Ian shook his head and snatched the phone off the desk. “Hello?”
“Stop looking into Eric Taylor.”
Ian stiffened. “Who is this? How did you get my number?”
“I know who you are, and I know you have a family. If you don’t stop looking into him, there are going to be consequences.”
The voice was garbled, and Ian could barely make out anything except for the underlying current of anger.
“You’re using a program to distort your voice, aren’t you, Eric? Are you afraid of confronting me yourself?”
Marissa paled and inched closer to him.
“If you don’t stop looking into Eric—”
“I heard you the first time,” Ian snapped, lifting his chin. “I have no intention of dropping this. You can give it your best shot, but I promise I’m not going to be the one behind bars when this is over. Do you hear me? I’m going to make Eric pay for everything he’s done.”
The line went dead, and Ian pulled the phone away from his ear, heart racing so loudly he could barely make out anything. It wasn’t until Marissa clapped him on the shoulder that he came back to the present with a jolt and realized she was holding a bottle of water up to his lips.
Ian pushed the bottle away and stood up. “Now what?”
Chapter Nineteen
“Are you sure it’s okay I’m consulting Liam? I couldn’t think of anyone else to call…”
Lily waved his comment away and handed him the sandwich. “It’s fine. I know Liam is feeling guilty because of how he first reacted to the divorce, and he’s trying to make up for things. I just wish he didn’t have to do this.”
Ian placed a hand on her shoulder. “I can try to remove him from this.”
“He’ll just find another way to get involved.” Lily adjusted the strap of her purse and tightened the sash around her waist. “It’s better if we keep an eye on him.”
Ian nodded and glanced at the parking spot across the street, next to the lush green park. “I just hope this works.”
Lily sighed. “Me too, but I think between Liam, Marissa, and the officers who volunteered at the station, you should be able to track whoever called.”
“They were using one of those software programs that conceals the voice, so I’m pretty sure if they’ve gone to that much trouble, they’ll have used a burner.”
“That’s where Liam and everyone else come in,” Lily replied before squinting at something in the distance. “Speak of the devil, there’s Liam now.”
Ian cast a quick glance at his sister and saw a muscle jump in her jaw.
Liam left his car in the parking spot and hurried across the street in a button-down shirt tucked into a pair of dark jeans; a pair of sunglasses sat perched on his nose. He spotted them and quickened his pace. After giving his mom a quick hug, the three of them stepped into the station.
And the sounds hit him all at once.
Everywhere he looked, people were on the phone or huddled in groups, trying to come up with a plan. A few of them called out to him, and he gave them all a small wave. Liam and Lily walked on either side of him as they strode through the halls of the police station. In the staff lounge, Marissa was surrounded by officers on all sides, all wearing identical serious expressions.
Everyone looked up at Ian when he walked in.
Then, a chair was pulled up, and he was pushed into it by Marissa. She hovered, barking out several orders at once and only pausing to tuck her hair behind her ears. When she glanced over at him, and he caught the furrow between her brows, Ian’s stomach dipped.
“You don’t have to do this.”
“We’ll find out who called you to make that threat,” Marissa assured him with a lift of her chin. “We just need to dig deep enough. I’m sure a man like Eric has a lot of enemies.”
“Wouldn’t that be like looking for a needle in a haystack?”
Marissa’s expression turned uncertain. “We’ll find some people, but we’re looking for someone who fits into that specific MO. Don’t worry, E. I’ve got your back.”
