Chapter 38
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Gideon
I’d panicked for a moment when my phone vibrated with a call from the nurse’s station. I’d been enjoying a delicious lunch Rita had brought to the hospital. Penn had been asleep, and Owen had wanted to stay behind to draw on his cast. Toni had told me he’d walk him down once he was done.
“Yes,” I answered.
“Mr. Hendrix, Mr. Garrand wanted me to contact you. He needs you in his room to get Owen. The police are here, and it’s upsetting him.”
Why hadn’t Danny or Toni informed me that they’d arrived? “I’ll be right there.”
“What’s going on?” Dean was already gathering our garbage.
“Cops are in Penn’s room.” It was all I needed to say before Rita and Dean were double-timing it. Matteo grabbed Olivia’s hand and made sure to keep up.
Upon reaching the floor, I asked Matteo to take Olivia to the playroom and advised them that Owen would be in shortly. He didn’t argue, just took Livy’s hand and did as he was instructed.
As I entered the room, I heard the tail end of the detective’s words. “Are you threatening us?”
I didn’t know what Penn had said, but when I saw Owen huddled against Penn, Penn’s arms protectively around him as he gave the female detective an acidic glare, it didn’t matter.
“If he’s not, I am.”
Once Owen was out of the room and Dean went to locate my guys, I wanted to get this over with, and so did Penn. His blinks were slow; he was tired.
The detective who introduced himself as Hoss began. “You’d gone to the police station to make a statement regarding witnessing someone burn Dean Hendrix’s home, correct?”
“It was my intention, yes.” I let Penn answer, but if he started to slur or the questions were irrelevant toward him I’d step in.
“Then what happened?” Hoss was gentle but Mueller was shooting daggers at Penn, and it was taking a lot to hold me back.
“Then I was tossed into an interrogation room…” Penn went on to explain everything up to Tolland driving him to an undisclosed location where he was severely beaten.
“Do you have any idea where you were being held?” Penn shook his head. “Aside from Tolland, was there anyone else you saw?”
“The commissioner.” Penn’s gaze shifted to Mueller. “You want to claim he’s such a good man, he threatened me and let me be kidnapped.”
“You’re a liar,” she snarled.
“And you’re clearly on his payroll,” I added.
“Mr. Hendrix, I’d be careful if I were you. According to reports, you entered a police station armed and threatened quite a few officers.” She smirked, but the joke was on her.
“It’s cute that you think I’ll ever be a long-term resident of any jail cell.”
“I think we have everything we need.” Hoss shut his pad and slipped it into his jacket pocket.
“Don’t either one of you think about leaving town. You’re both suspects in the death of Chief Bainer and Commissioner Shaw.” She grinned.
“How?” Penn asked. “Wasn’t Bainer killed when I was kidnapped and the commissioner committed suicide while I was in a coma?”
Her smile faltered. “We’ll be in touch, stay in town.”
Once she left I turned to Penn and cupped his cheek. “Are you okay?”
He chuckled. “Fine. They didn’t phase me but Owen, is he all right?”
His concern for my son always slammed into my heart like freight train. “He’ll be fine. Thank you, once again, for protecting him.”
He hummed and rubbed his cheek against my hand. “Actually, he told me he was there to protect me.”
“He did say that, didn’t he?” I leaned in and gently kissed his lips. I couldn’t wait until he was home.
The door opened, and Dean stepped in. “Danny said he and Toni were instructed by police to remove themselves from the hallway as it was causing a disturbance. They directed them to a room and confiscated their phones, hence neither of them calling you.”
“Where are they now?”
“Outside the room.”
“Bring them in.” I turned to Penn. “Do you mind? I know you’re tired.”
“I’m so tired, I’m sure I’ll pass out halfway through your conversation.”
I snorted, pecked his lips, and stood. Danny and Toni entered with Dean.
“I’m sorry, sir. We didn’t want to cause a scene in the hospital,” Danny began but I stopped him.
“I understand. But it’s suspicious. Why would they take your phones and sequester you in a room?”
“I have a theory about that,” Toni offered. “Dean was saying how the female detective was defensive?”
Penn answered, “She’s loyal to Shaw for sure.”
“Mmm. The cops didn’t have love for me or Danny. While I think Lorcan’s threat of a war and how upon his death there’d be serious consequences was hyperbole, there were loyalists to him and Shaw that might be pissed.”
“Lorcan dies but never truly dies,” Penn mumbled.
“It’s not really Lorcan’s people, though. Sounds like while the commissioner had an agreement with Anders, he had more power than maybe we realized.” It made sense. “I offered him more than Lorcan did, and he laughed at it.”
“But he’s dead.” Danny shrugged. “Are these the loyal motherfuckers you’re talking about?”
“Loyal, but not to Lorcan.” I moved to the hospital window. “Parker had sold the drugs out of his pawn shop for Lorcan. We thought after we took what was there Lorcan would make him pay but he’d continue. He didn’t.”
“Probably thought it would be a mistake or we’d go back and keep taking it.” Danny added.
“We torched pretty much every property and business Lorcan had his hands in, and he still had people. Mercs and more.”
“Okay, we know this already.” Dean sat in the vacant seat by Penn.
“Lorcan returned to Northchester, sort of under the radar. We kept wondering how he was gaining ground, moving in so fast and hard. Getting away with it all. It’s the one thing I haven’t been able to get answers to.”
“And now you know?” Penn asked.
I turned and faced everyone. “Lorcan needed money, which he got from drugs. I’ve spoken to the cartels, dealers, and no one claimed to be selling to Lorcan.”
“Where’d he get his supply?” Dean cocked his head, confusion twisting his features.
“Northchester Police department.”
There was silence for a beat before Toni chimed in, “There’s no way one little department has enough drugs to keep up with supply and demand in the way Lorcan was offloading it.”
“You’re right. He’d need all the police stations in the state.” I was met with blank stares. “The mayor and the governor. They worked with Lorcan and the commissioner. Bainer had no part of it, probably because they knew he was loyal to me.”
“He found out, and they killed him,” Penn realized.
“We killed Shaw, pinning Bainer’s death on him, and the mayor and the governor retaliated, hoping to get you and your organization gone. They likely will turn their backs on it, quit while they’re ahead,” I responded.
“What’s stopping them from placing a new chief and commissioner who will play their game?” Penn inquired.
I beamed. “Me. With the Anders name dust, I’m all there is here. And if they approach me on this, they won’t like the outcome.”
“Shit.” Danny sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.
“You don’t think they’ll retaliate more?” Dean wondered.
“If they try, they’ll be wiped out like the Anders family, and every other piece of shit family who tried to take over my empire.”