by Camy Tang
“I was only six.” Liam laughed, taking a step back. “You were a whopping twelve, old enough to know better.”
Monica said to Elisabeth, “Supposedly Shaun had a kumquat-eating contest with Liam and won. By a long shot.”
“And then got very sick all over my Foreman grill,” his dad added.
And then Elisabeth laughed.
Liam hadn’t seen her laugh before. Her eyes turned into chips of amber, and joy radiated from her like the sun rising above the horizon. She even gave a little snort before she got her breath back.
His dad said to Shaun, “Go get us some coffee. I can’t talk about you behind your back while you’re still here.”
“Yes, sir.” Shaun turned to go.
“Ooh, I’ve got a good one about Liam,” Monica said to Elisabeth.
“And that’s my cue.” Liam went after Shaun.
In the kitchen, Liam leaned against the granite countertop while Shaun put on the coffeemaker. “So what happened last night?”
“It sounds more dramatic than it really was. Monica was supposed to check Dad’s blood pressure, so she was in Dad’s bedroom with the lights out, working on her laptop, when around two, the motion-sensing floodlights in the backyard came on. At first she didn’t think much of it because we saw a coyote come close to the house last week, but she happened to glance outside when the lights came on, and she saw a human-shaped shadow moving behind the trees, toward the house.”
Liam felt as if a fist squeezed his heart. What if his sister-in-law hadn’t been awake? What if Monica hadn’t happened to look out and see the shadow?
“She woke me up immediately. I went to the living room and hid behind the curtains,” Shaun said. “I saw two men approach the side door—dressed in black, dark hair, average build. She dialed 9-1-1 while I got the shotguns out of the gun cabinet and called out for them to get off my property. Monica and I both pumped our shotguns—they were only loaded with rock salt, but you know the sound of shotguns being primed is pretty intimidating. We could see out the window when they ran away.”
Liam ran his hand down his face. “I just thank God you all are okay.”
“They looked like just two random thieves, but Nathan told me about the Bagsics, so I wondered. But I’m afraid I didn’t get a good enough look at them to know if they were Filipino, or wearing purple and gray or not.”
“How did Dad take it?”
“Oh, you know Dad. He said that if he’d had the shotgun, he’d have peppered their backsides with rock salt just to teach them a lesson.”
Liam smiled briefly, then sighed. “I’m sorry about all this. The Bagsics wouldn’t have come here if not for me.”
“Hey.” Shaun clapped a hand on Liam’s shoulder, his grip tight. “This isn’t your fault. Besides, we still don’t know for sure if this was the gang.”
“But if it is, they’re not going away. I have to make sure you’re all safe.”
“We’ll make sure we’re all safe. You, me and God.”
Liam looked away. “Faith has been hard for me lately.”
“I understand. I’ve had to learn the hard way to trust God.”
Liam had noticed that since he’d started dating Monica, Shaun had been more sure in his faith, and stronger somehow in his personality. It was something Liam envied, because he’d felt so weak lately. He wanted strength to heal himself.
But he didn’t have time right now. He needed to keep his family safe, at least until he found evidence to put Tomas in jail.
One of their brothers, Michael, was still overseas with his job, but their brother Brady and his wife and son were in Geyserville, north of Sonoma. “Do you think the gang would know where to find Brady?”
Grave lines carved alongside Shaun’s mouth. “I’m not sure.”
Liam had an idea. “Brady and his family should move in here, too.” Shaun was head of security at the Joy Luck Life Hotel and Spa as well as a former border patrol officer. If everyone was under one roof, he’d be able to keep them safe.
Shaun’s eyebrows shot up. “He’s not going to like that.”
“He just had a son. He’ll want to protect him.”
“I should have rephrased. Debra’s not going to like that.”
Liam rubbed the back of his neck. He and Brady’s wife didn’t get along. Early in their marriage, Debra had been almost smothering in her attempts to integrate with the O’Neill family, but later, she’d gotten cooler in her attitude—toward them and toward her husband. Liam thought Debra didn’t treat Brady very well sometimes and he had been tactless enough to tell her once, in private. She’d gotten upset and told Brady.
If Liam came to her with some crazy idea about moving into her father-in-law’s home, she might refuse just to spite Liam.
“I have to try,” Liam said. “I can’t keep investigating Tomas until I know you’re all safe from the Bagsics.”
Shaun cast an eye on the clock hanging on the wall. “Well, if you’re going to talk to them both, you should go now, so you can catch him before he leaves for work.”
Monica insisted they wait while she packed bagels and cream cheese for their breakfast, but within minutes Liam and Elisabeth had left, driving north toward Geyserville. Liam called Brady to let him know they were coming.
“Hey, Liam, what’s up?” Brady’s words were friendly but there was a dullness to his tone. Liam wondered if he was still upset at what Liam had said to Debra.
“I need to talk to both you and Debra. Will you still be home in half an hour?”
Brady gave a deep sigh. “I need to go to work, Liam.”
He had never been reluctant to talk to Liam before. “You own your own business, Brady, you can go in anytime. This is important.”
“Okay. We’ll be here.” He disconnected the call.
“I’ve been thinking about what we should do after we talk to your brother,” Elisabeth said. “We need to find out more information about that shipping container that Tomas lost.” Despite her cool attitude toward him on the drive to Sonoma, she had shared the information she’d overheard the Bagsics discussing in Filipino.
“I also want to ask Nathan Fischer to talk to his LAPD contacts about Tomas’s two friends, Shades and Manny.”
“That’s a good idea.” A hint of warmth crept back into her tone.
“I’m wondering if we can find evidence on one of them for the murder. They might be willing to flip on Tomas.”
“Evidence won’t be easy to find if a cleaner went through the murder scene.”
Liam shrugged. “No one’s perfect. That includes cleaners.”
Brady and his wife had bought a nice five-acre lot just off the highway in Geyserville and built a pretty, Spanish-style home. Their driveway wound up toward the house for a quarter mile, bordered by trees and shrubs. Their only Christmas decoration was an expensive-looking wreath on the front door.
Debra answered their knock, orange-colored baby food smeared on her cheek and glopped in her hair. Her scowl at Liam quickly morphed into pleasant politeness at the sight of Elisabeth. “Liam, I didn’t know you were bringing a guest.” There was a slight bite to her words.
“Sorry, I forgot to mention Elisabeth when I called Brady. Elisabeth Aday, meet Debra O’Neill.”
“Nice to meet you,” Elisabeth said quietly.
Brady appeared behind her, holding his baby son. “Did you have breakfast?”
Debra’s mouth tightened at his words, and Liam was grateful for Monica’s bagels that they’d eaten during the drive as he said, “Yes.”
“Come on in.”
“I need to clean up.” Debra turned and headed down the hallway to the bathroom, leaving Brady with Liam and Elisabeth.
“This way.” He nodded toward the living room, just to the side of the entrance foyer.
“We’re sorry to interrupt you in the middle of breakfast.” Brady’s living room was out of a home fashion magazine, even down to the Christmas tree in the corner decorated with color-coordinated
silver and white ribbons and ball ornaments. Liam hated it. He sat gingerly in a snow-white leather couch in front of the glass coffee table. Elisabeth perched on the edge of a white-and-gray-striped silk chair.
“It takes twice as long now with Ryan, here.” Brady relaxed into a dove-gray leather recliner. His son regarded them with wide blue eyes. “What did you need to talk about?”
Liam shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “I’m afraid I’ve put you and your family in danger.”
Brady’s brows lowered over his bright blue eyes, and in that moment, he looked exactly like Shaun. “What kind of danger? Are you okay?”
“It’s actually because of me.” Elisabeth’s voice was low, calm, and it seemed to help ease some of the stiffness out of Brady’s shoulders. “I work as a private investigator and also volunteer at a women’s shelter. Recently, I helped a woman escape her ex-boyfriend, unaware that he was a captain in a Filipino gang. The gang came after me and Liam got caught in the middle. Since the gang knows Liam is helping me, they might be targeting Liam’s family, also.”
Brady shook his head. “That seems far-fetched. This isn’t the movies. They’re not going to torture us for information about Liam.”
“Dad’s house was attacked last night,” Liam blurted out.
Brady paled. “Is he all right? What happened?”
“Shaun scared off the intruders before they could get inside.”
“And you’re sure that the intruders were part of this gang?”
“Well...no,” Liam admitted. “But it seems likely.”
“Filipino culture puts a lot of emphasis on the family unit,” Elisabeth said. “The threat to a person’s family is intended as a personal insult. That’s why the gang would target you.”
“We have a good security system, and I’ll be careful—”
“Brady, it might be safer for Debra and Ryan if you moved to Dad’s house for a little while.”
“Absolutely not.” Debra’s voice cut into the living room from where she stood in the open doorway. She propped her hands on her hips. “Why do you want us to move?”
Liam explained to her, but Debra only shook her head more vigorously. “That’s ridiculous. You don’t even know for certain if the men were gang members. This ‘threat’ might be all in your head, Liam.”
Brady’s eyes were hard as he regarded his wife. “Liam doesn’t exaggerate or make things up.”
The look Debra cast Brady was almost disdainful. “I was simply saying that he could be mistaken.”
“You don’t think it would be better to be safe than sorry?” Elisabeth said. “Think of what’s best for your baby. These men are very dangerous.”
“You’d only need to stay with Dad for a little while,” Liam said.
“It’s Christmas.” Debra’s voice was sharp. “I’m not packing everything up to go to Patrick’s house just because you have a funny feeling.” Debra’s derisive tone included both Liam and Brady.
Liam wasn’t sure what was going on between Brady and his wife, but it was obvious Debra still held a grudge against him for what he’d said to her. But despite her feelings toward him, he couldn’t leave them unprotected like this. “How about if we stay with the two of you?” Liam said.
Debra’s brows drew down over her eyes and she opened her mouth to say something, but Brady spoke first. “You’re always welcome to stay with us, Liam.” He cast a brief, hard look at his wife, who closed her mouth and gave a small sniff.
“Just for a little while,” Liam said. “Just in case there is a threat.”
Brady smiled at him. “Between my work and yours, we never get to hang out anymore.”
As kids, Liam had been closest to Brady. They both enjoyed computers, science fiction and Star Trek. But Brady’s marriage and Liam’s deployment had caused them to drift apart. Maybe now that he was back in Sonoma, Liam could rebuild that relationship.
Liam stood. “We need to go talk to Nathan, and then we’ll be back.”
Debra gave a sigh that skated the edge of long suffering. “I’ll get the guest rooms ready for you two.”
Elisabeth also stood, her eyes neutral as they rested on Debra’s retreating back. But she smiled at Brady. “Thanks for letting us stay.”
“I’ll walk you out to your car.” Ryan was sleepily resting against his father’s shoulder, and he only stirred a little as Brady rose and headed out the front door with them.
Elisabeth cast Liam and Brady only a brief glance before she said, “I’ll wait in the car.” And then she left them alone on the front stoop.
A brief silence fell between them. Liam looked back at the closed front door and sobered. “Brady, is everything okay with Debra?”
Brady’s eyes became chips of blue ice. “Everything’s fine,” he said in a clipped voice.
“Brady...”
“It’s between me and my wife. I’m not talking about this with you, Liam.”
He could respect that. “It’s not a problem for us to stay here?”
Brady’s mouth softened. “It’s never a problem to spend time with you, bro.”
Liam kissed his nephew’s soft hair, then clasped Brady’s shoulder in a warm grip. “We’ll be back in a few.”
As he headed toward the car, he saw Elisabeth’s eyes on him. There was a strange expression on her face as she regarded him, then Brady. Bleakness flashed over her face, then was gone.
He got into the passenger seat just as her phone rang. She frowned as she saw the caller ID. “That’s the number for the shelter. Hello?”
Her perplexed expression melted to worry. “Are you sure?” she breathed.
“What is it?” Liam leaned closer to her.
“O-okay. Thanks.” She disconnected the call, then turned to him. “It was the shelter. They said that Joslyn called them.”
NINE
Elisabeth stared at her cell phone. Everything in her wanted to help Joslyn, and yet...too much didn’t add up.
“What did she say?” Liam looked as flabbergasted as she felt.
“According to Kalea, Joslyn said that she spotted Tomas and needed my help. Then she hung up.”
Liam’s eyes narrowed. “She didn’t say where she was?”
“No. And she knows I don’t know where she is. We were in the process of figuring out where she should go, but she left the shelter before we finalized any plans.” Elisabeth hefted her cell phone in her hand. “And why did she call the shelter?”
“Does she have your cell phone number?”
“I change it pretty often, but I have an answering service that I check regularly. That’s the number I give my clients.”
“She might have forgotten the number.” But even as he said it, Liam looked suspicious.
“That’s possible...”
“Or it’s a trick by the Bagsics to get you to find Joslyn and lead them to her.”
That had been her second thought. Her first had been concern and worry for Joslyn, if Tomas really had found her.
Liam took her cell phone from her hand. His touch was light, but she felt calluses on his fingertips where they brushed against her palm. “If it’s really Joslyn, she’ll call the shelter again,” he said.
“I know you’re right, but—” she swallowed “—I’m worried about her.”
“We’ll bring Tomas to justice, and then Joslyn won’t have to run anymore.”
His confidence made her feel steadier. He seemed to always have that effect on her. She didn’t understand why.
And she didn’t want to get used to relying on it—or him.
She started the engine. “Where to?”
“Back to Sonoma, to Nathan’s house.”
Elisabeth glanced at the gas gauge. Her old car didn’t have great gas mileage, and her tank was low. “I need to stop at a gas station.”
“There’s one on the way to Highway 101, off a side road.”
It was a short drive to the gas station. She was about to swipe her credit card at the pump when a fast-movin
g figure caught her attention. She turned around to see a Filipino man leaning on the passenger-side window, which was open, saying something to Liam in a low voice she couldn’t catch.
Her heart blipped, and she was about to head toward them when a man’s voice sounded in her ear. “Don’t move.” A hard object was shoved into her ribs.
He was close enough that she could smell cigarettes and a spicy, flamboyant cologne. She turned her head and saw a Filipino man next to her, his face familiar, his dark eyes hard as flint.
“Walk.” He punctuated the command with a jab of the gun held against her side. “Toward the back of the station.”
She walked, every movement stiff. She looked around to see if anyone had noticed them, but no one was looking their way. She could shout to the convenience store attendant, but that might get her—or worse, the attendant—shot. Or Liam.
She turned the corner toward the back of the building and spotted the SUV parked there. It was the same one from the parking lot of her apartment building, with the fancy scrollwork detail along the side.
These weren’t Bagsics.
“How did you find us?” She tried to sound frightened, to make the man let down his guard.
“I didn’t think your boyfriend would visit his brother way out here, but the boss said to scope out the house anyway. Wait’ll I deliver you to them.” There was a nasty smile in his voice.
Who were these guys? They obviously had bad blood with the Bagsics. Hoping a taunt would trick him into sharing some information, she said, “You Bagsics are all alike.”
The man recoiled in disgust. “We’re Tumibays, not Bagsic scum.”
She hadn’t heard of them, but they must be a gang. The man was dressed in a black T-shirt and leather jacket, with scuffed jeans and boots. She could see tattoos on his wrists where his jacket cuffs had ridden up.
At that moment, the second gang member appeared from around the corner with Liam, whose face was a thundercloud. But his eyes quickly found hers. “Are you all right?”
She nodded.
Liam’s hands curled into fists. “Okay, you got us. Now, what do you want?”
The man with the leather jacket studied Elisabeth. She noticed a pale, almost invisible scar along his left cheekbone in the shape of a large fishing hook.