Page 104 of In Hiding

Cop stations gave Erik the willies and being in one at two in the morning didn’t do anything to ease the tension in his shoulders. Staring across the desk at Senior Sergeant Wilson, Erik took in the man’s midnight black combat attire and the dark paint smudged around his eyes.

Who knew the top cop in town liked to go undercover in night raids? While he’d known Jake and his old Army buddies were out there watching the house, he hadn’t truly appreciated the hands-on approach the copper took in defending his territory. Erik doubted upper management approved.

He couldn’t be more thankful.

When men in camouflage-wear had stormed the house, it was clear Ryan hadn’t come alone, but seeing twice as many men in black follow them through the doors to detain them had been a blessing.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Wilson mumbled as he waited for the computer to wake up.

Erik almost smiled. “Like what?”

“With...” He waved a hand. “Is that admiration in your eyes?”

Erik shook his head. “It’s impatience. I want to go to the hospital.”

Wilson’s eyebrows rose and fell. “No point. He’ll be in surgery for a while yet and your sister is in shock. She’s been through a lot.”

Erik chuckled. “You’re telling me?”

“It’s your nephew who needs you right now.”

Just how well did Wilson know his family? “William will be fine.”

The computer beeped and the cop focused on typing on the keyboard though not before he caught a glimpse of uncertainty in Wilson’s blue eyes. His thoughts drifted to his nephew. It was too hard not to think of William as the bleeding ten-year-old who almost died at the hands of his father, who wailed like a baby when Erik’s sentence was handed down. He’d grown so much and there was a determination in his eyes that gave Erik a sense of pride.

“How long since you last spent any quality time with him?”

He frowned. “What’s it to you?”

Wilson leaned back in his chair, looking tired. “He’s been through the ringer. He watched his father almost butcher his mother, he saw you off to prison. Tonight, he had to protect his mother and in doing so, probably thinks he killed a man.” Wilson shook his head, a look of concern settling on his face. “He’s spent the last four years trying to figure out his identity. In the last twelve months alone, I’ve had to protect him from himself half a dozen times. Do you have any idea the heartache your sister felt every time I brought the kid home in the squad car?”

“When you put it like that...”

The cop laced his fingers over his abdomen. “When Jake came to town, it changed William. He stopped acting out, started taking responsibility. He needs role models. Men capable of making sense of this world.”

Erik shook his head to try and rid himself of the serious tone in the man’s voice. He didn’t need a lecture at this hour of the morning.

“Right.” Wilson sat up. “Let’s get to it. I want to go to bed sometime before sunrise.”

Erik knew the drill. Providing his statement, he stuck to the facts and kept the details as simple as he could. Having fulfilled his agreement to not go after Ryan, he felt fairly confident he was in the clear, but sometimes, criminal records bit their owners in the ass. Hard. He wasn’t about to give this cop, or any other for that matter, a reason to come looking in on him again.

Down the hall of the sleek cop shop, William sat in the office of Detective Ray Wells, providing his statement of the night’s events. Erik couldn’t help but wonder if the kid would ever get over what his father did. He could only hope that being witness to Ryan’s deranged cruelty would serve as a deterrent, but at sixteen, who knew what really went on in William’s mind.

“You know,” Erik said, shaking his head at the cop’s involvement. “You’re not like any other cop I’ve met.”

One corner of Wilson’s mouth quirked. “No?”

“Most cops don’t play Rambo in their down time.”

Wilson laughed, full and loud. “Most cops don’t have the pleasure of a man like Damien McCafferty in their life. I’m sure you understand.”

Damien McCafferty. Erik marveled at the man who wielded more power than he’d ever seen. Only knowing him a short time, he sensed the reach he possessed. There was a magic about him that was undeniable, even if he came across as an eccentric old man.

“McCafferty is...” Erik searched for the right description. “A law unto himself. It must terrify you.”

“Some days, yes. Then he saves a life or two and, well,” Wilson shrugged, “who the fuck am I to argue with his logic?”

Considering Erik owed him, the sentiment rang loud and true. “Are we done?”

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