Chapter 15
Max
It has been fifteen damn minutes, and the backup unit still hasn’t arrived. I wonder who took the damn call for backup. Tony and I have been behind our doors, weapons drawn aimed and waiting. We’ve called the demand for them to put down their weapons and to get on the ground, but they didn’t listen. The one with the gun was shouting something in a foreign language to the one looting the damn store. Jimmy must be unconscious or tied up. If not, he would’ve shot them already.
“Backup is taking too long, I’m going in,” I said, slowly moving around the car door. I heard Tony mutter a sting of curses through the car. He would follow me through hellfire and back if it meant we both went home at night. But, right now, I want to go in alone. I’ll take these two out and be done with it faster than he could keep up anyway.
“Get back!” The first suspect yelled; a deep, gravelly male voice rang through the air. Alright, at least one of them is male, the closer I got the better I could see him. Slightly thicker build, still no real defining features, but it was something. I knew better than to assume his age through his voice because people in their twenties are starting to have deeper voices.
“Let’s put the guns down and have a little chat. It’s the safest way that everyone can go home alive tonight,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. The second suspect paused behind the male suspect before heading back into the store to grab more stuff. They were filling a white panel van, which means they plan on wiping out as much inventory as this place has.
“How about you get fucked?” He called back. Well, I tried. I took a few more steps forward and he called out, “Don’t take another step or you’ll be bleeding out on the ground pig!”
Alright, so that’s how this is going to go. I have a feeling this is not a normal robbery, but one that is fueled by withdrawal and need. I crack my neck from side to side and take aim. We’re not supposed to engage but, fuck this dude. He takes a staggering step back towards the glass windows in the front of the store and I smile as he starts to shake. This asshole is all talk, probably will shoot out of fear of my advancements. I hear Tony curse again and my smile widens. I served my times in special forces, my work classified to outsiders. All he knows is I am fucking dangerous and have zero issues killing someone.
“Put the fucking gun down!” He yells over to the guy, trying to spare him any needless bloodshed. Idiot still doesn’t listen, shakingly aiming the gun for what he thinks is my head. Dumbass must not know that you can’t kill the fucking devil. I holster my gun; I’m not going to need it for this.
I charge at the man in a full sprint, he curses, “Fuck!” before I tackle him to the ground, putting him on his stomach. He tries to buck me off, nearly managing before I put a swift punch into his ribs and slam his face into the pavement.
“You’re fucking dumb for doing that. Hasn’t anyone ever told you to do as you’re told?” I spit at the ground mere inches from his face. He’s in custody, now time for the other one. I hear a squeak, like that of a mouse, turning to find the other suspect. Way to small to be an adult.
“Dad?! DAD!” the little voice shrieks, a little girl. Probably no older than fourteen. She spun on me and started flailing her arms at my chest. I gently restrained her as I pulled off her mask. Tears stained her face; she looked like she hadn’t slept in weeks and once I got my hands on her wrists I knew immediately that she was malnourished.
“Get your hands off of my daughter you filthy fucking pig!” He shouted from the ground, luckily for him it was Tony who got to him before I did. I would’ve kicked his fucking teeth out. He started reading the man his rights as Jimmy came out of the door with a bat in hand.
“We got them,” I said to him, his eyes wild with fury looking at the man. He looked right over the little girl as if she wasn’t standing there. I watched Jimmy’s eyes darken and he fucking charged the guy, bat in hand. I yelled for Tony, but it was too late. Jimmy was wailing on the dude like he was a fucking rat. I turned the girl away from the violence despite her trying to see past me.
I heard the guy sputtering and Tony talking Jimmy down. He had been robbed plenty of times and never went off like this on any of them before, this was something more. I turned to see Jimmy moving over to me and the girl. Protectively I got between him and her, but Jimmy just put his hands up.
“Max, you don’t recognize her do you?” he asked me, just standing there, waiting for me to piece together some unspoken words. I looked at her again, her messy black hair was clearly dyed, the roots showing about two inches of dark brown hair, her sunken blue eyes, dark purple circles under them. My eyes looked at her neck, and I almost missed it, small rose tattoo was hiding under her hair behind the lower part of her ear and my heart stopped. The ear piercings are gone, clearly removed. Her once tan skin, now sits paper white and almost see through. I did know this girl.
“Christina Wilson,” I whispered out, and now Jimmy’s reaction was understandable. She was his little sister who went missing when she was 10. I looked at Jimmy and saw confliction in his eyes. She probably didn’t know who he was, not anymore. It’s been four almost five years since she was grabbed. We couldn’t find anything on her. She had never said anything about being followed or a weird feeling before she went missing. The detectives on the case assumed she ran away because she was constantly getting in trouble. She has run away in the past, but Tony and I didn’t think she went missing. We fought with Detective Marsh about him marking her as a runaway.
“Yeah. I get it, I might have to go to jail for that,” he nodded his head back to where that man was laid out bloodied on the ground. “But she’s safe.” He looked at her with eyes of fear, fear of blinking and her being gone again, as if this was just a dream. I could understand that.
“Why did you hurt him?” she whispered out and if hearts could crack audibly, I would’ve heard Jimmy’s shatter.
“He’s a predator, I may have been knocked out, but I in and out of consciousness while you argued with him. You’re my little sister, someone I should’ve been able to protect. I wasn’t there when you were kidnapped from Chadd Road four and half years ago. You went out to the store with Avery and never came home. I should’ve been there for you Tina, I’m so sorry,” his voice was cracking, but it was the look in her eyes that tore at me. More tears streamed down her face. She didn’t recognize him, he looked different from back then. She looked up at me and paused.
“Am I in trouble?” she asked me, looking between Jimmy and I. Damn, technically it was up to Jimmy how this was going to play out.
“Not if your brother doesn’t want to press charges against you. Did that man threaten you? Do you remember anything about how you ended up with him?” I asked her, trying to keep my tone even. I didn’t want anyone to hear the cave shattering in my own heart. Jimmy was lucky to get his sister back, even if she had to take some time to get herself back.
She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. “I remember everything. In public, he was my dad. Play the part of get locked in a closet. He has a son, Jeffery Moore, he was supposed to be with us today, but Roy told him to come for us if we weren’t home by four. If you wait around, he’ll come for me. He always does. If Roy ever got arrested, which was frequently, Jeff was to handle my punishments. If I was with Roy when he got arrested, he would come saying I was his little sister and pick me up and then do with me as he pleased,” I watched the little light in her eyes wink out. Rage built in me, that man will never see the light of day when I am done with him.
“Tina, you’re not going with that man again. We’re going to get you to a hospital to get checked out then, if you’re comfortable, you can either leave with your brother or your parents,” I said to her. Two ambulances arrived a little while ago, I waved over Captain Woods. “This is Captain Woods, one of the best paramedics I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. You and your brother are going to go with her. Police will be stationed outside of your room, and Jeffery will not be able to get to you ever again.”
Christina hugged me tightly. This poor girl felt like she would break in my arms if I hugged her too tight. I walked her and Jimmy to the ambulance, Captain Woods taking Christina ahead of us. “He won’t make it to the hospital, Jimmy.” I promised and clasped his shoulder. Captain Woods comes to almost all of the events Tony and I are at. She knows about my extracurricular activities and is always willing to help.
I looked at Tony who was helping Mitch and Brain put Roy in the ambulance to hell. Jimmy got on the ambulance with his sister. His coworkers Ray and Chris came out of the back of the shop where Roy had knocked them out and took the shop key from Jimmy. They promised to get everything back into the store once forensics was done with everything.
“Is that Christina?” Tony asked, Mitch and Brian both within earshot of my answer.
“Yeah, she’s going to give another statement at the hospital but, I got the rundown of how much of a piece of shit he is, and his son is. Take him to Bissell. I’ll meet you guys there later tonight. I have a date at eight,” I said, turning on my heels and heading for our cruiser to fill out the paperwork that Roy had fled. The cameras in the car and my body camera would be handled by Roark once I told him what happened.
My phone dinged once I got to the car. I pulled it out and saw a picture message from Megan. I opened it expecting a meme. Fuck! I was not expecting a glorious view of her in a high thigh slit, spaghetti strapped red dress, black heels and red lipstick. Fuck!
Hope this is good for tonight. See you at eight.
My dick is going to take over this date .