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  Damon bolted upright, which earned him a scowl from the medic. “Is Ariana okay?”

  “She’s fine.”

  Relief covered his face. “What’s the matter? Is someone else hurt?”

  “We should talk about this later.”

  Damon’s brows drew together. “Don’t treat me like a kid. Whatever it is, just tell me. I can handle it.”

  “This really isn’t the place for news like this.”

  “News like what? Now you have to tell me. I’m going to be worried until you tell me what’s going on.”

  Alex debated what to do. “I’m not trying to keep this from you, and it has nothing to do with your age. It’s about timing.”

  “Whatever it is, it sounds important. And you may as well tell me now so I can process it.”

  “Okay.” Alex scooted closer to the bed, his pulse racing.

  Damon stared at him, a mixture of fear and determination in his eyes.

  Alex cleared his throat. “Your father, he …” It was so hard to find the right words. How did he explain the situation delicately? He hadn’t hung himself, but someone had.

  “What about him?” Damon demanded. “Did he escape?”

  “No.” There was no gentle way to break the news. “He’s dead. I’m sorry.”

  Damon stared at him, didn’t blink or show any emotion for a moment. “He died? Are you sure?”

  Alex put his hand on Damon’s and nodded. “Yes. The prison is investigating it now.”

  “How did it happen?”

  “We should focus on getting you taken care of.”

  Damon’s brows drew together. “Tell me how it happened.”

  Alex exchanged a glance with the medic, who was no help. He turned back to Damon. “It appears to have been suicide, but like I said, it’s under investigation.”

  Damon’s mouth parted. “My father would never take his own life.”

  Alex nodded. “I agree. So do a lot of other people.”

  “How did he supposedly do it?” Damon’s voice cracked.

  Alex’s voice caught in his throat. He cleared it. “Hanging.”

  Damon looked away, looking deep in thought.

  It was hard to know what to say. Nothing could make the situation better. Now Damon was a true orphan, both parents dead. His dad wasn’t just in prison, but gone.

  “It has to be a message.” Damon turned to him.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Whoever did this is sending a message. But what? And to who?”

  Alex shook his head. “I don’t know.”

  Damon’s gaze intensified. “Someone needs to find out before somebody gets hurt.”

  Chapter 30

  Alex paced the hall just outside of Damon’s hospital room. The staff had examined him, given him some stitches, and taken care of a sprained finger. Now he was under observation for the concussion and was sleeping.

  And Alex hadn’t left Damon since he was admitted. Not after realizing that Cal’s death probably was a message. But the question was, to whom? And what did it mean?

  He checked his phone for what had to be the five-hundredth time. He’d let Zoey know when the doctor had said he could have visitors because Ariana would want to see him. She’d told him they’d be over soon.

  Alex had told Crawford that Damon needed an officer outside his room for the duration of his stay. But the chief wasn’t convinced Cal’s death had been anything more than a suicide. The prison staff was still under the impression it was self-inflicted.

  And that made Alex’s blood boil. It was so obvious that Cal hadn’t killed himself. Why couldn’t they see that?

  Then a thought made him freeze in place. What if someone on the inside was being bought off? Or threatened? Or worse, was actually involved in the mess?

  It had been easy enough for the criminal ring to weasel their way into Alex’s family. He had been the precinct’s rookie, so he would’ve been the obvious choice. But managing to convince the chief? The higher-ups at the prison? That seemed even less likely, but it was the only thing that made sense.

  They had someone on the inside, maybe even the chief of police himself.

  Alex’s heart pounded like a jackhammer. That was a serious accusation, and he would never verbalize it without sufficient evidence, but it also meant he needed to be even more careful. If Crawford did end up sending someone to watch Damon, now Alex couldn’t trust them.

  Footsteps sounded down the hall, and familiar voices drifted his way.

  Alex relaxed a little and waited for his wife and daughter to round the corner. As soon as they did, he wrapped his arms around both of them. Never wanted to let go.

  “Dad, I’m happy to see you, but I want to see Damon.” Ariana wiggled away from his hold.

  “He was sleeping last I checked.”

  “I don’t care!” She bolted for the door.

  He stepped in front of her. “Let me check on him first. Okay?”

  She frowned. Then glanced at Zoey, who nodded. “Fine.”

  Alex put an arm around her shoulders. “I know you’re eager to see him. I can’t tell you how relieved I was to see him alive and well when I arrived at the house. But just let me see if he’s awake and let him know he has visitors. I’d do the same for you, honey.”

  Her stance relaxed. “Okay. Thanks, Dad.”

  He kissed her temple before going into Damon’s room. It was dim and machines lit up and made noises. He never knew how hospital staff expected people to sleep through all of that.

  Damon stirred as he neared the bed. His eyes fluttered open. “Alex?”

  “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  He rubbed his eyes. “You didn’t.”

  “Ariana’s here.”

  Damon struggled to sit up.

  “Take it easy.” Alex patted his shoulder and raised the head of the bed. “Is that good?”

  “Yeah.” Damon fussed with his blankets and then his hair. “Do I look okay?”

  Alex nodded. “For a guy who has been held captive and beaten, you look fantastic.”

  Damon wrinkled his mouth but then the corners of his mouth twitched.

  “I’m teasing. I don’t think she cares how you look. She just wants to see that you’re okay.”

  He wiped his face. “Not much I can do about the bruising, anyway.”

  “Not unless you want makeup. I hear that covers anything.”

  Damon shoved him. “Just send her in.”

  Alex chuckled as he headed back into the hall.

  Ariana looked at him with wide eyes. “Well?”

  “He’s just as excited to see you as you are to see him.”

  She raced past him and into the room.

  Zoey wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. “I’m so glad all of this is over. With Cal gone, that ring is out of our lives and our town.”

  Alex frowned.

  Concern filled her eyes. “You don’t think so?”

  “Cal Jones would have never taken his own life. I’m sure of it.”

  She straightened her back. “But he’s gone. It doesn’t matter how or why, just that he is.”

  “I wish it were that simple, Zo. Our little town has been targeted for a reason. I don’t know why, but I’m not about to relax until this is over.”

  “But there aren’t any other ringleaders here. They’re all over the place—Florida, Europe. What’s so special about here?”

  “That I don’t know, but there’s too much other stuff going on for me to let my guard down.”

  “Why? Because there are so many abductions? Those are over now. Cal was behind those.”

  “We don’t know that for sure. I wouldn’t be surprised if things amp up now.”

  “What? Cal’s gone and Damon’s safe. Everything is good.”

  Alex pulled her closer. “I love your optimism, I do. But we can’t ignore the fact that multiple men were holding Damon in his home. We don’t know where they went. And then there’s the messages Nick and Gen
evieve have been getting. All of that doesn’t even take into consideration the fact that one of the ringleaders was murdered and those investigating it are treating it like just another suicide. And we’ve got a missing agent.”

  Zoey didn’t reply right away. “You don’t think we can relax?”

  He shook his head. “Unfortunately not.”

  “What’s going on with Nick and Genevieve?”

  Alex took a deep breath. “I just got off the phone with him a little while ago. She found black roses on one of the cars, and that’s after he found some of Damon’s clothes spread across their property.”

  Zoey’s hands flew to her chest. “You’re kidding!”

  He shook his head. “Not in the slightest.”

  “Oh, poor Genevieve. I’m going to call her right now!” Zoey disappeared down the hall, pulling out her phone as she walked.

  Alex drew in a deep breath. If only things were actually over now that Cal was out of the picture. He would love nothing more than to be able to let his guard down and relax, to stop worrying about Ariana every time she left the house.

  Now he had even more worries—he’d grown to care about Damon. And the boy would need Alex more than ever now. Sure, he had his foster family, but who knew how long they would last? They might even decide it was too dangerous to have him in their home. Then what? Damon couldn’t stay at his house. That would just be asking for trouble. Alex didn’t want to become a grandpa in his twenties.

  He shook his head to clear it. For now, Damon had a place to go once released. If that changed, they would deal with it then.

  Taking a deep breath, he went into the hospital room.

  Ariana sat on the bed next to Damon with his arm around her. His eyes were red, the skin around them tear-stained and splotchy. Her eyes widened, and she jumped to her feet.

  “You’re fine,” Alex said.

  She stared at him in disbelief. “I can sit on a bed with him?”

  He nodded and started to say something, but was interrupted by his phone. A text from Anderson.

  Anderson: News on Kutcher. Call me.

  Alex’s stomach knotted. It had to be bad if his partner couldn’t give the news over text.

  Chapter 31

  Alex stepped outside the room and called Anderson. “What happened?”

  “Wu and Grant found her.” His tone said everything his words didn’t.

  “What happened?”

  “Hanging.”

  Everything disappeared around Alex. “Just like Cal.”

  “Yes.”

  “And Crawford thinks that was a suicide, too?”

  Anderson cleared his throat. “He hasn’t said anything yet, but I think he’s starting to doubt Cal’s suicide.”

  “And all it took was the murder of a federal agent working with our force.”

  “Hold on, Mercer.” The line went quiet for a moment.

  Alex’s mind raced. Kutcher had been killed—in the same way Cal had been. It was a message. There was no doubt of that now. Even Crawford had to be able to see that. If not, he was either the world’s biggest idiot or in on it. There was no other way around it.

  “I’m back,” Anderson said.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Two of our nightshift crew haven’t come in yet. They’re not answering.”

  The floor felt like it dropped beneath Alex. “What?”

  “Sanchez and Fischer.”

  “How late are they?” Alex asked.

  “Almost an hour. I’ve been off that long. Are you still at the hospital?”

  “Yes. And I’m not going anywhere unless someone I trust replaces me. At this point, if Crawford himself showed up, I wouldn’t leave.”

  Anderson muttered something Alex couldn’t make out.

  “What was that?”

  “You stay there. I’m heading over to the crime scene. I’ll keep you posted.”

  “Yes, do. Even if it’s just a quick text.”

  “Talk to you soon.” Anderson ended the call.

  Alex drew in a deep breath and held it. Now Kutcher was dead. Same exact way as Cal. His stomach knotted tightly, and his fingers had grown cold.

  Zoey returned, her expression dazed.

  “How are Nick and G holding up?” Alex asked.

  She frowned. “Genevieve says they’re not letting any of it slow down their plans. They figure it’s because Nick is captain in the town where Cal was reigning.”

  “They don’t think any of it is a warning?”

  “She said they’re not going to let it get in the way of their plans. Even if nobody else shows up for the ceremony, they’re still getting married as planned.” She tilted her head. “Are you okay? You look a little pale.”

  “The federal agent sent to help us with the kidnapping ring case is dead.”

  Her mouth fell open. “You’re kidding!”

  He shook his head no. “And it was exactly like Cal’s death.”

  She threw her head back. “A staged suicide?”

  “Bingo.”

  “Don’t tell me they’re treating it like Cal’s.”

  “That’s yet to be seen.”

  Zoey leaned against the wall. “How can they not see what’s going on?”

  Alex cracked his knuckles. “I’m not so sure it’s that they can’t see it.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Exactly what it sounds like. But I can’t make any accusations. Could cost me my job if I handle it poorly.”

  “What does Nick think?” she asked.

  “I’m not pulling him in. He needs to focus on the wedding, not get distracted by all of this.”

  She gave him a knowing look. “He and Genevieve are already involved. Between the clothes and the black flowers, it’s pretty clear.”

  Alex nodded. “You’re right, but I’m not involving them more than they already are. They deserve this time. The rest of us on the force will take care of all this for them.”

  Those who were left, anyway. And who would be next?

  That thought nearly gave him heart palpitations.

  Zoey pushed away from the wall. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  He gritted his jaw.

  “Alex.”

  He glanced inside the room.

  Damon and Ariana were deep in conversation.

  He turned back to Zoey and whispered, “Two officers are missing.”

  “What? And it’s connected?”

  Alex nodded.

  She blew out a slow breath. “When did this happen?”

  “It’s hard to say for sure. Sanchez and Fischer didn’t show up for night shift. They could’ve gone missing any time from after they left their last shifts to just before they were supposed to show up.”

  “And you’re sure it’s related to all of this?”

  “How could it not be?” Alex glanced back into the room to check on the kids. Damon was asleep, his head resting on Ariana’s shoulder. She was tracing her fingers over some of the bruising on his arm.

  Zoey frowned when she turned back to him. “Are you sure keeping Nick out of the loop is the best thing? Especially if you have your doubts about someone on the inside being involved.”

  “I can’t voice those doubts. Besides, he deserves this time off. Anderson’s on it, and our shift is over for the day.”

  She ran her finger across his name badge. “And so are you.”

  “I’m here for Damon. He just lost his only living parent.”

  Zoey kissed him. “I love that you care so much.”

  He sighed. “Sometimes it’d be easier if I didn’t.”

  “Of course it would. That’s why it’s admirable.”

  Alex held her gaze for a moment. “You really think I should bring in Nick?”

  She laced her fingers through his. “Only you can decide that.”

  His mind raced. Nick would be the best guy to handle this mess, but he also took the time off for a reason. “Maybe I should at least tell him what’s going on. The
n the ball will be in his court.”

  Zoey squeezed his hand. “I think that’s a great idea. Do you want to call him tonight or wait for the dinner tomorrow?”

  “Dinner?” Alex wracked his mind to figure out what she meant. “Are we getting together with them tomorrow?”

  “For the rehearsal.”

  “Tomorrow?” Alex exclaimed. “How is time going by so quickly? It can’t seriously be tomorrow.”

  She gave him a sympathetic look. “It is.”

  He leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. That meant the wedding was even closer than he thought. He’d been so involved with everything going on with the case that he hadn’t noticed the days running together. Alex buried his face into his palms. How was that possible? Two days. “I can’t lay this on Nick now. I just can’t.”

  Zoey rested her hand on his arm. “You don’t have to. Anderson is on the same page, right? He’s your partner.”

  “But he isn’t the captain.”

  “Do you want to know what I think?”

  Alex took a deep breath and looked at her. “Yes.”

  “I think you should take a step back. It isn’t even your case. Help Damon deal with everything on his plate and be there for your best friend. Maybe after Damon’s released, you can take him over to Nick’s. Then you can both distract yourselves with wedding preparations.”

  “No, I’m not officially on the case Kutcher was working on. But now it’s expanded so much—she’s dead and Sanchez and Fischer are missing. Nick has had threats. Damon was just held captive and now his dad is dead. It’s a mess. I’m pretty sure everyone in the precinct is involved in one way or another.”

  She squeezed his arm. “And that’s why I think you should focus on Damon and Nick. You already have the day off to help Nick. Just be there for him.”

  “I have the day off?” He pulled out his phone and looked at his schedule.

  Sure enough, he’d scheduled the next day off. He’d managed to forget all about it in the midst of everything else.

  The walls seemed to be closing in on him.

  Zoey slid her arm around his waist. “Why don’t you have a seat?”

  He shook his head. “I’m not moving. Damon isn’t safe.”

  “Doesn’t mean you have to stand.” She disappeared down the hall and reappeared with a chair. “Have a seat. I’m going to bring you some food. When was the last time you ate?”