Page 69 of Erik's Redemption
“I was sure it would be the wife. Hannah said the woman was likely home and passed out. But it can’t be.”
“Why not?”
“She died a year ago…kidney failure. Probably due to her alcohol abuse.”
Erik’s hands fisted, anger pumping through his blood. “What about the other foster kids? Hannah said they took in as many as they could for the money. Clarence could have grown close to one of them. Groomed them.”
“I’m working on it. Getting the names of the kids who were fosters at the same time as Hannah is hard. CPS records are confidential and never released without a court order. I need to hack into government databases. And I will…I just need more time.”
If anyone could do it, it was Chandler. “What about Clarence? He have any close friends?”
“There were a couple guys he seemed to catch up with regularly, but two of them have died, and the other is fighting lung cancer. I’ll keep an eye on him though.”
Erik ran frustrated fingers through his hair. “Thanks, Chandler.”
“You got it.”
“You haven’t found anything on Nico?”
“Not yet. I’m sorry.”
Erik blew out a breath. It wasn’t his friend’s fault, but it was still damn frustrating. “I need to know if it was actually him who was burned in that apartment. I need to know if the man’s alive and out there in the world. Whether he has eyes on Hannah, and if that makes her unsafe.”
“You know I’ll keep digging. But you also know that if Idon’tfind anything, it was likely him in that fire.”
“Then I want to find out who set it. I want to know who killed him.”
“Got it. I’ll let you know what I find. One last thing. On a hunch, I looked into that trafficking ring Nico was part of. It’s back up and running.”
Erik cursed loudly. “When?”
“Not long after you and the other contractors killed the heads of the organization. Looks like some lower-level members took over. I’m gonna raise it with the boss and see if we can be tasked with taking it down again.”
And by taking it down, Chandler meant ending every last member.
“Good. Once you have details of the job, I want to know about it.”
Erik hung up, taking a moment to think over everything Chandler had said. He was still leaning against his car when Hannah came into view, Henry and Owen by her side. Immediately, their eyes met.
The smile that stretched across her lips almost made him forget about that damn phone call…almost. He moved toward her. The second his arm was around her, the second he felt hersoftness and warmth, he was lost. He dipped his head and kissed her, ignoring murmurs from Henry and Owen.
When he lifted his head, he met her gaze. “Hey. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“I didn’t expect to see you either. It’s a nice surprise. You getting lunch?”
“It was just gonna be a coffee, but if you’re staying, I’ll stay.”
Henry clapped his hands excitedly. “Double date!”
Hannah laughed. “I’m staying.”
His arm tightened around her waist, and they followed Henry and Owen into the coffee shop. He’d barely entered when he saw her…
Rachel.
How the hell did she know where to find him?
Then again, he shouldn’t be surprised. She was one of his oldest friends. The woman who’d pulled him out of the depths of hell after his final mission and what had happened to Vicky. The last he’d spoken to her, returning her call, he’d told her about his dad being in the hospital.
