Chapter 21
BEAU
I caught Rebekah before she dropped to the floor. Taking one more look at the man behind the glass, I booked it out of the room and toward the front, where all my men were waiting.
“What happened to Bex?”
“I’m not sure. She looked at the perp and just passed out.”
I sat on the couch and waited, praying that she came to quickly. Matt looked her over and assessed for any injuries that we might have missed last night. A moment later, her eyes began to flutter.
“What happened?”
“You passed out, Sweets. I caught you before you hit the floor.”
“I did?”
“Yeah, babygirl. You just took a few years off my life.”
“Can you tell me what you remember?” Officer John spoke from above me. I tried my hardest to bite back the growl. I must not have succeeded too well because a few of my team let out a snicker.
“Uh, I remember following you to look at the man responsible. OH! It’s him, Daddy! The man who killed Alicia! That’s the man!”
“Are you sure?” John asked.
“Of course I’m sure. You don’t forget the eyes of the man who held a gun to your sister’s head and pulled the trigger.”
“My apologies, ma’am.”
“I want this investigated to the full extent, John. My team will help however you need.”
My team would do more than that, but I wasn’t going to tell the law that. Sometimes what we did was a little above the law. We did what needed to be done, even if that meant bending a few rules to get the information that we required.
“If we are done here, I need to get her back home.”
“We are good. If I need anything else, I’ll be in touch.”
I didn’t doubt that for a moment. Standing with Rebekah in my arms, I turned and headed out of the precinct. When I heard footfalls behind me, I knew that the rest of the team was following close. Once I’d buckled my girl in, I turned to the rest of the team.
“Be at my house in ten. We have lots to discuss.”
Everyone nodded. I crawled into my truck and made my way back home.
After easing the door shut behind me, I walked into my living room, where all my men were waiting for us.
“How is she?” Seth asked, looking down the hall where I had just come from.
“She’s shaken up, but that’s understandable given the circumstances. I finally got her to sleep, so we should have about an hour or two before she wakes.”
“Why the fuck is the man from her past back, and what could he possibly want with her?” Eric asked the question we were all thinking.
“I can guess what he was trying to do. She’s a loose end, one that shouldn’t have lived those years ago,” Matt replied.
“We need to get to the bottom of this, quickly. I won’t have her living in fear.”
“I can hack into the booking log and get his name. I’ll run that through our databases and see what I can come up with. We’ve got this, Boss, she’s in good hands now.”
I hoped that Seth was right. No one was going to bring any harm to my Little girl any more. She had suffered enough pain and loss in her lifetime. I was not going to add to that.
The guys and I discussed the case for a little bit longer before switching topics. Before long, I heard movement from down the hall. Standing, I made my way into the room. Spotting Rebekah curled up on my side of the bed again, I noticed the tear tracks down her cheeks.
If I never saw her cry again, I would be okay with that. “Daddy’s here, babygirl.”
“I’m tired of this, Daddy. I’m tired of feeling my life shift time and time again. When do I get to catch a break?”
I wish I had the answer to her question, sadly, I didn’t though. Once again, my Daddy superpowers wouldn’t help me in this situation. I slid into bed beside her, pulling her into my arms and snuggling in close.
“We are going to put an end to this, Rebekah. You have my word on that.”
She didn’t say anything, but I knew that she believed me. If this were the last thing I did, I would go out happy knowing that she was safe.
“The guys are still hanging out here. They didn’t want to leave just yet. Are you ready to go and join them?”
“Yeah, but I would like to shower first. My skin feels itchy and yuckie.”
“Of course, sweetheart. You go shower and meet us when you are ready.”
Tilting her chin up, I leaned in for a kiss. I poured all my love into that kiss, wanting to make sure she knew that she wasn’t alone.
I went back into the living room, letting the rest of the guys know that she would be out in a bit. On my phone, I ordered enough Mexican food to feed an army, and then got to work helping the guys pull out the poker table.
Not sure that Rebekah would be up for Legos this evening, I grabbed her coloring books she ordered the other day, and the markers from the spare room. She had effectively taken over the spare room and filled it with all sorts of fun activities for her to do while in Middle space.
I had installed some shelves for her to display her Legos, so her Disney castle sat on display beside the vase of roses she had built.
Sprinkled along another shelf were the rest of the Legos we had bought that day.
While I was gone, Rebekah had taken advantage, and I spotted a few more Legos sitting in a bag by the door.
I didn’t mind, though. It made me happy that she felt comfortable enough here and in our relationship.
Sitting down, I dealt the cards around the table. It didn’t take long for Rebekah to make her presence known in the room. Slipping into my lap like she had done that night weeks ago, she sat and watched the game.
“Do you know how to play Bex?” Eric asked.
“Nope. I didn’t have much time to sit and play card games growing up. I spent more time helping my grandparents take care of Alicia. Then, of course, when they all died, I didn’t have a reason to do much.”
“Do you want to learn? Chase is a great teacher.”
“Not right now, Daddy. I just want to sit and exist here with you all.”
“That sounds like a great idea, Sweets.”
We all played well into the night, long after the Mexican food was gone and my sweet girl had fallen asleep in my arms. No one wanted to leave just yet.
When Chase won the last hand, we finally called it a night.
After carrying Rebekah back to our room, I stripped down and held her close.
Tonight was the start of our new beginning, one that wouldn’t be filled with heartache and pain.
I drove us into the office a few days later because, sadly, the world didn’t stop just because we needed a break.
Rebekah sat quietly beside me in the truck, picking at her fingers.
That was the only true sign of worry that she gave me.
This would be the first time she had been back to the office since the incident with the van.
“We won’t be long, okay, baby. Just a few hours is all.”
“I know, Daddy. I’ll be okay.”
“I know you will, Sweets. You’re strong and brave.”
She gave me one of the sweet smiles I adored. After parking the truck, we made our way inside and to my office. Rebekah dropped onto the couch, immediately pulling the blanket over her and turning on her Kindle. She would be set for a few hours, and I could catch up on some much-needed paperwork.
The case we left in the middle of when Rebekah had called was still wide open.
Even though Seth gave the police the break we found, they had hit another roadblock.
Because none of us wanted to leave again, we were working remotely and trying our best to help close up the case with the locals on scene.
There was a knock at my door. Glancing up, I came face-to-face with eyes that looked awfully familiar. “Can I help you?”
“I’m not sure yet, but I intend on finding out.”
I shot a look toward where Rebekah was sitting. She had felt the shift in the room and immediately was on alert.
“Sweets, why don’t you go see if Seth is up to playing some games on the big screen?”
“’Kay. I love you.”
“I love you too, baby.”
The stranger eyed her as she left the room, and my instincts went on high alert.
“What can I help you with?”
The man walked over and sat in the seat in front of my desk.
“Well, I guess the real question is, what will it take for you to stop investigating the case you have open against me?”
I didn’t think I’d heard him correctly.
“I’m not sure what you are talking about. What did you say your name was again?”
“I’m Donovan Costello.”
My eyes widened because I did know that name, and he had just confirmed every thought that was running through my mind. The man we had been searching for on our previous case was sitting in my office without a care in the world.
Donovan was the head of the Costello family. A well-known mafia family who had been stirring up trouble in our area. We had been trying to connect the murders in Raveport to him for months. That was why we had left town.
“Ah, I see you do know what I’m talking about.” Donovan said.
“You’re who we’ve been searching for, yet it seems like you’ve found us with ease. I wonder why that is.”
“I am a man of many talents, one of those being able to evade when I need to.”
“Imagine my surprise that the moment we get a break in the case, we are called away. Maybe you can help fill in the missing blanks. What do you want with my girl, and why is she a pawn in your game?” I said, raising an eyebrow at the man sitting in front of me.
Donovan looked puzzled. I was almost inclined to believe that he had no idea what I was talking about.
“Rebekah isn’t a pawn in my game. She’s my daughter.”
There was no fucking way. But the more that I looked at this man in front of me, the more I saw the resemblance. He could still be playing me, but he didn’t seem like the man who would just lie for the shock factor.
“If she’s your daughter, why did you try to have her killed. Again, I might add.”
“What are you talking about? Why would I kill my own flesh and blood?”
“That’s what I would like to know. If you didn’t want to kill her, why is someone, who looks a lot like you, sitting in the cell at the local precinct?"
“Are you saying that my son, who is currently under arrest here, tried to kill Rebekah?”
“Your son?”
“Yes, our lawyer called and informed me that Geo was being held here. I’ve been letting him sweat it out the past few days before I went and bailed him out again.”
“Did your lawyer not tell you what he was arrested for?”
“We don’t speak of family issues over the phone where others could be listening in.”
Of course not, that would be a rookie mistake for a man like him.
“Your son tried to run Rebekah off the road. It’s safe to assume that was only the first part of his plan. She identified him at the station as the man who killed her sister—their sister, I guess—a few years ago.”
“I had no idea. I found out about Rebekah and Alicia about six months before her murder. I’ve been searching for her killer ever since. Now you are telling me that my own son was the one who ended her life before it had a real chance to start. How can you be so sure?”
“I’ll share with you what Rebekah told the officer that night, ‘You don’t forget the eyes of the man who held a gun to your little sister’s head and pulled the trigger.’ She still wakes up from nightmares of that night.”
We sat in silence as Donovan processed the information that I had just dropped on him. My mind began to race because how was I supposed to tell my Little girl that she has a father and a brother? A brother who caused her worst nightmare, all because of what?
“I see. Well, I’ll handle this. I’ll be in touch soon.”
“Do you really think I’m just going to let you walk out of the office like this. Don’t think I have forgotten about all those men your organization has left scattered on the streets.”
“Those men were predators who deserved everything that they got. Don’t worry, though, you will have a close to your case in time.”
With that, Donovan walked out of the office. I dropped my head into my hands and let out a small chuckle. Of course, my life partner would have connections to one of the biggest crime lords in the country, and she had no idea.
“Did the man leave, Daddy?”
I looked up to where Rebekah stood in the doorway of my office.
“Yeah, he’s gone for now, baby. Are you ready to go home?”
“I’m ready, Daddy. Can we watch Frozen tonight?”
“Anything for you, my love.”
For now, I would keep this information to myself. Until I knew what was going to happen, there was no reason to stress her. She has had enough of that for the past few days. I was not ready to blow her world up again.