Page 10 of Operation Rescue
Ethan had always just said Mom had something to do, some extra class she was taking, some friend she was visiting, but Blaine knew perfectly well it wasn’t what she was going to, it was what—or rather who—she was getting away from. Him.
And so he’d been forced to settle for texts and the occasional phone call to keep in touch with the boy he loved more than anything.
“Let me get hold of Walker and get some further local direction. Once we have that, I’ll see what I can find from official sources, see if there’s anyone they thought knew more but who was reluctant to talk to them. Then we’ll go from there.”
Blaine nodded, and while Rafe made his calls he wandered around the building. It was a single story, with several work areas with computers. He was drawn to one corner where there was a large, built-in fireplace, rounded and white, in the traditional adobe style. A curved sectional sat in front of it, along with a circular coffee table that echoed the theme. To one side of the fireplace was a large flat-screen on the wall.
There were a couple of individual offices around the outer edge of the spacious building, and one large room with an appropriately sized table, that looked as if it were reserved for meetings. The place was a combination of both businesslike and welcoming, unlike anyplace he was used to.
He’d never expected this. Or anything like it, when he’d called Rafe to ask for help. He’d just wanted some backup, in case he had to confront some nasty—and armed—gangsters to get Ethan out of whatever trouble he was in.
He thought about sitting down—he was more than a little tired—but with his luck lately he’d doze off. But then he realized how little chance there really was of that, with his mind racing full tilt. Still, he stayed on his feet, not pacing exactly, but going from window to window, room to room, trying to focus on this new place rather than the well-beaten path that had taken over his consciousness. The path that led to the inevitable conclusion.
This was his fault. At least, in part. He should have pushed harder, pushed to be a bigger part of his son’s life. No matter that it was painful to see Erin dodge him when he was around, he should have done it anyway. But she’d made it so clear she didn’t want to be anywhere near him, and he couldn’t help wondering if that had something to do with Ethan’s situation now. Maybe she’d told him his father didn’t care about him, that was why he wasn’t around. It didn’t seem like something Erin would do, bad-mouth him to perhaps keep the boy loyal only to her, but then walking out on him after the worst was over didn’t, either.
But she’d done it. After all they’d been through, after she’d been rock-solid through his entire recovery, after he was back on his feet and things were almost back to normal, that was when she’d walked away and never looked back.
Everyone around him had been stunned. She’d been an almost fiery presence in the hospital, in the rehab center and during the outpatient treatment, confronting anyone from therapists to doctors if she thought he was getting shortchanged. She’d fought for him, in a way that had surprised even him; he’d never seen this fierce side of her before. He, their son, and everyone else, saw it as evidence of just how much she loved him.
It turned out to be the last flameout of a dying star.
And now Ethan was on a path to a different kind of flameout. And Blaine’s jaw tightened at the grim thought.
He needed to quit feeling sorry for himself, and focus on his son.
Chapter 6
“The general opinion from everyone I spoke to was that these kids are mostly gangster wannabes,” Rafe said as they pulled out of the Foxworth driveway. It was getting late, and they were going to have to decide whether to press any of the people on his list tonight. “There is a gang active in the area, but they don’t generally run that young unless it’s family. And they don’t usually spill over into that neighborhood.”
Blaine grimaced as he made the turn onto the street. He was behind the wheel at Rafe’s suggestion, since although it had changed, this was still where he’d grown up. Blaine suspected it was also as a distraction from his ever-tumbling thoughts, and the fact that they were on their way to see his ex-wife, who this time wouldn’t be avoiding him.
Only because she couldn’t, he told himself. She’d have to see him this time, because too much was at stake.
“Which means exactly what?” he asked. “That Ethan had to go and find them?”
“Pretty much,” Rafe said. “Or else they’re recruiting. Plus, I spoke to one of the detectives who’s on Ethan’s case, and she said the main operators in the area had some trouble last summer. Several of them landed in jail and are still there.”
Blaine spent a moment being thankful he’d called this man, even though at the time he’d had no idea about all the connections he—and the place he’d landed—had. But time to thank him again for that later.
“So they’re shorthanded and need more bodies for whatever crap they have going on?”
Rafe nodded. “Quite the going trade in car parts, from what the locally assigned county detective said. There’s the occasional house burglary when the opportunity arises and they know people aren’t home, but they mostly focus on cars.”
“But not the cars themselves, just car parts?”
“Easier to get away with. And the more expensive cars get, the more the parts are worth. And catalytic converters are the hottest part going. All those precious metals in them are worth a lot when melted down.”
“But we don’t know if that has anything to do with whoever Ethan’s taken off with.”
“No, we don’t. It’s just something to throw in the pot while we wait to see what bubbles up to the top.”
One corner of Blaine’s mouth twitched. “You sound like Rowdy, our old unit mechanic.”
“Rowdy,” Rafe said solemnly, “had a reputation that earned him the right to be quoted far and wide.”
“He did indeed,” Blaine agreed. He’d known Rafe would remember the man who had gotten his helicopter repaired in time to make the emergency flight that had saved Rafe’s life.
Things had changed enough that Blaine followed the GPS instructions until he got onto more familiar turf. Which wasn’t until he turned onto Camino Capistrano and headed south. Just past the mission itself he made the left onto Ortega Highway and headed inland, away from the more expensive real estate between Interstate 5 and the coast.
