“Not about what just happened.” Her mouth tilted into a grin. “Although that was nice.”
“Nice?”
“Well, a little better than nice.”
“You sure know how to stroke a guy’s ego, Ali.”
“Not my job, DeWitt.” Standing, she moved past him to join Timmy.
Sweeping up a controller, he leaned close to her ear. “You wanted to talk about something.”
Clasping her hands together, she sucked in a calming breath. “Don’t overreact.”
“Hell, Ali. That pretty much guarantees I will.” He watched her expression grow tight and strained. “This is serious, isn’t it?”
She glanced at Timmy, satisfied he was lost in another game. “Yes.”
“Timmy, we’ll be back in a minute.” Gripping her elbow, he guided her down the hall.
Entering the first guest bedroom, he closed the door enough for them to still hear Timmy. “All right. Give it to me.”
Ali lowered herself onto the bed. “It’s really not a huge deal.”
Joining her, he settled his hand on top of hers. “That’s for me to decide.”
She stared down at their hands. His big and rough, her fingers long and slim. “A member of the Night Devils came into the hospital and threatened me.”
He stared at her, stupefied. “You should’ve told me this the instant you got home.”
“It was taken care of, but I thought you should know.”
“You’re damn right I should know.” Pinching the bridge of his nose, he drew in a few slow breaths. This wasn’t what he’d expected. “All right. Start from the beginning and tell me everything. Don’t leave anything out.”
“I already told the police officer everything.”
“Fine. Now you’re going to tell me. Hang on a minute. I’m going to get Ghost on the phone.”
“Why?”
“Because the Devils know the Brethren. If they’ve decided to target you, there’s a good chance they’ll go after Dani.”
Listening to Jace’s brief conversation with Ghost, she buried her head in her hands. A few moments later, he put the phone on speaker.
“We’ve got Ghost, Rock, and Wrath on the phone, Ali.”
“This can’t touch Dani, Ghost, or anyone else, Jace.”
“I know, babe. Now, tell us everything so we know how to protect you.”
Night Devils Clubhouse
“I followed the nurse to her house, and guess what I saw, Mario?” Digger, the club’s enforcer, and the man involved with Timmy’s mother, leaned forward. “A bike belonging to an Eternal Brethren.”
Mario couldn’t quite believe the good news. “Did you identify the rider?”
“No, and I couldn’t make out any patches. I can tell you he wasn’t their VP or sergeant-at-arms.”
“Ghost and Rock,” Mario spat out the names as if they brought a bad taste to his mouth.
“He looked to be real cozy with the nurse.”
“You get her name?”
“The name tag said Kasey. Timmy was inside with them. Guess he somehow found the nurse and she took him home. She’s a real bitch. Turned Timmy’s mom and me in for abuse. Hell, Mario. All I did was rough him up a little. Kid’s a wimp, needs a man around to show him how life is.”
“You gonna take her as your old lady, Digger?” There was a sneer in Mario’s voice. Digger had never shown an interest in a permanent relationship with any woman.
“Hell no. She’s an easy lay and takes care of me, but won’t ever be anything more than that. Because of the bitch nurse, the police came around and took Timmy away from her. She’s all strung out about losing her son.”
Mario chuckled, getting the meaning. “The whore not paying you any attention, brother?”
Digger rubbed the scruff on his face. “She’ll be easy to replace, but the bitch knows enough about the Devils to be a liability. She’s also met a couple of the MS-13 members when we met at her place.”
Mario slammed a hand on his desk. “I shouldn’t have had us meet there.”
“At the time, it was a good call, Prez. You didn’t want the gang knowing any of our locations. Meeting there protected us.”
“But not the woman and boy.”
Digger let out an incredulous chuckle. “I don’t give a shit about them. She’s a means to an end, and he’s extra baggage. But now the kid has run to the nurse and her boyfriend’s a Brethren. We need to put a stop to that shit before it comes back to bite us. The boy is smart. He saw us with the MS-13 guys. It won’t take long for him to tell the nurse and her man about them.”
“Not if the law picks the kid up and takes him back to the foster home. Will he talk to anyone he doesn’t trust?”
Digger shook his head. “Kid doesn’t talk much. Stays silent when I’m around, but I know he sees everything going on around him.”
“We need to get him away from the nurse and back to the foster home.” Lifting his phone, Mario dialed a number he’d only used when Chief Abernathy was still alive. “I need to report a kidnapping.”
Timmy lay sound asleep on the sofa between Ali and Jace after being up too long playing games with one, then the other. The two had agreed to return him to Protective Services in the morning. Not that they had a choice. Timmy was in the county’s custody until a determination could be made about his mother’s fitness to keep him.
“I can take care of Timmy if you need to be somewhere.” Ali eyed Jace with a hint of speculation.
His show of interest in her had been unexpected. Their first kiss had been brief with little emotion. The one tonight had been the opposite—full of passion, heat, and the desire for more. At least on her part. If it hadn’t been for Timmy, Ali wasn’t certain she wouldn’t have been the one to push for more. She also knew Jace would be right there with her.
“Wrath switched up assignments, so I’m good to stay here tonight. That is, if you’ve got room.”
After the phone call with Wrath, Ghost, and Rock, he’d gone into another room to talk privately while Ali returned to Timmy.
He’d been ordered to stay with her. The news Digger, the Night Devils Enforcer, might be the man who’d beaten Timmy and threatened Ali, also posing a possible threat to Dani, put them all on heightened alert.
A decision had been made for Ali and Raider to speak with Timmy before returning him in the morning. A tough but necessary choice. They wanted to know if Digger was his mom’s boyfriend, which would wrap them in an additional layer of danger.
“There’s a second guest room, Jace. You’re welcome to use it. Actually, I’m glad you’ll be here in the morning to help explain why we have to return Timmy to the county.” Her voice broke on the last. “I hate to do it, but there’s really no choice.”
“We’ll be there to encourage Timmy to talk about the bully in the foster home.”
“And file a formal request for review of the foster parents,” Ali added. “I’m so angry the couple allows the boy to threaten and hurt the other children without disciplining him.”
“They may be scared of him.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
Jace shook his head. “Not at all. If he’s the way Timmy describes, he may be as much of a threat to the adults as the children.” Standing, he scooped Timmy into his arms. “I’m getting this one to bed.”
Following, she watched as Jace tucked him in, marveling at his gentle touch, even bending to place a kiss on Timmy’s forehead. Leaving the door open a few inches, they returned to the sofa, barely sitting down before a siren had Ali jumping to her feet to look out the front window.
“They’re stopping here. Do you recognize them?”
Joining her, Jace looked at the two officers walking to the front door. “Yeah, I know one of them.” Opening the door, he and Ali stepped onto the porch.
“Officer Katz. To what do we owe the honor of your visit?”
“Stow it, Raider. We were alerted you and the lady kidnapped a young boy. Timothy Fallon was t
aken from the foster home where he’d been placed. An eyewitness identified you two as the people who took him.”
Ali took a step toward them, stopping when Jace grabbed her arm. “So we don’t waste time, let me tell you what really happened, Officer Katz. Timmy ran away because the oldest boy shoved him down the stairs. The foster parents refused to do anything about it, so he tried to find me.”
“That’s your story,” Katz interjected.
“Yes, it is, and it happens to be the truth. Let me guess. The people who called the station asked to remain anonymous, right? Didn’t even give you their names.”
Katz didn’t respond, the female officer taking a step away from him.
“I thought so. Timmy begged me not to take him back. He hadn’t eaten in almost twenty-four hours, so I bought food and brought him here. Then I called Jace. Neither of us even know the foster parents’ names or address.”
“Like I said, that’s your story,” Katz bit out.
“Which is a heck of a lot more credible than your anonymous source.”
“What’s happening?”
The four turned to see Timmy inside the house, rubbing his eyes.
“Nothing, sweetheart,” Ali answered. “These nice officers heard we took you from the foster home.”
As if a button had been pushed, Timmy glared at Katz and the female officer. “That’s a lie. I ran away because the people are mean. And I’m not going back.”
“It’s not your decision.” Katz’s voice was devoid of emotion. “You’re going with us.”
“No!” Turning, Timmy ran through the house. Hearing the back door slam, Ali whirled on Katz.
“I’ll go after him, Ali.” Jace took several steps away, turning his back on them while making a call.
“I don’t know you, officer,” Ali said. “But from what I’ve seen, you’re the last person who should’ve been sent out on this.”
Jace slipped his phone into his pocket, the others unaware of the call, before going after Timmy. A moment later, another siren pierced the night air.
“What the hell?” Katz turned around, seeing Geoff Bettencourt’s cruiser stop at the curb.
“Officer Katz, Officer Brownell. Saw the lights and thought I’d stop. What’s going on?”
Katz offered a brief explanation before Ali jumped in, talking in a clipped voice, unable to hide her simmering anger. After several questions from the police chief, he looked at the house.
“Is Timmy inside?” Geoff asked.
“He ran when he heard Officer Katz say they’d be taking him with them,” Ali answered.
“So, let me get this straight.” Geoff turned to Katz. “The station received a call about a kidnapping. An anonymous call, correct?”
“Yes.”
“You and Officer Brownell came here to take Timmy and arrest Ms. Kasey and Raider without any further corroboration, right?”
Katz and Brownell both nodded.
“In the process, Timmy told you what happened, and when you responded he had to go with you and Officer Brownell, he ran.”
Again, they nodded.
“Officer Brownell, please take Ms. Kasey’s statement, then Raider’s once he returns with the boy. Officer Katz, we need to talk.” Geoff motioned him toward his cruiser before taking Ali’s arm to lead her a few feet away. “Ms. Kasey, my wife, Deputy Vela Bettencourt, told me about what you did, bringing Timmy to the clinic after he’d come to emergency twice. I understand why you brought him here and called Raider. What you should’ve done was call Vela or Protective Services.”
Pressing her lips together, she nodded. “You’re right, but I couldn’t let him go back to the same house.”
“I understand. Still, all this could’ve been avoided if you’d reported he’d come to you.”
“There’s more to this, Chief Bettencourt. You should talk to Jace.”
Just then, he came around the side of the house with a tight hold on Timmy’s hand. At the boy’s tug, he released his grip, letting him run to Ali.
Wrapping his thin arms around her, he buried his head in her stomach. “I want to stay here with you and Raider. Please… Let me stay here.”
Before Ali could answer, Raider stopped next to Geoff. “We need to talk. There’s a lot more to this than you’ve heard tonight.” He wouldn’t explain what the Brethren assumed, but he needed to give Geoff enough to help protect Ali.
“Why would I think otherwise? Anything involving the Brethren is never what it seems.”
Chapter Thirteen
“Are you certain, Rock?” Wrath gripped his phone, processing what he’d been told. “Details.”
“I think we’re closer to identifying the guy who met with Wendt, Junior, and Katz. Petty Officer Lane provided new information which narrows our search. I swear that woman is as good as Raider and Wrangler, maybe better. But don’t tell them that.”
“Rock?”
“Right. She used her own facial recognition software on the guy with the ball cap.”
“Her own?”
“Seems she writes code in her spare time. One of the programs is designed to do more than what the DoD provides Grayson. I don’t know what’s behind it, but it’s able to ignore things such as colored contacts and provide more detail, even if someone attempts to hide their features with hats and facial hair. She matches her findings to information in the FBI personnel files.”
“Are you shitting me? She’s hacking the FBI?”
“Appears so, Wrath. I thought you gave her the okay.”
“Hell no. That’s way outside my authority.”
Even over the phone, Rock could hear the irritation in Wrath’s voice, the hammer beginning to fall. “Do you want to know more now, or wait until I get to the clubhouse?”
“Now.”
Rock suspected as much. “She’s got several agents who showed a good match. All are within four hundred miles, which is the distance Lane calculates would make it possible for them to meet with the others. I asked her to cut it down to two hundred, which left us with four agents. All men who fit the description Raider and Fuse gave us, and they’re a hit using her software.”
“Percentage accuracy?”
“Eighty-five to ninety. Damn good considering Grayson came up with no matches. You already approved two of our newer guys for this op. They don’t know why they’re following him. I told them to observe and report. He lives in the north valley, about an hour from here. Wife, three kids, goes from home to the office and back. So far, the routine hasn’t varied. From what they can tell, he’s an analyst. I ordered one to continue on him while our other man follows the second target. If we want to move faster, I’ll need your approval for more men.”
“Approved. We need to talk about the Devils and what happened last night at Ali’s. I’ll be at the clubhouse in thirty minutes. Contact Ghost and have him join us.”
“What about Raider?” Rock asked.
“I’ve got him sticking close to Ali. With the kidnapping charge cleared, I don’t want Digger regrouping to go after her.”
“No matter what we do, the Devils will come after her if they believe she knows something she shouldn’t, Wrath.”
After Geoff left the night before, Rock and Wrath spent another hour on a conference call with Ghost and Raider, going over various scenarios. The connection between Digger and Timmy worried everyone. All agreed the boy had probably heard or seen something he shouldn’t. If not, Digger and the Devils wouldn’t waste their time.
Men such as them didn’t care if children lived in an abusive home, foster care, or were trafficked to buyers in other countries. Like their women, kids were a means to an end.
“That’s why we’re meeting, Rock. To make certain the Devils aren’t a threat to our families.”
Despite Ali’s dismissive attitude, Raider was enjoying his new assignment. It provided an opportunity to be close to her twenty-four seven. They had breakfast together and would spend lunch at Mrs. Caruso’s. After work, he’d take her
to Hawthorn’s for steaks.
Managed by Tracker, with help from several other Brethren, it had become the go-to restaurant for amazing meals in a warm, comfortable environment. It had been weeks since he’d been there, and Raider had a strong craving for a ribeye.
Taking another turn around the hospital parking lot, he saw nothing suspicious. No motorcycles, men who didn’t belong, cars with people inside and the engine running.
Emergency cases had been fewer than normal today, which made his job easier. Checking behind the dumpsters became part of his recon. Geoff had taken Timmy to Protective Services early that morning. No amount of negotiation or Timmy’s begging had swayed the police chief. He had called Vela to join them. She’d been wonderful calming him down, promising to work with CPS to locate a new foster home. In return, Timmy had promised to give it a chance.
Even so, Raider didn’t miss the pain in Ali’s eyes when he climbed into the SUV. Or the way Timmy plastered himself to the window, tears on his cheeks, waving until they were out of sight.
Finishing a fourth turn of the lot before going inside to meet Ali for lunch, the sound of approaching motorcycles caused him to stiffen. Facing the street, he saw four bikers slow as they rode past the hospital, all looking in his direction.
“Sonofabitch.” The growl came out louder than anticipated, causing a couple older women to grimace at him as they walked toward the entrance. Ignoring them, Raider focused on the bikers, who’d stopped next to the curb, engines still running.
Night Devils, and he was certain one was Digger. The same man who’d threatened Ali in front of a roomful of people. If anything happened to her, Digger would be the first person questioned.
Crossing his arms, Raider glared back at the four, refusing to go inside until they rode off. He needed to get to Ali, make certain none of the Devils had entered the hospital through a back door.
The rev of engines, bikes rolling back into traffic, had him moving. Taking long strides inside, he walked past the receptionist to the exam area. He spotted Ali right away, talking to one of the doctors. Uncaring about interrupting, he stopped next to them.
“We have to go.”
Exposed (Eternal Brethren Military Romantic Suspense Book 7) Page 9
