Insatiable (Steel Brothers Saga #12) - Helen Hardt Page 0,73
The most you can come up with is some false outrage. You’re a phony, Mr. Morse.”
Jade was ominously silent, both hands on her belly.
“Jade?” I said.
“It’s nothing. Just a little cramping. Probably gas. I’m okay.”
Shit. I really shouldn’t have let her come along. “We’re going back to the hospital.”
“No, really, I’m—”
“No arguments. It’s what Talon would want. I’ll be calling him too, by the way.”
“No! Please let him have his little overnight with the boys. They all need it. Please, Marj.”
“My brother would never forgive—”
We all jerked at the fierce pounding on the door.
“Open up, Morse!”
Bryce! I nearly flew to the door of the condo where Ted Morse was staying.
Bryce and Joe stood outside.
Bryce pulled me into a hug. “Honey, are you okay?”
“I’m fine, but I need to take Jade to the hospital. She’s having some pain.”
“Oh, shit.”
“I’m okay,” Jade said. “It’s just a little cramping.”
“Still,” Joe said. “You two get to the hospital. Bryce and I can handle this clown.”
“For once I agree with you,” I said. “Let’s go, Jade.”
Chapter Fifty-Three
Bryce
“Start talking,” I said to Ted Morse.
“My son is missing. I showed the girls this text.”
I eyed his phone. “Iowa. Check your old texts and calls, Joe.” I frantically looked through mine. None matched the number.
“Bingo,” Joe said.
“You got a match?”
“Yeah. The first call I got. Looks like he got lazy and reused one of his old phones.”
“He probably didn’t think we’d be talking to Colin’s father.”
“Do you mind including me in this conversation?” Ted said. “It is my son who’s missing.”
“Spare us your fatherly concern.” I drew my gun on him.
He visibly shuddered. “I don’t want any trouble.”
“Just tell us what we need to know, and there won’t be any,” Joe said, pulling his weapon out as well.
“Look, my son—”
“How did you find out about Justin Valente?” I demanded.
“Look, I—”
“No excuses,” Joe said. “We’re here for the truth. If you’re truly concerned about your son, then you know we’re your best chance of finding him. Start talking.”
Ted sighed. “Can I at least sit down?”
“Sure. In fact, we’ll be happy to tie you to a chair.”
“That’s not necessary. You’ve got two guns on me. I’d be stupid to try to run.”
“Yeah?” Joe said. “You once tried to extort money from me, to frame me for what Tom Simpson did to Colin. I didn’t realize at the time that you’d do just about anything for money, including pimping out your own son. I’d bet you’d try to run if you think there’s a buck in it for you.”
“You’ve got the wrong idea about me.”
“I don’t think so,” I said, pushing him into a chair. “You got any rope around here?”
“Like I’d tell you,” he said.
I pushed the barrel of my gun to his temple. “I’ll ask that again. You got any rope around here?”
“D-Duct tape. Kitchen cabinet over the dishwasher.”
I nodded to Joe. He returned in a few seconds with the tape. I continued to hold the gun on Morse as Joe taped his ankles to the chair.
“False imprisonment is a crime, you know.”
“Is it?” I said. “Gee. Didn’t know that. By the way, so is selling a human being to my psycho father. And maybe it’s just me, but I think that’s a whole lot worse than tying the perpetrator up while I’m questioning him.”
“I agree,” Joe said. “Now. How the hell did you find out about Justin Valente?”
“What makes you think I know anything?”
“You knew we weren’t alone during that one camping trip with my father,” I said. “Even Joe and I have trouble remembering that trip. But you knew about it.”
“As I understand it, you two were around nine years old at the time,” Morse said. “How exactly do you expect me to believe you didn’t remember?”
“You’ve dealt with my father. It shouldn’t be any surprise to you that he would drug his own child.”
“You seriously didn’t remember? You didn’t remember taking the kid camping and then he didn’t come home?”
“No,” Joe said. “We didn’t fucking remember. We were nine fucking years old, Morse. We didn’t commit a crime by inviting a friend to go camping.”
Ted Morse met my gaze. “Do you really expect me to believe that not once in over thirty years did you ever have a clue what your father was capable of?”
“I’m not sure your son ever knew what you were capable of either. You sold him to a psycho.”
“I find it hard to believe—”
Joe cocked his gun. “I find it hard to believe you’re still talking without answering a question. Now where