Chapter 16 #2
Gavin Massey and at least a dozen thugs filled the room. They quickly surrounded Cayden, Carver, Bucky, and Slick. The VP made to reach for his gun, but stopped when he realized how woefully outnumbered he was. He slowly held up his hands, showing they were empty.
Bucky, whom Cayden could see out of the corner of his eye, was standing frozen and hadn’t even made to reach for his weapon. Cayden could only be grateful for that. Fear crept into his veins for the young man. He shouldn’t have been here.
Gavin Massey was not what Cayden had envisioned in his head. He had expected an older Caucasian man in a tailored suit. The jokester in him even gave Massey a Yosemite Sam mustache that he could twirl while doing his evil deeds.
The man in front of Cayden was African American with long dreadlocks held back in a messy bun like Trixie wore.
He was younger than Cayden expected, maybe early forties.
There was no facial hair on his face, but he did have a long scar running down his left cheek.
His teeth shone brightly against his dark complexion as he smiled.
Massey was dressed in dark jeans, sneakers, and a beige sweater.
He looked…casual.
He did not look like a man who was preparing a hostile criminal enterprise takeover or, Cayden swallowed nervously, even murder.
Cayden inched himself closer to Bucky. He didn’t like how the young man was simply standing there.
If all hell broke loose, he hoped Bucky would run to the door behind him.
There was only one of Massey’s men between Bucky and his exit.
Carver stepped forward, though still keeping distance between Massey and himself. “What the fuck, Massey? I’ve always been straight with you. I’ve never crossed into your territory. What the fuck is this about?”
“This isn’t about territory, Carver. It’s about respect. You overstepped.”
Carver’s jaw ticked. “I offered you a seat at the auction.”
That got him a raise of an invisible eyebrow. “A seat?” Massey shook his head. “No, I should have been made a partner. I have given you plenty over the years and you think you’re going to make a dime off of me because you have a man who can boost even the un-boostable?”
Cayden felt himself stiffen as Massey’s amber eyes landed on him.
He froze, not wanting to draw attention to himself or Bucky.
Those eyes held such greed, like the world owed him everything and he planned to take it all.
There was no remorse or fear behind those eyes, just pure gluttony.
For one single second, Cayden understood Lee’s hatred of this man beyond Marco’s murder.
Carver might be many things, and Cayden certainly was no angel, but it was Massey who was true evil.
“Of course, it might be exaggerating your man’s talents some.
Are you aware, Carver, that your man has been feeding information about you to the local cops for months?
In fact, the motorcycle he was bringing you tonight wasn’t even the real one.
It was a manufactured failure that the company handed him the keys to.
” Cold sweat dripped down Cayden’s back at the damning words.
How the fuck had Massey known any of that?
Shit, shit shit… He really hoped the cops were listening and hadn’t decided to take a bathroom break right then.
He needed the cavalry to know he was in trouble.
Where were they? Why hadn’t they come in as soon as Massey had?
“You’re lucky my man in the department was able to give me so much information, Carver, or you would have brought me down along with yourself. ”
Double shit. Massey had a cop in his pocket. Probably more than one, though he’d only referenced the singular.
While Carver looked murderous at Massey’s damning words, it was Bucky who spoke. “Boost?” His voice was laced with uncertainty, sadness, and accusation at Cayden, and all Cayden could think about was just how young Bucky looked in that moment.
The hurt in Bucky’s voice was like a slice upon his soul. The young man was standing only a few feet behind him. Still, Cayden met Bucky’s eyes unapologetically. He’d done what he had to do, and he doubted he’d ever be able to get Bucky to understand that. “I told you I was out.”
Before Bucky could respond, Massey spoke up again. “Your man set you up, Carver. You should be thanking me.” Massey took something small and black out of his pocket. “They won’t be able to hear a thing we’ve said. Your man’s been wired from the get-go. Likely recording every one of your meetings.”
Shit, shit, shit… That explained why the cops weren’t barging in. Cayden needed to figure out another way to get their attention.
Massey gestured to his men to start packing up the items on Carver’s shelves and in the crates.
They were going to need to take a lot of trips or Massey was going to need a lot more men if he planned on emptying Carver out completely.
“You’ve gotten careless, Carver. They were planning on raiding you today.
I figured since you were going to lose your product anyway, I’d take it off your hands and get a good price for it.
Better with me than in police storage. At least with me, it’d be put to better use. ”
Carver’s face turned nasty. His eyes never left Cayden even as Massey talked to him. “You’re dead. How could you do this to me? I protected you! I took you in! I made you who you are!”
“I made me who I am,” Cayden shouted back at him. “You are nothing more than a black stain on my soul and I was happy to be rid of you and this life.”
“Oh, I’m sure your girlfriend had something to do with your decision.
” Cayden whipped himself around to face Massey.
He wasn’t fool enough to attack the man, but how he wanted to.
How dare he talk about Trixie? Massey wasn’t fazed at all by Cayden’s ire.
“She’s a pretty thing. Sassy. I might pay her a visit too when I’m done here. ”
Fury ran through him. Logic told him that Trixie was protected. Even if Cayden died today, Lee wouldn’t let anything happen to his sister. She was currently in the police precinct surrounded by cops. Massey’s reach was powerful, but he couldn’t get to her in the center of a police station.
But logic was not playing a part in Cayden’s decision making right then.
Fury running through his veins, he took a step towards Massey. His hands were fisted, though he couldn’t quite say what his intention had been in advancing. The man to Massey’s right immediately raised his gun. Cayden froze. At least his brain was willing to acknowledge danger, if not logic.
It was silly. He was staring down the barrel of a gun. He knew all the man had to do was squeeze the trigger and Cayden was dead. No way around it. Unless the man was the world’s worst shot, he wasn’t missing.
But fear didn’t grip Cayden in that moment.
Rather than the metal of the gun, Cayden saw the wicked gleam of Trixie’s eyes the first time she went down on him.
She’d been so timid, but her enthusiasm had taken over and made up for her lack of technique.
He saw Trixie standing, fully clothed, in the shop’s bay with grease smeared across her nose.
He could hear her laugh as if she was standing right there in front of him.
He remembered the first time he’d heard that magical sound, eavesdropping on her conversation with Mrs. Wynn.
Trixie…
Cayden’s only regret was their future together.
His heart grew heavy as he realized he’d never get to build a home with her, never get to see her face as he got down on one knee to ask her to marry him, never get to see their children be born and then in a blink go off to college, never get to grow old with her… Their future had been right there.
They’d never even gotten to spend their first holiday season together. Instead, she’d likely spend Christmas Day at his funeral.
He knew she’d be cared for. She had the Wynns, Jeff, Joey, her employees, and Lee to support her.
He wondered if Trixie would have worn a white dress on their wedding day or if she would have worn her coveralls because she knew just how much her wearing those turned him on.
He hoped she’d always have grease under her fingernails.
There was a small crack followed by a sharp thud.
For a moment, no one moved. And then the man who’d lifted his gun towards Cayden fell backwards.
Cayden stared wide-eyed at the man who had a small red hole in the center of his forehead.
Who had shot him? Cayden turned, half expecting to see Carver or his man with their gun raised.
But neither did. Nor did Bucky. His eye caught something in the sunlight, lifting his gaze to the window above the bay door.
There was a single, perfectly round hole in the glass. What the fuck?
The shock of the initial shot wore off, and all hell broke loose. Massey’s men reached for their weapons. Two more holes appeared in the glass, and two more men dropped.
Without thinking, Cayden rushed Bucky, tackling his young friend to the floor. Bucky had been in the process of getting his gun out of his pants. Cayden had seen the fear and uncertainty in his eyes just before their bodies collided. The gun went skidding across the concrete floor.
They had been standing in the middle of an open floor space.
He could do nothing but hold himself over Bucky and cover his young friend’s head with his own body.
Bullets sounded, glass shattered, shots rang out, and then the loud crash of the bay door exploding.
Cayden gripped Bucky tighter. There was a flash of light and a loud bang, followed by muffled shouted orders for weapons to be lowered and hands to be raised.