In the Shadow of Vengeance (3 page)

Noah relaxed his fisted hands and strolled across the street. “I was trying to figure out something.”

“Yeah, what's that?” Raúl asked, shaking Noah's hand.

“Whether I wanted to grab a pizza pie from Firenze's or beg one of your wife's fabulous dinners.”

“Ah, but Anita is going to a PTA meeting up at the school tonight. We're ordering pizza. You're welcome to stay.”

Before he could acknowledge the invitation, his attention was drawn to the boys heading down the street. “I thought TJ walked home with Danny Merlot.”

“So that's why you have graced my neighborhood with your presence this fine afternoon. Jennie has you doing surveillance on Danny.” Raúl let out a deep laugh. “Just don't let Elizabeth Merlot catch you. She can be one scary, protective mom when it comes to Danny and Erin.”

Noah chuckled. “Yeah, I'm not her favorite person. Maybe it's my mug,” he said, rubbing a hand over the stubble on his jaw.

“I always wondered why you never asked her out. I figured it was a natural progression since you were spending time with her son.”

“I hung out with Danny because he seemed to want me around. Since we both had the pleasure of Mendoza's company, we formed a bond. I like the kid. To hit on his mom would make me a first-class ass.”

“Yeah, but his mom is smokin' hot. Her legs go on forever and that face! Gorgeous, doe-like cocoa eyes, lips that beg to be kissed. She's not my Anita, but man oh man …”

“If your wife ever heard you call Elizabeth Merlot anything but a great mother, she would have your balls in a vise grip.” Noah nudged his friend out of his path and picked up a small vase of tiny roses. “Elizabeth hated me on sight. Every time I go anywhere with Danny, she eyes me like I'm on a most-wanted poster.”

“No woman on this planet hates you,
amigo
. All you have to do is wiggle your brow and they line up around the block.”

Noah let out a laugh and shook his head. “Not Elizabeth. Maybe she hates all things McNeil. She has even stopped talking to Jennie. They used to be great friends.” Noah shoved his hands into his pockets. “I guess I don't blame her after what happened to Danny. Maybe life is just busy and they have gone their separate ways. But Jennie's hurting and that pisses me off. She blames herself for Mendoza using Danny to get to her. Stupid logic. Mendoza's sins are his own. The bastard's been locked away, but neither Jennie nor Danny can heal.”

“We all want Danny to be his old self. We don't see much of him these days.”

“Jennie mentioned he has cut himself off from most of his friends. Does TJ still hang out with him?”

“Not much. He quit the soccer team, which he was damn good at. As his coach, I did what I could, but he won't open up to me. TJ says he spends most of his time in his room playing video games or up at the gym taking Jim Hoe's martial arts classes. He's in there five times a week.”

Noah's spine stiffened. “At thirteen? Why? Is someone picking on him?”

“No. Danny watched Mendoza put a bullet between his enforcer's eyes. It's hard to get over that kind of violence. I think he's still dealing with his kidnapping by trying to learn to fight.”

“The enforcer is roasting in hell, and as for Mendoza, he's serving a life sentence on the other side of the country. Who does Danny need to fight?”

Before Raúl could answer, the bell over the flower shop dinged and TJ entered.

“Hi, Uncle Noah.”

TJ was doing well in his new home. The intense, quiet eight-year-old from three years ago was now a thriving preteen.

“Dad, I'm hungry.”

“And I'm talking. Your mom's upstairs,” Raúl said, nodding to the staircase. “The Os are playing the Nationals tonight. Get your homework done.”

The kid fist bumped the air and began to race up the stairs.

“TJ, wait. Have you seen Danny Merlot today?” Noah asked.

“Yeah. He ran right past Trevor and me. Didn't even stop to talk.”

“Where was he heading?”

“He said he was meeting some guy at the arcade on Lombard Street.”

“Some guy? Does that strike you—?” Noah asked Raúl.

“Nope. I don't like the sound of that one bit.”

“I think I'll take a rain check on that pizza.” He nodded to his friend and left the shop.

A new sense of dread hit Noah as his long legs ate up the sidewalk toward the arcade. The couple of times he'd reached out to Danny after the kidnapping, they ended up at the arcade. Elizabeth always accompanied them, never taking her eyes off Danny for a second while also watching Noah like a hawk. It had been almost a year since he'd even received a text from Danny. Noah just assumed he cut off communication because he was getting on with his life. And what teen wanted to hang out with an old guy like him, and a cop, at that?

Noah crossed through the open doors of the arcade and moved past Danny's favorite games. The place wasn't busy. If he were there, Noah would find him.

Heading toward the rear of the building, he turned a corner and spotted Danny talking to some guy in his early twenties in the short hallway that led to the restrooms. The guy scanned the crowd over the top of Danny's head, grabbed him by the elbow, and exited through the back door. Noah retraced his tracks to the entrance. Racing around the side of the building, he entered the alley that ran parallel to Lombard Street. The stench of rotting garbage and other odious smells he chose not to identify assaulted his senses. At the next block, he spotted Danny handing the man something, and in exchange, Danny grasped a crumbled paper bag.

Noah slowed his pace and spread back his sport coat so his badge and gun were in view. “Hey, how's it going?”

The guy took one look at Noah, clutched Danny's collar in his fist, and whispered something in his ear. He then heaved him against the chain link fence and ran full out down the alley.

Noah reached out a hand to steady Danny. “Should I go after him?”

“What are you doing here?” he asked, shrugging out of reach.

“What's in the bag, Danny?”

Color drained from his face as he stared at his hand. He swung his shoulder pack off and stuffed the bag inside. “Nothing important.”

A car backfired and Danny almost jumped out of his shoes. Tucking his head down, his eyes on the asphalt, he nudged past Noah. Reaching out, Noah placed a hand on Danny's shoulder. “That's not an answer. Again, what's in the bag?”

“It's none of your business.” Danny's eyes narrowed and a deep blush of anger edged into his cheeks.

Noah had seen Danny scared shitless, depressed, even nostalgic, but the raw anger in his eyes was new.

“Sorry, son. I think it is.”

“I'm not your son. I'm not anything to you.”

Noah raised both hands out. “Okay, bad choice of words. I thought we were at least friends.”

“I haven't seen or heard from you in almost a year. I don't need friends like you, Detective McNeil. I have to get home.” Danny body slammed him, knocking him off balance, and stormed down the alley toward the street.

Understanding be damned.
The kid didn't get a break when he jammed himself up with dumb-ass, stupid decisions. Noah rushed ahead and repositioned his body so it blocked Danny's path. “I don't get to choose the cases I'm assigned. I let you know I was going undercover. I couldn't even call my own mother while on assignment. Now I've been back for months, and if you recall, I did contact you, but it was you who blew me off, not the other way around.”

Danny tried again to edge around him. The kid was really pissing him off, but Noah's temper wasn't going to get him anywhere. “What did you buy off that guy? From the colors he wore and the tat on his arm, he runs with the—”

“I don't know the guy or who he runs with.” Danny's fists clenched at his side and a deep blush swept across his cheeks. “He was just a guy, so drop it.”

Like hell he would drop it. Noah wanted to punch the wall. What was going on in this kid's life to make him so damn angry? He didn't have to guess what was in the bag. Something made Danny desperate or angry enough to purchase a weapon off a local gang member. Noah's badge gave him the right to search the bag after what he had seen, but that would destroy what little trust Danny had left in him. There was only one play left and it placed a nasty taste in Noah's mouth.

“You don't want to show me what's in the bag, fine. I know someone you will listen to,” he said and tugged on Danny's arm. He strolled and half dragged the kid toward the entrance of the alley.

“Let go of me,” he spouted, pulling at his elbow.

Noah tightened his hold. “No.”

“Am I under arrest?”

“Not yet.”

“Then what the fuck—”

Noah stopped in his tracks and Danny slammed into his arm, then jerked back. “Watch your mouth, kid. I'm pissed off enough. Don't push me.”

“Where are we going?”

“Show me what's in the bag and we can part company right here.”

“I can't.”

“Don't act like you have no choice. I know what's in the bag. You're not keeping it, and you're going to tell me the name of the guy in the alley.”

“Like hell I am.”

Noah headed down the sidewalk. Two doors from the flower shop, he stopped at a red brick townhouse. The bright red door held a wreath with orange ribbon, two white paper ghosts that fluttered in the breeze, and several small pumpkins. He slammed the brass knocker three times, hard. “Last chance, Danny. Give me the bag.”

“I can't believe you're doing this.”

“Desperate times and all that.”

The door opened and a breath caught in Noah's throat. He didn't forget the impact Elizabeth Merlot had on him for an instant. It was the face that visited him in his dreams for the last three years. She, on the other hand, was clueless.

Noah's fingers twitched. The strand of wavy auburn hair that rested over her shoulder screamed out to be brushed away, and that full bottom lip had a magnetic pull. He shoved his hands into his jean pockets before he embarrassed himself.

Her face brightened with a smile as her gaze settled on her son. Then she glanced at Noah. Her facial expression changed so quickly, it was as if she shoved a lemon half into her mouth.

“Detective McNeil. What are you doing here?”

“It's Noah, remember? Nice to see you again, Elizabeth.” He could almost hear her teeth grinding.

She arched an eyebrow. “Danny, where have you been? You were supposed to come home right after school. Erin waited for you. What happened?”

“Nothing happened. I …”

“Elizabeth, we need to have this discussion inside.”

It must have been his tone because for the first time, she stepped aside and nodded for him to enter.

The townhouse opened into a cool, narrow living room. An oak stairway to the left of the room led to the upstairs. Beyond the living space was a small dining area where Danny's older sister, Erin, appeared to be doing homework. Like the owner, the room had a classic beauty about it, comfortable.

Danny again tried to nudge past Noah. He grabbed a chunk of the boy's sweatshirt and tugged him against his side just as Erin gave him a quick hug.

“Detective McNeil. Long time, no see.”

“Good to see you, too, Erin.”

At fourteen, Erin was turning into a beauty like her mother. She moved with grace like a dancer and spent most of her free hours at the neighborhood dance studio.

“Okay, what's going on, Detective McNeil?” Elizabeth said directly behind him.

Her tone and the way she spit out his title ate at the thin layer on his temper. He turned and offered a smile he knew didn't reach his eyes.

“Noah, easy name to say.
No
and then just add an
ah
. Go on, give it a try.”

“How about you just tell me why you're here?”

“Mom!” Erin stepped between them. “Would you like to sit?” she said, and indicated the love seat a few feet away.

“It's okay, Erin. This really isn't a social visit, is it, Danny?”

“I'm going to my room. Stay, go, I don't care.”

This time when Danny shoved past him, Noah let him go but yanked the backpack off his shoulder. “Not with this, you're not.” He handed it to Elizabeth. “I watched Danny buy something off a ganger in the alley behind the arcade.”

Danny reached for the strap, but his mother jerked it away from him. “He did what?”

“He wouldn't hand it over when I asked. I have a real good idea what he purchased, but I don't want this to become a police matter. You need to check his pack.”

The color slowly drained from Elizabeth's cheeks as she eyed her son. “Danny Merlot, what did you do?”

“Never knew you were a rat, detective.”

“Danny,” Erin hissed through her teeth. “Shut up and stop being so rude.”

At least Noah had one person in the room on his side. Elizabeth shot a glance at her son. “Couch, now!”

Danny didn't argue but moved over and dropped onto the cushion, his hands fisted on his knees. Elizabeth sat on the coffee table, facing her son. “Open it,” she said, handing him his pack.

Danny unzipped the front pouch and pulled out the brown paper bag.

“Now the bag,” she ordered.

Noah wouldn't have argued with that tone either. Elizabeth Merlot may have loved and protected her children with the fieriness of a mother lion, but she was a firm, no-nonsense mother.

He edged around the coffee table and gripped Danny's wrist. “Don't touch it. Right now, that man's prints are on it. Let's not add yours.”

“Here, take it,” he spit out. The anger drained from his narrow shoulders as he stared at his feet. A thick wave of hopelessness seemed to swallow him whole. Noah wanted nothing more than to place a hand on Danny's shoulder and make his world bright again. But whatever drove Danny to that alley today wasn't going to be fixed with a hug and a few words of encouragement.