Page 19 of Clay

It was always worse when he drank, which was a majority of the time after Clay’s mother Seo-yeon died from cancer before his twelfth birthday. Without his wife’s sweet, calming influence, very little could stop Connor Andrews when he was on a tear.

But Sally Andrews could. Clay’s Nonna was a force to be reckoned with, and the only thing that’d kept Connor out of jail and in the service through his retirement. But even she couldn’t stop him from being a little too free with his fists on his only child. Clay had hidden it well, convincing his grandmother he was fine. Because lying about it was the only way to keep what was left of their family together.

When he’d decided to join the Air Force at seventeen, inciting a barn burner of a fight where he’d finally had the stones to hit the old man back, Sally had been the one to sign the paperwork.

She had saved Clay in more ways than one, had changed how he viewed the world and how he interacted in it. Had shown him a maternal love he could only vaguely remember from his own mother.

But he would never shake the stigma of being an abusive alcoholic’s kid, and knew, deep in his bones that he had the same potential. He’d vowed when he’d ditched the old man to never drink, and he’d stuck with it. Just as he’d stick with his vow toremain single and stop his bloodline in its tracks. Because the Andrews men just weren't good bets.

And wasn’t that just a bunch of poor-me thinking? It was great that Ivy’s upbringing had been so diametrically opposite his, and he was happy that she had such glowing memories of her family.

They were halfway to her home when red and blue lights flashed behind them, followed by the chirp of a siren.

Ivy sighed and pulled over, lowering the volume of the stereo as she did. She reached into her purse and pulled out her license and insurance, then grabbed the registration and had the window cranked down by the time the cop walked to the window.

“Ma’am is there something wrong with your car?” he asked politely, leaning down to look at Clay in the passenger seat.

Clay looked right back. Not challenging, but not a wilting flower either.

“No, I just like to baby her,” Ivy replied with a smile, handing him her paperwork. “She was my dad’s.”

The cop grunted in response. “Can you step out of the car, ma’am?”

Clay’s head whipped up. She’d been going slow, that was all. There was no reason for her to have to exit the vehicle.

He reached for the door handle, but the cop leaned back down. “Just the young lady, sir.” His voice was ultra polite, ultra professional. “Please stay in the car. This’ll just take a moment.”

Ivy glanced at Clay uneasily, but stepped out of the car nonetheless.

Clay shot a quick text to Dev and Jordan. “Pulled over by LVMPD. No apparent reason. FYSA.”

He knew that’d bring Jordan back like a shot and that Dev would be into the LVMPD system within moments to see what was happening.

Her being pulled over and then out of the car for no real reason was setting off every alarm bell he had. It was too coincidental when they’d just started digging regarding McAlister’s disappearance.

Had Dev set off alarms within the LVMPD system? But if that was the case, they would have gone after him, not Ivy.

Could it possibly have anything to do with the calls to Ivy? But how?

The whole situation stank to high heaven.

He watched as the cop maneuvered Ivy to the back of the Gremlin, saying a few words to her. A second LVMPD car pulled behind them, and the first cop led Ivy to the back of his squad car.

Clay was out in a flash. “What the hell, man?” The second cop was getting out of his car, his hand on his weapon, his attention one hundred percent on Clay.

Ivy’s expression was strained, scared. “He says I have a warrant out for my arrest,” she said. “I swear I don’t know what he’s talking about.” Her voice was pinched.

The cop, Larson, his name badge read, cuffed her and guided her into the back seat, then turned to Clay, his backup ranging off to the right, hand still on his weapon.

Since Clay was unarmed and didn’t pick fights as a general rule, he raised his hands to shoulder height. “No threat here, just trying to figure out what’s going on.” In his pocket his cell vibrated with incoming texts.

Larson cocked his head, looked Clay up and down. “Yeah, sure," he said, and while his expression was deadpan, there was no doubt about the sarcasm. “She’s got a warrant for possession with intent to sell in South Carolina.”

What the hell? Dev had run her for warrants before they took this job, and she’d come up clean. And all signs pointed to South Carolina.

“You mind if I make a call?” Clay asked, waiting for the officer’s nod before lowering his hand to fish his cell out of this pocket. He dialed Dev just as Jordan pulled in, making a totally illegal U-turn to park in front of the Gremlin.

Officer Number Two sent her a glare, but since a warrant overruled a traffic ticket, he stayed in place and would until Larson waved him off.

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