“Dani said her parents were killed by a crooked cop, maybe Jack Tate found out something he shouldn’t have.”
“It’s a possibility.” Uncle Alex shrugged. “But that Harriet girl, her father had ties to Hells Angels, so a crooked cop could have easily been mixed up in that too.”
I sighed, slapping the folder shut and sliding it back across the table.
“So, what do you think? Any of the girls fit?”
I shrugged. “They all could.” I pulled the folders back and ran my finger over the articles, finally picking up the one on the left. “Maybe Harriet, although Dani didn’t seem the type to be raised by a gang member.”
“I didn’t say he was a gang member, I said he had ties.”
Scratching the side of my head, I glanced at Lucy’s folder again. “She’s not a killer,” I muttered. “She’s a runner. Maybe the crooked cop tried to abduct her and she got away. Maybe that’s why she’s always on the run. Maybe she thinks he’s coming after her.”
“Could be.” Uncle Alex nodded. “Do you want me to look into it a little more?”
I wanted to nod a yes, but something Dani said made me pause. “She was scared, you know. Before she left she told me that telling you was starting something dangerous. Do you think asking these questions could put our lives at risk?”
Uncle Alex looked away from me, picking up his coffee and taking a slow sip before responding. “Questions can get you killed, especially if you ask the wrong ones to the wrong people.”
“So she ran to protect us then.”
His blue gaze met mine, his eyes lighting at the edges. “Little bro, I think that’s exactly what she did.”
I knew those words should comfort me. It proved that Dani’s feelings for me hadn’t been fake, but I just felt sick. Sure, I might be safe, but she wasn’t. She was alone somewhere out there, on the run from an evil that haunts her…and I wasn’t there to stop it.
“You want me to keep going with this?” Uncle Alex watched me carefully as he awaited my response.
I met his gaze and finally shook my head. “What’s the point? Even if we can track this guy down, we can’t find her. Don’t we need her testimony to make it stick?”
“Maybe we can find some other dirt on him.”
“I don’t want you getting hurt.”
He grinned. “I know how to be careful. I’ve brought down some pretty big fish in my time.”
“Yeah, I know.” I pushed my tongue against the side of my mouth and looked out the window.
“Look.” Uncle Alex eventually sighed, resting his elbows on the table. “I know you’re hurting right now. This is why I don’t fall in love. But, I can’t just let this rest. Some crooked cop is out there and he might be hurting more than just your girl. I can’t sit on that.”
My jaw clenched. I couldn’t look at him as I nodded. “I don’t have time to make it my main story right now. I have a couple of tight deadlines I have to meet, but once they’re over, I want to be all over this. You understand?”
“Yep.”
It did make me feel better, knowing that at least someone would be doing something, but it didn’t change that fact that the person I wanted to protect had fled in order to protect me and that just felt wrong.
Chapter 34
ZACH
May 2014
“Hey.”
I held tight to the door, my lips slightly ajar as I took in my friend. His hands were in his pockets, his checkered shirt rolled at the sleeves like always.
“What are you doing here, Elliot?”
He kicked the doorstep. “Gimme a break. I’m here, aren’t I?”
“Why?” I stood my ground, still not letting him in.
“Because you’re my friend, you moron and I miss your dumb face.”
A smile erupted over my lips before I could stop it and I pulled the door wide.
He sauntered towards the kitchen. “Where are your olds?”
“Out getting stuff for their big trip.”
“Cool.”
I pushed past Elliot and gathered up the stuff on the dining room table, shoving it into the manilla folder so he couldn’t read it. He leaned against one of the chairs with a sigh.
“You know, dude, I’m willing to concede that I was a little harsh on the Dani thing.” His lips pinched tight. “I could see how much you liked her and it was obvious she was into you too. Maybe I was jealous, I don’t know, but…” He pointed at the messy pile of papers in my hand. “You have to concede that you’re keeping stuff from me and you’ve never done that before.”
The hurt look in his eye made me drop the pages back on the table. “I know.”
“Still not ready to tell me?”
“What if I never am?” I crossed my arms and looked at him.
His big nose scrunched, his frown pulling tight for a second, but then he relaxed with a shrug. “I guess I’ll just have to get over it…as long as my friend isn’t suffering, I don’t need to know.”
My arms dropped to my sides, matching the defeated look I could feel etched onto my face. “I don’t just miss her, I’m really worried about her.”
“Why?”
Pulling in a breath, I slid the folder towards him.