Cage (The K9 Files #27)

Chapter 9

R isa wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do, but she kept waiting, hoping Cage would show up. That he hadn’t contacted her worried the hell out of her. She’d called the police to see if they could do anything, but they had been more than a little flummoxed at the idea of his being taken hostage. Since they didn’t know where Cage was, the cops could do absolutely nothing but wait. She had a cop with her still, and, when his phone rang, she jumped up and walked closer.

He just nodded, as he listened to the caller. “Okay, I’ll tell her.” Then he looked over at her and began, “So…”

“So what?” she snapped. “What happened? What’s going on?”

“Cage’s been found. I’ve been told that he’s fine and that he’s free, but the gunman got away.”

She just stared at him. “What do you mean, the gunman got away?”

He shrugged. “I guess there was a bit of a shootout, and, in all the chaos and confusion, he escaped.”

“Jesus Christ.” She stared at him.

“Yeah, I don’t know what to say or what to tell you about it. All I can say is that, at the moment, they’re still investigating.”

“Right, of course they are.” She frowned. “How is that even possible?”

“Well, the good news is the fact that your partner, your boyfriend, or whatever you want to call him, is free, and he’s on his way here. He caught a ride with someone.”

“Thank God for that,” she muttered, staring at him in shock.

When a knock came on the door not twenty minutes later, she looked over at the policeman still standing guard.

He nodded. “That should be Cage.” He walked to the front door, pulled it open, and, sure enough, Cage strode inside.

He took one look at her and walked over and wrapped her up in his arms. “Thank God you’re okay,” he whispered.

She sighed, as she snuggled in closer. “What the hell is going on?”

“Well, that is a completely different issue, and one we won’t get such an easy answer to.”

“Are you sure? After all this waiting, I could really use easy .”

The cop gave them a few minutes and interrupted, “We do have some questions we need to ask.”

“Of course.” Cage sat down, and, with both of them listening in, he told them what had happened. When he got to the gunman and the dog and the old man, Risa’s eyes filled with tears.

“Did he shoot Killian or the dog?” she asked.

“No, he didn’t, but not for a lack of trying,” Cage noted, with a grim tone.

“Of course,” she muttered, “what an asshole.”

He chuckled. “I won’t say he wasn’t an asshole, but I will say that he’s definitely not on our list of favorites. By the way, Celine has terrible taste in men.”

“Ya think?” she muttered. “I can’t believe he got away.”

“Yeah, I’m not exactly a big fan of that either,” Cage noted. “We’ll keep an eye out for him because he told me several times that he would be quite happy to come here and to pay you a visit,” he shared, with a hard look at the cop.

The cop swore. “We definitely don’t want to hear that.” He looked over at her. “Do you have somewhere you can go that’s safe?”

She looked back at Cage. He nodded and said, “I’ll take you to a hotel with me for the night, and we’ll go from there.”

“Well, you can,” the cop said, “but, if you’ve been followed at all, it won’t be a hard thing for our gunman to track you.”

“Maybe not, but we can change rooms and go under another name, and we can also change locations,” Cage suggested, understanding the cop’s suspicions. They were dealing with ex-military, and the gunman was likely good at tracking.

“I just need to know where you’ll be at all times,” the cop stated. “We can’t have you guys disappearing and our not knowing where you are.”

“Oh, I agree with you there,” Cage admitted, “but I’m more worried about Killian, the old man.”

At that, the cop frowned. “I’ll talk to the rest of the team about what’s being set up for him.”

“Well, something definitely needs to be put in place for him,” Cage stated. “Killian and that War Dog are the reason I got away.”

The cop nodded. “I understand, and obviously we want to confirm that both are as safe as possible.”

Risa was not so sure about that, but she was willing to take it at face value. She wanted to believe that everybody was concerned about Scotty and Killian. By the time the cop left, she looked over at Cage. “Am I really packing an overnight bag?”

He nodded. “You are.”

“Where are we going?”

“I’m not sure yet, but how do you feel about going to the old man’s house?”

She stared at him. “To look after them or just to confirm they’re safe?”

“Kind of both,” Cage admitted. “I want to confirm that Killian and Scotty are safe and that, if anybody looks after somebody, that the old man gets looked after.”

She frowned at that. “Do you really think they wouldn’t?”

“I don’t know what to think,” Cage noted. “All I can tell you is that I know my gunman will come back again, and I’m afraid he might be pissed off enough to come after the old man and the dog.”

She shook her head at that. “And, if we go there, it’ll put us all in one spot, and he would have no problem getting at us.”

“And,” Cage added, with a smirk, “as fate would have it, we’ll also set a trap.” She winced as he nodded. “It’s just a suggestion. I’ve already been talking to Badger, trying to figure out what our options are.”

“Of course you called your boss.” She nodded, then shook her head. “Do you think Brian’s okay?”

“He should be.”

“Do you think he knows anything about the diamond?”

“Well, if he does, he better keep his mouth shut,” Cage stated. “I was hoping that it wouldn’t come to that, but you’re right. With our gunman on the loose, I don’t know that Brian is safe either.” Cage pulled out his phone and called Badger, filling him in.

Badger asked him, “You’re afraid the boy might know?”

“I’m afraid the gunman on the loose might think the boy knows something,” he clarified, “and the boy’s already vulnerable. So I’m not sure this is something we can ignore.”

“No, of course not,” Badger agreed. “Let me call my contact in the department, and I’ll get back to you.”

Cage turned back to her, as she’d been listening in and now stared at him worriedly. “Go pack a bag.”

“Right.” With a headshake, she hopped up and headed to her bedroom, where she quickly packed an overnight bag. She wasn’t sure how long they would be gone, and chances were it would be a little longer than she expected—mostly because it seemed that everything took longer than anybody expected. The fact that this gunman was out there running free even now was very disconcerting.

When she came back out, Cage stood there, his phone in hand again. He smiled at her. “Either we can go say hi to Brian, who has been asking for me, or we can head straight to the old man’s house.”

“I think we need to do both. I don’t want to leave Killian alone after what’s happened, or Scotty. Plus, the boy needs protection.”

“Seems the police agreed to post an officer with Brian, at least until we have some idea of what’s happening with our gunman on the loose. It will make us all feel better when this guy is picked up.”

“Sure, but he’s also got some crazy-ass skills, doesn’t he?”

The smile fell away from Cage’s face. “He is military trained. He was discharged as unfit for duty, and, in this case, that means he’s having some mental health issues.”

“ Great , so they just discharge him, and he’s free to go?”

“There’s a certain amount of freedom in that, yes,” Cage conceded. “It’s definitely one of the loopholes within the military. You can sign out for therapy, and everything goes along tickety-boo, but you don’t have to continue with therapy. If there’s progress, anybody would sign off on it. So I’m sure he had his ways and means to confirm that it worked out nicely for him.”

“It’s still a very scary scenario.”

“It is, and I won’t minimize it,” Cage noted, “but we just want everybody out of this and intact. What’s really wild is that I’m convinced Oliver already sold the diamond, so no way we can give it to the gunman. He’s asking us all to produce this priceless gem that none of us even have.”

As they got into her car, she looked back at her apartment, shook her head, and asked, “Do you really think he would come here?”

“Yes, absolutely. Who do you think your Peeping Tom was? I’m also afraid that he might go back to Celine, although he told me that he was done with her.”

“What do you mean by go back to her then?”

“As in to find out from her who you might be staying with, where you might hang out, things like that. However,… he won’t take any of her answers easily. If she’s not truthful, he’ll hurt her.”

“Oh my God,” Risa muttered.

“So phone her, give her a partial explanation, and tell her to go stay with some friends, and that friend cannot be you. Not this time.”

The phone call was less than fun, and, by the time she was done, Celine was hysterical but heading off to her mother’s.

“Good job,” Cage said. “Man, she’s really a basket case over this.”

“She slept with a murderer,” Risa pointed out. “So, from her perspective, he could have killed her while she was sleeping.”

“Too bad she didn’t think about that before she jumped into his bed.”

“Honest to God, I don’t think she’s ever thought about it before,” she muttered.

“And, while she might be feeling it at this moment, I don’t really expect it to change who she is.” He gave a chuckle at his own comment, but he knew it was the truth.

“And to a certain extent she’s entitled to be who she is and to be happy with it,” Risa stated. “It’s just such a messed-up world right now that it seems extremely dangerous.”

“I won’t argue that point,” Cage agreed, with a smile in her direction. “Let’s just bring this to an end.”

“But how? What will you do? Our gunman will be looking for the diamond forever. He’s obsessed with…” She stopped and stared at him. “Why don’t the cops call him up and let him know they found it? Setting a trap?”

“Yeah, and just let him think the police one-upped him? Everything I’m finding out about our gunman doesn’t put him in a good light. There will be hell to pay, and, if I pegged him right, bullets will fly, even at the cops.”

“Well, that’s no reason to kill him though,” she muttered.

“I think it’s called self-defense,” he joked. “Besides, we can’t be nice to people all the time. Yet you’re nice to everyone all the time.”

“Not really. I haven’t been all that nice to you over the years.”

“I’m a big boy. I can handle it. I wasn’t even thinking I would see you when I came up here this time, but I’m awfully glad I did.”

“Good, because I’m not prepared to let you walk away.”

“And yet I’ll be heading back to my corner of the world when this is done.”

“And, just so you know, I’m coming with you.” When he gave her a questioning look, she shrugged. “We’ve been apart for a long time, but, if you’re prepared to move forward on the pathway we’re already on, I’m not walking away from you.”

“Are you sure though? You would have to find a new job and give notice.”

“That’s fine. I wasn’t terribly happy with this one anyway.” She rolled her eyes. “Women all over the world need my help.”

He chuckled. “I won’t argue that one either. I know when I’m beat on that subject.”

“Good. It’s a relatively new field in physiotherapy, but I won’t have any problem getting work, no matter where I go.”

“If you say so, and I would absolutely love for you to come with me.”

“I think you need to bring Brian too.”

Cage totally understood. She was prepared to give him a second chance at life. “We can’t save the entire world.”

“No, we can’t save the entire world,” she repeated, “but we do need to save this little boy and Scotty. You know very well that Brian would thrive in your care, and, growing up alongside Jason, Brian would be in heaven.”

Cage sighed. “I can’t save the entire world.”

“No, but what do you think will happen to Brian when his foster parents find out about police protection in their own home?”

He winced at that.

“Exactly,” she said. “They’ll make Brian’s life a living hell, and they’ll end up sending him back into the foster care system.”

“Maybe,” he muttered, “I can’t say that would be much fun either way.”

Moments later, they pulled up in front of Killian’s house. Cage grabbed the overnight bags they had packed and walked up to the front door. When he found the door slightly ajar, his heart skipped a beat. “Shit.” He raced inside. She was right on his heels.

When they got to the living room, they found Killian on the ground, unconscious, a head wound bleeding at his temple. Cage dropped to his side and said, “Call 9-1-1.”

Risa pulled out her phone, and, looking around, asked, “Where’s Scotty?”

“I don’t know,” Cage replied, “but, if our gunman was pissed at Killian and shot him, then chances are he’s also shot the dog.”

The old man, outside of the head wound, appeared to be otherwise unscathed and was breathing. Leaving him for Risa to watch over, Cage quickly made a search of the house and headed out to the backyard, where he found Scotty on the ground, also bleeding, with a gunshot wound across the shoulder.

His head was on the ground, but, as soon as Cage approached, his tail wagged. As Cage bent down and checked him over, Scotty lifted his head and whined. “I know, buddy. It’s okay. Let’s get you up and walking around, so I can see how bad it is.”

Getting Scotty up so he could check for injuries, Cage took a good look. The dog moved stiffly, his shoulder obviously hurting, and dried blood was all over his body. When Cage looked back at the house, Risa stood at the back door, her hand over her mouth, an expression of shock and pain on her face. He nodded. “Is there a vet clinic in the area?”

“I’ll look,” she said, pulling out her phone. She quickly located one and came to his side. “Found one. We need to get him right over there. You go.”

He shook his head. “Not until the paramedics are here for Killian.”

“They’re already here,” she replied. “They’re just getting to the front door now.”

They raced to the front door and let them in, and chaos followed for the next twenty minutes, while they got Killian ready for transport. Once the ambulance pulled away, they got back into Risa’s vehicle, with the dog in the back seat. They went to the vet and were seen right away.

As soon as they got into the waiting room, they were immediately moved into an exam room, where Cage explained what had happened.

Scotty was gently put on the exam table, where the doctor took a quick look. He nodded and shared, “Well, I’m not sure whether this dog was really good at playing dead or what, but this was definitely a lucky shot.”

“I’m not sure how much of it was a lucky shot as much as the guy didn’t really want to kill the dog,” Cage muttered. “Maybe if the dog understood, he was playing dead,” he suggested, with half a smile.

“I’m glad to hear it either way, because Scotty will be just fine.” The doctor checked him all over again for any other injuries. “He will be sore though, and may need some pain meds for the next few days. You’ll want to keep him moving, or that shoulder will stiffen up quickly.”

“Got it,” Cage noted.

When the exam was over, they moved Scotty back out to the car. As they got in, Risa asked, “Now where?”

He hesitated, looking over at her. “How do you feel about taking Scotty over to see Brian for a meeting?”

“You know it’ll be hard on the boy when they’re separated again.”

“I know,” he agreed. “I just think it will be a good thing for both of them. I know it will give the dog a healing boost, and no doubt Brian too.”

She hesitated, then nodded. “I think you’re probably right on that score, but it might be much harder afterward.”

Deciding that would be the best answer, they drove to the foster home, where Brian was staying. As they got up to the front of the house, the front door burst open, and there was Brian in his wheelchair, staring at Scotty, tears streaming down his face.

The two had an emotional reunion in the entryway to the house. At times it was uncomfortable for Scotty, as they had to remind Brian repeatedly about the dog’s injury. It was quite the sight as the boy couldn’t stop crying. Meanwhile, the police were there, standing guard over him. Dorothy stood horrified in the corner, and the father seemed to be completely out of his depth.

Cage knew instinctively that this would be the last straw and that Brian would be going back to foster care. He pulled out his phone and contacted his brother. They talked for a minute, but Jason was called away. However, that conversation needed to continue and soon.

When his brother called back a little bit later, Jason spoke with a smile in his tone. “I’m not at all surprised.”

“I am,” Cage quipped, “because this is foolishness.”

“No, it’s part of who you are, bro, so don’t knock it. You’ve always been a great one for this, so own it. I do have a contact who might make things a little easier, and, if you can get Badger to pitch in, I think you’ll find it much easier to process this quickly.”

“I don’t know,” Cage grumbled. “There’ll be a trial period, and you know, if for some reason it doesn’t work out, that’ll devastate everybody.” Cage was scared, which was an uncommon feeling, and this was a completely different danger than he was used to dealing with. “So, no trial.… Sink or swim, we deal with it. This is what we know and understand.”

With that agreed to, Jason disconnected.

Putting wheels in motion that in no way that Cage understood, he was dreading it all on the inside and had no idea how it all would work out or what the process would be.

At that point, the foster father stepped forward, looking completely shook up. “This is an untenable situation here,” he told to the officer. “We didn’t sign up for any of this.”

“Of course not,” the officer noted, trying to get him to calm down. “Obviously nobody expected this to happen.”

“Well, if we’d realized that his family was murdered, I don’t think we would have gone in this direction.” Jameson looked over at Dorothy, his wife, who shook her head.

It was obvious to everyone that they just wanted them all gone.

Cage turned to Brian, who still had his arms wrapped around Scotty, crying quietly but with occasional body-heaving sobs. Cage bent down and wrapped his arms around the little boy. “Hey, Brian, no need to worry, bud. We found Scotty, and he’s hurt, but he’ll be just fine.”

He nodded. “And he went home. He’s always been really good at that.”

“Going home?”

“Yeah, going home,” Brian said, with tears in his voice, “but I don’t know what’ll happen to him now.”

“I’m not sure either,” Cage replied. “I’ll probably keep him with me for the time being, while I sort out what happens next.”

The little boy looked up at him expectantly. “Does that mean you can bring him to visit?”

At that, Jameson came forward, “There will be no visiting here. I’m afraid this is the end for us. We weren’t sure that we could do this in the first place, but this is a definite no.” Dorothy stood behind him, nodding, glanced around at everybody. “This is just too much. Arrangements need to be made for Brian to go back to the center.”

Brian cried out in such pain that Cage grasped his shoulders in support. He looked over at the foster parents. “This hardly changes anything.”

“Of course it does,” Jameson argued, red in the face. “It changes everything for us. There’s now a madman after him, and all he’ll want to do is pine away for that dog,” he added, looking at Scotty in disgust. “And I can assure you that won’t happen here. I don’t want that dog in the house.”

“This dog is very well trained,” Cage explained, trying, but knowing it was futile. “It’s a War Dog and one of the best guardian dogs you could ever have.”

“Well, it didn’t do him any good now, did it?” he snapped.

“This dog has been a huge help to me, as he saved my life earlier today.”

“Then you take it,” Dorothy snapped. “We don’t want it here.”

“I’m sorry you feel that way.”

She sniffed, her head going up into the air. “That means nothing. This is ridiculous. We were looking for a way to make some money, not deal with all this. It’s way more than anybody could be expected to handle.”

“I don’t think Brian expected to handle a lot of things that have come his way either,” Cage pointed out.

She just stared at him with an unforgiving look in her eyes, and he realized that, as far as she was concerned, this really was it. Brian was heading back to a center, regardless of what anybody thought.

When a hand slipped into his, he realized it was Brian’s. He looked down at him and smiled. “Well, you know what they say. When one door closes, another door opens.”

“Maybe for other people,” Brian whispered. Tears filled his eyes as he kept one hand wrapped tightly on the ruff of the dog, who even now looked as if he’d found his home again, leaning up against Brian’s wheelchair. “All we ever wanted was to be home.”

“I understand,” Cage told the little boy, “but I’m afraid that home as you knew it is gone.”

Tears slipped down Brian’s face as he nodded. “I know,” he whispered, “but it’s not fair.”

“No, it’s not fair, life is never fair in a deal like this.” Cage wasn’t sure what to do right now.

The officer walked over to them and announced, “I’ll have to call social services.”

Cage just nodded, not knowing what else to do. Even if he wanted to try, right now there was still the problem of the gunman. “Is anybody keeping an eye on the perimeter of the house?” he asked in a low tone.

“I would imagine so, but I’m not privy to the plan as to what’s going on,” the cop replied, “but I believe that was taken into consideration.”

Then a voice at the doorway interrupted, “How about I just kill him, and then we won’t have to worry about it at all?”

Cage turned ever-so-slowly to see Adam Harland, the gunman, standing there at the doorway, staring at them with a grin on his face.

The officer went for his handgun, but Adam fired a shot, dropping him so quickly that nobody really realized what had happened.

Immediately Dorothy screamed at the top of her lungs, and, after disarming the injured officer, Adam turned his attention to her.

“Wait,” Cage yelled out.

Adam turned and looked at him. “You shut her up then. Otherwise I will.”

Wincing, Cage walked over to the woman, who was now screaming uncontrollably, her husband trying ineffectually to calm her down. Cage reached back with one hand and slapped her hard across the face.

She collapsed to the ground, sobbing quietly, huddled in a pile on the floor. Her husband crouched beside her, glaring at him. “You didn’t have to hit her so hard.”

“I couldn’t just let this guy shoot her either.”

“You should have let me shoot her,” Adam stated ruefully. “What the hell are you doing here anyway?” Then he looked at Scotty and glared. Scotty immediately growled, his hackles up. “If that thing attacks me, I’ll shoot to kill. I took it easy on the dog last time, thinking maybe he would take it as a warning, but I won’t let it deter me this time. So that’s all the warning it’s getting.”

“I hear you,” Cage replied. “No need to start shooting.”

“Oh, look. There’s your pretty little girlfriend,” Adam said giddily. “I’m so happy we’re all having a lovely reunion.”

At that, the little boy in the wheelchair sat up straight and whispered, “Did you kill my parents?”

He looked at him and sighed. “Yeah, I did. Sorry about that, dude. Life isn’t exactly a bed of roses, and your parents were not very nice people. They stole something from me.”

“That’s not true,” Cage stated. “Brian doesn’t need his good memories of his parents smeared, just so you can twist it all around to suit your narrative.”

“As if I give a shit,” Adam snapped, with an eye roll. “But now we have a problem.” He walked over to the little boy, leaned down in front of him. “Your parents had something of mine that I want back. So you give it back to me, and everything will be fine.”

Brian just stared up at him in shock. “I don’t know anything about that. What did they have?”

“Well, I’m really hoping that’s not true. You see,… I really need it back, and we’ve gone through all that crap in the garage, and there’s still no sign of it. So, I’m asking nicely.… What is it that you know that I don’t? It might just save your life.”

Brian stared up at him, his eyes huge, Scotty was at his side, still growling. Adam just waved his gun at him. “Shut him up.”

Immediately the little boy grabbed the dog and held him close to still him, Cage commanded Scotty to keep still. Scotty subsided.

“It’s too damn bad,” Adam said, “that we have to hurt such a damn good dog like him again.”

“You don’t have to hurt him again. He’s a dog,” Brian wailed. “He’s my dog. I don’t want anything to hurt him.”

“Then tell me where your parents kept the diamond.”

Brian looked at him and frowned. “I don’t know what a diamond is.”

With that, Adam just sighed and closed his eyes, then turned to look at Cage. “I don’t want to hurt him, but I need that diamond.”

“I know you do,” Cage noted, “but, honest to God, nobody knows where it is. Did you ever consider that maybe they were lying?”

He stared at Cage, the color fading from his face. “They better not have been. You’ve got to understand,… I need it.”

“You might need it,” Cage conceded, “but there’s no guarantee it will even be possible to find. For all I know, Oliver being the kind of guy he was,… he may have beat you to it, if he ever had it at all.”

“He would too,” Adam agreed, staring off in the distance. “Oliver was just that kind of an asshole.” He slowly walked toward the door, then turned back and announced, “I can’t let you guys live.”

“And we can’t let you shoot everybody,” Cage murmured.

Adam stepped through the door, looked back, then raised his gun. Just then a series of shots were fired. Cage yelled for everyone to duck and threw himself in front of Brian as he watched Adam’s body dance in midair, then fall to the ground, as cops outside took advantage of the opportunity and took him down.

Cage looked around to see everyone frozen in place, but nobody else had been hit. He turned and raced to Adam’s body, kicked the gun out of reach, and bent down to check him.

He lifted a hand to the police standing outside and shouted, “The gunman’s dead, and we have a downed officer. Otherwise nobody else in here has a weapon.”

Immediately the place was swamped with armed officers. After a quick search, things calmed down, and the little boy was shaking beside Cage. Risa had her arms wrapped around Brian, holding him close, telling him it would be okay.

She looked up at Cage with tears in her eyes. Then he bent down and wrapped both of them in his arms.

Brian burrowed against Cage’s chest, sobbing, and Scotty even pushed his nose up in between them to confirm that he was getting his cuddles too. When the sobs finally slowed down, Cage looked over at the officers waiting for him.

“We have a bunch of questions that need to be answered,” Detective Hendricks stated.

Risa groaned. “Honest to God, I just want to go home.”

“Home?” Cage asked.

She looked at him and shook her head. “No, you’re right. I’m done. It’s time to go to your home.”

“Ha, not sure about that, but we’ll see.”

The questions and answers took a fair bit, and, by the time child services showed up, they were all curled up on the couch.

Brian was out of his wheelchair and curled up in Cage’s arms, and his lap was pretty full. With Scotty at their feet, the entire clan had glommed on to him, and he couldn’t be happier, but he also knew that there wouldn’t be an easy way to make this happen. There would be a hell of a lot of paperwork and bureaucracy to go through, and he also didn’t know if there was a better answer for Brian.

He wasn’t parent material necessarily, and it wouldn’t be an easy thing to convince anybody to place the boy with a single parent with the challenges and work history Cage had. Another knock on the door had the police going to answer it, instead of the homeowners, who looked as if they were completely at their wit’s end.

Cage looked over at the new arrival and groaned. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, seriously,” Jason declared, as he rolled in.

Immediately Brian perked up and looked over at him with interest. “Wow, that’s a cool-looking wheelchair.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Jason said, rubbing his hands together. “I’m Jason, Cage’s brother,” he told Brian. “Cage wasn’t kidding if he told you that I was in a wheelchair, and I’ve been here a long time.”

“Wow,” Brian muttered, as he leaned in to look closer at the racing stripes that Cage himself had painted on the wheelchair. “Holy cow,” he said, still stunned. “Do you think I could have one like that?”

“Well, not quite yet, but, when you’re bigger, why not?” Jason replied, as he looked over at the couple who were talking furiously with the social services representative. “I gather quite a headache is going on here.”

Brian shrugged and hung his head. “They don’t want me. I don’t think they ever did.”

“Well, that’s a good thing,” Jason announced, with a big bright smile, and that turned all heads his way.

“How is that a good thing?” Brian asked, almost in tears. “I really don’t want to go back into the institute or that center. There were lots of people like me, but it feels better to be part of a family, even if it’s not perfect.”

A sob came from behind him, and Cage looked over to see tears running down Risa’s face. He reached out a hand and squeezed hers gently. “God, it just breaks my heart,” Risa whispered. “The damage that asshole did.” Realizing what she had said in front of Brian, she added, “Oops, sorry about that.”

Brian looked at her and shrugged. “He was an asshole.”

She gave him a bright smile. “Hey, language, please, and maybe that’s true,” she acknowledged, “but that will be the one and only time we allow swearing. You’ve got to watch that mouth of yours.”

He looked at her steadily. “Yeah, what will you do about it?”

She chuckled. “Young man, you have no idea how your life is about to change.” She glanced over at Jason. “I presume you’re behind this?”

“Me? Come on. No, how could I possibly be behind anything?” he teased, with a big laugh in her direction. “Anyhow, it’s nice to see you and my brother together.”

“I swear to God, we were just idiots,” she muttered.

“You sure were,” Jason agreed, staring her down steadily. She glared at him, and he just shrugged, completely unrepentant. “Think about it,” he began. “All the times that you wondered and worried, but instead of picking up the damn phone and calling him, you just sat back and watched it all go away.”

“He could have contacted me too, though, as far as he knew, it was a done deal. On the other hand, he didn’t have to listen to my mother.”

“Maybe not,” Jason admitted, “so we give both of you demerits for being idiots.”

“ Gee thanks ,” Cage replied in a dry tone.

Just then the child services social worker walked over, wearing the biggest frown she could have possibly worn. Cage looked at her and quickly extricated himself from the people and dog in his arms and stood up.

Staring at him and watching the scene carefully, she stated, “I think we need to talk.”

“Sounds good,” he said comfortably, and he walked a short distance away.

The social worker eyed Brian, who was now getting settled back in his wheelchair. “I was really hoping things would work out here, but I don’t think this foster family was quite ready for this.”

“No,” Risa agreed.

The social worker nodded. “I did wonder at the time, but they were pretty eager.”

Risa added, “I think they were more concerned about the paycheck and not so much for the child.”

She nodded. “We have a lot of people go into this because they think they’ll make enough money to help themselves out but don’t realize just how much work is involved. As it is, that boy appears to be pretty happy with your family over there.”

Cage nodded. “No reason for him not to be, and he will be welcomed as one of us.”

“And yet,” the social worker stated in a firm voice, “you don’t just get to keep him.”

His back stiffened, as he waited for the inevitable onslaught of bureaucracy that he had been dreading.

“There are processes, background checks, paperwork, all kinds of things, and you will need references.”

Eyeing her playfully, he asked, “Are you telling me that you haven’t got a million references already?”

She rolled her eyes at that. “I’m not sure anybody has ever come in with quite so many references, but it’s not a done deal. You’re also talking about going to a district that isn’t mine.”

“True, but, if you allow it, you know perfectly well that they will take it up on the other side.”

She frowned. “Sure, but I’m not sure I’m comfortable with this.”

“And what is it you’re uncomfortable with?”

She studied the scene, only just realizing that someone else was in a wheelchair. “Who is that in the wheelchair?”

“My brother,” Cage replied. “He’s been in it since he was eight.” She frowned at that, and he nodded. “If anybody in this room has the experience to deal with whatever Brian’s going through, it’s the two of us.”

“Maybe,” she muttered, “but that’s not necessarily enough.”

“It might not be enough to you, but I can tell you that it’s a really good start.” She was still frowning when he leaned over and added, “You might as well just give in because none of us are prepared to let that boy stay here, where he’s not wanted, or to go back to an institution.”

“But you’ve never raised a child.”

“You don’t understand my story, so let me tell you.… That is my brother Jason, and we lost our parents, by the way. He is a high-level basketball player, and he’ll be legit very soon. Sure, he is handicapped, but he will be in the Paralympics or Para-whatever they decide to call it this year,” Cage declared, waving his hands, “because Jason is that good. And, just like Jason, Brian will be welcomed just as he is, for who he is, and, if anybody can keep him safe, it will be me and Jason and that War Dog.”

“And the dog,” she repeated, her eyes widening as she recognized Scotty. “Is that his dog?”

“It is.” Cage smiled broadly. “And I’ve got to tell you, that dog is exactly what that boy needs right now.”

“Oh, so now you’ll tell me you have room for the dog too?” she asked, with a disbelieving tone.

He frowned at her and said, “I get the feeling that, in your work, you don’t have too many happy endings.”

“No,” she agreed. “More often than not, people are out for themselves. They start with good intentions, but it doesn’t last, and the children suffer.”

Cage nodded. “Well, if that were the case with me, I would have ditched my brother a long time ago.” He turned and looked back at Jason. “Hey, Jase. I should have dumped you a long time ago, right?”

Jason turned and snorted. “You should have, but too late now, bro. We’re family, and that’s all that matters. Besides, I would kick your ass if you ever did.”

She groaned. “And why the hell do I have recommendations here from people incredibly high up in the military?” She eyed Cage carefully, expecting an appropriate answer. “Who the hell are you?”

“Somebody who is more than ready to take on that little boy,” he replied, “and the War Dog is coming with us too.”

“What do you mean, coming with you?” she asked in alarm.

Cage announced, “I’m taking the whole lot of them back home.” She was still sputtering when he added calmly, “You need to make the paperwork happen and fast, so we can get out of here. That boy needs a chance to go out and play with his dog, and remember that we’re doing this for him .”

“Yes, but you’re a single man, and that’s not good enough.”

He frowned. “What do you mean, it’s not good enough?”

She let out a slow breath, trying hard for control. “There are checks and balances, and, in a case like this, we can’t just hand him off to somebody just because you think it’s a good idea. He’s not a pet.”

He glared at her. “I’m not sure anybody in this room is more aware of that than I am, and I’m also fully aware that, although there are challenges to being a single parent and looking after somebody like Brian, it is not impossible.”

“No, of course it’s not impossible, but it is a challenge, and it’s a challenge that you are just starting.”

He gave her a dry look and stated, “You probably should check your emails again.”

She frowned and pulled out her phone, her eyes widening as she saw the emails rolling in still. She rubbed at her furrowed brow. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

“I’m a decorated military veteran. I have a lot of great references. I’m highly experienced in a variety of situations, and I really don’t think the fact that I don’t have a wife makes a damn bit of difference.”

“Well, how about a wife in training?” Risa asked, as she slipped her hand into his.

He looked down at her, smiled, then pulled her up close and kissed her.

The child services woman watched the two of them suspiciously.

Cage explained, “We were together a long time ago, and my military service pulled us apart. We’ve just reconnected.”

“Yes, but you’re not engaged, and you’re not ready to get married,” she noted, “so that’s a whole different story.”

“It’s not even part of the story,” Cage argued, “because it has nothing to do with love. If you were able to let this wonderful kid go to somebody with zero experience and no empathy, just because at one time their house was wheelchair accessible, I’m not sure what other criteria you possibly had for this placement of Brian with Jameson and Dorothy. If you did that, then you can certainly give him a chance with us, who already love him. He was on a trial period here. Brian can come permanently to my place, him and Scotty.”

At that came a shocked gasp, and Cage turned to see Brian staring up at him, with hope in his eyes. “Do you mean it?”

He nodded. “Of course I mean it. Besides, we will have a hell of a time talking my brother out of taking you home right now. He figures he’ll have another basketball player on his court.”

“I love basketball,” Brian said. “I just can’t play anymore.”

Jason shook his head. “That’s all right, dude. We play all the time.”

“You play , play?”

“Sure, obviously we have wheels, and it’s not exactly the same thing, but yeah, we play , play. We’ll get you out on the court in no time. Cage put a court in for me at home.”

At that, Brian turned to look at Cage, his eyes wide. He looked from the social worker, over to Cage, then back again. “Please,” Brian said, with a hint of desperation. “I’m so uncomfortable everywhere else. Nobody understands me. Nobody understands what I’m going through, and no one else wants me,” he whispered. “It’s just so hard.”

The social worker frowned, trying to stay businesslike in the face of those pleas. Then she groaned. “Look…”

“No,” Cage interrupted, “it’s really simple. We have a home, a safe and loving home, and Brian and Scotty are welcome to come be a part of the family. We’ll show Brian how to make that wheelchair become something that’s a part of him, that he can learn to thrive in. And, if any surgery is down the road, we will do anything to make his life easier. We’ll get it done, and we’ll all be there for him.”

She stared at him. “You talk a good talk, but…”

“No buts,” he declared, with a bright smile. “Feel free to come by in a year, or any time that you want to visit.”

She frowned. “I would have to because I couldn’t live with myself.”

And that’s when he realized that her whole reason for struggling so much was because she didn’t know Cage, didn’t know what his home life was like, and didn’t know if this was the right thing to do or not.

“I’m not sure what it would take to convince you that this is the right thing, and I understand that it needs to be a decision you’re totally comfortable with,” Cage began. “So follow us home. It won’t be tonight though, as Killian, an older neighbor of Brian’s, is in the hospital. However, once we are assured that Killian is okay, we plan to leave sometime this week. It’s about two hours away, if we get stuck in traffic. You’ll know in just a few days how you feel about our situation. Then set another time to visit, giving Brian time to learn to shine and to love who he is in this life. You can check in on us as often as you like. If ever you think he’s not doing well enough to meet your expectations, we’ll find a way to change and to improve it. I guess in that case you would have some tangible reason for what you’re worrying about right now.”

She stared at him, miserable and confused.

He looked over at the two boys in wheelchairs, one big and one little. Now Brian was in Jason’s arms, giggling as his brother picked him up and tossed him gently. It was obvious that Brian was very underweight and needed some muscle building and nutrients, but, more than that, he needed to know he was loved. He needed to know he was secure and that somebody had his back. Cage pointed the social worker to the two boys.

The woman was struggling so hard to commit to a decision here.

“We’re the good guys here,” Cage declared. “We want Brian and Scotty with us. We just want to give him and his dog a home, a loving home.” She pinched her lips, then he nodded. “You could just tell your boss that I’ve kidnapped him, and that’s how it went down.”

She rolled her eyes at that. “That won’t do any good.”

“You never know,” he said cheerfully. Cage looked over at Brian. “You would be okay to come home with us, wouldn’t you?”

Brian nodded eagerly. “Oh yes,… please.… Can I? I just want to go home with them.” He wrapped his arms around Jason’s neck and hung on tight.

Jason chuckled with laughter and added, “I’m taking him outside. This kid needs to get out of this atmosphere. It’s stifling.” And, with that, he headed over to the front steps.

“Wait, no ramps are there,” the social worker cried out. “He can’t get down there.”

“You don’t know Jason,” Cage countered. “Come and watch, as this is how we operate in my world.”

She quickly moved to the front door just in time to see Jason carefully navigating the wheelchair down the stairs, perfectly fine, with Brian holding on tight.

When they hit the bottom, the two of them turned to look back up at the rest of them at the front door and waved.

“Good God,” she muttered, “he really does know how to make that thing work, doesn’t he?”

“Not only how to make it work but how to make it his, and that’s the big difference. My brother may not get out of that wheelchair, but we still have hope. I don’t know about Brian’s medical condition, and that’s something that I would need to look at with specialists, in case there is anything we can do for him,” Cage explained. “However, I can tell you that we’re willing and happy to do whatever it takes.”