“So our dirty cop killed Samuel for no other reason than the off chance he could ID him as a cop.” Connor looked disgusted, and I was positive we all felt that way. We were dealing with a man that had built a nearly invisible empire of drugs in our communities. He had made it clear he would stop at nothing to protect it. His mistake hadn’t even come when he shot Connor. It was weeks before when he’d killed Samuel. That boy deserved justice, and no matter what happened, I would make sure he got it.
“We need to find any empty or abandoned state-owned properties along the river. Maybe we can collect enough evidence for a warrant. If we find drugs there, it’s a step closer to shutting his operation down.” Jake’s shoulders were tense. We now had the information necessary to track the killer we’d been hunting, but he was equally aware of us, pushing us inexorably closer to a confrontation.
“I’ll research the properties,” Connor said, his fingers already flying over the keys of his laptop. I pushed away from the table, picking up plates sticky with the remnants of syrup. I cleaned the dishes from our breakfast, the morning's revelations overshadowing the moment of complete harmony I’d experienced with Jake earlier. I listened with half an ear as Jake discussed putting Jason under surveillance. I was about to interrupt, knowing that was a bad idea when Connor beat me to it.
“Dude, we already know this guy is smart and ruthless. I don’t think it’s worth it. Too big of a risk.” I watched them, my hands resting in soapy water as I held a dirty plate. Jake was frustrated, but he accepted our logic. We couldn’t afford to tip our guy off anymore. He’d shot Connor and suspected Jake enough that he had come after me.
“What about Ripper’s body? Can we risk going after it?” Jake’s questions made me dizzy. I knew where Ripper was, but I couldn’t see the outcome if we went after him. A cold, sick sensation creeped through me, and I shook my head.
“It’s not worth the risk,” I managed to say, bracing myself on the counter. Jake realized the question had affected me, and he pulled me into his embrace. “Sorry.” I heard his regret in that one word and I locked my arms around him.
“You can't know. I don’t even know. You have to ask the questions. I’d rather feel this way now than see us walk into a trap.” I knew the words were true as I said them, another odd facet of my ability. “At some point, we’ll need to get to Ripper. The bullet in him matches the one that killed Samuel. We’ll need that to tie Jason to the murders.”
As much as I wanted to stay in the comfort of his arms, I pulled myself away from Jake. We needed to stay focused on the task at hand, and I didn’t want to give Jake or Connor the impression I was weak. Jake reluctantly loosened his arms as I stepped away. I gave him a rueful look, and he stroked my cheek as he reciprocated with an understanding smile.
“Okay, I’ve got the search running for properties. It’ll take a few minutes.” Connor’s words triggered a thought, and I made the request before I thought it through. “Tell me if there are any properties on Second Street.” I shuddered as the words brought my nightmare back to me. As badly as I hated the thought, I needed to know. If there was any chance at all, I had to be prepared, because I wouldn’t allow my dream to become a reality.
“Alright. Any particular city?” Connor asked, never looking up as his keys started clicking away again. I shook my head. I didn’t know. “Just Second Street,” I choked out. Jake gave me a quick look, but refrained from saying anything, for which I was grateful. I couldn’t explain it to him, and all I could hope was Connor’s search didn’t find anything, making it a moot point anyway.
A while later, Connor stood up and stretched. “The search is done. I’m gonna print the list, and we’ll start checking them out.”
“Awesome,” Jake said distractedly, focused on the information in front of him. He was combing through Jason Hart’s social media, making notes and attempting to build a timeline. He wanted to see if he could tie Jason back to any known drug deals or suppliers. So far, it was slim pickings. Jason had covered his tracks so well that if I hadn’t went searching for Samuel I wondered if anyone would have caught on to him.
Connor nudged my arm, and with a jerk of his head, indicated he wanted me to follow him. We moved to the little room off the entry that was supposed to be the office nook. Jake’s printer was set up there, but he worked at his kitchen island most of the time.
“The warehouse on Second Street. What’s up with that?” He pulled papers off the printer and I saw a list of addresses. There looked to be about twenty.
“You found one, then?” My breath came out in a rush, and I felt the sick sensation of Deja vu as he asked the question.
His look was knowing as he said, “No, I haven’t. None have a direct address on a Second Street, but I cross referenced, and two towns on this list have a Second Street.” My look must have given him pause, because his voice was gentler when he asked, “What exactly has you so frightened by the thought of one of these warehouses being on Second Street? Do you know something?”
His questions triggered a sudden barrage of images, and I knew without a doubt one of the drug shipments was at the warehouse on Second. The feeling of a train headed straight for us overwhelmed me. My breaths came out as shallow pants as I attempted to calm myself. The fear was paralyzing, my mind looping the image of Connor’s unseeing eyes with the sound of the gunshot that would end Jake’s life.
His arms were around me, and he supported my weight as I heard, “Shallow breaths. You’re having an anxiety attack. It’s okay. I’m here.” Jake's presence calmed me enough that I could see Connor’s concern. The tightness across both of their faces meant they knew whatever had me panicking couldn’t be good.
“Maybe you should explain,” Jake said, as we sat on the couch. Connor leaned forward, the printout forgotten in his hands as he focused on me. I took a deep breath before plunging in. “I had a nightmare. It was the night I texted you, asking if you were okay.” I nodded at Jake as I said this, and I could see he remembered. “My dream was that you had texted me to meet you at the warehouse on Second Street to identify our guy. Except it was a trap, and when I got there he killed Connor, and then he shot you. I woke up then.” They both looked stunned by my explanation. “I’ve never had prophetic dreams, at least not that I know of. But this one was more real than any dream I’ve ever had. I thought you were dead.” My eyes were wet with tears as I glanced at Jake. “It’s why I texted you. I couldn’t shake the fear that you’d actually been killed. When you started searching for warehouses, I had to know.”
“Well, fuck.” Connor leaned back in his chair, looking more serious than I had ever seen him. “There’s more?”
I nodded, “Your questions. There’s a drug shipment there. Well, there will be one. It’s not there yet.”
Jake laughed, the sound rough to my ears. “So we know where, but we also know there’s a damn good chance it’s a trap.” He scrubbed his hands across his face.
“We don’t know that. Maybe it’s coincidence.” Their identical looks of disbelief forced me to sigh. I couldn’t convince myself, much less them. My words were nothing more than a sorry attempt to deny what I already knew.
“I may be a late convert to this little party, but even I trust your dream.” Connor’s movements were restless. “Of course it could be because you saw me dead. Makes me hope we can change things. We can, can’t we?” He was looking at me hopefully, and I didn’t know what to tell him. So far, everything I’d known had happened, but I had never dreamed the future before, so maybe it could be changed. I told him my thoughts, and from his expression I didn’t think it eased his mind any.
“Look, we know what to be alert for. Forewarned is forearmed.” Jake’s words were steady and confident. I didn’t like them, because I knew he would still put himself in danger to bring this guy down. But at this point, it seemed like the only choice we had. “But do not think for one second I will text you to verify our guy’s identity,” he continued, staring me down. I nodded, my head bo
bbing like a puppet.
“The good thing is, we all know who our killer is,” Connor interjected. “That’s different. We don’t need you to identify him.”
Jake smiled, his confidence restored that we could change the outcome. Ice trickled down my spine at his words though. Jake hadn’t sent that text in my dream, and I wondered if that wasn’t the point. Our killer had no idea what we knew. If he was trying to lure us to the same place, then he may very well try something like that.
Jake and Connor started reviewing the list of warehouses, and I settled to the side, listening half-heartedly. I had blocked the nightmare from my mind, its realism terrifying me, but now I needed to remember every detail. I had the feeling it would determine whether or not we survived.
Chapter Twenty-Three
A knock on the door startled me awake and I blinked, disoriented. I must have fallen asleep trying to remember the nightmare, an irony not lost on me. I checked the time, and realized I had been asleep for a couple hours. The murmur of voices at the door drew my attention. Connor and Jake were crowded around someone. The voice sounded feminine to me, and I was curious. I had the feeling they were trying to prevent whoever it was from coming any further in.
“What is wrong with you two?” A definitely female voice, one I happened to recognize, loudly declared as she attempted to push her way through. A laugh escaped me as I figured it out. They were definitely trying to keep Jules from entering the apartment, mainly so she wouldn’t discover me sleeping on Jake’s couch, a scenario they most definitely didn’t want to explain to her.
I almost wanted to tell them they were wasting their time, since at this point nothing was going to stop her, but I also knew I would have to face her interrogation when she made it in. I sat up, tucking my feet underneath me, the blanket someone had been kind enough to drape over me falling to my lap. I waited patiently, amusement vying with exasperation, as I listened to their excuses of why she couldn’t come in.
“I just sprayed the apartment. You don’t want to be exposed to insecticide.”
“I don’t smell anything.”
“It’s a new kind, scentless, but deadly.”
“I think it’ll be alright.”
“Can’t you respect my privacy for once, Jules?”
“What, you have a girl in there or something?” A pause, then the sound of a hand hitting a chest. “Oh, brother, you do. Already? You broke up with Sarah yesterday!”
“No.” His denial sounded weak, even to me, and I was the girl sitting on his couch. I sought to smother my laugh, not wanting to give them away. Connor gave a weak laugh.
“Of course he doesn’t. We’ve been working. Neck deep in work shit. You should come back later.” Jake cleared his throat at that, and Connor shifted gears. “Better yet, you should come to my apartment later. Maybe you can give me some tips on decorating.”
“You two make Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dum look brilliant. Now if you don’t move out of my way, I’m going to cock knock both of you.”
The pause lasted a second longer than I expected before they both shifted aside to let her through. As soon as our eyes met, I grinned, unable to stop myself at her expression of shock. I imagined out of everything she thought they were hiding I wasn’t even on the list.
“What the hell?” she growled, poking both of them in the chest. “I’m about to bust both of your balls.” She turned her fierce look onto Connor, and I sensed betrayal from her question. I couldn’t let her think he was trying to hide anything from her. I mean, he was, but nothing like what she thought.
“I’m under protective custody,” I chirped, instantly diverting attention back to myself. Jake was looking at me like I was insane, but there was definitely gratitude coming my way from Connor. Jules’ mouth was hanging open, a hefty dose of confusion marring her expression.
“It’s a long story.” I waved my hand nonchalantly. “And boring! What brings you here?”
Jake pushed her mouth closed, laughing. “You're gonna catch flies, sister.”
She slapped at his hand and tried to catch either of the guys’ eyes, but they made it a point to be looking elsewhere. Finally, she looked back at me and I waved at her. Granted, probably not the best reaction, but I’ve never handled attention well.
“Explain.” Jules’ voice commanded answers, and my two knights in shining armor showed their true colors.
“We need to go,” Jake stuttered, as Connor nodded his head, waving the sheaf of papers in his hand.
“Yep, we need to check some stuff out.”
They looked over at me, Connor having the grace to look slightly ashamed, while Jake only smirked. “You and Jules have a good chat, sweetheart.” I shook my head at his dirty trick as they made their escape. Jules turned toward me, hands resting on her hips and mouthed desperately, “Sweetheart?”
I rolled my eyes at their cowardice, and let out a sigh. “I can explain.”
“Please do,” she stated, setting her purse on the coffee table before sitting across from me. I took a moment to debate exactly how much I should tell her, and she seemed to think I was taking the time to formulate a lie. Which was certainly a possibility at this point.
“Don’t lie to me,” she warned, her face severe, and I shook my head.
“I can’t tell you everything. It’s an ongoing investigation, but I’ll explain what I can,” I said, and it seemed to pacify her, because her face relaxed slightly.
“I had information relevant to a crime that was committed. You remember Samuel Phillips?” Her expression flickered for a moment and I saw sadness—the case had affected everyone in our small community—before she nodded and I continued. “I had information on his disappearance, information I shared with Jake when he was undercover at my high school.” She interrupted me at this point, her face dawning with horror.
“High school? How old are you?”
“Seventeen,” I said, already knowing how that was going to go over. It seemed like my age had become a hot topic of late. Her eyes closed, and she looked ill. I watched her take a few deep breaths before she gave me a vaguely pleading look.
“Please tell me there is nothing going on between you and my brother. That he was being nothing more than an ass when he called you sweetheart.” I wasn’t sure what to tell her. Did I really need to let her know we hadn’t had sex? It seemed damning enough that we were staying here together, and I couldn’t exactly say there was nothing going on between us. Starting our friendship with a doozy of a lie didn’t seem appropriate.
Apparently, the look on my face coupled with the long pause was enough for her to draw her own conclusions. She made the sign of the cross with a long suffering look on her face. “Jesus, help us.” I bit my lip, bemused as she asked the Lord for help.
She must have spotted my attempt to apologize, because she said, “Oh, don’t give me that look. I’m sure it’s not your fault. I grew up with Jake. All of my friends were in love with him. I’m well aware it’s impossible not to fall for him.”
This startled a laugh out of me, and set her off as well. After a few minutes of slightly hysterical laughter, we calmed down enough to talk.
“Tequila would help,” she said, before giggling at her next words. “But you’re not old enough to drink!” I smiled and nodded, because how else do you respond to that? It was true, and now I wasn’t quite sure how to handle the situation. I had never finished my explanation, but it didn’t seem like she wanted to know any more either.
“I know what we need.” She grabbed her purse and gestured for me to follow her. “Let’s go.”
We wound up at the ice cream parlor in the mall, eating ice cream sundaes for lunch. The place was packed with teenagers and stressed out moms dealing with their kids’ spring break.
“Now this is how you handle shit.” Jules had a satisfied look on her face as she spooned a bite of ice cream dripping with chocolate into her mouth. I couldn’t help but agree as I looked at my own sundae covered in hot fudge and whipped
cream, two scoops of cookies and cream, and sprinkles—couldn’t forget the sprinkles.
“Ok, at least tell me my brother hasn’t done anything that would get him arrested?” Jules expression was a combination of pleading and resignation. I had the impression she was already plotting how to protect her brother if I told her there was any possibility he could be in trouble. This was a woman who would lie, steal, cheat and murder to protect those she loved. We were kindred spirits in that respect, and my opinion of her rose. It didn’t matter if she agreed with everything Jake or Connor did. She would defend them to the death.
“Nope. He has not.” Her relief was short-lived as I added, “Yet.” My smile was a tad on the wicked side, and for a second I thought she was going to throw her ice cream at me, but to my relief she didn’t.
“He deserves you,” she said, as she rolled her eyes at me. “So you’re a witness to a case? Why aren’t you in protective custody?” Her curiosity was obvious and I needed to tread lightly.
“What I know is dangerous. It implicates someone in a position of power. We need to have evidence before Jake can act.” My words were carefully ambiguous as I didn’t want to state we were dealing with a dirty cop. The less Jules knew, the safer she would be, under the current circumstances. The thought made me take a paranoid look around. We were still uncertain how much Jason Hart knew about us. The idea that he could have someone following me was absurd, I told myself. If that were the case, he would have acted by now. This was a man determined to protect his identity and empire at any cost.
Jules looked at me with an understanding expression. “It’s bad, isn’t it? You’re scared.” My nod was tired, the realization of everything that had happened catching up to me. If we didn’t stop this guy, we would never be safe. A large part of me wanted to go vigilante on his ass and take justice into my own hands. He’d ruined enough lives that I could justify his death in my mind, but I knew that wasn’t how Jake, or Connor for that matter, operated. They believed in the law, and worked to uphold it every day, and they wanted to bring our dirty cop to justice. He was the worst type of criminal in their minds, because he used his position and resources to destroy the people he was supposed to protect.
Hidden Truths (The Hidden Series Book 1) Page 14