Hundred and One

“Hey baby…” Tyler's voice pulled Raina from her thoughts as she stared at the screen of her computer. She raised her head to him and smiled. 

“Hi.” she said as he walked to her and dropped a kiss on her forehead, then on her mouth very quickly. She moaned in disagreement when he pulled away, and that caused him to smile. 

“So I have good news.” He said as he sat down in front of him.

Raina pushed her brows up. “Oh, really? What’s that?” she asked. 

“Scott called. They were able to clean up the footage and they got a match to the shooter’s face. His name is Alvarez Terrazzo. He was also able to get two material witnesses who saw him leave him Maya Collins and Marcus Bryant’s apartments. How crazy is that.” He said. 

“Really? That’s really nice.” She said. 

“Yes. We also got the warrant I told you about, and Hunter is going to use the warrant the night of the RavenTech annual party.” He said. “Everything is falling into place.” 

“We are finally going to nail those bastards. That’s great news.” She said. 

Tyler’s grin faded when the faint chime of the motion detector sounded, followed almost instantly by the doorbell. His head snapped toward the door, instincts flaring.  

“Did you hear that?” he asked, already rising to his feet.  

Raina stood too, her brows furrowed. “Yeah. What is it?”  

“Stay here,” he said sharply, his voice low as he grabbed his gun from the counter near the television and moved toward the door.  

Raina, of course, didn’t listen. She followed right behind him, her steps quiet. 

Tyler peered through the peephole, then eased the door open with his weapon raised behind the door. He quickly lowered it when he realized there was no one there… just a medium-sized package sitting squarely on the doormat.  

“What the hell?” he muttered, glancing up and down the street before stepping out to retrieve it.  

Raina, standing in the doorway, folded her arms. “What is it?”  

He re-entered, locking the door behind him. “Let’s find out,” he said, setting the package on the table. There was no return address, just the name Nate X Patton.

Tyler’s breath caught. It was from his brother, and this was the name Tate had used during his undercover work.  

“Nate?” Raina asked, frowning as she leaned closer. “Why would he send you a mail? Isn’t he dead? Did you know him?”  

He tore into the package, and as the flaps came apart, his suspicions were confirmed. Inside were files; stacks of them, along with a small thumb drive. He pulled the top folder free, flipping it open.  

Raina gasped softly as she peered over his shoulder. “Oh my God. What is all this?” 

“It’s everything,” Tyler said, his voice tight. His eyes scanned the documents quickly… financial records, surveillance photos, lists of names. “Tate must’ve sent this right before...” He trailed off, his throat tightening. “Right before he was killed,” he finished softly.

“But why would he send this to you. You didn’t say you know him.” She said. Tyler sighed. 

“Tate… Nate X Patton is… was my brother. His real name is Tate Paxton.” 

“What?” Raina asked with a frown, pulling back from him. 

“He was working undercover for his company there at the competition, but he must have found something that he shouldn’t have.” He said. 

Raina dropped her mouth open as he stared at him. “Wow, and you didn’t think it was something you should tell me about?” she asked. 

Tyler shook his head. “I wanted to tell you, but I was just waiting for the right time. When he died, he mentioned the name RavenTech, and I had also been investigating them in my free time. When Larry called to explain your ordeal, I was immediately interested because it was connected to RavenTech.” He explained. 

“So you wouldn’t have been interested otherwise.” She said, asking. 

Tyler sighed, and then he dropped the files in his hands. “Of course not, baby. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you all this, but I never turned away from people that needed me. I should have told you, I know, and I regret not telling you, but please forgive me and let's move forward.” he said. 

Raina stared at him for a while, then with a sigh, she nodded. “I’m sorry about your brother. I didn’t know.” She said. 

Tyler nodded, jaw clenching. “I know.” He picked up the files again. “He must’ve known things were closing in on him. This was his insurance. He must have mailed it to me so it wouldn’t be traced back to him. Only he didn’t know he would die.” 

Raina picked up one of the photos from the pile. It showed a man shaking hands with another in a dimly lit parking lot. “Tyler, isn’t this Captain Steve Newport?” she asked and he nodded. 

“Yes, and the shooter from the café. The man that attacked you and possibly, all the other victims.” He said. 

“This could blow the case wide open. These are the connections we’ve been missing.” She said. 

He nodded again, his grip tightening on the file. “Tate didn’t just die for nothing. He was trying to expose them. This... this is the proof we need.”  

Raina looked at him, her eyes filled with determination. “Then we need to get this to Hunter. Now.”  

Tyler took a steadying breath, glancing at the files one more time. “Yeah,” he said, his voice rough. “But first, I’m making copies. I’m not letting anyone bury this… not after what it cost him.”