Page 50 of Finding You
Wiz took the seat behind his desk, and Zion and Malik sat across from him.
For the past hour, the guys had questioned Raven about Maximus. Their inquiry was similar to what Zion had asked her, and she’d answered them the same way. So far, nothing she said got them any closer to figuring out what Maximus’s end game was.
Now, while Raven hung out with Wiz’s wife and their twins, a boy and a girl who were grade school age, Zion wanted to talk to the guys alone.
“Spending time with the babies almost makes me want to talk Olivia into having more kids,” Wiz said as he typed something into his computer.
Malik threw back his head and burst out laughing as if Wiz had cracked a joke, and it was the funniest thing in the world. The big guy, who some called Tree, and rightfully so, since he was as big and tall as an oak tree, laughed for a solid minute.
He and Wiz were closer than most brothers and had served in the Navy together along with their best friend, Quinn Hamilton. When Zion had first met the three guys a few years ago, he’d had a moment of hero worship. Their reputation around town, especially with Chicago P.D. was legendary, for more reasons than one but mainly because of Supreme Security.
Lynix’s family, who came from old money, used their services over the years, and after Malik learned Lynix was a cop, he recruited him for a couple of security jobs. Zion and Lynix occasionally moonlighted on their off days, providing security for some of Malik and Wiz’s clients. Since then, Malik had been trying to get them both to leave Chicago P.D. and join Supreme Security full time.
“Damn, man, it wasn’t that funny,” Wiz’s grayish-green eyes bore into Malik, but there was no heat behind them.
Wiz, a computer genius and known for his hacking skills, had gotten his nickname honestly while they served in the military. From what Zion had heard, the guy had the ability to hack into any computer system and manipulate anything remotely related to technology.
“Itwasthat funny. What did Ollie tell you the last time you suggested you guys have more kids?” Malik asked, still chuckling. “I’ll tell you what she said. She said if you want more kids, you’d better figure out how to carry them for nine months and push them out yourself. Can you imagine what that would look like?” Malik asked Zion.
Zion cringed at the visual that created and couldn’t respond. What women endured during childbirth and even while pregnant made them superheroes in his book. Nope, he was staying out of this.
“Man, shut up,” Wiz said, finally looking frustrated with his friend. “Zion, ignore him. My wife is open to having more kids,but with our careers, it just hasn’t happened. Anyway, what about you? How are you handling fatherhood?”
“It’s amazing,” Zion said honestly, unable to stop the grin from spreading across his face. “The twins are still so little, but even in this short amount of time, I’ve already been able to witness some of the changes in them.”
His babies left him in awe daily, and he couldn’t wait to watch them grow up. At three months, they were cooing more, able to hold their heads up during tummy time, and their eye/hand coordination was to the point of them putting things into their mouths.
This morning, he had even witnessed Zanaya roll from her stomach to her back. He had freaked out at first, thinking it might’ve hurt her, but when she didn’t cry, he calmed down.
“And they know my voice,” Zion said proudly. Or at least it seemed they did. “If one of them is crying, and I go into the room and say something, they stop crying and turn in my direction.”
“Then they probably start crying again,” Malik cracked, and they all laughed.
They talked kids and marriage for the next few minutes, and Zion could tell the guys were crazy in love with their wives. Though they were busy with the business, it was clear that their families came first.
They had what Zion wanted—a wife, beautiful children, and a happy life. Yes, he and Raven were living together, but he planned to make it official and ask her to marry him. He was crazy in love with her, and he wanted them to build a life together. First, they needed to take care of Maximus.
Eventually the conversation returned to the situation at hand.
“I did a preliminary background check on Maximus, and so far, nothing stands out,” Wiz said. “His oil company, as well as his other business ventures are doing well. Like his grandfather,Maximus has done a good job at diversifying. He has his hands in a lot of things, and at first glance, everything looks above board.
“Basically, I have found nothing that clues me in on why he’s obsessed with Raven and the twins.”
“He’s asked Raven to marry him a couple of times, but I think this is more about the twins than her. If I didn’t know better, based on his behavior the other day, I’d think he really believed he was their father. That could’ve been an act for his grandfather, but Maximus might actually want to be their father.”
“The man is worth a lot of money. He could pay someone to give him kids,” Malik said while rubbing his short beard. “Based on what Raven said about this guy’s inability to get over their breakup, I think since he can’t have her, he’s going a different route by way of the kids.”
“Surely, he’s not dumb enough to think that would work,” Zion said, unease stirring within him. Just how far would the guy go to get what he wanted?
“Maybe at first he was dumb enough to think he could get away with this. Yet now that you’re in the picture, he knows his original plan of taking Raven to court for custody isn’t going to work. You put a wrench in that idea, but a man like him, arrogant with a ton of money, don’t think he can lose. He’s probably already covered his tracks with whoever helped him at the clinic, and—”
“I’m on top of that,” Wiz interrupted. “I’m digging into everyone who works at the clinic he used and determining if anyone is tied to Maximus.”
“Good,” Zion said, “I want everyone involved to be prosecuted for falsifying or tampering with a paternity test.” He knew the crime could come with criminal charges as well as jail time.
Wiz rocked back in his chair and tapped his pen against the top of the desk. “Yeah, I’m going to find out all that, and it shouldn’t take too long. The clinic is not that big and doesn’t have a ton of staff.”
“You always say, follow the money,” Malik said to Wiz. “Maybe Maximus paid someone off or blackmailed them into helping him. Employee bank statements might give us those answers. Also, I just thought of something else. Maybe this is a business move. Maybe he’s bidding on some type of project that might look better if he has a family.”
