Cold Case Murder Mystery (Hudson Sibling Solutions #7)

Prologue

“Oh, yeah, he’s a fine-lookin’ boy.”

Gio Williams stood in front of the door to the bedroom he shared with his little brother, Tyrell. Through the thin wood partition, he could hear Tyrell sniffing away tears, just like their mother, who was shaking in her shiny high heels beside their late-night visitor.

The man in the double-breasted suit looked the part of a well-to-do businessman or doctor or something—just like the dads of some of his classmates at the magnet school where Gio and Tyrell went on scholarship. But Vaughn Trask wasn’t his dad, or Tyrell’s. He wasn’t even dad-like, whatever that meant. And this visit to their apartment near downtown Kansas City had nothing to do with acting like a dad, and everything to do with scaring their mom into paying him money she didn’t have.

Gio knew because the twenty-dollar bill he’d stolen from one of the rich kids at school to buy groceries for himself and Tyrell was missing from the gym sneaker inside his book bag where he’d stashed it. Since Tyrell was a good kid and wouldn’t break a rule to save his life, that meant Toy Williams had stolen the cash from her eleven-year-old son and gone out to buy a hit of crack cocaine or whatever drug she could afford.

Usually from the reputable-looking man who was currently twisting her arm at a painful angle.

Trask smiled in a cold, creepy way that commanded fear and respect across the city. “I can see he’s got attitude. I could make some money with him. Pay off the thirty-six thousand you owe me in no time, Toy girl.”

Gio Williams raged inside—not so much at the sick words coming out of Vaughn Trask’s mouth, but at the way Vaughn’s tight grip on his mother’s arm made tears roll down her cheeks. Gio remembered that Toy Williams had been a fun, energetic beauty when he was younger—younger than Tyrell was now. Toy wasn’t even her real name. It had been Mary until this loser had gotten his hands on her and dubbed her his toy. If Gio was bigger, older, maybe part of a gang, he’d be able to punch the man’s lights out—or stab him or shoot him or something—and make Vaughn get his grubby hands off his mother and leave them alone.

The only thing holding him back from flying at his mom’s boyfriend was knowing that if he got sent to juvie, then Tyrell would be alone. Or if Trask did put him to work for him, then chances were he’d come after Tyrell next. Their mom wasn’t going to protect them from Trask. It was up to Gio to take care of the family.

“He’s not turning tricks for you.”

His mother finally found her voice between sobs and shivering.

For all the good it did her. Trask released her just long enough to slap her hard across the face, driving her to her knees before he wrenched her to her feet again and yelled in her face. “I say what happens with this family. Not you. I own you.”

“They’re my boys,”

she protested with a whimper.

“Yeah? You win any Mother of the Year awards lately? Are you sure you even know who their fathers are?”

He released his grip, and she tumbled to the floor with a gasp of pain. “You’re tweakin’ so bad, you probably don’t know that you haven’t fed them for days. You want something from me? Somebody’s going to have to earn it.”

Toy crawled over to Gio and grasped his arm to pull herself to her feet. “Maybe he could just make some deliveries for you. Make a little money that way.”

Gio’s stomach churned with conflicting emotions. He wasn’t something she could trade for a fix. Yet he knew just how scared she was of this man.

Protect the family. He wasn’t sure he could, but he was going to try.

Trask moved closer, and Gio fisted his hands down at his sides. His mom flinched away, but Gio stood his ground as the man grabbed him by the chin and twisted his face up to study it. Gio swung his fists, aiming for the man’s belly or farther down where it would hurt. But Trask easily evaded the attack. When Gio kicked out and connected with the man’s shin, he cursed and lifted Gio right up off his feet.

“You’ve got fire in you, kid.”

The words sounded like a compliment, but they didn’t feel like one. “Too bad your mama doesn’t have that kind of fire anymore.”

“Vaughn, please, baby,”

his mom begged. But what was she begging for? “We can work something out.”

Not for the first time, Gio wondered what it’d be like to have an adult stand between him and a threat, instead of the other way around. Despite dangling like a fish from the big man’s bruising grip, Gio twisted his body, aiming his next kick where it could do some damage.

That was when the door behind him opened.

Trask tossed Gio toward the couch and smiled down at Tyrell’s tearstained face. “Well, what have we here?”

Tyrell had their mom’s cell phone in his hand, and he shoved it toward the unwelcome guest. “I called 9-1-1. We learned about it in school.”

“Did you now?”

Trask’s smile disappeared. “Let me see that phone.”

“Don’t you touch him!”

Gio shouted, grabbing Tyrell and hiding him behind his back.

“What did you do, Ty-Ty?”

their mom protested, trying to grab the phone for herself. “How’d you get that?”

Trask was about to laugh when his own phone buzzed inside his suit jacket. He pulled out the phone to read a text while Toy tried to dodge around Gio to reclaim the phone they’d easily borrowed when she’d been passed out on the couch, right before Trask had broken in and roused her by dumping a pitcher of water in her face.

Trask nodded at the message, probably from one of his goons he’d stationed outside the apartment door and on the street below, then tucked the phone back into his pocket. He turned and strode for the door as the man waiting outside opened it for him. “Gotta go.”

Toy Williams scrambled to her feet and ran after the hateful man. “What about me, Vaughn? I need something to get me through tonight, baby. You know I’m good for it.”

When she grabbed his arm, he shoved her to the floor, brushed the wrinkles from his jacket and stepped over her. When she lunged for him again, the bodyguard stepped between them, blocking her while Vaughn Trask disappeared down the hallway.

As soon as he closed the door behind them, she scrambled to her feet and pulled it open. “Vaughn! Vaughn, I’ll do anything…”

But the visit was over. She slammed the door shut and whirled around on Gio and Tyrell. “Why’d you do that? Vaughn ain’t never gonna give me my stash now. He’s my ticket out of this dump.”

When she tried to push Gio aside to get to Tyrell, he stood his ground. She was still taller than him, but he was stone-cold sober and willing to fight anyone to protect his brother, even their own mom. When the sirens sounded outside the building and she couldn’t reach Tyrell, she smacked her hand across Gio’s cheek. “You boys are nothing but trouble.”

Gio’s cheek stung, and his jaw hurt from where Trask had grabbed him, but no way was she getting past him to vent her frustration on Tyrell. “You want me to make you some coffee, Mom?”

Gio asked. Sometimes, the nasty bitter flavor and caffeine could satisfy her cravings for a bit. “I saved you some from yesterday.”

Tyrell echoed his attempt to calm her down. “Mama, he’s gone. We’re safe now.”

“You ungrateful little—”

“KCPD. Open up.”

She was caught off guard by banging on the door. “I need to know everyone’s safe in there.”

An hour later, after Gio and Tyrell both had talked to the cops and their mom was being led away in handcuffs, Gio hugged an arm around his little brother’s shoulders. “Stop your crying, Tyrell, and go pack your bag. They’ll be moving us into foster care again.”