Chapter 48
Terry's heart hammered against his ribs as they turned onto the gravel lane leading to the house, dust and stones flying behind their racing vehicles.
Through the windshield, he could see the white house in the distance, and his blood turned to ice when he spotted figures running across the open yard.
Two men were helping Sandra and his children race toward the house, and for a second, he had to ascertain they were helping, not chasing.
His throat constricted with sharp relief.
But behind the running figures, a dark pickup truck was careening wildly across the yard, tearing up the carefully maintained lawn like a predator refusing to abandon its hunt.
The deputies who had just arrived surrounded the truck, taking their positions with drawn weapons and shouting orders. One fired into the pickup's front tire, causing it to explode.
Terry was out of the SUV, his boots hitting gravel. His service weapon was drawn and ready as he sprinted toward the truck, adrenaline flooding his system with the white-hot fury of a man whose family had been threatened.
The deputies were already shouting commands for the driver to exit, their weapons trained on the cab. The door opened, allowing a man to slide down from behind the wheel with his hands raised. Dark hair and dark eyes, with gang symbols tattooed over his knuckles and the front of his neck.
As anger raged through Terry's blood, he forced himself to step back and allow the deputies to do their job.
He watched through narrowed eyes as they cuffed the driver.
As they read the driver his rights, Terry's attention shifted toward the house where everything that mattered waited for him.
He holstered his weapon and raced toward the back door, his heart still pounding with the desperate need to see his children with his own eyes, to touch them and know they were real and safe.
Manuel and Carmen Garcia stood on their back porch, their faces reflecting the same wide-eyed concern that came from having their peaceful afternoon shattered by violence.
But Manuel's weathered features were hard with protective anger, his hands still gripping the shotgun he'd used to defend Terry's family like his own.
Terry's gaze immediately found his children through the screen door. Emma and Sandra were tucked behind Jose, whose arms were spread out like a shield. Toby's eyes were wide with what looked like an adrenaline rush, but a smile was already cracking through the shock on his young face.
"Dad!" Both kids broke away from their protectors and launched themselves at Terry, their bodies colliding with his chest with enough force to make him stagger backward.
He wrapped his arms around them, feeling Emma's body shake with delayed reaction while Toby shouted with breathless excitement, "Dad, did you see that?
We got here just in time! And Mr. Garcia threatened to shoot the driver! That was awesome!"
Terry could think of other words to describe the events, like terrifying, devastating, and life-altering, but hearing his son speak with such resilient normalcy caused a choked laugh to erupt from his chest. "Got other words to call what happened, Son, but thank God you're okay," he whispered, trying to steady his own racing heartbeat while reveling in the solid weight of his children in his arms.
They were alive and safe. Nothing else in the world mattered.
He looked over their heads, seeing Sandra smiling at him.
He lifted one arm, and she hurried over, joining their family embrace.
Her arms wrapped around all of them with the fierce protectiveness of a mother bear.
"We're fine," she assured him, her voice shaky but strong with the kind of courage that had kept his children alive.
"The kids were so brave, Terry. They were amazing. "
Terry wanted to stay frozen at this moment forever, holding his family while the rest of the world disappeared. But Jeremy's voice from the doorway pulled him reluctantly back to the reality of unfinished business.
"Captain?"
Terry hated to turn away from his family, but he looked up at his detective while keeping his arms protectively around Emma and Toby.
"The guy isn't talking, other than to say he was just following orders," Jeremy reported, his voice grim with professional frustration. “Said he was hired to follow the woman and, if he got the chance, to cause an accident.”
"Son of a bitch," Terry cursed under his breath, the cop in him already analyzing the implications.
Pete had entered the kitchen during the conversation, his face thoughtful. "His driver’s license says Luis López. He isn't on our radar. Must be from somewhere other than the Shore.”
"Tattoos indicate gang," Terry growled. “I’ll bet I know who hired him.” His jaw clenched as the pieces fell into place. "Where's Harrison now?"
Jeremy replied, "Thought you might be interested. Just checked. He’s still at the beach house, dealing with the damage from the party. Colt has a deputy assigned to keep eyes on him, but we need to move before he realizes we've got his guy here."
Pete turned from the others, speaking quietly into his radio before turning back with the kind of grim satisfaction Terry recognized. "Harry's there with his dad."
Terry felt the familiar surge of adrenaline that came with a case reaching its breaking point. The Blackwoods had been operating under their noses for years, poisoning their community with laundered drug money, and now they finally had a chance to bring down the whole operation.
But leaving his family felt impossible after what they'd just been through. The thought of walking away from Emma and Toby so soon after almost losing them made his chest tight with competing loyalties.
"Go," Sandra said quietly, reading his internal conflict with the understanding that came from truly knowing someone. "You need to be there for this. We're safe now, and you know you want to be in on the arrest."
"Dad, you should go," Emma said, wiping her eyes but managing a shaky smile that reminded him how grown-up his girl was becoming. "We're okay now."
"Yeah, Dad," Toby added, his natural resilience already reasserting itself. "Go get the bad guys!"
Manuel stepped forward, his voice carrying the quiet dignity Terry respected. "Captain, your family will be safe with us. You have my word."
Carmen nodded firmly, her maternal instincts already extending to include Terry's children. "We'll take good care of them. You go do what you need to do."
Terry looked at each face—Sandra's understanding smile, Emma's brave nod, Toby's excitement at the idea of his dad catching more criminals, and the Garcia family's steady reassurance.
These people had risked their lives to protect what mattered most to him, and now they were giving him the freedom to finish what the Blackwoods had started.
"I love you," he said, kissing each of his children and then Sandra with the intensity of a man who'd almost lost everything. "I'll call you as soon as I can."
"We love you too," Sandra said, her hand lingering on his cheek. "Now go finish this."
Terry hustled out the door with Jeremy and Pete, already radioing for backup from Colt's deputies. The Blackwood empire was about to come crashing down, and Terry intended to be there when it happened.
But as he climbed into the SUV, he knew that his real victory had already been won. His family was safe, and that was worth more than any arrest or conviction.