“After I clean up, please? I need to get him off of me.”
Justice’s eyes locked with Garrett’s, “I understand, butterscotch, trust me, I do. I have stuff on me that I’ve been trying to wash away forever and I just can’t seem to get clean,” he whispered as he looked away. It was the closest he had ever come to admitting to someone other than himself that his kills bothered him, that the guilt weighed on his soul and made him feel…….dirty.
“Justice?”
His eyes snapped back to lock with Garrett’s green one’s and they….settled him. A moment ago, his dark thoughts had taken hold and he was feeling the need to run, to get away from this man so that he didn’t poison him. But one look into his eyes and that darkness, that need to flee, was gone. In its place was a peace, a calm that Justice had never felt before.
“Yeah?”
“Can you finish checking my injuries?”
He heard the first cubes of ice falling into the tray as he said, “Oh, yeah, um, sure.”
He checked down each arm, “How do the wrists feel?”
“Not too bad. The cuffs he had me in most of the time were padded leather, not those metal ones that you found me in.”
“That’s good, yeah, good. Can I check the ribs and torso now?”
“Yeah, um, sure,” Garrett said as he dropped the blanket off of his shoulders and closed it around his waist.
Garrett hissed when Justice began palpating the left side of his ribcage, “You definitely have some broken ribs here. At least two that I can feel. But they don’t feel like they’re out of alignment. They should heal fine if I just wrap them. We’ll do that after your bath.”
He moved down to palpate around his stomach, not finding anything to indicate internal bleeding, so he helped Garrett lie down on his back and then he checked both legs. After finding nothing major other than the ankle, he looked into Garrett’s eyes, “Can you roll onto your stomach so I can check your back?”
Garrett stared at him for a few seconds before he said, “Yeah, but not there. I know you’ll need to check there for tearing but can you wait until after my bath? Please?”
Justice nodded, “Yeah, sure, I can do that.”
Garrett rolled over to his stomach and Justice had to suppress his growl when he saw the bruises he had all over. Bruises shaped like fists on his back, bruises from bite marks on his collarbone, and finger-shaped bruises on both hips from being held when he was…….
Justice turned away as he uttered a silent curse. He took a deep breath….and another…..and then another as he brought his palm up and gently splayed it across Garrett’s back. He was so fucking angry at what had been done to Garrett and what had been taken away from him. But his anger would do nothing but hurt Garrett.
“You’re a beautiful man, Garrett,” he whispered.
“Don’t,” Garrett whispered.
“Don’t, what?”
“Don’t tell me lies.”
Justice was going to lean down over Garrett’s back to respond to him but he didn’t want to trigger any bad memories in him so instead he gently clasped his arms, helped him roll over and sit up then he clasped his chin in his fingers and waited for Garrett to look at him. When he finally did, he said, “I don’t lie, Garrett. Not ever.”
Then he stood up and walked into the kitchen to get some ice, feeling Garrett’s eyes on him the entire time….and god help him, he liked them there.
Chapter Thirty-One
Kelly ordered his coffee from the mobile coffee truck and listened to the chatter in his ear while the gal inside made it.
“Team check in,” Morgan said.
“Caleb here, at checkpoint one, northside of the park. Visual on KB, no visual on perp.”
“Cooper, checkpoint two, westside of park, visual on KB, no visual on perp.”
“Hawke, checkpoint three, eastside park, visual on KB, no visual, wait, check that, perp just stepped out of a black Ford Taurus parked across Seymour Street from the coffee truck. Riley, you got this?”
“Copy that, I see the car. Moving in to make sure it’s empty and then place our tracking devices on it.”
Cole’s fingers trembled slightly as he listened to all of this. He felt a hand squeeze his shoulder, “You okay, son?” Morgan said.
He shook his head, “Not really, no. I won’t be until he’s back in my arms and safe.”
“He will be….soon.”
“You can’t promise that, Morgan. I mean, this is the fucking deputy secretary of defense! That’s like the second highest position in the Pentagon. Do you know how much power this guy has?”
“He does but there’s something that he doesn’t have,” Morgan said.
“What’s that?”
“He doesn’t know that we are onto him. That is our ace in the hole.”
Cole turned back to the computers in front of him, “You better hope so, or we are all fucked,” he mumbled.
Morgan frowned as he thought about those words. He tapped his earpiece, “Hey Billy, you there?”
“Of course,” he said.
“Can you secure you and me for a second?”
“Uh, sure,” he said and there was a brief pause, “Okay, go ahead.”
“Can you do a search for me to see if either the DOD or this asshole own any property in, oh, say, a one-hundred-mile radius?”
“Yeah sure, can I ask why?”
“Something that Cole said. What if Yeller knows?”
“Sir?”
“What if he knows that we are onto him? We think he’s playing right into our hands but what if we’re playing right into his? We need a backup plan.”
“Motherfucker,” Billy muttered.
“You can take us off secure now while you do your search.”
“Got it, back to open,” Billy said.
They listened to everything happening at the scene.
“Caleb? Has the subject approached yet?”
“Negative. He appears to be casing the area right now to ensure that it’s safe.”
“Copy that,” Morgan said.
“Uh, Morgan?” Hawke said.
“Go ahead, Hawke.”
“It’s KB, Sir.”
Morgan frowned, “Is he not at his post on the bench?”
“He is but, shit, his head keeps drooping like he’s about to fall asleep.”
Morgan’s head shot up as he looked around the room, obviously deep in thought. And then his eyes went wide, “Son of a bitch. The coffee truck!” he yelled.
“What?”
“Riley, get to the…..”
“I’m on it!” Riley shouted.
“The coffee truck has to be a front. They’re working for Yeller. His coffee must be drugged. My guess is that’s what they’ll use to transport him,” Morgan mumbled as he closed his eyes to listen.
“Morg? Wha? Fuck, m’dizzy,” Kelly mumbled, stumbling over his word
“We know, Kel. We’re coming.”
“Sir? Are you okay? I’m a doctor,” a voice said close enough to Kelly that Morgan could hear it.
“Huh?” Kelly mumbled, followed closely by, “You.”
“Be a good boy and come with me, Braddock.”
“F-f-f-fuck you.”
“Everything okay here? Do you need me to call an ambulance?” Caleb said from nearby.
“That won’t be necessary. I’m a doctor. I can transport him to the hospital myself.”
“Are you sure? What if he needs oxygen or medication? I think I should call,” Caleb said.
“Sir, that is not necessary. Please put your phone away. An ambulance is just an unnecessary cost. His pulse and respirations are good. I think he’s just a bit dehydrated. I’m on my way to the hospital now. I’ll take him there myself,” their perp, Yeller, said, well, pretty much growled at Caleb.
Morgan sighed, “Caleb, stand down. Let him go.”
“What?” Cole shouted as he jumped up from his chair, “Are you fucking insane? What the hell are you doing?”
>
Morgan stared at Cole as he said, “Billy? He’s in your hands now. Have you got this?”
“On it. Tracking devices are all active.”
“Team, retreat back to your vehicles. You are going mobile.”
“Copy that,” several voices chattered over the earpieces.
Tears pooled in Cole’s eyes as he stared at Morgan until they filled up and spilled over, “How could you do this?” he whispered.
“I had no choice, Cole. If the team revealed itself to Yeller, we’d have zero evidence to put him away. I had to make a split-second decision and change the plan. That’s how this shit works. Kelly knows that. He’s had plans change in the blink of an eye more times than he can count. He’ll adapt.”
“He’s fucking drugged! How can he do anything?” Cole shouted.
“S’okay baby,” Kelly voice mumbled over their earpieces.
Cole gasped as he was reminded that not only could he hear everything going on, but so could Kelly.
“You just keep telling yourself that, Braddock,” Yeller’s voice said from next to him.
Cole’s chin quivered as he fought to hold in his sobs. He grabbed a notepad off of his desk and scribbled the words mute me on it then held it up to Morgan.
Morgan nodded at him, then typed a text into his phone and sent it. He waited for the reply then said, “Okay, you’re muted.”
Cole sank back down into his chair, “Oh god,” he sobbed as he dropped his head into his hands, “I can’t do this, I can’t fucking do this.”
“You want to give me your earpiece until the op is over?” Morgan said.
Cole turned his face up to him and the pain in his eyes almost made Morgan turn away, “He’s worrying about me, Morgan, me. He’s drugged, being kidnapped and fuck only knows what’s about to be done to him and he’s worrying about me. I’m going to cause him to be hurt worse or killed. I can’t, I fucking can’t be a part of this. Not ever. I love him so fucking much but I refuse to be the cause of his pain or death. I, I have to go,” he whispered as he pushed out of his chair again and began to walk out of the room.
“Cole, wait,” Morgan said.
“No, Morgan. Please, just, no. Use my place for however long you need to. Just lock up when you leave,” he whispered sadly as he left the room.
Morgan desperately wanted to go after him, to talk some sense into the man. But he couldn’t. He had an op to run, he had an operative who was compromised and in danger. Nothing or no one would get him to leave his post now. He moved to the doorway so he would see when Cole left his bedroom. He hoped that the man would change his mind after he got there.
But ten minutes after he entered it, he walked out, wheeling a small suitcase and carrying a laptop bag over his shoulder.
“Please don’t do this, Cole. He’s going to need you when this is all over.”
“He’s managed every other mission he’s done without me, he’ll manage this one too.”
Morgan shook his head, “No, Cole, you’re wrong. He managed those others because he still had his heart. You have that now and you’re walking away with it.”
A few tears slid down Cole’s cheeks, “Keep him safe, Morgan, please. And tell him, tell him,” he hiccupped as he choked back a sob, “tell him I’m sorry.”
With that, Cole walked down the hall, through the living room and out the front door.
“Damn it! Billy, I need you to….”
“Track the GPS on his phone and car. I’m on it.”
“Drake doesn’t pay you nearly enough. You can tell him I said that.”
Morgan’s phone rang a moment later, “Morg?”
“Hey, Jackson, what’s up?”
“Luther asked me to sit out front of the building you’re in, just to make sure things were okay. I just saw that guy Cole leaving in his car, did you…”
“Follow him, fucking follow him,” Morgan blurted out with a silent thank you to his husband for being so damn protective.
“What’s going on?” Jackson said as his car fired up and he took off down the road.
“The op just went sideways. I’ve got it under control for now but Cole, he’s not part of this world and he thinks his presence in Kelly’s life isn’t safe for Kelly so he’s running.”
“You mean he fucking left him? Are you fucking kidding me? Morg, am I the right person to do this?”
Morgan squeezed his eyes shut as he thought about Jackson’s incredibly painful past, how his own fiancé Bryce had worried that their connection was going to cause problems on an op, how the man had purposely chosen a highly dangerous mission, didn’t tell Jackson about it and left on it before Jackson could voice his objections. And look at how that had turned out. Six years later Jackson was still wondering if he’d ever find the pieces of his broken heart.
“I’m sorry Jack, I truly am. I’ve got nobody else right now.”
“I’ll follow him, Morg, and if you want me to, I’ll catch him. But I will not talk to the fucker. If I did I’d probably just punch him anyways. Doesn’t anybody appreciate what they have anymore? Fuck!”
Morgan’s heart squeezed in his chest, “Just do what you can, Jackson. That’s all I ask.”
“Only for you, Morg, only for you,” he said and then the call ended and Morgan glanced around, wondering how in the hell he was supposed to fix this clusterfuck.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Garrett was quiet as he stared down at his water bottle. Justice wanted to ask him what was wrong but decided that the man needed a few moments to collect his thoughts, so he waited.
Finally, he sighed out a deep breath and then whispered, “Do you have a rape kit?”
“I don’t, but a doctor who lives nearby would.”
Garrett looked up at him, “Do you need it for the case?”
“It would definitely help. We’ve got your testimony, we’ve got the photos but as far as forcible sex against your will? Your word against his isn’t the best evidence to have. It would be better to have physical evidence to back up your claim.”
“Will you stay in the room while he does his exam?”
Justice blinked his eyes, “Oh, I, are you sure you want me in there?”
Garrett nodded, “You need to know, you should know but I don’t know if I can tell you. If you’re in there while he does his exam and dictates his observations, you’ll know without me having to tell you.”
Justice reached over and squeezed Garrett’s hand, “Then, yes, I’ll be in there and I won’t leave your side.”
“And you’ll help me bathe after?”
Justice’s stomach flip-flopped but he nodded his head, “Anything you need, butterscotch.”
Garrett took another deep breath and nodded his head, “You can call him.”
Justice pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts. He pressed the call button and Marc answered on the second ring, “Hey sexy, long time no see. You back in town?”
Justice glanced at Garrett because he was sure that the man probably heard what Marc said and now he was wondering. “I need a favor,” he said quickly to keep Marc from saying anything else.
Marc got serious really quickly, “Anything, babe. What do you need?”
“Can you bring your bag to my place? And a right foot boot for a six foot, approximately two-twenty male?”
“Sure, anything else?”
“A rape kit and blood draw items to test for STDs and HIV.”
“Jesus, J, is everything okay?”
“Just, how soon can you be here?”
“I’m heading to my last appointment of the day, so, an hour?”
“Sounds good, thanks, Marc. You still have your keys?”
“Of course. I’ll see you in a bit.”
“Yeah, thanks, see ya.”
“Lover?” Garrett mumbled from next to Justice.
He glanced at the man and briefly thought about lying to him but he found that he just couldn’t.
“Used to be,” he said.
&nbs
p; “Does he know that?”
Damn the man was perceptive. “Not yet, but he will as soon as I see him.”
Garrett’s eyes locked with Justice’s, “You don’t have to do that. I’m not asking you to do that.”
“I know you aren’t, but I want to. Look, I’ll be honest with you, butterscotch. These feelings I’m having whenever I’m near you? They scare the shit out of me. I don’t know what they mean or if they’ll ever amount to anything. They probably won’t because knowing me, I’ll just screw up anything before it even starts. But I do know that I don’t want to start anything with you, friendship or otherwise, with the idea in your head that I have a backup booty call right down the road.”
“Justice, I, I don’t know if I….”
Garrett stopped talking when Justice’s phone vibrated. Justice frowned at it then glanced back at Garrett.
“It’s okay. Take it.”
“Thyme,” he said as he answered.
“Hey, it’s JD. I’m here with Tiny and Blake. Tiny was wondering if Garrett was up for a quick call.”
“Hang on, let me ask him,” he said then he muted the phone, “You up for talking to Tiny?”
Garrett’s breath hitched in his chest as his eyes opened wide. Finally, he shook his head, “Not yet. Tell him, tell him this was not his fault and I’ll call him soon. I just need a little time, okay?”
“Did you hear that?” Justice said.
“Yeah, I’ll pass it on. On another note, just to keep you up to date, they’re still processing Foster. I’d say you’ve got two days, maybe three before I can’t keep the Feds from calling Garrett for a statement, okay?”
“He’ll be ready.”
“Take care of him, Justice. Call me if you need anything, anything at all. We’ve got a psychologist on staff, a good one. He’s a specialist in PTSD issues. I can send him out to your place.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Might take you up on that. We’ll talk soon.”
“Yeah, soon,” JD said and then he ended the call.
Back at their headquarters, JD sadly looked over at Tiny and shook his head.
Severe Side Winds Ahead Page 19
