Above all Else

by Sophia R Heart

  It was an immense relief to hear that he’d been aiding the police, but still extremely painful to know that he’d gotten involved with the LSG in the first place.

  “You must have known about the break-in at Mario’s house,” Kellan said, his face intent

  “We did.” Nathan nodded, carefully.

  “And you didn’t intervene? You didn’t try and form some kind of protection for Mario’s daughter, knowing she was in danger because of the work he’d done for you?” Kellan’s eyes were fierce, his jaw tight.

  “We didn’t learn about the flash drive until after the break-in,” Nathan snapped. “We didn’t know where Mario was or whether he’d left voluntarily. The LSG were waiting, they were watching. We couldn’t do anything overt, or they’d have realized we were onto them. We had no reason to believe she – or the house – would be targeted.”

  “How did the LSG find out about the flash drive?” I asked quietly. “How do you even know that they’ve been searching for it?”

  Nathan cleared his throat. “We have since found other sources of information,” he said vaguely.

  “And you’ve done nothing?” Kellan said disbelievingly. “You haven’t acted on that information.”

  It wasn’t a question.

  “Even after my dad’s disappearance – knowing that they’re most likely involved – you’re just going to side-step that that small bump and carry on with your master plan?” My voice was thick with emotion.

  “If they are involved, there will be justice for Mario,” Nathan said passionately. “However, we have no evidence to support that theory.”

  “Theory?” I repeated.

  Nathan glanced away, looking almost uncomfortable. “He was looking at a large sentence for his previous involvement with the gang. I was able to offer him a good deal in return for information, but some jail time was inevitable.”

  “So you’re saying that you think he ran. You think he left himself,” I said, incredulous. “He wouldn’t do that! He had the flash drive. He retrieved the information you wanted.”

  “But he didn’t hand it in,” Nathan said softly.

  “He didn’t get the chance!” I exclaimed, growing angrier by the second. How fucking dare he? He didn’t know Dad. He had no idea. Dad wouldn’t run. He wouldn’t leave me.

  “The LSG broke into the Mansten’s home to retrieve the flash drive. They knew he had it. They knew he was working against them. It’s reasonable to assume that they’re the ones behind his disappearance,” Kellan pointed out, and I could tell that he was seething. It was there in the hard flash of his eyes, the tightening of his jaw.

  “You don’t have to defend him to me,” Nathan said, with a wave of his hand. “He was a good bloke. I don’t believe he’d just disappear to save himself – not when he’d gone to such lengths to do the right thing. But the FBI are looking at other possibilities, and they’re exploring all avenues.”

  “So the FBI are involved?” Max said.

  “What are they doing?” Kellan asked. “What’s next?”

  Nathan held the flash drive up. “Now that this is in the right hands, it can be put to use. It’s exactly the kind of information we’ve been trying to retrieve. It’s exactly what we need.” He turned to us, shifting in his seat like he was ready to wrap things up and head out of here. “You’ve been smart so far. Continue to lay low, don’t go back to your homes, and this should all be over with by the end of the month.”

  “A Month?” I asked, disbelievingly. “What do you suggest we do until then?” And what about Dad?

  “Nothing,” Nathan said simply. Nothing?

  “Why will it take so long to make the arrests?” Kellan asked him. “You have the information now, so what’s stopping you? Why not shut this operation down now, or tomorrow?”

  Nathan looked as though he was sucking on a lemon. He didn’t like to be questioned, that much was obvious. “When we go in, we want to be sure that we’re taking out as much of the LSG as we can. We want to make sure that we’ve weeded out every single officer who betrayed their oath. If we raided some of the warehouses, the others would be cleared out before we could blink. If we carried out a drug bust, the others would soon be rescheduled. We need to finish everything in one go, and to do that, we need certain key pieces of evidence.”

  “Like what?” Kellan asked.

  “Nothing to concern yourselves, but we’re working on it every moment of the day,” Nathan said, and I realized that he had no intention of telling us anything about the operation. Not that I had been under any illusion that he would confide in me. But Kellan was a working adult, a bounty hunter. We handed him the flash drive, surely that had to count for something?

  “But... what about my dad?” I asked, indignant. “We can’t wait another month.”

  It had already been weeks since he’d disappeared, and the longer he remained missing, the worse our odds were of finding him alive.

  Hope in him, in the man I’d known, the man who always did the right thing, created a renewed vigor and sense of urgency within me.

  “You think Mario’s dead?” Max asked his uncle, glancing apologetically at me.

  I hated how they all seemed to turn to me, as though I’d break before their very eyes at the mere mention of such a possibility. It wasn’t as though I hadn’t braced myself for that possibility. It’d been weeks since I’d last seen him. I was prepared for the worst.

  At least I thought I was.

  Nathan looked sympathetic. “We’ll get answers. No one will get away with their involvement in this. They will pay for their crimes.” He didn’t answer Max directly, but it was clear that he thought that there was no reason to hurry. He didn’t think Dad was alive.

  It had been over three weeks since he’d disappeared. I’d tried, in vain, to come up with a logical explanation for the crime ring to have kept him alive. I tried every night before I went to sleep, every morning when I awoke, and all the time in between. No scenario came to mind. Still, I had hoped.

  I couldn’t help but feel a little disillusioned now.

  Kellan’s arm moved, brushing my neck, as he rested it on the back of the booth over my shoulder. A silent invitation. I took it, leaning a little closer to him.

  Kellan looked at Nathan, a hard glint in his eyes. “You should also know, if you don’t already, that Luke Warner, the Chief of Police, is involved in this.”

  Nathan nodded, his mouth tightening in the corners. “We are aware. But being Chief of Police doesn’t make someone all-powerful.” Nathan stood, pocketing the flash drive. “I trust that you will be keeping what I’ve revealed here today to yourselves?”

  I wanted to protest. He hadn’t even said anything of importance. But I kept quiet.

  Kellan nodded curtly, standing up himself.

  Nathan took a small card out of his jacket pocket and handed it to Kellan. “Here’s my card. Call if you need anything. Maximilian?” He looked at his nephew.

  “See you around, man.” Max got up, slapping Kellan on the back. He turned to me, winking. “And I sure hope I see you again, sweetheart.”

  I managed a weak smile that fell away as soon as they left.

  “I can’t wait a month,” I repeated softly.

  - KELLAN -

  I couldn’t wait a month either. Mario was my father in every sense of the word, except by blood. There was no fucking way that I was sitting around and doing nothing for the next month.

  I could rest easy in the knowledge that the flash drive – and the information it contained – were going to be put to use, but what I couldn’t allow was for Mario to be pushed to the back burner. Nathan had all but confirmed that they wouldn’t be searching for him.

  “We won’t have to,” I promised her. A plan of my own had begun to form in my mind. We would find Mario before then.

  April nodded, her shoulders relaxing slightly. I was always slightly awed when she listened to me like this, when she believe
d me and put her faith in me.

  “You hungry?” I asked randomly, my eyes lingering on a plate of waffles that a waitress carried over to the table next to ours. “We can get something to eat.”

  Her sweet mouth curved into a small smile. And I now had firsthand knowledge of just how sweet it was.

  God, I’d replayed that kiss in my head a million times. It had been everything I’d imagined it would be. The aftermath? Not so much.

  Ballerina really didn’t think much of me. I’d kind of always known it, but it had stung nonetheless.

  I hadn’t been thinking when I kissed her. My mind hadn’t been focused on anything past getting my lips on hers.

  Would we end in disaster?

  I had no idea.

  But I understood where she was coming from. We couldn’t take that risk. There was too much depending on us. I got it. I did. It didn’t mean that I liked it.

  “Might as well.” She picked up a discarded menu. After a slight pause, I took the seat across from her.

  I couldn’t help shooting a concerned look her way. I had no idea what she was thinking. I felt an equal mixture of relief and concern over Nathan’s revelations about Mario. He’d been working against the LSG, and they must have found out. I didn’t even want to think about what they might have done to him.

  But he was alive. I could feel it in my gut. April could, too, which was why we both felt so much indignation at Nathan’s dismissal.

  We ordered our food, knowing we’d have to head back to Phoenix’s soon. Axel would probably be there, but at least Max was gone. His flirtation had driven me crazy. But it wasn’t anything near to the turmoil I felt about her friend. Having him show up the same day we’d kissed was just the icing on an already fucked up cake.

  What really was going on between them? Sometimes I was sure it was simply friendship, other times I was convinced it was more.

  Every guy in her life was driving me fucking crazy, and it pissed me off that I cared so much.

  “Stop scowling,” April reprimanded me, pushing a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. “You’re freaking the waitress out.”

  I couldn’t help but smile a little at her words. Nobody ever spoke to me like she did. I did care.

  What the fuck did it matter if I did?

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  * * *

  - NOW -

  PHOENIX WAS BACK AT the house when we arrived. He’d sorted out the problem with the computer system quickly, and was unsurprisingly back in his den when we arrived.

  We filled him in on everything that had happened.

  “So they’re going to do nothing? They’re not going to look for Mario?” Phoenix asked, incredulous.

  “No.” I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders.

  “But we’ve got a plan,” Kellan said.

  “We do?” I blinked in astonishment. That was news to me.

  “What is it?” Phoenix said eagerly.

  Kellan leaned forward. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and the warehouses will be in use most of the time. I also don’t doubt that the cops – the good ones – have some surveillance going on. If we want to find out what happened to Mario without alerting anyone, we need to track the LSG. We need to find out where they live.”

  “I doubt we’d find anything in their houses. Most of them are living double lives. They wouldn’t keep anything incriminating in their homes,” I said.

  Phoenix nodded along with me. “Our best bet is the warehouses. That’s where all the action will be taking place.”

  “The cop’s may not have anything incriminating in their homes,” Kellan agreed, “but what about the members of the LSG that have nothing to hide? What about members of Cosa Nostra? I think it’s safe to assume that Antonio Rossi is playing a big role in the LSG. Imagine what we could find in his house. I doubt the flash drive shows even half of what the LSG get up to.”

  “Don’t you think that’s a bit optimistic?” I said, wondering when I had become the voice of reason. Usually it was the other way around. “He’ll probably have some type of security at his house – even if it is just a burglar alarm. And that’s assuming that Antonio is Tony.”

  “I can search the police files. See if there’s anything in there,” Phoenix said. “There has to be a record of Antonio’s address.”

  And he did just that, finding an address within ten minutes.

  “Let’s go,” I said, standing up. I was ready to go, suddenly antsy to do something.

  “You’re not coming,” Kellan said flatly. I opened my mouth to argue. “I mean it, princess. I took you with me this morning against my better judgment. I’m going, and I’m going alone.”

  “You can’t stop me,” I argued stubbornly.

  “Oh, really?” He pulled out a pair of car keys and then another pair, the muscles in his forearms tensing. “How will you get there without any transport?”

  And that was that. Kellan left to stake out the place, and I was left with nothing to do, but wait.

  * * *

  I took a shower to help pass the time, and then strummed Phoenix’s guitar for a bit. When I came down a while later, I found Axel in the kitchen, sitting at the table.

  I gently kicked the leg of his chair when he didn’t look up, letting him know I was there. He glanced up, eyes bloodshot.

  ‘That bad, huh?’ I signed. He shrugged, turning back to the bottle in his hand.

  He’d been gone for a lot longer than I’d expected. The fact that he’d stayed down here, instead of knocking on my bedroom door when he’d gotten back, didn’t bode well for how he was feeling. He only liked to be alone when he was sad. His glassy eyes, and the slump of his shoulders, were also a dead giveaway.

  I took a seat beside him as he took a swig of beer. It must have been bad. I’d never seen him like this after a visit with his mom. The bottle was almost empty, and I could see another three on the counter top nearby.

  ‘Maybe you should slow down?’ I signed, but he wouldn’t look at me. I had to place both hands on either side of his face to get his attention. I repeated myself, using my mouth this time since my hands were occupied.

  He didn’t say anything, but his eyes lingered on my lips even after I’d finished speaking. I leaned back, and bizarrely enough, it felt as though he leaned forward. It must have been my imagination – or he was drunker than I’d originally thought.

  He slumped back in his seat. “I hate her.” His words were slightly slurred and a little too loud. ‘I really think I hate her,’ he signed.

  Alarmed now, I touched his arm. What the hell had happened? “Axel–“

  He slumped sideways, his head falling onto my shoulder. “But, I love you.” He nuzzled my neck slightly, and I patted his arm again, fighting the urge to bolt out of my seat.

  I couldn’t really move my arms, and his face wasn’t in any position to read my lips, but I’d tell him that I loved him too. I somehow knew, however, that my words wouldn’t have been as significant as his.

  Out of blind fear, I didn’t ponder that thought further.

  - THEN -

  Four years ago

  “Happy birthday to the greatest, most bestest, best friend ever,” I said with a huge grin, raising my bottle in the air.

  Axel sent me a big, sloppy smile, more than a little drunk. “Why, thank you,” he said, attempting a serious face. He looked slightly cross-eyed, and I told him so. In response, he pulled the most ridiculous face he could. I giggled, falling back against my bed.

  Dad would have a heart attack if he came home right then and saw how drunk we were. However, I very much doubted that he’d be back any time soon. He’d been working all day and half into the night lately, busy on some big case with Kellan.

  Axel flopped over onto his stomach and faked a snore. God, he was such a dork. But he was my dork.

  I tapped his leg, the book on American Sign Language falling to the floor. I’d been pr
acticing how to say happy birthday when he’d come over. We’d planned to go out, but he’d changed his mind. Instead, he’d wanted to stay in, and we drank a bottle of some kind of expensive wine he’d stolen from his mom.

  She’d forgotten his birthday. Again.

  He rolled over to face me, his blue eyes moving hazily over my face. I stuck my tongue out at him, and he laughed.

  “What do you want for your birthday?” I asked him, feeling bad I hadn’t been able to get him anything before now. I’d had absolutely no money, and I would have felt even worse asking Dad for some. I’d been taking the neighbor’s dogs out for a daily walk over the past few days, and in another few days I’d hopefully have made enough to get him something half-decent. However, I doubted that it would make up for what must be an awful sixteenth birthday.

  “You know what I’d really like?” Axel half-mumbled, peering blearily at me.

  “What?” I asked, the buzz making me feel a little light-headed. He rolled, coming to a stop with his face inches from mine. “What?” I asked again, this time with uncertainty. It was weird; having him so close.

  “You.” He closed the small distance, his lips capturing my own.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  * * *

  - NOW -

  “IT’S A BIG HOUSE. Almost a mansion. Antonio leaves everyday at around the same time, six PM, and heads for one of the warehouses,” Kellan told us a few days later.

  The address Phoenix had found in the police records had been a bust. It wasn’t surprising that someone like Antonio wouldn’t want the police to have his correct address. The tiny, one-bedroom apartment that had been on the police files had been abandoned. And it was a far cry to the mansion Kellan told us he actually lived at.

  Kellan had ended up staking out one of the warehouses after the apartment had turned out to be useless. Luck had been on our side for once; Antonio had shown up that very same day. And he’d shown up at the warehouse every day since.