That tracked, Gabe realized. “Maybe Hale’s the one who kidnapped him.”
Wade grunted. “And somebody else didn’t like that plan.”
“No kidding.” Price held up a hand. "There’s more. Hank Brewer's body was found thirty minutes ago. Thirty-five miles east of Haven Cove. Single gunshot to the back of the head."
Silence crashed through the space.
"Time of death?" Wade asked.
"Two to three hours after he escaped." Price pocketed his phone. "Hale’s teammates or superiors or whatever are cleaning house. That makes your brother a target. All of the rest of you, too."
Cara. Wade. Tom. Reagan. Piper. Gabe himself. All potential loose ends for an organization that eliminated threats without hesitation.
Price pulled out a notebook. "Neptune. Hale's last word before he died. That mean anything to either of you?"
Gabe exchanged glances with Wade. Both shook their heads.
"Maritime reference, obviously," Wade said. "Roman god of the sea. Could be a code name. Could be an organization."
"We're running it through databases," Price said. "Nothing yet. No criminal enterprises using that name. No known smuggling operations."
Price's expression was grim. "Your brother's evidence points to shell corporations. Offshore accounts. Network spanning the West Coast. But the trail goes cold at the state level. Whoever runs this group has serious resources and serious reach."
Price stood, stretching. “Problems for another day. I’ll be in touch before you leave,” he added to Gabe and headed toward the exit. His officers followed.
The nurse appeared. "Your brother's asking for you."
Gabe walked to room four. Knocked on the open door.
"Come in." David's voice. Rough but clear.
His brother looked small in the hospital bed, wrapped in heated blankets, with an IV running to his arm. Bruises darkened his face, but his eyes were alert. Alive.
Gabe crossed the room, pulling his brother into a hug that was probably too tight.
David didn't complain. Just held on.
"I'm sorry," Gabe managed. "I should have?—"
"Stop. You found me. That's what matters." David pulled back. "And Dad wasn't dirty. We proved it."
"You proved it."
His brother smiled wanly. "Yeah. I’ll take that win.” The smile faded. "Brewer told me about Ruiz," David continued, voice flat. "He confessed to killing him on Hale’s orders. They dumped him on the beach to send a message. Said if you didn't back off, I'd end up the same way."
He met Gabe's eyes. "They were planning to kill me. Soon. Once they figured out what evidence I had. And after they chased you off. But we did it, Gabe. We finished what Dad started."
Partly.
No way Hale headed up a smuggling ring. Not twenty years ago, and not now. The man wasn’t a leader. Middle management, at best. The people at the top were still out there. But David had proven their father was a hero. Even if the only people who believed it for now were the two of them.
But like Price said, problems for another day.
"The woman who jumped in after me," David said, voice carefully casual. "The baker. She's not really a baker, is she?"
Gabe's chest tightened. "She owns a bakery."
"That's not what I asked."
