20. Cage
Chapter 20
Cage
Kane was due to arrive at Cage’s apartment at any moment.
The wait was agonizing.
Cage had called Kane because he figured with Kane’s hacking abilities, he may well be able to somehow locate Katie.
It was a long shot, but one that Cage just had to try.
‘Come on, Kane!’ Cage said, the frustration flowing out of his mouth as he paced around the kitchen, desperate to get this seek and rescue mission up and running.
As a firefighter, Kane was no stranger to moving quickly.
Part of his job was based on making quick, confident decisions under pressure. Cage figured that even if Kane couldn’t help locate Katie, he would definitely bring some added intelligence to the situation.
Kane’s problem-solving skills were legendary.
He had been awarded several medals by the city for bravery. But he wasn’t the type of firefighter to rush in and go gung-ho. No, he was calm, methodical, and able to make assessments at rapid speed.
Cage would have called his other Daddy friend, Leo. As an ER doctor he too had the kind of mental and physical skill set that would have come in extremely handy. The only problem was that Dom was on a night shift at the ER.
This meant one thing… no cell phone access.
Oh, and the likelihood that Leo had about a hundred cases of injured people to deal with and not much time to do it in.
Hopefully, Kane would be enough.
That was what Cage was banking on anyway.
Just as he was about to get concerned as to Kane’s whereabouts, there was an urgent knocking at Cage’s door.
‘Kane!’ Cage said, the relief in his voice very apparent.
‘My bro, I came as fast as I could,’ Kane said, the pair embracing in what was an epic display of two big Daddies showing their love for each other.
Two large, protective men.
Each with a dominant side.
Physically capable of meeting any challenge.
And crucially, working on the same side to find Katie.
‘What’s that?’ Cage asked as he witnessed Kane take a seat at the kitchen table and unpack his backpack to reveal two laptops, a couple of small black boxes, and a whole bunch of wires. ‘Actually, don’t bother. Just get to work.’
‘On it,’ Kane said, his warm brown eyes fixated on the dual screens. ‘Okay. Okay. This shouldn’t take too long. Any chance of an espresso?’
Cage rolled his eyes and then nodded.
Kane loved coffee.
Maybe it was a firefighter thing. Or it could have been a hacker trait. Either way, when there was work to be done, Kane always worked best with a caffeine injection.
The stronger the better.
‘Here’s a triple shot,’ Cage said, placing an espresso cup down next to Kane as he tapped on the keys with serious intent. ‘I can’t even imagine doing what you do. It’s like another language to me.’
‘Maybe because it literally is another language?’ Kane laughed, downing his triple espresso in one hearty gulp. ‘Never mind. Now step back and watch the master at work.’
Kane began to work in overdrive.
It was spectacular to witness.
Cage could do nothing but watch. His input wasn’t needed. But what exactly was Kane doing?
‘Okay, neeeeearly there,’ Kane grinned, his dimples almost glowing with pride. ‘Any moment now I should have hacked into the laptop and…. Bam! In!’
Cage punched the air in excitement.
After a quick high-five, Kane continued to work his magic.
‘Location?’ Cage asked, his voice full of anticipation. ‘We need a location.’
‘Got it, let’s go,’ Kane said.
Without further ado, the two Daddies stormed out of Cage’s place and made their way outside.
‘Let’s ride,’ Kane said, pointing over at his Harley. ‘Come on. I know a shortcut that involves some seriously nimble riding.’
‘So what are you saying?’ Cage replied, jumping on the back of the super-charged motorcycle.
‘I’m saying, hang the fuck on,’ Kane laughed. ‘Things are about to get wild.’
Kane wasn’t lying.
The ride over to the location was intense.
As part of Kane’s training as a firefighter he had been on several extreme-driving courses. Three involved cars and firetrucks, but there was also an option to take the motorcycle unit too.
Kane had been more than happy to take this option up.
Cage felt momentarily queasy as he got off the bike.
One too many near-misses along the way that probably aged Cage at least ten years.
But that wasn’t important.
Nothing in that moment was more important than finding Katie and dealing with whichever scumbag had taken her.
‘Okay, this is the place,’ Kane said. ‘What do you think? Storm in? Stealth?’
Cage took a moment to observe the building.
Yes, time was of the essence. But on the other hand, now they were here they needed to make a clear-headed assessment. There was no point having gone to the effort of finding out the location only to blow it all by making the wrong move.
It was an old, grimy looking building.
The front door to the side looked like it was about to fall off.
The wooden windows looked chipped, like they were deep into the process of rotting away. The drapes were dirty and mangled, barely hanging on to the rail.
Cage shuddered at the thought of Katie being held captive in there. It was no way for his Little to live. And if Cage had anything to do with it, today would be the last time that Katie ever had to see this damned hell hole.
‘That garage door,’ Cage said. ‘A million bucks and a whole load of police experience tells me that we can jimmy that open quick and easy.’
Kane nodded.
‘Concur totally,’ Kane said, his muscular arms flexing as they poked out from outside of his trademarked brilliant-white t-shirt. ‘Let’s do this thing.’
Cage was about to open the garage door when he heard a slight noise from inside.
‘There’s someone in the garage,’ Cage whispered. ‘Sounds like there could be two people in there. Change of plan. Follow my lead.’
Cage decided that a surprise entrance was a bad idea.
He had no idea of what was going on inside, so couldn’t take the chance on a sudden entrance. Cage didn’t know who he was dealing with, or what they were capable of.
It just wasn’t worth risking any unnecessary harm to his beloved Katie.
Cage took a deep breath and knocked on the small door to the side of the main garage door.
‘It’s the police,’ Cage said, his voice loud and authoritative.
Kane and Cage exchanged glances as they waited for a response. Any kind of response. There was definitely someone in there, so the fact they weren’t answering wasn’t likely to be good news.
‘Repeat. This is the police. Open the door right now,’ Cage said, his voice louder, more intimidating. ‘I will not ask again.’
Still no response.
Cage could hear some rummaging around going on inside.
Whoever was in there could definitely hear him.
The time for talking was over.
It was time for action.
After counting to three, both Cage and Kane smashed down the smaller door. It was old, rotten, just like the rest of the building. It caved easily.
Cage’s eyes were immediately drawn across the small, damp room.
‘Katie!’
‘Cage!’ Katie cried, her voice full of fear.
It was Cage’s worst nightmare.
He was confronted by the sight of Katie being held at gunpoint.
‘Don’t move a freakin’ muscle,’ Tommy said, holding Katie right up against his body. ‘One wrong move and your so-called Little gets it.’
Cage exchanged a quick look with Kane.
It was the time for cool heads.
Sure, they could easily overpower Katie’s captor, but there was no way in hell they were risking Katie being hurt in the process.
‘Okay, okay, it’s all good,’ Kane said, calming stepping back and keeping his hands visible. ‘My man, why not let Cage here talk to you. Real relaxed. No stress.’
Cage nodded.
He knew that this was a pivotal moment.
‘Don’t try and talk to me, cop,’ Tommy said, sounding like he was frothing at the mouth. ‘I’m the one in charge here. I’m in control. Katie is mine!’
Cage had dealt with people like Tommy before.
He was obviously disenchanted with the world. Sad. A loner. And now this was his attempt at regaining some control. An attempt to make his existence at least a little bit better.
But Tommy had to be stopped.
His life may well suck, but Cage knew that this was no excuse.
It was time to apply some pressure.
‘Okay, you’re in control,’ Cage said, taking tiny steps forward. ‘Everyone here agrees, right?’
‘Y-y-y-yes, Tommy is in control,’ Katie said, two large tears falling down her cheek.
‘For sure, the main man Tommy is on top,’ Kane said, smiling and showing off those incredible dimples. ‘Nice car by the way. I love a good project. This could be super nice if you cleaned it up.’
Tommy seemed to relax a little bit.
The tension in the room was still palpable, but the heat had perhaps come down a few degrees.
There was still work to do.
‘Tommy, it’s okay, there’s no drama here,’ Cage said, continuing to edge forward ever so slightly. ‘This doesn’t have to be a big deal. At all. We’re all good. Right?’
Tommy looked like he was having a moment of doubt.
He still had the gun pointed at Katie, but Cage could see that Tommy’s grip was looser. Like he was shying away from the prospect of firing the gun.
This was good.
This was progress.
‘Tell me, Tommy,’ Cage said. ‘Do you like to read? I find it very relaxing. I recently discovered audiobooks too. Right, Katie?’
Katie nodded, nervous but looking as if she was clued up to Cage’s tactics. This was about talking Tommy down from the ledge, not smashing him off it.
‘You can’t beat a nice bit of steamy romance while reading in a hot bubble bath,’ Cage continued. ‘Hot water. Relaxing bubbles. Maybe a candle. Some light music in the background…’
It appeared as if Cage’s words were taking Tommy on a journey.
Cage saw Tommy lower his gun away from Katie for a moment.
This was Cage’s chance, he had to go for it.
It was now or never.
Jumping forwards, Cage crashed into Tommy and quickly wrestled him to the ground.
‘ Aargh ! You tricked me! You asshole!’ Tommy cried out, pure rage in his voice.
Kane quickly moved over and helped Cage restrain Tommy.
‘No sudden moves, Tommy,’ Cage said. ‘We don’t want to hurt you. But understand me when I say this… it’s all over. You’re done here.’
‘I’ve got him from here,’ Kane said, holding Tommy down with ease. ‘You go to Katie. It looks like she needs her Daddy.’
Cage nodded and immediately ran over to Katie.
‘Daddy, you kept me safe!’ Katie said, burying her face deep into Cage’s chest. ‘I always knew you’d come. I always believed. I was so scared though.’
‘It looks like you were being very brave to me,’ Cage said, gripping Katie in an extra cozy Daddy bear hug. ‘You’re the bravest Little in the whole of New York City.’
Katie smiled and hugged Cage even harder.
‘But what about Tommy?’ Katie asked. ‘It was him all along. The photos and everything. I hate him. He nearly ruined everything for us.’
Cage looked over towards Tommy. Kane was still holding him down. The police were on their way now and it wouldn’t be long before they arrived.
‘You don’t ever need to worry about him again,’ Cage said. ‘Tommy will be going away for a long time. Seriously long in fact. Hopefully he’ll put his time to good use and learn right from wrong. But that’s his problem to work out, not yours.’
Katie and Cage embraced again.
Cage bowed his head and planted a big kiss on Katie’s forehead.
It felt good.
They had worked together, Tommy was going down, and the path was clear for them to enjoy being Daddy and Little again.
Everything was good in the world.
And things were about to get even better too.