Public Enemy, Undercover Lover

by Amanda Meuwissen

  “Sounds like only your area was ransacked,” Steven said. “No one else reported anything missing. Which means the perp knew what they were looking for and where to find it.”

  “I know you’ll have to check for an inside job, Detective, me as a suspect included, but I’ve worked with everyone here for months. There’s just no way that’s what happened.”

  “Sometimes you think you know someone, and they surprise you.”

  Andrew felt his lip curl but didn’t comment.

  “But I’ll take that into account,” Steven continued. “And you’re not a suspect, Mr. Wellesley. Not yet.”

  “Call me Dalton. Please.” His bright expression countered Steven’s cold impassiveness, so open and honest—nothing like Ford.

  Andrew needed to stop comparing them or thinking about Ford in general, but it was difficult when he kept looking at Dalton’s dazzling blue eyes that matched his father’s.

  Attentive to every detail, Dalton went on to explain what was missing from his research station, including files from his computer that had been copied.

  “Was your computer locked?” Andrew asked.

  “Always. Automatic if I’m idle for more than five minutes. Someone hacked the system, which is not an easy feat here, but even though they had access to pretty much everything, they only took a few files.”

  “And all related to your research on absolute zero?”

  “Exclusively, but they didn’t get everything. If I had to guess, I’d say they only had an idea of what to take, but they don’t know the tech that well themselves. The last thing they stole was my cyclotron, but that’s what I’ve been experimenting with, so some of the crucial components were in another lab. The thief didn’t notice, and those pieces are still here.”

  Andrew startled at the mention of that final piece of equipment, not that it was surprising given the sort of funds available at Avalon. “You’re using a cyclotron?”

  “Which is what?” Steven glanced between them.

  “It’s basically a mini particle accelerator,” Andrew said. He’d dabbled in physics and chemistry in college but couldn’t get into the coursework. “Well, they can be all sizes, but I assume mini?”

  Dalton formed a shape with his arms small enough to carry but larger than a house cat.

  Andrew nodded. “They use them for nuclear medicine and—”

  “Nuclear?” Steven broke in. “Does this perp have a bomb out there?”

  Pausing to consider the specs, Andrew shared a calculating look with Dalton.

  “Not in its current state,” Dalton said, “but they could make one.”

  “Some hacker thief none of the cameras caught any footage of has a potential bomb in the city they don’t know how to control?”

  “The cameras didn’t catch anything?” Andrew asked in surprise. “Is this the same—”

  Steven turned to him sharply. The mystery thief wasn’t meant to be common knowledge.

  “Do you think it’s related to any other cases?” Andrew corrected.

  “Maybe. I’ll get a closer look of the footage back at the station, but it’s not promising. Listen,” he pointed between them with an authoritative finger wave, “I’ll handle the investigation. You two worry about telling me the second you learn anything useful. Got it?” His final command was directed at Andrew.

  “Of course,” he said, holding a thin smile until his brother nodded and walked away.

  “Is he upset about something?” Dalton asked.

  Yeah, me. “He’s just like that.” Andrew turned to Dalton with a rallied smile. “We’ve got a lot to catch up on. After I’m finished looking over things here, maybe you can join me for lunch on my way back to the office.”

  “That’d be great! I have a few other things I wanted to talk about, actually.” He glanced over Andrew’s shoulder as if to be sure Steven was out of earshot. “Like my dad.”

  Andrew hated to admit it, but there had only ever been one thief who could get away this clean, and Ford had been keeping tabs on the police and their progress with these investigations. “I know you won’t want to hear about him being a suspect—”

  “It wasn’t him.”

  “I’m not saying it was.”

  “Besides, if it was Dad, he’d know what to take. He wouldn’t make the mistake of leaving something important behind. He would have done his research.”

  “That’s…true.”

  “And he wouldn’t do this to me. He is militant about keeping that part of his life separate. Annoyingly so, in fact.” Dalton scowled, which opened a pit of guilt in Andrew’s stomach for even considering Ford might be involved.

  Then he realized how much Ford would hate that he was there. He’d hate all of this. Dalton’s research had been targeted specifically. It was too coincidental when his father was an ex-thief who now did security. “That’s why you called me instead of him.”

  “Well, yeah. Plus, I figured you might actually let me help.”

  “Help?”

  “This research is important to me. I have to help. You have an engineer working for you, right? He can help too.”

  Dalton also did his research. Kevin had left a job in engineering because he didn’t want to work for anyone corporate.

  “You two would probably get along like brothers separated at birth,” Andrew admitted.

  “Is he your new Bones?”

  “Technically. Though Kevin prefers Spock.”

  “Ah, so you’re saying there’s room for both of us on that couch for the next Star Trek marathon?”

  Andrew laughed. “He’ll want to vet you first, but I don’t foresee any issues.” In fact, Andrew sort of loved the idea of introducing his friends and having a movie night. He didn’t take time off very often anymore.

  “It’s a date,” Dalton said. “But there is one other thing I wanted to mention before you got to work.”

  “Yeah?”

  “About Dad.”

  Andrew’s stomach dropped. Why had Ford said they dated? “Look, if there are details about the two of us he didn’t want to share—”

  “It’s not that. Things didn’t work out between you two. I get it. And I know it seems like he’s been doing really well with his business.”

  Yeah, stealing clients from me.

  “But it’s hard. There’s still so much stigma. A lot of potential clients turn up their noses at them just because Dad and his partners have records. It would go a long way to helping them realize they chose the right path if they had someone with more clout to vouch for them.”

  “What are you thinking?” Andrew asked skeptically.

  “I think Doctor Vallancourt needs to increase security, especially after all this. That’s why I called you. But given how talented the thief is, we might need more than one consultant.”

  “Dalton,” Andrew felt the hammer about to fall, “I know you asked for me because this is complicated with your dad—”

  “It is, but if he thinks you asked for him, it could be different.”

  “Me?”

  Dalton grasped his hands, tight between them and pleading. “I need your help, your expertise, but I also think it would be great to get insight from Dad. Imagine how unstoppable the two of you would be working together?”

  “I don’t think—”

  “Please,” Dalton implored. “It would mean so much to have both of you on this. Besides, once this thief realizes they’re missing necessary components, they are going to come back.”

  Andrew opened his mouth to counter when it dawned on him how right Dalton was. “Your dad wouldn’t want you at risk like that. He’ll probably freak when he hears about this.” And there was a thought—Isaac Ford freaking out about anything, yet Andrew could somehow imagine it perfectly if it involved Dalton, even after only seeing them together once.

  “So, you’ll work with him?” Dalton beamed.

  Andrew was so in over his head, but he couldn’t see a better option. “Okay, but you’re buying lunch.�
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  * * * *

  Isaac gaped at the spot where the invoices had been sitting on his desk that Kathleen had long since taken away to file—along with the newest death threats he received at least once a week, originally once a day since his firm first opened its doors. He’d frozen in the wake of Dalton telling him about his day.

  Dalton, who wasn’t supposed to be at the office during business hours ever, but he’d burst in with news that couldn’t wait until later before Isaac could tell him to go.

  “Dad, did you hear me?”

  Glancing up at Dalton in the chair in front of his desk, Isaac willed himself to not give away any of the tension roiling through him. Someone had broken into Avalon. Stolen Dalton’s research. Ruffed up his workspace. Effectively put a bullseye on Isaac’s son, which was already past tense, making him helpless to do anything about it.

  “I said Andrew’s helping with the case. I met his brother today, the detective? Or other detective, I should say, since Andrew and his dad were both detectives too.”

  “That sounds complicated,” Kathleen said from the filing cabinet.

  Isaac didn’t mind her knowing about his son, or Luke, who stood vigil by the door. They’d taken to Dalton like a real aunt and uncle, and Luke didn’t warm to anyone. But their presence also reminded Isaac how quickly this could spiral.

  “Who’s Andrew?” Kathleen continued.

  Like that.

  “A friend of mine Dad dated before his arrest.”

  “Excuse me?” Kathleen put her full attention on Isaac. “Why didn’t I hear about this? I thought you were hung up on—”

  “I’m not hung up on anyone.”

  “Unless this is Andrew Wen?”

  Urg.

  “Since when did you date our biggest competitor? Especially since he—”

  “Not your business.” Isaac stared her down, trying to hint that she better not go down that path. The last thing he needed was for Dalton to find out the truth now.

  “I guess Andrew didn’t know Dad was a thief until he went to prison,” Dalton dove them right back into the deep end, though at least the others had looks of recognition now, since they knew that couldn’t be true. “You’re hung up on him, huh?”

  “No.”

  Luke remained by the door, betraying no more than an irritated eyebrow raise.

  Kathleen was less easily silenced. “Cradle robbing and pilfering from the boys in blue. You naughty boy.”

  “It was short-lived, nothing to write home about, and doesn’t bear repeating now.”

  “Calm down, Dad,” Dalton said. “I’m not trying to pry about your relationship. I want to talk about the case.”

  Preferable, but normally Isaac would have shot that down too—if the case didn’t involve Dalton. “Smash and grab without injury?”

  “Oh yeah, no one was hurt.”

  Good. If someone had been, Isaac would be far more on edge. “I’m sure Andrew and Detective Wen have it covered then. Give them a few days, case closed.”

  “It might not be that easy. The thief didn’t leave any evidence, didn’t set off any alarms or get caught on camera, and they missed vital pieces to my work. Andrew and I both think they’re going to come back.”

  Isaac fought to not drop the pen he’d picked up to appear nonchalant by clutching it in a death grip.

  “I was running some ideas past him about how we might help.”

  “We?”

  “Like a team-up.” Dalton shrugged, playing it off as harmless to cover how much it so wasn’t. “I asked Andrew to check things out because I trust him and wanted to see him again, but I want your perspective too. Plus, I can help by providing insight into my research and what the thief might be using it for.”

  “Dalton—”

  “Competing businesses join forces all the time.”

  “Not us. And not with you helping. I don’t want you anywhere near this.”

  “I’m already near it. I’m in it! So, unless you plan to tie me up and keep me prisoner for the next few days, it’s my research on the line, I’m meeting Andrew tomorrow, and we are going to solve this case.”

  Fatherhood would have been so much easier if Dalton was ten instead of twenty-three. Isaac could have just sent him to his room.

  “We don’t solve cases, honey,” Kathleen said gently. “We patch holes in security to prevent future ones.”

  “I know, but if this thief’s going to come back, we can do both.”

  “You want us to team up with some spook?” Luke asked.

  “He’s a former detective, Luke, not FBI.”

  “I know him. Still a pig.”

  “And a friend of mine. You shouldn’t judge someone for their past alone. I never would.” Dalton spoke so effortlessly affectionate that it made even Luke’s stony demeanor crack. “Plus, he and Dad got along fine when we saw him the other day.”

  “Oh yeah?” Luke squared his gaze on Isaac. “Dating again?”

  “No—”

  “Frenemies with benefits?”

  “No benefits,” Isaac snapped louder. “No nothing. End of discussion.”

  “Are you talking about Andrew Wen?” Riley peeked in.

  Damn it.

  “Quite the interesting surveillance from the other night,” he added with a grin.

  Did he…? He better not have listened after patching Isaac in!

  “Surveillance?” Dalton shifted to look between them. “On Andrew?”

  “Work related,” Isaac dismissed. “And all fair play.” Technically. Andrew started it!

  “Who’s this?” Riley asked as he sauntered in, not having met Dalton yet, which Isaac had been trying to avoid. He was attractive, still reminding Isaac of a smaller version of Andrew, but with an entirely different countenance.

  Isaac didn’t want that countenance anywhere near his son.

  “You must be Dalton. Those eyes are a dead giveaway.”

  “Dalton Wellesley, pleasure to meet you.” Dalton extended his hand to shake.

  “Riley Sedgwick. And the pleasure is mine. You’re what?” Riley looked Dalton up and down with zero restraint. “Twenty-two?”

  “Three.”

  “Really?”

  “No,” Isaac barked in protest.

  “Oh please,” Riley said, “I think he’s old enough to make his own decisions.”

  “You mean mistakes.” Isaac held his gaze in warning. “Don’t you have work you should be getting back to?”

  “I think Dad’s worried about you.” Dalton snickered.

  “Probably just jealous I’m more interested in the younger model.” Riley winked.

  “Riley,” Isaac barked again.

  Even Luke and Kathleen were holding back snickers, but Isaac’s tone finally got Riley to shrink back.

  “I’ll catch up with you all later.” Riley slinked away, but not without Dalton shouting after him.

  “It was nice to meet you!”

  “You too, Junior!” He scurried out the door.

  Isaac would kill him if he wasn’t so good at his job.

  “As for the case,” Dalton sat forward as if they hadn’t lost a step, “if you’re so worried about me and the threat of another break-in, why not join me tomorrow? Aren’t you interested in making sure this thief can’t break in a second time?”

  That would put Isaac at ease, especially if Dalton was so set on being involved.

  “And if you’re worried about Andrew, don’t be. It was his idea to invite you.”

  “It was?”

  “Totally.”

  Isaac had been itching for an excuse to see Andrew again. He hadn’t expected it to be like this, but at the very least, he was being invited to keep tabs on his competition, while also keeping tabs on Dalton until the thief was caught.

  And Andrew asking for him was so…telling.

  If Kathleen and Luke said anything later, Isaac knew just where to tell them to shove it.

  “I’ll do it.”

  * * * * />
  Andrew didn’t have much time before he was scheduled to meet Dalton at Avalon again, which was why he’d chosen this coffee shop, since it was only a few blocks away. He needed to get this bombshell off his chest, especially if he was planning to drag Kevin along with him.

  “You’re kidding.” Candace pushed him in the shoulder.

  “Nope.”

  “Dalton? Really?”

  “Who’s Dalton?” Kevin asked.

  “Only the sweetest baby-faced cinnamon roll ever to walk the halls at the U,” Candace gushed. “I can’t believe Dalton Wellesley is Isaac Ford’s son!”

  Candace had been Andrew’s first college friend, and they’d been inseparable ever since. She was as bubbly and forceful of personality as she was tiny, with perfectly symmetrical features set in her light brown face, accentuated by her shaved head, which she’d had since sophomore year. She handled all things business related for the firm, having left an unsatisfying job in marketing to help Andrew change careers.

  Kevin assisted with everything else, mostly equipment and tech. In contrast to Candace’s hairless look, his locks were free-flowing chestnut, his face covered in dark scruff. Andrew had only known him for about a year, but they’d become fast friends after bonding over being unapologetic geeks.

  “You should have seen them the other day,” Andrew said. “It was actually kind of sweet. Dalton was clearly loving every minute of being around Ford, and I really think Ford just wants to be a good dad.”

  “That is so cute.” Candace made a wounded noise like watching puppies play.

  “This Dalton guy is enough to make you say something involving Isaac Ford is cute?” Kevin gawked at her. “You hate Ford.”

  “And I still hate him. We all hate him.”

  Andrew wisely kept his mouth shut.

  “But that’s not Dalton’s fault. He was a serious sweetie. And those eyes—oh.” She turned to Andrew in recognition. “The eyes.”

  “The eyes.”

  “What about his eyes?” Kevin asked.

  “Gorgeous, like drown in them blue against mocha skin.”

  “Okay, we get it,” Andrew said. “You can stop now.”

  “Oh, come on, you thought he was adorable too. If you’d been the same age and met him freshman year instead, you two would have been the ones dating over those awful boyfriends you both had.”