Chapter Fifteen
MARS
I drove to the airport, keeping an eye out for a tail, picking one up shortly after we drove out of Cam’s apartment complex.
The black SUV followed us all the way to the airport where we were met by more of our team curbside who enclosed Cam in a diamond formation and spirited him away inside.
We unloaded our duffels and weapon cases and handed the keys to a Vegas FBI agent.
Two men followed us inside but stopped at security as we went through the scanner in the law enforcement line.
Obviously Josiah had his people keeping an eye on things but it didn’t matter at this point.
He’d probably done his homework and knew Cam was in FBI custody, no doubt checking up on us as well.
That was fine. It didn’t matter that he knew Cam and his mum were under our protection.
They wouldn’t try anything again until they could get to him without all of us around.
But I was going to make sure that didn’t happen.
We boarded the plane, finding seats with the others already onboard. Cam took a seat beside his mum, taking her hand, and offering a smile as I sat down behind them, belting myself in beside Alain. The flight to L.A. took less than an hour and as we deplaned, I felt relief to be home.
While we were enroute to L.A., Candy had asked how it’d gone at Cam’s flat and after explaining all of it, including the tail, he’d simply nodded and patted my back as he stood and retook his seat.
We were greeted outside the terminal by Lincoln Snow, Max Prince, and Dr. Leo Reeves who shook Candy’s hand after hugging Beth and Kindness. “I’m so glad you’re both okay,” Lincoln said to the women. “Candy told us what happened.”
“It was nothing we couldn’t handle but we were sure glad to see the captain and the Tac Team, Lincoln,” Kindness said.
“Speaking of which, we should get Cam and his mom off the street right now,” Beth said, looking around. “We picked up a tail of some of Sterling’s guys in Vegas. They followed us all the way to the airport and through the terminal. Who knows if there are any more guys here in L.A., Linc.”
He nodded. “Okay, let’s get everyone to the office. SAC Bradley wants a full debrief and we also need to arrange for a safehouse.” He nodded to several vehicles idling at the curb behind his SUV.
“Good enough,” Candy said, turning to me. “You, Cam, and Mrs. Demarco will ride with Prince and Dr. Reeves.” He poked a finger at Special Agent Max Prince who canted his head in a “what’s up” gesture. “Go straight to the office, Max. No stops.”
He held up a set of keys, rattling it. “You got it, boss.”
I walked over to the vehicle Prince unlocked and opened the door for Cam.
He helped his mum slide into the middle.
I gave her a hand with her seatbelt, then slid in next to her, as Prince got into the front seat with his husband.
He drove out of the airport and right into freeway, rush hour traffic.
It took us nearly forty-five bloody minutes of the shitty stop and go stuff to travel the twelve miles to the office.
We parked under the building where we kept the BearCat and the moment I saw the 10, 000 kilo vehicle, I felt at home.
I hadn’t even realized how much I’d missed L.A.
until just that moment. Beth escorted Cam’s mum to the restroom while I led Cam to the conference room.
He still lugged the bag of his pathetically small number of belongings, everything he owned in the world now.
My heart went out to him as he sat at the table, looking weary, scared, and carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
I wished there was something I could do for him.
“Candy will be wanting ya to brief the Special Agent in Charge of our auto theft unit shortly.” He nodded. “Would ya like some tea or…ah…coffee or something?”
“No. I’m fine. Maybe my mom will want some tea, though.”
I nodded and started to walk away when he called out to me. “Mars?” I turned back.
“Yeah?”
“After I sit with the agent from auto theft, do you think we can go to the safehouse?”
I came back to the table. “That’s the plan. I ‘eard Candy saying ‘e’d be checking to see if they already ‘ave a place as soon as we arrived ‘ere.”
“But it’ll be tonight, right?”
I pulled out a chair and sat down beside him, sorely tempted to reach out and take his hand in mine.
I had the overwhelming desire to touch him and offer what little comfort I could, but anyone could walk by and see us through the window.
“Yes…is there a reason ya thought we’d just leave ya ‘ere overnight?” I tried to inject some levity, but the gesture fell flat.
He stared at me, and I recognized very real concern in his eyes. “No…I just know Mom must be exhausted and when she gets that way, she forgets where she is and doesn’t understand what’s happening around her. It’s always worse at the end of the day. They call it Sundowners.”
I nodded. “I’ve ‘eard of it. Don’t worry, Cam. I’ll tell Candy we need to make the interview brief so we can get ya ‘ome and settled before long.”
“Thanks, Mars.”
“No bother.” I gestured to the bag of his things, sitting on the floor. “I’m…ah, really sorry that’s all ya ‘ad left after Sterling’s men got through trashing the place.”
He glanced at the bag and shrugged. “The comics are the only thing I had of real value. My brother, Jessie, and I bought them with money we saved up from stealing cars way before I ever met Sterling. We bought them at auction and decided they’d be worth something someday.
As it turns out, it was a solid plan. They’ve gone way up in value which is why I hid them.
The ones in the coffee table weren’t worth much, but they were still some of my favorites. ”
He looked up, meeting my eyes with such a melancholy expression that I reached out, covering his hand with mine.
He smiled at me and shrugged again. “Anyway, I’m glad I was able to salvage these at least.” He dropped his gaze and turned his hand, intertwining my fingers with his.
He held it for longer than I was comfortable, squeezing it tightly before finally turning me loose.
I patted his shoulder as I stood. “I’ll get that tea now.”
“Thanks, Mars…for everything. You’ve been a really good friend…to both of us.”
I couldn’t help smiling at him. He was so sweet sometimes, nothing like the obnoxious brat he’d been yesterday at our first meeting.
I padded down the hall to the bullpen where everyone was talking about the case.
They were speculating about how much Cam really knew about Sterling and whether he was actually working together with the murderous thug.
When I heard the final comment, which happened to come from Nash, I bristled.
“’E’s not working with Sterling, Hampstead.
” I set my hands on my hips and glowered at one of my best friends as all eyes turned to me.
“Yeah, ‘e’s a car thief, but ‘e did it to survive.
‘E was small time until ‘e was pulled over by Sterling and ‘ad a gun shoved in ‘is face.
Sterling told ‘im that ‘e’d stolen the car Sterling’s men ‘ad been about to nick and offered better money than ‘e’d ever been offered before.
Being threatened with a gun pretty much gave ‘im no choice.”
“He’s a car thief who works for Sterling,” Nash clapped back. “How does that make him any different from Sterling?”
“Nash,” Mickey said with a warning tone. “You should—”
“Because ‘e’s not a killer nor a drug trafficker. ’E was using the money ‘e made to pay for the care ‘ome ‘is mum lived in, not to get rich.” I was rarked up and almost shaking with anger. I loved Nash, he was one of my best friends, but he had Cam all wrong.
“He’s right, Nash,” Napoleon said. “Pats and I were at the apartment this morning. Cam didn’t have the trappings of someone with money. He lived in a furnished apartment and what little he had, was destroyed by Sterling’s guys before we got there to help him pack up some clothes.”
Nash stared at Napoleon with a questioning look in his eyes. “Patsy said he had some pretty expensive comic books tucked away in a hiding place,” he said defensively.
I snorted, shaking my head. “’E and ‘is dead brother bought those at auction. When ‘is brother died of an overdose, Cam in’erited the lot of them. They’re the only thing of value ‘e ever owned and fortunately for ‘im, they were ‘idden away in ‘is flat which is why we went back before taking off.
If he was rolling in green, ‘e’d ‘ave ‘idden it in the same place. Trust me, ‘e’s as skint as they come.”
“Nash,” Mickey began, “Mars and I spent a lot of time with the guy over the past forty-eight hours. Everything he says is true. You didn’t see Cam with his mom. I’m convinced she’s the only reason he’s done the things he’s done.”
Nash held up both hands. “Okay, okay, you guys. I get it. He’s a good guy. I just don’t like the idea of going into an Op where one of our informants might be too closely tied to a gangster like Sterling and organized crime.”
I snorted bitterly. “That’s what an informant is, ya knob,” I said. “A guy ‘oo’s close to the bad guys but working for us.”
“He’s got ya there, boyo,” Patsy said, slapping Nash on the back.
“Fine.” With a quirk of his lips, Nash said, “You win, asshole.”
I grinned at him, hooking my thumb at the break room. “Gonna fetch ‘is mum some tea.” I walked away, happy that I’d set things straight, knowing I was right about Cam.
CAM