Chapter 31
CALLIE
Diesel put the truck in motion almost before I had my door shut.
He’d flung me into the driver seat, followed me in, and pushed me with his hip until I hit the other side with a startled oomph.
He drove straight toward Hawk and Colt, whipping the truck around at the last second to give them a clean break into the backseat.
“Mom?” Cody peered at me from the floorboard, his eyes gigantic. “You’re okay.”
“Yeah, bud. I’m fine.” I hid a sniffle in my sleeve.
Hawk slammed the door. “Callie, switch with me.” He motioned at our seats, and I eased into the gap between the front and the back.
Colt sat upright through sheer force of will, one hand pressed to his shoulder, the other on Cody’s. His jaw locked when Diesel took a sharp U-turn, the G-force pulling us both to the side. He braced his feet against the floor and let out a low, pained grunt.
Cody shot a look at Colt’s shoulder.
“Don’t.” I put two fingers under his chin and redirected his gaze to me. “Look at me.”
He did, gulping air like a starved fish as he tried to hold it together the way I’d taught him.
“It’s okay. You’re okay. We’re going home.” I kept my voice low, the tone under control so he didn’t freak out and start screaming.
It was there, right under the surface. Panic made his pulse flutter, and he blinked several times before leaping into my lap and flinging his arms around my neck.
Diesel took another turn sharp enough to send Colt listing to the side.
“Colt’s bleeding.” Cody whispered into my ear.
“I know.” I patted his back. “But he’s going to be fine.
” I didn’t explain how I knew. No six year old needed to have the knowledge that Colt had been shot high and to the right, in a clean through and through.
He needed reassurance, not something to talk about at school that would have them calling me for another parent teacher conference.
“Promise?” Cody twirled the end of my braid around his fingers.
I met Colt’s gaze over our son’s head. “I promise.” I pulled Cody closer and stared through the windshield, taking in the back alley we bounced down. This was not the regular way home. Had I missed something?
Two bikes appeared in the side mirrors, their headlights bouncing into my eyes until I winced and looked away. My heart skipped a beat…or several, when a dark SUV joined the chase. It stayed behind the bikes, almost like a lookout or someone coordinating their moves.
Diesel spotted them already, and his jaw tightened. Otherwise, he did not react. No acceleration, no sharp movement. He took a left when he normally would go straight and eased his foot harder on the gas pedal, accelerating smooth enough it might not register as a response to the bikes.
Hawk held his phone to his ear. “Second blocker, north on Crane. Don’t close it yet.” He paused. “Let them think they have the line.” His gaze met mine before he pulled it to the mirror. “First blocker holds Mather until I say.”
Street names. He was telling them where to block streets. I swallowed the rising bile and smoothed Cody’s hair away from his face.
He didn’t have his hoodie to hide in.
Colt reached behind us, his torso twisted in an angle that had to be agony. He grunted and pulled his hand forward. “Here.”
My vision blurred when I recognized the hoodie in his hand. One of his. One I’d seen him wear all those years ago right after we met.
Cody dove into the shirt like it might save his life, bundling into the material and letting the too long sleeves cover his hands. He yanked the hood over his head and burrowed in deep, taking big breaths. The hoodie smelled like Colt, and I couldn’t help breathing it in with my son.
The bikes stayed with us through the turn.
“Closing.” One word from Diesel. We didn’t need more than that for the tension to grab me by the throat.
Cody’s breathing went shallow against my ribs.
I pressed a kiss to the top of his head.
“When we get back, we’re going to make a huge bowl of popcorn, and you can add the white cheddar.
” I closed my eyes for a single heartbeat, some part of me praying for all this to end with no bloodshed.
At least, not on our part. If that made me a horrible person then oh well. “And we’ll watch your favorite show.”
“The one with the cars?”
“Yes.”
“But you don’t like that you. You said they never get the cars right.”
I chuckled and held him tighter. “That’s true. But we’ll watch it tonight. We’ll eat every single kernel of popcorn.”
“I have ice cream.” Colt’s face went pasty, and he grimaced when Diesel hit a pothole. “Can I watch TV too?”
“Yeah.” Cody peeked at Colt from the depths of his hood, the strings already crossed in his mouth.
Diesel pressed harder on the gas, taking another left, followed by a short right that whipped us into an alley that I’d always thought dead-ended. He hit the middle and yanked around for another right.
“Close Crane.” Hawk gripped the phone and barked out a series of orders that made no sense to me.
They didn’t have to. For maybe the first time in my life, I didn’t need them to explain to me what was happening or how we would get out of this. I trusted them to see it through.
The SUV whipped into the alley behind us, keeping the exact same distance.
“Keep it close but not tight. We can’t let this devolve into a rolling gunfight.” Hawk mouthed an apology at me when Cody whimpered.
I squeezed his arm where it rested on the console. “It’s okay. I understand.”
Colt’s head fell back against the seat, and he listed to one side.
I caught him and helped brace him with my shoulder in case he passed out.
Thirty seconds later, we crossed an intersection.
“Close on Church. Now.” Hawk swiveled to look in the mirror.
A truck pulled sideways across the road behind us, blocking the bikes. The first bike braked hard enough the rear tire came up off the pavement. Tires squealed as the second tried to turn and laid their bike down. The SUV stopped.
“Sixty seconds till they find their way around.” Diesel used every single second.
A second set of headlights appeared ahead of us, at the junction where the service road met the county highway.
My stomach dropped. How had they gotten ahead of us?
The SUV reappeared on our tail.
Diesel gripped the wheel. “Hold for a sharp left.”
“What?” I barely had time to ask before he ripped the wheel left. We passed the incoming SUV, and it flashed past in a dark blur I recognized as an unmarked police unit.
Hart.
Thank fuck. Dust plumed in his wake, and he barreled toward our tail without any hesitation.
“Sutter’s Pass police department. Stop where you are.
” His cold voice came across his vehicle’s sound system in a loud roar.
The SUV wheeled around, driving off road to make the turn and hightailed it toward town.
Hart pulled his own U-turn and pulled up alongside Hawk’s window, climbing out wearing a vest and his radio in his hand.
He’d been prepared for this. I should’ve known, but I’d been a little preoccupied.
He leaned forward, taking in the interior with a frown.
“Keep moving. I’ll hold them off until you can get home.
Expect a medical team in ten. I need plates and riders, but I’ll check in when I’m done.
” He tore off down a side road that looped back onto the county road and might put him on the highway in time to catch the bastards on our asses.
Diesel floored it, getting us home in record time.
Hawk called in our approach, and four people met us on the porch.
Two I knew, Holly and Dylan. Holly had been an Old Lady with the club long enough to have white in her hair and bigger balls than half the men.
She took one look at the sorry state we were in and held out her hand.
“I’ll take the boy. We’ll hole up in your room.
Take care of them.” She didn’t give me much of a choice.
I could have argued, and I wanted to. Cody needed me.
He also needed to decompress, and Holly had one hell of a hug that made everything feel like it would be okay.
“I’m okay.” Cody wiggled in my arms. “I want to go with Holly so you can take care of Colt.”
One of these days, I’d have to tell him that Colt was his father. Not yet. Not until Colt gave me the go ahead.
Colt climbed out of the truck under his own power and stood near the bumper with his good hand braced on the tailgate.
The bleeding had slowed but not stopped. “Sit before you fall down.”
“I’m not going to fall down.” But he slid down until his ass hit the bumper and stayed there. “Ow.”
I put pressure on the wound and stood between his knees. “Thank you.” My voice shook. I sucked in a gulp of air and kissed his cheek.
Hart rolled in and leaped out of the SUV with a tablet in hand. He marched toward the front door. “Show me what you got.”
Colt groaned and I helped him to his feet while he muttered under his breath about not missing out on the good stuff.
Diesel led the way to the main table, where he tossed the recovered photos on the table.
“When did you get those?” I’d been right with him. I never saw him make a move for the faked ledger.
He grinned at me, a tiny little sideways smirk that set me on fire. “I have skills.”
“Was that…a joke?” Colt put a hand against his forehead. “Callie, do I have a fever?”
“Funny.” Diesel crossed his arms and pressed his lips together.
“Oh, so he’s done talking now.” Colt snorted and half fell into the nearest chair.
“Medical’s here.” Dylan stuck his head in the door. “Want me to send them in?”
“No. I’m happy to keep bleeding all over the floor.” Colt waved one hand when Dylan froze. “Send them in.”
“This is all we have. You have names, payoff routes, and meeting windows. Wade confirmed the information you had.” Hawk didn’t give Hart the full story, but they connected the dots pretty damned fast. “How do you make this stand up in court?”
The two of them bent over the paperwork.
“The ledger isn’t just dirt. It’s a map.
There are probably routines in there we can figure out once our analysts are on the job.
If the map matches what I can pull from cameras and plates, it becomes probable instead of rumor.
” Hart drummed his fingertips on the table.
A man in a blue uniform carried a bag in and set it beside Colt. “Guessing you’re the one needing treatment.” He pointed at the blood trail. “Might want to work on that if you need to be sneaky in the future.”
“Oh great, I got the one with jokes.” Colt rested his head on the back of the chair.
“Laughter is the best medicine.” The EMT took the wad of soaked shirt from Colt’s shoulder and let out a low whistle. “But I think I’d better patch you up the old-fashioned way too. Just to be safe.”
Conversations blurred around me as it all settled.
The adrenaline I’d been riding for a day and a half rushed out, leaving my knees weak and my head fuzzy.
My hands shook. I locked them against my thighs and breathed.
Cody was safe. Colt was upright. Diesel and Hawk worked on next steps.
I’d done my part. I stiffened my legs to keep on my feet.
Colt slid a hand around my waist and guided me down onto his leg. “I got you, Callie. We’re all here. We’re all okay.”
He talked to me the way he did Cody, like I was precious and worth reassuring.
Hart pointed at the ledger. “That one. I know that name. It came up when I ran plates tonight.” He grinned, and it had a malicious edge to it that I appreciated because it meant he wanted this bad enough he wouldn’t be bought off. “This is your shooter’s crew.”
Hawk pulled the ledger around, his body going stiff as he looked. He nodded once, the movement clipped and certain. “Then we take off their head.”