Reviewing all security footage from the station, the surrounding business, and all the monitored parking areas nearby, had finally gotten us somewhere. A camera picked up the back of a man climbing into a car at a nearby parking garage. It was the same man from the station footage and how he bypassed every other camera around was a mystery. The owner of the parking structure had installed the camera ten minutes before the prick left that letter at the station. Not expecting that the new equipment had recorded yet until he fixed a few bugs in the system, the owner of the garage hadn't sent the footage in until earlier this week when Pax stopped by a second time.

  We got the license plate on the car, which got us the owner's name, which got us the owner's home address. Linc and I were just pulling onto the correct street and crossing our fingers that this would bring us closer to shutting this case down.

  Ever since that day at the park earlier in the week, I'd been keeping a close eye on the girls and contacted them frequently throughout the day. Lily hadn't suspected anything unusual, but Aiden started asking a lot of questions. I told her that I was just checking in, but she wasn't buying it.

  The truth was, that day with Aiden and Aidy, I'd gotten the very distinct feeling that we were being watched. Our afternoon had started out carefree and relaxed. I'd packed a picnic for the three of us and Aidy had played non-stop for a good hour on the playground before my instincts perked up.

  I could still feel that gut wrenching tension I'd experienced whenever I looked around the park. It wasn't crowded, but it wasn't empty either. I should have been more vigilant when we'd gotten there, but Aiden had been acting so different and I couldn't help but be distracted by it.

  She had deliberately flirted with me from the moment we left the apartment and I was dying to ask her what changed, but having that conversation with Aidy around wasn't going to happen.

  It wasn't until we got back to the apartment that the uneasiness I'd felt the second half of our day finally faded. We'd even stopped at her studio and picked out some paintings to hang in my apartment. The rest of the night went perfectly. Lily picked Aidy up to take her out to dinner while Aiden was determined to cook me something.

  I was scared. Of course I was scared. I'd smelled her attempts at food before, but there was no way in hell I was going to stop her. She made spaghetti and I'd eaten the whole plate of food, inserting 'mmm's' in all the right places and earning an Oscar for my one of a kind performance. She'd burst out laughing the second I took my last bite and that's when I noticed she had barely even touched her plate.

  "What?"

  "Oh my God, I can't believe you actually swallowed that. It was awful!"

  I forced myself not to hold onto my stomach as the queasiness started to build. "No, babe. It was just fine."

  Her brown eyes twinkled and she kissed me on the cheek before clearing our plates. "I appreciate the lie, Gus. I promise you, though, that I won't attempt another meal by myself again."

  "Oh, thank God!"

  She'd burst out laughing and I hadn't been able to take my eyes off of her. The nausea from the food was quickly tamped down by my desire for her. She was stunning before, when she had her guard up, but something had changed. Her eyes were brighter when they weren't filled with worry and her smile never faded.

  Fuck, I loved her.

  I loved her more every day that passed.

  I told myself to talk to her about what happened at the park, but I couldn't bring myself to tell her anything that would take away that smile, so we spent the rest of the evening talking about anything and everything that was safe.

  Now, I really wanted to kick my own ass. Not telling her was the worst decision I had ever made. I needed to shut this case down before it got the best of me. I was getting paranoid and that wasn't going to be good for anyone.

  "Here it is," Linc said as we pulled up to the curb in front of a beautiful two story home. "Doesn't seem fitting, huh?"

  "No, it doesn't. But nothing about this case makes sense."

  He grunted. "Let's go get some answers."

  We kept our eyes moving as we walked up to the front porch and before we were even close to the door, it swung open and an older gentleman of about 70 appeared. "Glad they sent someone, I was beginning to think no one cared."

  "I'm sorry?" Linc questioned.

  "You boys are here to dust for prints aren't you? Take some samples or whatever the hell it is you cops do these days?"

  "No, sir," I replied, my gut telling me this was going to be another brick wall. "We are actually here because your vehicle is now part of an investigation."

  "Investigation for what?" he asked, his eyes wide as he took us in.

  "Sir, we have reason to believe that your vehicle was one used by a suspect we have been trying to locate. We'll have to ask you a few questions."

  "Well, shit. I just called you people yesterday. I've been out of the country for several weeks, took my wife to Europe for our retirement. We just got back in yesterday morning and reported that one of our cars had been stolen."

  I glanced at Linc who looked like he wanted to pull out his gun and shoot something. I knew his pain. "I'm Detective Gus Brannock, sir. This is Detective Evan Lincoln. May we come in, Mr. Charlesworth."

  "Roger, please. Yes, come in and let's sort out this mess."

  We spent the next hour finding out that Roger's car had been stolen only hours after they had left their home five weeks ago. He'd asked one of the neighbor's kids to check in on things each day, pick up the newspaper and mail, and just keep an eye on the place while he and his wife were on vacation. The kid, a 15 year old boy named Jared that lived across the street, had checked on the house the same day they left.

  "He said the car hadn't been in the garage that first night. He thought we had driven it to the airport and left it in long term parking. Do you know how expensive that shit is? He didn't know any better, though. Poor guy feels just awful," Roger explained.

  "Is there anyone other than family that knows the code to your garage, has a key to your house?" Linc asked.

  "No. Our two sons live in Texas so they don't have one. Our daughter lives downtown, though, and she is the only person with a key. Jared was using the garage code to bring the mail in."

  Linc pulled out his cell, "I'll call in and have someone come out right away to see if they can find anything. Anyone else touched anything in the house since you left?"

  Roger shook his head, "No, and only our family and close friends knew we were even going away."

  Someone else had obviously known they were going away if he had dared to come take the car on the same day they left. According to Roger, no neighbors had even noticed anyone leaving the house in the time after the couple left in a cab to the airport.

  "You said this guy is someone you've been looking for," Roger directed my way while Linc spoke on the phone.

  "Yes, sir."

  "Did this guy, um… did he…"

  "So far, it's not a murder case, Mr. Charlesworth. The man we are trying to find just parked your car in a parking garage near our station and left in the car a while later. He's a possible suspect in two kidnappings."

  "Shit. That's awful. Are the kids okay?"

  "They were recovered soon after they were taken, but we haven't been able to find this guy."

  Roger looked thoughtful. "I'm sure the families are grateful. You boys are doing a good thing and I'll do whatever I can to help. I remember years ago, a little boy from our neighborhood had been taken. They never found him, though. Broke my heart that we never saw little Donny again. With the manpower and technology we have today, things like this shouldn't be happening. In fact, I'm surprised they haven't found the car by now if you've been looking for it since yesterday morning."

  My phone immediately started to ring, interrupting my response and I excused myself to answer it. Eckart.

  "Brannock."

  "We found it. Took us long enough with the APB out on it, but we found it in a parking garage."

  A shot of adrenaline buzzed through me at the news. We were getting closer. "I'm with the owner now. He reported it stolen yesterday so pull that statement up. What's the address?"

  He rattled off the street number as I wrote it down in my notepad. It wasn't until I confirmed it with him that I realized where it was.

  "Son of a bitch!"

  "What is it?" he barked.

  "That's just down the street from my apartment."

  "You're shitting me."

  "No. I'm not. You and Pax get down there now. Linc and I will be there soon."

  "Got it."

  Linc was just finishing up explaining to Roger what was going to happen with forensics when they arrived later today, but I was already out the door and scrolling through the contacts on my phone.

  "Gus! What's going on?" Linc shouted and chased after me.

  I immediately moved to the driver's side and climbed in with the phone pressed to my ear. Linc didn't even have the door shut before I peeled away from the curb.

  "Hey! What's up?" Aiden said brightly when she finally answered.

  "Where are you, babe?"

  "At the studio, why?"

  I sighed in relief, but it was short lived. She was still too close to where that fucker had been. "Tell me Aidy is with Lily."

  "She is. Gus, what's going on?"

  "I'm on my way there. Stay in the studio and don't open the door for anyone but me, okay?"

  "Okay," she whispered, clearly terrified by the tone of my voice.

  I took a deep breath and tried to calm the pure terror that was coursing through me. "It's just a safety precaution, Aid. Trust me?"

  "Of course," she replied immediately, firmly.

  I grinned, because damn if that didn't feel good to hear. "I'll be there soon."

  "I'll be here."

  I tossed the phone onto the dashboard and weaved my way through traffic. Linc was patiently waiting for me to explain why the hell I was acting like a crazy person and why I was practically sweating fear.

  "Eckart said they found the car at that huge parking garage down the street from my apartment."

  "What the fuck?"

  "That's what I thought. This is getting too close, Linc. I've had a nagging feeling about this whole thing and I can't ignore it anymore."

  "You can say that again," he snapped. "Give me your phone, I'll call Lily and see where she's at. Kristie wouldn't mind some company today while we figure this out."

  "Thanks," I breathed and slid the phone over to him.

  I drove like a maniac and had no hope of calming myself until I saw for myself that there was no threat to Aiden or her sister. Maybe I was overreacting, maybe I wasn't, but I was taught to never ignore my instincts and right now, my instincts were telling me I was missing something important.

  By the time we turned down my street, Linc had arranged for Lily and Aidy to spend the evening with Kristie. It was times like this that I couldn't be more grateful to have him for a partner. It didn't matter if I was being paranoid, it was better safe than sorry.

  "This is the shit I worry about when Kristie talks about kids," he muttered. "What happens if I piss the wrong guy off and he goes after my family? This world can be evil, man. How do we avoid that kind of consequence for what we do?"

  I didn't have the answer, but it was becoming clearer to me that there was no way to avoid it. My whole life had been affected by the shit Dad went through as a cop. Hell, Ash had very recently been affected in an extremely personal way. We all had.

  "It's terrifying," he added quietly.

  It wasn't something I wanted to think about when all I wanted to do was get to Aiden.

  I pulled into the parking garage, the tires screeching as we wound our way up to where Pax and Eckart were waiting. "I'm leaving you here. I gotta-"

  "Go. Do what you gotta do, Gus."

  As soon as the car stopped, I exploded out of it and bolted to the stairs. I would leave it up to Linc to explain. Aiden was only a couple blocks away, but it felt like miles.

  I was panting by the time I made it to the building and up the stairs. I checked the doorknob. Locked. Good girl.

  "Aid, it's me, open up," I called and knocked a few times. Movement sounded from the other side a second before she appeared.

  It took me a long moment to get my bearings when I got a good look at her. Her hair was pin straight and held back by a bright white headband. Her flushed cheeks were smudged with paint, her fingers covered in it, but that's not what made me draw in a sharp breath. She was wearing a man's button up shirt and cut off shorts, the bottoms of which you could barely see. At first glance, you wouldn't see them.

  She was a walking wet dream and I prayed to God I would never wake up.

  Then it registered. Where the fuck did she get that shirt?

  "Are you going to tell me what's going on that has you so upset?" she asked when I just kept staring at her.

  My fingers twitched at my sides and it took every tiny ounce of restraint I had not to pin her against the door and take her right there. I focused on her cautious gaze and remembered why I was there in the first place. The original owner of that shirt wasn't important right now, but it would be later.

  "Something came up and I just needed to make sure you were safe."

  Her expression went from caution to concern and she stepped closer. "Is everything okay? What's happened?"

  I took her hand in mine, pulling her with me into the apartment and shutting the door. "I don't think you want the details, but it's got to do with this case."

  "I do want the details. If it will help," she said gently and squeezed my hand. It's amazing what a simple touch can do. Her offer of comfort made me feel like a selfish ass because I took it desperately.

  I pulled her into my chest, needing to hold her if only for a moment, and kissed the top of her head. Her arms wrapped around my waist and she buried her face against my shirt. It felt like a missing part of me was finally connected every time I held her and I wanted to tell her right then and there that our friendship was over. I wanted so much more and there was no way I was going to let her argue with me.

  But the timing wasn't right. I had to get back to Lincoln soon and I knew I needed more than just a few minutes to convince her.

  "We got a car down the street that had been stolen. It's what this prick has been using and it was just too close for comfort. I had to make sure nothing happened to you."

  "And Aidy? Is she okay? They were here earlier."

  "Yeah. Evan arranged for her and Lily to spend the rest of the day with Kristie until we make sure everything is secure. I might just be paranoid but-"

  "No. Not paranoid. You're good at your job, Gus. I'd rather you be paranoid than ignorant. Thank you."

  Even though her words were reassuring, I could still feel the stiffness in her body. I shouldn't have made such a big deal about it. This was exactly why she was so guarded with me. My job worried her and already it was spilling into her peaceful life.

  I pulled away and kissed her forehead. If I didn't leave soon, I wouldn't at all. "I'll sort this out. I'm sure there is nothing for you to worry about. Go back to your painting and I'll check on you tonight, yeah?"

  She smiled, a genuine smile. "Yeah, okay."

  "Okay."

  I stepped away - an agonizing, impossible step to take - and left after she agreed to text me when she was heading back to her apartment.

  Linc's words swarmed my head as I jogged back up the street to the parking structure that I hoped to God had security cameras. Having a family was possible in this line of work, but it was terrifying. I was no longer sure it was something I could handle and there was one person on this earth that held the slightest ability to make me feel better about it.

  I needed to talk to Dad.

  ***

  "I don't have an answer for you, son. I'm sorry."

  A wave of disappointment crashed through me even though I already knew I wouldn't get a straight answer from him. How could I when the questions were so jumbled together and I had no idea what ones I needed answered in the first place?

  "Maybe I just need to move on, be grateful for the friendship I have with her and not push it any further. At least until I can sort myself out."

  "Maybe," he replied. "Or maybe you just need to make a decision and stick with it for good. If she means that much to you, son, she's worth whatever battle you have to fight to keep her, even if that battle is against her. Don't make the mistake of taking away her choices either. If she wants a life with you, let her decide if she can handle the life you can give her."

  "Is that what Mom did? Did she even know she would be able to handle it?"

  A chuckle came over the line before he said, "I didn't give her the choice. I wanted her and there was no way I was letting her go. I told her if it ended up that she couldn't deal with my job, then I would find another one. Over the years, we both had to learn to adapt. If I could do it again, though, I would probably ask her what she wanted." He outright laughed before he added, "Still wouldn't have let her argue, though."

  Hearing him talk about my mom was always a bittersweet moment. Liam Brannock wasn't the most sensitive man with his sons, but when it came to his wife, he could only be described as reverent.

  "Your mother and I had a rough start. You all know the short version of how we met, but there was a lot more to it." He cleared his throat before he continued. "She was engaged to an evil man and it's a damn miracle she ended up in Ireland at all. The engagement wasn't necessarily arranged, but her parents put a lot of pressure on her and the little shit for a man manipulated them every step of the way. He had hit her shortly after they got engaged and she tried to leave him, fought back, did whatever she could to get away, but it didn't work."

  I had never heard this story before and the thought of my mother being treated so horribly made my chest burn with rage. My grip on the phone tightened until the plastic started to creak.

  "He beat her again for fighting back, thought he needed to force her into submission. Controlled when she went out with friends, what she bought, what she ate. Her parents were completely oblivious and she could never sit down and talk to them because he was always around. She realized that the only way to survive it was to comply. She knew she would live the rest of her life never doing anything she wanted to do and she had always dreamed of traveling to Ireland, so she made a deal with him. If he let her take that one trip for only a month, she would come back and give up everything else. She would submit to whatever he had planned for her.

 

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