Fire and Onyx Read online

  “I was the youngest in my family and I don’t have kids, so I’m really not familiar with the schedules of youngsters.” Evan noticed that the few people who passed gave him and Wes some pretty interesting looks. Evan was used to that sort of thing when he dressed like this. He clamped his lips shut, wanting to take these people aside and lecture them on the fact that just because someone might be poor or struggling was no reason to be rude or to go out of your way to avoid them. Still, he was trying to maintain his look, so he lowered his eyes as people passed and said nothing in order to maintain the illusion.

  “Doesn’t it feel weird to have people treat you that way?” Wes asked.

  “A little. But I suppose it’s worse for those who have to live this every day, shunned by others and alone. Without even a roof over their heads or knowing where the next meal will come from.” He had never experienced that part of the illusion himself.

  “I guess,” Wes said softly. “Can I ask why you’re doing this? Is it because of those guys at the diner yesterday?”

  Greyson stretched and fidgeted in the carrier before settling once again, and Wes started moving slowly down the sidewalk. Evan knew he couldn’t stay with Wes too long or he’d stand out and appear suspicious.

  He took a second to decide how he wanted to answer. “I’ll tell you if you tell me why you keep watching up and down the street every thirty seconds and are as nervous as a cat.” For a second Evan thought Wes was going to deny it, but he seemed to come to a decision to talk to him and nodded. “I don’t think we can talk here. I’ll meet you at the coffee shop on Pitt just off High in ten minutes,” Evan offered. It was becoming pretty clear to Evan that he needed some information on what Wes’s brother was doing and that Wes might be able to give him that information.

  If Evan were honest, he felt like a jerk doing this to Wes. He liked him. Hell, it had been quite some time since someone he had only spent a few minutes with made his heart beat as fast as it did. There was something about Wes that called to him. Evan knew it was his job to notice things about people, but with Wes, he really seemed to catch even the smallest things, like the way his sparkling blue eyes had clouded slightly in fear when Evan had asked why he was nervous. Was it the urge to protect his brother and family… or had Evan been wrong all along and Wes was not quite as innocent as he appeared? Evan needed to tread lightly. He had let himself get too close to someone in an investigation before, and it had burned him badly, nearly costing him his badge and sending him to prison. Evan held his breathing steady as he studied Wes, because Evan wasn’t going down that road again. His heart simply couldn’t take it once more.

  “Okay,” Wes finally answered, and Evan figured there was probably a 50 percent chance that Wes wouldn’t show up and Evan would have to figure out his next move once he saw how things turned out. But his gut told him that Wes knew something.

  “Give me ten minutes and I’ll meet you and Greyson there.” Evan turned without another word and shuffled back to the car and got inside. He started the old car, praying that the engine turned over. It cranked and started on the third try, and then he pulled away into one of the borough parking lots on a back alley. Evan reached under the seat and got a clean shirt, happily getting out of the one he had been wearing, then quickly changed into a pair of newer shorts and stashed his other clothes out of sight before exiting the car.

  He was surprised to see Wes and Greyson waiting for him inside. “What would you like?” Evan asked Wes.

  “A mocha, please, and a bottle of water.” Wes was so polite and tentative, and Evan really hated that, because there was so much intelligence and sharpness behind his eyes. He wondered just what had beaten Wes down so badly.

  Evan went to the counter and got the drinks, as well as a couple of muffins and a sugar cookie, brought them back to the table, and took a seat.

  Wes thanked him and gave Greyson a small piece of cookie, which he seemed to like. Then he made up a bottle using the warm water and gave it to Greyson, who sucked on it like he was starving. “You can start,” Wes said, and Evan nodded.

  “To answer your question, I’m not really sure. I’m still trying to figure it out.” That was about as honest as he thought he could be.

  Wes sighed. “I’m torn and not sure how to proceed. See, I saw that car last night and my brother was talking to those guys. I didn’t see Trey get into the car, but he spent a lot of time on the sidewalk with them. Then today he shot out of the house like a bullet when someone honked, and I’m not sure what he’s up to. Trey doesn’t have the best decision-making skills in the world.” Wes checked on Greyson, who seemed to be watching them both over his bottle. Man, the little boy was completely adorable, with his huge eyes and the way he watched him. It made Evan want to forget what he was here to do for a second, and that could be trouble.

  Still, a little one like Greyson brought into focus exactly what Evan was doing and why he did the job he did. More than anything, Evan wanted to make the world a little less dangerous so kids like Greyson could grow up safer and have a better chance in life than he’d had.

  “Then tell me what you can.” There was no use having Wes betray someone if he didn’t have to. Evan understood family loyalty, and it was pretty clear that the conflict with Wes was about his family, especially with what he’d seen regarding Wes’s brother. “Do you know what he’s up to, or are you only afraid he may be involved with something that isn’t right?”

  “I guess I’m worried. Trey knows that I won’t put up with illegal stuff, and my mom and dad won’t either, but they will turn a blind eye to things they don’t want to know about.” Wes sighed. “Mom and Dad are good people who work really hard. They didn’t have many advantages in life, and they really wanted a better life for me and Trey.” He bit his lower lip adorably, and Evan raised his hand but stopped himself from soothing it. “They can’t deal with his bad behavior.”

  “So they turn the other way?” Evan knew that ignored problems didn’t just go away. If anything, they grew and got a hell of a lot worse.

  “I don’t want to say that, but they don’t go looking for it. Mom and Dad react to what Trey does, but they don’t watch for his behavior, so nothing gets headed off.” Wes tickled Greyson, who pulled his bottle out of his mouth, smiling a single-little-tooth smile. “Trey knew he was a father but didn’t bother to tell any of us until the mother dropped Greyson here in his lap and left. That was it.” He shrugged. “Not that I would change a thing. Greyson is amazing, and I always wanted to be a daddy, so here I am.” He sighed softly. “Picking up one of Trey’s messes. Just one in a very long list.”

  “I think I understand. Your parents love him and want the best for him, but they can’t deal with Trey. He’s just overwhelming and takes more of their attention than they can or are willing to give.” Evan thought he was starting to get a pretty good picture of how things were working in Wes’s family. Trey did pretty much anything he wanted because there was no one to stop him or tell him no. And when he fucked up, there were no consequences because his mom and dad did their best to bail him out. “Do you know where Trey is?”

  Wes shook his head. “But you do, I’m willing to bet.”

  Evan nodded. He wasn’t going to lie. “It looked like they were gearing up for one hell of a party. I don’t know if he’s with the guys from the diner or not.”

  Wes hesitated. “I’m going to guess that he probably is. Look, I don’t want Trey to get in trouble. He likes to think he’s a leader, but Trey doesn’t have the smarts for anything like that. Trey is a follower and a hanger-on. He wants to be the center of attention all the time, so he does things to get what he wants. And if these guys he’s hanging around with are bad news, I can bet that whatever they’re up to, they’ll sucker Trey into it, dump whatever mess they make in his lap, and be gone, leaving him to settle the bill.” Wes handed Greyson his bottle after he’d dropped it. “I wish Mom and Dad would tell him that he has to find a new place to live. He needs responsibility and
to learn what it takes to live on his own. If I didn’t have this little guy, I’d be out of the house, but he takes more money and support than I can give him alone. At least right now.”

  “Does Trey help?”

  Wes scoffed. “Are you kidding? He gives money to Mom and Dad sometimes, and I think he figures that’s being used for Greyson too. Trey ignores him, like if he doesn’t see him or play with him, then Greyson doesn’t exist and his own bad behavior can be overlooked.” Wes rolled his eyes.

  Evan nodded. “You know you could petition the courts to have his parental rights terminated on the grounds of abandonment and neglect. Greyson is his son, and if he isn’t providing for his basic needs or spending any time with him, then you could argue that. It would give you more legal standing, should anything happen.” He didn’t normally give this kind of advice, but it was clear to him, even after spending such a little time with Wes, that Greyson was the center of his world. Evan really liked that. Anyone who was willing to give his heart to a child who wasn’t his own had a soul of gold, and maybe that was what Evan had been looking for all these years.

  His heart began pounding in his chest, and all Wes had done was look at him with those sapphire eyes. This kind of attraction was something Evan honestly didn’t understand. All his previous relationships had been the kind where they met, liked each other, and decided to try to build something. Each time, things had crashed and burned in spectacular fashion. But this felt like someone had lit a fire inside him. All he wanted to do was touch and look. Every time he turned away from Wes to check out the area around him, his attention was pulled back a lot sooner than it probably should have been.

  “Are you on duty?” Wes asked.

  Evan checked his watch, shaking his head. “Not any longer.” Officially he had come off shift an hour ago, but that didn’t matter so much when he was working a case like this. The department got a lot more than their fair share of hours from him, so stopping to have a coffee or a muffin wasn’t going to be an issue. Granted, the department would expect him to be working the case, and while he was in a way, his mind—and body, for that matter—were on a whole different wavelength.

  “I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble for being in here with me.” Wes took Greyson’s bottle and slowly pushed the stroller back and forth.

  Evan scrunched his nose, and Wes got up, lifted Greyson out of the stroller, and headed back toward the bathrooms.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  Evan nodded and turned toward the front door as more people came in. It was an old habit, one that had saved his butt more times than he could count. He continued watching until Wes and Greyson returned. Wes held Greyson on his lap, bouncing him slightly and offering him a teething cookie.

  “Hey,” Red, one of the police officers from Carlisle, said as he came in. He was in his uniform, which presented Evan with a problem. “What are you doing in here?” Red asked more gruffly. Most of the guys on the force knew Evan, and when he was on assignment, they weren’t supposed to treat him like a brother in blue. “No trouble,” Red said, his gaze drifting over to Wes. It became pretty clear pretty fast that Red wasn’t sure what to make of the situation.

  “I haven’t done anything wrong, so I’d appreciate it if you left us alone,” Evan said quietly, and Red flashed him a fake look of annoyance and moved on.

  “What was all that about?” Wes asked in a whisper. “Does he hate you? Is there some rivalry thing between the departments or something?”

  Evan chuckled. “No. Red is a great guy and a friend. I signaled to him that I was undercover.”

  “Why?”

  “Because the people I’m after have been dealing in things that are really bad. We’ve had crack, smack, and crystal showing up here, and they’re all really low quality. It’s like someone doesn’t know what they’re doing, or they’re buying the lowest-grade stuff out of Philadelphia and bringing it here to sell. Either way, people are getting hurt. We’ve gotten close to them a few times, but they slip away.” He wasn’t going to go into any greater detail.

  “Okay. I won’t tell anyone who you are if they ask,” Wes promised, leaning over the table. “Do you think my brother is involved?”

  “I’m not sure. Like I said, every time we get close, they scamper. It’s possible the men from the diner are involved, but it’s hard to tell. This situation is becoming critical. People are dying, and I need to get to the bottom of it. I’m trying to find a way into the group, but I’m not having any luck.”

  Wes nodded slowly. “And you thought that if you got friendly with me that you could use that as a way to get to know my brother, and then he could introduce you to his friends.” Wes stood and put Greyson in the stroller. “I see how things are.”

  “That isn’t it at all. I hadn’t even met you before yesterday, and while I suspected that there might be a connection when you mentioned your brother, I didn’t set out to follow you or anything.” Sometimes things just worked that way it seemed.

  Wes sat back down. “Maybe not. But you brought me here because you wanted to know what I knew about my brother.” He was clearly angry and suspicious.

  Evan leaned over the table and lowered his voice. “I’ve been up front with you. I don’t understand why you’re getting angry. It’s possible that your brother could be getting involved with some very bad people. I don’t know yet, but the only way I can get that information is if I can somehow gain access to these people. If the guys in the Cadillac are who I think they might be, and your brother is friends with them, then that could be my way in. I’ll be honest about that. But if you think that me befriending you has anything to do with that, then you’re wrong.” He sat back up once again.

  “Then why are you here?” Wes asked as Greyson fussed. He was probably picking up on the tension and didn’t like it. “I mean, needing some information I can understand. I don’t want Trey to get in trouble, but if he’s already in it, then maybe you can keep him from getting any deeper. But….” Wes considered him, his eyes looking deeply into Evan’s. “I don’t quite understand, is all.”

  Evan smiled. “You don’t quite understand when someone might be interested in you?”

  Wes rolled his eyes. “Isn’t that something you can get in trouble with? Getting too close to a witness or a source… or something?” Wes sat back as if pondering the idea.

  Evan knew it was a bad idea for him to get involved with anyone. “I can think you’re cute and wonder about you. I don’t think that’s against the rules.” Look at him, he was actually flirting… at least he hoped it came off that way. Otherwise he was sitting here making a fool of himself.

  “You think I’m cute?” Wes asked, color rising in his cheeks as he rolled his eyes. “Is that some line you use to get people to cooperate with you?”

  Evan shrugged. “I don’t know. Is it working?” He smiled again, and Wes laughed and shook his head.

  “I wonder if you’re for real,” Wes said.

  “Why?” Evan grew more and more curious.

  Wes shook his head again. “Because hot guys do not flirt with me, and they certainly don’t spend time with guys who feed babies and have to change a diaper in the middle of coffee.” Wes took a bite of his otherwise untouched muffin. Then he had another, and Evan became transfixed by the way his throat worked, wondering what the tender skin would taste like and what little sounds Wes would make when he kissed him there.

  Evan pulled his attention out of his inappropriate thoughts and back to the conversation at hand. It took him a second to realize what Wes had said. “You think I’m hot?” God, that had to be one of the dumbest things to cross his lips in years.

  “Duh…. Of course you’re hot. I bet you have muscles for days under that bulky shirt. You try to hide them, but it doesn’t work very well.” The amusement in Wes’s eyes was a delight and drew Evan closer. “So you can stop acting coy and shy—it isn’t going to work.” Danged if that twinkle didn’t get brighter.

  Greyson beg
an to really fuss and whimper, and Wes rocked him slowly until he quieted. “I need to get him home so he can rest.” Of course, as soon as Wes said that Greyson settled.

  “Think he wants a look around?” Evan offered, and Wes handed Greyson to him. “Well, aren’t you something else?” Greyson blinked. Evan tickled his belly a little, and Greyson smiled and giggled. What a happy kid.

  Evan bounced him lightly, and Greyson took the chance to look around for himself. It had been quite a while since Evan had held a baby, and the warmth soaked right through his clothes. They shared smiles and a few more giggles. Then Greyson turned back to Wes, and Evan gave him back.

  “I don’t know what is going to happen next, and I definitely hope your brother isn’t involved.”

  Wes nodded. “It’s okay. If he is, then it’s his own fault.” Wes tucked Greyson back into the stroller. “Look, I don’t know how I can introduce you to Trey. He and I don’t travel in the same circles, if you know what I mean. But I’ll tell you if I see anything suspicious.”

  Evan had to ask. “Why would you do that? I know your loyalties are pretty divided here.”

  Wes sighed again. “Because if Trey is involved with people who are dealing drugs or worse, then it can’t have been for very long, and I’m hoping you can get what you need and bring these guys down before Trey gets in too deep. It’s what he does all the time. Like I said, he wants to be important.” Wes stood. “I know you know where I live. Maybe if you want to come over for a visit or something, you could meet Trey. I know you can’t tell him who you are, but maybe in a really clever way, you could warn him about what could happen. Scare him or something.” Wes bit his lower lip again. “Trey can be a real idiot sometimes, but I want him to be safe and I hate that people take advantage of him.”

  Now Evan was in a precarious position. “I don’t know what I can do without telling him I’m a police officer. But—” This was a chance to further the investigation and get closer to Wes, two of the things Evan really wanted. “—I can try. Why don’t I meet you for dinner tomorrow night? I can bring chicken or something. What do you think?”