Chapter Nineteen
NASH
Before leaving the BearCat, I’d outfitted Joshua with a set of military grade earwigs we all wore during operations, showing him how to mute the com so any crosstalk between team members wouldn’t distract him as he taught.
I hadn’t known what to expect when I’d heard Joshua’s passionate plea to let him work his night job as a teacher.
I hadn’t given it a lot of thought if I was being honest with myself.
The truth was, I’d believed that he just wanted to teach out of an obligation toward his students and the expectation of making enough money to support his family without Barbie having to take a job at her young age.
From the moment we walked into the classroom, however, I realized there was much more to the man.
I’d underestimated how much his students loved him and even I was caught up in his ready smiles for them as they filed in and took their seats. There was something magical about the way he conducted himself, seeming to stand a little taller than normal as he got into the groove of teaching.
He had great patience with them, coming up with inventive ways of explaining words they didn’t understand.
He’d asked them to keep a journal throughout the week, writing down words and phrases they didn’t understand, as they did normal things like grocery shopping, or watching television.
As they read out the words, he took the time to address the pronunciation and spelling on the whiteboard, praising each student and encouraging them.
He obviously loved his job. Then again, I now knew Joshua was an extraordinary man who found passion in everything he did.
The hour-long class passed quickly, and I was relieved when it was over as the tension mounted for me. We waited for the room to clear out, then retrieved our rifles before letting the rest of the team know we were exiting the building.
I could feel adrenaline rush into my blood the moment Candy barked back that he wanted us to meet him at the east end of the building…quickly.
Something in his abrupt tone gave me pause.
As a RECON Marine, I obeyed orders but was trained to hear things that weren’t being said too, since being lured into a trap by a superior officer—though rare—was always a possibility.
With the hallways mostly clear, we surrounded Joshua, keeping him inside a tight circle. As relieved as I was that his job hadn’t included an assault by a cartel hit squad, simply getting him out of the building came with its own risks of attack by anyone masquerading as a civilian.
We weren’t about to let that happen.
Outside the building, Candy and Mars were already seated inside the BearCat and I wasn’t surprised that our presence had drawn quite a large crowd of people, all with phones in their hands, waiting to see what was going to happen.
There was no doubt in my mind that Joshua would be recognized by someone, unfortunately putting an end to his night job after this.
The pang in my heart at this knowledge, told me I was more invested in his happiness than I expected to be.
Once we were seated, Mars stepped on the gas, and the coms buzzed to life.
I motioned to Joshua to unmute the com just as the boss began speaking.
“We’ve got confirmation that one of the vehicles we’ve been tracking is parked in a residential neighborhood about a mile from the school,” he announced.
I felt Joshua stiffen beside me and I quickly glanced at him. His eyes were wide, covering his ears with his hands as if having them there would help him hear better.
“What is he talking about?” he asked, turning to me.
“Judy hacked into the GPS of all the DEA team’s personal vehicles,” Raven said. “Since we think that someone was working from their offices, we wanted to see if we could figure something out about their identity that way.” He looked as serious as a heart attack.
“Whose vehicle is it, Candy?” I asked.
“It’s registered to Sibley,” Mars replied. “And you won’t believe what kind of car it is.”
“Wait, that’s the agent who was shot in the cartel’s apartment building, right?” Joshua practically yelled, making us all flinch as his shout came through the coms. He immediately winced. “Sorry.”
“Yes, and as I was about to tell you, it’s a 2026 Porsche 911 GT3 RS,” Candy said.
“What?” I asked, feeling shocked. Being the very proud owner of a vintage Jeep Golden Eagle, I read all the car magazines and watched all the auto rehab shows on Netflix.
Only last week, I’d read an article about one of these and knew it was a work of art.
It was basically a street-legal race car.
“How the hell can a DEA agent afford a two-hundred-fifty-thousand-dollar car?”
“It was brought over the border a month ago inside a cargo container and dropped off at the home of none other than Pedro Gomez,” Candy said. “We can only assume it was given to Sibley or our mystery mole as a bribe.”
“Holy shit,” Joshua said. “But Agent Sibley is dead,” he repeated, shaking his head. “So, it can’t be him.”
“Nor can it be Gomez since he’s dead, which just means someone else is driving the car,” Candy replied.
The BearCat slowed and came to a stop. I felt Joshua take my hand. His face was as white as a sheet. “What’s happening?” he asked shakily.
“According to GPS, we’re a block away from the vehicle, so we’re going to drop you with Hampstead, Way, Huerta, and Mathis, Mr. Calder,” Candy said. “They’ll take you back to the safehouse in one of our SUVs while the rest of us go after the Porsche.”
“Thank you, Captain.”
“No problem. I’m also sending backup to meet you all at the safehouse, just in case.”
“Sounds good, Cap,” I said, squeezing Joshua’s hand. He looked relieved as hell.
We rendezvoused with the SUV and moments later, the back door was wrenched open.
Fully armed and ready for anything which may be waiting in the dark, I kept Joshua close as Miguel, Raven, Mickey, and I moved into a tight diamond formation around him.
Candy acknowledged Joshua with a tight smile as he clicked open two sleek, black SUVs parked on the curb.
He handed me one set of keys and Miguel the other.
“I want you in separate vehicles when you arrive at the house, that way, if one should come under attack, the other can radio for help,” Candy said.
“And like I said, I’ve got backup already headed to the property.
They’ll check it out and be there waiting when you arrive. ”
“Thanks, Candy,” Mickey said, turning to me and holding out a hand. “I’ll drive with you two.”
I didn’t like the idea of not being in the driver’s seat, but I could practically feel Joshua trembling, so I simply nodded before turning to Miguel. “Follow us. Don’t lose us on the freeway.”
He saluted smartly and then turned without words, Raven—as always—right by his side. The three of us headed for the lead vehicle and I waited for Joshua to slide into the back seat before following him in. Mickey took the wheel, and we were moving seconds later.
Joshua slid his hand into mine, and I squeezed his fingers, feeling as comforted by the connection as he probably did.
The heat coming off his body was something I wanted more of and I knew that I’d be dragging him into the privacy of what had become our safehouse bedroom as soon as we got home if I could.
I rolled the idea of having Joshua in my own apartment bedroom which I considered a sanctuary.
Naked and all wrapped up in each other’s arms, being surrounded by my plants and having Marvin stalking up the bed to greet us in the morning, sounded amazing.
I shook myself out of those thoughts, suddenly realizing the place my imagination had strayed.
Somehow, the thought wasn’t as alarming as it should be.
Who am I?
I was a free-spirited gay man who always took men to bed without commitment, sometimes participating in threesomes like the one I’d had less than a week ago.
I went from man to man, often fueled by too much alcohol, avoiding answering any questions about the brand on my shoulder.
And I always…always made sure the nameless men were out of my bed as soon as the sex was over, showering any traces of them off me the second they were gone.
But I wasn’t that man anymore.
Somehow, this kindhearted, restaurant working, part-time teaching, father figure with a massive heart and incredible family, had become my home, not my damned apartment and all my plants.
Not even Marvin who, before meeting Joshua, was the only man I loved.
My thoughts came to a screeching halt. I wasn’t in love with Joshua… I couldn’t be.
But…I was.
“We caught up to the Porsche,” Candy suddenly interrupted my thoughts as I heard his voice in the coms. “It’d been abandoned.”
“You can’t be serious, Captain,” I replied.
“Who the fuck parked it practically next to the school? I mean, why abandon a car like that?” I looked at Joshua and was met with wide eyes, a look of shock on his beautiful face.
I squeezed his hand again, only then remembering he still wore the earbuds I’d given him.
“They got away again?” he asked shakily.
“We don’t know why the driver would leave a quarter million-dollar car near the school, Mr. Calder,” Candy said. “Continue on route to the safehouse, Huerta…Way. Just be cautious. We don’t know what games this guy is playing at.”
“Will do, Captain,” both men echoed at once.
“And, Mr. Calder—”
I heard a deep sigh in Captain Sorensen’s voice. “Will you please return the coms to Nash?”
Joshua looked at me and then nodded. “Yes, sir.”
I watched him pull the earbuds out and hand them over, barely able to hold back a smile. Clearly, our boss had forgotten he was barking orders on a party line. I tucked the earbuds into their case and settled in as Mickey continued to drive.