Page 18

CHAPTER 18

Jayce's phone ringing pulled his attention away from the files he was looking over. Caden had given him the information the FBI and DEA had on the Diego Cartel and Jasmine.

"Hello?" It was Michael calling him and his son had never done that before even though they exchanged numbers.

"Uh . . . Dad?" Michael still struggled to call him that. "There's an FBI agent outside the house asking to talk to me and I'm home alone."

He tossed the files on the small table in the hotel room and snatched up his keys.

"I'm on my way. Don't open the door until I get there. Where's Shaun and Kennedy?"

Michael was obviously old enough to be left home alone, but with everything going on, he would've thought Shaun wouldn't be far from his son.

"Aunt Kennedy went to the coffee shop to work. And Dad got a call for a patient who was in crisis, so he had to go to the VA."

Coincidence or unfortunate luck?

"Okay. I need to add someone to this call. He's my co-worker and used to work for the FBI. Did the agent tell you his name?"

"Special Agent Andrew Thornton."

"Good work. Hang on while I add Luke."

Jayce hit the button to add a call. After three rings, Luke answered. "Hey, man. Everything okay?"

"Not exactly. I have Michael on the line with us."

"Hey, Michael."

"Hi," his son answered with confidence.

"Michael's home alone and a Special Agent Andrew Thornton is there trying to talk to him."

"You didn't open the door for him, right?" Luke immediately went into protector mode.

"No, I called Dad and he called you."

"I'm on my way over there now,” Jayce added. “About five minutes away."

"Smart kid. Okay, let me make a few calls and find out who the special agent is and what he wants. In the meantime, try to be nice."

That warning was clearly for him. How nice he was would depend on the agent’s attitude when he showed up.

"I can't make any promises."

Luke's sigh came through the line clear as day. "Just don't do anything that I can't talk my way out of."

Jayce didn't bother to answer because he wasn't a man who made false promises.

"Let me know what you find out."

Luke hung up with another sigh and it was just the two of them again. "I'm two minutes out, bud."

"What did Luke mean about not doing anything he can't talk his way out of?"

Jayce didn't want to explain because he didn't want Michael to look at him differently, but lying wasn't an option.

"Luke knows I'm not a big fan of federal agents. I don't hide my distaste for them and sometimes my mouth says things before I think it through." He left out the part where Luke knew him well enough to know he would want to kick the guy's ass for scaring his kid.

"Oh . . . I don't want to get you in trouble."

"Don't worry about me, bud. I just want to know why he wants to talk to you. I'm pulling up now."

Parked on the street in front of the house was the typical black SUV that most federal agents drove and standing on the front porch was a man in an impeccable suit. The guy looked just a little too put together for a federal agent.

Jayce stepped out of his old truck and moved at a fast clip up the sidewalk. "Can I help you?"

Special Agent Andrew Thornton turned around with a smile that could only be described as overeager and creepy.

"Special Agent Andrew Thornton. I'm here to speak with Michael Davis about his mother."

"You're here to speak with a fifteen-year-old boy without a parent present? I'm no special agent but even I know you can't speak to a minor without parental consent."

"And you are?"

He crossed his arms over his chest and ignored the hand the agent put out. "Jayce Pierce. Michael's biological father."

The agent dropped his hand but not his annoying smirk. "I show a Shaun Davis as the father."

"As I said, biological father." He emphasized the word so maybe the too-good-looking agent would get it through his thick skull.

"Alright, then. Do you mind if I speak to Michael?"

"I do actually. As you might know, Michael recently lost his mother, and he's taking it hard. I don't think talking to him about her right now is for the best. How about you tell me what this is about?"

Andrew lost some of his charm and a hard glint in his eyes took its place.

"I wanted to speak to him about his mother's frequent trips to Mexico and if he ever accompanied her."

Jayce tried to keep the annoyance out of his tone when he answered. "Last I heard, that was over two years ago, so I'm not sure why you're bringing it up now, and besides, she was there seeking medical help for cancer."

"Just trying to follow up on a few things."

Right. Follow up, my ass.

"Well, like I said before, now isn't a good time but how about you give me your card and I'll make sure to set a time up."

The agent pulled a card from his pocket and handed it over. "Make sure that you do."

Jayce waited until the man got in his vehicle and pulled away before he walked the rest of the way up to the house. His foot hit the first step when the door flung open.

"What did he want?" Michael blurted out.

"Let's get inside. I want to text Shaun and then see what Luke found out."

He pulled his phone out and shot Shaun a message to get home as soon as he was done with his crisis. Then he pulled Luke's number up and gave him a call.

"I was just about to call you," Luke answered after one ring.

"What did you find out?" There was no point in wasting time with idol chitchat.

"Special Agent Andrew Thornton is a pain in the bureau's ass. He's always looking for the next big bust but doesn't want to put the work in. He would rather intimidate witnesses to give him what he wants. Supposedly he's had a hard-on for the Diego Cartel for a while now, but since they do most of their work in Mexico, his hands are tied."

Jayce clenched his left hand in a fist and had to force his right hand to stay lax so he didn't break his phone. The asshole came here to intimidate his son. It was a damn good thing Michael knew better than to open the door. "Well, he picked the wrong fucking family to mess with."

"I told my old supervisor as much. He's going to make some calls. Let Special Agent Thornton know Michael is off-limits. That all questions from here on out can go through me."

Jayce let out a relieved sigh. "I appreciate it."

"Trust me, it's a selfish gesture. I'm sure it took a lot of restraint not to punch the asshole. I don't want to test that control again."

Jayce laughed. His friend was right. If he hadn't known Michael was watching from inside the house, there was a good chance he would've knocked the agent on his ass. That would've gotten him in more trouble than he needed.

"I texted Shaun to get here after he's done with the VA. I want this shit dealt with sooner rather than later. I know the FBI can't do anything about the cartel since their base is in Mexico, but isn't that why they hire us? To clean up the messes they can't?"

"It is," Luke answered hesitantly. "What did you have in mind?"

"I say we cut the head off the snake once and for all. I read the files you sent over. No one is going to be sad if we take out the Diego Cartel. The amount of cocaine they are pumping into the States is reason enough."

"We don't kill people without just cause," Luke reminded him.

"So, what, we wait until they figure out who Michael is? You know they’re going to go after him for what Jasmine did. It's only a matter of time before they figure it out. The FBI are putting things together now that I'm in the picture, and we know damn well the cartels have ears everywhere. Why not be proactive instead of reactive for once? Hell, I'll go down and do it myself. No need to drag anyone else into it."

Luke didn't speak at first and Jayce gave him the time to process all that he said. He didn't care about his job. He had plenty of money stashed away to live on for years if it came down to it. If Luke didn't want to help him, then he would be fine on his own. He would do anything to protect his son from the mess Jasmine created.

"Let me speak to everyone else about it. Decisions like this need to be made as a group. I'll call you back once I talk to them."

Jayce nodded even though Luke couldn't see him. He wasn't worried about what his friends would say. They would have his back because that was just who they were.

He hung up the phone just as Shaun was calling in.

"You need to get home pronto," he said in lieu of hello.

"I'm on my way now. What happened?"

"I'll explain when you get here. Have Kennedy come back too. This is a conversation for the entire family."

"Okay. Be there soon."

Jayce disconnected the call and looked at Michael. "Shaun will be here soon and so will Aunt Kennedy."

"Do you think I'm in danger?"

Shit. He hadn't bothered to censor himself when he spoke to Luke. He was too focused on getting Luke to see his point of view that he forgot Michael was in the room.

"I don't think so but I think you could be if we don't stop things ahead of time."

"What did my mom do?"

Jayce really needed to pay more attention when he spoke. "She got in some trouble with some bad people but you don't need to worry. I'm going to take care of it. I promise."

He didn't care what it required him to do. Michael would be safe because he would make sure of it.