“That was not English,” Quinn muttered, dropping into an open seat next to Shane with a pad of paper in front of him.
“No, it’s actually the most commonly used letters in plain English,” Daniel said, looking over his shoulder with a small smile. He wrote the twelve letters on the board to the side. “We start by matching the letter ‘e’ with the most commonly appearing symbol and then seeing if it looks like it makes sense. If not, we continue down the list.”
Cole suddenly laughed. “You know, we could feed this into the computer.”
“I can’t believe you didn’t do that first,” Shane murmured, gazing at his boyfriend. “It’s usually technology first with you, babe.”
“Well in this case,” Quinn responded, pushing up his glasses. “Our brains may be faster. Like Daniel said, this looks to be a simple cipher. Something kids would make up.”
“Kids or not, we’re starting from scratch,” Gidget said as she continued to try out the main twelve letters against the symbols until words started to appear.
It didn’t happen nearly as fast as Abe would have liked. He got up and paced a few times, and Cole left once to get them all coffee. Noises from the first floor after about an hour made Abe wonder if there was a cage fight going on. Quinn only smiled and said something about a bet between two of the bodyguards involving the superiority of Jeet Kune Do versus Muay Thai.
At two hours, Quinn suddenly made a noise as all the color bled from his face. He looked at Abe. “I know what these say.”
Gidget was nodding and jumping out of her chair to leave the room.
“Where is she going?” Abe asked, the alarm that had been simmering all day roiling to a full boil.
“Probably to get Rowe,” Cole murmured.
Abe looked up to see a very pale Daniel already filling in the last of the letters they’d been missing.
DEAD MAN WALKS
DEAD MAN DATES
DEAD MAN CHOOSES
DEAD MAN’S LOVER – THE JOINT NOON
He stepped back. “The one we thought was the fourth message, must have been an earlier one. I think after he dropped off the message, he keyed DEAD MAN CHOOSES into Dom’s car.”
Abe came up out of his seat. “Lover is struck through on the third one then,” he whispered.
Shane stood and put his hand on Abe’s arm, squeezing his elbow. “Dad, that’s a threat against you.”
The panic that shot through Abe curled his stomach. “He met the fucker who left these messages because they threatened to kill me.” It wasn’t a question. He was trying to swallow down the fact that Dom was possibly in danger, trying to protect him. “I wouldn’t want him to do that.”
“And he probably knew that,” Quinn said, his voice low. “I’m sure that’s why he didn’t tell you what was going on.”
“This is bad.” Understatement, but he was having trouble accepting this.
“What’s bad?” Rowe asked as he strode fast into the room. “Gidget said I was needed in here.” He walked to the whiteboard and stared at the writing. His lips tightened more and more as he read. “Someone needs to fill me in and do it fast.”
“It’s Dom.” Surprisingly, Shane spoke up. He went on to tell Rowe everything, paying particular attention to the message that was on Abe’s garage—DEAD MAN DATES—and the one they now believed was the last. DEAD MAN CHOOSES
That was the one that was tearing Abe’s heart to shreds. “We have no idea who is writing these messages—” Abe started to say.
“I do.” Rowe’s hands curled into fists. “And yeah, this is bad. Really fucking bad. Dom took me into his confidence when I hired him, but if he’s gone to meet who I think he has, we have to move now.” He jogged toward the door, throwing over his shoulder, “Quinn, figure out where this Joint is. Use the GPS on Dom’s phone if you have to.”
“Wait!” Abe’s bellow bounced off every wall in the room. “If he’s in danger, I want to know. Especially because it looks like this is my fault.”
Rowe, who had stopped at the yell, turned. He eyed Abe. “Does Dom mean something important to you?”
“Yes. Very.” He didn’t even hesitate. Didn’t have to think about it. “Who did he go to meet?”
Rowe looked around the room, his frown so fierce, his eyes were mere slits. He seemed to make some kind of internal decision because he nodded. “Dom has an identical twin brother and he’s a psychopath. A psychopath who thought Dom was dead.” He pointed to the words on the wall.
All of it made sense then. He walks, he dates…he chooses. Meet the brother or Dom’s lover dies.
“If Dom kept that noon meeting today,” Rowe said, his tone heavy with worry, “we’ll be lucky if he’s still alive.”
Chapter Twelve
Abe climbed out of Rowe’s SUV, ignoring the other man’s warning glares. He felt lucky the security company owner hadn’t duct taped him to a chair and left him back at the office. It certainly sounded like it was his preference. But after seeing Rowe’s reaction to the news of Dom’s brother being in town, there was no way in hell Abe was going to be left behind when it came to tracking down Dom.
Of course, they very nearly taped Shane down when Rowe wouldn’t allow him to tag along. Rowe complained about too many civilians getting in his damn way. He simply promised that Abe would be safe with his people, and Shane stepped back. Clearly not happy, but Quinn explained that he’d be supporting the mission and Shane could follow along from the office.
Dom and Abe had parted ways shortly before noon, and it was already after six. That was six hours too many that he’d potentially been in the hands of his brother. Panic flowed through Abe’s veins. He needed to see Dom, to put his hands on him and know that he was safe. And then he’d be happy to shake some sense into the man. Why didn’t Dom trust him with this information? How were they supposed to try to build something if Dom was holding back?
Swallowing a groan, Abe wanted to shake himself. This was not where his thoughts should be. He glanced around at the neighborhood and cringed. The broken-down buildings and boarded up windows didn’t exactly scream safety and warmth. Trash clogged the gutters and the street was rutted and pock-marked with holes. Despite it being the middle of the day, no one was out and about. Around them rose up the sound of rushing cars and commerce, but in this little slice of the world, the people and buildings were forgotten.
“So, you and Dom, huh?” Rowe drawled.
Abe jerked around to find Rowe leaning against the hood of the SUV, his thick arms folded across his chest. His expression was anything but welcoming, which was a little surprising. Both Quinn and Shane had spoken of Rowe Ward on more than one occasion, and it was always as this teasing, practical joker with a mischievous streak a mile wide. He’d not expected to be faced with a menacing version of Rowe.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but yes, Dom and me,” Abe said sharply.
“Oh, it’s definitely my business,” Rowe growled. “Dominic is one of mine, and I look out for mine.”
Abe stared at the man. It was as if all of his feathers were ruffled over the events surrounding Dom. He was seeing an older man and his brother was in town. There was no missing that Rowe liked to be in the know when it came to his people, his family. And the employees of Ward Security were definitely his family.
A smile tried to form, but Abe pressed his lips together, holding it back. In this rare instance, Rowe Ward was all bark and no bite. But he was willing to bet that would not be the case when they got inside the bar.
“This serious?” Rowe demanded.
“It’s not a fling if that’s what you mean.”
Some of the tension eased from Rowe’s shoulders as they relaxed just a little bit. “If this is just some little experiment for you, you need to tell him now. Don’t lead him on. He deserves better than that.”
“I’m not playing with him, Rowe,” Abe snapped. He stared at the other man for a moment, who was watching him with one eyebrow raised in question. “I care f
or Dom. I viewed him as a friend before it became more, and I don’t ever want to see him get hurt. But I won’t make promises that I can’t keep.”
Rowe grunted. “Fair enough.”
“If the love doctor is done with his session,” Garrett teased over the earpieces they were all wearing. Rowe had grudgingly given one to Abe so that he’d stay in the know and be able to take directions from either Rowe, Garrett, or Seth regardless of where they were located on the premises. “I’m in position at the rear.”
“Boss, there’s nothing in the way of cameras to tap,” Quinn said nervously. “It’s like a black hole settled over a three-block area and the bar is in the dead center.”
“Bird’s eye is quiet,” Seth chimed in. Rowe had directed him to settle on a nearby apartment building rooftop and check out the surrounding area through a sniper scope. It was both reassuring and unsettling to know that they had a sniper backing them up. Abe had never walked into a situation where he needed a fucking sniper.
“Well then, I guess my friend and I are just going to pop into this dive and grab a beer.” Rowe pushed away from the side of the SUV and started to lead the way toward the bar just down the block. Abe fell into step next to him, trying to ignore the rapid pounding of his heart and the sudden dryness of his mouth. Dom did this all the time and managed it just fine. He could walk into this bar with Rowe, Seth, and Garett backing him up and come out safely again.
“Tell me again why we didn’t just call the cops?” Abe muttered under his breath.
“And what would we tell them? That our friend has been missing for six hours and we think he went to a bar?” Rowe asked incredulously.
“Or that we think our friend is in the hands of a known thief and murderer?” Abe snapped back.
“And how would we explain that? We might be able to hand his brother over to the cops, but it would also mean handing over Dom, and that shit ain’t happening. Whatever crimes he committed as a kid, Dom has paid for in his lifetime. I will not let him go to prison for that bullshit.”
Abe sighed. “No, I don’t want that either. I just want him safe.”
Rowe surprised him by putting his hand on Abe’s shoulder and squeezing. “I know, Abe. I know. We’ll get our boy back.”
They reached the front door and it wasn’t too much of a surprise that it was locked. Rowe reached into his back pocket and pulled out a handy packet of lockpicking tools. “Picking the lock,” Rowe said in a low voice to the rest of the people waiting on him.
“Is there any chance you could teach me how to do that?” Abe asked with interest as he watched Rowe fit the hook and the wrench into the deadbolt. When Rowe snorted, Abe couldn’t help but smile. “Just out of curiosity, of course.”
Rowe glanced over his shoulder at Abe and smirked. “Only if you promise not to tell anyone that you learned it from me.”
“Boss, you’re such a bad influence,” Quinn chuckled over their connection.
“Got it,” Rowe whispered triumphantly. He pulled the tools free and shoved them into his pocket again. He quickly got to his feet and looked over his shoulder at Abe, who had been using his wide frame to shield Rowe from the view of anyone looking in their direction.
With a nod to Abe, Rowe led the way into the dimly lit bar. Abe followed close on his heels, happy to let the more experienced Rowe lead in this situation. They barely got more than a couple of feet inside before a man jumped down from where he’d been sitting on a stool in front of the bar. He rushed over to them, one open hand raised.
“Hey! You can’t come in here! I thought they locked that fucking door,” he growled. He was a large, behemoth of a man with a massive chest and a slight gut. Abe couldn’t tell the color of his hair in the relative darkness, but it appeared long as it was pulled back into a ponytail.
“Hey, man!” Rowe called back. “The sign out front says the place is open. My friend and I just want a beer.” Rowe’s tone was friendly, completely different from what he’d heard from the man since first meeting him back at the office. Even his entire posture had changed. His arms swung free at his sides and his gait was looser. The guy was a damn chameleon.
Abe glanced around the bar, his eyes immediately locking on a slumped figure in a chair. Red hair shined like a beacon in the light hanging above the one pool table. Dom! But he couldn’t move. Couldn’t rush to him to make sure that he was okay, that he was still fucking breathing. He wanted to scream.
“We’re closed. Get the fuck out of here!” the large man shouted. He pointed back toward the entrance as he got up in Rowe’s face.
“Dude, it’s just one beer,” Rowe cried, giving him a shove so that the guy rocked back on his heels.
“Fuck this,” Abe snarled under his breath. As the guy was left slightly off balance, Abe balled his hand into a fist and delivered a powerful blow to the guard’s jaw. The guy flew backward, falling onto one of the tables. The spindly legs collapsed under the man’s massive girth, sending him sprawling to the floor with a groan.
Rowe cackled as he jumped on the guy and hammered him again, knocking him out cold. He then looked up at Abe from where he straddled the other man and gave a low whistle. “I thought Shane said you were an accountant.”
“I am.”
“That’s a killer right hook. If that’s how you take on the IRS, I’d be happy to hire you.”
Before Abe could reply, there was another clatter of noise from the back. Something wooden broke and then there was a heavy thud against the wall.
“Garrett, report!” Rowe commanded, jumping to his feet. The former Army Ranger looked ready to charge toward the back to save his guy. Abe was torn over following Rowe to back up Garrett and rushing to check on Dom, who had yet to move in the noise of the shuffle.
“Stomped this cockroach!” Garrett said with laughter in his voice. “We’re clear.”
“Go check on our boy,” Rowe said with a nod of his head toward Dom. “I’ll take care of our friend.” Rowe reached into one of the pockets of his cargo pants and pulled out a roll of kitten-covered duct tape.
Abe didn’t need to be told twice. Weaving through the various tables, he ran over to Dom’s side. As he approached, he could see blood crusted in the back of his hair. Abe dropped to his knees in front of Dom and hesitated. Was this really Dom? Both Dom and Rowe had pointed out that James was an identical twin of Dom. Could Dom have captured his brother and then left to chase after the rest of the criminals?
But that didn’t explain the other guy…
His eyes scraped over the man before him. Blood still oozed from wounds around his wrists from where he’d pulled against the plastic zip ties binding him. There were no visible wounds to his face, but his breathing was slow and ragged. Abe was afraid that he had injuries that he couldn’t yet see. And then he saw the scar stretching down along the left side of Dom’s face. The same scar he’d traced with his fingers after they’d gone to bed the night before. Though some fucker had cut a fresh line down its side.
This was Dom.
Gently, he laid his hand against Dom’s other cheek, rubbing his thumb along his cheekbone. “Dom. Wake up. I need you to open your eyes, baby.”
A low groan fell from Dom’s parted lips. “My fucking head,” he mumbled.
“Come on, Dom. It’s Abe. I need you to open your eyes for me.”
Dom’s head snapped up and he immediately winced in pain. “Abe,” he gritted out. He scrunched his eyes closed for a second and then blinked them several times as if he was struggling to get them to focus on Abe. “Abe? How? What are you doing here?”
“I’m saving your ass.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a pocketknife to cut through the bindings. But before he could even touch the blade to the plastic, Rowe’s hard grip wrapped around his wrist, stopping him.
“You sure that’s our boy?” Rowe demanded.
Abe wanted to snap at Rowe, but he couldn’t blame the man for his caution. Just a moment earlier, he’d had the exact same thought. “He’
s got the scar on his cheek. It has to be Dom.”
“No! He cut himself! He fucking cut himself!” Dom started shouting. He violently struggled in the chair; Abe had to draw the knife away for fear of Dom rocking the chair forward and accidentally hurting himself on Abe’s knife.
“Whoa! Whoa! What are you talking about?” Rowe placed both of his hands on Dom’s shoulders, gently forcing him to sit still in his chair. More footsteps echoed across the room, and Abe looked up to find Garrett crossing to stand on the other side of Dom. A worried expression dug deep furrows in his forehead.
“Q, Seth, how we looking out there?” Garrett asked.
“Everything is quiet,” Seth replied.
“Nothing on the police bands,” Quinn added.
“Dom,” Rowe said evenly, drawing Dom’s desperate gaze back to his boss. Abe’s heart went out to the man. He looked utterly panicked and terrified. “What happened?”
“James fucking cut his face. He’s got a scar like mine. You can’t trust the scar. We look the same again.”
Abe’s breath caught in his throat. He was still sure that the man sitting before him was Dom. Because he knew him on a deep level. And the old scar was still visible mostly under the new cut. Plus, only Dom would point out that James now looked like him, right? But if his brother was running around free, how long would it be before James crossed his path, attempting to impersonate Dom? He was sure that he would be able to tell the two men apart.
“Fuck,” Rowe muttered.
“Then tell us something that only we would know about you,” Garrett said. “If that would make you feel better since you think we don’t know you.”
Dom’s wide, frantic eyes darted between the three of them, pain clear on his face.
“How did we meet?” Abe prodded. He was sure that there was no way that James would be able to answer that question.
“I chased Rowe around the office in my underwear,” Dom instantly replied.
“What? That’s not how we met,” Abe said.
Rowe just snorted. “Yeah, it was.”
Sadistic Sherlock (Ward Security Book 4) Page 13
