Submerged(Bound Together Book 1)(84)
“Give me something to do,” I order my brother while running my hand through my hair.
“No. You are to stay put and keep your phone on you. I’m guessing there won’t be a ransom demand though,” Luke says. God, it pisses me off that he is probably right.
“No, I bet there won’t. This is personal.” Just saying those words makes my stomach turn. The urge to hurl my guts up is so damn strong, and the only thing keeping me from losing it right now is the thought that my daughter and Carly need me. They need me to keep my shit together no matter how bad I want to fucking throw a wooden chair through the front glass window.
“So tell me what you know about Styx,” Luke instructs as he leads me towards the back hallway.
“I don’t know, man. I knew all the basics. Everything you’ve already read in the file. He was from LA, has a long rap sheet from boosting cars, and is a career scumbag. He never talked about any wife or girlfriend, never about his family or friends. He was quiet. Always silently watching and taking it all in. He reminds me of the criminal version of me.”
“I know all of that shit, Blake. Talk to me. Where would he go if he needed to hide or get away?”
I’m silent for several minutes. I replay every conversation, every moment, every observation I’ve had with and about Styx over the course of the last two years. He never gave anything away. He’s what I would consider a loner. Standoffish. Our phone conversations were always brief and usually had more grunting than actual words.
“Most of the time we talked, it was usually via text. But when we did actually talk on the phone, there was always background noise,” I say out loud to no one in particular. “There was always something noisy running in the background. Tools and machines. He worked on cars during his off time. He smoked like a chimney. I could hear his inhales as he puffed on his cigarette. Trains. There were always trains. Not super close but close enough that he’d have to speak up so I could hear him over the noise.”
“That’s good, Blake. What else can you tell me about the trains?”
“They sound close and slow; like they’re either slowing down or starting to speed up. It’s not a train passing on the tracks going fifty miles per hour.”
“Where would we find trains slowing down or taking off? Inside of Vegas or on the outskirts of town?” Luke asks very monotone, as if trying not to break the spell I’m suddenly under.
“Outside of town. I didn’t hear anything else. No traffic or people. It’s always fairly quiet with the exception of whatever he’s working on.”
“Rail yards. How many rail yards are in Vegas?” Luke asks, pulling out his phone as he asks the question. Before I can even answer, he’s typing away on the Internet.
“union Pacific has a big one on the edge of town. Is that too much traffic though?” I ask my little brother.
“Maybe he’s not right there in the rail yard. Maybe he’s close by,” he adds before dialing a number. “Yeah, this is Agent Luke Thomas. I need a property check with owner and/or renter names adjacent to the union Pacific rail yard. And I need it yesterday,” he says before listening to the person on the other end. I watch, not liking this feeling of helplessness that has settled in my chest. If it weren’t for the close eye my brother has on me at this moment, I would already be in my car and heading towards the rail yard.
“We’re on it, Blake. Why don’t you go back to my place and try to get some rest?” Luke offers which instantly pisses me off.
“I’m going to pretend you did not just suggest I go home and sit on my ass while the woman I love and our baby are out there, God knows where, all because of me.” Luke gives me a look and starts to open his mouth. “Don’t fucking say it. It’s true. They would never be in this predicament if it wasn’t for me and my association to the Bureau.”
“It isn’t your association to the Bureau that’s the problem, Blake. It’s the fact that you did your job–and an outstanding job, I might add–and that led to bringing down a major criminal ring that has been working Las Vegas for decades.”
“I brought them to her doorstep,” I say, defeated all over again. My heart aches so bad that in and of itself scares the shit out of me. I’ve never felt this deep down ache before, with the exception of when I watched Carly walk away a few days ago.
“Not directly or intentionally. Styx is the one to blame here, not you. You didn’t tell him to kidnap your girlfriend and child. So quit wallowing in self-pity and help me get them back. I’ve about had enough of your whining bullshit,” Luke says with a straight face. The sudden desire to punch him is strong, but I hold back. The last thing I need is for the Bureau to write me up for assaulting a fellow agent, even if that agent is my brother. That would be the cherry on top of this shit-sundae I’ve been served today.