Baltimore 03 - Did You Miss Me?

Mitch steal? Maybe we can give it back.’
    Matthew gave him a look that said he was trying to decide if Cole was old enough to be trusted.
    Cole shrugged. ‘I can’t help if I’m runnin’ blind.’
    Matthew sighed. ‘Guns. Lots of guns.’
    ‘Guns? They’re downstairs in the basement.’
    Matthew’s jaw dropped. ‘You knew?’
    Cole shrugged uneasily. ‘Fifteen guns didn’t seem like that big a deal. Not anything to get Dad killed over.’
    Matthew’s shoulders sagged. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about, kid. These are lots of guns. Crates of semi-automatic assault rifles. AK-47s.’
    Cole went still. ‘Like the ones they found in that guy’s trunk at the courthouse yesterday?’
    ‘Yes. Those were the guns Mitch stole. The number recovered in the raids yesterday was exactly what’s missing from our inventory. We didn’t know till we did the count today. This is a nightmare.’
    ‘Oh my God.’ This is way worse than what I did . Hey . Wait a minute . ‘ How did Dad have them for Mitch to steal in the first place?’
    Matthew rubbed his forehead. ‘Welcome to the real world, Cole. Dad has a shipping and distribution business.’
    ‘Yeah, antique furniture.’ Which had been Matt’s father’s story for years. ‘It’s how your father met our mother. She told me the story when I was little, right before . . . You know. Before. Mom said she owned this antique furniture store before she married him. She let him run it while she took care of us. That’s how he made his money.’
    Which Cole knew was a lie. He wondered if his mother had known her husband distributed drugs through her furniture store. If she’d suspected. Or just didn’t care.
    Something flickered in Matt’s eyes at the mention of their mother. Guilt or sorrow? Matt had chosen his side in the divorce. He stayed with Dad. Turned his back on Mom.
    ‘No,’ Matt said. ‘Not furniture. He distributes guns from Russia and . . . other things.’
    Cole’s brows shot up. ‘Drugs?’
    ‘Sometimes.’
    At least Matt was truthful about that. Cole frowned. ‘People?’
    ‘Not to my knowledge.’
    Fucking hell . That was not anything close to a no. ‘ What do you do?’
    ‘My MBA’s in accounting. I keep the books. And other things. I was the one who hired Mitch to make deliveries. I was trying to give the guy a break.’
    I didn’t think he was doing HVAC work . ‘ That actually explains a lot.’
    ‘Now Dad is terrified. You don’t screw with the Russians.’
    Cole kept his voice sincere. ‘What are we going to do?’ I will be running like hell .
    ‘I have to find Mitch. He has to make this right.’
    It was, Cole supposed, a gorgeous piece of revenge. ‘Will they come after us?’
    ‘Probably not. I don’t think Antonov even knows about you, Cole.’
    And don’t that make me feel special? ‘Look, I’d love to stay and help, but I’ve got a few problems of my own.’
    Matthew grabbed his arm. ‘What’s more important than this?’
    Two cars pulled up in front of the house and panic jacked him. Sheriff’s department . Shit . ‘Them.’ He looked around wildly. ‘Dammit. Now it’s too late.’
    ‘What have you done, Cole?’
    ‘Nothing.’ Have to hide . Hide . Basement or garage? The garage was closer.
    Matthew grabbed his arm again. ‘Goddammit, stop . What happened?’
    ‘I found the guns, okay? Not your dad’s guns, but some of Mitch’s. And I . . . took one to school.’
    ‘Holy shit, Cole. Why’d you do that?’
    ‘Guys giving me a hard time. About Mitch being in prison.’
    ‘So?’
    ‘About him getting . . . you know . . . there. And how it’s just the two of us pussies in this big house and does he do me here, too? They tried to do it to me. They grabbed me and yanked my pants.’ The words came bursting out and Cole felt his face flush with shame. ‘So I took a gun to school. But some punk stole it right out of my hand.’
    ‘Holy hell.’ Matthew looked around the garage, thinking. ‘Where can you hide?’
    There was only one place and the thought of it made Cole’s skin go clammy. ‘In the bomb shelter.’ He swung the fake shelf back as he hadn’t done since the day he’d discovered his mother’s body. He hadn’t been down there since. I hate this house .
    Thank God . Mitch hadn’t padlocked this door, like the one in the basement. I just hope the combination hasn’t changed .
    Matthew’s mouth fell open. ‘What the hell? I never knew about