Chapter 6 - THE PARTNER
“Drop it, Derek.”
Derek stared.
“Eddie?”
“Gun down.”
“You set me up?”
Eddie’s face was pale.
“No. You set yourself up.”
Harper slowly moved away.
Derek pulled her tighter.
“You think you’re a hero now?”
Eddie’s hands trembled.
“I’m trying not to become you.”
Derek laughed.
“You took money too.”
“I took money because you threatened my family.”
“You still took it.”
Eddie looked sick.
Gabriel said quietly, “This ends one way if you keep holding her.”
Derek glanced toward him.
“You shut your mouth.”
That fraction of distraction was enough.
Harper drove her elbow backward.
Derek grunted.
The gun shifted.
Gabriel moved.
Fast.
He crossed the kitchen, grabbed Derek’s wrist, and slammed it against the table.
The gun dropped.
Eddie kicked it away.
Derek swung at Gabriel.
Gabriel ducked.
His fist caught Derek in the stomach.
Derek folded.
Gabriel shoved him to the floor.
Then hit him once.
Twice.
Three times.
Harper screamed.
“Gabriel!”
He stopped immediately.
His fist hovered above Derek’s face.
Harper had never seen anyone stop anger that fast.
Gabriel looked at her.
She shook her head.
“Don’t become him.”
The words hit harder than any punch.
Gabriel stood.
Derek coughed and laughed from the floor.
“She’ll turn on you too.”
Gabriel ignored him.
Harper ran upstairs.
“Aunt Claire!”
She found Claire tied to a chair in the guest room.
Alive.
Terrified.
Harper cut her free.
Claire collapsed into her arms.
Downstairs, sirens approached.
Harper froze.
Gabriel looked at Eddie.
“You called them?”
Eddie nodded.
“State Police. Not Boston.”
For the first time, Harper felt hope.
Then Derek started laughing again.
Everyone looked at him.
“You people think this was about Harper?”
Gabriel’s expression sharpened.
“What are you talking about?”
Derek wiped blood from his lip.
“You think Internal Affairs cares that I stole a few bags of drugs?”
Eddie whispered, “Derek, shut up.”
Derek smiled.
“Ask your friend Ashford what Precinct 12 has been doing with seized weapons.”
Gabriel’s eyes changed.
Derek saw it.
“Oh. He knows.”
Harper looked between them.
“What?”
Gabriel said nothing.
Derek grinned.
“The guns weren’t disappearing.”
He stared directly at Gabriel.
“They were being sold.”
“To who?” Harper demanded.
Derek laughed.
“To his enemies.”
Silence.
Gabriel’s face became stone.
Derek continued.
“Someone inside Gabriel Ashford’s organization has been buying police evidence for eighteen months.”
Harper turned toward Gabriel.
“Is that true?”
“I didn’t know.”
“But someone working for you did.”
“Yes.”
Outside, police vehicles filled the driveway.
Derek leaned back against the cabinet.
“You wanted to destroy me, Ashford?”
His smile widened.
May you like
“Congratulations.”
“You just started a war.”
