She shakes her head. “Tori told me to cut and run and resist the urge to look back, so no.”
“Got intel on Thaddeus Steele from a friend of a friend who has a connection in the Cincinnati police department. They talked to friends in Columbus. Facts were shared which connected some additional dots.”
“Such as?”
“Fluke, but the contact we got in Cincinnati has a partner who regularly checks up on Elaine McQueen as a favor to an old friend of his. Recognized your real last name when it was shared.”
Ally gasps. “My mom.”
“Turns out Victoria Daystrom is the one with that friend. My brother talked to a guy this morning there who recognized your last name in the conversation about Thaddeus and Jonah and wonders if there’s a connection, so pulls the other cop into the meeting. That partner got your name and dots were connected between you and your mother, therefore Victoria Daystrom.”
“Fuck. Your brother used my name?”
“The information isn’t being spread wide. A few trusted individuals. Daystrom has ties with that one cop, used to date his brother, so she got a call when Julian was there from her buddy, suggesting a connection between the Steele brothers and your mother. The cop only heard McQueen and called her to ask if your mother was under threat by the Steele family because that cop knows who they are and got tweaked. That’s gotta be why she closed up shop. Did Daystrom not know who you were hiding from?”
Ally shakes her head. “She didn’t wanna know. Well that explains that. And if those dots were connected out of flukes, how do you know all the other dots won’t also connect, leading them right to me?”
“You wanna reach out to her? Put them somewhere for a few weeks while this gets looked after?”
Ally’s chin wobbles.
“There’s no sign that your mother is in danger.”
She shakes her head. “Thad’s probably waiting to catch me first, so I’ll get front-row seating for what happens to her. And a couple weeks – how do you know this will be wrapped up that quickly?”
I lean forward. “Efforts are already underway to take him down. There’s a task force that’s got it as a primary goal. I’m waiting for a call from the guy heading that up so I can get in the know on what’s already being done. You can help by sharing where that evidence is, particularly the gun. It could be a huge help to them.”
“How’d you know Tori closed up shop?”
I moisten my lips and look into her eyes. “I cloned your phone.”
“You what?”
“While you were in the shower this morning. I did it as a precaution, had no plans to look unless it was necessary and after I heard that recording in Aiden’s ride, I knew it was necessary. I also skimmed your work emails and found some correspondence between you and Wade Daystrom.”
Her eyes catch fire, her lip curls, and she shoots to her feet, clenching her fists.
I casually lean back. “Go ahead and get pissed, but also, get used to it. From here on in, I will do whatever the fuck I deem necessary to protect you.”
She shakes her head slowly. “I never asked you for a fucking thing.”
“Too bad, because this is how it is.”
My phone rings, so I nab it from the coffee table.
Aiden calling.
I answer.
“Hey.”
“Hi, it’s Carly. Is Ally there?”
“One sec.”
I hold the phone out.
Ally looks at the phone in my hand like it’s a poisonous snake and storms for the staircase leading up to my room.
“She’s in a mood,” I say.
Ally scoffs from the staircase as she stomps up.
“Okay,” Carly says softly. “She’s really mad at me.”
“I know. Same. But you know what it is, right?” I’m loud intentionally.
“What?”
“She thinks she’s protecting all of us.” I get louder before Ally is all the way up the stairs. “But she doesn’t realize that she’s the one that needs protection the most and it’s time for her to get it.”
“I’ll give her the night then and see her at work tomorrow. Take good care of her, Jude.”
“I will, babe.”
When I hang up, there’s a notification that the food delivery is less than a minute out, so I head down to meet the guy in the front lobby of the building.
***
I find her on my roof terrace, which is split in three for use by the back units. There’s a privacy fence across so my section is closed in. I’ve got a grill and gazebo up here with drapes and mosquito netting as well as a storage shed that has my weight bench and some other workout gear.
I find her sitting on a lounge chair in the middle of the roof looking completely desolate. She’s hugging her knees, cheek propped on one and staring off into space. She doesn’t blink at my arrival.