Chapter twenty-Two #2
When Rodney looked at him, Ethan saw the flicker in his eyes and tried to rationalize with him.
“James, you’re in there. Don’t let him win,” he said, watching him with his gun trained on him.
Blackhawk didn’t want to kill the man. It wasn’t his fault that he’d been a product of his environment. The issues in his life were the reflections of his father’s sin.
NOT.
HIS.
“Help me,” he said. “He’s sick. I need help,” James said, pushing his way out so he could fight the man.
Ethan knew they had to help him.
Or try.
If he shot one more person, he was pretty sure Greyson, and Gabe, were going to kick his ass.
“Don’t shoot him. He’s fighting it.”
As he spoke, the man moved closer.
“He’s trying to hurt people. I don’t want to hurt them,” he admitted.
Ethan had to get him help.
“You can beat him, James. You can beat Rodney. He’s who was made after the trauma. You’re better than this.”
Only, Ethan knew it was not going to happen.
Suddenly, there was sick laughter.
The more dominant personality came back, and he wanted blood.
“Rodney is dead. Sam is here to play,” he said, running at Ethan.
Before he could crash into him, Gene moved too, swung out, and clocked the man with his casted arm.
HARD.
Holy shit!
Rodney went down like a ton of bricks.
“Well, that is kind of handy,” Gene said, shaking out his arm from the pain that had caused. That was probably a bad idea, but now they could say he ran into a wall.
Plaster was plaster.
As soon as the man hit the ground, the front door was kicked in, and in came the detective.
Gun out.
“You’re a little too late,” Gene said. “He’s out cold.”
The man slid to a stop and took in the scene. On the kitchen table, there was a naked woman, sobbing through her gag. Immediately, Dannie took off his coat, and placed it over her body, giving her some modesty.
His heart broke for her.
“We have you, Summer,” he said. “He’s not hurting you today,” he admitted, cutting the ties around her wrists and ankles before helping her into the coat.
Gene jerked his head.
“Get her out of here. We’ll handle the scene,” he said. “His car is outside. Put her in that and call backup. We’re not on the reservation,” he admitted.
Scooping the woman up, he faced the two agents. It looked like they’d delivered on their promise to find the person.
Ethan was cuffing him as he was out cold.
“Thanks for helping Damascus,” he said. “I hope you come to peace with it one day and come back. I can tell this place makes you uncomfortable.”
Yeah, don’t place bets on that.
Instead of saying anything, Ethan just laughed as the man walked out carrying the only victim they were able to save.
It wasn’t what they wanted, but it would have to do. Someone was going home tonight, at least.
Well, beside them.
Coming back here…
No, thank you.
What in the hell kind of craziness would have to happen for him to willingly come back to this town to face his past?
Yeah, no.
“Well, so, good job not shooting anyone,” Gene said, busting his ass as he sent a text to Greyson to tell him it was handled.
Oh, and that they were going to take a little vacation.
Skiing.
It was only fair since their trip to Puerto Rico had been work-related, and now this was too.
As usual, Blackhawk was amused.
“You should talk. You aren’t supposed to be carrying a gun. Someone likes to break the rules as much as I do,” he admitted.
Gene shrugged.
“Sharing is caring, Boo, and I didn’t shoot him. I knocked the stuffing out of him, or better yet, it was Agent Cantrell, in the kitchen, with the casted arm. God. Now I want to go home and whip your ass in Clue.”
That amused him.
“Boo, huh? You know I let you win, right? I think I’m going to have to assert my dominancy next time we play the game.”
There was no one he’d rather lose his title to than this man. That would be worth it.
Dropping his arm around the man he loved, he kissed him on the temple.
“You’re definitely my boo. What do you say we screw the detective over, and make him do all the paperwork?
I’d like to handle a few things before we cut out tomorrow.
I need to make reservations so we can not hit the slopes and instead get naked in a chalet.
Fuck skiing. I’m a walking disaster and don’t need to break my other arm. ”
Well, that sounded…cozy.
Blackhawk held out his ringed hand and admired the band on his finger. Over the last hours, he caught himself checking it out.
It looked damn good.
It made him want to enjoy the journey so that one day, he could make it official.
“I was shocked when the detective didn’t notice our spiffy new jewelry. I thought he was more observant than that,” he teased.
Gene shrugged.
“Oh, he likely knew, but didn’t want to say shit. Maybe he knew Huggy-Bear gets mean.”
Blackhawk laughed.
That could be it.
As for dumping the paperwork on him…
“He’ll do it too. He’s a decent cop, and make those reservations, Huggy-bear. I have a man to snuggle.”
Yes, yes, he did.
The cop was going to be doing clean up, and if he was smart, he’d make his partner carry the weight of it. She’d nearly boned them all good.
“I hope we never see him or his partner again,” Gene said, laughing. “This place sucks balls. You were right.”
Blackhawk snorted.
“Uh, what do you want to handle while we’re on vacation?” Ethan asked, as Gene copped a feel by squeezing his husband’s ass cheek.
“Oh, I don’t know,” he said. “I’ll find something.”
And Blackhawk didn’t doubt that.
Coming home had been hard, and getting out of there was for the best.
Figuring out that he had a family who loved him now had been the outcome. It was a family he’d made on his own, not the one he’d been born into.
And he was good with that.
After all, no one knew him better than Gene.
No.
ONE.
Leaving to go back with his man meant one thing.
He.
Was.
Home.