Southern Comfort - Fern Michaels [76]
Through her laughter, Kate managed to say, “You meant birdshit, right, Bird?”
Never in all the years she’d known Tyler had she ever seen him so . . . discomfited.
Using the hem of his brightly colored shirt, Tyler mopped Bird’s surprise gift off the top of his head. His face had turned so red, Kate feared he would suffer a stroke or a heart attack. It’d serve him right, she thought, then quickly admonished herself. While she didn’t like the man one bit, she truly did not wish him dead. Not today, anyway, here on Tick’s porch.
“I’m not going to allow you to leave until you’ve apologized to Ms. Rush,” Tick stated firmly.
Tyler stared angrily at them. “I can’t believe you two! Here I am, an officer of the law, your . . . animal uses my head as a toilet, and you expect me to apologize to a woman I detest? I don’t think so!”
Tick took a step forward, Tyler a step backward. He grabbed the porch railing for support. “Kate Rush, you are a bitch, no matter what anyone else thinks. I bet you’re PMSing again. I’m sorry, okay? Now there, are you happy?”
Tick stepped to the edge of the porch before grabbing hold of the arm Tyler had wrapped around the railing. He peeled his fingers back one at a time. “This is getting monotonous, Special Agent Tyler. She’s not a bitch, and I for one don’t accept your half-assed apology. Now, either come up with something more sincere, or I will personally call your superior myself. If that doesn’t produce the desired results, which is a proper and sincere apology to Ms. Rush, then after I phone the governor and Florida’s two senators, I will personally call the administrator of the DEA, whom I just happen to have known long before he took the position. Something tells me he wouldn’t like your treating Miss Rush disrespectfully.”
Hands on her hips, foot tapping at a mind-boggling rate of speed, Kate said impatiently, “It’s okay, Tick. He doesn’t need to apologize further. I won’t accept it anyway. Lawrence, why don’t you say what it is you really want, so the rest of us can get on with our day. You’ve wasted too much of my time already.”
Deciding it was in his best interest to be compliant, at least for the moment, Tyler held both hands up in defense. “Okay, Rush. You win this time, but I won’t forget. You owe me.”
Kate rolled her eyes. “Get a grip, Tyler. I don’t owe you squat.” She thought about Bird and his actions. It was all she could do to control herself when she recalled the look on Tyler’s face as Bird did his thing.
“I think we all can agree Bird took care of whatever any of us owed Special Agent Tyler,” Tick said to Kate, a smirk on his face.
“Yeah, we can,” Kate said, then turned her attention back to Tyler. “Explain why you’re still here?”
As he had no other choice, Tyler decided to spill his guts. He’d already been humiliated to the nth degree. What would a little more suffering matter? All he wanted was to state his business and get the hell out of here. “All those months ago, when you were assigned to that stakeout, I . . . something was going down at that abandoned mansion at the tip of Mango Key. My informant’s information wasn’t on the money.”
“No kidding,” Kate said. “I’m listening.”
“This is off the record, and if anyone finds out I’m telling you this—” He stopped, realizing it wouldn’t matter who found out. His days were numbered anyway. “Forget I said that. Whatever’s going down there is big. As in promote-to-the-top big. Don’t ask how I know this because I won’t tell you. I know you and Sandra are off the radar, so to speak. And don’t ask me how I know that either. I do. You and Martin and the rest of the old Phoenix crew know I’m about to be kicked to the curb.”
Tyler looked away, so she wouldn’t see the tears in his eyes. “I’d like to have something substantial on my list of career achievements before they toss me out on my ass. You,” he said directly to Tick, “have been here on the island for a long time. Have you witnessed anything unusual? Night visitors? Boats coming close to shore?”
Tick looked at Kate. She winked at him. “As I’m sure you