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I drove it until I was out in the middle of nowhere. That’s how I ended up here. I saw Old Man Miller sitting on his front porch and I approached him and asked if he’d rent me his house. I offered him a lot of cash for both the house and his silence and he took it, no questions asked. He said he’d always wanted to go to Florida and so he did.
“He took off for Boston,” Hank says, bringing me back to the present. He takes a bite of a half-eaten cookie, then holds it up. “This was supposed to be yours, but don’t worry. I got more in the car. She sent you a whole container of them.”
“So they tracked my father to Boston? Do they know what he’s doing there?”
“They suspect he’s going to meet a new client. He probably wants to expand his territory.” He finishes the cookie, then wipes his hands together to get rid of the crumbs. “He’d be better off sticking with New York. Going into a new city, he’s going to upset the local dealers.”
“He’s going to get himself killed.” I say it like I’m worried about him, but I shouldn’t be. The asshole tried to have me murdered. I’m still trying to wrap my head around that. Part of me refuses to believe he would really do it. Before I found this out, my father was just a father. Not a good one, but still my father. A man I admired for rising out of poverty and becoming a successful businessman.
Now I know him as a murderer. A dealer of illegal weapons on the black market.
“Listen to me.” Hank leans toward me and I meet his gaze. “He did this to himself. I know it’s hard not to feel sorry for him or worry about him but he’s a grown man and he got himself into this business. It’s not your job to get him out. You can’t save him, Kyle. And I hate to say this because I know it hurts you but…he chose this over you. You have to remember that in order to get through this. And to get through the trial.”
He’s referring to our end goal in all of this, which is to get my father arrested and charged and locked away. If we can get the people who work with him locked away too, then all the better, but if not, at least their ringleader will be gone and that will slow down or maybe even stop their activity.
It’s up to the FBI to catch him. They’re now on the case, thanks to Hank. Given his career in criminal justice, he has friends in the FBI. I wasn’t willing to talk to them directly but I was able to provide them with information through an anonymous tip. Eventually, I’ll have to come forward and tell them more, but I really don’t know that much. They’ve been on the case only a few days and already know more than me.
“What else did they find out?” I ask.
“Don’t know. That’s all they’d tell me. And they only told me that so you didn’t show up in Boston and run into him.”
“I have no plans to be in Boston but I uh…I do have to go to New York next week.”
He laughs. “Because you’re in the mood to get killed? You got an odd sense of humor, kid.”
“I’m serious. Sage is going out there next week to see her mom and she’s making me go.”
“You’re going to have to tell her no. You’re not going there.”
“I have to. It was part of our agreement. She wouldn’t take me back unless I agreed to go.”
“The girl isn’t going to break up with you if you don’t go. She loves you.”
“I told her I’d do this and I can’t go back on my word. We’re only going there for a few days. I’ll make sure we stay close to her mom’s apartment. My dad never goes to that part of town. There’s no way we’d run into him. Hank, I have to do this. I made her a promise.”
Hank shakes his head. “I’ll see if my buddy at the FBI can keep track of him while you’re there. I still think it’s a bad idea but I understand. I’ve done plenty of stupid things for a woman.”
We continue to talk and I tell him about being out with Sage last night and how I feel so much closer to her now that I can see a future with her. Once this thing is finally settled with my father I’ll be able to live my life again. But it won’t be in New York. I want to get far away from there. I might even go as far away as Hawaii if I could get Sage to agree to it. And Cain. I’ll be taking him with me wherever I end up. Once my father is locked away, I’ll ask for custody of Cain.
The plan is set in motion. Now I just wait for them to catch him. I don’t know when that’ll be but I hope it’s soon. I want this to end. I want a life again.
CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE
SAGE
Tomorrow Kyleand I leave for New York. I can’t wait to see my mom and for her to meet Kyle. She’s got all these activities planned for us. Kyle’s been to New York many times, but I’ve never been and I can’t wait to see it.
“Hey.” Jesse walks in looking more serious than usual. “Can I talk to you?”
He better not tell me I can’t go tomorrow. If he does, I’m going anyway. The trip is planned and paid for and I’m not missing it so I can sit in this office doing paperwork.
“What is it?”
He closes the door. That’s not a good sign. I look over at Helen’s desk and see that she’s not back from her break. She should’ve been back by now. Jesse must’ve told her to stay on break so he could talk to me.
As he sits down, I say, “If you’re going to tell me I can’t go on my trip tomorrow, I’m—”
“That’s not it, although who you’re going with is a problem.”
