Ben - The little tagger
Ben – The little tagger
I rolled down onto the roof next to Coleson.
“Thank God you got your head out of your ass,” he said, not taking his gaze from the scope he was looking through.
“Collateral damage?” I hissed, taking out my binoculars to search the abandoned factory building across the parking lot from us.
“I said what I needed to say to get you here. Now you’re fucking here.”
“What happened? I thought you were supposed to be trailing her. I thought you’d be in there with her.”
“Don told us to stand down, said he’d take over the operation so there were no more fuck ups.” He shot me a look. “I lost clearance for the security feed. He has all new guys on it.”
“Well, where the fuck is he?” I searched around for the telltale signs of a stake-out, but there were none.
“Beats me.”
“So we’re doing this rogue?”
He ran his tongue over his teeth. “Yupp.”
“We’re going to get fired.”
“Yupp.”
“Thank y–” I swallowed the rest of the word and bit out a curse instead, because out of the corner of my eye, I saw a figure running. I knew that run. I knew that gray hoodie. He was rushing out of the factory toward a junker car, carrying a backpack and a kindergartener.
“Cap–”
“On it.”
I snuck off the roof as quietly and quickly as possible, right on time to snatch the back of his hoodie.
Archie’s eyes widened.
Hunter whirled around, ready to fight.
I immediately ripped down my face mask and dropped down.
The two of them followed suit, immediately crouching next to me, no questions asked.
“Can you save her?” Hunter whispered. His eyes were rimmed in red, telling me he’d been crying. Actually, they’d both been crying, and I hated the bastards in that factory building even more.
“Yes, we’re going to,” I said firmly. There wasn’t any other option here. I would save her. I had to.
“I’m sorry, I didn't want to,” Hunter desperately wheezed out. “I told her. I told her everything. She knew what she was walking into.”
“I know.” I made a calm down motion. “It’s okay. It’s not your fault and we all know that. My buddy is on the roof. Let’s–” My attention snagged on his backpack. “Wait, what’s in the bag?” I asked him. I knew what I hoped was in there…
He immediately dropped it from his shoulder and handed it over.
I ripped open the zipper and licked my lips. Perfect. Hope bloomed in my chest and I swear I could have laughed out loud if I wasn’t so worried for Maggie.
Instead, I shook my head and grinned wryly at him. “You’re a little tagger, aren't you?”
He gave a sheepish shrug. “Is this really the time for you to discipline me?”
Arching an eyebrow, I pulled my mask back up. “Follow. Quietly.”
As soon as we made it to Coleson, I dumped the open backpack by his side. “You remember?”
My buddy snickered and eyed the junker car. “Perfectly.”
____________
We had everything rigged up within ten minutes. Coleson threw the car in neutral while I lugged a discarded cinder block from the parking lot over.
“You should’ve been in charge of this,” I grumbled, wiping sweat from my forehead.
“You saying I’m stronger?” Coleson joked as he peered inside the hood of the junker.
“You are, you bastard.” I ripped open the car door and placed the cinderblock on the gas pedal.
Coleson strategically placed the aerosol spray paint can under the hood to make it heat up as quickly as possible.
Then the three of us bolted to safety in the building across the street.
“How long ‘til it goes?” Hunter asked breathlessly.
“I’d guess ten,” I said.
“Five,” Coleson murmured.
“You really did this to your principal’s car?” Hunter asked with wide eyes.
I shifted uncomfortably. “Don’t get any bright ideas, kid.”
Coleson was right.
Five minuted later, the car blew the fuck up in a blazing fashion. The hood of the junker flew up while the rest of the car caught on fire.
“Holy…” Hunter gulped. “I think I’m done with spray cans forever.”
“Good,” I said firmly.
Coleson laughed.
We watched as guys snaked out of the factory to sort out the fire.
“Let’s move,” I whispered.
The two of them followed my lead as we snuck around the side of the building and then made our way into the warehouse.
I shoved the door open, but it was met with a little resistance. Peeking in, I saw the reason, then grumbled out a curse. We did not plan for this. No one could plan for this.
“Hunter,” I said gravely. I made eye contact with Coleson, trying to wordlessly tell him.
Hunter’s face paled. “What? Is it Ms. Quinn?”
“No.” I struggled to keep my resolve. He didn’t deserve this. “Your brother.”
His face fell. He pushed past me and wedged his way into the damp, dark hallway.
Griffin lay flat on his back with a needle sticking out of his arm. Water from the ceiling was leaking on his gaunt face.
“No, no, no, you stupid idiot,” Hunter wheezed quietly, shoving at his brother’s chest and smacking his cheek to wake him up.
Coleson kept watch while I swooped down to check his pulse. Making eye contact with Coleson I whispered, “Pulse is weak.” Then I turned to Hunter. “We gotta move. Stay here with him.”
Hunter sniffled and nodded, keeping his head low so we wouldn’t witness his crying. I felt for the kid and I would’ve tried to comfort him if I wasn’t so panicked about getting to Maggie first.
Coleson held out his thermal imaging device. Looked like the most activity was in a room at the front of the building.
We tiptoed through the maze of dark halls, quietly taking down anyone in our paths. We left a trail of unconscious men as we moved to the front.
I held up my hand and stopped us when the room in question came into view.
My jaw clenched as I took in the sight before me.
Seated at a glass desk that looked totally out of place in the concrete factory was the asshole doctor who took Maggie out on those horrendous dates. Two men stood guarding the door of a room behind him.
“Well, that’s a development,” Coleson whispered.
Yupp. And that’s how they knew we were leaving the hospital that day Maggie got her cast off.
I grunted. “I got doctor fuck face.”
“Cool. I’m thinking we should–”
I didn’t wait to listen to his idea, I charged forward, ready to end this.
“Or not,” Coleson murmured.
“Hey!” one of the guards yelled at us.
“I got the guards, I guess,” Coleson said, lumbering forward.
The doctor’s eyes widened when he spotted me. “How’d he get in here?” he demanded.
I grinned wickedly.
He slammed his laptop shut and started to flee, but not before I could launch forward and catch him by the back of the shirt.
He whirled around to slam his laptop at my head, but I easily dodged the blow.
Prying the laptop from his fingers, I threw it across the room, but he jabbed a spot in my throat that stole the air clean out of my lungs.
The doctor laughed, but I quickly shut him up with a sucker punch to the gut while gasping for air. Then we were flailing limbs and rolling on the ground.
He struggled to reach for something in his pocket, and I caught sight of a syringe.
I let him retrieve it, then grabbed his wrist and twisted. “I should break this wrist as retribution,” I grunted.
“For what?” he spat, struggling against my hold.
“For what your buddy did to my girl.”
“Cap,” Coleson warned. He stood above the two unconscious guards, waiting for me to end it.
The doctor was trying to jab me with the syringe.
Using my thighs, I tightened around him, rolled us so I was rightside up, then made him jab himself. After about sixty seconds, his eyes rolled back and his body went limp.
By the time I extricated myself from him, Coleson was already picking the lock.
He swung the door open in seconds, revealing an unconscious Maggie, tied up to a chair, her head hanging limp.
My hands shook with fury, and I struggled to keep a level head. “Go get–”
“Hunter. Got it. See you on the other side,” Coleson said, his heavy hand coming down on my back, making me slightly flinch.
I had her freed in seconds. Her pulse was strong, but I hated how she wouldn’t stir. She was laying limp in my arms, and I knew she needed medical attention. Lifting her, I was about to turn when a gun clicked behind me.
Fuck.
My heart beat picked up, readying for another fight.
“Hello Don,” I said before turning to face him. “Thought you’d be fleeing by now.”
He chuckled as he strolled into the room in his pricey suit with neatly gelled back hair and a horrible fake tan. “You finally figured it out then, good work.” He clapped his hands mockingly.
His words from back in September echoed in my head: She’ll have to be worried for the rest of her life, which, let’s face it, will probably be pretty short.
It was all there in front of me. He wasn’t ever planning on letting her live.
“She was never going to testify,” he said in a teasing tone, speaking my thoughts. “You had to know that.”
He walked closer and I shifted my body to guard her chest.
“How cute. Little Romeo holding his dead Juliet.” He laughed.
She’s not dead. I wanted to scream it. I wanted to pummel him just for suggesting it. But I had to keep my head. I had to get us out of this. Maybe I could keep him talking ‘til Coleson wandered back in here.
“Then why have me guard her in the first place?” I grunted out.
“Isn’t it obvious?” He laughed in my face, making fury course through me. “To get you off the case. Coleson’s such an idiot, I could handle him sniffing around, but you…” He shook his head. “I needed you out of the office, I needed you distracted. And when I found out how your last case ended, it became all too easy in my mind. You’d want to do a perfect job guarding her. You’d be consumed with keeping her safe and not having the same pathetic outcome as your last case.” He cocked his head to the side. “My plan worked of course, just a little too well, because you took yourself off the case for said distraction. Such a Boy Scout.” He shook his head wryly.
That’s why this “easy case” wasn’t easy at all. Because the organization had help clearing out before we could ever pin them.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a gray hoodie lurking outside the room. Panic froze me to the spot. I prayed Don was too stupid to notice the way my heart rate surely spiked.
Hunter’s serious blue eyes locked on mine.
No.
He needed to get the fuck out of here. But I couldn’t do anything. I couldn't tell him to run or relay any message. Don would just turn and shoot. I couldn’t handle watching another person bleed out. I couldn't handle watching him bleed out. Unfamiliar helplessness consumed me and I hated it.
“You’re piecing it all together, aren’t you.” Don grinned evilly. “Things would’ve stayed fine if you hadn’t come here, but you did make things more…” he pursed his lips, “interesting.”
“But why?” I needed to keep him looking this way.
“Money, duh.”
My jaw clicked with anger.
“So, Ben Capretti,” he stood a little straighter, “any last words?”
“Eat shit.” Hunter popped up and blue spray paint went directly into Don’s eyes, mouth, and nose. Don stumbled backwards, his arms flailing. The gun went off multiple times, I dropped down and covered Maggie’s body, sticking my foot out in the process to trip him, then I was on top of him, taking his gun and restraining him. I lodged my forearm against his throat, choking him until he passed out.
“Hunter, are you good? Are you hit?” I barked, feeling panicked.
He gingerly stepped toward me. “N-no. I don't think so.”
“Check.” Poor kid was staring at me, shocked. My eyes drifted over him. He looked okay.
“I’m good,” he said weakly.
“Good. Take the gun, get it out of the room,” I ordered. “Give Archie the go-ahead signal. Now. Go.”
We posted Archie up in the building across the street and had him hiding, waiting for a signal to call for backup, or, cleanup in this case.
“B-but–”
“Everything is good. You’re good. Maggie’s good. Take a deep breath. We’re almost done. You got this. Right?” I said forcefully, trying to shove confidence in him. Damn, I was breathless. “Can I count on you?”
He swallowed hard and nodded hurriedly before doing what I told him.
“B-ben?”
God, her voice was like music to my ears. I wanted so badly to go to her, but no way in hell would I let go of Don before authorities came.
“Maggie, hi baby, just stay where you are, okay?” I grimaced, I must’ve pulled something, and now that my adrenaline was crashing, I was starting to feel it.
“Ben… you’re…”
“I’m here, baby.”
“You’re bleeding,” her voice wobbled.
“No, that’s probably him, I–” I cut myself off. Looking down, I realized I was bleeding, but from where? My lungs burned in an effort to breathe.
Maggie rushed over to me.
“Ben? Is this real? Are you okay?” She was touching my face, I never wanted her to stop touching me.
“Yes, baby.” My eyes were starting to feel heavy, but I couldn't forget where I was, what I was doing. “I’m okay,” I grunted.
“You promise?” Her hands were shaking as they drifted over my neck.
“Yes.”
“I don’t know if I can believe that,” she said in a shaky voice.
Because I broke my last promise to her. “That's my fault. I’m sorry. But I am okay.”
“No, no, no.” Her hands went to my cheeks again. “I believe you . I don’t believe me .” She was clinging to my neck. “My head’s just all loopy right now. I’m not seeing right,” she sputtered quickly. “I don’t know if I’m okay, if you’re okay.”
“Maggie, shhh, you’re okay. You’re okay.” I brushed a hand down her hair. “I’ll make sure you’re okay. I’m here for you.”
“Oh my God,” she cried as her hands explored my chest.
“That feels good,” I murmured. The temptation to relax into her was overwhelming. I grit my teeth and looked down at Don. I couldn’t be done yet. But something wasn’t right. Maggie’s body was shaking against me. I palmed her face. “Why are you crying? Don’t cry.”
“This is just my luck!” she wailed.
“What is?” I asked, indulging her even though she was still high as a kite according to her giant black saucer eyes.
“I finally fall in love and you go and get yourself shot saving my ass.”
It took me a second to absorb her words. Love. Shot.
I looked down. Jesus . I was shot.
I chuckled a little, and then I laughed, belly laughed, and I couldn't stop. Maybe I was losing my mind? But it was just so funny to me, ridiculous even. I survived war, countless missions, I escaped risky situations that were deemed impossible by the FBI. Yet, now, in an attempt to close an “easy case,” I was shot and bleeding out in a fugly concrete factory, and despite that, I felt like the luckiest bastard alive. Because she loved me back.
She grabbed my cheeks and pulled my face so close to hers that our foreheads were basically touching. “Stop laughing, Benjamin Capretti. Are you okay? Is your brain okay?”
“Yeah, yeah.” I smirked, settling down. I should’ve been asking her that. My eyelids were suddenly so heavy. “Hey, baby?”
“Yeah?”
“I know I said that bad luck doesn’t exist and all, but I think you might be a little bit jinxed.” I chuckled, but it suddenly hurt my chest to laugh.
“I know,” she wailed helplessly as she wrapped her little arms tighter around me. That hurt too, but I didn’t care. I wanted her comfort.
“I’ll protect you,” I murmured before kissing her hair.
“You promise?” She looked up at me with huge doe eyes.
Before I could assure her, black seeped into my vision, taking me under.