I mean, it was almost ten at night, the three-year-old kid should be asleep and he was supposed to bring him back to his mother before dinner. All of it screams this man murdered his son but there’s no proof and if we can find anything, they might classify it as an accident.
Hacking into the system of the property I remembered added extra cameras, I find the correct date and time and turn my laptop. It’s a feed Ganza must not have known about since it’s only been added recently and not listed with the others. We all watch how the man is holding his kid and walks toward the river. I know how it ends. I do not want to see it happen so I turn my head.
“Motherfucker,” Wyatt says in awe. “Where the hell did you pull that video from?”
I stand and grab my mug; I need a refill. “I know the area. There were several break ins and I remembered a news article about some new, added security. A separate system from the others, it was in all the papers.”
As I head for the kitchen, I hear Wyatt repeat, “It was in all the papers. Who knew? Because we sure didn’t. Fucking hell, this is all we need.”
“I’ll send the details to Ganza, he can take over, right?” I don’t wait for a reply but disappear into the kitchen to get more coffee.
“Why are you escaping when you’ve clearly kicked Wyatt’s case right open?” Archer says from behind me.
I hold my mug in two hands while I slowly face him.
“Cases like those give me the chills. That little kid didn’t stand a chance. He trusted his father because that’s the way it’s supposed to be. All I did was remember something I read about added security cams.”
Archer reaches out and brushes his knuckles along my cheek. “Such a tiny thing, such a huge difference. He’s going to jail, Bee. You did great.”
“I don’t feel great.” I place the mug on the counter.
“When my parents got together, Broken Deeds MC was right in the middle of a case with missing children,” Archer starts. “My mother was the one who blew the case wide open. You, doing this just now? It hits me right here.” He slams his fist against his chest. “Add last night to it and I feel as if my world shifted once again, Bee. It also gives me the knowledge this is how we move forward. And, yeah, these types of cases suck big time. But someone has to stand up and be there for that little soul and fight for justice. You did that, Bee. You.”
He slams his lips over mine and kisses me hard. Pulling back, he whispers, “I’m so damn proud.”
My cheeks heat and I wrap my arms around him to pull him close.
“Come on, let’s show Wyatt out. He has enough to handle it from here. I’ll join you when you head to your parents to pick Queenie up, okay?”
I give him a smile. “I’d like that. Even if I have to reschedule with my mom since she wanted to go to the mall and check out the store where I bought my new jeans.”
“If you want to go, I’ll tag along or pick you up at the mall when you’re ready. I can take Queenie with me if you want to have your hands free for shopping.”
My smile grows bigger. “It’s okay, I’d rather reschedule.”
There’s no way I’ll give up extra time with Archer. He’s busy enough as it is and when he gives me an option to do things together I sure as hell grab the opportunity with both hands. Besides, my mother will understand.
Time flies and Wyatt is off to close his case. We, on the other hand, head to my parents to pick up Queenie–and swing by both the clubhouse and the tattoo shop so Archer can handle a few things–before it’s late in the evening and our daughter is safely sleeping in her bed.
Archer is writing a report on his laptop when I place a beer on the table next to him. Her gives a grunt and keeps his eyes pinned on his work. I grab my laptop too and take a sip of the chilled Baileys I brought for myself.
Archer notices my drink and lets his gaze collide with mine. He raises one of his eyebrows and I know exactly why he’s giving me this look; I haven’t had a drink in over a year. The last one was right before I was pregnant and with breastfeeding I didn’t touch it either.
I’ve never been much of a drinker, but I do like the taste of Baileys and right now I need a little sip of this deliciousness to relax. I simply shrug, take another sip, and fire up my laptop. Archer gave me all the access I need to do formal checks instead of hacking.
Sure, I can still hack into systems if needed, it just adds to the paperwork he needs to fill out. I guess that’s also why he flipped a bit when I was randomly hacking into systems to check hunches.
Normally I wouldn’t see Archer filling out reports since it’s easier for him to stay at the clubhouse and handle it in his office. But he’s determined to change the way he handles his time and I’m not complaining one bit.
Even if he’s not really spending time with me, he is however in my company–sitting across from me and shooting heated glances every now and then–while doing the work he normally would wrap up elsewhere.
It will take some adjusting since he’s now home and not within reach of his brothers at the clubhouse. And it shows by the stream of messages and calls. Archer shrugs it off by telling me the brothers will get used to it too. Besides, Wyatt is always at the clubhouse and he’s the VP; dividing tasks is what they are supposed to do.
“Would you like another one?” Archer’s voice breaks through my thoughts.
His voice carried a hint of laughter and sarcasm. My eyes quickly bounce between my glass and the time on the corner of my laptop, noticing I’ve been working for over an hour without taking a sip.
“I don’t like it chilled,” I mutter and grab some of the papers, enthralled by the case because I think I finally found a link.
“I know,” Archer says and it’s voiced in a way where I get the idea he wants to ramble some more.
He might have finished his report but I’m so damn close and it makes me grumble, “Leave me alone, I’m so damn close.”
“If I’d known you get grouchy taking cases I wouldn’t have–”
He’s smart enough not to finish his sentence when I shoot him an angry glare. Archer nudges my glass. I swoop it away and take a sip, letting the sweetness hit my tongue.
“I think I’ve found the connection. Let me show you,” I tell him.
Archer grabs a chair next to me and drags it closer. I turn the laptop slightly and flip through all the tabs I have open on my screen. He blinks a few times and gives a little shake with his head. I repeat my actions but this time point out the times in the system which logs, and shows, what file was opened by which computer at what time.
“Who is it?” Archer asks, his voice turning angry.
“I don’t know. I was about to figure it out but you interrupted me,” I grumble and continue to track down the IP address and the access codes that were used to glance at the criminals who all ended up dead.
“There,” I state with satisfaction, and point at the name.
“Hmmm…sounds familiar. Hang on,” Archer muses and pulls out his phone. “Baton, does the name Woolerton ring a bell? Right. Yeah. No, that’s all I need for now. Can you tell Wyatt we need a full table in church tomorrow morning? Thanks.”
He hangs up and places his phone on the table. Picking up my glass he hands it to me and shoves my laptop slightly back.