Laura Scott - Protecting His Secret Son

“Hey,” she protested when he crossed over to unlock her side of the connecting doors.

“I need to be able to reach you if there’s any trouble,” he repeated without showing signs of impatience. “I promise not to infringe on your privacy.”

Once again, he was probably right, but his tendency to issue orders—as if he were a drill sergeant and she were a lowly soldier—didn’t sit well. She’d forgotten how bossy he could be.

Except four years ago he hadn’t been as prone to barking orders.

He’d been sweet, kind and caring...devastated after the fight with his father over turning down a position with the Milwaukee Police Department after graduating from the academy.

“What else are you not telling me?” he asked, breaking into her thoughts.

“Nothing!” She hoped her cheeks weren’t flush with guilt. “I don’t know where Duncan is or where he normally hangs out.” She turned on the television to help keep Brodie occupied. “Why don’t you tell me why you were so Johnny-on-the-spot, parked next to Duncan’s house in the first place?”

There was a brief flash of guilt in his green eyes but his expression remained impassive. “I was waiting for your brother.”

The blunt answer surprised her. “Why?”

“To confront him about his illegal activities.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Same song and dance, Mike? Aren’t you tired of it yet?” She waved a hand and turned away. “Never mind. As you so rudely put it the last time we spoke, there’s nothing more to discuss.”

“Shayla, someone tried to shoot you outside Duncan’s house. Doesn’t that tell you something? Your brother’s in trouble.”

“The shot was aimed at me, not my brother. And did it ever occur to you that Duncan could be working undercover? That he’s in danger because of a case he’s working on? That maybe the attempt on me was a way to seek revenge against him?”

Mike didn’t say anything for a long moment. “Anything is possible.” The way he said it didn’t give her the impression he really believed it. He moved toward the door. “I need to make a few calls, but holler if you need something, okay?”

Ironically, despite her irritation over the connecting doors between their rooms, she suddenly didn’t want him to leave. “Mike?”

“Yeah?” He paused and looked at her over his shoulder.

The words were right there on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t do it. Not yet. Not like this. She needed to wait until her son was asleep before uttering a deep, emotional confession. Her stomach rolled and she forced a smile. “Never mind. Good night.”

He stared at her for a long moment before giving her a nod. “Good night.”

He left, softly closing the door behind him. Her knees were shaky and weak, so she sank onto the edge of the bed and buried her face in her hands.

How was it possible he didn’t know, or suspect, that Brodie was his son?

Mike’s first call was to his buddy Hawk Jacobson. Hawk was another private investigator, and while they both preferred working alone, they also helped each other out on occasion.

“What?” Hawk answered.

“I need help.”

“Again?” Hawk’s tone was dry.

“Yeah, I know. Don’t worry, I’ll return the favor.”

“Except that I don’t get into trouble the way your family tends to.”

Difficult to argue that one. Each of his siblings had a career in some kind of law enforcement and had been in danger more times than he could count over the past few years. Hawk’s assistance had been instrumental in proving his brother’s innocence when Mitch had been framed for murder last year.

“I heard Duncan O’Hare hasn’t been seen since noon. It’s too early to file a missing-persons report, but I have reason to believe he’s in trouble. Any chance you can find out more? He has a partner, doesn’t he? A guy named Peter Fresno?”

Mike could hear the sound of fingers tapping on a keyboard. “Yeah,” Hawk agreed. “Peter Fresno is O’Hare’s partner, working out of the fifth district.”

“I need to talk to him.”

Hawk snorted. “Good luck. Getting the address of a cop is nearly impossible. They protect that information closer than Fort Knox protects gold.”

“Not if I can find another cop to provide that info to me.” Mike had two brothers and a brother-in-law who were all Milwaukee cops. He didn’t like asking them to break their code of ethics, but the lives of an innocent woman and her son were on the line. In his opinion, that trumped work ethics. “Anything you can find out would be helpful.”

“Okay.” Hawk disconnected from the line.

Mike sat for a moment, staring at his phone, debating who to call. His brother Miles was a homicide investigator. His brother Matt was a K-9 officer and his sister Maddy’s husband, Noah, had just taken his detective exam, earning himself a gold shield.

May as well start at the top , he thought, scrolling through his contact list to find Miles. His brother answered almost immediately. “What’s up?”

Mike sighed. “I guess it’s my turn to need assistance.”

“Hey, man, don’t take it so hard. It was only a matter of time,” Miles said in a consoling tone.

Mike couldn’t help but chuckle. Hawk was right—the Callahans did have a way of getting into the middle of danger. “It’s not really me, but a friend. A woman and her son.”

“Really?” Miles’s voice rose with interest. “Tell me more.”

Mike rolled his eyes. Now that all the other Callahans were married and having kids, he was the only single guy left. A fact his family never let him forget. “Knock it off. I was keeping an eye on a suspect’s house when I witnessed an attempt to kill a woman and her child. I was able to prevent that from happening and am now keeping her safe.”

“Did you report it?” Miles asked.

“I’m reporting it to you right now. Because I trust you, Miles.” And he didn’t trust all of the cops on the force. “Unfortunately the car involved in the drive-by shooting took off and I didn’t get a plate number. There may be shells or bullet fragments on the scene, so you need to send a few uniforms over to Duncan O’Hare’s house to check it out.”

“O’Hare?” Miles voice rose sharply. “The son of the police chief? That O’Hare?”

“Yeah. And his daughter, Shayla, was the intended victim.”

Miles whistled. “This has to go straight to the top, Mike.”

Exactly what he was trying to avoid. “You do what you need to do. But I’m working the case my way, and there’s a guy I need to talk to. Peter Fresno. He’s an MPD cop working out of the fifth district. I need his contact information, address and phone number.”

There was a long silence on the other end of the line. Mike knew he was asking a lot and if Miles couldn’t, or wouldn’t, help him, he wasn’t so sure Matt or Noah would, either.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Miles finally said. “You think Duncan’s partner is responsible for the shooting?”

“No, I don’t. But he may have information that can help.”

“You’re skating on the edge here, bro. You used to date Shayla, didn’t you? Are you sure you’re not letting your emotions cloud your judgment?”

Maybe, he silently admitted. Shayla and Brodie were the true innocents in this mess. “Look, two days ago I witnessed a meeting between Duncan O’Hare and the alleged leader of the Dark Knights, Lane Walters. I’m telling you, O’Hare has crossed over to the dark side.”

“The chief’s son? A dirty cop? Seriously? You better have hard-core proof to back up an allegation like that.”

“Exactly. Which is why I need your help.” Mike paused and then added, “I’ve never asked you for this kind of favor before, Miles. You know how much I prefer to work alone. This is critical or I wouldn’t ask now.”