“Not necessarily,” she argued. “Shane glosses over everything bad because he knows I really don’t like the fact that he’s in constant danger.” Admitting her fears out loud wasn’t easy, but if it helped her brother, the embarrassment was well worth it. “When he mentioned his new partner, his tone was rather offhand. I wish I knew if there was some sort of rift between them, but I don’t because I never asked.” She was angry with herself now, although she certainly hadn’t known that she’d end up in danger.
Isaac held her gaze for a long minute and she tried not to squirm in her seat. “I take it you don’t approve of your brother’s career choice?”
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Did Shane happen to mention that our dad died in the line of duty?”
Isaac nodded. “Yes, he told me back when we were at Saint Jermaine’s.”
“Well, then you know that Shane went a little crazy after our dad died. That’s when he started getting into trouble. I’m pretty sure he got caught up in drugs for a bit, although he never admitted that to me. I know he was arrested, and thankfully, the judge sentenced him to Saint Jermaine’s rather than sending him to jail.”
“Yeah, I was grateful for the chance to go there, as well.”
She was a little surprised to know that Isaac and Shane had both been at Saint Jermaine’s, but then realized she shouldn’t be. Shane was three years older than her and she had been only fourteen when he was sent to the boys’ school. And much of that time, the year or two after her father’s death, was nothing more than a blur, especially once their mother started hitting the bottle. Her mom had died while Leah was in college, and from that point on, she and Shane had depended on each other.
Glancing at Isaac, she was glad to know he’d been given the same opportunity to turn his life around as her brother had. And it was interesting that they both had chosen law enforcement.
She gave herself a mental shake. Why was she concerned about Isaac’s life? She’d married Elliot right out of nursing school and lost him barely two years later. She had no intention of opening herself up to that kind of hurt again.
“Well, thanks, Leah,” Isaac said, breaking into her thoughts. “I’ll see what I can find out about your brother’s new partner. Now, do me a favor and try to get some sleep.”
He was right—there was nothing else she could do tonight. And he obviously wanted her to leave, so she rose to her feet and walked toward the connecting door. She glanced back at Isaac over her shoulder and was disconcerted to find him watching her intently. “Good night,” she murmured before slipping through the opening to her own room.
As she crawled into bed, she told herself that she’d imagined the disappointment reflected on Isaac’s face when she’d mentioned not liking her brother’s career choice. And if she hadn’t imagined it, she was still glad he understood exactly where she was coming from.
They might have been thrown together by circumstances outside their control, but she knew very well that as soon as they found her brother, they’d go their separate ways.
And truthfully, she couldn’t help hoping that happened sooner than later. Because she wasn’t ready to even consider getting romantically involved again.
Not now and maybe not ever.
* * *
Isaac watched Leah walk away, telling himself that it was a good thing there couldn’t be anything more between them than friendship. So what if she was so beautiful it made his gut ache? It wasn’t as if he intended to get married again, not after his first wife had left him, taking their son with her. And when his ex-wife’s new boyfriend went crazy, killing her and then Jeremy and then himself, the hole in Isaac’s heart had gotten wider and deeper.
Two years had passed but he still missed his son every single day. And deep down, he hadn’t found a way to forgive himself for his wife’s leaving him. He should have known she wasn’t happy. She’d always told him he worked too many hours, but he hadn’t listened.
And now it was too late to right the wrong.
Maybe his teammates Caleb and Declan had managed to find a way to make their relationships work, even with their crazy schedules, but Isaac had failed and wasn’t interested in trying again.
So why was he disappointed to find out Leah wasn’t interested in someone like him?
He shook off the bizarre feeling and made a call to the Fifth District asking for Trey Birchwood. He was told the cop was off duty for the weekend, so that wasn’t much help. It was Friday night, so it could be that Trey was actually off work. Or it could be that he’d specifically requested time off for some unknown reason.
Talking to Trey might not offer any insight as to what Hawk was involved with, but Isaac needed to try. That was the only lead he had at the moment.
He prowled the room, glancing out the window to scan the parking lot, making sure no one was lurking around. The lot was mostly empty and he’d parked the SUV in front of his door, rather than closer to Leah’s. And he’d backed it in, so they could drive off in a hurry if needed.
He reached for his phone to check in with Caleb and Deck, nearly dropping it when the cell vibrated in his hand. His pulse jumped as he recognized the number of Hawk’s throwaway phone. “Hawk? Are you okay?”
“Are Leah and Ben safe?” His friend’s voice was grave, and Isaac couldn’t help but wonder if his buddy was injured.
“Yes, but there have already been two attempts to get them. A gunman showed up at their house and then someone else shot out the tire on my Jeep. What’s going on?”
“My cover is blown.” Static filled the line and Isaac strained to listen. “Don’t trust anyone in my district, understand?”
“Not even Trey Birchwood?”
More static, but then Hawk’s voice came through. “No. Not until I know more about what’s going on.”
Isaac couldn’t tell if Hawk normally got along well with his new partner or not, but since he wasn’t trusting any of the guys from his district, it was a moot point. “You have to give me something to go on. I want to help you.”
“You are helping me by keeping Leah and Ben safe. These guys will do anything to find me, including using my family as bait.”
Isaac knew his initial instincts were correct. The gunman wanted Leah and Ben alive, to draw Hawk out of hiding.
“Remember Saint Jermaine’s?” Hawk asked, breaking into his thoughts.
Isaac frowned. “Yeah. What about it?”
“There were a couple of guys who bragged about running illegal guns.”
“I remember.” The tiny hairs on the back of Isaac’s neck lifted in alarm. “Are you investigating some sort of illegal gun trade?”
“Yes. I was approached by an agent with the ATF, and it’s bigger than I anticipated. I’m convinced there are dirty cops involved.”
So he was right about the sharpshooter being an officer. Isaac knew there were rare occasions when cops turned bad, and investigating those situations was always tricky.
Still, knowing the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms was involved made him feel a little better. At least Hawk wasn’t hanging out there totally alone. “Talk to me. What can I do?”
“Keep my sister and her boy safe. I’ll figure out the rest myself.”
“What’s the name of your ATF contact?” Isaac pressed.
There was a pause. “Cameron Walker, but don’t contact him. Not yet. I’ll let you know if I need anything more.”
“Where