Now, all you have to do is tell Daniel, she thought wryly. That was one conversation she wasn’t prepared to have until she got the all clear. It would be heart-breaking if she raised his hopes, only to dash them again. Even the thought that they might say no was more than she could bear, so she pushed those thoughts far from her mind. She would cross that bridge when she came to it—she just hoped she never did.
Happy that everything was nearly ready, she went upstairs to shower and change, wishing she could call Finn to calm her nerves. Unfortunately, he was away on a training course in LA and she wouldn’t be able to speak to him until that evening. She just hoped she would be able to give him good news when they did speak.
Six
Drake had been awake for hours, staring at the ceiling, waiting for dawn to come and chase away the shadows.
After spending most of the day in Angel’s company the day before, he’d been glad to get away and escape to Shelby’s. He’d been seeing her for a few months now, though Juan and the rest of the gang had no idea. He’d known many women in his time, but she was special. She was wholesome, clean and as far removed from the gang as was possible and he wanted to keep her that way.
They’d met at the movie theater. His parents had never taken him to the movies when he was a kid and the first time he’d been, after he’d been taken in by Juan and the gang, he’d been hooked. Ever since then, every week he went to the movies alone to lose himself in other people’s lives. The day they met, she’d been standing outside waiting for a date that had never showed, and he’d found himself talking to her and asking her if she’d like to join him. They’d watched the movie together before grabbing a bite to eat. He’d found her smile infectious and her laughter had reached right into his soul, touching a part of him he’d hadn’t known existed.
He’d been afraid, at first. Afraid that once she knew him, knew where he came from and what he was, that she would leave him, but she hadn’t. She’d embraced him, shown him her world where people had jobs, paid rent, socialized with their friends on the weekend and led normal lives. Lives where they weren’t watching their backs for fear of getting shot by a rival gang member. Lives where prostitution and selling drugs weren’t the way you earned your money.
She rolled over now, snuggling into him, her breath warm on his chest. “How long have you been awake?” she asked him softly, without opening her eyes.
“Not long,” he lied.
“I love waking up with you. I want to do it every morning.”
“I love waking up with you, too, baby, and one day we will, I promise.” He kissed her gently on the top of her head. He had no idea when, though. As far as the gang was concerned, women were for one thing and one thing only, and when they weren’t doing that, they were expected to just do as they were told and stay out of the way. They were commodities, there to be used as the male members saw fit. They weren’t capable of understanding what he had with Shelby and he knew that Juan would make him choose. He would have to, for the sake of the gang. He couldn’t allow Drake to openly flaunt their way of life and still be part of it.
“When?” Shelby opened her eyes now and looked up at him.
He sighed. They’d had this conversation so many times. “You know how it is. I can’t just walk away. They’re my family.”
Shelby pulled away sharply and threw back the sheets. “They’re not, though, are they, Drake? They’re just a bunch of violent, drug peddling thugs. And they’re more important to you than I am.” She pulled her robe on angrily.
“It’s not a question of being more important than you. It’s different,” he pleaded, not wanting to fight.
“I know it’s different.” She sighed and came and sat next to him on the bed. “I really do understand what they mean to you, Drake,” she raised her hand to his cheek, “but you’re not alone any more. You’ve got me.” She dropped her hand to her lap and stood up once again. “And you need to decide, them or me.”
He didn’t say anything as she went into the bathroom and closed the door. She’s right, you know, he thought. He did need to make a choice. He loved his family—well, Juan, anyway, but he loved Shelby, too, and there was no way that both halves could survive together. Involuntarily, his thoughts turned to the baby he’d found in the house yesterday and the way he’d clutched at his finger. He wanted that. He wanted a family of his own, one he could love in a way he was never loved, and he wouldn’t be able to have that as long as he stayed with the gang.
The ringing of his phone stopped any further thought and, looking at the screen, he saw that it was Juan.
“Hi, Juan.”
“Drake. Where are you?”
“I’m just at some woman’s house I met last night,” he lied, hoping Shelby wouldn’t hear him through the bathroom door. “Do you need me?”
“Yeah. Jordan just called, I need you to go pick him up and bring him here.”
“Okay, where and when.”
“Usual place and as soon as you can drag yourself away, please.” The sarcastic tone wasn’t lost on him.
Swinging his legs around to the floor, he slipped out of bed and got dressed. Knocking on the bathroom door, he shouted that he had to go. He waited for a reply, but when one wasn’t forthcoming, he let himself out of the apartment. She was mad at him but she’d calm down. She always did.
***
“What took you so long?” Jordan asked when Drake pulled up alongside him and stopped the car, opening the door so that he could get in.
“You could always walk,” Drake snapped, knowing full well that he never would. If Juan needed information, he called Jordan, and Drake was expected to act as his personal chauffeur, ferrying him back and forth. Jordan had appeared out of the blue about a year ago and offered Juan information in exchange for cash. In Juan’s business, mainly the buying and selling of drugs, information was crucial and a hot commodity. Juan had tested him at first, making sure he could deliver what he promised, and he’d soon proved himself. However Jordan came by the information, it must have been good because he kept getting paid.
“I think I’m going to have to put my price up. The information your boss wanted this time was hard to get.”
“You’ll have to talk to him about that.” There were some things that only Angel was privy to. Juan’s dealings with Jordan was one of those things and Drake was happy to keep it that way.
To discourage any further conversation, Drake turned the volume up on the radio. He’d been hoping for some good tunes, but instead he got the tail end of a news broadcast where they were announcing the discovery of a woman’s body in the local park.
“Terrible business, that,” Jordan commented. “That park’s just around the corner from you, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“And what’s with mutilating her like that? That’s the act of a real sicko.” Jordan carried on speaking despite the lack of encouragement.
An image of Angel popped into Drake’s head. Now that’s a real sicko. Thankfully, he didn’t have to listen to Jordan’s analysis of the murder for very long as they were soon pulling up outside the house.
Seven
Finn sat down on the bed and kicked off his shoes. God, that felt good! He’d been walking the streets of LA for the past two days and his feet were killing him. Letting himself fall back on the bed, he stretched his arms out above his head and stared at the ceiling. He’d lost count of how many people he’d spoken to in the last two days. It was like searching for a needle in a haystack and he had no idea if Drake was even still here. He’d run away years ago now; for all he knew, he could be in a completely different country.
This was his fourth trip, and each one followed the same pattern. He would arrive at the hotel on a Friday morning and walk the streets for the next three days until it was time to go home again. He’d visited every shelter, every drop-in center or community center he could find. He was still using his real name. That he did know. One of his contacts in the social security office was
able to tell him that his I.D. was still active. So all he could do was keep going; quitting was not an option. He had to find out what had happened to his son.
He had considered contacting Kyle as he knew LA far better than he did and presumably had a lot of contacts through his PI business, but as quickly as the idea had come into his head, he’d dismissed it. He was Kat’s friend, first and foremost, and he didn’t want to risk her finding out until he was ready to tell her.
Thinking of Kat made him smile. She was incredible and when he thought about how close he’d come to losing her, it terrified him. He couldn’t imagine his life without her now, and he prayed that once she found out about his search for Drake she would understand. It was a risk, but one that he had no choice but to take.
With a groan, he pushed himself back up to a sitting position. You’re getting old, he thought as he stood up to draw the curtains across the hotel room window to shut out the darkness outside. The hotel was not the cheapest he could have found, but neither was it luxurious and his view from the window was onto the street below. As he reached up to pull the curtains across, something caught his eye. He’d seen hundreds of homeless people over the past couple of days, and spoken to many, but as his eyes tracked this one as he crossed the street, a thought struck him. Why didn’t I think about it sooner?
The homeless community was notorious for not wanting to talk to outsiders and that’s exactly what he was, and visibly so.
He had one more day left before he had to fly back to Brecon Point, and he knew what he was going to try next.
***
As the day got warmer and the sun heated his clothes, he could smell the odor rising from him and he smiled. Perfect.
He’d forgone a shower the night before and had instead gone to a gym he’d spotted on previous visits, just around the corner from the hotel. He’d spent over an hour in there working up a good sweat, and had gone to bed without washing it off.
Not wanting to upset the other guests with his lack of personal hygiene, he’d skipped breakfast and had instead headed out early to find the nearest goodwill store. He’d had to walk a few blocks but he’d eventually found one, and he’d found exactly what he needed. Back at the hotel, he’d gotten changed into his ‘new’ clothes, trying not to think about where they’d been before they ended up on him. He’d picked the rattiest, most worn items he could find and, combined with his personal odor, he was happy that he looked the part.
He’d already spoken to a few groups of homeless people so far that morning, and though he hadn’t had any luck, they were noticeably more communicative that they had been previously.
He’d spotted another group in an empty lot just across the street and was heading over to talk to them. Making himself shuffle slowly, he casually approached the group.
“Hey,” he called out as he got close.
A couple of them looked him over and nodded a welcome. One of them, a youngish lad in his early twenties, replied.
“You must be new. I haven’t seen you around here before.”
“Yeah, moved from the other side of town. You know how it is.”
The kid nodded. “Sure do.”
“I’m actually looking for a friend of mine. Someone told me he might be over in this part of town.” Finn made sure that he sounded casual as he spoke.
The boy didn’t speak for a beat and just looked at him, head tilted to one side as if assessing him. “Yeah? Who would that be, then?” he eventually asked.
“Boy called Drake. He’d be about your age, actually.” He should have stopped there, but he kept going. “I owe him some money and I want to square up with him.” As soon as he’d said it, he knew he’d made a mistake.
The boy’s face immediately went blank and he turned away. “Yeah, man, that sounds real likely.”
Just before he did, though, Finn was certain that he’d seen a flicker of recognition at the mention of Drake’s name. Reaching out, he grabbed the boy’s arm before he could walk off. “Do you know him or not?” It came out more harshly than he’d intended and he noticed a couple of the group start walking towards them.
The boy pointedly looked down at Finn’s hand gripping his arm before shaking it free. “What if I do? What’s it to you?” He turned to face him. “And don’t give me that shit about owing him money. Do we really look like the kind of people who have money to lend?” He held up a hand to tell the others that he didn’t need any help.
Finn decided to be truthful. It was the first time he’d had even a hint of anyone recognizing Drake’s name, and he couldn’t afford to blow it. “Okay, I’m sorry I lied.” He let out a long breath. “Truth is, Drake’s my son and I’ve been looking for him.”
“Your son?” The boy reacted with disbelief. “After what you did you him, you’re seriously coming here looking for him?”
“You do know him.” Despite himself, Finn grinned. Finally. “Please, tell me where he is. I have to find him.”
“Hello? Did you hear what I just said?” The boy was looking at him as if he’d lost his mind. “No way I’m telling you anything. I suggest you get your ass back to wherever you came from and forget all about Drake. He’s better off without you.”
Still smiling, Finn shook his head and held up his hands. “No, no. You don’t understand. I’m his birth father, not the bastard who adopted him.”
“Actually, I can see it. You do look alike.” The boy examined his face intently and then he, too, smiled. “Wow, who’d have thought it? I take it you don’t usually dress like this?” He indicated Finn’s clothes.
Finn chuckled. “No, it’s purely to blend in. So, can you tell me where I can find him?”
The smiled dropped from the boy’s face and he frowned. “Well, I haven’t seen him for a while. We used to hang together when he first got to town but that was years ago. He got lucky, made nice with the head honcho of the local chapter of MS-13 and got off the streets. I see him around every now and then but I haven’t for a few months.”
Finn’s heart plummeted at the mention of a gang. They didn’t have gangs in Brecon Point but he did know there was a huge gang problem in LA, and he knew they were incredibly dangerous people. “Where can I find this gang?”
“I’ll tell you but you have to keep me out of it, okay?”
“Absolutely.”
Finn memorized the address the kid gave him, feeling elated that he’d been so lucky. “What’s your name, kid?”
“Jim. Just call me Jim.”
“How long have you been out here, Jim?” Finn asked gently.
“I ran when I was eleven. I’m twenty-one now so I guess this year is my ten year anniversary.” He laughed, but it was forced.
“That bad?” Finn didn’t want to know the details of why he’d run away; he probably wouldn’t have told him even if he’d asked.
“Yeah, that bad. But, hey.” The smile was back. “There are others much worse off than me, right?”
Finn couldn’t help but admire his spirit. “Do you know the Lamont Hotel?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“Go to the desk there tomorrow morning. There’ll be an envelope waiting for you.” He couldn’t do much but he could try and help. He would give him enough for a couple of months’ rent. It was up to him what he chose to do with it. He just hoped he would seize the chance. He stuck out his hand. “Thank you.”
The kid took his hand and looked him in the eye. “Good luck.”
Finn watched for a moment as he walked away, before turning away himself. He needed to get back to the hotel and washed and changed. He had somewhere to be.
Eight
Drake was still thinking about what Jordan had said in the car as they walked up the overgrown path to the house. The murders were undoubtedly the act of a psycho, and for some reason he couldn’t get Angel out of his head. There was absolutely nothing that should make him think that Angel had anything to do with it but for some reason, he couldn’t shake the feeling. Angel was a psycho who enjo
yed hurting people and he didn’t discriminate between men and women when he did, but it was a big leap from that to being a killer who went around murdering people. Wasn’t it? Yes, it just so happened that the murder happened in a park just around the corner on the night Angel couldn’t be found and he’d come back with blood on his shoe the following morning. But that wasn’t proof of anything.
Drake could hear the thump of music coming from one of the rooms as they went inside, as well as the sound of two people fighting. Home, sweet home. As the gang headquarters, it was never quiet, with people coming and going at all hours. His room was on the top floor at the back, the quietest part of the house, and the noise had never bothered him, really. But now, his view of things seemed to be changing and he couldn’t help but wonder if the time really was coming when he would have to leave all this behind.
Drake led Jordan past a big room on the ground floor, which was where most people tended to congregate. He glanced through the door as they walked past and, sure enough, there were about six members in the room, lounging around. Not stopping, he led him to the back of the house where Juan had his ‘office’. No one was allowed in this room unless they were invited, and Drake had witnessed first-hand the punishments that were dished out if this rule was ever broken.
“Jordan, good to see you.” Juan remained seated behind the table he used as a desk. “I trust you’ve got some information for me?”
“Have I ever let you down?”
Drake turned to leave.
“Drake, hang on.” Juan stopped him before he left. “Why don’t you stay?”
Drake was thrown; he’d never been asked to stay before and he wasn’t sure he wanted to. He looked over at Angel, who was sitting in a chair to the right of Juan’ desk, glowering at him. Damn. He didn’t want to stay, didn’t want to hear what Jordan was going to tell him, but Juan was not the kind of man you said no to. Even him. He had no choice, as much as he knew Angel would undoubtedly make him suffer for it. Shrugging, he closed the door, remaining on the inside.
The McKays Box Set - To Kill For, Blood Sport, Hard Time & Gang Land Page 42