Baltimore, Maryland,
Monday 13 June, 2.15 P.M.
Was it? Thorne thought. Was it possible that today’s shootings were merely a diversion to take the focus off whoever had killed Patricia Linden Segal?
‘Maybe,’ he answered slowly. ‘I suppose so. Except for the key ring.’
Joseph lifted his brows. ‘And how did you know about that?’
‘Crime scene photos,’ Jamie cut in with a small smile.
Hyatt shook his head. ‘Nope. We didn’t give you access to those. Thorne hasn’t been charged.’
Thorne glanced at Gwyn regretfully, but saw her chin already lifted in defiance and felt a welling of pride. ‘I took some photos before the EMTs got there,’ she said. ‘I knew Thorne was being set up. I also knew the EMTs would make a mess of the crime scene getting him out of there. So I snapped some pictures.’
Eyes flashing, Hyatt drew a deep breath and let it out. ‘You might have shared those with us, Miss Weaver.’
‘Why?’ she shot back, outraged. ‘You followed us.’
‘I told you I would,’ Hyatt said icily. ‘I told you I’d have surveillance on Thorne.’
‘Yes, but you followed all our friends too. If any of them had found anything that looked bad for Thorne, you would have pounced on it. You say you believe he’s innocent, but at the end of the day you’re cops, with your own fucking agenda. You’ll take any evidence you can to make your case, even if that evidence is completely out of context.’
Hyatt’s glare was cold. ‘You don’t have too high an opinion of me, Miss Weaver.’
She frowned. ‘No, I really don’t. Yes, you do the right thing most of the time, but I’ve seen the times that you haven’t. I was a paralegal for a lot of years. I worked hundreds of cases for people who were brought to trial unjustly. Your officers take liberties with searches and twist testimony to fit their own needs. Not all of them.’ She shot a quick glance of apology at JD, then at Stevie, before turning her glare back on Hyatt. ‘I know cops who are good, who have integrity, who carry a badge because they truly wish to serve. But some don’t. And some of them have worked for you, Lieutenant.’ She shrugged. ‘But I don’t work for you. Anything I choose to share is voluntary unless I’m subpoenaed. Or arrested. Yes, we knew about the key ring. And had you asked the right questions, respectfully, instead of depending on us to do your work for you, you might have predicted we’d be at Brent Kiley’s apartment. With or without a goddamn tail.’
Thorne stared down at her, warmth spreading in his chest. It was pride, yes. But it was far more than that. She was back. This was Gwyn before Evan ripped her confidence away. She’s back. And she’s fighting. For me. It was damn heady.
Hyatt ran a frustrated hand over his bald head. ‘You defense attorneys . . .’ He bit off whatever he’d planned to say. ‘Are you going to trust us or not?’
‘Not,’ Gwyn stated firmly, just as Jamie said the same.
Joseph nodded calmly. ‘I can see your point, Gwyn. Truthfully, I don’t expect you to trust me. However, I do expect you to be honest with me so that I can do my job and keep you all safe.’
The heady feeling that had filled Thorne seeped away and he sighed heavily. ‘I don’t trust either of you’ – he gestured between Hyatt and Joseph – ‘completely. However, I don’t think you’d lie or intentionally trick me.’
‘At least Joseph wouldn’t,’ Gwyn muttered.
One side of Thorne’s lip quirked before he could stop it. Focusing, he schooled his features once again. ‘I also don’t want to live with knowing that somebody I care about got hurt because I didn’t share the right information. The key ring is important. One that looks to be similar was shoved into Richard Linden’s torso. I saw it when I was trying to stop his bleeding.’
Joseph’s eyes went wary. ‘I saw the court transcripts. I don’t remember reading about a key ring.’
‘Yeah, well,’ Thorne said, ‘that’s because it disappeared.’
‘Brent Kiley is an EMT,’ Hyatt said slowly. ‘Was he one of the first responders to the Linden kid’s scene?’
Thorne had to give him credit. The man might be an asshole, but he was sharp. ‘Yes. But he doesn’t remember seeing anything.’
There was no point in saying anything else, because Kiley had promised that he would say exactly that to anyone else who asked.
‘Yet you stayed in his apartment for several minutes,’ Joseph commented. ‘So says his nosy neighbor, anyway.’
‘We did,’ Thorne confirmed, but said no more.
Joseph rolled his eyes. ‘So this is the way we’re playing it? Really, Thorne? Both Gwyn and Stevie are shot at and you’re going to make me guess the right questions to ask you?’
‘I’ve told you the one important thing that I see as a connection,’ Thorne said evenly. ‘The key ring. The one I saw on Richard Linden’s body belonged to him. Or resembled the one that belonged to him, anyway. The EMT couldn’t say where it disappeared to.’
‘Have you located Kiley’s partner?’ Joseph asked. ‘Maybe he saw it.’
Thorne considered his words. ‘When we asked Kiley if he knew where his partner was, he said he’d quit about a year after my trial. This was after a car accident in which his car was broadsided by a truck that came out of nowhere.’ He lifted his brows and Hyatt’s scowl deepened.
‘Your girlfriend at the time died the same way,’ Hyatt said reluctantly. ‘She would have been a witness. What happened to Kiley’s partner?’
Thorne shrugged. ‘He just . . . disappeared. Quit his job and never came back.’
‘We’ll start a search for him,’ Joseph said. ‘Who else was involved in handling Richard Linden’s body?’
Thorne glanced at Lucy, who’d been sitting silently at JD’s side. She was still wearing a lab coat and had probably come straight from the morgue.
Thorne dipped his head almost imperceptibly, giving his assent, and she cleared her throat. ‘I read the police report detailing the murder of Richard Linden,’ she said. ‘Richard was declared DOA in the ER. The doctor who called his death died a few years ago of a heart attack, so that’s another dead end.’ She winced a little at her unfortunate word choice. ‘Anyway, according to the report, there wasn’t much done in the ER. Richard may have been dead even before he was put in the ambulance.’
Everyone aimed a look at Thorne. ‘Was he?’ Joseph asked.
Thorne shrugged. ‘He had a pulse when I discovered him. I thought so anyway.’
‘He was convinced enough,’ Jamie said acidly, ‘to stay at Richard’s side to try to save his life, even though he knew he’d be blamed.’
Joseph met Thorne’s eyes and Thorne was momentarily struck speechless by the kindness and respect he saw there. ‘I gathered that from the court transcripts,’ Joseph said. ‘It was . . . above and beyond decency, Thorne.’
Wow. For a second, Thorne just stared. Then years of training in the art of interrogation kicked in. Joseph Carter was very good at his job. That wasn’t to say he was insincere or untruthful. But he definitely knew how to manipulate a witness.
Thorne smiled at him, allowing his amusement to show. ‘Thank you.’
Joseph held his gaze for a long moment. ‘I meant it.’
‘I know. It almost worked too.’ He sobered, reclaiming the thread of the conversation. ‘Richard had a pulse when I found him. I tried to stop the bleeding, but I was only seventeen. I’d had Red Cross first aid training because I’d been a lifeguard, but I didn’t know how to deal with a wound like that. I knew he was close to death, though. I mean, I could see his internal organs.’ He swallowed hard, remembering exactly how it had looked. How fucking scared he’d been. ‘Then the cops stormed the place and ripped me away from him. They had me cuffed and face down on the floor before I could say a word.’ Beside him, Gwyn tensed, and he glanced down at her. ‘It really did look bad,’ he murmured. ‘I was bent over him, covered in his blood. I couldn’t blame the cops for that part.’
‘I could,’ Jamie said flatly.
‘And I did,’ Phil added.
Smiling ruefully at them, Thorne returned his attention to Joseph. ‘I don’t know what happened after that with respect to Richard. I only know what I saw in those minutes that I was trying to help him. The key ring was there then. That’s what I know to be fact.’
‘I interviewed the ER doctor as part of my trial prep,’ Jamie said. ‘I asked him about the key ring, because Thorne was so adamant that he’d seen it and by then it was gone. The doctor said he didn’t do an exam. He called Richard’s time of death less than a minute after he was brought in. He deliberately hadn’t touched the body any more than necessary because he knew there would be a homicide investigation. And he said there was police presence the entire time. The cops accompanied the body to the morgue. The doctor didn’t have any more contact with the body or the Linden family.’ He looked to Lucy. ‘I also interviewed the ME. He denies having seen the key ring as well.’
‘I know the ME who did the exam,’ Lucy said. ‘He was my boss until he retired, and he was always a man of integrity, personally and professionally. His autopsy report lists no items found inside the body, and according to court transcripts, nothing meeting that description was taken into evidence by the police. That leaves the ME tech who prepared the body for autopsy as the only person left in the chain with access to Richard’s body. That tech is dead. He was killed at the scene of a shooting incident fourteen years ago.’
‘Lots of dead or missing people,’ Joseph commented. ‘What was the significance of this key ring?’
‘I don’t know,’ Thorne said truthfully. ‘It was made from a medal Richard received for soccer. As I recall, he carried a single key on it. Both key and ring were inside his body. Until they no longer were. Can you describe the key ring you found in Patricia’s wound?’
Brickman, the asshole detective still leaning against the wall, made a disagreeable sound. ‘That information is confidential,’ he said stiffly. ‘It’s part of an ongoing investigation. As are you, Mr Thorne.’
Thorne stiffened, and beside him Gwyn drew a deep breath, her cheeks darkening. She opened her mouth to say something sharp and snarky, but he squeezed her hand and gave his head a mild shake.
Joseph was giving Brickman a disapproving look, but he said nothing, probably because Brickman was Hyatt’s responsibility.
Hyatt harrumphed. ‘Not your call, Detective,’ he said, injecting the proper level of sharpness into his tone. ‘We are cooperating here. And Mr Thorne is here of his own volition. We are grateful for his help.’ He turned to Thorne. ‘Having said that, we really can’t tell you much about the key ring, but that’s because it’s being analyzed in the lab.’
Thorne nodded slowly, hoping his expression showed his disbelief. ‘I see.’
Gwyn tugged at his hand. ‘I think we should go now,’ she said. ‘They’ll never cooperate with us.’
Hyatt rolled his eyes. ‘For God’s sake. It really is being analyzed. Knowing that it might be a sports medal is helpful. Currently, there’s so much buildup on it, we can’t see what was inscribed. The lab will tell us what the item is when they’re finished. Jeez.’
Gwyn gave him a narrow-eyed nod. ‘Thank you. That is cooperation.’
Another eyeroll from Hyatt. ‘Now, what would be even more cooperative is if you tell us who you suspect is behind this.’
Thorne drew a breath and let it out. Frederick had drawn up a list of clients who’d been unhappy with their sentences, but no one had jumped out. Other than Cesar Tavilla, he wasn’t aware of anyone who hated him this much or had enough muscle to pull off such an elaborate setup. And according to Ramirez, this was not Tavilla’s doing. ‘I don’t know and that’s the truth. I tend to make enemies in my line of work.’
Detective Brickman made another offensive noise. ‘No kidding.’
Gwyn’s hands clenched into fists. ‘Motherfu—’
Thorne wrapped one of her fists in his big hand and squeezed. ‘That’s what he wants,’ he murmured. ‘Don’t give him an inch.’
‘Sorry,’ she muttered. ‘But he’s an asshole.’
‘Yes, he is,’ Thorne agreed, as if they were the only two people in the room. ‘But he’s trying to make me mad. You need to keep me calm. Okay?’
Gwyn visibly reined in her temper. ‘Okay.’
He squeezed her hand again before turning back to Hyatt and Joseph. ‘No one has made any explicit threats, and implicit threats happen every damn day.’
Joseph’s gaze was . . . unsettling. Like he knew something that Thorne didn’t. ‘Tell me about the implicit threats, Thorne. Give me something to work with.’
Thorne stilled. ‘Why are you even here, Joseph? I thought you and JD had recused yourselves because we have . . . a not-unfriendly relationship.’
Still standing behind Stevie, Clay laughed out loud. ‘Not-unfriendly. That’s priceless. But I was wondering the same thing. What gives, Joseph?’
Joseph’s lips had twitched at Thorne’s words, but he sobered quickly. ‘I would have thought you’d have asked me that question when you first walked in.’
‘He was a little preoccupied at the time,’ Phil said, leaping to Thorne’s defense with just the right amount of paternal outrage.
‘I could see that.’ Joseph was very serious. ‘And I understand, believe me.’
‘Then answer his question,’ Gwyn said quietly. ‘Please.’
‘All right.’ Joseph slid a single sheet of paper across the table to Thorne. ‘I did some research of my own this morning. Did you know that Cesar Tavilla’s son is dead?’
Startled, Thorne grabbed the paper and scanned it quickly. Colin Tavilla had been killed in a fight in the prison exercise yard. Two weeks ago.
That was impossible. I’d have known. Ramirez would have told me.
‘I didn’t know,’ he said tightly, wiping his expression clean. But if it was true? This was going to get really, really bad.
Hunt Valley, Maryland,
Monday 13 June, 2.35 P.M.
Frederick didn’t draw an easy breath until he and Julie were safely in Clay and Stevie’s house. Taylor was waiting for them with a huge smile.
‘Julie, look at you!’ Delighted, she stroked a hand over her sister’s hair. ‘Your haircut is super-cute!’
Frederick blinked. Julie’s hair was shorter. He hadn’t even noticed.
Taylor chuckled. ‘It’s okay, Dad. It’s kind of a girl thing, right, Jules?’
Julie beamed. ‘The hair cutters came to the center. I like it!’
‘Hello, gorgeous.’ Taylor’s fiancé came up and brushed a gentle kiss on Julie’s cheek. ‘Long time no see.’
Julie giggled. ‘Hi, Ford.’
Frederick frowned, mentally checking the day. ‘It’s Monday, right? Why aren’t you at work?’
Ford straightened, shooting Frederick a cautious look. ‘I took some vacation days.’ He glanced at Julie. ‘You know, to help Clay and Stevie get ready for the christening.’
Which was in less than a week. Shit.
Taylor continued smiling at Julie, fussing with her hair. ‘We’re watching all the kids. Just so everyone can get their jobs done.’
It was then that Frederick saw the telltale gun-shaped bulge at Taylor’s side, covered by the loose-fitting jersey she wore. She was carrying. In the house. While watching children. His gaze quickly flew to hers and then to Ford’s.
Ford looked positively grim for a brief moment before schooling his features back into a smile for Julie. ‘I’ve got all kinds of fun stuff to do downstairs, and Cordelia’s picked out some DVDs she said you’re going to love.’
Julie clapped her hands. She loved Stevie’s ten-year-old daughter, and the feeling was mutual. I was right to bring her here. One thing done right, at least.
Frederick kissed Julie’s forehead. ‘Have fun, baby girl.’ He looked at Ford. ‘Can you carry her down the stairs?’
‘Daddy,’ Julie said, frowning. ‘They have an elevator. I can do it myself.’ She waved, maneuvering her chair toward the elevator to the basement, Ford at her side.
‘She knows the way,’ Frederick murmured.
‘She does,’ Taylor said wisely. ‘And Ford knows to let her do it herself. But he’ll be there if she needs him.’
Frederick met his daughter’s dark eyes, so like Clay’s. ‘When did they install an elevator?’
Taylor’s lips curved, watching her fiancé laughing with Julie. ‘A few months ago. Stevie was having trouble getting up and down the stairs to the basement with her cane, and one day she tripped. The next day Clay had the elevator company here.’ Her eyes softened. ‘Stevie was mad about the expense, but then Clay pointed out that if they got an elevator, Julie could play with Cordy. Stevie was on board after that.’
Frederick’s heart squeezed painfully, overcome with gratitude for the man who’d opened his arms and his home to their family, when very few would have been so forgiving.
‘Yeah,’ Taylor murmured, as if reading his mind. ‘He’s pretty special.’ She cleared her throat. ‘We’ve had a situation.’
Frederick’s shoulders sagged. ‘More than someone trying to get to Julie?’
Taylor looked as grim as Ford had. ‘Yes. Stevie was shot at.’
He gaped. ‘What? When?’
‘As they were leaving lunch. She’s fine, but Gwyn got shot at too.’
‘Clay never mentioned it when I called him.’
‘He said you sounded freaked out enough. That I should let you get here before I told you.’
That made Frederick feel both grateful and annoyed at the same time. ‘I guess that explains the gun you’re carrying.’
‘Nobody is going to hurt my family,’ Taylor said fiercely. ‘Come on.’
He followed her to Clay’s study, where Sam, Clay’s PI, was staring at a large monitor on the desk. Alec Vaughn, his IT whizz-kid, sat on the floor, a computer on his lap and stacks of paper arranged in a semicircle around him.
Both men looked up, expressions also grim. ‘You get your daughter settled?’ Sam asked.
‘Ford’s with her,’ Frederick said. ‘What are you doing?’
‘I’m viewing video from the bar where Thorne got attacked,’ Sam said, ‘and from one of the businesses down the road from the bar.’
‘Anything yet?’ Alec asked, but Sam shook his head.
‘No. But when I find what I’m looking for, I’ll send it to you.’
Alec nodded. ‘In the meantime, I’ve been checking into that phone number that called Bernice Brown’s friend and tried to contact your daughter. So far, all I know is that it’s a throwaway.’
‘I’d have been shocked if it weren’t,’ Frederick muttered.
Taylor leaned up and kissed his cheek. ‘Julie’s safe with us. I’m going downstairs to help Ford.’
‘He took vacation to help out,’ Frederick said quietly, again overwhelmed by the way these people pitched in to support each other.
Her lips twitched. ‘I keep telling you that he’s a nice guy.’
‘I believed you the first time. I’m . . . glad.’
She nodded, understanding. ‘We were self-reliant for too long, Dad. Hard to get used to having so many people willing to help. Are you going to stay here today?’
‘No. Whoever contacted Julie knew that Sally Brewster had contacted her first. Miss Brewster could be in on this. If she’s truly honest, then we were overheard. If that’s the case, I need to know where it happened.’
Taylor looked like she wanted to protest, but she nodded. ‘Keep yourself safe, got it?’
‘Yes, ma’am,’ he said.
‘She told you about Stevie and Gwyn?’ Sam asked brusquely.
‘Just that they were shot at.’
‘Only them. Both Thorne and Clay made themselves targets by throwing themselves over them, but they weren’t shot at.’
Frederick better understood the tight set of the younger man’s jaw. Someone was looking to pick off Thorne’s friends, but was, for some reason, being choosy. ‘Where is Ruby?’
‘She and my mother were going shopping for baby things. I told them to go straight back to my mom’s house. I’m going to get Ruby now.’ Sam shut down his computer, and when he stood, Frederick saw that he too was wearing a weapon.
God. What had they come to, that they were armed in a secure house? ‘Poor Thorne,’ he murmured. ‘This has got to be wrecking him.’
‘We haven’t talked to him yet. Clay’s going to get him to come here. They’re all at the police station now, being grilled by Hyatt and Joseph Carter.’
Frederick whistled. ‘I’m sure that’s doing wonders for Thorne’s mood.’
‘Which is why we’re all going to be here when he arrives,’ Sam said. ‘We need to show him that we’ve got his back and that we’re going to fix this before it gets any worse.’
Baltimore, Maryland,
Monday 13 June, 2.45 P.M.
Thorne’s gut twisted painfully. Colin Tavilla was dead. How did I not know this? I should have been told. Ramirez should have told me. If there’d been radio silence from his man inside Tavilla’s camp, he’d have been worried. But he’d heard from Ramirez. Yesterday.
Gwyn’s small, trembling hand came into view, sliding the report of Colin’s death over so that she could read it. ‘Shit,’ she whispered, then passed it to Jamie and Phil. Both men had paled. All of them knew what this could mean.
Exhaling heavily, Thorne looked up to meet Joseph’s concerned gaze. ‘How did you know to look for this?’
‘I’ve been keeping my eye on Cesar Tavilla since last summer,’ Joseph said. ‘Ever since you gave us evidence that helped us bring in Gage Jarvis.’
‘What?’ Jamie demanded. ‘Thorne?’
Fuck. He hadn’t told them for a reason – the fear on their faces right now.
Joseph registered surprise. ‘You didn’t tell them?’
‘No,’ Jamie bit out. ‘He did not. Please correct that oversight right now, Agent Carter.’
Joseph shot Thorne a curious look, then shrugged. ‘Last summer, an attorney named Gage Jarvis killed his ex-wife and was looking for his daughter because she’d witnessed him leaving the scene. She was eleven.’
‘Was?’ Phil asked sharply.
‘I’m sorry,’ Joseph said immediately. ‘She is eleven. She’s healthy and in therapy. Lots of therapy.’
‘Oh, thank God.’ Phil shuddered out a breath. ‘I thought you meant that she was dead.’
‘No.’ Joseph’s mouth curved up in a small smile. ‘But we owe some of that to Thorne. JD turned to him for information because Gage was a defense attorney. JD hoped that Thorne might know who Gage had been friendly with so that they could find his hiding place. Thorne did us one better. He had a photo of Gage having dinner with Tavilla, taken a few days before, so we knew our suspect was in town and for whom he was working. Except Tavilla washed his hands of Gage when we turned up the heat. The long and short of it is that Tavilla isn’t stupid. He knew we had inside info. At the time, Thorne told us that he’d had reason to believe Tavilla had targeted him in the past, and that he had a man inside. I worried then about what Tavilla would do if he found out. So I’ve kept watch. He’s gone under, by the way. He’s only been sighted a handful of times, usually at the same restaurant where he met with Gage Jarvis. He knows we’re watching. He somehow manages to lose his tail every time. We’re investigating that too.’
‘I see.’ Jamie’s voice was low and controlled. ‘That’s certainly enlightening. Both the help Thorne gave you last year and the man he had inside.’
Thorne could feel Jamie’s fury, and had to resist the urge to drop his eyes like a scolded child. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to worry.’
Jamie swallowed hard. ‘Well, too bad. I worried anyway. You should have told me.’
‘Jamie,’ Phil murmured. ‘Not here.’
On the other side of Thorne, Gwyn was uncharacteristically quiet. He didn’t know if he had the courage to look at her expression at the moment.
Instead he fixed his attention back on Joseph and Hyatt. ‘I would have thought news of Colin Tavilla’s death would have made headlines.’
Joseph’s brows rose. ‘Your informant didn’t mention it?’
‘No. And I’ve heard from him recently.’ And I’ll be reaching out to him again as soon as I leave this room. ‘How was this kept from the media?’
‘Good question,’ Hyatt said. ‘It seems that Colin was stabbed in a fight in the exercise yard. It was . . . unpleasant. The crowd around him dispersed, leaving him where he fell. The prison had him airlifted to the hospital. They spread the word among the inmates that Colin had made it through surgery and was recovering. In reality, he died in the exercise yard. We’re guessing the prison didn’t want any publicity about it because they’d have gang violence erupt inside. They must have figured that anyone who knew differently wasn’t going to speak up and incriminate themselves in the murder.’
‘Either that or Tavilla wanted it kept quiet,’ Thorne muttered.
‘Certainly a possibility,’ Joseph agreed. ‘I have to say I was surprised. I was supposed to be told if he died as well. But his death certificate was filed. When I couldn’t find out where he was “recovering”, I looked for the certificate. I’m thinking this changes things in your mind, Thorne, in terms of who could be responsible?’
Thorne nodded, his thoughts spiraling everywhere. ‘Yeah. I immediately thought Tavilla, but . . .’
‘But you’d heard from your man inside,’ Joseph supplied. ‘If you give us his name, we’ll check up on him to make sure he’s okay.’
Thorne almost smiled. ‘I don’t think so, Joseph.’
Joseph shrugged. ‘It was worth a try.’
Hyatt wasn’t as easily placated. ‘We need that name, Thorne. We need to know who we’re looking at for this. If it’s Tavilla, we want to take him down.’
Thorne simply shook his head. He wasn’t going to reveal Ramirez to the cops. They’d bring him in just to get at Tavilla. He owed Ramirez too much to do that to him.
Hyatt gave another frustrated sigh. ‘Can you at least explain why Cesar Tavilla hates you so much? Because I don’t buy the explanation I was given. That you refused to represent his kid in court is not a valid reason for his orchestrating this vendetta against you, if he’s even done so.’
Thorne rubbed his forehead. ‘Not entirely, no. I did refuse to take his son’s case. Twice. The first time was five years ago. Cesar was displeased, but another attorney was able to get him off. The second time was two years ago.’
‘Why did you refuse?’ Hyatt asked.
Thorne resisted the urge to roll his eyes. ‘Because I don’t want to be in the pocket of someone like Cesar Tavilla. Nor did I want to start a feud, but that’s what I did. Colin Tavilla went to prison for killing his partner in crime, one of the other young members of Cesar’s gang. The two had robbed a jewelry store. Made off with a few million dollars in diamonds. The store owner was distracted because he was receiving a delivery from another young man, Avery, who’d been hired by Colin. Avery is the son of a rival gang leader, which I didn’t know when I took the case. Avery didn’t know either, but—’
‘Wait,’ Hyatt interrupted. ‘This Avery kid didn’t know his father was a gang leader?’
‘He didn’t know his father even existed,’ Thorne said. ‘His mother raised him alone. His father knew about Avery and kept watch over him, but he’d never met him in person. Apparently someone else found out, because Colin Tavilla knew. He deliberately set the kid up to take the fall for the theft.’
‘To get to the rival gang leader,’ Hyatt said with a slow nod. ‘Okay, then what?’
‘Avery couldn’t prove he’d been tricked, and even when I found out who his father was, I stuck with him. He was being railroaded for a crime he didn’t commit because of who his father was.’
‘Why don’t I remember this?’ Hyatt asked suspiciously.
‘Because Avery’s case wasn’t a homicide, for one,’ Thorne answered. ‘But mostly because this happened in DC. It was handled by DCPD and tried in a DC court.’
Hyatt’s eyes narrowed. ‘Still not seeing why Tavilla hates you so much.’
‘Because it became a homicide,’ Joseph supplied. ‘Colin Tavilla’s buddy stole the entire haul instead of simply taking his half. Colin found out and killed him.’
Thorne grimaced. ‘And it wasn’t pretty. Colin gutted him, very similar to what was done to Patricia. Cesar approached me and asked me to represent his son in court. Not only did I say no, but Avery became a witness in Colin’s murder trial. His testimony was credible because I was able to get the grand theft charges against him dismissed. It was crucial to finding Colin guilty. Colin went away for twenty years. Which he apparently did not serve, because he was killed.’
Hyatt was frowning. ‘So why does Tavilla hate you and not this Avery kid?’
‘Because I sat in court next to Avery. He’d been afraid to testify. He was only sixteen at the time. But he’s a good kid. He did the right thing. And when he was interviewed afterward, he credited me with giving him the courage to speak up.’
‘Ah.’ Hyatt nodded now. ‘That makes more sense. What happened to Avery?’
‘He’s gone off to university. Changed his name. I’m sure Tavilla knows where he is, but if Avery’s harmed, his father will blame Tavilla and it’ll cause a gang war.’
‘Tavilla’s not strong enough to survive that,’ Joseph added. ‘Not right now.’
‘He’s made attempts on your life before?’ Hyatt asked.
Thorne shrugged, conscious that Phil, Jamie and Gwyn were all holding their breath, waiting for an answer. ‘A few. None of them successful, obviously. But it was enough for me to seek a contact inside. I’ve kept my eye on Cesar ever since Colin was incarcerated.’ He met Joseph’s gaze, then Hyatt’s. ‘Am I free to go?’
‘Of course,’ Joseph said. ‘You are not under arrest.’
An exasperated sound came from the other side of the room, where Detective Brickman still leaned against the wall. ‘You’re just letting him go? Again?’
‘Yes,’ Joseph fired back. ‘We are.’
Hyatt gave the younger detective a dangerous look. ‘In my office, Brickman, as soon as we’re done here.’ To Thorne he said, ‘Yes, we are letting you go, but it’s against my better judgment. Not because I think you’re guilty, but because I know you’re stupid. Do not try to do any further investigating on your own.’ He turned to Stevie with a glare. ‘That includes you too.’
‘I’m going home,’ Stevie promised. ‘I’ve got a baby to nurse, a hip to ice, and a christening to plan.’
Thorne chanced a glance at Gwyn. She sat eerily still, her hands folded in her lap. Shit, he thought. She’s going to blow her stack when we leave here.
‘We’re going home too,’ he said. ‘Should I assume surveillance will continue?’
‘Of course,’ Joseph said mildly. ‘You’ve got my cell phone number. If you change your mind and decide to give us your confidential informant’s name, I’m happy to help.’
Like that’s ever going to happen. Thorne stood and helped Gwyn to her feet, and they all filed out, Jamie still shooting him angry looks. Phil looked wearily resigned.
I should have told them. But he really hadn’t wanted to worry them. And I’m thirty-six years old, for fuck’s sake. Old enough to manage his own life and the consequences that came from his personal choices. But he’d hurt them and he hadn’t meant to. He sighed quietly. Just another fuck-up that he needed to fix.
Clay and Stevie followed them, Stevie limping and swatting Clay’s hand away when he tried to help steady her. Lucy and JD brought up the rear. Nobody spoke until they reached the elevator.
‘Everyone’s coming to our house,’ Clay murmured in Thorne’s ear. ‘We have gates to keep out Hyatt’s men. Nobody will be able to listen to us there.’
Thorne nodded once. He considered asking Clay if he was sure, if he was really okay with the shitshow Thorne had already brought down on their heads. But he respected Clay Maynard, so he took the man at his word. ‘All right. Thank you.’
Baltimore, Maryland,
Monday 13 June, 3.35 P.M.
Gwyn remained silent as they walked to Jamie’s minivan, conscious of the way Thorne loomed over her. Her shield. Again.
She didn’t argue with him, largely because she’d decided that whoever was behind this didn’t want Thorne dead. They wanted him hurt.
And if it was Cesar Tavilla pulling the strings? She swallowed hard and willed her nerves to settle. But her nerves were not cooperating. Not in the least. She felt ready to leap out of her own skin.
Instead she turned her attention to Phil and Jamie, who’d also gathered around her protectively. Thorne was at her back, while the two older men flanked either side.
‘I didn’t know either, so don’t feel bad,’ she murmured as they got to the minivan.
Jamie looked up at her sharply. ‘You mean about Tavilla?’
She nodded. She’d known Thorne had given Joseph and JD information about Jarvis, the rogue attorney who’d killed his wife, but she hadn’t known that the information had involved Tavilla. She wouldn’t have been able to sleep if she had. ‘I was at Lucy and JD’s house with him the night he helped the cops with Jarvis, but I’d gone upstairs to help Lucy bathe her son. By the time we’d finished, the conversation downstairs was over. I assumed at the time that Thorne would tell me everything I needed to know and that whatever he kept to himself was because of client confidentiality.’
‘You didn’t need to know about all that,’ Thorne insisted, sounding aggrieved. ‘I was trying to keep you from worrying. And I’m right here behind you, so stop talking about me like I’m not here.’
‘I know exactly where you are,’ she said evenly, because she was so angry. Angry that he’d kept this from them. Angry that he’d taken so many risks with his life. Angry that he’d continue to do so, because she knew he’d try to find his man inside Tavilla’s organization, just to make sure the guy was okay.
Because that was Thorne. He was loyal and he didn’t leave people behind.
Which is why you . . . care for him. She’d come so close to the L word. The thing was, she did love Thorne. The question was – in what way, exactly? She knew that she wasn’t in the proper frame of mind to figure that out at the moment.
They got in the van, Jamie behind the wheel, Phil shotgun, and Thorne and Gwyn in the backseat, just as they’d ridden around all day.
There was absolute silence until Jamie turned the key in the ignition. He set the A/C and sighed. ‘You’re going after him, aren’t you?’
Thorne was stone-faced. ‘Who exactly?’
‘Your source inside Tavilla’s organization,’ Jamie answered impatiently. ‘And probably Tavilla himself. Don’t play games, Thorne. It pisses me off.’
Thorne said nothing, which was answer enough.
‘I think we need to regroup,’ Phil said, his voice shaky. ‘Let’s take Clay up on his offer of hospitality for the time being. There’s safety in numbers.’
Jamie put the van in gear. ‘Fine. I’ll need directions. I’ve never been there.’
‘It’s in Hunt Valley,’ Thorne said. ‘Give me your phone. I’ll set your GPS.’ He did so, before firing off a text – probably to his contact inside Tavilla’s organization, Gwyn thought. Then he leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.
He looked so tired. And alone.
Alone was the last thing she wanted him to feel. She reached for his hand and held it, twining their fingers. ‘You don’t have to bear this yourself, Thorne. We said we have your back, and we do. We’re pissed off at you, but we’re not going away.’
He shuddered out a breath, but said nothing, so she brought his hand to her lips and kissed his fingers as he’d done hers earlier. She watched his nostrils flare, but that was the only indication he’d been affected at all.