Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
“ A re you sure it’s okay I’m consulting Liam? I couldn’t think of anyone else to call…”
Lily waved his comment away and handed him the sandwich. “It’s fine. I know Liam is feeling guilty because of how he first reacted to the divorce, and he’s trying to make up for things. I just wish he didn’t have to do this.”
Ian placed a hand on her shoulder. “I can try to remove him from this.”
“He’ll just find another way to get involved.” Lily adjusted the strap of her purse and tightened the sash around her waist. “It’s better if we keep an eye on him.”
Ian nodded and glanced at the parking spot across the street, next to the lush green park. “I just hope this works.”
Lily sighed. “Me too, but I think between Liam, Marissa, and the officers who volunteered at the station, you should be able to track whoever called.”
“They were using one of those software programs that conceals the voice, so I’m pretty sure if they’ve gone to that much trouble, they’ll have used a burner.”
“That’s where Liam and everyone else come in,” Lily replied before squinting at something in the distance. “Speak of the devil, there’s Liam now.”
Ian cast a quick glance at his sister and saw a muscle jump in her jaw.
Liam left his car in the parking spot and hurried across the street in a button-down shirt tucked into a pair of dark jeans; a pair of sunglasses sat perched on his nose. He spotted them and quickened his pace. After giving his mom a quick hug, the three of them stepped into the station.
And the sounds hit him all at once.
Everywhere he looked, people were on the phone or huddled in groups, trying to come up with a plan. A few of them called out to him, and he gave them all a small wave. Liam and Lily walked on either side of him as they strode through the halls of the police station. In the staff lounge, Marissa was surrounded by officers on all sides, all wearing identical serious expressions.
Everyone looked up at Ian when he walked in.
Then, a chair was pulled up, and he was pushed into it by Marissa. She hovered, barking out several orders at once and only pausing to tuck her hair behind her ears. When she glanced over at him, and he caught the furrow between her brows, Ian’s stomach dipped.
“You don’t have to do this.”
“We’ll find out who called you to make that threat,” Marissa assured him with a lift of her chin. “We just need to dig deep enough. I’m sure a man like Eric has a lot of enemies.”
“Wouldn’t that be like looking for a needle in a haystack?”
Marissa’s expression turned uncertain. “We’ll find some people, but we’re looking for someone who fits into that specific MO. Don’t worry, E. I’ve got your back.”
“What if it was Eric himself?”
“I don’t think my dad would do something like that,” Lily interrupted, a frown hovering on the edge of her lips. “I mean, lately, it feels like I never really knew the guy, but from what I do know of him, he wouldn’t do his own dirty work.”
Ian blew out a breath. “Okay, so what would he do?”
Lily cleared her throat. “He’s the kind of man who likes to watch his enemies and wait. He gathers as much leverage as he can and strikes when they least expect it.”
A tremor raced through Ian. “Maybe I should contact him and get this over with. We’re wasting police resources on this when we already know who it is.”
“We don’t have proof,” Marissa argued, her eyes tightening around the edges. “And as long as we don’t have proof, we can’t go after a man like Eric.”
“You don’t go after a man like that unless you’ve got most, if not all, of your ducks in a row,” Liam added, emerging with a cup of coffee in one hand and his phone in the other. “I’ve already got feelers out to try and figure out his next move, but he’s been quiet.”
Ian exhaled shakily. “What if we never have our ducks in a row?”
Liam took a sip of his coffee and winced. “Uncle Ian, you have no idea how powerful my grandpa is. He’s one of the best lawyers in the city because he’s a shark, and he hasn’t stayed that way by letting his guard down. If you go after him without evidence that fully backs your claim, he will bury you.”
“He can’t do anything to me here.”
“He can, and he would.” Liam set his cup down on an empty table and shoved both hands into his pockets. “Don’t underestimate him. I’ve seen how he operates.”
Ian nodded. “Okay, so what are our options?”
“Find out who made the call and take it from there,” Marissa decided with a quick look around her. “Before you ask, I’ve already tried to get in touch with Jake Long, but he’s been moved to a different prison with a reduced security.”
“He must have something good on Eric if he’s going through all this trouble.”
“Again, we can’t prove any of this, so our goal for the rest of the day is to try and make some headway with your mystery caller.”
Ian pressed his lips together and said nothing.
While everyone else around him erupted into a frenzy of chaotic energy, Ian sat in his chair by the windows, turning the information over and over in his head.
Halfway through the day, Lucy and the children stopped by to check in and bring everyone food.
Ian was barely aware of anything happening around him.
All he knew was that he wanted the nightmare to end.
Suddenly, Ian felt very, very tired, and he regretted making any kind of promise or commitment regarding his mom’s case.
By the end of the day shift, everyone around him was exhausted and ready to go home to their families. One by one, they all filed out of the staff lounge, with Marissa staying behind, along with Lily, Dean, and Dana. Kelli and Sophia ushered Lucy out the door and back home to get some rest.
What are you doing? You have a family to consider and their well-being to think of. You shouldn’t have made that promise, Ian.
Because what if the price demanded was too high?
What if he’d already crossed the line, and there was no going back?
Unable to bear the pressure any longer, Ian left the station amidst a slew of protests from Liam and Marissa. He drove home, thinking of his family the entire time and of the kind of evening he wanted to spend with them. Ian had even planned out an entire meal, knowing it had been too long since he cooked something for them.
His entire evening flashed before his eyes when he pulled up a few blocks away from his house and saw the swarm of police cars surrounding the place. Without knowing it, Ian unbuckled his seat belt and flew out of the car, fear pumping through his veins. In a daze, he pushed past the row of cops, who stepped aside when they recognized him. Then he saw Lucy, Sophia, and Dana huddled together underneath a blanket and shivering.
He made a beeline for his family and crushed Lucy to him. “What happened? Are you okay?”
Lucy clung to him, and a shudder went through her. “We came home, and it was like this. I have no idea what happened.”
Ian glanced over her shoulder, and it was only then he saw the shattered glass on the front lawn, the graffiti painted on the side of the house, and the front door torn off its hinges. Toilet paper was strewn in every direction, and Lucy’s car had been keyed and the tires slashed.
The fear pumping through him was replaced by red-hot anger.
The kind that made him want to drive to the city just to bang on Eric Taylor’s door. He wanted to grab him by the scruff of his neck and look him in the eye.
“I’m going to make him pay.” Ian stepped back and curled his hands into fists at his side. “He can’t keep getting away with this.”
Sophia’s hand darted out, and her eyes grew tight. “E, you need to calm down—”
“And do what, Soph?” Ian held her gaze and bristled. “Let him keep getting away with this? He’s a powerful, influential man, and he’s been allowed to go unchecked for a long time. I’m not going to stand by and let him destroy my family. Not again.”
Sophia lost some of the color in her face, and her eyes were growing wider and wider. “E, please. You said it yourself; he’s dangerous. What’s he going to do if you go after him, huh? If he knows that you’re gunning for him?”
Ian made a vague hand gesture. “Look around you, Soph. It can’t be any worse than this.”
Without waiting for her response, Ian fished his phone out of his pocket and scrolled through his contacts. Lily, Liam, Darren, Ben, and Marissa piled out of a car and headed toward them. He turned his back on them, dialed Eric’s number, and waited.
His heart was doing little somersaults the entire time.
When Eric didn’t pick up, Ian couldn’t tell if he was relieved or wanted to put his fist through a wall. On the last ring, he was about to toss his phone onto the pavement when Eric Taylor’s cool, monotonous voice answered, sounding bored and impatient.
“Do you know who this is?”
Eric paused. “I’ve been expecting your call, Ian. How can I help you?”
“Don’t play dumb with me. I know what you did. I know you’ve been threatening me and trying to sabotage my investigation because you don’t want to get caught.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“What kind of man goes after another man’s house, huh? What kind of man goes after another man’s family? Oh, that’s right, I forgot. I’m not dealing with a man at all, am I? I’m dealing with a coward.”
“I would watch myself if I were you, boy,” Eric replied in a cool and even tone. “ You’re the one who went poking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”
Ian gestured to Liam, who stepped forward. “So, you admit it, then? You admit that you’re behind all of this?”
“I admit to nothing.” Ian set the phone on speaker, and Eric’s voice sliced through the night air, quiet and chilling. “But you are trying my patience, so I’m going to give you some advice. You are Kelly’s son, after all.”
“Don’t ever mention her name to me,” Ian snapped through gritted teeth. “You shouldn’t even talk about her after what you did.”
“Your mother was a deeply disturbed and delusional woman, who walked out on her marriage and her daughter. It’s not my fault she got herself into trouble, and it certainly isn’t my fault you’ve decided to target me while you work on your mommy issues.”
Ian saw red, and he clenched his hands into fists. “You self-serving, arrogant son of a—”
“I’m only going to say this once,” Eric interrupted, his voice cutting through the ringing in Ian’s ears. “Do yourself a favor and drop all of this before things get even uglier. You’re not going to find anything on me because there’s nothing to find.”
Ian dug his nails into his palm hard enough to leave marks. “I don’t believe you. If you weren’t worried, you wouldn’t be sending people after me.”
“I would be very careful if I were you, Ian. You’re playing in the big leagues now.”
Ian’s heart was pounding in his ears now, loud enough to drown out everything else. “And you have no idea who you just pissed off. Here’s my advice, Eric. I’m not going to drop my mom’s case. I’m going to find out whatever you’re hiding. And I’m going to uncover the truth about my mom’s murder, no matter what it takes.”
Without waiting for a response, Ian hung up and clutched the phone in his hand. He twisted to face everyone else, who were gathered in a half-circle around him. Lucy came up to him, drew him in for a hug, and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
When she pulled back to look at him, Lucy’s face was pale, but she had a determined set to her shoulders. “How can we help?”