Chapter 14
“Are you sure?” Tanner asked Caden who’d just called him to say that another biker who went by the road name, Rocky, had been killed using the same M.O. as Arlo J and Baby. This time in Oklahoma City.
“No doubt,” Caden said. “The Deathly Hollow MC has a chapter in Oklahoma City, and the member that was killed used to be affiliated with the local chapter until he moved to be closer to his wife’s family last year.
We’ve already started looking into all the members who’ve left the Dallas area, but someone is killing bikers in a very gruesome way.
I’m going to have to take point on this case, Tanner.
These murders are starting to make national news and the governor wants the Feds on this pronto. ”
Tanner blew out a breath. As much as he loved his friends at the FBI, he hated when they took over his cases. “All right, I’ll see if I can pull everything together for you. Stop by anytime. Maybe I’ll even offer you a cup of coffee from our break room.”
Caden faked a gag. “Ugh, I didn’t know you hated me that much.
See you soon.” Tanner ended the call and went back to sifting through all the files he’d collected over the last month from Arlo J’s case, and cross referenced them with Baby’s murder.
Oklahoma City was only a little over three hours away from Dallas.
It was very likely the murderer simply drove up there, killed the biker, then drove back in the same day.
The question was, why? Tanner would give Caden whatever he asked for, but there was no way Tanner was going to stop working this case.
A ruckus at the front of the precinct drew his attention. Nico walked past half a dozen reporters all shoving a microphone in his face, and from the murderous look in his eyes, Tanner still wasn’t sure Nico wasn’t the guilty party himself.
“Detective Rhodes.” Nico said his name like it was a vile curse word washed in acid. “I take it you’ve heard that two more members of my club were killed. I’m trying to work with you here but my patience for your kind of justice is wearing thin.”
Tanner stood from his chair so fast he nearly knocked it over.
“If you know something I don’t, I suggest you tell me right now.
Then maybe we can put this whole thing to rest.” When Nico simply stood there with a smug, arrogant sneer, Tanner continued.
“Otherwise, sit down and let’s see if we can have a civil conversation.
” What Tanner really wanted to do was arrest the man on the spot, he just didn’t know what for yet.
Nico looked like he was about to say something more, but then wisely chose to plant his ass in the seat Wilder had left about an hour ago. “What do you have for me?” Nico asked in a much more respectful tone.
“Nothing. I have nothing for you, and I can’t share anything from an ongoing investigation.
Besides, the Feds are taking over this case now, so how about you go bother them?
” Tanner was about to wave Nico off, eager to get rid of him and get back to preparing the files he was going to be handing over to Caden, when Nico unexpectedly let out a loud sigh.
“I know what you must think of me. What your friends must think of me after everything you suspect I’ve done.
But I didn’t kill Rocky or Baby, and I certainly didn’t kill my father.
But if you’re suspecting me, then you must think this is some kind of inside job, and that is a shame.
My father was very proud of this club. It was his family.
His everything. He’d be devastated if he thought one of his own was doing this. ”
Tanner mindlessly twirled a pen, debating how to respond, when the doors of the precinct swung open and two officers came charging in along with a woman carrying a young girl.
He couldn’t see either of their faces, as the child was blocking the woman’s face.
She appeared to be slender, and the child, while small, was likely much too heavy in her arms. Ranger Wilder came forward then, leaving the woman surrounded by uniformed officers.
“She says she’ll only talk to you, Rhodes. ”
“Well, here I am.” Tanner stood from his chair, curious what this was about.
Wilder took a few steps to the side and gestured to the woman, who stepped forward. “All right, there he is. Now maybe you can explain to us why you kidnapped another man’s child?”
Tanner cocked his head, not sure what he had to do with a kidnapping case since he was in the homicide division, and no one had said anything about a murder. That’s when the woman placed the child down and looked up at him.
“April,” he breathed. Of all the people he expected to see, she was the last one he ever thought would kidnap a kid.
“You know her?” Wilder asked. “Of course, you do.”
Ignoring him, Tanner asked his own question.
“What in the world is going on?” He looked down at the little girl.
She had a sweet face with wavy windblown hair, but what captured his attention were her beautiful big bluish-purple eyes.
He had only ever seen one other person with eyes like that - a woman he’d met seven years ago while he was in Las Vegas for a friend’s bachelor party.
They’d met at one of the clubs and had a one-night stand.
He’d managed to get her first name, but when he woke up the next day, she was gone, and he’d never heard from her again.
Tanner always wondered what happened to that woman, but he just didn’t have enough information to be able to follow up.
He looked at April, searching her eyes for some sort of clue as to why she’d done this.
“Is this Violet?” He’d seen a few photos of her on April’s phone, but she looked different in person.
Maybe it was the fear and bewilderment in her eyes that made Tanner want to fight every demon this little girl encountered, real or imagined.
There was something oddly familiar about her, more than just the color of her eyes, which none of the photos had clearly shown, but he couldn’t quite place it.
“Can we go somewhere and talk?” April asked.
Before Tanner had a chance to respond, the precinct doors swung open again, and a large man wearing a very expensive suit, along with two more men in suits flanking him, charged into the precinct.
“Where is she?” The large man roared as if he owned the place. “I demand to see my daughter this instant, and I want that woman arrested for kidnapping.” His voice boomed through the precinct, making April wince and the little girl cower.
Tanner stepped toward April protectively.
He had no idea what was going on, but no brute was going to come into his place of work, his second home for all intents and purposes, and threaten the woman he cared about.
His gaze met April’s, and even without words, he sensed her fear, but more than that, there was a steely determination and resolve written across her face.
It would’ve been intimidating if he didn’t find it incredibly sexy.
One thing was certain, whatever she was doing, she knew there was no going back, and she was going to see it through.
“There you are.” The man huffed and closed the distance between him and the girl that Tanner still only presumed to be Violet. That would mean this was Ned, her stepfather.
“No!” Violet screeched. “I won’t go back. I won’t let you build a bomb!”
At that, everyone in the precinct froze. Tanner looked from April to Violet, and then at the man who still hadn’t introduced himself. “A what?” Tanner asked.
“He’s going to build a bomb. I don’t want to go back with him,” Violet said.
“I want to stay with Aunt April. Please don’t make us go back.
He’s mean. He makes me do things I don’t want to do.
” Tanner immediately thought of his niece, Sienna, and all the things her mom made her do that she didn’t necessarily want to do, like brush her teeth, take a bath, and clean up her toys.
Though the way Violet spoke just then, Tanner had a distinct feeling that whatever this man was making Violet do, had nothing to do with discipline and tidying her things.
“Shhh,” April bent and rubbed a soft hand on the girl’s back as she cooed in her ear. “That’s enough for now, Sweetie.”
Violet wiped a stray tear from her cheek, but clung to April’s side as if the hounds of hell were coming after her.
“Okay,” Tanner said, mostly out of a loss for words.
April had been fairly tight lipped about her situation with her niece, but he never in a million years thought it would come to something like this.
Sinclair had been cryptic in his warning, and Tanner had planned on talking to her more about Ned Dynam, but he wanted April to come to him on her own.
Now that she finally had, he could kick himself for waiting so long that she felt the need to resort to such drastic and illegal actions.
Still, no one was going to arrest this woman before he had a chance to talk to her and figure out what she was thinking - taking a child from her legal guardian.
“I don’t know what’s going on here, but I’m going to figure it out, and then everyone can go about their business. ”
“No, that’s my daughter and she’s coming with me right now,” the man said.
“What’s your name, Sir?” Tanner asked, tired of all the assumptions he was being forced to make since he hadn’t actually bothered to introduce himself.
“Ned Dynam of DynaTech Corporation. And that woman kidnapped my little Violet. Took her right out of the safety of her own home. I demand you return my sweet little girl back to me this instant, or I’ll have my lawyers in here faster than you can say Texas.”