10. Phoenix
Havingto choose between Maddie and River—it fucking hurt.
My daughter needed me. I had trust that River, a fully-trained Army Vet with combat experience, could take care of herself until I could get back to her.
Pops had Casey on the cell again. Trying to calm her down so she didn’t accidently take us out as we came up to the house. The Jeep’s brakes squealed as we pulled up out front. There were a few of the neighbors down the road outside. Nosy fucks.
I was out and running for the backyard before the Jeep stopped rocking. Rounding the side of the house, I saw the aftermath of what was to be a break-in. Pops kept going, busting through the screen door.
“Casey, open the door. It’s me. We’re here.”
While Pops went in to check on Casey and the girls, I walked over to the man trying to crawl away from the house. The back of his pant leg was covered in blood. I leaned over as I pressed my booted foot into his knee. His scream brought me immense pleasure.
“I’m only asking this once. Who are you?”
“Fuck. You.”
I stepped down harder, grinding the ridges of the sole into the wound. He screamed, his hand clutching at the grass as he tried to get away. He was going nowhere. With the anger coursing through me strongly, I reached down to grab his injured leg.
He wanted to play hardball—well, so could I. I dragged him across the yard to where Casey’s garden was. There were buckets of soil, bags of fertilizer, and—yes, just what I needed. I filled the bucket with water from the hose.
“Who are you working for? Who wants my kid?”
“Fuck. You.”
“Okay. The hard way it is.” I yanked the green T-shirt he had up over his head, wrapped the end quickly making it tighten around his face.
I got him to his knees, which made him scream in pain, and dunked his head into the bucket. I let him try to push up a few times before I pulled him back out.
“Who. Sent. You?” I asked again.
He was too busy coughing and trying to get air to answer, so I dunked him again. I could do this all day; could he?
“Phoenix, bud, I’mma need you to let him go,” Charlie’s voice rang out across the yard.
The fuck I was.
“Come on, don’t make us taze you,” Jacks pleaded.
I dunked the asshole again, letting him struggle a little more. This time when I pulled him up, he heaved out, “Not. The. Kid.”
Not the kid? I stood in a rush as Pops came out of the house, running my way. I dropped the asshole to the ground. “River.” I took off toward the front yard. “He was a decoy. They’re after River.”
I jumped into the Jeep, threw it in reverse, and with my foot on the gas, I spun it around.
How long had it been since I put her out? Probably ten minutes. Maybe longer.
Fucking hell!
I slammed my palm into the steering wheel. I broke every speed law between Pops and our house. Didn’t care. Sirens were on my tail, but I didn’t slow down. I’d deal with that shit later.
I drove up into the yard, threw the Jeep in park, and was out and running before the others came to a stop.
I had to slow down, scan the yard for an ambush. She’d come here alone. I was so stupid. I stopped at the corner of the house and when I say, looking into the backyard took a decade off my life, I mean just that.
River laid on the ground, her legs wrapped around a motherfucker, her side covered in blood. I rushed to her, my hands going to her side.
It was then I realized that I’d made a grave mistake. Her right hook cracked me in the jaw. I landed hard, sprawled out on my ass.
“Phoenix.”
“Stay back. She’s not okay, man. It’s not her. Hold up.”
She was reaching behind her. If she had her piece on her, I was up shit creek.
“Keep your hands where we can see them, River.”
“Shut the fuck up, man. That’s not her!”
They shared a look. I didn’t have time to explain it.
“Specialist Knowles, stand down,” I barked out the order, my tone hard.
“What is he doing?”
“Trying to snap her out of something you don’t want to know about. This fight must have triggered a flashback. She’s here, but no one’s home.”
Pops’ voice rolled out across the yard.
“Fuck. I’ve never seen this in person.”
“You’ve never lived with someone that’s been in a fight that never ends. Don’t get me wrong, y’all know what it’s like to put your life on the line, but being in a war, it changes you.”
I watched as the indecision rolled across her features. “Specialist Knowles, I said, stand down.”
As I spoke, I moved closer, keeping my eyes on her hands. My girl was strung tight, and I didn’t want another punch to the jaw.
She blinked, her face softening. “Phoenix?”
“Yeah, baby. It’s me. You okay now?”
“I—I was…” She went horizontal in the span of one heartbeat.
“River!”
I rolled her over, panic sinking through me at the sheer amount of red on her shirt.
“She’s bleeding!” I gripped her T-shirt and yanked, tearing it up the front. Her side has been fileted. “I’mma kill that bastard.”
“Here, press this to the wound. Focus on her, kid.” Pops handed me a package of gauze from the first aid kit in his hand.
“You just carry this in your back pocket?”
He shook his head. “No, I snatched it out of Charlie’s car on the way up the drive. I had a feeling it would be needed.”
“Ambulance is three minutes out,” Jacks said.
Charlie was cuffing the asshole on the ground, reading him his Miranda. “He’s conscious, but she sure put a beating on him.”
“Good,” I ground out. “Should put him through the wall.”
She has bruises on her arm, throat. There was a gash on her temple, and her lip was busted. As I cataloged the injuries, my anger boiled.
“You focus on her, you hear me? If she wakes up in fight mode again, you best be ready. I’m too old to be taking punches.”
“Says the man who?—”
“That was different.”
“I’ve never seen her like this before.” I brought my attention back to her. My hand cupped hers.
“She’s had a hard day. That flashback this morning was still at the surface of her mind. Something here triggered it. We just don’t know what. You stay with her, be her advocate.”
I nodded. I’d not leave her.
“Where is Maddie? Casey? The girls?”
“Drew took them to the center. I’m going inside to get the kids; Jacks will take them there until we get things sorted.”
I nodded and moved aside when the EMT’s, Callum and Abe, moved into the yard. They assessed her, got her loaded onto the gurney, and were heading out across the yard in minutes.
“You riding with her?” Callum asked.
“Yeah.” I jogged beside the gurney and climbed inside. “I’m not leaving her. She’s had two flashbacks today. If she wakes up again, in that headspace?—”
“We’ll take care of her,” he assured me.
Being a Vet himself, he got it. It made me feel better that he was on this call.
“How is she, son?”
My head jerked up at the sudden rush of voices. Pops came in with the deputies and an FBI agent. I scrubbed my hands over my face. Shit, I’d fallen asleep sitting up.
“She’s doing okay,” I said, holding back anything else when I saw Laura was draped over his chest and sound asleep. My brow arched. “Thought the kids were staying at the center? What happened?”
“Easy, everything is fine.” Pops rubbed her back.
“She’s been screaming for you. Literally no one could make it stop,” Jacks said, frowning. “Not even Lana.”
“Until I promised to bring her to you,” Pops remarked, shrugging. “She fell asleep on the way here. I guess she cried herself into sleep.”
I took her from him when she started to whine. “Hey, it’s okay. I’ve got you.” I rubbed her back and closed my eyes. Tears suddenly burned them. The unconditional love of a child, no one really deserved that. How some of us got lucky enough to have it, I didn’t know, but I’d be forever grateful.
“Hey, you okay?” Pops squeezed my shoulder.
I was being honest when I said, “I don’t know. I don’t think so. Seeing her like that—I was scared I was losing her.”
“That, my boy, never gets easy. She’s not going to go down without a fight, as we saw. Just hang in there, okay?”
Hanging on was more like it, but I’d not say that. Now was not the time to get emotional. And before you say shit, men cry, fuck that stereotype. I just didn’t want to traumatize the four-year-old in my arms. She’d been through enough today too.
“Where is Ms. Knowles?” It was Agent Carson who asked. “Can we see her?”
“In with the therapist. She had another episode. Put me on my ass so fast.” I chuckled. “It was over before it got started, though. Callum and I were able to get her to snap out of it.”
“Is that something that’s happened before?” Jacks asks, his brows pinched.
“With her?” I shook my head. “No, but Pops has had episodes before. I have too. Stressful situations trigger shit. It happens.”
“Mr. Cavanagh?”
I stood when the nurse came in. “She’s settled in now. The doctors are making a plan for her, but she will be staying the night for observation. She should be able to go home in the morning.”
“Thank you so much. Can I see her, please?”
She nodded. “Of course. No more than three visitors at a time.”
I nodded and turned to hand Laura to Pops. “Take her with you, let River see she’s okay. It’ll help. I’ll stay back here with these jokers.”
“If you don’t mind,” Agent Carson said, stepping toward me, “I’d like to go in with you. I have good news for you both. I won’t overstay my welcome.”
I nodded and followed the nurse down the hall. When I got to her door, I knocked.
“Come in.”
“Hey, we came to see you.” I walked in, moving to hand Laura to her. She gave her little sister a squeeze. The little girl grunted but settled back against her chest.
“I’m so sorry. I just?—”
“Hey, don’t. It’s fine. We’ve all been there. Do not feel bad or apologize. You hear me?”
“Yeah, I hear you…but your face…”
I leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips. Careful of the sore spot.
“It’ll be fine. You can make it up to me later.” I winked.
Her face pinkened with a blush. “Are the kids really okay?”
“Yes, they’re at the center with Casey. Well, all but the little miss here. Pops said she threw a hissy fit. So he brought her to me.” I smiled, running a finger along Laura’s little cheek.
“Did you catch the people at your dad’s? What in the hell was going on?”
“I think I can answer that.”
“Agent Carson.” She nodded. I sat beside her on the bed, wrapping my arm around her shoulders.
“The men responsible for taking your daughter and the others have been apprehended. The two men at your homes were just decoys so the others could get out of town. They were spotted out on the main road, heading south. They were tracked and taken into custody after a rather lengthy race down the highway. They’ll be transported to Houston this evening and processed.”
“How did—why?”
“They were part of a ring—let’s just say we had no idea they’d expanded this far west. When you stumbled across the women in the barn, you cut off their access to potential buyers. It upset the hornets’ nest. They marked you as a target. Without your testimony, they’d be let go. Pompous assholes, the lot of them.”
“Just filet them like fish and toss them in the ocean. Let nature have them.”
“If it were up to me, I’d do that.”
“We have a man on the inside; he’s ready to take down the buyers. Soon we will have them all. Thanks to you that is.”
“Thank you,” I responded, holding my hand out to him. “For everything.”
“Yes, thank you for all the help.”
“You both take care.”
I felt like there was a lot he hadn’t said, but you know what, not my lane, so I was staying out of it. Our family was safe, that’s all that mattered.
I pulled her against me, forgetting about her injury. Until she hissed in pain.
“Fuck, baby, I’m sorry.” I moved so I was sitting on the bed but facing her.
“I’m okay, just sore. I got some stitches. They can come out in ten days.” She shrugged. “I’ve had worse.”
“Don’t do that.”
“What? It’s the truth.” She shifted Laura when the little one sat up, rubbing her face.
“Don’t minimize what you did today.” I took her hand in mine. “We pulled the camera feed. You had one helluva fight on your hands.”
“Was he actually there for me, eh, I don’t think so. Not in the way they think. I insulted the bastard, and his ego was bruised. He thought I’d be an easy mark.” She shrugged again. “I wasn’t about to let him take me down and have a chance to get at the kids.”
I leaned in and kissed her softly.
This woman.
I loved her so much.