Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Gideon
“What the fuck!” I shouted as I read Penn’s message. “Who the fuck is Detective Tolland?” I asked Alex.
“Penn said Bainer referred him, message the chief, find out.”
I gritted my teeth and texted Penn to wait to go with the detective, then messaged Bainer. My phone remained silent for too long. I texted Penn again to please leave, and once again another to Bainer.
“Nothing, no one is talking!”
“I’ll find out what’s going on.” Alex left the living room and I fell onto the couch, clutching my phone in one hand and fisting my hair in the other.
I continued to text Penn, hoping he’d respond—even if it was just a fucking thumbs-up. Nothing.
“Boss.” I turned to Alex when he returned. “Bainer was called away this morning for a meeting but according to the mayor, who he was supposed to see, he never showed up.”
“Fucking hell! Get the motherfucking car. I knew this was a fucking bad idea. Fuck!” I shouted.
Alex didn’t argue. He left the room, I grabbed my jacket, and was outside just as he was driving the SUV to the door.
Toni was in the passenger’s seat and I got into the back.
Immediately I cracked the window and lit a cigar, but even that didn’t calm me, so after a few minutes I tossed it away. I needed Penn.
As he drove I messaged Danny, who informed me he had eyes on the station and Penn hadn’t left. Raff moved to the rear to be sure he wasn’t getting out that way. So, Penn was in there, at least.
“Sir, once we get there, it could do more harm than good if you get out of the vehicle,” Toni informed me. “It’s possible Penn can’t text you because he’s in the middle of giving his statement. Going in guns blazing isn’t smart.”
“Thank you, Toni, for your obvious advice. I just want to get to the station. Maybe, don’t use this time you have on your hands to school me on what I should and shouldn’t do and find out where the fuck the chief is.”
“Yes, sir.”
We arrived at the station, and Alex pulled up alongside Danny’s vehicle. “Any news on Bainer?” he asked me.
“Toni’s working on it.”
I stared at the entrance to the building as if I were willing Penn to stroll out. We sat there for what felt like forever, but was only a half an hour when my gaze snagged on a figure walking toward the station.
“The commissioner.”
Alex nodded. “Maybe the detective couldn’t get in touch with Bainer either, and called the commissioner. Penn is throwing Lorcan to the wolves.”
“The commissioner is not who I want going in there right now. Call my lawyer, get him over here.”
“You got it, Boss.” Alex made the call while I refused to take my eyes off the door.
I’d known this was a bad idea from the get-go.
Penn shouldn’t be in that building with those vipers.
Bainer’s disappearance only solidified everything.
Lorcan Anders was not winning this war and taking everything I’d built and everyone I cared about.
I would pull him down into the depths of hell and burn with him if I had to.
“Shit,” Toni muttered.
“What?”
He turned to face me. “I sent two guys to Bainer’s house to see if he was there.”
“And…fucking hell, Toni, this isn’t a movie, I don’t want the suspense.”
“Scott found him in the garage in his car, dead.”
Motherfucking hell. “Killed himself?”
He shook his head. “Will said there were marks around his neck like he was strangled.”
“Likely got into the car to leave for the meeting, and someone was waiting for him in the back seat,” Alex added.
“We have to get Penn out of there. What did my lawyer say?”
“In court, be here as soon as he can.”
“We never should have gone with this fucking plan.” I furiously texted Penn, telling him he had to get out of there, that it wasn’t safe. The chances of someone else reading it was high, but I had no other way to tell him. When he still didn’t answer, I’d had enough. “I’m going in.”
“Sir, in this vehicle you’re protected by bulletproof glass. This SUV can take a lot. If you step out and Lorcan’s gotten wind of what’s happening here today, someone could be waiting to take you out.” Alex was probably right but if I stayed here and did nothing, Penn was going to be in danger.
“I can’t leave him in there with the wolves.”
“I’ll go in,” Toni offered. “Let me see what I can find out.”
I hated it. I wanted to storm in there, grab Penn, and get him out of there…not to mention hide him away in my bedroom where no one would ever even look at him funny. But if I walked out of here and died, it would make it all the worse for him.
“Fine, there’s a chance they may not know who you are. Do you have any of your aliases with you?”
He pulled out his wallet. “Always.”
“Okay, go.”
I checked in with Dean while Toni went inside—wanted to make sure all was quiet there and was relieved when he said it was. One thing I could relax about.
Less than ten minutes, later Toni texted me.
We have a problem.
Problem? This whole thing was a giant fucked-up problem.
What?
The cop here said Penn is being held on suspicion to commit arson.
How does a guy who goes in to state he saw someone setting a house on fire, turn into a suspect?
I linked Alex and Danny into the chat. “Alex, tell my lawyer if he wants a Christmas bonus this year he better get his fucking ass here now!”
“Yes, Boss.”
Toni, stay in there, let the officer know his lawyer is on the way.
Got it.
“What are we doing, Boss?” Alex asked.
I had to get Penn out of this clusterfuck that should never have been.
“Word on the lawyer.”
“He swore he’s doing the best he can.”
“Not fucking good enough. Do we have anything on Lorcan?”
“Paul has reported nothing yet.”
My phone vibrated, same as Alex’s. I read the text from Toni, anger tightening my throat.
Fucking commissioner is transferring Penn, says holding is full here.
“Bull fucking shit.”
Not before his lawyer gets there.
Alex glanced at me in the rearview. “He’s still in court.”
I’m coming in.
That text was all the warning I gave my men before I opened the door. I was out of time, Penn was out of time. If Penn left this building, he was going to be handed right over to Lorcan.
“Boss!” Danny and Alex were hurrying up to me.
“Let’s see how brave the commissioner is when he’s face-to-face with me.” I was going to tear this building down brick by brick until Penn was in my arms again.