32
Diem
“I’m calling the cops,” Tallus announced.
“No, you’re not.” As I growled the objection, Tallus talked over me.
“Even if I can get to the marina on time, I can’t detain him myself, Diem. This guy is dangerous. What am I going to do? Tie him up? I know this will come as a shock, but I’m not much of a fighter. I’m delicate and great with words, but I don’t think sass will work on a cornered animal who knows he’s about to be put down. The police can send someone. Hell, marina security can hold him. I need backup.”
“I’llbe your backup. The cops aren’t going to detain or arrest an innocent civilian without proof, and right now, the only proof we can provide is Darcy, and we aren’t doing that.”
“He’s not innocent. Those files contain something incriminating.” A horn blared. “Motherfucker. Get out of my way, asshole. I’m driving here. Idiots.”
This was a prime example of Tallus going off half-cocked. It was his MO, and I shouldn’t have been surprised. Every time a case got hot, he stopped thinking and acted purely on emotion.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Tallus, the police aren’t allowed to search his boat without a warrant. Without those files, there is no proof. No proof. No warrant. Do you hear what I’m saying? They will fucking escortyouoff the property for causing problems. Leave the cops out of it.”
“The files aren’t on the boat.”
“You can’t… What?”
A muffled reply came through the line. He was cursing traffic again. I glanced at Darcy, who listened with wide eyes from a few feet away. We needed to get on the road, or Tallus would end up facing Lukyan alone.
Last time he tried to be a hero, he got shot.
“Tallus—”
“I said, the files aren’t on the boat. Aaron has the files.”
“What?”
“He owns or rents a cottage. I don’t know where it’s located, but the files are there. Aaron has already sounded the alarm. Luke is getting a heads-up as we speak, and I won’t be surprised if Aaron races to this cottage to secure the files. By the way, I think they’re dating. I think Lukyan is closeted, and the revolving door of girlfriends I saw on his socials is all for show.”
“What?”
“Aaron doesn’t seem happy. Call it a hunch. He said some things that—”
“Tallus!”
“Right. Not important. We need to intercept.”
“Who?”
“Aaron. Good grief. Are you listening at all? At the cottage. Before he gets the files, and we never see them again. The gas is on the right, asshole. Use it.”
It took Herculean effort to keep the facts straight when Tallus kept getting sidetracked. “Where’s the cottage?”
“No idea.”
I cursed and tugged the iPad toward me. “What’s Aaron’s last name?”
“Daily. Aaron Daily. He’s way younger than Lukyan, too. Okay, maybe notway, but Luke is old. Like silver daddy old. Oh wow. Sugar daddy old.”
“Can you focus?” I growled.
“I can drive and speculate. Did you find the cottage?”
“No,” I mumbled. “I need more than five fucking seconds.”
