Chapter 16 #3
Cayden stayed where he was. He kept Bucky covered, hoping they were mistaken as dead if they continued to just lay there on the floor.
His ears were ringing too loudly to make out much.
The flash of light had blinded him anyway, but he still kept his eyes clamped closed.
He had the sudden image of a bug getting trampled by a stampede.
He really hoped that wasn’t a prophetic thought.
The feel of a rough hand on his shoulder shook him.
Cayden startled himself out of his position on the floor. He looked frantically up into Lee’s too stoic gaze. “Shit, man, doesn’t anything faze you? It’s not like there was a firefight or anything in here.”
Lee sat back on his feet, giving Cayden room to sit up. Rather than answer Cayden’s question, he asked one of his own. “You good?”
Cayden did a quick assessment and then nodded.
“I’ll need a change of underwear, but I’m good.
” Lee didn’t laugh or smile at Cayden’s joke but then he hadn’t really expected him to.
He quickly reached for Bucky on the floor.
The young man had tears in his eyes, but Cayden couldn’t see any blood. “Are you okay?”
Before Bucky could answer, a police officer came over and forced Bucky to his feet. His hands were zip tied behind his back before Cayden could say, “Wait, stop!”
Lee was the one who stepped forward. He stood up, far too gracefully for Cayden’s liking.
There was a part of him that grew jealous when he saw Lee move like that.
It was proof that the former Marine was in complete control of his body.
He said something to the officer, who nodded, and started to lead Bucky away.
“Wait!” Cayden forced himself to stand, wincing as his right knee protested. Well, he’d gladly take a bruise over a bullet. He turned to Lee. “He didn’t do anything. He never shot his gun.”
“We still need to take him in, Cayden. I told the officer to bring him to Holloway’s office.”
Cayden bit his lip. “I know he hasn’t been making the best decisions, but he hasn’t had an easy life either. He doesn’t belong in jail.”
Lee raised an eyebrow before lowering it. “I’ll put in a good word for him. Maybe we’ll be able to just get him probation or a lighter sentence for any information.”
Cayden glanced around at the hectic scene.
The floor was coated with shell casings.
Surprisingly, for all the chaos, there were only five bodies.
The remaining gangbangers and MC members were being zip tied and lined up by the door on their knees.
He saw that Carver was one of them. Slick, the BPMC’s VP, was one of the bodies to Cayden’s right.
“I’m sorry,” he said to Lee. This whole thing had turned into a bloody mess. Cayden didn’t see how this outcome could help anyone. “Massey came in and had this device. It blocked my wire.”
Lee snorted. “It did, but not your phone. Paul got it all.”
“Everything?” Holy fuck! He certainly owed Paul. That kid and his computer… Cayden was beyond impressed. “Carver’s confession and Massey’s involvement?”
Lee nodded.
Cayden looked at the men being lined up at the door by the police officers. He didn’t see any dreadlocks. He quickly looked at the bodies again. None there either. “Massey?”
Lee’s nostrils flared. Cayden supposed that was the best sort of acknowledgement of Lee’s inner anger he was ever going to get. “He got away when we breached.”
Cayden let out a long sigh. “I’m sorry, man.” Then he remembered. Shit, he can’t believe he hadn’t said it first. “Trixie. Massey threatened her—”
“Massey is now, officially, one of the most wanted men in the city.” Cayden looked around Lee to see Captain Holloway stride into the warehouse like it was a mansion he owned.
“He’s going to be going underground or trying to escape.
Let me deal with Massey. You, Mr. Russo, have more important things to deal with.
I can only contain her for so long. If you don’t want her coming in here,” Holloway gestured to the bodies, “I suggest you get out there. I’m pretty sure your young lady is preparing to take on the entire SWAT team to get back here to you. ”
Cayden took several steps towards the door and then paused.
He blinked, his brow furrowing. Then he turned around to face Lee.
The man still stood there with his arms crossed, his face just as stoic as ever.
It was the rifle slung across his back that had made Cayden pause. He hadn’t noticed that at first.
He recalled the shot that had saved his life.
And then the two that had immediately followed afterward.
The large window was facing northwest away from the water.
The concrete yard surrounding the warehouse was wide and touched on three of its four sides.
Cayden didn’t even know where the nearest building was that could have gotten any sniper the height he would have needed to take those shots. Wherever it was, it wasn’t close.
Lee met his eyes and raised a single eyebrow. He didn’t expect Cayden’s gratitude any more than he expected an acknowledgement of what he’d done. For a moment, all Cayden could think was damn with a sense of awe surrounding the thought.
He turned to go, his legs suddenly feeling sluggish.
“Cayden.” His feet froze. He shifted once more to turn towards where Lee and the captain stood.
Lee moved his arms from across his chest to rest his hands on his hips.
There was nothing threatening about how he looked at Cayden or spoke to him, and yet Cayden knew it was no less a warning. “Treat her right.”
The reminder of Trixie washed over him, breaking him of the shock of what had transpired. He gave her brother a smile. “I plan to.”
The sun was nearly set by the time he’d exited the warehouse. The lot was lit up with large stadium lights the police had set up to continue working unhindered.
All he saw was a blur of black hair before she flung herself into his arms. The aromas of her coconut bath wash, motor oil, grease, and something metallic hit him hard, and he breathed it in like a drowning man’s first breath of air.
He heard her tears, knew they were a mixture of fear and relief, but he’d be damned if he could form a single word or thought right then.
Finally, he was able to pull her face away from him enough to claim her lips. She clung to him, completely uncaring about their audience. There might have been some cat calls, some applause… Cayden had no idea.
It was over. He didn’t know what his involvement in closing Lee’s case would need to be. He’d probably have to testify. They likely had to get his accounting of what had happened. But all of that could wait. All of it needed to wait.
When his lungs started protesting beyond what he could ignore, Cayden broke their kiss but kept his hold on her. Her forehead rested against his. She was completely wrapped around him, and he loved it.
“Let’s go home.”
Trixie nodded. “My apartment is cleaner—”
But Cayden shook his head. “Home, baby. I need to go home.”
“It’s not even decorated for Christmas. There’s no tree, no lights. I didn’t—”
He stopped her with a kiss this time. “Don’t care, Trix. It’s home. We can decorate later, make our own Christmas later. I just want to go home.”
She smiled up at him. “Then let’s go.”