That’s a fucking slippery slope. I can’t believe he turned into one of them in order to learn all about their secrets. And he doesn’t even know who exactly is behind it all. No wonder he wants to catch them in the act—at the point they deliver the bodies to the Vice family.
“Why are you telling me all this now?” I ask. “Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”
“I didn’t know it would get this bad. I didn’t think I’d be on the run. And I didn’t know for sure the Vice family was involved. My plan was to catch them and expose the whole thing, but now that I’ve been shot and they know I’m after them, the cops are going to kill me. I don’t think they know you’re onto them as well. I think they think you’re just a lowly trainee.”
“I am just a lowly trainee.”
“Don’t lie to me. You know more than you’re letting on, and despite what the news speculates, I know it was you at the construction site. You know this life. You know what these guys are capable of. I need you to keep investigating. We can do this together.”
I get tense and shake my head. No. No, this is too much. I didn’t become a private investigator because I thought the world needed saving and this was how I was going to do it. No—I did this because it’s the only job outside of flipping burgers that I might be good at. It’s getting way too risky, and I don’t want to reengage with the Vice family, not when they’ll know I’m “back from the grave.”
“Forget it,” I state. “I’m not going any further. I’m out.”
“What?” Shelby asks. “Don’t forget our deal. I’m signing off on your training.”
“Not anymore. I’ll do it the long way.”
“Are you planning on turning me over to the cops? Is that it?”
“Of course not. You can do whatever kooky plan you want, and I’m not gonna get in your way. But I don’t have to stick my neck out for you either.”
Shelby grunts and curses under his breath.
My first thoughts go to Miles. That’s the real reason I need to stop this. Rhett is right. I can’t risk Miles’s future because of this. Signing off on three years’ worth of experience isn’t worth jeopardizing everything Miles has been working toward. I should pull out now, find some other PI to work with, and pretend this never happened. Maybe if I stay away from Noimore, Jeremy and his goons will never find me.
It’s for the best.
When Shelby has nothing else to say, I turn back toward the hotel. “I’m going,” I state as I begin the short trot back to my car.
“Pierce.”
I stop and wait.
“If something should happen to me….” Shelby’s voice quavers. I don’t glance back at him, but I can hear that he’s straining to speak straight. “Can you deliver what little evidence I’ve gathered to the proper authorities?”
I say nothing as I mull over his comment. It’ll make me a lot of enemies.
He continues, his voice raw with emotion, “I don’t want to fail my boy, ya know? I’ve struggled so long, trying to get those men to pay…. At least, if I fail now, I want to take that eternal rest knowing some justice will be served. Knowing I can look my son in the eyes and say I never forgot him.”
His earnest pleading eats at me. “Fine,” I say. “If something happens—and only if something happens—I’ll turn over your evidence.”
“Thank you, Pierce. I have it in my car.”
“You have it with you?” I ask, glancing over my shoulder. That’s a risk I didn’t think he would take.
“I got your text about people breaking into my office. It was the cops, I know it. Nothing is safe there anymore. They’re looking for all the evidence I’ve gathered on them.”
Fuck me. The cops are the ones breaking into Shelby’s office? And the ones out to kill him? How do you fight people like that? Who do you even call to report it? I really don’t want those kinds of enemies, but I guess I have no choice.
With a heavy sigh, I continue on my way. Hopefully I won’t have to do anything with this information.
I UNLOCK the front door and enter the void of our dark living room. It’s quiet. Although that’s a pleasant change, I get nervous. Our house hasn’t been this quiet in a while. Where are Jayden and Lacy? I shake my head. Right. They’re with the neighbor. Everything is still within the realm of normal.
How long are his siblings going to be with us? Miles agreed to whole fucking month, which means at some level Jayden’s mother needed thirty whole days to recover from his presence. Pretty quick. It takes me a moment to remember that they’re here for the whole fucking month. Miles’s mother and her boy toy are on some vacation, and Miles volunteered to care for his siblings during that time. I didn’t object, but sometimes I wish I had.
But for now, I’m alone.
The realization gets me pensive, and I hate when I overthink things. I take Shelby’s paperwork—a whole file of pictures, DVDs, records, and bank statements that connect key police officers to the human traffickers—and walk to my closet. Before I hide the information away, I open up the records and search for the one officer I’d love to see on the list.
Just my luck. Lieutenant Rhett Walker isn’t on the list of dirty cops. He’s clean.
With a sigh, I reach my closet door. There’s a storage space in the floor, where I keep my other files, but I remove those, throw them on my nightstand, and tuck Shelby’s information inside instead. This is better than with him? He must really be desperate.
My phone buzzes. Miles sent me a message that reads: you don’t need to pick me up, I got a ride home. I text back, telling him I’m here already, and my
