In the Shadow of Vengeance (6 page)

“I'll check into Mendoza,” Jared said, following him to his truck.

Noah unlocked the glove compartment and handed his brother the brown paper bag. Jared took a look inside and scowled.

“Damn. What was the kid thinking?”

“He's scared, Jared. We placed him in this mess. We have to get him out.”

“No, Mendoza placed him in this situation. I spend too much time trying to convince Jennie of that fact. Don't make me have to do the same with you.”

Noah let out a heavy groan. “My head knows that, bro, but when I saw Danny this afternoon in that alley, I wanted to kill the guy for placing a gun in the hands of a messed-up kid.”

“You're going after the ganger, too?”

“Yeah, I promised Elizabeth I'll keep Danny's name out of it,” he said, nodding at the bag, “as long as he gives me a name.”

“So how do you plan to handle Elizabeth Merlot? I assume you are going to be sticking close to Danny.”

Noah didn't miss the sarcastic undertones. “Don't even go there. There is nothing between us. She hates me, and I wouldn't try to tap that with a ten-foot pole. I'm not stupid.”

Jared shifted his position and seemed to struggle not to laugh in Noah's face. “Ms. Merlot is one fine-looking woman. God, she has legs that go—”

Noah shoved his brother in the shoulder. “Keep your eyes where they belong.”

Jared stumbled off the curve onto the street and laughed out loud. Noah crossed behind his truck and opened the driver's door.

“Noah.”

This time, there wasn't a hint of laughter in his twin's voice. “What?”

“You have a knot in your stomach the size of Cleveland, don't you?”

“Yeah, you, too?”

Jared nodded. “This isn't good.”

“My thoughts exactly. And I didn't see it coming.”

Jared started to turn back toward his home then met Noah's gaze. “Jennie's pregnant.”

He took several steps toward his brother. “Why didn't you tell me?”

“We just found out and we wanted the news to be ours for a little while. God, bro, nothing can touch her now.”

Noah placed a hand on Jared's shoulder. “You two have this weird-ass connection. She feels what you feel. You can't keep it from her, but if you focus on your family, stay calm, positive, she'll feed off of that.”

“You're going to need Adam's help with this, Noah. I know you have a problem with him because he kept his relationship to us a secret, but he's our half-brother and will be there for you.”

“Okay, problem solved.” He pulled Jared into a hug. “And there is Raúl, too, so chill. I can always call in Mac and Jason.” Noah had already decided he would need his younger brothers' FBI connections to get to the bottom of this mess. “Austin is only a plane ride away.” He stepped back and stared at his twin, a warm feeling spreading through him. “Wow, you're going to be a great dad.”

“If things get bad and you don't let me know, I'll kick your ass. Got it?”

Noah let out a hard laugh. “You have never been able to before. What makes you think you can take me now?” He nudged him in the shoulder. “Stop being such a mother hen. We're freaking out over a teenager's dream. We've been to the super-max prison holding Mendoza. It takes us thirty minutes to clear the first level of security. The only way he's leaving that place is in a black bag.” He paused before adding, “Your real problem is Jennie. You're going to have your hands full keeping her out of this. Good luck with that.”

“If this develops into something, I'm taking her on a long-overdue vacation. No one's ever going to hurt her again.”

“Damn straight. Keep a bag packed.”

Noah got into his truck and drove out of the cul de sac. His house was close enough to his brother's to borrow milk for his coffee when he ran out but far enough to have his own space. Just as he reached his driveway, his cell phone buzzed in his pocket. He dug it out and checked the number. Johns Hopkins Hospital. His sister Emma worked as an emergency doctor at Hopkins.

“Emma?”

“No. This is the emergency room at Johns Hopkins. I'm looking for Detective Noah McNeil.”

“And you got him. What's this about?”

“Sir, we have a young teen who's been badly beaten. He won't give us his name, but he had your card in his pocket.”

Danny. Son of a bitch
. “Is this kid about five feet, 100 pounds with dark brown hair to his shoulders?”

“Yes. Do you know him?”

“His name is Danny Merlot. Let me talk to him.”

Noah backed out of his driveway while he listened to the muffled conversation.

“Detective, he's being difficult.”

“Put the phone to his ear.”

An instant later, a moan pierced a hole into Noah's gut. “Danny, I'm on my way. You hear me?”

“Don't tell Mom.” The words were followed by another groan. “Promise!”

“You can't keep this from her. Now tell the nurse how to get in touch with your mom.”

“This will hurt her. I can't do that to her again.”

“She's a very strong woman and loves you.”

The silence in Noah's cab raked on his nerves. He could hear Danny's painful breathing as he tried to choke back tears. “It's going to be okay. I promise you, I'll make this okay.”

“Noah?”

“I'm here.”

“I messed up bad. I'm sorry—”

“It's okay.”

“Noah?”

“Yeah?”

“Please hurry.”

Using his badge, Noah charged through the security doors into triage and made his way down the long hallway toward the nurses' station. Every emergency room looked the same, and for some God-forsaken reason, smelled the same. The pungent, sweet smells of industrial cleaner, dried blood, vomit, and the ever-present scent of burnt coffee grounds made his stomach roil. How in the hell his sister and mother enjoyed working in this environment day after day surprised the crap out of him. Give him a crime scene any day.

“The young teen, Danny Merlot. Where is he?”

A man in blue scrubs stood. “Are you a relative, sir?”

“No.”

“Then I have to ask you to leave. You can't be back here.”

Noah again flashed his badge. “And this says I can. Now where is he?”

The man moved from behind the counter. “Come with me, detective.”

“Have you contacted his mother?”

“We're trying to track her down. No one is answering the home phone, and the boy is not offering up his mom's cell number. You wouldn't happen to have it?”

“No, I have Danny's cell number but not Elizabeth's.”

A nurse stepped out of one of the examination rooms. “You McNeil?”

He nodded.

She pointed to the cubicle. “He's all yours. I can't get him to say a thing.”

“How is he?”

“He was worked over pretty good, but nothing serious. Couple of bruised ribs, black eye, cut lip, and other abrasions. He's uncomfortable but will be fine in a few weeks.”

“Who brought him in?”

“Ambulance. A witness watched three men gang up on him on the sidewalk outside the arcade on Lombard Street. That's all I know. If you get his parents' contact information, I need it.”

“I'll get his mother's cell number.”

Noah thanked the nurse and entered the room. Like most emergency exam rooms, the cubicle was covered with a ceiling-to-floor curtain. A low light shown over the sink, but the rest of the small space was bathed in shadows.

“Danny, it's Noah,” he said as he moved back the curtain.

Danny's body was turned to the wall. He repositioned himself on his back, a groan escaping.

What the nurse failed to mention was Danny's right eye was almost swollen shut, his bottom lip was slit at the corners, and blood oozed from the cut. From his hairline to his jaw, the bruising and swelling made his face almost unrecognizable. What the hell had happened in the last hour?

A simmering rage erupted in Noah's veins. “Who did this?”

“It's my fault.”

“Fuck that. Tell me who did this to you.” Noah's hands gripped the bed railing. “I need a name, Danny.”

“The guy who sold me the gun and his friends.” Large tears spilled over onto his cheek, and he swiped them away with the back of his bandaged hand. “I tried to fight back. I'm not good enough yet.”

Shit
! Who in the hell expected a thirteen-year-old to hold his own against three grown men?
“I want his name.”

“I don't know it.”

“Danny, that's not gonna fly.”

“No, seriously, Noah. I don't know his name. He's just a guy who hangs out at the arcade. I saw him sell some stuff once. So …”

“What?”

“So I asked him if he could get me a handgun. We settled on a price, and he said he would let me know what he could do. I didn't see him again until this afternoon.” He swallowed. “I'm not lying. I know you hate that.”

“I left you in your bedroom less than two hours ago.”

A rush of color slipped into his cheeks through the bruising. “I knew Mom would make me tell her what I knew about the guy and then she would tell you. I sneaked out to warn him. But the second I mentioned the police, he started punching me. I kept trying to tell him I wouldn't say anything.”

“You were warning him? Why would you do that?”

Danny turned his head back to the wall and in a slight whisper said, “I asked him to get me the gun. He shouldn't get in trouble. It was on me.” His voice grew quieter. “He told me if the police came for him, he'll do the same to Erin.”

“Believe me when I say he isn't going anywhere near Erin. Now, where is your mom? I thought you two were going to have this heart-to-heart at eight.”

“Mom forgot about Erin's dress rehearsal for the competition next weekend. Erin's dance partner called when she didn't show up on time.”

“So as soon as they were out the door, you took off.”

Danny nodded.

“You know I have to call her, right? She's your mother. There is no way you can keep this from her.” Noah placed his cell phone screen up to Danny's face. “Look.”

Danny let out a harsh sigh. “Shit. I was hoping it just hurt like hell.”

Noah chuckled. “Her number?”

It took Noah three tries before Elizabeth picked up. Odds were she was checking caller ID and chose not to talk to him.

Her tone wasn't pleasant when she finally answered. “Twice in one day, detective. If you're calling about that name, I haven't had a chance to talk to Danny.”

“I have. Elizabeth, he's at Hopkins ER. You need to come down here.”

“What?”

Noah glanced at Danny, and his heart went out to him. He had gotten into enough scrapes when he was Danny's age to know exactly what was going through the boy's mind.

Noah shifted away from the bed and lowered his voice. “Danny went looking for the guy who sold him the gun. The ganger wasn't happy to see him and took a few swings. Danny's a little beat up, but no serious injuries.”

A dead silence lasted for several moments before Elizabeth's strained voice asked, “Why didn't they call me?”

“They tried. No one was home, and Danny wouldn't tell them his name because he didn't want you to know. They found my card in his pocket.”

“Is he really okay?”

“He will be.”

“I'll be there in ten minutes.” She seemed to choke on her words. “And Detective—Noah—thanks for being there with him. I can't stand the thought he's—”

“No problem. I'm glad they called me.”

Noah said a quick good-bye and eased down onto the bed. “Rough day.”

Danny nodded, then wiped another hand over his eyes.

“When I was your age, my dad would tell me tomorrow would be better.”

“I know I fuc—messed up, but I was trying to do the right thing both times. I just can't get anything right.”

“I was a phone call away. I told you to call me if you ever need me.”

“My family, my problem.”

“I get that, Danny, but that plan isn't working very well for you. I'm a Maryland State Police detective, but even I would have never gone into a situation like you walked into tonight without backup. I would have had your back tonight. I may not have agreed with your plan, but we could have discussed it, come to something we could both live with.”

“Noah, do you believe me about the guy in my room?”

The question threw him for an instant. He reached into his pocket and handed Danny the photo Jennie gave him.

“Have you ever seen this guy?”

Danny took a quick look and let out a gasp. “Yeah, that's the guy from my room.”

“Are you sure?”

“Like a hundred percent sure. That's the guy.”

Noah glanced away from Danny as he tucked the photo back into his pocket.
Crazy-ass shit.
Hell yes, he believed him. But how could he explain that the man Danny spoke to had been dead for almost eighteen years?

“Tell me what you remember about him and what he said exactly.”

Danny let out a painful groan as he turned onto his side to talk to Noah. He seemed to have trouble forming his words.

“Danny, just tell me what happened. I've seen crazy things in my life.”

“I was playing a video game one second, and the next, he was sitting next to me. For some reason, I wasn't scared. He told me his name was Evan and he was a cop.”

“Did you talk to him?”

“Yeah, I asked him what he wanted. I guess … it's like I knew he wasn't real. He said my mom was in trouble. The guy in the subway was a plant and more are coming. Those were his exact words.” Danny took his bandaged hand and rested it over his eyes. “The next instant, I was alone, my game was gone, and the screen was filled with white noise. I think I wasn't scared because he had kind eyes.”