Page 68 of Tough Justice

Deck shoved his legs into his jeans. “He said he took too much of something and feels like he’s OD-ing.”

“Then I’m coming with you.” She flung back the covers and started for her bureau for another shirt and jeans.

“No, you’re not.” He sat on the mattress and began putting on his boots. “We’ve already discussed this. You’re not coming in the field with me again.”

“This is different.” Ignoring his edict, she opened the top drawer and pulled out white panties and a bra. “This is a medical emergency, one I’m better suited to respond to than you are. I still have all that naloxone in my bag, and it sounds as if Aidan needs it.” When Deck stood and began shaking his head, she ran her hand up his bare chest. “You know I’m right. Besides, you’re not serving a warrant this time. No one will be shooting at us. You said you wanted to help this kid, so let’s go help him.”

His jaw clenched, and he exhaled tightly through his nose. “Okay. But you do exactly as I say.” He spun and charged from the room. “Thor,” he shouted. “Let’s go!”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Deck pushed the Interceptor down the twisting lanes of Route 285. They were still a solid twenty minutes from Denver’s Union Station where Aidan said he’d wait.

“Dammit.” He pounded the wheel with his fist. “If he hadn’t hung up on me, we’d stand a better chance of finding him.”

He turned up the radio, listening in on Denver’s universal police frequency. Several patrol cars were already speeding toward Union Station.

“Deck.” Tori rested her hand on his shoulder. “No matter what happens, you tried. That’s all we can ever do. You called 911, so maybe they’ll find him before we get there.”

He gripped the wheel tighter, taking the ramp to C470 faster than he should. Luckily, at this time of night, the roads were relatively empty. A deep woof had him looking over his shoulder. Thor leaned into the turn, as he’d learned to do during high-speed pursuits. “I hope so.”

“Why do you think he called you?” she asked. “I mean, you and he didn’t exactly hit it off.”

“I don’t know.” The same thought had occurred to him, but he’d given the kid his business card. “When someone gets in a jam, sometimes they reach out to the last person they ever expect to.”

He hit the accelerator, glancing at the radio as a Denver PD unit called in.

“We just searched Union Station. Negative on the boy.”

Aidan had begged him not to call 911. The kid already had two strikes against him, including one conviction involving enough cocaine to be charged with intent to distribute. Only a sympathetic judge had stood between Aidan and doing hard time. This could be three strikes, but the kid’s life trumped any promises. So Deck had called in the troops anyway.

He took another ramp then slammed his foot down on the accelerator, speeding east on Route 6. Less than ten minutes later, they entered the LoDo section of Denver and pulled up next to a patrol car parked in front of Union Station.

Deck rolled down his window and held up his badge. “Did you find him?”

“Negative. Station’s got a few people in the restaurants. Aside from that, the place is pretty empty. Nobody fitting the description.”

“He’s gotta be here somewhere. We’ll check the surrounding streets.” Without waiting for a response, Deck eased back onto the road, driving slowly as he turned onto another street.

“He could be anywhere,” Tori murmured, lowering her window and peering into the darkness.

“If he’d just call me again.” He glanced at the phone that he’d set in a dashboard cradle. The screen remained dark. “He could be right behind any of these doors, and we’d never know it.”

His cell phone rang, the screen lighting up the SUV’s dark interior. No Caller ID. Deck answered, putting the call on speaker. “Aidan, is that you?”

Heavy breathing, then, “Yeah.”

“Are you still at Union Station?” He slowed the SUV, ready to hang a one-eighty back to the station.

“No, I told you not to call the cops. You know what they’ll do to me.” Unidentifiable, muffled sounds came from the phone, as if Aidan had covered up the speaker. “I’m at that park near the river, the one a few blocks behind the station.”

Deck turned right, heading toward the South Platte River. “Commons Park?” The park was about three long blocks from the station.

“I-I think so. Can you hurry? I don’t feel so good.”

Deck narrowed his eyes. In the time it had taken he and Tori to get into town, Aidan could have made it to the park. Hopped up on drugs? Maybe. Or not. Could be the kid was fucking with him, but he couldn’t take the chance that he wasn’t. “Stay with me, this time. Don’t hang up. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“O-okay.”