“Who’s Gary Rollins?” Connor cocked his head, studying the photo intently. “Name sounds familiar.”
“He tried some shit on me when I first moved in with Frank. A couple of years later—my head wasn’t on straight, and I got into the car with him behind the Sound, but Frank saw him. Pulled him out through the car window and beat the shit out of him.” Forest whistled under his breath. “Fuck, I was—like fourteen? Fifteen?”
“Underage enough to be tagged for a pedo. I remember now. Complaint was filed against Frank for assault.” Connor frowned, picking the photo up to study it. “Good for Frank.”
“Rollins pressed charges against Frank, but the pedo charge stuck on him,” Kiki informed them. “He was caught with another teenager about a year later, and that sent him up. He got out about six months ago. Went straight into a halfway house, and about a month ago, Rollins slipped his leash, along with a couple of the others living there. No one knows where they are.”
“So he’s a good bet, then,” Connor supposed.
“Yeah,” his sister said. “He knows the Sound. Probably knows the coffee shop too. Had a confrontation with Marshall—maybe about ending up in jail. Marshall catching him with Forest started his record. Anything after that would put him behind bars.”
“Hey, Morgan!” a uniform shouted from across the bull pen, and both siblings looked up. He pointed to Kiki and said, “Dispatch just came over with a 911 coming out of your murder scene down at Chinatown—possibly shots fired. They’re sending a unit over but thought you should know.”
Dropping his hands from Forest’s shoulders, Con frowned. “Wait, did you say the guys went down to the Sound?”
“Yeah. But—” The memory of Frank’s shooting hit Forest, and he paled. “Fuck. I’m stupid. I shouldn’t have asked them to go down there. Fuck.”
“I’m heading down there.” Kiki pushed off the desk and reached for a phone. “Get some backup. If it’s Rollins, then let’s nail the bastard. Don’t worry, kid. Miki and D will be okay. Miki’s a tough shit.”
“I should have thought—” Forest began, but Connor shook his head, brushing his mouth with a gentle kiss. “Con, if they get hurt….”
“No, babe.” The man stopped him before he could say more. “This is not on you. Don’t ever think you brought this down on any of us.”
THE VERBAL scuffle’d been brief. There wasn’t enough time to deliberate. Duarte came back from testifying in court just soon enough to be pulled into the unmarked he shared with Kiki. Over the inspectors’ protests, Connor snagged Riley to take Forest home, then, after ignoring his sister when she argued against his coming, drove his Hummer to the Sound.
It was a very long ten-minute drive. Riding in the wake of Duarte’s insane driving, Connor flipped on his emergency lights and followed close on the unmarked’s tail. Streams of cars wove in and out of Chinatown, pulling up as close to the curbs as they could get to make way for the police, but the narrow streets left little room to maneuver.
Connor tried Miki’s number, but it went to voice mail, just as it had the first ten times he’d tried. Kiki’s voice was flat over the radio, informing the dispatchers of their ETA. His scanner crackled with information as dispatch cut into the chatter, giving the responders a timeline for everyone’s arrival. Then in the middle of the muted noise, Con’s phone chimed in, and he hit the answer button, his heart sinking when Kane’s voice cut through the calls.
“What the fuck’s going on, Con?” His brother was furious. “Where are you? Dispatch said something about Miki, and I can’t get him on the phone. No one’s telling me shit. What the fuck….”
“Supposed shots fired down at the Amp.” Con stopped his brother’s rolling profanity. “Miki and Damie were down there. I don’t know anything beyond that right now.”
“Oh God, Con….”
He didn’t hear anything else Kane said. His brother’s words were drowned out by a wave of sirens as another two police cars joined the stream. Connor rolled up the windows and cut off the undulating wails, hearing the panic in his brother’s voice as Kane continued to swear.
“I don’t know, K. It could be nothing. A backfire. Hell, it could be firecrackers. We don’t know.”
“I’m too fucking far away. Sanchez and I are near Oakland. Shit.”
“I’ll take care of this, little brother. I’ve got your boy covered. Keeks and I are heading down there now. As soon as I find something out, I’ll tell you. Okay? I’ll have Miki call you.”
“Con, I can’t… not him. Not now. I can’t deal with… shit.”
“We’re almost there, Kane. I’ve got to go,” Con said gently. “As soon as I can, okay?”
“Heh, and we’re supposed to be the ones in danger.” Kane’s bitterness held little humor. “I’ll wait to hear from you; then I’ll call Sionn.”