she opened her briefcase. “Take a look at these.”
The ex-SEAL scanned the documents that the FBI agent put in front of him but his thoughts were elsewhere. The woman across from him was not wearing a ring, but was far too attractive to be single, so what did that mean? A live-in boyfriend perhaps? Probably, but what if there wasn’t? What if he asked her to have a drink with him and she said “yes?” That would trigger the very series of events that he had worked so hard to avoid. A successful date could lead to more, the inevitable moment would arrive, and the businessman would be expected to remove his clothes. Now, more than two years later, he could still see the
Similar Books
