Chapter 34 Gavin
GAVIN
We all fell back into bed after cleaning up. I waited for everyone to fall asleep before I went outside to the little back patio to think. So much has happened within the past week, I feel like my brain is just now getting caught up with my body.
There’s no denying that what happened an hour or so ago was hot as hell, but it’s more than that.
It’s like it’s something that we needed to happen to reassure ourselves that this was real.
As soon as Ari took Kira and Tivon to the room, we knew what was going on.
It didn’t take long for her noises to drift down the hallway.
The relief that I felt when Ari yelled for Tyler was immense.
It also helped hearing Tyler melt for Tivon and call him Daddy.
It’s not like it’s going to fix Tyler’s smart mouth, none of us want that anyway, but I could see this peace in him that he could finally just let the fuck go.
He didn’t have to hide behind humor or smart remarks.
He could wholeheartedly be himself, without judgement.
I don’t know how long I've been sitting here thinking about everything when the back door opens. “Ari wants us inside,” Tyler says, and I get up to follow him inside.
When I walk in to sit at the kitchen table, Ari’s phone is lying there in the middle with an unknown number. “We’re all here, Cryptic,” Ari says when I take my chair.
“It’s now or never,” he says. “They are making plans to start with Gavin’s brother’s family.”
“The fuck they are,” I growl, my eyes snapping to Ari.
“Where are they?” Ari asks.
“Abraham is at the prison. Your father is at a secure location. I don’t even know where he is.”
“Divide and conquer,” Tivon throws in. “We can take them out at the same time that way.”
“This is the last you’ll be hearing from me,” Cryptic responds. “I’m going to slip out during the commotion. I can’t do this anymore.”
“Is my father the only one you’re working for?”
“No.” I hear him sniffle, and it breaks my heart. “I’m forced to run the entire site. Drugs, murder, trafficking. You name it.”
“We can help you,” Tivon explains again. “Find somewhere and hide until this is finished. We can find a safe place for you to go.”
“I’m not worth it. Abraham isn’t even my boss. He paid my boss good money for me to track you. When this is done, he’ll be looking for me.”
“Who is your boss?” Tyler asks.
“Andres DiMarco.”
“Motherfucker,” Ari spits. “You know about the other team, don’t you?”
“I do. Which is why I need to get the fuck away from here. I know where they are, and they’re next on the list of horrible shit that I’ve been made to do.”
“Why won’t you let us help you?” I ask. “If you know us, then you know about Holden and Nolan. We saved them without question.”
The other side of the line is silent for so long that I expect Cryptic to hang up, but then I hear a shaky sigh. “I need help. I can’t do this anymore.”
Tivon nods at the rest of us. “That’s all we need. We will get you out of there, but don’t make a move until we can get to you. This is going to be ugly.”
“Okay,” Cryptic answers. “Make your plan fast. You have two hours, tops.” The call disconnects, and Ari starts pacing.
“We need to get to my father. He can’t be left alive.”
“Agreed,” Tivon says. “But how?”
“I let him grab me.”
Tivon stands up so fast that his chair tips backward and smacks the floor, making Jason jump. “Like hell you will.”
“Tivon, it’s the only way—”
“No. Fuck that. We’ll get to him another way, but you aren’t putting your ass on the line to do so.”
“Tivon—”
“I said no. There has to be some record about where he is. We can call in whoever can help, and split them between Abraham and Aharon. But no way in hell am I sending you in by yourself with that man.”
“Did you forget that this is my team?”
“Did you forget that you promised to let me take care of you? You aren’t thinking straight. You see the end game, and you want to go balls to the wall. You’ll be walking into a deathtrap.”
“He doesn’t want me dead!”
“No? What do you think he’ll do when you tell him you won't take over?”
By this point, Ari and Tivon are standing toe to toe, staring each other down. There isn’t much difference in their size, but something about Tivon commands that you sit down and listen. The longer the staring contest goes on, the more Ari wilts under Tivon’s gaze.
“Fine,” Ari says, and I hear Jason let out a breath. “What’s the plan, then?”
“Your father has to be close to Abraham. They can’t risk you escaping again before he can try to force you back to Israel. We send a team into the prison while the other is watching around the location. He has to show his face eventually.”
“If we can get control over the situation with Abraham, we can force him to contact Aharon,” Keon adds.
“Aharon will have plans in place for everything,” Ari argues. “He’s not going to just walk into that prison. He’ll want me brought to him.”
“Even better,” Tyler says. “Then we can take out whoever is with him, too.”
“I should still have the matching gear at the first safehouse. We infiltrate. Take one out and replace them one by one. They don’t wear name badges to protect their identity, so we can stay unnoticed until we’re in place.”
“You make it sound so easy,” Kira comments, and Tivon rubs his hand down her cheek.
“None of this will be easy, Yafah. While we’re doing this, you’ll be locked away somewhere with Kane. We can’t risk leaving you alone.”
Jason clears his throat and all eyes turn to him. “I think we should go back to New York with them until it’s over.”
“Sweet cheeks—”
Jason smiles, but it’s sad. “We’ve put enough people in danger. It’s the least we can do to make sure Kane and his family are safe while they are protecting us.”
Ari drops to his knees beside Jason’s chair and grabs his hands. “You don’t have to do this, but I love you for even offering.”
“We’ve already talked about it,” Kira announces. “You’ve spent so much time making sure we’re safe, it’s our turn to return the favor by giving you two less things to worry about. I have no doubt that you will come out on top of this, Ari. And when you do, we’ll be waiting for you.”
Tears gather in Ari’s eyes when he reaches to grab her hand too. I know what he’s feeling. My heart feels like it’s shattering to pieces at just the thought of them leaving. “There’s no promise that we’ll make it out of this alive.”
“You will,” Jason says harshly, grabbing Ari’s face. “You will come home to me because you promised you would never leave me. I believe in you and this team, Babe.”
“Fuck,” Ari chokes out, burying his face in Jason’s lap. Jason runs his fingers through his hair and looks around the room.
“Let us do this for you. Kane is just waiting for the call, and he’ll have us on the next plane out of here.”
Tivon takes a breath and rakes his fingers through his hair. “Do it. If we don’t succeed, there will be blow back. I don’t want you two caught in the middle.”
The air in the room changes to something so somber that I can barely catch my breath.
But it also makes us more determined to finish this.
The goodbye to Kira and Jason was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
It didn’t help that they were both crying when they climbed into the car with Blaze.
We waited until we got the message from Kane that they made it safely to the tarmac and their plane was getting ready for take off.
I just wanted to sit and wait to make sure they landed in New York, but that would take hours, and we needed to go to the first safehouse.
No one says a word as we get dressed, grab everything we can, and load into the SUV.
Tivon takes all backroads to Forest Grove and parks behind the first cabin we ever hid out in.
He runs in, grabs the gear, and is back in the car five minutes later.
We already have a plan, and we just hope like hell it actually works.
We just need to grab someone that looks close enough to our body type, and swap out with them without getting caught.
If we do, the whole thing is blown to shit.
“I think that’s the bravest thing I’ve ever seen someone do,” Tyler says, finally breaking the silence. “They were gutted to leave, but they still did it so we can concentrate on the matter at hand.”
Tivon nods and squeezes Ari’s thigh. “No one wanted them to go, but they’ll be safer in New York with Kane for now. When this is done, we go and bring them home. For now, we have work to do, so get changed into your gear.”
Keon, Tyler, and I strip out of Savior’s gear and into the gear that the guards wear. It feels weird as hell to tuck my mask away, and I hate every second of it. We go over the plan several times before Tivon pulls over into a wide spot to hide the car. Ari pulls out his phone and dials Nolan.
“Give us a lead in,” Ari says when Nolan answers.
“They switch who's guarding from outside to inside every thirty minutes like clockwork. From my count, there’s thirty guards on rotation and four more in the towers. Two in each one. The left side has a blindspot toward the back of the fence. The guards can’t see you there, but you have to be quick. ”
“Axel?”
“He’s waiting for your signal to storm the place.”
“Abraham?”
“He’s in there. Back office, to the right of the entrance, with four guards.”
“Have you seen Cryptic?”
“Yes. He gave me access to the camera in the office he’s in. You guys are going to help him?”
“Yes,” Tivon answers. “Who are we looking for?”
“Curly brown hair, a little on the heavier side. You can’t miss him. He stands out. White shirt, black jeans. His office is closer to the back of the prison, where the cells are. Four guards outside his door at all times.”
Tyler slaps Ari on the arm. “We’ve got this, Gramps.”
“If they catch you…” Ari lets that thought trail off as he turns around in the seat.
“I know,” Tyler says softly. “We’ll be fine. We have you and Tivon on the outside waiting. One word, and the place explodes with our guys. We have to end this.”
We take a second to collect ourselves, and Tivon finally gives us the go ahead. We slip from the car and go the way Nolan told us to, putting the helmets on before we get any closer. “Comms check?” Keon whispers.
“We hear you, loud and clear,” Axel responds.
“Same here,” Ari answers. “If this goes sideways, start shooting. Fuck the payback. Get yourselves out of there. We’re ten steps behind you.”
“Ten-four,” I answer.
We cut a hole in the fence with bolt cutters, and it takes us almost fifteen minutes for Tyler to be able to grab the first guy after slipping through the hole.
Before long, we’ve infiltrated the prison, and we follow Nolan’s instructions for their rounds.
We nod when someone says anything, and keep our heads down.
My heart is pounding in my chest each time I encounter a different guard.
“Ace, Cryptic is in that office,” Nolan says when I walk down the hall with cells. “To your left.”
I glance out of the corner of my eye and subtly nod so Nolan knows that I heard him.
“We’re all in place,” Ari says after what feels like an eternity. “We need to—” There’s a grunt on the other end, and then silence.
“Ari?” Nolan calls out. “Ari!”
“I’m circling back around to check,” Axel says, and I can already hear him moving. “They’re fucking gone. Weapons are still here.”
“Shit, shit, shit,” Keon mutters quietly. “Have we been made?”
“I don’t know if you have, but they have been. Stay the course, keep your head down, and we’ll keep you updated until we can get you out. Don’t make a scene.”
I have half a mind to storm into the office Abraham is hiding in and blow his brains out, but that puts Ari and Tivon even more at risk. So, I keep to my rounds.
Hoping like hell we all make it out of this, so we can go get our loves from New York.