Chapter 35 People Are Your Home
PEOPLE ARE YOUR HOME
ELYXANDRE
As soon as TJ had taken the shot to Judah’s shoulder, her heart seized up because she also heard the second gun firing.
There wasn’t time to check on Lucas. She dropped to the floor, and when she saw the boy also go down, she crab-crawled to him, used her forearm to push the gun out of his reach, then moved into position to cuff him.
Wrenching the arm that had been shot behind his back must have been painful, but she forced herself not to think about it. If she did, she might ignore the fact that he kidnapped three people, held four at gunpoint, and clearly meant to end lives that day. She couldn’t let that happen.
Quint took the boy down the new stairwell and out to the waiting ambulance. After being strapped to the gurney and cuffed to the rails, the EMTs ran preliminary checks, then took him to the hospital. After his wound was treated, he would be taken to the jail and charged as an adult.
He had not been allowed to see Kennedy. She and Ryker were temporarily placed in the back of a squad car, which was blocked from view by one of the Station 7 trucks. He didn’t get a reward after all he’d done.
Ryker was transported to the hospital for treatment of his knee, and Kennedy went with him.
Child advocates and parents were called, and Kennedy and Ryker were questioned briefly in his hospital room.
Both were asked to come to the police station the next day to answer more questions and give formal statements with their parents.
Lucas was questioned and then sent home after promising to bring Ezra in the next day for more formal questioning.
It was now the wee hours of the morning.
Sitting in interrogation, Elyxandre wanted nothing more than to go home.
It wasn’t the first time she’d been questioned in a space like this.
It happened all the time on cases that went hinky, like when she had to pull her gun on a perp.
She didn’t feel threatened, just exhausted.
Quint sat across from her, as well as Cruz Livingston from the FBI. He was trying to move as quickly as possible, which she appreciated, but she knew he had a job to do.
“Judah admitted to the vandalism at the school, as well as hacking into the various security systems. He also admitted to instigating all the problems for Ryker, including the submission of the AI assignment that put him on Lucas’ radar.
The plants at your house were part of him, too, hoping that you’d blame it on Ryker as revenge for his suspension. ”
“So the other items at my house were just coincidence?”
Cruz spoke up for the first time. “No. Those were manufactured, as you suspected.”
“Those issues were your ex,” Quint said gently.
“We matched up days he was off the job in New Orleans with each of the events. Not vacation days. Just time off. He tried to deny it. Gave us the name of a woman who claimed they were together so he had an alibi, but it backfired when she had been in several prominent places at the times they were allegedly together. A wife of a fellow officer.”
Well, that tracked. It was probably the same one she caught him fucking in the bar restroom.
At that moment, she realized there was no more anger, hurt, or embarrassment over the incident.
Oddly enough, she also didn’t feel any satisfaction that he’d been discovered.
She just didn’t care about Knox’s bullshit anymore.
Cruz told her, “We were able to identify him on several bank cameras when he withdrew cash, and on some traffic cams at gas stations and intersections between here and his home. We had him picked up about an hour ago, and local FBI are in control of his vehicle and home. All they had to do was pop the trunk, and they found tools that could be used to commit the damage to your home. Not the brightest bulb in the pack.” He grunted.
“Then he resisted, so he’s cooling his heels in a jail cell for the moment.
Forensics will work to match the tools to residue on them, as well as in the material lining his trunk, and they’ll also match up video footage and witness statements to his purchases. He’s not going anywhere.”
“Thank you. He didn’t want me, so I’m not sure what his deal was, or why he couldn’t let go.”
“Men like him?” Quint said. “They thrive on control. I think it was more that he didn’t want anyone else to have you. Typical for abusers.”
“And my father? Was he any part of this?”
“Not that we can tell. At least, not beyond the incident at the football game. We hauled him in a couple of hours ago. He told us that he got a call from Knox letting him know that you were back in town. Claimed you were coming back to stir up trouble and finish something you started years ago. Any idea what he’s talking about? ”
That also tracked. Knox couldn’t be here all the time to cause havoc, so he farmed out that responsibility to someone he could control.
Probably supplied him with drugs, then used his manipulative tactics to cause paranoia that Tripoli would return.
Luckily, she’d never told Knox details of that night.
Just that a Good Samaritan came to her rescue and scared the crap out of him.
Even if he mentioned Tripoli, the statute of limitations had long since run out on the incident.
She looked Quint square in the eye. “Not a clue. He’s a drunk and an addict. Who knows what scenarios he’s invented inside his head.”
He stared at her. Neither one blinked.
“All right then. I think that’s it. I suggest you head home and get some rest.”
Cruz corrected him. “Actually, we’ll need to search your house for evidence of your ex as well. Do you have somewhere to stay for a few days? Maybe a week?”
“Yeah. Since my alarm system is down and my patio door hasn’t been replaced yet, my boyfriend is letting me stay with him. Can I at least go and pick up a few things for the duration?”
“As long as an officer escorts and observes, that should be fine. Clothes and toiletries only though.”
“Understood.”
“We’ve shut down the school through the weekend for evidence gathering,” Cruz added. “We’ll notify the superintendent when students and staff can return.”
“Got it.”
“You need a ride home?” Quint asked.
She could call a rideshare, but even the thought of pulling her cell phone from her pocket and opening the app was too exhausting to consider. Instead, thinking back on her promise to Lucas to let people help her when she needed help, she nodded. “That would be great.”
“Give me ten minutes, and I’ll take you. I’m heading home myself.”
True to his word, Quint was ready to leave within the time frame given, and they rode in silence for the first five minutes, which she appreciated.
Making small talk after answering questions nonstop for the past however many hours was not enticing.
However, when Quint made a left when he should have made a right, she perked up in her seat and looked around.
“You went the wrong way,” she told him.
“No, I didn’t,” he corrected her. “I offered you a ride home.”
“Yeah, but my home is the other way.”
Shrugging, he explained, “Your house is the other way. Not your home.”
“Quint, I’m far too exhausted for riddles,” she complained.
He pulled into the Vaughns’ driveway. When he did, the door opened, and Lucas walked out onto the front porch, wearing a T-shirt and well-worn jeans, his hair slightly awry as if he’d woken up from a nap and hadn’t combed it yet.
He didn’t come down the two porch steps. He just stood there. Waiting.
As she sat there, staring at him through the windshield, Ezra stepped out and stood next to him.
Same stance. Same outfit, although the shirt was a different color.
Even the same goofy bedhead. She could just imagine them sprawled on the twin couches in the living room, the television on the sports channel, soda cans and pizza boxes strewn all over the coffee table.
The image didn’t suck.
In fact, it felt warm and peaceful.
It felt good.
It felt right.
She wanted to be a part of that.
“Home is where your people are, Elyxandre.”
She turned to look at Quint.
“Go on. Get out of my car. Your people are waiting for you.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re bossy?”
“Maybe a time or two. I prefer to think of it as helpful.” With a grunt, he considered the two men on the porch.
“He hides it well, but if you don’t get out of this car, he’s going to burst a blood vessel.
So I suggest you prevent a 911 call and get inside that house.
And that’s just the kid. I’m not sure what his father will do. ”
A look at Ezra standing on the porch showed her that Quint wasn’t wrong. He was basically vibrating, his fingers twitching down at his sides. What did he think was happening? That she was riding in Quint’s car because something was going on?
“Yeah,” she agreed with a sigh. “His father probably wouldn’t appreciate it if I had to put Ezra down on the ground and cuff him to keep him from overreacting.”
“It’s understandable. You’ve had a hell of a week, and he was worried. He loves you. They both do.”
“Yeah, they do.”
She could finally admit it to herself. Elyxandre, who had felt unlovable for a long time, no longer felt that way. For whatever reason, they did love her. And she loved them.
Exiting the vehicle and shutting the door behind her, she ducked her head down to look at Quint through the open window. “Thanks for the ride. And for everything else too.”
He waved her off. “Nothing to thank me for. The blue line always holds each other up. See you soon.”
When she stood up, he eased the car out of the driveway and took off for his own home.
She stood there a moment, enjoying the sight of her two guys.
The man she deserved, and the son who deserved a mother and a father who would cheer him on.
She could be that woman. She already was.
She just had to reach out and take what was being offered. A home. A family. Happiness.
Ambling to the bottom of the porch steps, she stopped and faced them. “I told him to take me home, and he brought me here.”
“Smart man,” Ezra said. “I’m going to bed.”
He returned inside the house, leaving her staring at Lucas.
“Ezra’s right.” He came down the two steps so that he was toe-to-toe with Elyxandre. He licked his thumb, then used it to wipe away something from her hairline. “Theatre dust,” he told her.
“I gotta admit. That tunnel was pretty nasty. When I left the station, I was having lurid fantasies of a hot shower, a sweatshirt and sweatpants, and eating a pint of ice cream right out of the container like a heathen. Don’t suppose you’d let me come in and use your shower?”
“I have everything inside to make those fantasies come true. You can use whatever you want as long as you always promise to come back if you leave.”
“Sounds doable, Dr. Vaughn.”
Warm hands framed her face, and soft lips brushed hers, before enveloping her tight in his arms. “Ezra informed me that if I don’t ask you to move in right this second, I am no longer up for Dad of the Year,” he whispered.
“I think you need to have a talk with him about how relationships work.”
“Told him I should probably ask you out on a date first. He said modern people don’t move at such a slower-than-dirt pace, whatever that means. Muttered something like, ‘If you already know she’s it, why wait?’”
Forehead to forehead, they stood there soaking up the joy of being alive and together. “Well, my house is still a bit unlivable at the moment.”
“This is true.”
“And it’s going to take a while to put it back together.”
“Also true.”
“I’m going to need a place to stay while that happens.”
“I’ve got an extra key for you and you can have Ezra’s spot in the garage.”
“By the time everything’s good, we probably could have been out on a multitude of dates, so then you asking me to move in would be more realistic.”
“Definitely.”
“I’d probably say yes at that point.”
“Hope so.”
“So, if we accept those premises, maybe we should just skip to the foregone conclusion, and I’ll just move in.”
“I like your logic, Officer Hookstead.”
“I’m smart like that.”
His mouth pressed against hers, and she immediately opened to let his tongue inside. One arm banded around her middle back, one hand holding her neck at the angle he wanted, they announced to everyone on the block that the school resource officer was officially dating the high school principal.
And she didn’t give a damn.