Chapter Twenty
Dominic
Emmy swung his legs to the floor and sat up. He pushed his damp hair out of his eyes. “Explain.”
I shouldn’t get him involved. The less he knew, the less dangerous it would be for him. Emmy had lost so much because of my father, the last thing he needed was to become more deeply involved in the mess of the Starr men.
“I don’t want you to get hurt. I’d do anything to prevent that.”
He worked his jaw. “You don’t get to decide that. See, this relationship thing? It means sharing shit like this. Talking it out. Not hiding things.”
McGill had never said I shouldn’t tell anyone, but my first instinct was always going to be to protect Emmy. He punched me in the shoulder.
“Ow. What the fuck was that for?”
“Are you listening to me? Don’t think for a damn second you shutting me out is for my own good. You’re what’s good for me. You might think I need protection, but I can tell you’ve never had anyone solely in your corner. Let me be that person. Your person.”
I grabbed his arms. “You already are. Don’t you get it? That’s why I don’t want you involved. I can’t afford to let my father get to you. Everything he touches, he poisons. I won’t let him hurt you.”
“That’s not your choice to make.” His eyes furious, he knocked my hands away. “Dom…please. Talk to me.”
I couldn’t face him, and was saved by the doorbell ringing. “It’s the pizza. I’ll get it.” I almost ran to the door, where I gave the kid a five-buck tip.
“Thanks, dude.”
I shut the door and set the pizza on the island, then returned to Emmy. “If you really want to know.”
“I really want to know.”
“Stubborn ass,” I grumbled. “Fine. McGill told me the real reason he’s up here.” I finished telling him the plans and Emmy sat silent, which surprised me. “What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I’m wondering…tonight when Jet and I were filling out our reports, we heard Simms yelling at someone on the phone. Jet tried to go find out, but Amanda wouldn’t even let him near the office. Later, I saw Simms, and he barely acknowledged me. Do you think it has something to do with this?”
“I don’t know. But it makes my skin crawl to think that people I work with know what my father’s done. Who he is.”
Emmy scrunched up his face. “Why?”
I couldn’t meet his eyes. “What if they think I’m like him? All the shit they’re gonna say about me…that I’m running drugs downstate…they’ll think I only came up here to ruin the town. That I’m a criminal too.”
Emmy wrapped his arms around me. “Hopefully it’ll never come to that. If you get the evidence quickly enough, they’ll never have to know anything.”
I loved him for his positivity and hugged him, but I knew there was no way it would be as easy as either of us hoped.
**
McGill called at five thirty the following morning. I agreed to the plan but insisted I never wanted to be caught holding any hard drugs or have it planted that I was using.
“That’s fine. The operation hinges on you meeting with your father for the shipments coming into the city and riding in with the traffickers, not you being a user.
Your father needs to think you’re interested in joining his operation and learning how to connect the trade from upstate with his.
So. Are we ready to roll? We have everything in order.
We were simply waiting for your agreement. ”
“Yeah, I guess.” I pinched my eyes, and Emmy rubbed my shoulders.
“You’ll have undercover detectives shadowing you. That’s for your protection.”
“I don’t need that.” Not for one second did I believe McGill. I didn’t trust him. The only one I trusted was Emmy.
“What you want or need isn’t relevant,” he responded smoothly. Damn the man. He remained as unconcerned and unmoved as a sleepy cat in the sun. “Just do the job we’re asking of you. It shouldn’t take long for your father to contact you.”
“And you said the DA and my lieutenant know this is happening?”
“Yeah. Simms explained to us in no uncertain terms that you were not to be put in any danger. Loudly.”
That must’ve been what Emmy and Jet had overheard yesterday.
“But,” he continued, “there will be information slowly leaked out by the DA’s office about you working with some of the local drug runners.”
My heart sank. “Great. When?”
“Now. It’s been happening. You’re on the evening shift?”
Of course he’d know everything. “Yeah. Six p.m. to two a.m.”
“Your friend Kane, I’m sure you told him, but make sure to tell him to keep it to himself. Report back after.”
My face burned, but I had no response. He ended the call, and I tossed my phone. I wiped the sweat off my face. “What a fucking nightmare.”
Emmy had left the bedroom and returned with a cup of coffee. “Here. I figured you could use it.”
“Thanks.” I drank almost half before setting it on the nightstand. “It’s starting today. You still have time to walk away.”
“What the fuck? Have you forgotten everything from last night?”
A mixture of relief and fear flooded me. “No, never. But this is my problem—”
“Which also makes it mine. Because we’re in this together.
You know, like I told you.” He wiggled his fingers in the air between us.
“The whole relationship thing.” He sat beside me.
“Dom, this is as much my fight as yours. If what McGill claims is true, your father had my dad killed. I want to see that monster taken out.”
I hung my head. “How could you want to be with me, knowing that? He ruined your life and your family. How could you not hate me?”
He held me close. “Because I love you. None of what happened is your fault. You’re a victim as much as anyone else—more even, because you lived with it for so long. I’ve got your back, like I know you’ve got mine.”
His scent and warmth soaked into me, and I clung to him, wishing the two of us could run away from this whole debacle. But that would mean my father would continue to spread his evil and hurt more innocent people. I pulled myself together.
“You’re right.” I kissed his head. “Let’s bring this son of a bitch down.”
“That’s what I like to hear. Stone-cold Starr. Okay, I’m on the eleven a.m. to seven p.m. I’ll keep my eyes and ears open.”
“I won’t be off until two a.m. But come to mine? After?” I hesitated. “I’ll give you a key.”
Smiling, Emmy kissed me. “I’ll be waiting.”
**
I noticed it immediately. Bradford didn’t meet my eyes at shift change, and when we walked out to the patrol car, there was none of the usual chatter. I was driving and figured I’d try and get him to talk to see if he’d give up anything he’d heard.
“How’s Lila? Getting closer to popping the question?”
“No. Not really.” Bradford stared straight ahead.
“Has she decided if she’s going to law school?”
“I think so. Polaris is being very helpful, giving her study material.”
Time to start the act. I snorted. “He’s kind of a fool.”
Bradford shifted in his seat. “What does that mean? Lila thinks very highly of him.”
“Lots of shit goes on up here in small-town America, and he doesn’t even know about it.”
“But you do?”
I lifted a shoulder and waited.
Bradford fidgeted and huffed. “Okay, I gotta ask you something.”
Here it comes.
I didn’t think I’d get so emotional about lying to Bradford, but my stomach bubbled with nausea.
“Go ahead.” I pulled into a spot we used to catch speeders and turned on the radar gun.
Meeting my eyes, I could see how affected he was by what he’d heard, and it made me want to tell him everything, but he was too vulnerable to pillow talk. I didn’t know how much his girlfriend knew.
“Lila said…dammit, Starr. I can’t even believe I’m saying this, but she read some memos that said you’re involved in some shit.” He lowered his voice. “Helping drug runners move product to New York City. I told her she’s crazy, but she said they have proof.”
A speeder blew past us, and I flipped my shades down and turned on the lights and siren. “I’ve got nothing to say.”
The rest of our shift was spent in relative silence, with Bradford giving me one-word answers. At dinner break, he said he had some shit to do and asked me to drop him off at the station.
I got a soda out of the vending machine in the break room, and Simms passed by. He acknowledged me with a brief nod, and I returned it. A few of the guys trickled in, and from the side-eyes I was getting, I could see the word had begun to spread.
Clarke narrowed his eyes, shook his head, and walked out. Ross slammed his locker door shut.
“Man, you suck. Fuck you.”
It was like that the rest of the week, with me becoming increasingly isolated from everyone in my squad who only the week before had treated me with respect and camaraderie. Brother officer one week, pariah the next.
The only way I made it through the week was having Emmy there with me every night. He made me forget the virtual exile I’d been experiencing from the other guys by loving me deeply and with such strength, I managed to put everything out of my mind except his touch. It healed me.
It took four days for my father to contact me. Emmy and I had made love and lay holding each other, still catching our breath. Sweaty and shaking, I pulled out slowly, and after disposing of the condom, I got a washcloth to clean him up. Afterward, he spooned me and kissed my neck.
“You’re an incredible lover.”
“Mmm, I think you stole my line.” My phone lit up with a call, and I tensed and sat up. “It’s him. My father.”
Emmy jumped. “McGill’s got the line tapped?”
“It’s what he said.” Damn my shaky hands. I hit the screen. “Yeah? What do you want?”
A low chuckle filled my ear. “Well, well. Guess the apple didn’t fall as far from the tree as I’d thought.”
“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
“Sure you do, son. I’ve been hearing you have a nice little side hustle up there in the mountains.”
Emmy laid his hands on my neck, rubbing at the knots.
“Depends on what you’re calling a little side hustle.”
“You know what I’m talking about.”
I had to get him to say the words. “I do a lot of extra work. I help out an elderly man who just got out of the hospital, I also—”
“Cut the bullshit. I’m talking about your connection with Delvecchio and Nolan. They’re the major suppliers of fentanyl, heroin, and meth to the city from upstate. Word is you’re working with them.”
“Aw, and you’re worried about me? That’s the reason for your so-called fatherly concern?” I snorted. “Spare me. Or are you planning to arrest me?”
“No, you sanctimonious little shit. I’m telling you that nothing comes into my city without me knowing about it.” He paused. “And getting a piece of the pie. If you get my drift.”
Heart pounding, I closed my eyes. I’d known McGill wasn’t lying, but if there had ever been a moment of doubt that Michael Starr was a crooked son of a bitch, it all just went out the window. Still, I had a role to play.
“You want me to cut you in on my profit? The fuck you say.”
“Don’t think for a second because you’re my son, you’re gonna get treated differently than any of the other runners. They know the score, and now you will too. I control what comes into the city. I get twenty percent and allow the product to be distributed.”
“How do I know I won’t get caught up in a raid, or that you’re not a mole, sent to jam me up?”
“Because I say so. I’ll be in touch.” The screen went black, and I tossed the phone.
“What’d he say? I only caught bits and pieces.”
Like the time McGill had first told me of the plan, I ran to the bathroom, where I threw up until there was nothing left but bile. Tears streamed from my eyes, and I lay curled up on the floor.
Emmy came in.
“Go away,” I rasped. “I can’t right now.”
Of course he didn’t listen and joined me on the floor. “Dom, please talk to me. Don’t push me away.”
I held on to him and buried my face in his shoulder.
“I didn’t know it was going to be this hard.
I thought I’d be able to deal with it, but hearing everything he said, knowing that McGill was correct and my father is as corrupt as they say…
it makes me physically ill to think of all the poison he’s allowed into the city.
All the people he’s hurt. I don’t know if I can do it. ”
“Sure you can. You’re the strongest man I know.”
“I’m not. I’m really not.” I wiped my face.
“I just want to be left alone to live my life.” I scooted away from him and caught my breath.
“Sorry for the trauma dumping. I’m fine now.
” On my feet, I brushed my teeth and washed my face.
“I’d better call McGill.” I returned to the bedroom and shook my head at the two missed calls.
“Of course he already called me.” I returned the call. “Are you a vampire? Don’t you sleep?”
“So he made contact. And it was excellent work on your part.”
“Now what?”
“He said he’ll be in touch. So you wait for him to initiate contact. On your next day off, we’ll need you to go to certain places where the drug runners hang out. Put your face out there.”
That sick feeling of dread swirled through me. “If I have to.”
“You do. I’ll send you the info.” He ended the call, and I lay down, staring at the ceiling.
“How the hell did my life get so fucked up?” Emmy crawled in next to me, and I pulled him close. “You’re the only person I can count on.”
“It’s gonna be okay. I promise.”
But as much as I wanted to believe him, I knew nothing would ever be the same again.