Dark Guardian (Black Hoods MC #3) - Avelyn Paige Page 0,25
results directly to you.”
“Thank you for sending this over to me, Aaron. Listen, I’m really sorry about what happened at the restaurant.”
“Sorry, Grace, but I have to go.” He hangs up without so much as an acknowledgment of my apology. I knew I had hurt him, but this seems so final. Am I truly losing my best friend over a case?
I allow myself a few minutes to compose myself before clicking on his email. The summation of the report from the officer who took it is sparse. Details are clearly not his forte. Kevin and Natalie’s name, along with a Randall McDade, are listed as the missing persons by one Mr. Henry Wayne Tucker. His contact information lies at the bottom of the report, now under review by the detective staff. Grabbing my phone, I dial the number.
“What?” a gruff voice barks into the receiver. “If you’re selling something, I ain’t interested.”
“Are you Henry Wayne Tucker?”
“Who’s asking?”
“My name is Grace Halfpenny, and I’m with the Texas Department of Child Protective Services. I was alerted to your recent missing persons report and wanted to inquire about it. Do you have a few minutes to talk to me?”
His tone immediately changes, all business now. “Yes, ma’am. My kids and my ex-brother-in-law, Randall.”
“When was the last time you saw them, Mr. Tucker?”
“It’s been years since I saw the kids. Their mother left one night with them, and I haven’t seen them since. It’s only recently that I found out they’ve been living with her brother. I went by his house, but it’s gone. Burned to the ground. That’s why I filed the report.”
“I see,” I murmur, trying to calm my racing heart.
“I lost everything when she left. My wife. My kids. My business.”
The case records I have would dispute his claims, but his wife had been a drug addict, and unfortunately, with addiction, there’s always a sob story. It’s completely possible that she lied to us. It’s not like it hasn’t happened before, but it begs the question: why reach out now, after all these years? When the kids were placed into foster care, it was clearly marked that attempts to find another legal guardian were made and failed. There was no reason at the time to doubt their father wasn’t in the picture. Until now.
“Your business?” I inquire.
“Family business with Randall. With my wife gone, he cut me out completely.” The way he says “family business” strikes an odd chord with me. How could his wife leaving him affect a business partnership he had with her brother? Legally, he’d have every right to the business if he’d been listed on the legal documents.
“What was the nature of your business, Mr. Tucker, if I may ask?”
“It was... a moving company,” he replies, stumbling over his words. “But that’s not why I filed the report. I want to know what happened to my kids.” The change in direction of the conversation, diverting away from the business is odd. Very odd.
“Can you tell me the ages of your children?”
“What does that matter? They’re my kids.” His agitation is obvious, but a father should know the ages of his children, even if they aren’t in his life. The feeling hits me again, an uneasiness stirring deep in my gut. I know exactly where his children are, but something’s warning me not to tell him.
“I understand that, sir. However, I must caution you that if the children are located, they will have to go into foster care until a DNA test confirms that you are, in fact, their father.”
“They’re my kids, my flesh and blood. I want them back. They belong to me. I have fucking rights to them.”
“Then a paternity test will prove you’re their father, and you’ll be able to petition the court for custody.”
He mumbles something inaudible, and then tells me, “Just find my kids, lady.”
“I will let you know if we’re able to locate them,” I lie.
Judge
“Happy birthday, dear Natalie. Happy birthday to you.”
The round of singing is enough to make me cringe, but the look on Nat’s face is totally worth it. I watch her cheeks blush a deep pink as she leans over the picnic table in front of her and blows out the thirteen candles on her cake.
Applause and cheers erupt all around us, and I turn to look at everyone. The yard at the side of the clubhouse is packed. Every single member is here tonight. If they got kids, they brought them. There are friends of the club,