I dart a quick glance into the living room, where the boys are bent over the coffee table, scribbling on pieces of paper, when Dylan slips an arm around my waist, fitting me against him. “It’ll be their custom designed alarm system. A way to communicate quickly if they ever find themselves in trouble. We’ll add both our numbers at the top of their speed dial, and make sure we all have an explanation of the codes on our phones.”
“You got them to work together,” I note, checking on the kids, the one blond head between the two darker ones.
“Kills a few birds with one stone: it creates a common goal, adds to their sense of responsibility, makes them feel in control—and last but not least—has them focused on something other than their father being a certifiable cocksucker.”
I throw my head back and laugh, a sound that I guess has become so rare, all three boys curiously look my way. I wink at them and wait until their attention is back on their list before I put a hand in the middle of Dylan’s chest.
“You’re a miracle worker.”
CHAPTER 14
Dylan
You’re a miracle worker.
Her laugh had been nothing short of amazing, but hearing those words after had settled deep under my skin.
Her boys had come up with a list of codes. Some of them were cause for hilarity, but others had been sobering, showing the kinds of things kids—even at that young age—worry about.
We ate Marya’s sausage bake—delicious—and after, she let me pull her outside on her front step so I could kiss her goodbye.
Work had kept both of us busy yesterday, but we connected via text last night, when I told her I’d drop off the phones for the boys today. That almost resulted in a stupid argument about who was going to pay for the phones, but it swung my way when I explained I wanted to get Jasper to install a tracker, the same one he installed on Max’s, just in case. She liked the idea of added security, but insisted she’d pay me back, and took my silence as agreement. Her mistake.
“It’ll run in the background,” Jasper explains. “It’s as simple to install as any other app, except you have to upload it from the computer since it’s not on the market.”
“And you say it’ll work on Marya and her oldest’s iPhones as well?”
“Yup. Installed it on Bella’s. Takes all of two minutes. I’ll send you a copy.”
“Okay, I’ll do that tonight.”
“What’s that?”
Jasper points at the list with emergency codes I’m entering into a reference file on the boys’ phones. I don’t think they’ll need them, they were already quizzing each other over dinner on Tuesday, but the cheat sheet won’t hurt. It’s already on Marya’s, Theo’s, and my phone, and figured I might as well add it to Max’s as well.
I turn the list around to show him.
10-1 Dad alert
10-2 stranger danger
10-3 SOS
10-4 Gotcha
10-5 Zombie attack
10-6 fire
10-7 hiding
10-8 kidnapper
10-9 lost
10-10 red alert
10-11 gun
10-12 urgent
10-13 starving
10-14 pizza tonight
10-15 need pick up
10-99 Mom alert
“These are not your standard 10-codes,” Jasper snickers. “Zombie attack?”
“Boys put it together,” I share by way of explanation.
“I can tell.” He picks up his phone and takes a quick picture. “For reference,” he explains.
“Whatever. You almost done?”
“Yeah. Oh, by the way.” He shoves a sheet of paper my way.
“What’s this? Copy of a police report?”
Jasper nods. “Talked to a guy I know in the Montrose PD, earlier in the week, to see if they have anything on Jeremy Berger. He called me back this morning. Sent me that.”
I catch the complainant’s name, Sylvia Berger, and quickly skim the content: a domestic abuse claim on none other than Marya’s ex.
“The wife apparently kicked his ass to the curb a while ago, changed the locks on him and everything. Told him to leave her alone or she’d file a report on him. She says she doesn’t know where he stayed, but he showed up last week, wanting to see his kid, and forced himself into the house. Smacked her around with their little girl looking on. Guess that motivated her to finally file that report.”
“Jesus. Guy’s a piece of work. Assume that’s why he set up in that cabin in Hermosa.”
“Yup, passed on the address and filled Jimmy in on what was going on here. Word of warning though, he’s interested in talking to Marya. May want to give her a heads-up.”
“Fuck. She needs that on top of everything else.” I rub a hand over my face.
“He do the same thing to her? Put his hands on her?”
I can’t bring myself to answer, so I growl in response.
I’d suspected it—Marya had never quite spelled it out—until Theo blurted a few nights ago what he’d witnessed.
A heavy silence stretches as I watch Jasper’s jaw work. “Shit,” he finally barks, flaring his nostrils as he sucks in a deep breath. “Now I wish you’d have let Luna have a decent go at him on Monday.”
When we’d walked into the office after serving that dirtbag with the protection order, the bruise forming on Luna’s cheek had not gone unnoticed, and she hadn’t hesitated giving the guys the blow-by-blow. Including me stepping in before she could do him more damage.
Heck, I’d thought the same thing Tuesday night after hearing those strangled words come from her oldest, as he described exactly what he’d witnessed when I was in the basement with him. If not for the state of those boys, I’d have hightailed it out of there, back up to Hermosa, to finish the job Luna started.
“Not as much as me,” I grunt.
“I bet.” Jasper hands me the second phone. “All set up. Get out of here. I’ll shoot over that software.”
I tuck both flip phones in my pocket and snatch up the copy of the police report. “Takin’ this.”
“About time that woman has a good man looking out for her.”
The unfamiliar compliment startles me as warmth spreads into my limbs. There’d been too many years of not being a good man, a good son, a good father. Since joining the team as the junior agent, I’d tried hard to do better—be better—because of the caliber of the people I work with. I didn’t grow up with siblings, or even many friends, but my teammates have become the brothers and sister I never had. Hearing a man I look up to say something like that means something.
It means a lot.
Still, all I manage is a mumbled, “Thanks,” and a chin lift before walking out the door.
“I MEANT TO ASK YOU,” Marya says, pulling apart the pork in her slow cooker.
I’d picked up Max from school and came right here. Marya had made good on her promise of last night to cook Max and me dinner, in return for me taking care of the phones for her.
Apparently pulled pork, and it smells phenomenal.
Since tomorrow is a professional development day and homework can be done later, the boys disappeared down to the basement after the excitement of the new cell phones had worn off. I reminded them to stay offline.
“Is there any news on what happened to that Flora Vista boy?”
“Not really our case, but we’re helping check out a few tips.”
I can’t tell her much more, in part because our office doesn’t have lead on this case, but also because I don’t want to get into details with her. Like the fact the coroner found semen on the boy, or that the investigation turned up a surprising number of registered sex offenders living within a fifty-mile radius from where the boy went missing. That’s what we’ve been doing most of this week, knocking on doors of those registered in our county. It’s a slow, tedious process that requires a lot of sorting through background information on these deviants to see if there’s anything we could link to Seth’s case.
Some of the shit is so disturbing, I mentioned to Luna this morning it’s almost enough to lose your faith in the justice system we’re here to uphold. How some of these guys—mostly—are even walking around free is beyond comprehension.
“You can’t talk about it,” she says with a grimace, noticing my hesitation. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”
I put a hand on her arm, stilling her movements. “You can ask me anything, just know it’s not personal when I can’t always answer. Especially if it’s an ongoing investigation.”
“Okay. It’s just...that’s the second time I hear you mention for the kids to stay offline, I was just wondering if there’s something...” She lets her voice trail off.
Current circumstances have made her hyper-vigilant, so it shouldn’t really surprise me she picked up on that. Should’ve had a talk with her about that sooner. This case, her dick ex, keeping up with my own kid, this new relationship—I feel like I focus on too many things at the same time and missing the mark on all of them.
Time to get my head out of my ass.
“I should’ve mentioned this before. Max came to me a little over a week ago and mentioned one of the players in his PS4 group made him uncomfortable. Jasper and I were going to look into it, but then Seth disappeared and we got wrapped up in that. Should’ve said something.”
“Is that the same group Liam is part of?” The concern is evident on her face and that’s on me too.
“I think so.” I realize I should probably ask Liam if he’s noticed anyone acting weird.
Marya drops the forks she’d been using on the pork onto the counter and marches to the entertainment center in her living room. She pulls a router tucked back on one of the shelves, and yanks out the cord. With the appliance tucked under her arm, she heads to the top of the basement stairs.
“Guys, just a heads-up. There’s something wrong with the router, I have to take it in to get it fixed!”
“Mo-om!”
“Deal with it, Harry,” she calls back to her youngest. “You can just play with your brothers.” She walks up to the fridge, stuffs the router into the small cupboard above, and picks up her forks again.
“You figure it out, let me know. Until then, no more online gaming.”
Not pissed off—matter-of-fact—and without any hint of recrimination.
Fuck, she’s perfect.
MARYA
I can tell he’s beating himself up about it, something I’ve noticed he does easily—taking responsibility—but he won’t get a hard time from me. He has enough on his mind.
He’s already stepping in with Jeremy—which I’m grateful for, don’t get me wrong—but with a kid of his own, a demanding job, and a devastating case on his plate, he shouldn’t feel he also has to carry responsibility for my guys. That’s my job.
His hands slip around my waist, pushing low on my belly. I can feel his prominent erection pressing into me.
“Feel that?” His voice sounds right by my ear.
“Mmmm.”
“That’s how much I liked watching you getting things done without fucking around.”
“The kids...” I mumble, even as I’m grinding my ass against him.
“Yeah.” He slides one hand up my front and curves his fingers around my jaw, tilting my head back. His dark gaze pierces through me. “Need to carve out some time.” The fire in those brown eyes and his deep raspy sound are hypnotizing. “Soon.”
“Yes.” My own voice sounds thready.
“So fucking beautiful.”
The next moment his lips are bruising mine in a consuming kiss that has me wobble on my feet. Dylan’s hand tightens on my stomach, keeping me steady as his mouth lifts away.
“Soon,” he repeats on a whisper.
“I have to work tomorrow night, but I’m off Saturday night,” I blurt out, blushing at my own boldness, when he turns me around and cups my face with his hands.
“Would love taking you up on that, Sweetheart. Problem is, I can’t guarantee I won’t get called away.”
A bit embarrassed I pull back, putting a smile on my face. “Not to worry, it was a silly idea.” I turn to the stove where my potatoes have probably mashed themselves by now. I reach out to take the pot off the burner, when he grabs my elbow and turns me around.
“Not silly at all, and you didn’t let me finish.” His eyes smile looking down on me. “What I was trying to get to is that I’m on call this weekend, so Max will be staying at my parents. I’ll have to be at the office for some time during the day, but unless there’s an emergency, I plan to be home around six. If your mother is on board coming here to look after the boys, so they don’t have to be disrupted—however the night pans out—we could plan to meet at my place. I’ll pick up dinner on the way.” He smiles and brushes the pad of his thumb over my cheek. “That is, if you’re willing to take the risk I may have to bail in case of an emergency.”
“I can check with Mom,” I tell him, trying hard not to give myself away by grinning like a loon.
“So we have a plan.”
“Looks that way.”
He lightly brushes my lips with his before carefully setting me aside. He takes the pan from the stove, and drains the water in the sink. “Do you have cream cheese?” he asks, as he pulls the potato masher from the stone utensil pot sitting next to the stove.
He takes me by surprise; apparently, he’s making the mashed potatoes. I open the fridge, pull out the makings for a quick salad, and a brick of Philly I leave next to him on the counter.
I do all of this grinning like the Cheshire cat.
“SEE YOU SATURDAY MORNING?”
We’re back on my front step. Max is already buckled up in the car and Dylan holds my hand in his.
Dinner had been a lively affair, with the exception of Liam, who kept mostly quiet. Between Max and Harry, though, conversation was never lacking.
My pulled pork was fabulous, if I say so myself, and Dylan’s fluffy potatoes were the best I’ve ever tasted. But the absolute winner was the dessert he threw together with ingredients from my pantry and freezer, at the boys’ urging. Peanut butter chocolate sundaes.
According to Max, they’re even better with crushed salted peanuts—which I didn’t have—but the plain vanilla ice cream, stirred with semi-sweet chocolate chips and drizzled with melted peanut butter, was to die for.
It was also a million calories, and on top of an already rich dinner, it feels like I’ve put on twenty pounds in the past hour and a half.
Just as Dylan starts bending toward me, I stifle a yawn, making him smile.
“Tired?”
“Food coma.” I grin back and his eyes fix on my mouth, his intent obvious. “Max is watching,” I caution him.
“Don’t care. He’ll have to get used to me kissing you,” he counters, right before his lips touch mine, his tongue sliding inside.
The kiss is short, but so exquisite; I’m still blinking away my daze when he backs out of my driveway a few minutes later.
CHAPTER 15
Dylan
“You getting ready for work?”
It’s Friday afternoon and I’m sitting at the conference table in the office, looking for some privacy to call Marya.
We’ve been whittling down the list of registered sex offenders all day. With the lab working on the semen found on Seth during the autopsy to get a DNA profile—hopefully sooner than later—we’re focusing on those for whom we don’t have a viable DNA sample on file.
We’d been about to head out to get a start on the grunt work of collecting swabs, when I was digging around my pockets for my keys and my hand encountered a folded piece of paper. The Montrose police report.
With everything going on last night, I’d completely forgotten about it, so I told Toni—who was unfortunately once again assigned to come with me—to hold on so I could make a call.
“Mom should be here soon, and uh...” Marya adds in a softer voice that shoots straight to my dick. “She can do
tomorrow night as well.”
I push the heel of my hand down on my crotch, discouraging my cock from rising to the occasion. I have no desire to go interview a sexual deviant, with Toni in tow, about to bust out of my fly. “That’s good news, Sweetheart. There’s something I should have told you last night, but didn’t get around to.”
“Oh?”
I hate the reserved caution I can hear in the single syllable and quickly give her the details. Ripping off the bandage so to speak.
“I’m not exactly a fan, but I’m sorry this happened to her. No one deserves that.”
“You’ve got that right.”
She’s quiet for a moment, and then asks, “Why would they want to talk to me?”
“Jasper was looking to find something on Jeremy, talked to the Montrose PD and discovered they’re looking for him. I assume they want to ask some questions about your recent run-ins, but fair warning, I think they’ll also be asking you about your history with him.”
“Okay,” she mumbles, sounding reluctantly resigned. “Not exactly a proud time in my life, but I guess I can’t change what happened.”
“Look, I can’t begin to understand what it must be like to relive that, but maybe the information you can add will strengthen this woman’s case against him. A way for you to get some justice of your own for what he did to you.”
Silence again.
“Babe?”
Her voice is low and full of emotion when she answers. “She’s stronger than I am. I should’ve done what she’s doing, but instead I—”
“Instead you focused all your energy on making sure three young boys had a good life. Christ, Marya, you denied yourself the opportunity for justice, so his crap wouldn’t come near your kids. If that kind of sacrifice doesn’t spell strength, I don’t know what does.”
I berate myself for not bringing this up last night. I could’ve held her so she could look me in the eye and see I mean every word.
“Thanks, but...oh, Mom’s here.”
10-Code (Rock Point, #4) Page 12
