by EMILIE ROSE
“You’re very adept at reading people. Do you think Mason’s involved enough to need a lawyer?”
“No. I think he’s leveling with me.”
“Are you sure enough to base your reputation on that?”
Brandon replayed all the signals the kid had been giving then added his gut feeling into the mix. “Yes.”
“What did Hannah say when you told her what you suspected of Mason?”
The question hit the bull’s-eye. “I didn’t tell her until after I’d talked to Mason.”
“Brandon, you are an excellent investigator, and I’m proud of you for figuring out this one. But sometimes, you get so hot on the trail that you don’t see the real costs to families involved in a bust. Innocent people get hurt.”
“You’re saying I don’t see collateral damage?”
His mother nodded. “When Hannah attacked you at Rick’s funeral, she was wrong. In that instance. But she was making the accusations based on what she’d seen in the past. That’s why we didn’t intervene. We were hoping her outburst might make you aware of your...single-mindedness. But it didn’t. If anything, you’ve become even more ruthless. Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong with excelling at your job, and some detachment is required for the nasty business you deal with. But you need to have compassion, too.
“Families are like fruit trees. You don’t cut down the whole tree just because it has one bad limb. You prune the limb and let the rest of the tree recover. The same way you’d remove a criminal and let the family mend.”
The truth hit hard. “I hear what you’re saying.”
“Is there a way to take down your bad guys without damaging the families of these children any more than they’ve already been hurt?”
Brandon frowned as he considered her question. “In a bust of this size the feds will be all over it and I’ll be cut out. I don’t know how I can protect the kids. I don’t even know if I can protect Mason.”
“In all the years you’ve been in law enforcement and all the times you’ve coordinated with the FBI, I don’t believe you can’t find a way to stay involved. And if you do, then you can look out for Hannah and her family. Because I think you care for them more than you’re willing to admit. Don’t you?”
He did. But he was afraid to follow that path. Afraid for himself. But more afraid for Hannah. “Even if I did, Mom, there are other variables beyond my control.”
“You mean the possibility that you might develop Parkinson’s?”
As astute as ever, she’d hit on one. Brandon nodded.
His mother peeled off her gardening gloves and hit him with that look—the one mothers employed to get difficult answers to their difficult questions. “If I developed cancer or any other slow, debilitating disease, do you think your father would abandon me?”
“Hell, no.”
“Don’t swear on Sunday. But exactly. I married your father for better or worse, and I will be right by his side, trying to make every day he has left the best it can be—the same way he would be for me if I were the one afflicted. That’s what people who truly love each other do, son. They don’t run when the going gets tough.
“Life isn’t easy, Brandon. When it is, God’s only giving you a rest before the next test. If you care for Hannah, then you have to confess your bullheadedness and allow her—and only her—to decide whether or not she wants to forgive you and be a part of your future. The question is, are you man enough to do that?”
* * *
BRANDON FACED THE team of three other investigators at the conference room table Monday afternoon. “The feds are letting us run this one. Their agents are tied up with other cases. I want to bust this wide open, but I also want to minimalize collateral damage. That means no talking to the media. They’d turn this into a witch hunt and camp on these kids’ lawns. These children, if they were coerced like Mason, are already victims who’ve been exploited. We’re after the bad guys and that’s it.
“When we scoured the school’s yearbook this morning and compared the pictures to those on the website, we identified the Owens boy Mason had named, as well as two others.
“Toby, Zack,” he addressed his team, “you’ll follow up with those kids. Mason claims Jonas Owens had an older man call and pressure him. It was a burner phone, so I couldn’t track it. But it’s possible the Owens boy’s father could be linked to the site. If that’s the case, he won’t be happy to see you. See if he has any priors before you go knocking.”
“Got it,” Toby said. “We’ll wait for the go-ahead from you before hitting their house.”
“Check for identifying landmarks in the videos and pictures and try to identify as many of the kids involved as possible. We’ll have to notify their respective police departments. And in your spare time,” he said with a smile because they wouldn’t have any, “try to track the traffic to and from the site.
“Joe, I’ll contact you as soon as I’m linked to Mason’s laptop—if that happens tonight.” He checked his watch then rose. “Time for me to roll. I’ll talk to you guys later.”
Brandon drove to Hannah’s. Her garage door stood open. Her vehicle was inside. He’d timed his arrival to be just minutes behind hers. If he played his cards right, he’d solve the case and teach Mason the importance of Rick’s job in the process.
He climbed the stairs and rang the doorbell with his usual exhilaration over making a bust conspicuously absent. Instead, the look of fear and betrayal on Hannah’s face Saturday night still haunted him. She wasn’t going to be happy to see him.
Belle opened the door. “Uncle Brandon!”
She launched herself at him. He set down his computer bag and scooped her up. She wrapped him in a stranglehold. Then Hannah appeared behind her. She had circles under her eyes, and her colorless lips were compressed—the way they were when she dealt with her in-laws. The clothes she wore didn’t match Belle’s today, as they had every other time he’d seen them together. That said a lot about her mental state. Pressure squeezed his chest.
“I need to talk to you and Mason. It’s official business this time.”
“Belle, go start your homework, sweetie.”
Brandon put the girl down and she skipped off, throwing him kisses over her shoulder. He’d missed that. Just as he’d missed the desire in Hannah’s eyes. His next move wasn’t going to inspire it to return. He handed her the warrant.
She took it and glanced at it then her frown deepened. “Do we need a lawyer?”
“I’m not after Mason. I’m after the ones behind the site. But call one if you want.”
She considered it then said, “We’ll go ahead. For now. I’ll get Lucy to keep Belle and I’ll meet you downtown.”
“If you come downtown you risk the media picking up the story. There’s less chance of that if we do it here.”
Frowning, she backed up, opening the door, but she was by no means welcoming. Mason stood in the foyer behind her, fear in his eyes. Hannah didn’t ask Brandon to have a seat, but instead remained in place with her arms folded and pain shadowing her eyes. Her wedding rings sparkled on her finger.
“I need the laptop. Mason, your mother found one note. If you have others I want them.”
“I got two more notes.” Mason ran upstairs.
Hannah’s lips parted in surprise at the revelation. “I didn’t know he had more.”
“Did you ask?”
Her lips compressed. She didn’t respond, which gave him his answer. “So you’re leading the investigation,”’ she said, changing the topic. “Still chasing your own glory?”
Hannah’s bitter quip hit like a bullet—especially coming on the heels of his mother’s frank talk. “I want to make sure Mason and your family aren’t collateral damage.”
He’d earned her skeptical expression.
Mason returned and dumped the folded papers in the plastic b
ag Brandon held open. “Thanks.”
Hannah put her arm around her son’s shoulders. “Mason will help because I want the perverts who masterminded the page and tried to take advantage of him caught. But I insist on being present for every interview. There will be no more secret conversations behind my back.” Another round hit its mark.
“And when we’re done, Brandon, I don’t want you anywhere near me or my children ever again.”
If she’d emptied a clip of ammo into Brandon’s chest he couldn’t hurt more. Nor could he blame her for hating his guts. But the idea of not seeing Hannah, Mason or Belle again was intolerable. Not because of a sense of duty. But because he cared for them. Mason. Belle. And Hannah. Especially Hannah.
What he felt for her was more than desire. More than friendship. What was it if not those two? He knew her better than he knew anyone. He remembered her favorite things. And her smile had a way of making his chest feel full of...something. Something good and warm. And the pain and distrust he saw now hurt.
The answer hit him like an armor-piercing round, shattering the protective shield he’d worn over his heart. At some point his subconscious had jumped the track, and he’d gone from seeing Hannah as Rick’s girl to wanting her for his own. Exactly as his father had said.
He didn’t just like Hannah. He’d fallen in love with her. And her children. But Hannah, Mason and Belle deserved much more than a man with an uncertain future and one who often put his professional goals ahead of anything and anyone else. Could he make himself into that man?
For them, yes. But it would take careful planning to win Hannah back, and he was very afraid that he’d burned all his bridges, or that if he hadn’t, this investigation would finish the job.
Hannah and Mason eyed him with identical wary expressions.
“Can we sit down?” Brandon asked.
She motioned him toward the den. He put Hannah’s laptop on the coffee table then sat on the edge of the cushion, with his forearms on his knees.
A pleat creased Hannah’s brow. “If we’re giving you the laptop, why do you need Mason?”
“Because I want his help with this investigation.”
“Mine? What can I do?”
“If I tell you the plan, can you keep it under wraps? You can’t talk about it at school or work. Got it?” He looked from Mason to Hannah. Each nodded.
He turned to Mason. “I need you to contact someone on the site and tell them that you’ve made your video but you need help uploading it. I’m hoping someone higher up in the food chain will respond. I’ll have my computer linked to yours. That way one of the guys back in the lab can read everything that comes through my computer and see if he can track the traffic.”
“Is that safe?” Hannah asked.
“Your IP address is encrypted as long as Mason enters using the software he downloaded.”
“Yet you’re going to track the other IP addresses involved?”
“We have some pretty sophisticated software in the lab that will allow us to do that. I wouldn’t put him in danger, Hannah. The dark net is susceptible to viruses. I have a video with a virus embedded in it. When we get the uploading information, that virus will hit the computers of anyone who views it. That in turn will help us identify and locate people watching the illegal files. Got it?”
“Okay,” Mason said, his eyes sparking with interest. “Is this the kind of stuff my dad did?”
Brandon welcomed the question. “It’s the kind of stuff your dad did better than anyone I’ve ever met. He could write code and slip commands into files that were almost impossible to detect.”
“Cool.”
Brandon glanced up and caught a sad smile on Hannah’s face, then he focused on getting the connections he needed. Once he had, he sent a message back to Joe at SLED.
“Go ahead, Mason.”
Mason logged in to the site. Hannah stood behind him, her eyes rounding with shock at how easily he’d bypassed her parental controls.
“They learn more than keyboarding in computer classes these days, and there’s no limit to the information available on YouTube,” Brandon told her. “Like I told you when all this started, you can’t watch them every second. So don’t beat yourself up. You did nothing wrong.”
When the page popped up, Hannah gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.
“Send a message, Mason. There’s the link.”
Mason typed. “Is that okay? Does it sound stupid?”
Brandon read it without commenting on the misspelled word. That would only make it more authentic. “It’s perfect. Send it.” Mason did and Brandon sat back. “The cheese is in the trap. Now we wait for the rat. Have you finished your homework?”
“Nah.”
“Get started on it. This part can be quick or it can take days or weeks. I’ll let you know if you get a hit.”
“I kinda need the computer to write my paper.”
Brandon had anticipated that, so he’d purchased another one and had already uploaded the necessary software. He dug the second laptop out of his bag. “I thought you might need it for homework. I brought one from home. You can use it while we have yours.”
“You’re really taking my computer?” Mason asked.
“Yes. Your laptop has a pathway mapped out to reach the site. We want to locate those node owners.”
“Node?”
“A node is a server that receives and forwards your files or your connection to the illegal site. We want to catch the people who operate the nodes in the network.”
“Gotcha.” Mason went after his backpack. Hannah hovered as if she didn’t trust Brandon out of her sight. And that was his own fault.
“Hannah, I’m sorry I went behind your back. You’re right. I get tunnel vision when I’m working a case. But I swear, the night Rick died was not one of those instances. I would never have deliberately hurt him, and I will do my best to protect you and Mason.”
“Nice words, but that’s not what I’ve seen.”
Changing her mind wouldn’t be a quick fix.
“Mommy,” Belle called from the kitchen, “I need help.”
“Go. All I’m going to do is sit here and watch the screen.”
Brandon spent an hour waiting in vain for someone to respond to Mason’s query and wishing he could be a part of the kids’ bedtime routine. Belle skipped over and kissed him on the cheek. “I love you, Uncle Brandon.”
Emotion squeezed his throat. “Love you, too, princess.”
She beamed and headed upstairs. He missed reading to her. When the clock signaled Mason’s bedtime Brandon shut down the computers. “I’m going to call it a night.”
“What?” Hannah asked in surprise. “You’re quitting?”
“Mason has school tomorrow. He’ll be too excited to sleep if I’m here.”
“And you’re going to let that stop you?”
Her skepticism was well deserved. “Mason’s a week out from final exams. I don’t want to screw up his grade point average.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Since when has something like that impeded your investigations?”
Guilt punched him. “Since I started caring about the victims. Tell Mason I said good-night.”
He packed up both computers. “And you’re right. At this point I could finish this without him, but I’d like for him to see what Rick did and how important his job was. If at some point Mason wants to come to the lab, I’d be happy to show him around. And Hannah, if you end up needing a lawyer, I’ll pay for it.”
“I would never let you do that.”
“The offer’s on the table. Call me if you want to bring him by SLED.”
She searched his face, her distrust evident. “I’ll think about it. But I think a clean break is best.”
And that was no better than he deserved. Winning Hannah back might be an uphill battl
e. But bad odds had never stopped him before. He would find a way to have her in his life.
Chapter Seventeen
“THIS IS YOUR fourth Wednesday without Brandon. Are you telling me he just disappeared?” Lucy asked during dance class.
Hannah kept her eyes on Belle, who was dancing her little heart out on the other side of the viewing window. She refused to admit that she’d missed Brandon. “He’s working a case.”
“And he hasn’t called or anything?”
Mason looked up from his book. “He emails me.”
Hannah nearly gave herself whiplash turning to gape at her son. “About what?”
He rolled his eyes. “You know.”
The case. Hannah’s pulse accelerated and curiosity swelled inside her. But she couldn’t ask for details. Mason’s private conversations were just that. Private. “Why didn’t you say so?”
“Cuz you didn’t ask. And you’re mad at him.”
Lucy’s eyes went wide. “Mad at him? For what? What did he do?”
Hannah hadn’t said anything to Lucy about the child porn ring or Mason’s part in it. “Nothing.”
Lucy’s eyes narrowed. “I need to pee. Come with me.”
“The girls—”
“If they need us Mason can tell them where we are.” She clamped her hand around Hannah’s and dragged her from the parent waiting area and into the bathroom. “Did he sleep with you then dump you? Because if he did, I’m going to kick his tight ass.”
And Lucy would. She was that loyal of a friend. And if Hannah didn’t tell her the truth—or at least part of it—Lucy would show up at Brandon’s house within the hour. “He’s gone because I sent him away.”
Lucy’s mouth dropped open. “Hannah, why would you do that? You’re crazy about him! And he’s amazing with your kids.”
“I...had to. He kept secrets from me about Mason and he...snooped through my computer without telling me. And that’s all I can say about that, so don’t ask.”
Lucy’s lips pursed and her brow furrowed. “Is he the reason you moved back to the old master suite?”
