Above all Else

by Sophia R Heart

  Police officer. Lorry driver. Bounty hunter. Student... The list was endless, and there seemed to be no pattern at all that I could find that linked these men together. They all looked like ordinary people with ordinary jobs. Beside me, Kellan leaned closer and frowned at the screen.

  “Try another document,” he said.

  I closed the file, wondering if we’d made a big deal about the flash drive for no reason. So far, there didn’t seem to be anything of interest on it.

  I opened up another document, and my stomach dropped when I realized what I was seeing. There were so many tables and information that looked like gibberish that it took me a moment to process what I was looking at. But when I did, I felt my stomach drop.

  There were lists of products. Drugs and guns and stolen cars amongst others. Amounts of each shipment were listed, as well as times and places they needed to be dropped off or collected. There were addresses for warehouses, abandoned buildings, and deserted streets.

  We’d stumbled upon an organized crime ring that was selling on the black market. I was sure of it.

  I exchanged a wide-eyed stare with Kellan. “Am I really seeing what I think I’m seeing?”

  “You sure are, princess.” He swallowed. “Fucking–”

  “–hell,” I finished. “Did you know about this?”

  “No. Fuck, no.” Kellan shook his head, his jaw working. “What the hell was Mario doing with this?”

  “Good question,” I said, confusion settling in. Dad was fantastic at his job. He had a reputation for being a great bounty hunter and catching fugitives. But he wasn’t a detective, or a police officer. Unless this had to do with one of the guys he was tracking, it wouldn’t have been of much use to Dad. “Maybe it has to do with one of Dad’s cases?” I said uncertainly.

  “That doesn’t explain why it was hidden at the bottom of his filing cabinet, or how those guys that broke in tonight knew your dad had it.”

  “Do you think the police know? Maybe Dad got this information from Uncle Luke or another of his cop friends,” I suggested. We’d planned on handing the flash drive to the police after seeing what was on it, but perhaps they already had the information and that was how Dad had acquired it.

  “I don’t know. Maybe,” Kellan acknowledged. “But where would the police get this information? They’d get it from the people behind this crime ring. If the guys that broke in tonight were involved with the crime ring, wouldn’t they already have this information? Maybe this is the only copy, and your dad managed to get a hold of it. Or maybe they found out he had this information and they didn’t want it getting out so they tried to get it back, which suggests that they had reason to believe that the cops didn’t have it. And that begs a whole other set of questions.”

  “Do you think this had anything to do with Dad’s disappearance?” I asked, frowning at the screen.

  “I think that’s a definite possibility, but I don’t see how just yet. Keep searching, ballerina. We might find something. We need to make a copy, too, and hand the flash drive in to the cops in the morning. If they already have the information, then there’s no harm done, but if they don’t–“

  “–they must have it,” I interjected. “Even if Dad didn’t get this from the police, he would have handed it in to them as soon as he found it.”

  “Then why would those men go to such great lengths to get it back? Something tells me that they wouldn’t break into a house to retrieve a flash drive if the police already had a copy of it.” Kellan shook his head. “Let’s just see what else is on the flash drive.”

  “Fine.” I opened up another file, and Kellan and I both leaned forward as it loaded onto the screen.

  It was a list – similar to the one I’d first viewed that had people’s names and information on it – but next to the occupational column, there was an additional one that listed what each person would be able to acquire, how much of it, and when it needed to be collected or delivered.

  I looked back at the occupational column, seeing people such as teachers, shopkeepers, even cops, and lawyers listed. Looking at the products column, I could see that they were acquiring or distributing drugs and weapons, or engaged in money laundering.

  These were real people out there. People who I’d maybe passed on the street. Cops.

  I felt a flash of fear. Cops were supposed to be the good guys. The people we trusted. And some of them were in this... this crime ring.

  Kellan looked completely floored beside me. “I need a drink,” he muttered. Getting up, he went to the mini-bar near the flat-screen and came back with a bottle of scotch.

  “Well, at least that answers one question,” I said shakily. “The cops can’t know about this. There would have been an uproar if it was discovered that some of them were involved in organized crime. It would have been all over the media.”

  Kellan nodded grimly.

  Thinking of cops made me think of Uncle Luke. Was he on here somewhere? I almost didn’t want to carry on looking.

  I didn’t understand any of this. Why hadn’t Dad handed the flash drive in to the police? Had he been too afraid? Surely, he could have found someone he trusted on the force, someone he knew wasn’t on the flash drive or a part of this crime ring.

  Did this group have something to do with Dad’s disappearance? Did they take him to silence him?

  Grief made it difficult to breathe. Fear made it hard to swallow. I wished I’d never opened this can of worm, wished I could still trust the people who were supposed to protect us all.

  I reluctantly opened up another file, not sure if I wanted to see any more. I found copies of checks and amounts of cash that had exchanged hands. There was an inordinate amount of money being paid to people on the lists.

  I couldn’t believe Dad had just been sitting on this information. It was huge. It was massive.

  “Look at the name of the person who’s paying them.” I pointed at the screen. “Tony. Those men tonight mentioned him. I got the impression that they worked for him.”

  Kellan looked contemplative. “It looks like he might just be the mastermind behind this operation.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I can’t believe Mario didn’t say anything to me. Not a fucking word.”

  “What… what do we do now? What do we do with this?” I gestured at the laptop.

  “Let me think.” Kellan leaned forward so that his head was in his hands. I couldn’t see his face, but could practically hear the wheels in his mind turning.

  “Maybe we could go to a cop that’s not mentioned on the list?” I asked. Just thinking about all the crooked cops out there terrified me.

  “What if this flash drive isn’t up to date? What if more cops have been recruited? What if we end up approaching someone who’s involved?” he said, sounding pensive. His arms fell away, but he continued to frown thoughtfully at the floor.

  I sighed. Going back to the laptop, I scrolled further down the list.

  John Cavanaugh. Cop. Trace Melbourne. Student. Gabe Peters. Magistrate... The list went on and on.

  I couldn’t believe these people. To do all this just for money? It was disgusting, especially since some of these people were supposed to be enforcing the law. I scrolled further down the list.

  Mario Mansten. Bounty hunter.

  No.

  No. He wouldn’t. He couldn’t. A choked sob escaped my lips as I stared at his name on the screen. On the file that listed criminals.

  “Kellan,” I said, my voice hoarse. He glanced up and followed my eyes to the laptop.

  I blinked hard at the screen, hoping his name wouldn’t still be there when I opened my eyes. Dad was... he was a bounty hunter. He was a good guy. He caught bad guys and put them behind bars. He couldn’t be a part of this.

  But his name was still there. Clear as day. In black and white. And it explained why he hadn’t given the flash drive to the police.

  A tear trailed down my cheek. Kellan was completely s
till next to me, not even blinking. I didn’t look at him. I couldn’t. I wished desperately that I’d run straight out of the house earlier on, instead of pausing to grab the flash drive. I longed to go back and erase it all so that I’d never have found out about what it contained.

  I put the laptop down on the coffee table and stood up. I didn’t want to see anymore. I didn’t want to know anymore.

  I realized I was breathing heavily, rethinking everything that I thought I knew about Dad. Rethinking the type of man he was.

  The silence in the apartment was deafening.

  Kellan looked at me, his face looking stunned and betrayed. He caught my gaze and his eyes shifted, his face clearing of emotion. I hated him for that – for hiding what he was feeling. I hated him for being able to do it so easily when the tears had yet to dry on my face.

  He stood up too. “We don’t know for sure what this means–“

  “I think it’s pretty fucking clear, don’t you?” I said bitterly, more tears flowing down my face. God, I hoped that there was another meaning. Another explanation. I hoped with everything in me.

  I thought of Dad; the man who used to tuck me into bed every night before I went to sleep, the same man who couldn’t cook to save his lift but had spent hours in the kitchen trying to make me chicken soup when I’d gotten sick. My memories of Dad didn’t align with what that document claimed. Dad wasn’t a criminal. I couldn’t see him involved in any sort of organized crime. That wasn’t him.

  It had to be a mistake. There had to be more to it.

  “Maybe he was working undercover, or he could have...” Kellan struggled to come up with an answer and stared at me like he was trying to find the right words. He took in the tears on my face, and softly, almost hesitantly, his hand came up to my face, wiping my tears dry with his thumb. Stepping back, he dropped his hand. “It’s been a long night. You should get some sleep,” he said gruffly. “The guest bedroom is through there.”

  He pointed at a door at the end of a short hallway. I gave him a wan smile, and picked up my backpack.

  Suddenly wanting desperately to be alone and to think, I disappeared into the guestroom, well aware that I wouldn’t be able to sleep a wink tonight.

  CHAPTER NINE

  * * *

  - NOW -

  I AWOKE EARLY THE next morning, surprised that I’d actually managed to fall asleep. Rolling over onto my back, I glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand. It was eight AM, which meant that I’d only slept for around two hours. It was little wonder that I felt like death warmed over.

  The day had barely begun and I was already exhausted – both physically and mentally. I’d tossed and turned for most of the night, the adrenaline that had cursed through me during the break-in leaving me drained. Mostly, it was the troubling thoughts plaguing my mind that had me so weary.

  I wondered where Dad was and whether he was okay. I needed him desperately. I needed his comfort and his reassurance. I needed to know that I wasn’t alone, that I had someone out there in the world who loved me wholly and unconditionally. He was the only family I had left. The thought that I might never get an explanation for his name being on that list distressed me, but it was nothing compared to the pain I felt thinking that I might never see him again.

  I had no idea what he’d gotten himself involved in, but the revelations from last night had opened up whole new possibilities about what could have happened to him. Suddenly, Archie Chambers wasn’t looking nearly as threatening.

  It had been over three weeks since I’d seen him last, and all the uncertainty was torture. It felt more like three years had passed. I’d give anything in the world, strike any bargain, and make any deal, just to be able to see him again. To be able to talk to him.

  Hearing the shower, I realized that Kellan was up and awake, and hauled myself out of bed. The guestroom was pretty much like the rest of his apartment. Minimalistic. It actually kind of reminded me of a hotel room with neutral cream walls, plain white sheets, and wooden floors. Even though Kellan had been living in this apartment for over a year, I was pretty sure that I was the first person to use the room. It had a vacant and untouched feel to it.

  I made my way towards the kitchen and immediately went about making a pot of coffee. I needed at least two mugs worth before I’d feel anywhere near ready to face the rest of the day.

  Needing a distraction, I rearranged some of Kellan’s cupboards while the water boiled, moving all the mugs, sugar, and instant coffee into one cupboard, and plates and wine glasses into another. I felt restless despite my fatigue, and keeping my hands busy helped.

  I was pouring my first cup of coffee when Kellan stepped out of the bathroom, clad in only a towel. I nearly dropped the mug in my hand. His chiseled stomach was the first thing that caught my eye, followed by the beginnings of a tattoo on his left hipbone that disappeared into the towel wrapped around his waist. I had a very clear view of his decadent body and it rattled me.

  “Sleep well?” Kellan asked, a groove appearing between his eyebrows. He looked concerned… until he took in the splash of color high on my cheeks. His lips quirked.

  “I slept fine,” I said before he could open his mouth and send an arrogant remark my way. I glanced away, staring into the bottom of my mug as though it held a great deal of fascination.

  I glanced up, unable to help myself, when I heard his retreating footsteps and caught a glimpse of the curve of his ass just before his disappeared down the hall into his bedroom.

  His door shut behind him with an audible click, and I tried to reign in my thoughts. I was lusting after Kellan... and that was just plain weird. I’d been young and naïve last time. I had no such excuse now.

  In my defense, I’d been deprived of male company for a while now. I hadn’t dated anyone in almost a year. The only guy I spent time with was Axel, and now Kellan. Thinking of Axel, I sent him a quick text asking how his weekend was going. I didn’t want him to worry, and decided I wouldn’t say anything about the break-in. The French doors would hopefully be replaced by the time he made a trip down. He’d never need to know.

  I sighed, finishing off my coffee before pouring myself a second cup.

  I moved towards the TV and switched it on. It was way too quiet in the apartment, and I needed some noise to help drown out my thoughts.

  I felt more desperate than ever to uncover the truth behind Dad’s disappearance, and crazily enough, last night had given me hope. Before that, I hadn’t been able to come up with any reason as to why Dad hadn’t returned home other than the fact that he was out there hurt. Or worse. The information on the flash drive had brought up a whole new set of possibilities.

  It hurt to think that I didn’t really know Dad, that he’d kept such a massive secret, and maybe broken the law. We hadn’t found anything in the flash drive that had said what Dad had been involved in. Dad’s name on that list might not actually mean anything. I’d give him the benefit of the doubt, and I’d continue to do so until I received concrete evidence showing me otherwise.

  I sipped at my coffee, not really seeing the TV screen at all. I couldn’t help but go back to those last few weeks with Dad. Conversations came back to me, and I went over them over and over again. Nothing jumped out at me. No explanation. There had to be more to this than we were currently seeing. There had to be.

  Kellan stepped out of his bedroom a short while later and was fortunately – or unfortunately, depending on how you looked at it – fully dressed.

  “I called someone to replace the broken French doors. He’ll be there at half nine. If you hurry, we’ll have time to stop for some breakfast on the way to your place,” Kellan said, helping himself to some coffee. He looked like he’d been up since dawn. Actually, he looked like he hadn’t gone to sleep at all.

  I nodded, even as the mere thought of food made me feel nauseous. “Thanks.”

  I got up and walked into the bathroom. It smelled of Kellan in there, the scent intoxic
ating. I had to shake my head to focus. Wiping steam off the mirror above the sink, I brushed my teeth. Kellan had taken one hot shower, and the bathroom was stuffy from the lingering heat of the water.

  I dressed quickly in the guestroom, glad my backpack was large enough to have prevented my clothes from wrinkling. I pulled on the leggings I’d packed and a cute top that showed off some of my stomach. I’d shoved the items into my bag last night in a daze, and was glad to see that they weren’t completely mismatched.

  “April?” Kellan called out.

  “Coming!” I yelled, shoving my toiletries and yesterday’s clothes into the backpack as I hurried out of the room.

  The door to Kellan’s room was right opposite the guestroom in the short hallway. Curiosity getting the better of me, I peeked inside.

  It looked like the most lived-in room in the whole apartment. The bed was messy and unmade. A mental image of Kellan sprawled on it, his hands twisted around the wrinkled sheets, flashed through my mind. I shook that thought out of my head, and glanced over my shoulder to make sure that Kellan wasn’t around. There were some picture frames on the walls that I couldn’t resist taking a look at.

  I ambled over to them, seeing that there were three frames. One picture was of Kellan and a guy I didn’t know. He had a crazy mop of red hair on his head and looked like he was the same age as Kellan. He was grinning at the camera, his arm slung casually over Kellan’s shoulder. Kellan’s smile was more reserved, almost a half-smile, as he too looked at the lens, but his dimple was still there, visible even in the picture.

  The next photograph was of Kellan and Dad, causing a pang to go through me. God, I missed him. It was a candid shot, and I couldn’t quite place where they were. Dad was laughing as he ruffled Kellan’s hair. Kellan had his head ducked as he tried to escape Dad’s hold, but he was smiling too. That kind of smile was rare for Kellan, and it made my lips curve just looking at it.