Page 79 of Finding Home with You

“Right,” the captain says, eyeing the folder again. “So, we going to talk about the elephant in the room then?”

Joe and I glance at each other.

The captain shuts the folder, drumming his fingers on the cover as he looks from me to Joe and back to me again. “Who the hit is for?” he says.

I let out a long exhale, scrubbing a hand down my face as I sit forward in my chair. “Well me, obviously,” I say. “It’s really no surprise given the earlier threats and the fact he didn’t succeed with the cut break line, is it?”

“No,” the captain says. “But it is a problem.”

“How so?”

“Ryan,” he says, sliding the folder back toward me. “A mob boss has just put a hit out on you, it literally doesn’t get any more serious than that.”

“So, I’m off the case,” I say, pushing back my chair and standing.

“I didn’t say that,” he says.

“So what then?” I say, turning to face him, hands on my hips.

“Would you sit down please?” he says, gesturing toward my chair. “I’m not taking you off the case, okay?”

I nod, knowing I tend to overreact a little when it comes to this case. It’s hard not to now it also involves my girlfriend. I shove a hand through my hair as I sit back down. “What then?”

“Well,” he says, steepling his hands together. “I think it’s about time we stopped playing their game and started playing ours.”

“Meaning?” Joe asks.

“Meaning,” the captain continues. “I think instead of sitting around and waiting for something to happen, we need to take this fight to them.”

The captain pauses, swallowing hard as he turns to look at me and I immediately know that whatever he is about to suggest, I’m not going to like it.

“What if we bring Erin in on this?”

“Absolutely not,” I say.

The captain holds up a hand. “Just hear me out.”

I shake my head, my jaw clenched as I force myself to remain calm. “Are you seriously asking me to get my girlfriend involved with this?” I ask. “A mob take down?”

“I know you don’t like the idea, Ryan, but you have to agree this has to end, don’t you?”

I nod, knowing he’s right, even if I don’t like his methods.

“And preferably without any more attempts on your life.”

“Or Erin’s,” I add.

“Or Erin’s,” he confirms.

“So,” I start, sitting forward and resting my hands on his desk. “How do you propose we do this?”

As the captain starts to outline his ideas, my unease only grows. It crosses my mind that if I told him about the baby, he might change his mind about recruiting Erin to help us out with all of this.

Ironically enough though, it’s actually the thought of her being pregnant that somehow convinces me to do this. While I might not like the idea, even worse is the idea that it all continues, escalates even as Macklin grows more and more frustrated.

“Okay, so we’re good?” he finally says.

I nod. “Yep, I’ll talk to her tonight.”