Fire and Onyx Read online

  Evan stifled a groan because there wasn’t a damned thing he could do about the truth. His mother had discovered the joy of motorcycles after his father passed away five years ago, and had turned into a Harley Mama overnight. He swore the only reason she wore a helmet was to keep the road dirt out of her hair.

  “Just back off, okay? This pressure is getting too much.” His head throbbed slightly, and he closed his eyes for a second.

  “There’s no pressure.” She sounded sweet as candy, but Evan knew it was a lie.

  “Yes, there is, and you know it. I…. Just back off and let me have a chance to breathe. Things are rough at work right now….”

  “Yeah, I heard at the VFW. The guy slipped through your fingers.” She snorted. “This asshole is a slick devil, but you’ll get him in the end, I know it. And I’ll keep my eyes open. There might be talk.”

  “Mom….”

  “You don’t think I know what some of the guys in the club are into? They love me and tell me shit that would curl your hair if you had any.” She laughed again, and Evan wondered how much his mother had had to drink.

  “That’s not a bad idea,” he said softly. “Do you see that kind of thing in the club? I’m not asking you to rat on anyone, but I need an in with this group and I’ll take anything right now. These people are bad news, like a lot of folks are getting hurt… bad.”

  “You want me to try to score something? I can and see what it gets me.”

  There were times when his mother shocked the living hell out of him, and this was one of them. “No. Do nothing illegal, whatever you do. Just listen and let me know if you hear anything. Maybe talk to a few friends, see if they know anything.” His mother was the queen of wheedling secrets out of people. She was five foot with a great smile, and she could charm the bees out of their honey. “I’m probably going to try undercover if I can figure out a way in.”

  “You know I’ll help.” She yawned through the line, which was contagious. “I’ll talk to you later. I’m going to get my butt in bed so I can be raring to go tomorrow. I’m going for a ride north over the mountains. Up is fun, but down is a thrill and a half.” She ended the call, and Evan set his phone on the coffee table, wondering just how he was going to infiltrate an organization he couldn’t seem to get a finger on, let alone find an opening he could exploit. What he needed was info, and he knew someone who might be able to provide it… for a price.

  Chapter 2

  SOMETIMES there was no way out of a predicament. Wes Douglas knew that because he’d been stuck in his tug-of-war life for far too long. There were things he didn’t want to know, like where his brother, Trey, had been the day before. It was best if he didn’t ask those questions. Trey supported his dad and mom and helped keep a roof over all their heads. Wes was smart enough to know that his dad working in maintenance and his mother as a server at the Carlisle Diner wasn’t going to pay the rent and keep the car running. There was extra money coming in from somewhere, and Trey had to be the source.

  A whimper from the crib in the corner of his room pulled his attention to other important matters.

  “It’s okay, Greyson.” Wes lifted the eleven-month-old out and held him, rocking slowly back and forth. “You hungry?” Wes swayed from side to side and opened the bedroom door. Soft but strident conversation drifted to his ears, and he continued to the kitchen, made up a bottle, and sat in one of the kitchen chairs to feed Trey’s son.

  Trey had gotten his girlfriend, Annie, pregnant, and she had elected to have the baby. But after three months, she’d left Greyson with Wes’s parents and then disappeared completely. Wes wondered what had happened to her sometimes, but he had his hands full. His parents could barely hold life and limb together, and Trey was about as paternal as a porcupine, so raising Greyson had fallen to him, and he’d been happy to do it. One look from those huge blue eyes and he had fallen in love. Thankfully, one of his clients, Dickinson College, offered day care, and the college had even worked out a reduced rate for him so he could afford it. Trey hadn’t been interested in parenting, so he had signed guardianship of Greyson over to Wes, and Wes had stepped into the parenting role. He hoped he could convince Trey to give up his parental rights and let Wes have custody of him, but Trey didn’t seem ready to do that, and Wes figured he needed some time.

  “Is he okay?” his mother asked as she came into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and pulled out a six-pack of Bud.

  “Just hungry after his nap,” he answered.

  She smiled, caressing Greyson’s head before returning to the living room, where undoubtedly she and his father would kill the six-pack and maybe another before the night was over.

  Greyson finished his bottle, and Wes held him for a while. “Do you want to go for a walk before dinner?” He got up and returned to his bedroom, where he changed Greyson’s diaper and put on a jacket because there would be a nip in the early fall air. On his way out, he told his parents where he was going, not that they paid much attention from in front of the television. He put a jacketed Greyson in the stroller for their walk through town.

  It was nice to get out of the house now and then. Sometimes it just seemed stifling. His mom and dad loved him and all, but their idea of parenting was pretty much leaving them alone to raise themselves, which meant that basically they’d left him and Trey alone to figure out their place in life. As long as they weren’t getting calls from the school, they figured they were doing all right. His parents never got called because of him, but all the time for Trey.

  “Sometimes it stinks being the good son,” Wes told Greyson. “But you’re going to be the best son and an amazing person, I just know it.”

  Greyson smiled and blew bubbles, trying to stick his whole hand into his grinning mouth.

  Wes handed him a teething cracker, and he snatched it away, gumming it happily. How such an amazingly smart and well-behaved child ever managed to result from Trey was a miracle and a half.

  As he turned off Louther and onto Hanover Street, a group of guys he knew from school, walking abreast of one another so they took up the entire sidewalk, came toward him. They had been jerks four years ago, and it seemed they still were.

  “Look who’s pushing a baby,” one of them sneered, and Wes ignored them until they got even closer and it became plain that they weren’t going to get out of the way. He ended up stepping into the alcove of a store to let them pass.

  “Hey!” a sharp cry rang out. “What the hell do you think you’re doing!” The voice was deep, rich, and carried a heavy note of authority. “All of you stop now!” The snap in the voice had all four men almost skidding in their tracks. Wes stepped out of the alcove in time to see a broad, medium-height man standing in front of the dip-twits from school, hands on his hips, fire glaring out of his gaze. “What were you trying to do? You do not own the sidewalk, no matter what you four think. That man is pushing a baby, and whatever game you’re playing ends here.” He pulled a pad from his pocket. “I want to see names and IDs right now.”

  “And who are you?”

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a badge. “Sheriff’s deputy. I want names, addresses, and phone numbers.”

  “We didn’t do anything.”

  “Blocking a public sidewalk, causing an obstruction. You most certainly did. Littering, creating a public disturbance—do I need to go on? I will, and the more I talk, the deeper the trouble you brain surgeons are going to be in.” The deputy looked past the four guys. “Are you and the baby okay?”

  “Yes.” Wes’s voice seemed so small in comparison to the deputy’s. “We’re fine. Thank you.”

  The deputy took all the guys’ names from their IDs and put the pad back in his pocket. “I suggest you call the department tomorrow to see what charges are going to be filed. Now move along and be courteous to other people.”

  Wes suppressed a smile as the guys lost their swagger and their shoulders slumped. It was a beautiful thing to see them taken down a peg.

  “We
were just walking,” Mark, the leader and the only one with any guts, said.

  “Well, I have your names and addresses. I’ll check you all out, and if you so much as step out of line again, I’ll be there to make you wish you had never been born. What kind of person forces someone walking a baby off the sidewalk?”

  “Jackasses,” a man mumbled as he walked by, and clearly the guys heard it. Normal behavior would be to bluster and threaten, but the one tool in their arsenal had been pulled away.

  “It seems you aren’t very popular.” The deputy pulled out his phone and made a call to request a background check on each of them. It was funny to see them sweat, and Wes half expected them to make a run for it. “Go on home and explain to your parents what you’ve done and to expect a call.” He tilted his head, and the guys hurried away, turning back and then walking faster out of there. “Are you really okay?” This time he broke into a smile, and dang, it was electric.

  “Yes. They’re jerks but largely harmless.” Greyson was getting fussy and wanted to go. Wes rolled the stroller back and forth to generate some movement.

  “What’s his name?” the deputy asked.

  “Greyson,” Wes answered, and the deputy leaned over the stroller.

  “You’re going to be a handsome boy, aren’t you?” he said in a baby voice, and Greyson grinned, actually reaching for the deputy’s hand. “Wow, now that’s a smile.” He straightened up again. “I’ll let you get back to your walk, but you have a nice evening.” The deputy smiled at him again and then continued down the sidewalk.

  Wes stood, watching him go, and told himself not to stare at the way the deputy’s jeans clung to his perfect backside. He actually groaned and then turned away. The last thing he needed was to be caught ogling.

  Greyson fussed, so Wes moved on, continuing toward the center of town. The evening had cooled, but it was still a nice night for a walk. Soon it would get colder, and the warmth during the day would only give way to more and more cold. At least Greyson was happy and soon quieted down, and by the time Wes made his big loop through town, Greyson had settled in for a nap, though Wes knew from experience that if he allowed him to sleep for too long, he’d have trouble getting him down for the night.

  “Greyson, are you ready to go home?” he asked.

  Greyson slipped his eyes open, grinning and finding what was left of his cookie. There were times when Wes wished he could just keep going and get out of town and maybe change his life. Like that was really going to happen.

  Wes made it two blocks and the guys were back. This time they stayed on the other side of the street, but Wes could feel their gazes on him, even as he went on without looking in their direction.

  When he returned home, Trey was gone, and his parents were still in their chairs in the living room. He got Greyson out of the stroller. “What’s for dinner, Mom?” Wes asked as he carried Greyson into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator to see what there was. Not much—mostly things for Greyson. At least he’d have something to eat.

  “Don’t know. I was going to order a pizza in a while.” His mother hated to cook, so she had the local delivery places on speed dial, and their pizza place of choice was pretty awful.

  Wes groaned. He took Greyson out of his stroller, took off his jacket, and put him on his feet, holding his hand and letting him toddle down the hall. Greyson was so close to walking on his own that Wes figured he’d take off at any second.

  In the bedroom, he changed Greyson’s diaper and cleaned him up good before returning to the kitchen to feed him his dinner. Afterward he thought he’d take him for another walk and get some dinner for himself before putting Greyson to bed. Then maybe he could work a little.

  Wes had discovered a talent for the visual arts when he was in high school and the one year he’d taken at community college. He’d put together some websites for other students and friends, and now he had a little business of his own. He’d even gotten some work at Dickenson College and a few of the businesses in town as clients, and he maintained and updated their websites. It was good work that he could do when Greyson was asleep. There was so much more that he wanted to know, and he had hopes that he could get the training and education someday, but right now he was doing all he could do.

  When he was finished feeding Greyson, he bundled him up again and left the house. His parents didn’t even wonder where he was going, which was fine. Wes wasn’t in the mood for explanations anyway.

  The Carlisle Diner, where his mother worked, was three blocks to the west of where they lived, and he walked in that direction. The food was inexpensive, and Wes knew most of the people who worked there. All the servers loved Greyson, and they usually gave him free apple juice. Wes also knew that he was just as likely to not receive a bill when he ate there, and that went a long way with his budget.

  “It’s going to be getting too cold to make this walk pretty soon,” Wes told Greyson as the stroller rolled along the sidewalk. Greyson’s eyes were already drooping as they reached the diner and went inside.

  “Isn’t he just precious?” Nadine said as she rushed up, leaned over the carriage for a second, and then met Wes’s gaze. “We’re packed tonight. I don’t have a table right now, but hopefully I will soon.” She hurried away, and it seemed everyone in the restaurant was being run off their feet.

  The door behind him opened, and Wes turned to determine who it was, surprised to see the deputy from earlier.

  “They’re a little busy right now,” Wes said, and he nodded.

  “Still out for a walk?”

  “I took Greyson home to feed him, and now I need to eat myself,” Wes explained as Nadine returned.

  “You can have that booth.” She took him to a table two in from the door. Wes sat down and got Greyson out of the stroller and set him in the high chair next to him with a teething cookie.

  The deputy was still standing by the counter, and as far as Wes could tell, the tables weren’t turning. “God, we’re busy,” Nadine said when she stopped for his drink order.

  “I’ll have a root beer and some water. And if he wants to join us, that would be fine,” Wes said, indicating the deputy.

  She went to the desk and spoke with him briefly, and the deputy came over and slid into the booth across from him.

  “Thank you,” he said, smiling.

  “I’m Wes.”

  “Evan,” he said.

  Nadine brought his drink and asked Evan what he wanted. He answered quickly, and she hurried away. Wes knew what he wanted but noticed that Evan didn’t open his menu. He seemed to be looking over Wes’s shoulder, but Wes wasn’t sure if he should also look or not. Once Nadine returned, he ordered, and Evan just asked for the same and finally broke eye contact with whatever was so fascinating.

  “Sorry.”

  “Is this a stakeout or something?” Wes asked.

  “No. Everything’s fine.” Evan smiled at Greyson, who handed his cookie across the table. “Is that good?” Evan asked, and Greyson shoved the cookie back into his mouth with a grin. Evan lifted his gaze, and once again he seemed intent on what was going on behind Wes. This time Wes glanced around and then turned.

  “Has someone done something wrong?” Wes asked. “They don’t want any trouble here. This is where my mother works, but she’s off today.” He realized he was talking just to talk, but he was a little nervous now. What if something happened and he and Greyson were in the middle of it?

  “Not yet. There are some people that I’d like to see, but I don’t necessarily want them to know what I do for a living.”

  Wes nodded. This was exciting. “Sort of an undercover assignment,” he said quietly. “Okay. I can do that since I owe you for earlier. Just pretend you’re with us.” What could it hurt? At least if something did happen, he was with his very own policeman.

  “Do you know the guys at the large table to the back and my left?” Evan asked. “Turn around slowly and pretend to look out the windows behind you. Don’t look directly at them becaus
e I don’t want them to realize they’re being watched.” He turned his attention to Greyson.

  “Will you watch him?” Wes asked. He stood and walked down the aisle to the bathrooms, where he used the facilities and washed his hands. He was gone less than two minutes and sat back at the table. “Yeah, I know those guys. I’ve seen them around town a few times when I was out taking Greyson for a walk, and I saw one of them talking to Trey, my brother, last week. They aren’t people that I know from school or anything, and I don’t know how Trey knows them.” Wes thought a minute, hoping Trey wasn’t getting himself in trouble again. “They ride through town in a big Cadillac with those flashy chrome wheels. I remember them because they look like they belong in LA or New York, not here. That sort of stuff is reserved for the car shows, but they’re here all the time. And that car is parked over there.”

  Nadine brought their drinks and the salads that they had ordered.

  Evan’s eyes grew intensely wild. “Did you forget something in your car?”

  Wes shrugged. “I walked here.”

  “Yeah, but you need a diaper because you forgot to bring extras, right?” Evan winked. “I have a few in my trunk.” He slid out of the booth. “I’ll be right back.” He jogged out of the restaurant, and Wes was beginning to wonder what the heck this ruse was about. Evan was a decent guy, and Wes had seen his badge so he knew he was a real cop and not some guy trying to run a scam on him or something.

  Greyson gnawed on his cookie and fussed, squirming in the high chair until Evan got back. Then he grinned and played keep-away with his cookie again, smiling each time Evan reached for it so he could pull it away.

  Wes nearly swallowed his teeth when Evan handed him a diaper. “Okay, you have these in your trunk. Why? In case you arrest a baby for poop-and-run?”

  Evan actually smiled at his joke. “No. I have a box of general things in the back, and a few diapers are in there. One of my friends works for children’s services, and he has a list of things that he wants us to carry so we can be prepared whenever we encounter children. There’s a stuffed bear in there and a small blanket.” He shrugged. “You never know.”