Above all Else

by Sophia R Heart

  “You think he’s behind this crime ring, the LSG, now?” I asked.

  “I do.” Phoenix nodded. “We saw the name Tony on a lot of the cash transactions, but there were a handful that had the name Antonio on them. Tony. Antonio. It could be a nickname.”

  Kellan nodded from beside me. He glanced back at the screen and did a double take. His hand shot out to pull a monitor closer to him. “What the fuck?” he said, brows furrowed as his eyes darted across the monitor. “Wickers was a cop?”

  “Yeah, I was getting to that,” Phoenix said, looking almost disappointed to have missed out on shocking us. He did a small double-take as he got a look at Kellan’s bandaged hand for the first time, but seemed to think better of asking about what had happened. Instead, he turned towards the computer. “He was the only cop arrested... but it’s got me wondering if he was the only cop involved.”

  “He could have covered for other cops back then,” I said, realization dawning.

  “They’d have been indebted to Wickers and to Antonio Rossi for their silence,” Phoenix affirmed.

  “No wonder there are so many officers involved. Some were probably involved before, back in the eighties, and they would have been able to recruit new cops easily, knowing who was struggling with cash, who’d be more likely to bend the law,” Max said furiously, beginning to pace the length of the room. “This is tricky. Usually something of this magnitude would go straight to the top – to the Chief of Police.”

  “Why can’t we do that?” Axel asked in confusion.

  “Because he’s involved,” I said softly, signing the words for him. “It’s Uncle Luke.”

  “Luke?” Phoenix said, appalled. “Luke is Chief of Police. Since when?”

  “A few days,” I said, seeing Axel’s blue eyes go wide. I felt bleak myself. It was a blow for sure; finding out Luke had been promoted to a position of higher authority.

  Max nodded. “I have no idea what the protocol is here.”

  “You talk to your uncle?” Kellan asked, looking more alert. “Nathan Reynolds?”

  “My uncle?” Max paused mid-step, looking surprised for a second, before understanding set in. “Yeah, every now and then.”

  “Good.” Kellan exhaled. “He works for the FBI, right? We need to get this information to the right people – out of this town where it seems like half the cops are bent. We should take the flash drive to him. He has the power to ensure that every cop – both on and off the list – is investigated.”

  Max was nodding along with Kellan before he even finished speaking. “I’ll arrange to meet with him tomorrow after my shift,” he said, glancing outside at the darkening sky.

  We all exchanged relieved, determined, glances. This was finally happening. We were finally getting somewhere.

  If everything went right, this time tomorrow we’d have allies to help us bring down the gang and find Dad. He was my main priority. If the gang was taken down in the process... well, then that would be a bonus.

  * * *

  We were all in the kitchen, having a late breakfast, the next morning. Max’s shift was ending soon, and Kellan and I would be going with him to see his uncle, Nathan.

  “I’ve been called into an urgent meeting.” Phoenix hung up his phone, looking annoyed.

  “Why?” Axel asked, biting his toast.

  “Apparently there’s some problem with the computer system.” Phoenix looked offended, his eyes narrowed into slits behind his glasses. “They’re probably not using it properly. There’s nothing wrong with my program.”

  “How do you know?” I asked, taking a sip of my coffee. I was on my third mug already.

  “I designed it,” he said, like that said it all. Maybe it did.

  It must have been nice to have that kind of confidence – that complete certainty – in yourself and your abilities. Before Dad’s disappearance, I hadn’t really set any goals for my future, and I hadn’t had a clue about what I wanted to do with my life. I’d been stuck in a limbo. I worked for a telemarketing company, went out with Axel on the weekends, and cooked for Dad when he was home.

  Axel and Kellan both had commitments to get back to. Kellan had his bounty hunting. Axel had college and his job at the warehouse. I had nothing to go back to. Nothing.

  I’d been at a standstill for a while. I’d been stuck, focusing on getting through every day. And now, without a job, without Dad, what did I have to go back to?

  No more, I promised myself. I vowed to do better, to try harder. I wouldn’t stay back while everyone else around me moved forward.

  Axel stood up, pulling me from my thoughts. “I should get going, too. I’ll walk out to the main road with you,” he said to Phoenix.

  He was going to visit his mom.

  I’d never really understood her, and had always kind of disliked her. She’d been off on a drinking binge the weekend Axel had gotten meningitis. She’d noticed too late that he was sick. A little earlier and he might not have lost his hearing. Since then, she’d had a string of useless, dead-beat boyfriends who never stayed long. One had been physically abusive to Axel. Another had stolen Axel’s savings – and his coat – before doing a runner. I might have felt more lenient towards her if she’d been the one to leave those assholes – instead they’d left her.

  She went from hardly speaking to Axel and not giving a shit about his welfare, to texting and pestering him repeatedly all day. It was always the two extremes with her, and I could only imagine how confusing and heartbreaking it must have been for a young Axel. He deserved better. It wasn’t fair.

  She had a new boyfriend now – a real piece of work. An unemployed cokehead, according to Axel. He was stopping by her place today to make sure she was okay.

  ‘I’ll see you when we get back, okay?’ I signed, giving him a hug. The next few hours were going to be hard for him; they always were when she was on a downward spiral like this.

  A cupboard door slammed shut behind me. Pulling away from Axel, I was surprised to see Kellan inside the kitchen. I hadn’t heard him come in.

  “We have to go,” Kellan said. “Max is waiting.”

  “Okay.” I grabbed my jacket, giving him the side-eye. I’d had to fight tooth and nail to get him to agree to take me with him. I’d half expected him to sneak off without me. I’d been sure it would take another argument, or two, before he allowed me to come.

  I wondered if maybe he was a little jealous of Axel. But surely that couldn’t be it. He hadn’t said a word to me about how he felt after the kiss. I was sure it had been a heat of the moment kind of thing for him. He might have even done it to shut me up. We had been in the middle of an argument after all.

  We picked Max up from his apartment and headed for the highway. He’d just finished a night shift and snored away in the backseat for most of the ride.

  Nathan lived a city over, and the diner we were meeting him at was over an hour away. Nathan had decided to meet us halfway so we wouldn’t have to drive two hours… well, he’d decided to meet Max halfway. Nathan had no idea that we’d be gate crashing their lunch.

  Max was wide-eyed and awake as we parked up near the diner.

  A bell on top of the door rang as we stepped into the busy space, the jingle lost in the noisiness of the crowd. Waitresses moved deftly around people, trays in hand. Costumers conversed. Toddlers cried.

  We’d made sure to get here earlier than Nathan, and thankfully, there were a few empty tables in the diner.

  “Which table?” Max glanced around.

  Kellan nodded to a booth in the corner that was next to a fire exit. “Over there.”

  A waitress appeared as Max and I sat down, quickly wiping down the table and presenting us with three menus.

  “You hungry, doll?” Max asked me, opening up the menu. Kellan shot him a warning look, still standing. “What? We have to order. We don’t want to look conspicuous,” Max said defensively.

  “He’s right,” I pointed
out. I could smell some of the food from the kitchen wafting towards us, and it was making me feel hungry. And that wasn’t an easy feat considering I hadn’t felt hunger at all these past few weeks.

  “It would be better if you spoke to him alone first. You can tell him about the flash drive but not where you got it from,” Kellan said, glancing around the diner. “We’ll be nearby,” he said, nodding at me to get up.

  “Seriously?” Max said, putting the menu down. “If there’s one man that I can say without a hint of a doubt isn’t involved, it’s him. He has dedicated his whole life to the FBI. He’s straight-laced and loyal – through and through.”

  “You can’t be certain,” I said quietly, looking down at the table. I suddenly wasn’t so hungry anymore. “You can never be one hundred percent sure.”

  Max looked as though he were about to argue before he snapped his mouth shut, looking sympathetic.

  Kellan hand touched my arm gently, but his eyes were still firm. He looked around the diner again, his face becoming an impermeable mask.

  I got up with a sigh, wondering if we’d be hiding behind a potted plant to spy on Max and Nathan. There weren’t any plants to be seen, though.

  “Here,” Kellan said, pushing the door to the fire exit open. He hurried me out, glancing around to make sure no one was paying us any attention. He let the door fall shut behind him, joining me in the small alleyway.

  “Now what?” I said, crossing my arms.

  Kellan’s brows were furrowed in thought as he looked around the alleyway and the door. He pulled his cell phone out and pressed a few buttons. “I’ll call Max. Get him to leave his phone on so we can hear what’s going on.”

  I jumped when I heard the sounds of a faint ringtone coming from above me. I looked up and noticed an air ventilator rooted in the wall a few feet above my head.

  “Uncle Nathan, it’s good to see you. I’ll turn that off,” Max’s voice filtered faintly through the ventilator. Shit. We were too late, but on the plus side, we could still hear what was going on at the table.

  Kellan stepped closer so he could listen too. I jumped, startled when Nathan spoke. His voice was so clear, it was as if he was standing right next to us, instead of behind a brick wall.

  “Not that I’m not happy to meet with you, Maximilian. But what is all this about? It sounded urgent,” Nathan asked, the curiosity apparent in his voice. There was a moment of silence, and I strained my ears, standing on tiptoe to be closer to the air vent. My head nearly collided with Kellan’s chin, and he placed both hands on my shoulder – the slight pressure pushing me back onto the balls of my feet. I shot him a scowl, faltering only slightly when I realized how close his face was to my own. I turned around quickly. “What is this?” Nathan said finally.

  “A flash drive.”

  “I see that,” Nathan said patiently. “Why are you giving it to me?”

  “There’s trouble... the force. Uncle Nathan...” Max spoke in hushed tones, making it difficult to hear him.

  There was silence again, only faint murmuring carrying its way through the air ventilator.

  “...names of people on the force, and cash transactions. There’s also cargo drop-off lists. It’d only be a matter of verifying whether a drop-off is made at the exact time and place it says it is on the flash drive to confirm that the information in it is correct.” Max’s voice was low and intent. I could almost picture him leaning across the table towards his uncle.

  “Where did you get this?” Nathan said sharply. I felt Kellan move even closer to me, his hard chest now pressed firmly against my back. “Do you have any idea what you have in your hands?”

  The pleasure, the complete relish, in his voice was unmistakable. Kellan tensed behind me.

  “Wait here,” he murmured.

  Before I could protest, he opened the exit door and moved swiftly through it. “Wait!” I whisper-shouted, hurrying out after him. There was absolutely no way that my nerves could withstand me waiting outside by myself – not with Kellan in the thick of things.

  I came to an abrupt stop behind Kellan who was standing in front of the booth.

  “Mr. Reed,” Nathan Reynolds said, surprise crossing his face. He was an older, distinguished looking man. He had a full head of white hair and looked to be in his fifties. His suit jacket was beside him on the booth, his shirt rolled up to his elbows. My stomach dropped at his words. He knew who Kellan was on sight? We hadn’t anticipated that. “Miss. Mansten,” he said, turning those razor sharp eyes towards me.

  Kellan’s head turned around sharply at Nathan’s words. Seeing me standing behind him, he shot me a look that said he wanted to throttle me.

  I swallowed. This wasn’t good. Not good at all.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  * * *

  - NOW -

  NATHAN SMILED PLEASANTLY, inclining his head towards the bench seat across from him where Max was sitting. “Please, take a seat.”

  Neither of us moved.

  I was going to take a wild guess and conclude that it wasn’t a good thing that Nathan knew who we were. We’d never met before, and although he might have heard about Dad and the break-ins from Cameron, Max’s father and Dad’s friend, he shouldn’t have known what we looked like.

  I took a step back, glancing at the exit door. Of all the rotten luck in the world. Getting Nathan on our side had been our only plan. Despair threatened to overwhelm me. Had Max known? One look at his face was enough to confirm that he hadn’t. He looked between all three of us uncertainly.

  I eyed the flash drive in Nathan Reynolds’ hand. “We have another copy,” I told him. In fact, Phoenix had made a dozen copies.

  “Good. “ Nathan nodded. “You should have made several copies and placed them in different locations.”

  “You knew who we were on sight,” Kellan said, looking stoic. “You didn’t question anything Max said, or sound surprised by it. You’re thrilled to have that flash drive – I can see it in your eyes. Yet you don’t seem to care that we’ve made several copies of it.”

  Nathan looked confused for a second, before his eyes cleared in understanding. “I have nothing to do with those sons of bitches.” He sneered, shaking his head in disgust. “They’re a complete disgrace to the force.”

  “How did you learn about them?” Max wondered, looking at ease again. Kellan wasn’t as easily swayed and sent a quick glance my way. It was obvious that he was struggling with his desire to get me out of here or stay and learn what Nathan knew.

  A waitress approached us. “Are you ready to order?” she asked.

  “Four coffees,” Kellan said brusquely, taking a seat next to Max. The waitress nodded, leaving as quickly as she arrived.

  Not wanting to sit next to Nathan, I nudged Kellan further along the bench so I could sit next to him. It seated three anyway.

  Kellan’s hand clamped down on my leg under the table in an almost involuntary movement. It seemed he was more apprehensive than he was letting on.

  “Did you know?” I asked for clarification.

  “Yes, I was aware,” Nathan admitted readily.

  We fell silent for a moment as the waitress reappeared. Kellan’s jaw ticked impatiently as she placed four cups onto the table and poured coffee into them.

  Nathan turned towards us once we were alone again. “The truth is that we’ve been aware of the LSG for a few months now. We were alerted by Mario.”

  “My... my dad?” I asked, tentative hope growing within me. Kellan’s hand had tightened on my leg to the point of being painful at Nathan’s words, but I was impervious. I leaned eagerly towards Nathan. Dad had gone to the cops about the LSG? This was exactly what I wanted to hear – what I’d been dying to hear.

  Setting his cup down, Nathan sighed. “Mario contacted me through Cameron a few months ago.”

  “Dad?” Max asked, sitting up straight.

  “Yes.” Nathan nodded. “Up until that point, we’d been ignorant o
f what had been festering within our ranks.” He looked more than a little displeased by that fact.

  “So Mario...?” Kellan prompted.

  “He told us all he could… which was fairly limited. He’d never gone in that deep – not enough to know more about what went on in the LSG than his own role.”

  “And what was his role?” Kellan asked, leaning forward.

  I was hanging on every word, both eager, and yet, terrified to learn more.

  “As I understand it, his job was to cash in checks from a bondsman that was also involved in the LSG. Mario got to keep a small percentage, but most of it was forwarded on to a key member of the LSG.”

  “Money laundering,” I breathed, something uncomfortable settling in my stomach.

  “After he came to us, we thought it could be more... valuable if he went deeper into the fold. That way, he’d have greater access to other LSG members.”

  “And put himself at greater risk,” Kellan said, face tense.

  Nathan took a delicate sip of his coffee, not looking at me. “It was his decision, and he did it,” he said, eyes on the flash drive. “Before, we’d have been lucky to arrest half of the men involved. Now, with the information Mario acquired, we can flush them all out.”

  “Do you know where he is?” I asked, my voice wavering. “Do you know what happened to him?”

  Nathan shook his head regretfully, finally meeting my eyes. “The last I heard from him, he was going to try and make a copy of the files on an LSG member’s computer. He said he’d be in touch once he had the information, but he didn’t get into contact with us again. It wasn’t until just last week that I learned that Mario had managed to get the information we’d needed before he disappeared.”