13. Chapter 13
I arrive at the bar, ignoring all speed limits, and message Cash to turn off the cameras. Once he gives me the all clear, I enter the hallway and unlock his door.
He’s still on the computer when I enter. “We need to go now.”
Nodding to me, he finishes typing and then drops several hard drives and a laptop into a backpack. He opens a door, talking in a low voice to whom I assume is his sister. I’ve never seen her, but he comes back out quickly with his arm wrapped around her shoulder.
Her long hair hangs over her down-turned face, so I can’t see her features. “Let’s go.”
We quickly exit the building and hop in the truck. I floor it out of the parking lot, heading for the nearest highway heading south. After a few hours without issue, I pull over into a repo yard and hot wire a car, leaving the truck there.
Both Cash and his sister have been quiet so far. I quickly stop for gas before continuing to speed south. “Want to tell me what you have in your backpack?” I ask.
“Copies of everything I sent Fawx, plus more.”
“Good. Your sister’s name?”
“Amy. Where are we headed?”
“South Carolina. I have FBI and local police contacts there. They will give you a fair shake. I can’t guarantee you’ll go free.”
“It’s better than being stuck there,” he mutters.
I stop two more times for gas, fast food, and coffee to keep me awake. Cash and his sister don’t speak again for the rest of the drive.
When we get home, I drive straight to Shortie’s house. I figure whatever happened is already over since the sun rose a few hours ago. There’s a police cruiser at the end of the driveway, so I pull over and get out, telling Cash to do the same. Luckily, I see a familiar face. “Sean,” I yell.
Turning, his eyes get big in surprise before he motions me over. Cash and his sister follow closely behind me. “Good to see you, Nick. Z and Summer are still inside. The FBI killed or apprehended everyone who was here to kidnap Summer.”
I see a commotion at the front door, so I quickly explain who Cash and his sister are.
Sean allows them to get in the back of his vehicle before walking me past the police tape.
We’re stopped by an FBI agent, but I see Shortie walking towards a black SUV, so I tell the agent to fuck off and shove him out of the way, making a beeline for her.
As she climbs into the back of the SUV, I stop her door from closing, and the next thing I know she’s in my arms. “Shortie.” I bury my face in her neck, pulling her completely out of the vehicle. Thank fuck she’s safe.
Loosening my grip, I kiss her hair. Fuck, I missed her. A huge smile breaks over her face until she notices I’m banged up. “Nick?” She questions, her brows furrowing.
“Glad you’re safe. Talk later,” I say before lowering her to the ground.
I get a handshake from Z before Troy pulls me into a bear hug. “What the fuck happened to you?” I ask Troy. He’s got his arm in a sling.
“Got shot, but the other guy is dead,” he smiles. “I’m good, Nick. Glad you’re home safe.” He turns to the FBI agent who was watching us. “This is Nick Bouras,” Troy introduces. “The one who got you the evidence.”
I shake hands with Kinsley quickly before stepping back beside Shortie. “I’ve got 2 people with me you need to meet. Cash and his sister, Amy. He gathered evidence for me, but his sister has PTSD. No men allowed near her.”
“I can make that happen,” Kinsley agrees, questions in his eyes, but thankfully he seems to realize now isn’t the time to ask. “Agent Martin can accompany you to the station.”
“They’re with Sean. She can ride with him,” I reply, no room for argument.
Kinsley arranges for Agent Martin to go with Sean, while I usher Shortie into the back seat and slide in beside her. My hand automatically goes to her thigh while she lays her head on my shoulder. I missed her smell and never realized it until now. Fuck, it’s good to be back.
My mind has been wandering back to Artur all night. I hope I made the right decision coming here. I wasn't going to take Patrick's place and run drugs, and the sperm donor is finally dead. Artur might become an issue quickly, but with any luck, he and Fitzgerald were dealt with tonight.
The police station is a mess of too many bodies, but Sean leads us through the crowd.
Kinsley gives us a minute to call our lawyer before Troy and I are moved to a separate room for questioning. The agent with us tries to question me right away, but Troy shuts that shit down. I have little to hide, but I’m not stupid enough to say anything without a lawyer present.
Troy requests a doctor to come and check me out, but I assure him there’s nothing seriously wrong with me.
Mr. MacLeod enters with one of his partners and Kinsley. I insist he stay with Shortie so he leaves his partner, Mr. Morrison, with us.
Before the agents can start asking questions, I tell him about Artur and the office building in Knoxville. Kinsley assures me that a raid happened in Tennessee last night to capture all the major players.
I insist on ensuring Fitzgerald and Artur are dead or behind bars before I agree to talk about anything.
"You're not in a position to demand anything," the second agent tells me.
"I'm the reason you have the evidence you do, so don't give me that shit. My family's safety is the most important thing, so either prove to me they are out of play or you can fuck off," I reply.
Agent Kinsley holds up a hand as the second agent opens his mouth to reply. "Nick, while we appreciate your efforts to bring down the operation, we were already working towards that goal."
"Are you fucking serious right now?" I reply.
"Agents," Mr. Morrison interrupts. "I understand the FBI has been monitoring Mr. Fitzgerald for 5 years now.
Nick got you more information in 8 months than you were able to gather in those years.
You have enough to prosecute all the players, and the operation has ceased.
That is because of my client and not your resources.
I suggest you provide the evidence he requests immediately. "
Kinsley eventually agrees and shows me mug shots from last night.
Artur's mug shot is from Tennessee with today's date.
The other man looks to be about the same age as him and not at all what I was expecting.
Fitzgerald really flew down here to get Summer, and Artur was caught in the basement where Friday night fights happen.
“How do you know this is actually Fitzgerald?” I ask.
“The FBI has had his identity for several years now, and Cash verified it was him. Why don’t you know what he looks like?” Kinsley asks, suspicion clouding his features.
“Hadn’t met him yet. I only dealt with Artur and Patrick.”
“Where is Patrick?” Kinsley asks.
“Dead from a shootout at the bar. I don’t know where his body is. His crew cleaned up after the fighting.” No way am I implicating myself in his killing when they're already being difficult.
“Where were you during the fight and cleanup?” The other agent asks.
“Fighting for my life. There were at least 50 people there in an all out brawl. Artur told me I had to take over for Patrick because he was dead, then I was under guard by two of Artur’s men. I couldn’t even piss alone.”
“How did you escape?”
“You’ll find Artur’s two guards in Patrick’s bedroom closet if they haven’t escaped yet. I knocked them out and tied them up. Took Patrick’s truck and drove back to the bar to break Cash and his sister out and then drove here.”
Mr. MacLeod joins us about an hour into my questioning, letting us know Summer and Z are at Alex's house. I lose track of time after that as they compare my information with what Cash sent them. Because I don’t know what they received, it takes forever.
I list all the names and businesses I can remember, describe the Friday night fights and then Tuesday nights, and I make sure they know about the young teens.
It seems the symbol on the train station crates is new information Cash didn’t have, so I explain about the dead guard and draw the symbol I saw on the crates.
No one seems to know whether the salon supplies were legitimate or had hidden drugs in them.
At one point, Kinsley gives me a stack of photos to look through. I write the names of those I recognize and any information I have about them.
Someone brings lunch and coffee in at some point while we work through all the information.
By late afternoon, I’m barely functioning, and Mr. MacLeod insists we stop until tomorrow morning.
There’s talk of locking me up tonight, but fuck that.
Mr. MacLeod produces the informant paperwork from the local FBI office to prove I was on the right side of things.
It turns out the local office never filed it because Troy’s buddy was a corrupt asshole.
Troy tells me Eddy stole his phone and tried to lure Z and Summer out of the safe room, and that Z shot him in the leg. Good.
Kinsley agrees to let me go after we assure him, I’ll go straight to Alex’s house and return at 8am tomorrow morning. The other agent argues with him about his decision, but Kinsley is the senior officer, so I get to leave. I’m fucking exhausted.
Z is waiting for us outside. I get a hug from him, and then he drives us to Alex’s house, where everyone is staying tonight.
Alex greets us at the door, asking us to help carry dinner upstairs.
I get a bro hug from him and E, and then we trudge upstairs.
I hear a Gabby squeal as soon as we walk inside.
Holding the dish to the side, someone grabs it as Gabby tries to tackle me.
I hug her back for a minute before setting her down.
Seb gives me a bear hug, and I get a bro hug from Bay.
It’s damn good to lay eyes on everyone again. They all look well and healthy.
My eyes zero in on Shortie standing beside the table, watching us.
I quirk an eyebrow, and she comes right over.
I step towards her and pick her up under her butt, burying my face in her neck again.
How the strong, fierce, damaged little thing buried herself so deep inside me, I’ll never understand, but I’ll be forever grateful she did.
My body shudders at being home and safe in her arms.
Setting her down, she scrutinizes my face before asking if I’m really okay. Nodding, I pull her over to the island and hand her a plate before filling one for myself. Damn, I missed E’s cooking. Gabs is fussing over Troy, cutting his food up for him while he scowls.
We sit around the living room to talk afterwards. Gabs and Summer take seats on either side of me, leaning close.
“It’s still early, but the FBI thinks they’ve gotten all the important people from Tennessee and the crooked FBI agents. Nick and Cash helped them identify several key players. The man in the suit at Z’s house was the boss, Mr. Fitzgerald,” Troy begins.
“Who's Cash?” Seb asks.
“Hacker working with Patrick. I got him and his sister out when I left. Artur and Fitzgerald kidnapped his sister to keep him in line, and she lived with him in a room at the bar. He got the evidence Fawx released to the FBI yesterday. That’s why they came,” I reply.
“What about Patrick?” Shortie asks.
“I killed him,” I answer.
Leaning forward, she looks into my eyes. “You’re safe now,” she whispers, leaning her head on my shoulder.
“Shit, man,” Seb remarks, shaking his head. “I’m still sorry you had to do that. So, what now?”
“One agent wanted to arrest Nick for being part of the crew, so we had an issue leaving. Mr. Macleod and Agent Kinsley, who’s in charge, stepped in.
They weren’t aware Nick was technically working with the FBI because he didn’t have contact with the offices in Tennessee, and Eddy didn't file the paperwork. It’s a grey area because we knew they had corrupt people in their offices, so it wasn’t safe for him to reach out.
We think it’s cleared up now, but Nick will probably spend a few days with the FBI working it all out.
Mr. MacLeod, Agent Kinsley, and I will be with him. ”
“What happens to Cash and his sister?” Shortie asks.
“We don’t know yet. They’re staying at a hotel with guards. This whole mess will take a while to sort through,” Troy answers.
“How did you get shot?” Gabby asks Troy.
“Z texted that one of the guys had gone outside, so Jensen and I crept through the woods to check it out since the FBI hadn’t shown yet. We were approaching either side of the garage when he must’ve spotted us. He shot me before we had eyes on him. Jensen took him out.”
“That’s enough questions for today,” Zander speaks up. “Troy and Nick both need sleep.”
“Can we stay here tonight?” Seb asks.
“There are several guest rooms on the floor below, or we can squeeze everyone in here,” Alex offers.
“That would be appreciated, Alex,” Zander replies.
“Gabs, do you want to stay up here or down below?” Troy asks her.
“Can I stay here?” She looks at Alex and Seb.
“Of course, Gabby,” Alex smiles.
I offer Gabby my bed to sleep in, looking at Shortie, who nods. We watch a movie, then I bring Gabs into my bedroom and take a seat beside her on the couch. “Doing okay?” I ask her.
She begins to cry, so I wrap her in my arms, giving her time to let it all out.
Once she’s done, she punches my shoulder. “I missed you.”
“Missed you too. Tell me what’s happened.”
Gabby excitedly fills me in on her life over the past six months, including a boyfriend. I raise my eyebrows at that comment. “He’s nice; don’t scare him away, Nick. Seb has already given him a hard time.”
“As he should.”
Gabby rolls her eyes, but is in better spirits when she's done, so we rejoin the group. I hold out my hand to Shortie, quirking an eyebrow. She kisses Seb on the cheek and gets up and grabs a bag, then I pull her into the bedroom.
“Glad you’re back, man,” I hear Seb holler as we enter and shut the door.
Asking Shortie to join me in the shower, I head straight into the bathroom, strip, and get under the hot spray.
My body is feeling amped up and exhausted.
Sleeping has been minimal since I left. No real fights and no sex means I've been constantly exhausted.
On the nights I was beaten up badly from forced loss, I usually slept a few hours, but that's it.
I sense Shortie entering the shower behind me. She washes my back, continuing until my entire body is clean, then scrubs my hair. I have to lean forward for her to reach, but it’s relaxing my mind and body.
As I’m rinsing my hair, she leaves. When I step out of the shower, she gently dries me off. I dig through E’s clothes to find a pair of shorts to wear and climb into bed, and Shortie joins me a few minutes later.
I get comfortable with her against my left side as another involuntary shudder runs through me. “Love you,” I murmur into her hair. I’ve never said those words to anyone in my life, but only she deserves them. She somehow became my strength and my peace without even trying.
“I love you, Grumpy. It’s going to be okay now. You’re not alone.”