I call Jesse, but my call rings and rings. Then I call Matthew, who is at a friend’s house, but he hasn’t seen him. I ask him to stay there, and when he asks why, I tell him that I’ll inform him later.
I return to the computer I was using and see that the information on Tate Piers’ fingerprints is no longer minimized.
“Well, shit,” I whisper.
TWENTY-FOUR
Liam
Tate Piers.
You’re about to be all mine.
Such a foolish mistake has led to the end of your existence.
I look up as Gabriel comes rushing into the room. “I fucked up.”
“You never fuck up; I’m sure it was someone else’s fault,” I assure him, hand on his side from when he’d come sliding in, since I didn’t want him to ram his hip into the edge of the desk I’m sitting at.
“I left the fingerprint match up on the computer while I ran down here because I was worried about you. I wasn’t thinking straight. I was panicked about you?—”
Well, that’ll make things a little more difficult, depending on who saw it.
“Jesse is gone and I’m confident he’s the one who saw it,” Gabriel says. “No one else has mentioned it to me. With it being Christmas, the department is pretty dead.”
My brow furrows. “Why would Jesse go after him? If Jesse called them on me to protect Lacey… why would he then rush back out and go for Tate? I wonder if he’s caught up in doing something else for this asshole… but then what would he need the information from the fingerprint for?”
The chair I’ve commandeered squeaks when I lean back and close my eyes to think.
“Like you said, it doesn’t make sense for him to go after Tate when Whitaker forced him to make the call to get you arrested. Whitaker’s likely pissed about the fact that you got one of his other ‘followers’ arrested,” Gabriel says quietly enough that only I can hear.
“Does Jesse think he’s going to use Tate against Whitaker?” I ask as I open my eyes. “Like as a bargaining chip?”
“That’s what I’m wondering,” Gabriel says. “Do you think he believes he can do something to keep Lacey safe?”
“Have you been able to get in contact with Lacey?”
“No.”
I slide the laptop I’d been using over to Gabriel. “While I’m out, I need you to figure out everything you can on Tate Piers and call me if you find anything of interest. This is what I have started. Call me if you find out anything new.”
I stand up, but before I can go, he grabs my wrist. “Liam, please be careful.”
“I will be.”
“I need you to come home to me tonight, okay?” he asks, his eyes looking so desperate. I’m always surprised to see it. At no point have I felt concerned dealing with Whitaker, yet every time I leave, he’s filled with fear. I don’t like making him feel such things. Causing the man I love, the man I adore, any stress upsets me.
“Do you not want me to go?” I ask.
Gabriel looks surprised by the question. “No, I’m not… I told you before that I wouldn’t control you. If you are confident in what you’re planning on doing and it’ll save lives, then I trust you. Even if it’s done for selfish reasons, the end result is that Whitaker can’t kill anyone ever again. Please help Jesse. He’s a good guy. He doesn’t deserve this.”
I give him a brief kiss and feel his fingers linger on mine even as I step away. It makes me want to go back to him, pull him into my arms, and assure him that everything will be alright, but I know that we’re working against the clock. I glance back and find him watching me, but he offers me a smile and sits down in the chair I’d just vacated where he quickly sets to work.
He’s such a handsome man.
Careful not to draw any attention to myself, I leave, using the darkness to find my way to the parking lot and over to a car I’d snagged the keys to. I won’t be around to hear Michaels bitch about it.
I head toward the address of Tate Piers’ last known residence, which is in a subdivision about twenty-five minutes from here. I have to assume this is where Jesse would head, unless Whitaker was sending him somewhere.
