CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

“I have word on Andrew’s whereabouts.”

“You found him?” Mike asked.

“Not exactly,” the man’s voice lowered slightly. “The punk only claimed that he saw a man similar to Andrew earlier today. Won’t talk much without reassurance of getting something in return.”

“Keep him there, I’m on my way.” He hung up and leaned forward. “Leave them. He’s going to send you a GPS location, take us there.”

“Sir.”

Mike risked one last glance at the truck as they turned the corner. If he could locate Andrew then his daughter was the least of his worries. Cora could walk away unharmed and her father would pay for stealing from him. Mike had worked hard to get where he was today. He trusted Andrew and the man betrayed him.

He run a hand down his face and relaxed back against the seat. In no time he would be face to face with that bastard. Mike was looking forward to hearing the bastard beg. He might just mention Cora to make Andrew piss himself. Andrew always talked about his little girl. Mike knew exactly how much his daughter meant to him.

Why would Andrew leave without taking his daughter with him? What was the bastard planning?
The cars slowed and then pulled up to the curb in front of an old warehouse. Mike waited for one of his men to open the back door for him and then slid out of the car. He gripped the labels of his jacket and tugged it back in place. After sliding the button through the hole, he moved towards the entrance. His nose wrinkled as the strong smell of fish filled his nostrils.

“Where is he?”

“Over there sir,” one of the men ordered, gesturing in the right direction.

Mike stepped out from between the aisles and into a clearing. The man was tied to a chair in the middle of the room. Blood dripped down the side of his head and onto his thigh. Mike stopped a few feet away and nodded to one of his men who moved behind the man tied to the chair. He gripped his hair and tilted his head back. Another stepped forward to slap the man’s cheek to wake him.

“I hear you have some information for me,” Mike said as soon as the man’s eyes fluttered open.

The man started trashing around and then stilled again when he realized that he wasn’t going anywhere. His eyes darted around at the new men who had arrived before slowly moving back to the man standing a few feet away. Fear flashed through him when he recognized just who he was.

“Start talking,” Mike ordered softly.

“I-I don’t know w-what you’re talking about,” he stuttered.

Mike’s eyes narrowed. “We both know how this is going to end if you keep playing games with me. The sooner you tell me what I want to know, the sooner we can get out of here.”

The man licked his lips and glanced around. Letting out a loud sigh, Mike turned and walked over to grip the back of a chair that stood off to the side. He dragged it back to the spot in front of the man and then sank down on it. Mike leaned back and stretched his legs out in front of him.

“The clock is ticking.”

The man swallowed loudly. “I saw the photo of him. Andrew Weber has made some friends and enemies around here.” He paused. “A few days ago Andrew showed up asking for help from a few of those friends.”

“Who are those friends?” Mike questioned. “Give me names.”

“I don’t know names, but I can give you a location,” the man hurriedly said.

Mike nodded and gestured for him to continue. Once the man was finished talking, he stood and headed for the door. His lips pulled up into a smile when he heard the familiar sound of a man’s pained cry followed by the sound of a gunshot.

He was one step closer to locating Andrew Weber.



Detective Parker stared down at the man with a frown. He was lying face down on the ground with a pool of blood surrounding his upper body. Squatting next to the body, he leaned down slightly to get a better look at the man’s face turned towards him. There was one single bullet hole in the middle of his forehead which was the cause of death.

“It doesn’t look like anything has been stolen detective,” Officer O’Neil said softly as she approached.

She flipped the small notebook close before glancing up at him. Parker slowly straightened and then glanced up at her. His brows dipped into a deep frown. The woman was a nuisance. Officer O’Neil had been transferred over from another precinct. Much to his luck, the Chief had ordered him to show her the ropes.

The only place he was allowed to go without her was the damn bathroom. Okay, so maybe he was overdoing it a little, but it sure as hell felt like she was glued to his damn side. Parker liked doing things his way. Now he had to explain everything to her.

“Obviously,” he muttered. “The man was murdered.” And he already had a suspect in mind, but he didn’t tell her that out loud.

He glanced at her and then turned away. He couldn’t wait for the day he would be free of her. For the sake of duty, Parker walked around the building and inspected some things. It was all just for show since he wasn’t really interested in anything happening around him. His mind was far away from his current location. Tonight he and Mike needed to have a little talk. Parker couldn’t keep covering for his murders. One day he would be too late and that would be the end of Parker’s hefty income.

“Let’s go O’Neil,” Parker called. “Let them do their job.”

He needed to find something that would keep her busy for at least five hours. That would give him enough time to meet with.

Officer O’Neil silently followed her superior out of the building and toward the car. Since he was the only high ranking officer, wasn’t it his job to stay and make sure that everything was handled with care? Instead of questioning him like she really wanted to do, O’Neil stayed silent and climbed into the car. She clutched the seat when he pulled away from the curb. The man drove like a freaking maniac.

She pursed her lips and stared out of the window. O’Neil had noticed things about the man, but she was too scared to talk. She needed evidence to back up her accusations first, and she was already working on finding some. Once she had collected enough, she would hand it all over.
All she had to do was hold out until then.

“I need you to find some information about the guy,” Parker said softly. “I’m dropping you off at the station. I have some. . .family things to take care of.”

She nodded, but inside her suspension rose. They hadn’t identified the dead man yet, how was she supposed to find information on the man? A few minutes later Parker pulled up in front of the station. Without a word O’Neil got out and made her way up the stairs. She paused at the door and turned back to watch him drive away.

As soon as he disappeared from sight, she entered the office and made her way to the second floor. Her eyes darted around cautiously as she slipped into the Chief’s office. The second floor belonged to the high ranking officers. Since it was empty, O’Neil had managed to easily slip inside.
With her heart beating erratically in her chest, she tugged the keyboard closer, and pressed a button. The computer screen flared to life. Thankfully the Chief’s computer wasn’t password protected. She searched through the contents until she found the folder she was looking for. Her finger hesitated on the enter button. Any minute now the Chief or anyone else could walk through that door. If she got caught all her hard work would fall down the drain.

So instead of opening the folder, she selected the print option. Two minutes later the papers were printed and ready to go. O’Neil removed any traces of her being in the office and then grabbed the papers. Before exiting the room, she unbuttoned her shirt and stuffed the papers inside. A relieved breath fell from her lips when she made it downstairs without encountering anyone.

The papers were burning her through her thin undershirt. Every glance in her direction made her stomach cramp in panic. She would be thrown out of here without being able to explain herself.

“O’Neil.”

She froze and slowly turned around. Her shoulders sagged when she realized who had called her. “Hey.”

“I got that information you asked for.”

“Thank you.”

Her hand shook as she reached out to take the file. Hopefully the file contained a few more things she could use for evidence.