Chapter 25

CHAPTER 25

MADDEN

Over the weekend, they put some lighting up in the room we found. I can't wait to get a good look at what's going on. I head into the school early, and instead of going to where the kids are entering, I go down to the basement.

Principal Faulkner is already standing there, looking around, a look of utter awe on her face. "Can you believe this?"

I step into the room with her, and turn in a circle, getting a look at what's been enclosed within the darkness. There is a bar in the corner of the room, what looks like a stage directly across from it, and what was probably a dance floor. Looking down, what I assumed was concrete is covered with dust and dirt. Taking the toe of my boot, I sweep it back and forth, pushing the dirt around. As I continue to do it, I clear a spot, and then go down on my knees to get a better look.

"Oh my gosh, there is a dance floor. Look at this." I point to the place I've cleared. "I bet this is black and white tile."

"I bet it is, too. I'll ask some of the janitorial staff to come down here and see what we need to do to clean it."

"That would be awesome. This is like a fu-freaking time capsule. I think the kids would enjoy looking at a piece of the past. What do you think?" I look up at her, standing so that I can turn around and take it all in again.

"I think they would love it, and I think you've got a great idea. Let me talk to the board and the staff. We'll definitely have an answer sooner, rather than later."

I nod, enthusiastic about what all this means. "I can't wait."

"5150? I'm down here at the Laurel Business Bypass. Requesting a K-9 to run an eighteen-wheeler. I know you're at the school, but are you available for a few minutes?"

Now I'm intrigued. Caleb hardly ever asks for a K-9, much less me. "The last bus just left. We can be there in a few minutes. About where are you?"

"Can't miss us. We're right before the turnoff at Calvert City. I've got his license and registration, so he ain't going anywhere. We'll hold for ya."

In his cage, Donut's ears perk up when I hit the sirens. He hasn't done this in a while. "You ready to go to work, boy?" His tail wags so hard it hits the side, with a thumping that makes me smile. He may love being with the kids every day, but he's used to getting to sniff and being praised for it.

We're only about four minutes from where Caleb is, and with my lights and sirens on, it takes less time. When we pull up, Caleb is sitting in his SUV, eyes straight ahead at the semi in front of him. I get out and walk up to the driver's side, tapping on the window.

He startles. Whatever he was thinking about was deep. "Hey, we're here."

"Perfect," he says as he gets out. "This dude is giving me the creeps. There's something about his smile that's too slick. He's sweatin' like a whore in church, too."

He shares the license registration with me. I freeze as I see the name. "Shit."

"What? Are you okay?"

"Full disclosure?"

Gone is the annoyed look he typically gives me, instead it's the gaze of someone concerned. This is probably how he is as a father to his children. "Of course. What's going on?"

I tuck my fingers into my bullet-proof vest, holding it away from me so I can take some deep breaths in. "This is my dad."

His eyebrows screw together. "He doesn't have the same last name as you."

"I know, I changed mine and my brother's last name from his or my moms when I was old enough to. Neither one of them are great people and I didn't want their legacy to follow us. He's going to try to get me to make this go away, but I won't."

Caleb gives me a look I'm familiar with, it's pity. I've never wanted anyone on the squad to give me that. All I've wanted is for everyone I work with to see me as the man who's got his shit together. They've never known me as the teenager who had to go pick his mom up from the bar. The one who lied about how old he was so he could sign his little brother up for sports, and then worked as close to forty hours as possible to pay for it. "Dude, I can call Calvert City. You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"It's my job." I swallow roughly. "And it's important I stand up to him. It's a possibility he might not even know who the fuck I am."

"How long has it been since you saw him, or talked to him?" Caleb asks, then shakes his head. "No, you don't owe me anything. You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

I respect this and appreciate him. "No, I've not told anyone about it since I moved here. I haven't seen him since I was seventeen, haven't talked to him since I was twenty. I'm not kidding when I say he might not recognize me."

"Alright, want me to back you up?" He nods toward the semi.

"No, I need to do this for myself."

Stoically, I walk back to my SUV and open the back door to get Donut out. "C'mon buddy, let's do work." I connect the leash to his collar and stride toward the eighteen-wheeler. I don't think I've ever been so nervous on a call. My hand legitimately shakes as we make our way to the side of the truck. I take my flashlight out of its holder and use it to knock on the door. "Sir, I'm going to need you to step out so I can run my dog around the vehicle."

He grumbles, and makes a bunch of gestures, but he gets out, drops down, and then stands in front of me. I tower over him, like I have since I hit puberty. When he gets a good look at me, he does a double-take. "Madden?"

"Yeah. It's me, Boyd." I refuse to call this man father, dad, or anything of the sort.

A triumphant smile spreads across his face. He looks back at Caleb, who is clocking the traffic going by us, making sure they don't get too close to Donut. Boyd leans in. "I'm sure you know how to make that dog not hit, don't you?"

It pisses me off that he's asking me this. "No, he's trained to alert if he smells the presence of drugs. There is no sleight of hand that can make him decide not to."

His eyebrows furrow together. "But you could turn off that body cam and do your old dad a solid, couldn't you?"

Younger me would do it. He wanted so much for his parents to love him, it wouldn't matter. This Madden? He knows his worth, and he knows he's worth more than those parents ever imagined. "I'm sure I could, but I never would. Now, step away from the cab of the truck so my dog can do his job, sir."

His eyes flash as he realizes what I've said. In the blink of an eye, he turns into the man I've always known him to be. His face turns red in anger. "Fuckin' punk. Staring at me like you're better than I am. You were a shitty kid, and looks like you've turned into the type of cop who does what someone else tells him to do. There's not a single thought in your head that's your own. You never could stand up for yourself. Too bad you never learned how to be a real man."

Grabbing Donut's leash, I pull him closer to me, before speaking a truth I've wanted to for years. "It's not like I had a father to teach me, now did I? C'mon Donut, let's do work."

After Donut makes two laps around the truck, he indicates at the same point each time. I hate this, but at the same time, it's kind of how I expected my life to go. Somehow, when I took my oath to be a cop, I knew.

I'd have to be a part of an arrest, and it would be my dad. I walk over to where Boyd and Caleb are standing. "There are drugs in the truck. You need to search it."

As soon as I say the words, Boyd explodes. "You dumbass little piece of shit. You've always wanted to be better than me. To show everyone you succeeded to spite me."

Caleb works quickly, handcuffing him behind his back and presses him up against the cab. He quotes him his rights and then he adds some words. "Your son is double the man you'll ever be. He didn't succeed to spite you, he did it despite you. You have the right to remain silent, and I suggest you exercise it."

A smirk spreads across my face when I hear Caleb tell Boyd to basically shut the fuck up. "We're heading out."

Caleb nods. "If you need anything, let me know. I haven't made this easy on you, and part of that is because of what I have going on in my personal life. You don't deserve that. It's a pleasure working with you."

Those words from Caleb are what I imagine mine were to Mick. "Thank you. I love working here, and I'm glad to be on your team."

Grabbing Donut's leash, I lead him back toward the SUV, and when we get in, I let a genuine smile spread across my face.

Today? The good guys won.