Take Down

by Jess Anastasi

  “I get it. Most of these are going to be a gigantic waste of time. But someone has to follow up on them, right?” The way he was feeling—all antsy and on edge—he couldn’t ride a desk today. He needed to be out there doing something.

  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Laura gave a delicate shrug and sat at her desk. “And don’t call me up later to complain. Otherwise I’ll have to bust out the I-told-you-so song I use on my little sister.”

  He sent her a salute. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Get on before I take down another stack of hot tips and you’re following them up until kingdom come.” She turned in the swivel chair to pick up the phone and press one of the many red-lit buttons indicating people were on hold.

  As he crossed the open-plan office, he leafed through a few papers, sorting out which he thought might be a higher priority. He then ducked his head into the sheriff’s office to let him know what he was doing, and the sheriff thanked him profusely for taking on the backlog since everyone else was already so busy. When he turned to make his way out to the patrol cars parked in back, he noticed Detective Stevens chatting with Mullens by the coffee machine. There was a folder sitting open on the desk Stevens had commandeered for the duration of the investigation, and the computer screen showed some kind of grainy security footage.

  He’d planned on talking with Stevens later today—not that he thought the detective would tell him anything useful—but even though he knew he should leave it alone, he found his feet detouring past the desk, unable to resist the temptation of the information on display.

  Checking Stevens was still otherwise occupied, he paused by the chair, tilting his head at the two very short suspects lists for both victims, as though the detective had been comparing to see if they had any in common. There was a note about the first victim, Williams, getting into an argument with a customer at the hardware store the day before he went missing, but none of the other employees had known the customer’s name and given a vague description of him. The only conclusion made from the lead being the customer obviously hadn’t been a local.

  He switched his attention to the computer screen showing a still taken from a security camera in the library parking lot where the second victim, Gomez, had last been seen. The camera pointed at the doors, though why anyone thought someone would want to break into the library was a mystery. However, the still had captured the shadows cast from nearby streetlamps of what could have been a struggle happening offscreen and the partial wheel and fender of a vehicle. It was almost nothing, but maybe Detective Stevens had an idea on how to make it into a viable lead.

  A rowdy laugh from one of the other deputies across the office made him jump, and he quickly stepped away from the desk. Just in time, since Stevens and Mullens had finished talking. He turned his attention back to the stack of tips in his hand and hurried toward the door leading to the parking lot at the rear of the building.

  Guilt pinched his stomach, because he already knew he would have to postpone the date with Danny tonight. Yes, he wanted to see him and was still trying to reconcile the fact that his feelings for Danny had pulled him slightly off course when it came to his entire reason for being in Everness. Today, no matter how torn he was, he needed to put the murder, missing person, and vow he’d made at his brother’s grave before his own wants and needs.

  Chapter Thirteen

  JAKE SLAMMED the door to his patrol car far harder than necessary and tossed the latest wasted tip on top of the messy pile spread across the front passenger seat. Obviously he’d been overly optimistic in hoping at least one of the calls made to the sheriff’s department would turn into a solid lead, but like Laura had warned him, it’d instead been long hours of listening to locals with either overactive imaginations or too much time on their hands telling him all about how whatever they’d seen had to be connected to the case.

  He rubbed both hands over his face, debating whether it’d be suicidal to have another coffee at this point to keep himself going when he’d lost count of the cups he’d already drank sometime after lunch.

  No, if he ended up any more caffeinated, he couldn’t be sure he’d keep hold of his professional politeness when he interviewed the last few people on his list of potential tips. And since he was scraping the bottom of the barrel in terms of reliable witnesses, he probably needed all the calm he could muster.

  As he reached down to slip the keys into the ignition, he glanced up in time to see a pickup truck pulling into a space adjacent to the corner of the town square where he’d parked the cruiser. He was already reaching for his radio as the occupant got out—he recognized the plates belonging to one of the vehicles the ALP members regularly used when they came into town.

  However, his finger froze on the Call button before he’d put the alert through as Leroy Hobbs slammed the truck door and glanced around, then set off across the road.

  Jake sat staring after him, a whole mess of things colliding inside him. On the surface he was doing what he knew was right: reporting the sighting of an ALP member and leaving another patrol unit to take over observing until Hobbs left town. But beneath that was the anger that’d long burned a pattern of scars into his heart and soul for his brother, blemishes that would never heal or go away. And then there was the new animosity at the knowledge Hobbs had likely murdered at least one person here in this quiet town and would get away with it like he had Luis.

  No. He couldn’t keep standing by and doing nothing while that bastard walked the streets, maybe even searching for another victim.

  He shoved open the door of his cruiser, watching the end of the street where Hobbs had disappeared, but there was no sign of him.

  Hurrying over to the truck, he raked a subtle gaze over the immediate area, but there was no one close enough to take any notice of what he was doing—most notably intending to search a vehicle without a warrant or justifiable grounds. On the small chance he found anything, it wouldn’t stand up in a chain of evidence, but right now, he didn’t care. Doing things by the book hadn’t gotten him anywhere, and he didn’t know if he could live with the guilt of Hobbs hurting multiple people before he was stopped. This guilt, however—the guilt of cutting corners to achieve his ends—he could definitely live with that.

  All he needed was a small clue, something that pointed to Hobbs’s movements recently or plans for the coming days or week. Something scribbled on a receipt or anything else, really. The tiniest detail could make all the difference.

  He stepped up next to the vehicle and checked one last time Hobbs wasn’t coming back and then tested the handle. When it gave beneath his hand, he grinned at his luck and yanked open the door.

  The interior was about what he expected from a group of men living on a compound outside of town. Empty cans of energy drink littered the floor. Boxes of ammo were shoved in the compartment between seats, and a packet of cigarettes was tossed carelessly on the dashboard. There were other bits and pieces of rubbish he quickly flicked aside, but he didn’t immediately see anything screaming nefarious plans. Plus the truck was used by so many different people, it was hard to say what might belong to Hobbs and what was just general clutter.

  A newish-looking receipt, dated a few days past, from the hardware store caught his attention. He picked it up and tried to calculate when William had gone missing, to the time he’d apparently had an argument with a customer. Could that customer have been Hobbs? Or even one of the other ALP members?

  He stuffed the receipt in his pocket and shifted out of the vehicle, quietly closing the door even though no one else was around. Just as he reached his patrol car and slid inside, Hobbs returned from the side street he’d disappeared down and went straight back to his truck.

  Slouching down in his seat, he kept his head ducked as Hobbs reversed out of the parking space and sped off around the town square. Once he was gone, Jake pulled the receipt out of his pocket and studied it again. It didn’t have a cashier name on it, just the logo for the hardware store, date, time and it
ems purchased. Any number of people went in and out of the hardware store every day, and whoever left this receipt in the pickup truck could have been any ALP member, not just Hobbs. There was nothing conspicuous about the small piece of paper. Nothing that shouted evidence, but yet again, his gut feeling told him Leroy Hobbs had something to do with the murder of Jeremiah Williams. He just didn’t know how yet.

  JAKE WAS coming up with all kinds of inventive ways to make up his missed date with Danny later that night as he walked to Monroe’s. He’d put off sending the text cancelling their date as long as possible. But when it’d gotten to the middle of the afternoon and he hadn’t even followed up on half the tips, he’d stopped delaying the inevitable and sent the message with multiple apologies for skipping out on him.

  Danny had replied to say it was fine and then about an hour later had texted again to let him know he was meeting Gina at the bar that night if he wanted to come whenever his shift finished. It was now dark and late, and being a Friday night, there was a raucous, already-drunk crowd spilling out of the only place that provided any type of nightlife in Everness.

  Inside was packed and it took him a bit to find Danny and Gina. They were dancing to the band set up in the corner, strumming out the tunes of a song by Florida Georgia Line. He made his way to the bar and ordered a beer, watching them move together, the two of them laughing about something. If he didn’t already know Danny was gay and (hopefully) totally into him, he would have said they looked like the perfect couple. Danny had the tanned, blue-eyed, blond, boy-next-door thing going on, while Gina had the dark-haired prom queen look about her.

  He was handed his beer and then maneuvered himself closer to the dance floor. Truthfully, he was more than a little tempted to go over and cut in. Dancing with Danny sounded like an ideal end to what had been a harrowing day.

  None of the tips he’d followed up on had been anything substantial, just townsfolk who had overactive imaginations or minor complaints that had nothing to do with the murder or missing person case.

  The only good thing to come out of the day had been the fact that Detective Stevens had been happy enough to discuss the particulars of the two investigations with him, since he needed the cooperation of the entire sheriff’s office for the duration of his temporary assignment in Everness.

  They didn’t have any leads, and the victims didn’t seem to be connected in any way. They had a couple of suspects, but they were clearly grasping at straws. He’d cautiously suggested that this was possibly racially motivated, a consideration the detective immediately took on, especially with the ALP living just outside of town. Only problem was, that took them from almost no suspects to over a hundred suspects. He didn’t know exactly how many people were living out on the huge American Liberty Patriots compound; possibly no one did. But it was definitely a lot.

  Frustratingly, there was one suspect in particular he could point Stevens toward, but he couldn’t play that hand, not yet. Not while he wasn’t sure. Not until he could confidently step away from the case and know the detective had Hobbs all but locked down and the bastard was finally going to end up in jail where he belonged.

  Gina spotted him first and waved him over. He met Danny’s eyes and then drained the last of his beer, before setting the empty bottle on a nearby table.

  He weaved through the dancing people, the thrumming chords of the music vibrating in his chest. When he reached them, he wasn’t sure what to expect, but Gina leaned back into him with an unguarded smile, clearly a little tipsy. She stood up on her tiptoes and yelled in his ear, “Dance with us!”

  She took his hand and guided it to her hip, shifting him behind her. She turned back to face Danny, her arms looped around his neck, seeming happy to be in the middle of them.

  Danny was laughing. He’d obviously had a few drinks as well and seemed much less inhibited than usual. It was definitely a side of Danny he wanted to see more of, not because he was full of liquid courage, but because he was happy and confident in himself.

  No one seemed to be paying them any attention—not that it worried him, he just didn’t want anything coming back on Danny later. But most of the crowd seemed well into their drinks and they weren’t the only people dancing in a three or foursome. Ironically enough, the lead singer of the band was crooning into the microphone anything goes on a Friday night.

  Well, he was more than happy to take a cue from the mood in the bar, especially as the lights lowered and some people cheered. He relaxed against Gina, falling into a rhythm with her and Danny, but slid his hands from Gina’s hips to Danny’s waist. Danny glanced up and met his eyes over Gina’s shoulder. A half smile flitted over Danny’s lips, leaving him wishing like hell that Gina wasn’t in between them.

  They danced like that for another song, but Jake was starting to have issues. He was either going to have to give up the game or find some way to calm the hell down. Halfway through the next song, Gina glanced up at him over her shoulder with a grin. He had no idea whether he was supposed to grin back at her or escape with embarrassment. Except before he could decide, she shouted, “I need another drink!” and slipped out from between them, leaving him and Danny holding on to each other.

  It was dim enough on the dance floor that it was hard to see much more than the people immediately around them, who all seemed too caught up in having their own good time. Surprisingly Danny didn’t pull away from him but actually shifted closer. Jake wasn’t going to question it or ask him if he was sure. Instead he thanked his lucky stars and pulled him closer.

  He released a shuddering breath as their bodies pressed together, and he found he wasn’t the only one who’d been fighting certain natural reactions. Poor Gina. Or maybe not-so-poor Gina. He didn’t think she’d actually minded all that much. In fact, he got the feeling those jokes she’d made about a threesome hadn’t completely been in jest. Maybe another time he might have been tempted, just to see what’d it be like. But in this instance, the only person he was interested in was Danny.

  Danny, who was shifting against him and humming along to the music in his ear. He smoothed his hands up Danny’s back and then back down his sides, remembering what they’d been doing in his bedroom that day. What they’d been interrupted doing. Danny might have gotten his edge taken off, but Jake swore he’d been suffering all day, walking around at half attention and unable to do anything about it.

  Of course, their current activities weren’t helping anything.

  Danny suddenly pulled back to stare intently at him. Jake thought he’d finally reached his limit or had realized they were very publicly dancing plastered right up against each other. Instead, Danny leaned in and said against his ear, “Come on, let’s go.”

  He didn’t ask where, just took to following Danny as he forged his way out of the crowd and off the dance floor. They headed down the hallway where the bathrooms were located, the one that also led out to the garden in the back. Danny paused halfway down and tested the handle of an unmarked door. He glanced up and down the corridor. There were a few people coming in and out of the bathrooms and a few loitering in the doorway down near the garden. Some guy stumbled and fell, leaving his friends laughing uproariously, and Danny took the opportunity of people being distracted by the spectacle to hustle him through the door.

  “What is this?” Well, clearly it was some kind of storeroom, shelves stacked with cleaning supplies, paper napkins, spare utensils, and extra chairs wedged into the corner, the single bare bulb Danny flicked on dimly lighting the small space.

  “Everyone knows this room gets left unlocked most nights.” Danny sounded almost breathless, and Jake turned to look at him, only to find himself shoved up against the door.

  Danny reached down and flicked the lock.

  Okay, he knew what he hoped was happening here, but surely not—

  Danny kissed him, erasing any doubt Jake had about his intentions.

  He kissed him back as Danny stepped in to stand between his feet and press flush up against him, h
ands roaming his body with obvious intent. Except Jake had to pull back again, pushing Danny’s shoulders gently so he could see his face.

  “Are you sure you want to do this? Here? Now?”

  There wasn’t a hint of doubt in Danny’s returning smile. “I’ve never been more certain of anything.”

  Their mouths came back together, and this time Jake let himself sink completely into it, forgetting about where he was and all the other problems hovering over him.

  Danny’s hands slipped under his shirt, sliding up his chest and leaving him shuddering. He hooked his fingers into the waistband of Danny’s jeans, pulling his hips harder against him, groins pressing together, his cock rapidly hardening. But it wasn’t enough. God, he wanted Danny naked and all over him. Was remembering the sight and sound of Danny coming apart for him earlier this afternoon and needed it again.

  As if he could read his mind, Danny trailed his fingers back down his abdomen and landed on his belt buckle. Suddenly, both their hands were tugging desperately at clothes, Danny yanking open his belt while he made short work of the button and fly on Danny’s jeans, the kiss becoming hard and hungry.

  He abandoned Danny’s pants for the moment and tugged his T-shirt over his head, barely letting Danny flick it out of the way before Jake was kissing his chest. He feathered his lips lightly over Danny’s shoulder, unable to help a grin at the subtle scent of coconut still clinging to his skin.

  Danny’s fingers were working their way down the buttons on his shirt, yanking it from the loosened waistband of his pants. Jake shrugged out of it and let it fall to the floor beside him. When he pulled Danny back against him, bringing their chests together, Danny groaned while he blew out a hard breath at the simple yet drugging sensation of the skin-on-skin contact rippling through him.