Chapter 32 Diem
Diem
Diem
“I’m calling the cops,” Tallus announced.
“No, you’re not.” As I growled the objection, Tallus talked over me.
“Even if I can get to the marina on time, I can’t detain him myself, Diem.
This guy is dangerous. What am I going to do?
Tie him up? I know this will come as a shock, but I’m not much of a fighter.
I’m delicate and great with words, but I don’t think sass will work on a cornered animal who knows he’s about to be put down.
The police can send someone. Hell, marina security can hold him. I need backup.”
“I’ll be your backup. The cops aren’t going to detain or arrest an innocent civilian without proof, and right now, the only proof we can provide is Darcy, and we aren’t doing that.”
“He’s not innocent. Those files contain something incriminating.” A horn blared. “Motherfucker. Get out of my way, asshole. I’m driving here. Idiots.”
This was a prime example of Tallus going off half-cocked. It was his MO, and I shouldn’t have been surprised. Every time a case got hot, he stopped thinking and acted purely on emotion.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Tallus, the police aren’t allowed to search his boat without a warrant. Without those files, there is no proof. No proof. No warrant. Do you hear what I’m saying? They will fucking escort you off the property for causing problems. Leave the cops out of it.”
“The files aren’t on the boat.”
“You can’t… What?”
A muffled reply came through the line. He was cursing traffic again. I glanced at Darcy, who listened with wide eyes from a few feet away. We needed to get on the road, or Tallus would end up facing Lukyan alone.
Last time he tried to be a hero, he got shot.
“Tallus—”
“I said, the files aren’t on the boat. Aaron has the files.”
“What?”
“He owns or rents a cottage. I don’t know where it’s located, but the files are there.
Aaron has already sounded the alarm. Luke is getting a heads-up as we speak, and I won’t be surprised if Aaron races to this cottage to secure the files.
By the way, I think they’re dating. I think Lukyan is closeted, and the revolving door of girlfriends I saw on his socials is all for show. ”
“What?”
“Aaron doesn’t seem happy. Call it a hunch. He said some things that—”
“Tallus!”
“Right. Not important. We need to intercept.”
“Who?”
“Aaron. Good grief. Are you listening at all? At the cottage. Before he gets the files, and we never see them again. The gas is on the right, asshole. Use it.”
It took Herculean effort to keep the facts straight when Tallus kept getting sidetracked. “Where’s the cottage?”
“No idea.”
I cursed and tugged the iPad toward me. “What’s Aaron’s last name?”
“Daily. Aaron Daily. He’s way younger than Lukyan, too. Okay, maybe not way, but Luke is old. Like silver daddy old. Oh wow. Sugar daddy old.”
“Can you focus?” I growled.
“I can drive and speculate. Did you find the cottage?”
“No,” I mumbled. “I need more than five fucking seconds.”
First, I had to locate the right Aaron Daily, which was tricky since the name wasn’t all that original and there were more than a dozen in the Greater Toronto Area.
“Age?”
“Meh. Early thirties, maybe? Older than me. He has crow’s feet when he smiles. They’re cute in the right light, but if he had a better moisturizing routine, that wouldn’t be—”
“Shut up, Tallus.”
Tires screeched, and I wanted to shout for him to slow the fuck down and pay attention to the road, but I couldn’t balance everything at once.
It took longer than I hoped to locate the right Aaron Daily.
Each passing minute put Tallus one step closer to a confrontation with Lukyan.
I should be on the road. Intercepting. Tallus was not cut out for this level of work.
He had no self-defense training and no weapons training—which I would rectify the second this case was closed—and no common sense when it came to hostile perpetrators.
Why hadn’t I insisted he take classes sooner? Why had I let him lounge in lethargy on the couch and not dragged his ass to the gym with me a few days a week?
Darcy shifted his weight, anxiously spinning his ring as I performed a rapid property search for Aaron Daily. Typically, I could bust them out in no time flat, but on occasion, when a name was too common, it took longer to accurately pinpoint.
“I need a smoke,” Darcy said, pivoting to the balcony.
“You and me both. Not now. We’re leaving. Put your shoes on.”
Time was not on our side. In less than five minutes, I found two addresses for the correct Aaron Daily.
The one attached to his driver’s license listed a cute new build in the North York area.
The second was a classy bungalow-style lakeside cottage in Etobicoke.
He didn’t rent it. He fucking owned it, and the photographs gave me pause.
Both locations didn’t fit the income bracket of a guy working at Evergreen.
Sugar Daddy Luke must have been responsible.
I hated when Tallus was right.
Aaron Daily was clearly on Lukyan’s payroll… or speed dial.
“Tallus?”
“Did you find it?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Intercept Aaron. Do not let him move those files. I’m ten minutes from the marina. This will be tricky since you kiboshed the police, but I’m up for a challenge. Wish me luck.”
“Wait. You aren’t confronting him alone.”
“I have to.”
“You don’t. Go to the cottage. I’d rather you handle Aaron. Luke is dangerous.”
“Luke is putting his boat in the water in less than ten minutes. Once that happens, he’s gone. I’m already here, Guns. I’ll be fine. I gotta go.”
“Christ, Tallus, you can’t—”
“I can. Have faith in me.”
I growled and clenched my fists as a hot wave of fear rolled through my gut. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
“Like break my glasses?”
“Tallus—”
“I won’t.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too. If it helps, Aaron groped my ass and rubbed his hard-on all over my thigh. He would have kissed me, but I wouldn’t let him.”
A burning ember ignited in my chest. Fear turned to rage. The bear awoke. “Mine,” I growled.
Tallus chuckled. “Always, D.”
We hung up, and a flutter of unease made my legs wobble when I stood.
I didn’t feel good about sending Tallus off to confront Lukyan alone.
Despite my protest, despite all the arguments that were still one hundred percent valid, I located the number for the cop working Elwood’s case and placed a call.
We’d crossed far too many ethical lines in the past few days.
If we weren’t careful, we’d end up warming a cell with Lukyan, but I didn’t have a choice.
Tallus might be a fearless firecracker, but he was too precious to risk.
At least the police would ensure he didn’t get hurt.
His safety was more important than an arrest.
Darcy paled as I shared enough detail with the officer to ensure they sent a unit to the marina.
I traced a vague line from the punk kid who’d posed as Elwood’s grandson to a drug house to Lukyan.
I gave enough backstory about his investments and tax return information to paint him in a suspicious light.
I exaggerated and reshaped our discoveries to fit a legitimate—and legal—picture that would hopefully pique their curiosity and make them want to take a deeper look into Lukyan.
“You told them about me,” Darcy said when I hung up.
“I didn’t name you, and you won’t be their focus. You’re a minor player. Trust me.”
Tallus had backup on the way. That was the best I could do.
“Come on. We’ve gotta run.” I raced to find the Jeep keys and scrambled to get my boots on.
Echo barked and ran to the door. She nudged her leash expectantly.
“Not now, girl. Daddy has to do this without you. It might get chaotic, and I don’t want you in the middle of it.”
She whined, but I stood my ground.
“Where are we going?” Darcy asked as I locked the door.
“To break Aaron Daily’s fingers.”