60. Chapter 60 - Cade
“Cade, I want you to follow me to the station.” Wade’s piercing dark eyes bore into me after he closes the door to his truck.
There’s something in the way he says it that flags.
He’s already breaking protocol by carrying both of the piece of shit brothers in his rig and he’s driving solo?
“Got it,” I grunt, glancing to the SWAT members nearby.
The squad commander catches me looking and gives me a wink.
A knot in my gut tells me there’s a lot of unspoken conversations that have been had.
When I slide behind the wheel of my own vehicle, I let out a shaky breath.
“So what now?” Rosalyn’s voice is nearly a whisper from where she’s balled in her seat.
“We’re going with Wade.” I don’t know what exactly is going on but I’m along for the ride.
When he pulls over halfway towards the jail, I get a much clearer idea.
He hops out, motioning me to him and slams his door.
“I’m giving you a choice.” His hand flattens over the rear window where Eli leers at us. “We can take ‘em in and book ‘em. Or we can serve justice.”
I’d be lying if I said I never thought of it.
Taking a deep breath, I stare long and hard at Rosalyn. “It’s time I went back to Black Gulch.”
“It’s your lucky day.” Wade’s lips thin. “They’re having a big baby shower. Everyone’s there. This could either go really, really good or—”
“I’m fucked,” I say grimly. Then my palm lands on his shoulder. “I want to say before all this goes down, thank you for everything. You’ve given Ros a friend in Elena. You believed in me when no one else did.” A lump forms in my throat. “I appreciate the hell out of you.”
“I’ll run interference. But you better talk pretty fucking fast once you’re in the door.” He squints hard. “Oliver is convinced you’re the one who set the bomb because you fiddle fucked around.”
I swallow hard. “Yea, I still regret that. Okay, if I die today, tell my wife I love her.” I give him a sideways smile, then raise my middle finger to press it to the glass where Eli and John can see it.
My hands shake and my legs are like noodles striding back to Rosalyn.
“What’s going on?” Her fingers are tucked between her knees.
I know it’s to keep herself from digging at her nails.
“We’re going to Black Gulch, baby. I’ll need you to stay in the truck until either me or Wade comes and gets you. I don’t want you to see me get my ass beat by my brothers.” I try to laugh as I cover her thumbs with my palm.
“They won’t.” Her chin raises. “You’re brave too.” She tugs out a hand to stroke the scars on my arm. “But I can’t promise I’ll wait forever. They need to know you’re a good man.”
Driving down the lane is a trip from my memories. Nerves make my hyperfocus on the changes.
A new house going up in the lower field.
They changed some of the corrals.
Shit, the parking area really is packed.
Wiping my palms on my jeans, I lean over to kiss my wife one last time. “Wish me luck,” I whisper against her lips. “I love you.”
“You’re my hero.” Tears shine in her eyes as I close the door and fall into step behind the mountain of Wade.
His knock interrupts the wave of giggles.
Fuck me, this is happening.
As the heavy oak swings wide, Wade grips both sides of the frame, blocking the entrance with his body. “Mason? I need you for a minute. Oliver, you might want to take a step back.”
Well that’s a great way to set everyone on edge.
“That’s not happening,” a man’s voice says from inside.
Then I hear my brother. “What’s going on? We’re in the middle of a baby shower.”
Shit, I’ve missed him.
“I know, and I’m sorry to interrupt.” Wade adjusts his hat with the badge on it, then holds up his palm to Elena when she starts to walk to him. “Just wait, baby girl.”
Wade pulls himself to his full, imposing height, looking every bit the reason he’s the lead law enforcement officer of the county. “Let’s not have any trouble, huh?”
I catch a glimpse of Mason shifting. “What the fuck is going on Wade?”
Wade takes a deep breath. “There’s been a…revelation in the case. So I need you to remain calm.”
“Wade,” Mason growls.
Fuck, this isn’t going well already.
I need to step in before it escalates any further.
Pushing in next to Wade, I lift my head so everyone in the room can see me.
“Mason,” I say in a low tone. “We need to talk.”
My brother’s eyes flare open, then narrow with fire licking his gaze. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Cade!” Oliver starts to leap past Mason but Wade intersects with a massive hand on his chest.
I gotta talk fast. “I didn’t do it. Any of it. The accident, the attacks, fire, and—” I make a point of looking at Oliver. “—especially not the explosion.”
“It’s true,” Wade grunts, standing like a guard in front of me. “He’s been working with me the last few months to try and apprehend who did.”
“I don’t believe him,” Oliver grits, pushing against Wade.
Might as well be a hamster trying to move a bull.
When I glance at Dixon, I can see the hesitation.
“Then who did?” His growl matches Wade’s in depth.
“Eli and John Bailey.” As soon as I mutter the names, I see Oliver fall back on his heels.
Mason’s hand comes up to run over his face. “What the fuck, Cade? Why didn’t you tell me? How am I supposed to believe this?”
I ain’t dead yet, so I keep going.
“We needed proof. It was only a hunch until the wedding.” My jaw clenches as I steal a glance around the rest of the room.
The hatred oozing out of Sophia is palpable when I meet her stare.
“I’m sorry, Sophia. I wasn’t able to stop him.” I hang my head under her scrutiny, then turn back to Mason.
He’s the only one I want to convince.
“I didn’t get here until Halloween when Pete pulled me in to help with the investigation.” I rub my wedding ring reflexively with my thumb, taking whatever strength I can from Rosalyn’s steadfast trust in me. “I’m sorry I didn’t reach out sooner.”
Sawyer’s face twists as he looks like he’s fighting between anger and tears. “I saw you Christmas Eve. You were here.”
“Mom was trying to convince me to visit.” I swallow past the lump. “By the time I said ‘okay’ it was too late.”
The general sound in the room drops in an involuntary moment of silence.
“Cade is with the U.S. Marshalls,” Wade interjects. “He’s been critical in discovering who did this and then helping to catch them.”
“Well, my wife was.” I try to give a sideways smile.
“She’s really nice,” Elena adds from the other side of the room.
The women around her give a collective gasp and start throwing questions at her I can’t decipher.
“Wait—” Mason chokes. “—you caught them?”
“Yep. Apprehended them this morning.” Wade beams like a proud papa. Then his palm moves up from Oliver’s chest to his shoulder. “They were holed up at Paige’s house.”
Oliver’s cheeks pale. “Jesus fucking Christ. Of course they were.” That’s enough to make him backpedal to one of the chairs by the table and collapse into it.
“Don’t worry, she’s going to jail for a very long time.” Wade almost looks giddy as he says it.
Dixon starts to push through, his lips thin and his jaw clenched.
Wade holds up his hand, making him pause.
“Let me,” Dixon grits.
Oh shit.
But when Wade drops his arm, Dixon takes two fast strides to grip me in a crushing hug. “I’ve missed you brother.”
I did not expect it to be Dixon who gave in first.
“What did you say about the accident?” he asks while still squeezing me like a rag doll.
“I’ll tell you when I can breathe.” I pat his ribs, begging for relief.
He lets me go, his mustache twitching under rapid blinking.
“New evidence popped up that proved I wasn’t driving. And Pete found where the brake lines had been cut. Eli did it. He killed his own sister. Then did the same thing to his parents a few months later.” I missed Dixon so damn much but never thought that within minutes he’d be the one embracing me.
“I always knew there were injuries inconsistent with being in the driver’s seat,” he mutters, shaking his head. “It’s why I doubted for so long that you were to blame.”
“You were right.” When I look around the room again, there’s less hatred and more sympathy.
Shit, I might survive today.
Mason stumbles, joining Oliver at the table. “Cade,” he exhales and covers his eyes with his palms. “You didn’t do it.” His voice is flat.
Lori skirts the edges of the space to appear next to him, running her hand over his back in silent support.
“All these years,” he groans, then looks up with red-rimmed eyes. “Mom and Dad believed it too, they took you out of the trust.”
“No.” I start to step closer but Sawyer still looks like he might punch me. “I had them take me out right after I got discharged from the hospital. I got wind that the Baileys were gonna sue Black Gulch for every penny and didn’t want them to be able to.”
I pull my hat off to wring it in my fingers and stare down my nephew as I move past him. “Mason, I’ll always regret what happened that I didn’t do something differently. I’m sorry about Carolyn.” I glance up to Lori with a frown. “But I didn’t do it. Eli did.”
His face is still hidden as his shoulders stiffen. “Where are they?” The question comes out with gravel and pain lacing each word.
“They’re outside in my truck.” Wade gestures for the door. “Thought they could use a little air, what do you think?”
Silence invades the spacious room again.
Mason raises his head, looking slowly from Wade, to me, then to Oliver. “They need to check out the east pasture.”
Oliver rolls back in his seat, then nods.
Wade holds out his arm and gestures to his wife with two fingers.
She leaves the group, moving to his side. “Yes, daddy?” she whispers with her lips near his ear.
I feel like I’m invading a moment being close enough to hear.
“Rosalyn is outside in Cade’s truck. Can you hang out with her while Cade and I go with them?” He nods towards Mason who’s stuffing his feet in his boots.
“I’ll go with you to talk with her.” I know Rosalyn will follow my instructions implicitly.
Elena isn’t me or Wade.
“Wait, your wife is here?” Mason pauses as he drops his hat on his head. “Bring her in.”
I throw a slow look around the room.
There’s confusion, pain, anger, sadness, and even some hatred still scattered on their faces.
“No.” I’m not opening her up to the kind of questions I know she’d be asked. One on one? Maybe.
I’d never throw her into a pack of wolves like this.
Mason’s stare narrows but his chin drops. “Fair.”
He’s gotten older since the last time I was this close to him. Yet there’s a sense of calm he never had when we were younger.
It’s only when I step outside that I feel like I can breathe again.
I have all of my limbs still attached, with no new holes.
I’ll call that a win.
I motion for Rosalyn to drop her window. The tinted glass lowers to reveal her tear stained cheek.
“You’re okay?” She reaches for me, then glances at Elena and smiles.
“I am. Elena’s gonna sit with you while I ride up with Wade. Or do you want to go with?” I lean in, covering her fingers with mine.
“Where?” she whispers.
“East pasture.” I’m not sure if it’s the expression on my face or the way I say it but all of the color drains from her skin.
“Can we, um, follow and then sit where, um, we can’t see?” Her lip rolls between her teeth.
“I think that’s a fine idea.” I press a kiss to her forehead, then turn to Elena. “Does that sound okay?”
“Let me see if they’ll watch Boone for me.” Elena gives us a thumb’s up. “I think it’ll be fine.”
“Cade?” Mason stands on the porch, no longer surrounded by the rest of the household. “A second?”
The agony he’s carrying bleeds off him when I nod and follow him away from the building.
“None of it?” he husks. “You didn’t have anything to do with the attacks? The—” His voice cracks. “—accident?”
I just shake my head.
He clenches his jaw, staring out over the paddocks. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“Mas, you hated me. I didn’t want to come back until I had proof. Me saying it didn’t make it true, no matter how much I wanted it to be. You had every right to be mad. We all thought that was the way it was for a really long time.” My hands stuff into my pockets.
“And you have it? Proof?” He blinks without looking at me.
“I do. Pete has a file a mile thick. Wade does too. He’s the one who found the evidence of the explosives and tasked us all with hunting it down.” Is that enough? Will Mason ever believe me?
I wanted this so badly yet was foolish to think all the hard feelings would just vanish in an instant.
“I thought you betrayed us. That you were bitter and looking for revenge.” He stares down at his palms. “I’ve spent the last few years thinking about all the ways I’d fucking hurt you for what I thought you did.” His fingers slowly close to clench into fists.
Oh shit.
His head raises to fixate on Wade’s truck where John watches us through the window.
“They did that. They drove a wedge in our family, Cade.”
He called me family?
“They stole the time that we’ll never get back. They took our parents.” His lips thin as he turns to me.
Then he grabs my shoulder to pull me to him. “Let’s kill those sons of a bitches, brother.”