Chapter
Eleven
Her supplies in hand, Trixie rushed into her bedroom. She couldn’t think about Cayden right now, or her worry that he’d never forgive her for this. Her mind and concern were only for her bleeding brother lying in her bed.
Thankfully Cayden had laid Lee down on the right side, so she didn’t have to reach to get to his wound. She wasn’t strong enough to lift him on her own. Cayden’s shirt was soaked through. She dropped the bloody shirt to the newly carpeted bedroom floor. Priorities after all. Taking the kitchen scissors, she cut Lee’s shirt from navel to neck and then his left sleeve. The bullet wound was just below his collarbone.
She paused as she moved his cut shirt out the way. Trixie didn’t know a lot about his time as a soldier or where he’d been afterward. His body was just as well toned as she remembered it, but she couldn’t recall him having so many scars. Some were small and circular while others were long and jagged. A nasty burn mark covered his upper left arm. Hadn’t he had a Marine’s tattoo there? What the hell had he been doing to earn him so many scars? A distinctive slash mark on his right wrist caught her eye.
A gasp flew from her mouth. Was its location a coincidence, or had Lee tried to end his own life?
Fuck, she really needed to get him to a hospital, but she’d promised no cops. Hospital would mean doctors, but it would also mean cops. Why the hell had she promised no cops? What the hell had she been thinking?
Forcing her hand under him, she couldn’t feel an exit wound. She’d watched enough Gray’s Anatomy to know that was both good and bad. The bullet needed to be removed before she could stitch up the wound, but the bullet was also keeping the blood flow down.
She leaned over Lee. He was passed out cold. “What the fuck have you been up to, hermano?”
Trixie ran into the bathroom. She wasn’t regretting going crazy with supplying the house now. Cayden had laughed at her when he’d seen how stocked her medicine cabinet, pantry, and linen closets were. She had some clients who were doctors. Should she call them? Could she trust any of them to keep a secret?
Why couldn’t Lee go to a fucking hospital? The man was such a drama queen.
She grabbed the hydrogen peroxide, some washcloths, and her first aid kit. She had no idea how she was going to get the bullet out of him. Fuck. Should she Google it? Surely dealing with the cops couldn’t be worse than dying. She’d do what she could to help him but if he took a turn for the worse she was going to call regardless of her promise. She was not going to lose another brother.
Using the water and a cloth, Trixie started wiping the blood away from the wound. She really hoped he was clean. She didn’t have gloves other than her utility ones in her Firebird, and those weren’t exactly sanitary. Apparently, she hadn’t gone crazy enough with stocking the house. Who didn’t have gloves?
Mentally scolding herself, Trixie looked into the wound. She wasn’t sure, but she thought she could see the end of the bullet. She reached into her nightstand to pull out a small penlight. Clicking it on, she looked closer. Yes, that was definitely the bullet.
It was lodged just below his collarbone. Trixie didn’t think it was in far enough to hit anything vital, but she was a mechanic, not a surgeon. She knew basic first aid because they did work with some dangerous equipment and chemicals at the shop. Bullets were not one of them.
Trixie grabbed the peroxide. She uncapped it, hesitated, and then poured the liquid directly into the wound. Lee shot up on the bed, yelling out. She could see the panic in his eyes, which settled when he saw her. She was grateful for that. He looked ready to spring at her.
Not offering him any sympathy, Trixie said, “There’s more of that if you don’t behave, hermano. Lay back down.”
A string of Spanish curses flew from his mouth. He groaned in pain as he heeded her instruction. “Aren’t you just a little ray of sunshine,” he grunted out.
She frowned at him. “You’re the one who showed up on my doorstep and interrupted my date.”
“With the criminal?” Trixie paused; how did he know about Cayden’s record? “Really, abeja, what were you thinking?”
There were many things Trixie wanted to say to him just then, and none of them were in regard to Cayden or the childhood nickname he’d just used to address her. She held up the bottle of peroxide in obvious threat. “You have a bullet in your shoulder and you want to talk about my sex life? I’m more than happy to let you bleed out, or better yet, call the cops as I should have done when you first showed up on my door.”
Her eyes narrowed when she saw his skin pale under the dirt and blood. “You didn’t, did you?”
She shook her head. “No, and I’m still kicking myself about it.”
Lee laid his head back on the pillow. “Good, thank you. I’m sorry for coming here, but I didn’t know where else to go. I didn’t think you’d be here.”
“Then why come here?”
He winced when he tried to shrug. “Needed a safe place to lay low.”
“And the bullet in your shoulder didn’t indicate that that safe place should be a hospital?”
Lee shook his head. “Can’t. Let’s just say I shouldn’t have been where I was, even though I had a good reason to be there.”
She did not like that answer at all. “What the hell have you gotten yourself mixed up in, hermano?” She reached forward and wiped the fresh flowing blood away from his wound.
Lee glanced down at his shoulders. “Go get a pair of needle nose pliers. Do you have a sewing kit?”
Trixie’s eyes widened. “You have got to be kidding me. You want me to get that bullet out while you’re awake?”
“No choice. I need it out.” Trixie opened her mouth to argue, but he shook his head. “Just get me the pliers. I’ll do it. It’s not that deep, abeja.”
Bile rose in her throat. Cayden’s angered face popped up in her head. If this was how she made him feel by forcing him out, then she deserved whatever wrath was headed her way as a result. “We do this, and then you tell me everything.”
“I’ll tell you what I can.”
Trixie wanted to argue that that wasn’t good enough, but her eyes landed on the bullet wound and she thought better of it. When it came down to it, he needed that bullet out sooner than later. Wasting time arguing with him could just be making him worse.
Trixie went into the garage and pulled out a pair of needle nose pliers. She had a small pocket sewing kit in her bathroom. Most of the time she didn’t care if she ripped her clothing, or got stains on them. She mainly had the kit to replace missing buttons. She hoped she had enough thread for whatever it was Lee was about to do.
She grabbed another mixing bowl from the kitchen. Lee’s eyes were closed when she re-entered the bedroom. At first, she hoped he’d passed out again, but they opened as soon as he heard her. His dark eyes were weary, but she recognized their usual stubbornness. That was good at least. If he had the strength to keep that up, she had a feeling he’d be just fine.
As long as she didn’t hit anything vital when she pulled the bullet out of his shoulder. Nausea rose again, but she forced it down. Her bedroom, only an hour before smelled like her coconut body wash from Cayden’s and her shower, now was drenched in an aroma of copper and peroxide. How had her perfectly planned weekend with Cayden turned so wrong? Would he ever forgive her?
Trixie shook the thought from her mind. Lee was her priority right now. She’d deal with Cayden once she knew her brother wasn’t going to die in her bedroom. She stumbled at the sudden flash of finding Abuelo in this very room. She was not about to let her brother die here too.
Without speaking to him, Trixie poured most of the bottle of peroxide into the new bowl. Then placed the pliers into the clear liquid. She had thought about the lighter she’d grabbed from the kitchen but figured the peroxide was a better sterilizer.
Lee was struggling to sit up. “I need a mirror.”
She shook her head. “No way. I’ll do it.”
His eyes narrowed. “Trix. Get me a mirror.”
They stared off for a moment before Trixie journeyed to the bathroom to get a small mirror. It had been their abuela’s. She hated what she was about to use it for.
Lee reached into the bowl and pulled out the pliers. He positioned her hands with the mirror where he needed it to be. “Hold it steady.”
Trixie tried, but her hands shook so badly she had no idea how he saw anything in it. As soon as he’d inserted the pliers, Trixie had had to look away. She forced her jaw closed, feeling the hot dogs and beans in her stomach rebelling against remaining down.
Lee was mostly quiet as he worked, only letting out the occasional grunt or groan. His silence irritated her. She couldn’t imagine the pain he was inflicting on himself.
Finally, she heard him gasp out and then a clatter of metal against the glass bowl. Trixie turned to see the bloody bullet still gripped between the tips of the pliers and promptly lost the battle with her dinner.
Cayden was not any happier about being back at the halfway house than the Wynns were having him there. Of course, their concern was about Trixie and what had happened. Cayden just delivered a short “She’s fine, we had a fight” as he made his way up to his room. He was still barefoot. His boots were at Trixie’s.
For one precious day, he’d had a house. He’d been dreamily arrogant that he could have a home, a future. With Trixie. The best girl in the world. He’d thought himself so lucky.
How had he ended up back at the halfway house? Using the noose of his freedom was a low blow. His freedom would never be worth her safety. But his Trix was a strong, independent woman. How could he not give her what she asked for? But that didn’t stop the question, what was she involved in that might cost him his freedom?
Pissed, Cayden called her, but the phone just rang and then went to voicemail. Not for the first time, he considered calling 911. It was those fucking words that halted him each time. I need you to trust me.
He did trust Trixie. He’d trusted her with more of himself than he had to anyone else he knew. Gran was excluded from that tally because she’d raised him.
Cayden laid on his bed, seething, and ignored the constant knocks on his door from Mrs. Wynn and Geordi. It was still early evening. He should be balls-deep in Trixie, worshiping her entire body with his mouth, hands, and cock. Not sitting on his bed alone.
He hadn’t wanted to hit something so much in a very long time. Not since he’d gotten together with Trixie, really. She calmed his Russo temper like nothing else ever had. Not even the adrenaline high of boosting had cooled him down like Trixie did.
How had their weekend turned so bad that Trixie was the cause of his current rise in anger?
Trixie had told him to leave. Trixie had kicked him out. To help a bleeding stranger with a bullet wound. I need you to trust me.
Fuck! Cayden hated this. It wasn’t a matter of trusting her. He trusted her. He didn’t trust the unknown stranger bleeding on their bed. The bed he’d spent most of the previous night buried inside her in.
Trixie wanted to protect him. He had one weekend to go. He was so close to his freedom. But what was his freedom worth if he didn’t have her? If something happened to Trixie, he’d never forgive himself. Why the fuck had he left her? How could she have asked him to leave her?
Cayden wanted to return to her house, but it was after curfew. The Wynns had let him back in, but they wouldn’t let him leave again. Their house wasn’t a hotel where he could come and go as he pleased.
He’d give her the night. Whether she wanted him there or not, he was going back to that house first thing in the morning. Cayden just hoped and prayed she would be okay until then.
Her bedroom was a mess and it smelled rotten. Lee was currently passed out on the couch in the den, not wanting to risk him bleeding all over her new couch. She didn’t fully trust her sewing skills for him not to. She’d run out of black thread and had moved onto red and then yellow. It made her think of that snake rhyme where one was deadly and one was friendly. She really hoped she hadn’t somehow jinxed him by using those colors in that order.
Using bleach, baking soda, and vinegar, she worked on cleaning up her bedroom. Trixie had to force herself to breathe through her mouth. The vile smells were making her stomach threaten to rebel again.
She knew she had a missed call from Cayden. She hadn’t cleared the notification yet and he hadn’t left a voicemail. Her guilt decreed that she should let the notification remain, a constant reminder. Her phone was practically burning a hole in her back pocket.
She made sure to clean the new carpeting from the French doors to her bedroom for any blood drops. Then she scrubbed her back porch with bleach. When she found a bloody handprint on the rail, she decided to check the remainder of the backyard. She went back inside to grab a larger flashlight than her penlight. From the stain, she figured the sounds that had alerted Cayden and her earlier that night had been from Lee climbing over the fence. Why hadn’t the man just opened the gate? There wasn’t a lock on it.
His path to the house also didn’t make sense to her. He’d crossed through the neighbor’s yards rather than walk down the sidewalk to the front door. Had he been trying to avoid being seen? Since he was adamant about not wanting the cops involved, Trixie figured that was an accurate assumption. Had any of her neighbors seen him? What if they had called the police?
Then the cops would already be on your doorstep, moron, she chastised herself.
It was nearing four o’clock in the morning when she made it back inside. Exhausted, Trixie took the soiled sheets and Cayden’s shirt from the washer and put them in the dryer. She showered, grabbed out Cayden’s shirt from Friday from the hamper, and then curled up on the living room couch. Even with the new sheets on her bed, she didn’t think she could sleep there. Not without Cayden.
A pounding on the front door woke her. Trixie groaned into the pillow. It was too early and she was too tired for this, but the pounding persisted so rapidly that it reminded her of a hummingbird’s wings.
“Fuck,” she grumbled, forcing herself to stand. She stumbled to the front door. She knew it was Cayden out there, but she didn’t have any answers for him. She hadn’t even gotten answers herself yet.
Regardless, it didn’t change the fact that he couldn’t be here. She didn’t know what Lee was mixed up in and she couldn’t risk Cayden’s freedom because of it.
A glance into the den showed Lee was still out cold. She saw the slight rise and fall of his chest, which meant she hadn’t inadvertently killed him. Yet. A push down the stairs might still be owed to her as penance for the scare he’d given her as well as his piss-poor timing.
She opened the door before Cayden drew attention to their house with his knocking. But she blocked his entry with her body.
“So you are alive,” he snapped. “Thanks for letting me know.”
Trixie laid her head against the door. “I’ve had a really long night. I’m exhausted—”
“Well, I’m fucking pissed,” he interrupted. She didn’t doubt that; his mismatched eyes were seething. “Are you going to let me in?”
She shook her head. “I can’t. He’s still here.”
“Who is he?” Cayden demanded. “For that matter, why are you willing to get yourself mixed up in whatever he’s involved in? I assume he’s still alive or did you bury him in the backyard and plan to plant a garden over the body to cover it up?”
“Very graphic, Mr. Russo.” Trixie jumped at Lee’s voice from behind her. He was upright, but looking pale. He leaned his right shoulder almost lazily against the den’s doorframe. Crap! She couldn’t have Lee and Cayden interacting, not until she knew what Lee was mixed up in. “To answer your question, I’m su hermano, her brother.”
Cayden’s eyes narrowed. “You’re Lee?”
Trixie closed her eyes. Damn it! “You need to go—”
“No,” both of them said at the same time. It was Lee who said, “Come in, Russo. We need to talk.”
Trixie blocked Cayden’s way in. She had to protect Cayden! “No, you don’t understand. He can’t be here—”
Lee met her eyes evenly. “You want to keep him away so he doesn’t risk his parole. It’s admirable, abeja, but not necessary.” Cayden and Trixie looked at him in surprise and confusion. “Let the poor boy in before you draw your neighbors’ attention, Trix.” To Cayden, he said, “Let’s talk.”
He was her brother? Why hadn’t she just told him that? Cayden wouldn’t have been up all night worrying if he’d known the stranger was her oldest brother Lee. Why the secrecy?
Trixie opened the door wider. Cayden walked in. She touched his hand as he passed. Cayden stiffened but didn’t look down at her. He didn’t know how to react to her right now and feared saying or doing something he’d regret.
She excused herself to put on a pair of pants. He’d noticed she was wearing only his shirt. He’d liked the fact that she’d slept the night with him virtually wrapped around her but didn’t like the fact that her legs and ass were hanging out for all to see. The idea that she’d been unfaithful hadn’t even crossed his mind, even before he knew that her guest was her brother.
Lee was shirtless and in a pair of Cayden’s sweatpants. Cayden’s eyes narrowed at the numerous scars on the man’s torso, along with the large gauze pad taped to his left shoulder. He still had some blood splatter in the crevices of his hard body. What had happened here last night? His dark hair, the same shade as his sister’s, was disheveled and oily.
Trixie came out of the bedroom still in Cayden’s shirt but now she also wore a pair of her jeans. She had another one of his shirts in hand, holding it out to her brother. Apparently, Cayden’s clothing was up for the siblings to just wear at will.
He caught the tightness of Lee’s jaw as he pulled on the shirt. He struggled with the buttons, but eventually managed. Trixie came into the den with cups of coffee. Cayden accepted his, careful not to touch her hand as he did.
“Gracias,” Lee said when he took his.
The only Spanish Cayden had heard Trixie say was the titles for her family members. Papá for her father, abuelo for her grandfather, hermano for a brother… He wondered if she knew more Spanish or just used those as terms of endearment for her family.
Lee gestured for them to sit. He remained standing by the television. “Trix, when you redid the downstairs, did you find a small lockbox in Abuelo’s room?”
“I did,” she nodded, “but I didn’t know what it was or where the key to it was so I put it up in Papá’s room.”
A clatter on the coffee table drew their attention to a small silver key. Wordlessly, Trixie put her coffee cup on the table and then journeyed up the stairs. Cayden assumed she was getting the box. He hadn’t drunk any of his coffee yet. His eyes kept returning suspiciously to her brother.
Jeff had told Cayden that Lee was a former Marine, and Trixie had confirmed that statement. What had happened to him to make him quit military life? Where had he been now? Why had he been shot? Cayden recalled Mrs. Wynn’s description of Lee at Marco’s funeral. Was he homeless? Was he a gangbanger? Lee had a sense of unrest about him. It was a dangerous feeling, and one Cayden knew from experience.
“Why did you come here?” Cayden demanded to know. “I don’t know what you’re involved in and I don’t care. How could you endanger her like this?”
“I didn’t know she would be here,” was Lee’s answer. “When I last checked in on her, she was living at Romero’s.”
“I still am,” Trixie informed her brother as she reentered the room. Cayden saw the gray box in her hands. “Cayden and I will be moving in here once his parole is up.”
Cayden’s chest tightened at her words. Were they still? They obviously had some things to work through. She’d asked Cayden to trust her, but she hadn’t trusted him. What did that say about their relationship?
Lee shook his head when Trixie tried to hand him the box. “Go ahead and open it. It’s yours.”
Confused, Trixie made her way back to the couch, sat, and then reached for the key. Rather than watch her as she opened the box, though, Cayden concentrated on Lee’s reaction. He’d called the box Trixie’s, but Cayden suspected that she didn’t know anything about it or its contents.
Her brother watched her, his face emotionless. Cayden got the feeling that that was the guy’s standing expression.
Out of the corner of his eye, Cayden saw Trixie lean forward to put the key back on the table and lift the lid. Lee’s only reaction was to take a sip of coffee. Cayden heard her riffling through the contents.
“I don’t understand,” she finally said. “Why would you tell me not to call the cops if you are a cop?”
Cayden’s head zipped around. He saw her holding up a gold shield. He looked between the siblings, but Lee’s expression hadn’t changed despite Trixie’s accusatory glare.
“Read the letter.”
Trixie looked down into the box. She put the badge onto the table next to the key. Reaching in, she pulled out a small handwritten note. Small in paper size as well as length.
Her face scrunched. She must have read it multiple times, because it shouldn’t have taken that long to read such a short letter.
Without prompting, she passed it to Cayden. It was only then that he realized they were sitting on opposite ends of the couch. Had they done that on purpose? He took the letter but didn’t move closer to her.
Abeja,
If you’re reading this then something has happened to me. I’m sorry for leaving you alone but I don’t regret my actions. I had to try. I couldn’t let Massey get away with killing Marco. Go to Holloway at the fifth. He’ll explain everything.
That was it. The man hadn’t said he loved her or even signed the letter. Two things stuck out to him. Cayden didn’t know what abeja meant in Spanish, but he knew the name Massey. That couldn’t be a coincidence.
Cayden passed the letter back to Trixie, but his eyes were on her brother. “Gavin Massey?” Lee nodded once. “He’s the biggest crime lord in the city. He runs everything from drugs to sex trafficking to coyoting. He’s responsible for Marco’s death? He’s the reason Marco went into WITSEC?”
Lee didn’t look surprised that Cayden knew the name as well as the circumstances of Marco’s murder. “There was a small Italian restaurant Marco and Lindsey used to go to. It was their place for any sort of celebration. Five years ago, they were there for his birthday when they saw Massey walk in and shoot the owner. Massey hadn’t seen them sitting in the back corner. He probably thought the restaurant was empty, or he just didn’t care about witnesses. They did the right thing and came forward to tell the cops what they saw. They were immediately moved into WITSEC with their toddler son. Three years later, they decided to come back.” A flash of anger crossed Lee’s face before he squashed it. “Marco was kidnapped and held for a week before Massey dropped his beaten and mangled body on Lindsey’s doorstep. He died the next day in the hospital. Lindsey and Bobby have been in WITSEC ever since.”
Cayden knew all of that, except for Massey’s involvement. “I don’t understand. If they had a witness, why wasn’t Massey arrested for the murder?”
“Because unlike you, Mr. Russo, Gavin Massey has an army of lawyers who can get him out of anything using the smallest of loopholes. Massey was arrested, but he was never charged. Nothing sticks to him. He has witnesses killed, he has people lie to create alibis, he even pays people to take a fall for him…”
Trixie set the box on the table. “And you went after him? Why?”
“Because he killed our hermano!” The words were said evenly but no less a shout. “I could not let that stand. I’ve been after Massey for two years. I infiltrated his crew, and I worked my way up the ladder.”
“You’re an undercover cop,” Cayden said, putting the pieces together.
Lee hesitated. “Not officially. I’m a narcotics detective. I’m not allowed to work my brother’s case due to my personal involvement. I’ve been going after Massey off the books. Officially, all I can do is go after the people who do business with Massey. I’m currently working on shutting down a local car ring who helps him transport his drugs,” he said pointedly to Cayden. “I had planned to come to you sooner, but something came up. I took a few days off to follow a lead on Massey. You’re aware of the results of that excursion.” He touched his left shoulder.
The cop had gone rogue. That perked Cayden’s interest. The man seemed to have a strong sense of honor. But it did make sense now why Lee had begged Trixie not to call the cops. He didn’t want his brothers in blue knowing what he’d been doing behind their backs. It still upset Cayden that he’d involved Trixie, but in the man’s defense, it didn’t seem like he had known his sister was spending the weekend at their grandfather’s house or had been making plans to move into it permanently.
“What went wrong?” Cayden asked. “Something happened that caused you to get shot, and since Massey’s crew didn’t take care of your wound, I’m assuming you’re on the outs.”
“For the past couple of years, my precinct has been receiving anonymous tips regarding Massey’s operation. I know it’s not legal, but I had to pass along the information I was gathering. If I couldn’t do something with the information, at least they could.” He took another sip of coffee. “Last week, I passed along bait information.”
Cayden nodded once but Trixie said, “I don’t know what that means.”
“He passed along planted information,” Cayden explained when Lee didn’t. “He set the cops up to fail.”
“I set them up to be ambushed,” Lee clarified. While his face was blank, his voice showed his anger. “Thankfully, a SWAT officer saw the tripwires, and they were able to get out with only minimal injuries.”
Cayden had never rooted for the cops before, but he did find himself feeling grateful that no lives were lost. “So you fucked up. Massey knew there was a rat in his midst and he set you up.”
Lee nodded. “He didn’t know it was me though. There were three of us outside of Massey’s inner circle who knew about the warehouse. I passed it along, thinking it would be a routine bust. I didn’t know it was bait and I nearly led those boys into that warehouse like lambs to the slaughter.”
Cayden’s eyes narrowed. “What happened to the other two? You said there were three of you outside Massey’s inner circle.”
“They weren’t as lucky as me.” The man didn’t blink or hesitate to reply.
Trixie gasped, “They’re dead?”
Lee nodded once. “I assume so. I didn’t stick around to find out.” He took a sip of his coffee. “After the ambush failed, Massey was pissed. Told his men to take the three of us down to the docks and get rid of us. We were tied up with cinderblocks attached to our feet. The other two were pleading, saying the rat wasn’t them. I didn’t waste my breath with pleas. When the men were distracted with trying to get the other two to shut up, I kicked my cinderblock into the water and jumped in after it.”
“Lee!” Trixie covered her mouth.
The man shrugged like intentionally drowning was no big deal. “It was the best way to buy the time I needed to escape.”
“If you went down into the water, how’d you get shot?” Cayden asked.
“Bad luck,” was the curt reply. “I heard the other two bodies hit the water. Bullets were flying and I got hit while underwater.”
“How’d you get free of the cinderblocks?”
“I’m a Marine.” The arrogance bleeding out of that statement spoke volumes, hinting that Lee honestly thought that was a good enough explanation.
Tears were running down Trixie’s face. “How could you? How could you do this to me? After Marco, after AJ? How could you think I would be okay with this? You didn’t even tell me you were a cop!”
“I did this for AJ, for Marco, for you!” Lee interjected. “I did this to get some goddamn peace. They deserved justice!”
“Massey killed Marco and drove his wife and son back into WITSEC,” Cayden said suspiciously. “What did he do to AJ?”
“You honestly think Massey just let Marco’s brother be after learning he was in prison? You of all people know the number of attacks on AJ are more than the norm.” Lee wiped his hand through his long hair. “It needed to end. I needed to end it. I needed to put Massey away for the pain he’s caused, and not just to my family.”
“So you went rogue and decided to infiltrate his organization?” Cayden raised an eyebrow. “I’d think there would be easier ways. Is this why you quit the Marines?”
Trixie was the one who answered that question. “No, he retired before Marco went into WITSEC.”
“After Marco’s funeral, I called a friend in the department. We served together. He knew my reputation. He wouldn’t let me anywhere near Marco’s case, but he knew I wasn’t going to let it go. I joined the department shortly after. I mostly work narcotic cases, but all my spare time is devoted to taking down Massey. I pass along any information I gather to Holloway.” Lee added offhandedly, “He probably thinks I’m dead.”
Cayden studied the man for a long moment. He didn’t look remorseful for the two lives that had been lost at his expense. The fact that he was telling Trixie the truth about where he’d been and what he’d been up to was what held Cayden’s attention. Telling his sister was one thing, but why was he confiding in Cayden? Had Trixie told Lee his entire history as well as their relationship. No, Cayden concluded. He didn’t think Trixie had told her brother anything. She wouldn’t have offered up information without first getting her answers.
Which meant that Lee knew who Cayden was. Knew enough to believe he could trust him, despite the fact that Cayden was a biker, and sanctioned op or not, Lee was a cop.
I’m currently working on shutting down a local car ring who helps him transport his drugs.
Fuck. Puzzle pieces started connecting in his mind, and Cayden got a twisted feeling in his gut. It wasn’t just a car ring, because that was only part of the MC’s operation. “You plan to go back.”
Lee’s eyes stayed on Trixie. She jumped up at Cayden’s words. “No, you can’t! They almost killed you! Why would you go back? It’s suicide! You can’t do this alone!”
Lee’s eyes moved to Cayden and that final puzzle piece fell into place. “Because he doesn’t plan on going back alone. It’s why he invited me in. It’s why he’s telling me everything. He wants me to go back with him.”
Trixie felt like she’d been sucker punched in the gut. Her ears rang at Cayden’s words. She whirled around towards him, but Cayden’s mismatched eyes were on Lee. He wasn’t even looking at her. Why wasn’t he looking at her? She needed him to look at her.
She stepped between the men, breaking their eye contact. She faced her brother, her back to Cayden. “No,” she told him fiercely. “He only has just over a week left on parole. He can’t go back to that life! That’s why I had him leave last night without telling him who you are. I wasn’t willing to risk his freedom, and I sure as hell aren’t going to let you risk it. That life…” She shook her head. “That’s not who he is anymore!”
She felt Cayden stand up behind her. He put a hand to the small of her back. “Trix,” he said softly. “It might have to be who I become again.” She started trembling, unable to make sense of what it was he was saying. Louder to Lee, he said, “Tell me everything and don’t leave a fucking thing out.”
No! Her mind shouted. How could he be considering this? They were supposed to be starting their life together soon. They were supposed to be moving into this house. They were supposed to be the annoying neighbor couple who couldn’t cook. How could he just push that life aside? Didn’t he want it too? Didn’t he love her? Or…was Lee’s offer so tempting it was worth leaving her? Did he want to go back to his old life so badly? Did he not love Cayden 2.0 as she did?
“You’ve been running these streets since you were sixteen. You know how he works, how he thinks. You can get closer to him than any undercover we could possibly try to get in there.”
Cayden sat back down on the couch. He pulled Trixie down too, cradling her into his side, but his attention was on her brother. “You knew who I was when you told me to step in here.”
What? Trixie’s eyes flew to Lee across the room. She recalled Lee calling Cayden a criminal last night. He also called Cayden ‘Russo’ when she didn’t think she’d ever said his last name to him.
Lee didn’t back down from the accusation. He was so different from how she remembered him when she’d been a child. He was…cold now, methodic. Where was his twisted sense of humor, his smile that could light up a room? When had he become so hard? Had it been when he’d been in the Marines or had it happened after, while he’d been chasing justice for Marco’s murder?
“I first learned your name when you were placed on the same cellblock as AJ. I knew you were a Black Python. I’ve been putting together a case against your President, Carver, who is a known associate of Massey. It crossed my mind that you might be there as a favor to either, especially when you weren’t guilty of the charges you were incarcerated for.”
Trixie gasped. How could he possibly know that?
Cayden didn’t confirm Lee’s statement in regard to his charges. “I wasn’t. I was just there to serve my time.”
“Yes, I realized that after a while. I had an associate keep a close eye on you though. When he told me you’d been moved into AJ’s cell, I feared the worst.” Lee shrugged. She wished he wouldn’t do that. His shoulder had to be hurting him. “But you never made a move against him. In fact, you protected him on more than one occasion.”
“We watched out for each other,” Cayden said evenly. “He also had my back.”
Oh God. What had they faced that they’d needed to watch out for the other or that Cayden had had to protect AJ? She was suddenly grateful she hadn’t tried to consume anything more than her coffee yet that morning.
“When you were released, I didn’t think to follow you. You were out of AJ’s life, so you didn’t matter anymore. I didn’t hear your name again until you were employed at Romero’s.” Trixie’s eyes narrowed. He spoke like he played a prominent role in her life and her business. “I kept an eye on you, but you seemed to be a model employee. Until I learned you were dating mi hermana.” Lee’s voice turned stern. “Then I needed to find out your intentions.”
Trixie looked up in time to see Cayden’s face darken as his nostrils flared. “You sent Bucky to Romero’s.”
“What?” she gasped out. “How? Why?”
Lee ignored her and nodded once to Cayden. “I needed to know if you were pulling anything, and I knew if you were going to let anyone in on your score, it would be your old protégé.”
“But I didn’t because I wasn’t.”
“True,” Lee allowed. “I was expecting you to contact him afterwards, even after you called the cops. Figured the cops were just a ruse, but you never reached out.”
“Bucky said Treads told him where I was working. I’ve only met Treads once, and you aren’t him.”
“You’re right, I’m not. But who do you think told Treads that the infamous Cayden Russo was out and was working at an exotic dealership?”
“You asshole,” Cayden snapped. “You cost me a weekend with Trixie! I was put under house arrest for that stunt!”
“Do you think I care about your little weekend sex-capade being canceled?” Lee shook his head. “It was worth it to know your intentions with the business as well as with her.”
“Cayden’s right,” Trixie fumed out. “You are an asshole. How dare you play with any part of my life, business or personal, after you walked out of it two years ago?”
Lee did turn towards her then. His dark eyes were cold, unyielding. “I walked out of it to protect you. Didn’t mean I stopped paying attention.”
The fact that he could say those words so robotically was just adding salt to her wounds.
“He’s been watching both you and AJ,” Cayden said to her. “In his mind, he’s protecting you by keeping his distance. If he’s working off the books to take down a man like Massey, I can understand his reasons.” When she went to argue with him, Cayden cut her off. “I said I understand, not support.” Trixie closed her mouth. Okay, that made her feel marginally better. Cayden squeezed her hand before he turned back to Lee. “Why do you need me?”
“I don’t need your help with Massey—”
“I figured that,” Cayden interrupted. “You want my help taking down Carver.”
Lee nodded once. Trixie’s head spun with the sudden whiplash. Carver? She thought all of this was about Massey and Marco’s murder. How had they gotten to Carver? She’d lost track who was connected to whom.
“I’ve established a good rapport with Massey’s people. When Carver’s case landed in my pile, I thought it would be a quick close because of the intel I had gathered on Massey.”
Cayden snorted. “Carver might help Massey out with transport, but he’s no fool. There’s a reason his record is clean.”
“And now Massey’s people think I’m a rat.”
“They’d be right,” Cayden added.
Lee’s eyes narrowed just slightly. “Right now, they don’t know I’m alive. If I go back, they’ll likely kill me on the spot just to be sure. But the infamous Cayden Russo?” Something like excitement sparked in his eyes. Trixie wanted to slap it out of them. “You could walk right up to Carver and shake the man’s hand. Whether he recognizes the debt or not, Carver does owe you.”
“And closing your case on Carver shuts down a major car theft and drug distribution ring, and gets you closer to getting Massey.”
Lee nodded. “I’m running out of time, too. Understand Carver is your priority, but Massey is my goal. A couple of months ago, Massey had a shipment coming in. The crate was one of thousands on the freighter. It got back to Massey that the cops were planning on seizing it as soon as the boat made it to port. Rather than risk that, Massey had the crate dumped off the boat in the middle of the Atlantic.”
Cayden flinched. “And the merchandise?”
“‘An acceptable loss,’ Massey called it. The other crates made it through customs. The cops were only suspicious of the one.”
Something passed between Lee and Cayden. Trixie didn’t like being kept out of the loop. “What was in the crate?” When neither man answered, Trixie repeated the question with more conviction.
“I don’t know for sure, but I have my suspicions,” Lee finally answered. “One of Massey’s most profitable merchandise is…people.”
Trixie’s stomach rolled. “Oh God.” And they’d dumped the crate into the ocean? With people still inside it?
“Carver uses Massey’s connections to get cars in and out of the country, while Massey uses Carver’s cars to distribute his product. It’s a win-win for both.” Trixie had a feeling Cayden was changing the subject, likely not wanting her to dwell on the lost crate and its contents. “I’ve never met the man personally, but taking down Carver will certainly cripple Massey, at least for a time.”
Why did Lee and Cayden seem to be on the same page as the other? Cayden couldn’t possibly be considering this… Could he?
“You’d need to rise in the ranks again. There are new players who’ve surrounded Carver in your absence. They won’t like your return, even if Carver does.”
Cayden nodded, his face scrunched in concentration. “I’ve been out for five months. They’re not going to believe I just woke up one day and decided to return after claiming I was going straight. Bucky certainly would have passed along that information.”
Lee waved that off. “A small complication. Are you in?”
“How would this work?” Cayden asked. “I’m not a cop, and if they are to believe I am truly back, my actions won’t exactly fall on the right side of the law. I won’t risk going back to prison, not even to help get Carver or Massey off the streets.”
“You’d be my criminal informant. There are some loopholes in that, basically allowing the end to justify the means. You’d need to be in constant communication with me, and I’ll need regular reports. You won’t be free to do anything, but as long as you are upfront and honest with us, we can protect you from the repercussions of most things.”
Cayden was silent. Trixie couldn’t believe he was even considering this!
“Are you in?” Lee asked again.
She shot to her feet. “No, he’s not in! He’s going to stay right here and he’s going to end his parole and he’s going to come here to live with me.” She knew she was crying, but she couldn’t stop the tears. This entire conversation was tearing her heart in half. “You do not get to just come back here after years of being away and try to run my life. I’m not some puppet you can manipulate, Elian.”
He raised an eyebrow as she full-named him. “I have never tried to manipulate your life, abeja.”
Trixie gritted her teeth at the nickname. “Don’t call me that! I am not your little bumblebee buzzing around her three big hermanos anymore! I am a grown woman, and you are trying to take away the love of my life from me!”
The hands on her shoulders were gentle, but her knees gave out under their weight. He caught her, dragging her up against his chest. His lips touched her ear in that special way she loved so much. “And I wouldn’t be the man you loved if I didn’t try to help. Not just for you and your brothers, but for all the people Massey and Carver have hurt.”
Trixie’s head drooped. “This Massey guy has already killed Marco and tried to kill Lee too. What’s to stop him from also trying to kill you?”
Cayden turned her, forcing her chin up with a gentle hand. “Nothing. But I swear to you, my little gearhead, I will do everything, everything, in my power to return to you.” He ran his thumb along her bottom lip. “Besides, it will be very unlikely I’ll get anywhere close to Massey. It’s Carver I’ll be dealing with and I know how to handle him. I’ve been doing it since I was sixteen.”
That gave her no comfort at all. “And your parole?” she asked, her voice cracking. “Your gran? What of them?”
“I don’t know anything about your grandmother,” Lee input before Cayden could answer. “But I can certainly help you with the other.”
“Meaning what?” Cayden asked. Trixie felt his body stiffen.
“We do this,” Lee urged. “We bring down Carver, and I’ll fix it so your parole was never broken. You’ll be free to live your life wherever and with whomever,” his eyes landed pointedly on Trixie, “you wish.”
“He has just over a week!” Trixie yelled at Lee. “Don’t you get that, Lee? He’s already free!”
“Perhaps,” he allowed, inclining his head slightly. “But the truth of the matter, Cayden, is that I need your help. You have a skillset and the connections that I can’t find with anyone else I can trust.”
“How do you know you can trust me?” Cayden asked slyly.
Trixie gasped. She didn’t have to look up to know the wicked gleam she would see in those mismatched eyes. He was having fun with this conversation! He was enjoying it! She was going to be sick.
“Because you love her,” Lee pointed to Trixie. “I need your skillset, and you need her not to lose one more brother.” Trixie paled; she couldn’t believe he’d just said that! Lee didn’t even notice her reaction and continued. “My job is to go after Carver but it’s my duty to go after Massey. I’m doing this with or without your help, Cayden, but I have a far better chance of coming back alive if I have you by my side.”
Before she could accuse Lee of emotional blackmail, Cayden asked, “Can you wait a week? In the grand scheme of things, what does it matter if we do this this week or next? Waiting might even help you with your shoulder.”
Lee raised an eyebrow. “You’re worried about breaking parole when you’re about to get back in with Carver? Parole is the last thing you should be concerned about and the smallest of laws you’re about to break.” Then he added, “Plus, breaking parole gives you a better in with them. The way I figure it, the sooner we get started, the sooner you can come home to your boring, crimeless life.”
Anger hit Trixie. He wasn’t just dangling a carrot in front of Cayden. He was dangling the carrot over a pit of vipers. Only by some miracle would he be able to make it to the other side with the prize.
“Don’t.” Cayden looked down at Trixie’s plea. She touched his face. “Don’t. You have ten days left, Cayden. Ten days, and then we’re free! I don’t care about your record. I only care about you. You already have a great job and a house and,” her voice cracked, “and you have me. Please,” she begged, “don’t do this. You’re already worthy of me. Don’t let him guilt you into separating us.”
Even as she said it though, Trixie knew he’d already made his decision. She could see the determination in those mismatched eyes she loved so much.
“I need some things from you before I do this.” He was looking at her, but his words were for Lee.
Trixie closed her eyes in defeat. Her head sagged down, no longer supported by her neck. She rested it against his shirt, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think. She felt his hands rubbing up and down her back, but his touch brought her no comfort.
“Name it.” Trixie flinched at the determination in Lee’s voice.
“She’s to be protected at all times. I don’t care what favors you have to pull or what story you have to tell. She gets protection or I walk.”
No, no, no. He was the one walking into the lion’s den. He was the one who needed protection.
“She’s always been protected,” was Lee’s response, “but I’ll see it’s added to.”
She felt Cayden nod. “Good. I also want guaranteed immunity in writing for any crimes I commit while attempting to put Carver away. Meaning whether we succeed or not, I cannot be fined, tried, arrested, and/or convicted for any crimes committed from now until this is over.”
Lee gave him a sardonic look. “As I said, being a criminal informant gives you some leeway. For a fish like Carver, the D.A. probably would overlook anything but mass murder. I’ll make the call and get you your agreement.” After a second, he added, “I have to call my captain anyway. Let him know I’m not dead.”
Trixie felt herself start to slump. She was shaking so hard she couldn’t keep herself upright anymore. Cayden picked her up, cradling her against his chest.
“Anything else?” Lee asked.
“Yes. Leave.”
She wasn’t sure if she imagined the chuckle. She wasn’t sure of anything anymore.
“I’ll pick you up outside of Romero’s tomorrow morning.” He must have started walking towards the door because when he next spoke it was coming from the opposite direction. “Oh, and you’ll need to break your parole. Publicly.”
“I figured that much. I’ll come up with something.”
“My captain is the only one who knows about you. If you’re caught before I get any deal in play, I can’t protect you.”
“I have no intention of getting caught regardless of my deal.”
“And…” There was a small pause. “You can’t come back here. Until this is over, you can’t be with her.”
“Why do you think I asked you to leave?” She felt his lips against her hair. “Tomorrow morning. Don’t be late, or I’ll make my escape without you.”
“Take care of her.”
“Always.”
