Chapter 31

Two days passed before I could hear from Shannon. She was unharmed and looked pretty much the same as when I last saw her. It was a relief but I was not pleased that she spent her time in the hands of a culprit. With a mole in the system, it wasn’t a wonder the feds couldn’t catch the guy. I mean, how hard was it with all the equipment they had?

When Kay called me with the good news, I dropped everything I was doing and drove to the station. After waiting for what seemed like hours, she finally showed. I could barely conceal my delight as I invited her and Kay over to my house. She was reluctant at first but Kay was quick to convince her. But when I told her about my suspicion, she expressed her disagreement.

“How do you know that? That’s a big accusation and I highly doubt it to be true.”

I knew she wouldn’t believe me but I came prepared. I laid out all I knew and to say that she was stupefied would be an understatement. Everything now made sense to her, the case had gone on for more than was necessary.

“So Matthew knows we’re onto him?”

“He’s always known and has been one step ahead of you every time.” I covered the space between us and sat beside her. “Let me help you.”

She blinked back her tears, staring at me with despair. “How? What can you possibly do to help?”

“It’s quite simple, keep everything you do between you and your father.”

She palmed her forehead. “That’s not possible. You think this is as easy as ABC? We have to work with the feds or everyone’s safety will be jeopardized.”

“I know and that’s why I came up with a plan. It was actually my friends who did but I think it will work.” When I briefed the boys on what was going on, they came up with a strategic idea that seemed promising to me.

“You think? That’s not enough, you have to be sure or things will get out of hand and I don’t want to imagine the kind of pain that will bring upon me.” I interpreted the uncertainty in her words as dread, who wouldn’t be terrified in such a situation?

Kay walked in at that moment, taking sides with me. “You do know his idea is better than waiting for cops who are in cahoots with Matthew, right?”

“I just don’t know what to do, Kayleigh. How can people I trust with my safety be the reason I still live in fear?”

“The system isn’t always safe at times. By doing this, we may get to find out who is working with them and possibly save other victims from such scenarios,” I said, aspiring for everything to work out as planned. A lot could go awry but I was willing to take the risk.

Kayleigh wrapped her arms around her friend, staring deep into her brown orbs. “Just try, Shannon, you never know, this could be the end of all these problems.”

She turned to me, the doleful look in her gaze getting to me. “Alright, tell me about your plan.”

I spelled out the seemingly brilliant idea the boys came up with. Matthew was smart enough to notice one car tailing him to his trap house but if we played the game well, he would get the shock of a lifetime.

The boys and I were to have diverse types of cars ready. I was to start by following him a few miles then notify the next person in line on the direction Matthew is heading before taking a different route and switching cars. The person would then follow him about the same distance as I did before calling on the next person. We would go on and on until our goal was met.

“I’m amazed by your idea, honestly. Since all this began, I’ve never been presented anything close to as good as this is. But the only question is, what if we get caught?”

“We won’t get caught,” I assured her.

“If he finds out, he will kill me.” She shut her eyes at the thought.

“He won’t kill you, he loves you. He may take you hostage but we’re not going to let that happen,” I said, Kayleigh nodding in agreement.

“How do you know he loves me?”

“Can’t you see the risks he’s taken for you? He knew you were a detective’s daughter but that didn’t stop him, did it? As if that’s not enough, he told you about his illegal business and even took you there. Trust me, he wouldn’t do that for a fling.” Criminals like Matthew rarely fell in love but when they did, they became irrational, letting their guards down and eventually getting nabbed.

“What about you, why are you taking these risks for me?”

Her question threw me off, my mouth parting to give her an answer but nothing came out. I cherished her more than I liked to admit but I had to be honest. “I like you, alright. I really fancy you. I’m not helping you out because I want anything in return, I want nothing. You just deserve better than all these loads of crap.”

She blinked repeatedly as if unsure she’d heard me right. I wrecked the friendship rule she put when I first approached her and she wasn’t pleased.

“Oh,” is all she said as she leaped to her feet and marched out of the house, Kayleigh hot on her heels.

My fists sunk into the couch, pain shooting to my knuckles from the force I was using to punch into it. Fucking up was becoming my specialty and I didn’t like it one bit. I just wanted a smooth life, a good woman, and a happy family. Is that too much to ask?

As I was nursing my sore knuckles with an ice pack, Kay and Shannon made their way back in. A smile instantly shooting to my lips when she came to settle beside me.

“I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable. I shouldn’t have said that considering your situation.” I was quick to apologize seeing as my revelation was inconsiderate at the moment.

“Let me make this clear before you jump to conclusions, I’m not ready for a relationship now or anytime soon. If you’re okay with that then I’m on board.”

“I completely understand your decision and I will be here for you whenever you need me,” I said.

A small smile played at her lips as she tucked her hair behind her ear before saying, “I appreciate that. So, where do we begin? How do I get Matthew to take me to the hideout?”