“Hide what?”
“Anything.”
Damn.
“You don’t need more shit—”
“Please don’t hide it from me.”
“Okay, Ren, I get you and I won’t hide it from you. But how about you let me go over the information, talk it through with the team, then I’ll give it to you? There’s no sense in piling more on you when we’re not clear what we’re looking at.”
“You know.”
“Baby, I don’t. I promise.”
“But I saw his name,” she rightly argued.
Guy Stevens was on the board—top dead center with lines sprouting off his name. Everything leading back to him.
But it didn’t make sense.
“You did. And that’s how this works. We follow all the leads, but sometimes we have to start over when we hit a dead-end or clear someone’s name. I swear I won’t hide anything from you but I need to know what I’m sharing with you is correct.”
Lauren held my gaze and I let her. Instinct told me to shield her from the truth but if I did that and she found out she’d be pissed. It’d be outright disrespectful even if my intentions were to protect her.
“Thank you. Anyway, I didn’t mean to interrupt but your mom and sister are here. Quinn and Addy are going to give them the full tour since they didn’t get it yesterday.” She gave me a tight smile then looked around the table. “Shiloh and Liberty are going out to the pistol range. Brady, you have an ammo delivery. UPS normally delivers right about now and you know the driver gets pissy when he has to unload by himself. Nick, you have a new client meeting at noon. If you can email me the basics I’ll get a file started. Jasper, Emily called and asked me to tell you she needs you to call her before you leave TC. She texted you but knows you don’t always check your phone before you leave. Levi, Blake called and asked me to remind you that the two of you have dinner reservations at six and she needs you home by four. Lenox, Lily texted me and asked me to remind you to stop and pick up the new handrail for the deck. Oh, and, Trey, Addy asked me to remind you she has a late client tonight so you’re on your own for dinner.”
When Lauren stopped talking there was a round of thank-yous from the men she’d delivered messages to. Ian was still standing close to her. He didn’t need to follow her down the hall; she was absolutely safe in the building, but he’d done it anyway.
Ian at Lauren’s back. Ian who’d spent his day yesterday helping my team. Ian who’d handled my mom gently when she was scared. Ian who made Jill and Jackie smile. Ian who made my mom laugh—really laugh, something I’d heard very rarely in my life.
They turned to leave but halted when I called Ian’s name. His attention came to me and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how he didn’t hate me for the way I’d treated him, or at least harbor a grudge. But like Lauren, he seemed to understand my reaction to meeting him. And much like Lauren, he was willing to forgive me for acting like a dick.
“I appreciate you staying and pitching in. Means a lot to me.”
“It’s what family does, Logan,” he replied and held my stare. “But I suspect you already know that.”
His gaze traveled through the men in the room and he ushered Lauren out the door. But before he did I didn’t miss Lauren’s beautiful smile.
I should be strung up and tortured for stupidly pushing her away. All this time I could’ve had that. But more, I could’ve spent this last year giving her something to smile like that about.
Damn, I was dumb.
“Jace and I have to get back to the station,” Ethan announced. “We’re looking for Moore and Robinson. Echo, if you can send me anything you have on either of them I’d appreciate it. Jason, I’ll send you my report to give to your DEA contact.”
Ethan stood. Jace followed but it looked like there was something on Jace’s mind and he’d been silent through the meeting.
“Jace?” I called. “Before you leave, do you have anything to add?”
The man didn’t look at me even though I’d asked him a direct question. His eyes were glued to the board.
“Four different markets,” he muttered.
“Come again?” Carter asked.
“Heroin, coke, pills, and the date rape drug. Four different markets. From here to Atlanta to the neighboring states. Manufacturing, distribution, transportation all in-house. I read the report, no one’s seen Lucky. He’s a ghost. A name. A figurehead. He’s building an empire. And it would make sense for Moore to be working with multiple dealers, providing transport for the drugs for who we think are rivals if they’re not really rivals. What if the different crews are all branches? Lucky sets up different crews, gives them territory, we take down one, Lucky doesn’t lose shit because he’s got others. Before he feels any real loss he also sets up a new crew and it’s business as usual. I’d fucking bet Moore’s never even met his boss. Lucky keeps himself invisible so no one can ID him. If the empire crumbles he walks away free and clear. What’s different about this date rape drug?”
Everything Jace said made sense. Everything fit together and snapped into place. But there was one piece still missing—where did Guy Stevens fit in? What was his role in Lucky’s empire?
Jason’s cold, hard tone disrupted my contemplation.
“Unlike what’s on the street now, this drug’s an upper. Think ecstasy on steroids. The woman’s not stumbling out of the club, she’s not passed out, she’s so high she’s hyper. Her body is in a drug-induced frenzy, all inhibition gone. One of the victims reported she knew what was happening but couldn’t stop it. She knew she didn’t want to leave with her rapist, didn’t want to have sex, wanted to stop it, but she couldn’t control her body’s urges.” Jason stopped, pulled in a shaky breath, and finished on a growl, “She said she begged him to rape her.”
“Motherfucker,” Jace grunted.
“When I get to work, I’ll talk to my Cap, fill him in if he hasn’t already been, and put some feelers out, ask some of my informants if they know where to find Moore or Robinson. Moore’s a slippery fuck, so finding Robinson might be easier,” Echo said.
“I’ll find the connection between Guy, Moore, and Robinson,” Dylan declared. “Guy’s still in Nashville. I caught him on the hotel camera last night going to his room.”
“Logan?” I glanced from the board to Carter.
“Yeah?”
“What’s on your mind?”
Everything.
“Guy was waiting outside of Lauren’s house.”
“Hold your shit, Logan. He’s Lauren’s ex and we know he can’t catch a hint Lauren’s done with him,” Brady interjected.
That was true but…
“So it’s a coincidence? Guy’s waiting, follows us, I peel off the main road, and suddenly Moore and Robinson are behind me?”
“We didn’t send you in soft,” Jason added, referring to our last trip to Atlanta. “We knew it was a possibility someone saw one of you.”
The DEA was getting antsy; they wanted this new drug off the street and Lucky’s operation shut down. It had taken longer than they thought it would. We’d made the decision to go in hard and hope someone fucked up.