CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

LIAM

“I need to speak with the detective.” 

The middle-aged woman at the reception desk peered at me over her thick, clear glasses frames.

“Do you have an appointment?”

“Appointment? He’s my fucking father.” 

“Watch your language! Hey!”

I ignored her as I stormed impatiently behind her desk to my dad’s office. 

When I burst through his door without knocking he looked up at me curiously, his salt and pepper mustache twitching slightly. He was perhaps a bit startled at my sudden entrance but unsurprised. 

Nothing surprised Detective Jeff Barnes, the man who had seen it all. 

"Thank you for your time, lieutenant," he said to the man sitting across from him. "I'll be in touch." 

Both men stood and shook hands before the lieutenant took his leave and Dad trained his laser-sharp, eagle eyes on me. 

"What's going on, son?" 

He was wise and perceptive enough to know something was desperately wrong with me. Even if my fists weren't clenching and I didn't have monstrous bags under my eyes from lack of sleep, he'd be able to tell. 

I admired my dad all my life and couldn't imagine a better mentor. This man was the first to tell me to look at the big picture when I started my police career and not to be distracted by the shiny details right in front of my eyes. 

"I need your help, Detective." I always called him Detective instead of Dad when it had something to do with work. 

But when I sat down in front of his desk under his watchful gaze, feeling the heavy weight of guilt and helplessness on my shoulders, I didn't give a shit about my career. I needed my girl back and safe in my arms. 

"I really fucked up, Dad," I choked out, hating myself for letting yet another girl I loved suffer because of my fucking career choice. In that moment I knew I was ready to throw it all away. 

Dad came around to the front of the desk and sat on the edge, watching me with my head in my hands. 

He asked again with all the patience of a saint, "What's going on, son?" 

I opened my mouth and everything flowed out like a waterfall. 

Not just about the call I got from Hazel and the sting, but everything to do with Solomon as well. I must have spent half an hour confessing everything to my dad and trying to justify it, even though none of it mattered because the girl I loved wasn't safe. For all I knew she was already dead.

My dad listened silently, not speaking a word while I poured out my soul but sat quietly with his hands folded. 

"I don't care what this means for my career," I concluded after my long-winded confession. "Hell, I'll happily do jail time myself after all this is over. All that matters to me is getting Hazel back."

He said nothing for a few moments but I knew his brain was already asking questions and playing out scenarios. Dad was always an unassuming guy. Even when he did regular police work he was never the biggest or strongest man on the force. But he was definitely the wisest and earned being the most respected detective in San Francisco and now Cloverville. 

"You're absolutely sure it's La Familia Noriega that has her?" he finally asked.

"Affirmative," I said. "They called me right after we stopped their robbery and said it was retaliation for that." 

"And are you sure this Solomon who you've been dealing with didn't lead you into a trap?"

My jaw clenched and my blood simmered as the realization occurred to me. Of course. It made perfect sense. How else would they know to go after her? How else would they get my phone number?

"I don't know," I admitted. "He's been honest with me for a long time. I'm not sure why he'd just turn me over." 

"I recommend finding out where he stands," Dad said. "If he's not dirty, we could potentially use his help with finding her." 

I nodded in agreement. I didn't want to believe that Sol had double-crossed me but if he did, I'd deal with it. My badge meant nothing anymore. I didn't have anything to lose.

"I'll call one of our best investigators on local crime families," Dad said, walking around his desk and picking up his phone. "We'll find out all we can and start putting a hostage specialist team together."

"Thanks, Dad." 

I let out a long sigh as I stood. It wasn't a sigh of relief but I did feel a bit better knowing my old man and his best people were on it. 

"I'll find Sol," I said as I started for the door. "And my last act as an officer might be bringing him here in cuffs." 

"Liam," Dad said with more than a hint of patronization. "You're not losing your job. We need officers like you on the force." 

I stopped in my tracks. There was no way I could have heard him right. 

"You serious?" 

"Of course I am." I knew from the way he looked at me he was a father talking to his son and not one of his officers. "I'm proud of you, Liam. You know how to see the big picture now." He smiled. "And I'm happy you've found love again." 

"Me too. Only we've got to get her back first."

"We will, son. I promise you." 

I nodded and swiftly left his office, knowing he'd get in touch once he was ready with the cavalry. In the meantime, I had another loose end to tie. 

***

Finding Sol was easy enough. He was at the wine bar in a tight-fitting buttoned shirt that showed off his tattoos again. 

One arm wrapped around the waist of a blonde woman in a black dress that clung to all her curves. She saw me approaching over Sol's shoulder and her smile fell when I came straight up behind him.

"Outside. Now." I snarled, dropping a heavy hand on his shoulder. 

He looked at me, amused and slightly annoyed that I interrupted his pick up game.

"Wait your turn, Barnes. I'm still celebrating our win here," he said with a wide grin and wink.

"I said. Fucking. Now."

"Alright, alright. Calm your fuckin' horses." 

He withdrew his arm from around the blonde and planted a kiss on her cheek before following my hurried gait outside to the back patio, which was thankfully empty. 

"So what's with the long face?” he asked. “I was gonna hit you up to party but figured the cops wanted to keep you for a while." 

I stood inches away from his face, my shoes practically touching his, searching his eyes for deception as the smile slowly dissipated from his face. 

"Was it you?" I asked quietly. 

"Was what me?" 

"Don't fuck with me!" 

My hands shot out like striking cobras and shoved his shoulders hard, taking him by surprise and sending him reeling back a few steps. 

"Whoa Barnes, what the fuck!" He squared up his shoulders and stood in front of me again with narrow, suspicious eyes. "I thought we were in this together, man. I don't understand the sudden hostility."

"They took her," I spat, my teeth grinding with rage. "Noriega took Hazel. My woman. They want me in their pocket. How the fuck would they know anything about me, huh? My girl and my phone number? How would they know, Sol?!"

I was screaming at this point, spitting in his face and one wrong answer away from sending my fist into the gangster's face. 

His expression remained calm and he didn't even flinch at the accusations. To my surprise, he reached out and put his hands on my shoulders, then spoke in a calm, steady voice. 

"Liam, I know we're on opposite sides of the track and come from completely different worlds. But you are one of the few men that I trust. That's even including my own people. And in this day and age, trust is hard to come by. When I find people I trust, I never do them dirty. As one man to another, you have my absolute word on that."

He stroked the stubble on his face and licked his lips thoughtfully. 

"What it sounds like you're saying is one of my own people betrayed me and sold out to Noriega. Possibly following me around and hacking my phones." He gave me a serious look. "I swear on my life it wasn't me. I have nothing to gain by letting that trash move in here. I have your back, man. One-hundred percent." 

My instincts told me I could trust Sol. If he did betray me I had enough evidence stacked against him that would put him away for over twenty years.

"I believe you," I said. "So I'm gonna need help from you to find her. Then we can consider ourselves even." 

"Absolutely, man. Anyone that kidnaps innocent women in our hometown needs to be driven out like vermin." His eyes flashed menacingly. "And I'm going to find out who sold me out and make an example of them too." 

"One thing at a time. Let's get my girl back first," I said. "My dad's putting a team together and getting more information on Noriega. He knows about our agreement and you can trust him too. If you can give him any information, it could help us find her before it's too late." 

Solomon's charming grin returned. 

"How romantic. The cops and the thug on a rescue mission together. This'll be one for the history books."