“My son is not on the property, and it is none of your business where he is. He needs time away from you and your depravity so he can come to his senses.” I really tried to stay cool, but the implications he was making weren’t just an insult to me but also to Trey. Like he wasn’t an adult or able to make his own decisions. “I trusted you with my son, Barnes, and I intend to make sure you pay for violating that trust.”
And that did it. “Listen here, you son of a bitch. I am not a danger to your son. You are. Now where the hell is he?”
“He’s somewhere safe where he can spend some time figuring things out, but that doesn’t concern you. You don’t work for me any longer, and you need to leave.”
“If you honestly believe by firing me you can make me go away, you’re crazy. I won’t go away. I’m not leaving here until you tell me where to find him. It doesn’t matter to me how long it takes. I’m not moving off this porch or leaving you alone until I see Trey.” My tirade was met with silence, and I didn’t know if they had even heard any of it. I pressed my finger on the bell and held it there for a bit just to make the point that I was still here. Then I took a seat in the chair on the porch and prepared to wait.
I wasn’t there but maybe twenty minutes when a cop car came screeching up the drive, lights flashing. A cop I recognized stepped out of the driver’s side, and a younger officer stepped out of the passenger’s side, hand on his weapon. He took a few steps towards me, and the combination of the way he carried himself and the way his hand rested on his holster reminded me of the old westerns Conrad had always enjoyed.
“You need to come with us, sir. You’re under arrest for trespassing and threatening a US Senator.” Seriously? Seriously. I stood, but instead of walking towards them, I turned to the door pressing the bell again, activating the speaker.
“Senator, I just want you to know, you’re an asshole. Trey deserves a much better father than you, and if he gets hurt while I deal with this stupid ass bullshit you’re stirring up, I won’t forget it.” Then I turned and walked down to the car.
“I’m armed,” I said, looking at the younger officer. “I’m licensed to carry, but I wanted you to know I’m armed. Do you want me to hand you my gun, or do you want to take it?”
The young cop glanced at his partner for advice. Now that I was closer, I was able to place him. He’d been on scene for a couple of different cases Hart Security had worked. He looked at me across the hood.
“Roman,” he said with a sigh.
“Whitaker,” I said in response.
“You can hand over your weapon, just do it slowly.”
The young cop looked slightly panicked for a second. I wasn’t sure if it was because the other officer knew me or if it was because he’d been put in the position to have to trust me as I handed him my gun.
I slowly unclipped the gun from my back holster and held it out to him.
“Sir,” the young man said, taking it. “Where’s your vehicle?”
“My vehicle?”
“Yes, your car, however you got here. We need to call a tow truck and get it off the property.”
“My car isn’t on this property, and don’t you dare call a tow truck. I’ll get one of my brothers to come over and pick it up.” Dammit. I was never going to live this down. Even Rand had never been arrested on a job. But I wasn’t working. I’d been fired, so at least it wasn’t on a job, at least not technically.
I needed to get back to the station and get this sorted out so I could look for Trey. They’d taken him somewhere. I just didn’t know where. “Hey, Whitaker, can I make some calls on the drive to the station?”
“Sure, why not?” he said, sounding put out, like me making calls would mess up his morning. Oh well.
Fredrick picked up on the first ring.
“What did you find out?” he asked.
“Well, I found out the backseat of the city’s finest isn’t all that uncomfortable.”
“You have got to be kidding me!” Fredrick exclaimed.