“He honored your request, sir.”
“Captain Barker called my cell phone last night while I was attending the Books, Brew, and Boo Bash with my husband and children. I wasn’t going to answer it because I fear Josh more than anything, but I worried your life was in imminent danger.”
I relaxed a little in my seat. “Can I assume by the delayed conversation the phone call wasn’t to warn you Axel was spotted heading south down I-71?”
“Do I detect a tone, Detective?”
“Not intentionally, sir.”
“Good, because I get enough of it at home from my husband.” Gabe scrubbed his hand over his face. “Listen, I didn’t tell you about the conversation I had with Barker last night because I was too angry, and I wanted to be calm when we discussed his proposal.”
“Proposal?” My tension returned tenfold.
“Quite honestly, I wanted to tell him to go fuck himself, but I can’t make the decision on your behalf. Well, I could in this case, but I respect you too damn much.”
“You’re making me nervous,” I admitted.
“I’m just going to repeat the conversation I had with him, and let you make the best decision for yourself.” I nodded. “Barker told me the missing witness, Sonya Wilson, and her family were found.”
“Dead?” I asked. Anger, frustration, and disgust washed over me when Gabe nodded. “Sonya was a young, confused woman who wanted so desperately to be loved. She’d had enough of his abuse and wanted a fresh start for herself and her family. They promised her witness protection for herself and her family if she testified. Gabe, they were kept in police custody to ensure their safety.”
“The safe house was compromised.”
“Or the officers on duty were,” I added. “I knew she didn’t flee into the night with her parents and younger siblings.”
“There was the slim possibility Axel paid her off so she could start over someplace new,” Gabe said. I shook my head. “Yeah, I didn’t think so either, but I hoped it was the case.”
“Can their deaths be tied to Axel?”
Gabe shook his head. “It was a very clean snatch and grab with no evidence left behind at the safe house or at the crime scene. This was done by someone with more skill, precision, and patience than Axel possesses.”
“He hired someone to do it for him,” I said to myself.
“It would seem because he’s still living the clean life. The surveillance hasn’t even turned up a single night of drunken behavior. He only goes to his legitimate job, church, and his mother’s house for dinner every Sunday night.”
“Bullshit,” I said. “There must be secret tunnels beneath those places. A guy like Axel Washington doesn’t just stop running drugs and guns. He didn’t kill off Sonya and her family to start a new life working for pennies compared to his previous weekly haul of cash, and he didn’t suddenly find religion. He fucking hates his mother. Did anyone check to see if she’s even alive? Has she been seen in public? If not, he’s killed her, buried her in the basement, and is using her house as his front.”
“Your captain said you’d feel this way.”
“About that,” I said. “What the fuck does any of this have to do with me? I did my part. I got them the evidence they needed to put the bastard away.”
“I was hoping this would be your reaction.”
“What other reaction would I have? What’s going on? What did Barker say that has you so angry?”
“He called and asked me to loan you out to his department so you could resume your undercover role and lure Axel back into his old life too.”
“Barker didn’t think to ask me first if this was something I’d be willing to do?”
“His exact words were ‘Elijah was made for this job. He understands the sacrifices it takes to bring criminals like Axel Washington to justice.’ Basically, he implied you would jump at the chance to return to undercover work, and I was the only one standing in your way. It’s why he called me first to see if I would be willing to spare you.”
“What did you say?” I asked.
“I told the arrogant fucker I don’t presume to know your wishes, nor should he. I also reminded him of his duty to look out for the people serving beneath him. Taking advantage of their willingness to make those sacrifices is the same as signing a death warrant. Make no mistake about it, you’d be walking into a trap for which there would be no escape, Elijah.”
I sat there stunned for a minute or so. I had mademanysacrifices, both as a soldier and a police officer. I didn’t regret my choices, but undercover work wasn’t the life I wanted for myself anymore. Besides, my feelings weren’t the only ones to consider. It had been easy to risk my life in undercover work when I didn’t have someone waiting for me at home. Some might say I had a death wish because I’d thrown myself into the underground world with gusto. Captain Barker had based his assumptions on my actions while working for him, but that Elijah Markham no longer existed, and I wasn’t a lone wolf anymore. Maegan was my home, my heart, and my future. There was no fucking way I would commit to doing something which could jeopardize our relationship without discussing it with her first. Also, I had my family back. There was no way I was putting my parents through that kind of stress because Captain Barker couldn’t control the corruption within his police force. After weighing it out, was there anything to consider or discuss?
“What are you thinking, Elijah?” Gabe asked, breaking into my thoughts.
