Aaron took off running toward the house as Kreed busted through the front door with his weapon drawn. That justified his fear; Kreed would never break cover so completely without a verifiable threat. Kreed never looked his way, his entire being laser-focused on the church. Aaron barely made it up the front porch steps before he saw two large tactical vehicles flying down the street from opposite directions. As he ran past, Kreed backed away, coming inside, slamming the door shut with his foot. Only then did he turn around.
“What the fuck happened? Was that enough information? I tried to get everything I could!” Aaron yelled as his heart raced in his chest. Everything had happened so quickly that his adrenalin pumped, making him a little frantic. Kreed thrust a walkie-talkie and a pistol in his hands, and he accepted them without an argument, gripping the handle of the pistol tightly in his fingers.
“Stay put. Keep the doors locked. Stay away from the windows.” Kreed turned to leave, but Aaron grabbed his hand.
“What’s happening?”
“Whatever you did gave the visual. Helps told Burns to go after Mitch, to take him down and any others standing in their way because they were no more than abominations that needed to be cast into the lake of fire, but Hasselbeck had broken a few minutes before. He confessed what was going on. It all came together at the same time. I gotta go.” Kreed shook Aaron off, yelling a quick “Lock the door” before he left.
~~~
The Midlothian Police Department cruisers turned on the street with sirens blaring about the same time that Kreed ran across the church’s front lawn toward the building. The church was already surrounded with bureau agents and USMS deputies, all swarming both the interior and outer buildings. He stopped by a bureau truck, badge in hand as he identified himself. He pointed his finger toward the house they’d used and quickly yelled, “I need you to watch that house.”
In all his panic to get out here, Kreed had barely tugged the official marshal jacket on, identifying him as a deputy US marshal. The volume of screams coming from inside the building had him ducking while running toward the front doors, weapon still drawn, pointed toward the ground with each step he took.
The scene inside was chaotic at best. Staff members were already handcuffed and sitting or lying on the ground, depending on how much they’d resisted arrest. Kreed was cautious as he walked through the room. He looked down the hall before he continued. Vicious words echoed off the walls, drowning everything else out. The pastor was in rare form, spewing vile Bible verses of hellfire and brimstone. Kreed saw more agents than should have been needed, making him move more swiftly toward the main office. Brody Masters came out the door when Kreed was about halfway down the hall. He was talking into a handheld radio, only pausing when he saw Kreed.
“Deacon Burns got away. He got past us somehow.”
Fuck! He’d left Aaron alone in the house with no one really. What if the lunatic followed Aaron? Fear coiled in his gut, and Kreed’s heart wedged in his throat.
Kreed didn’t say a word. He spun on his heels and took off running as fast as he could toward the house. He could hear Masters’s booming voice instructing others to set up perimeters and search each and every house near the church’s complex, but Kreed never slowed as he sprinted across the street. Burns could have seen the way he’d covered Aaron as he’d left the church and figured out Aaron was involved in this somehow. He hadn’t considered the consequences when he’d busted out of the house; he knew what Aaron didn’t, and his only goal was getting Stuart to safety.
The house was across the street, no more than three hundred feet, but the last hundred feet felt like miles. His legs and lungs burned with worry as he sprinted up the walkway.
Kreed kicked open the door, knowing it would be locked if Burns did indeed have Aaron. He barreled through, barely pausing as he rounded the corner, prepared to fire. Aaron came rushing through the office door. Fear, then surprise, crossed his face. Aaron’s eyes went straight to the gun in Kreed’s hands, and he stepped back as his hands went in the air. “What the hell?”
“Are you alone?” Kreed bellowed.
“Of course,” Aaron answered, taking another step backward, clearly unnerved. Kreed moved, his eyes sweeping the room as he stalked toward Aaron. He wanted to touch him, draw him into his arms just to make sure Aaron was truly okay.
“Has he been here? Did you see the deacon leaving the building?” Kreed asked. He stopped at the entrance of the hall and finally lowered his weapon.
“No. You guys didn’t get him?”
Kreed shook his head and, feeling someone’s presence raised the weapon until he verified it was an agent behind him. An unspoken faith had him moving forward, turning toward the study, hoping the agent behind him moved toward Aaron’s bedroom.
“No,” Kreed finally said. He turned to speak to the small team forming in the living room. “Sweep the place,” Kreed instructed as he went for Aaron, only stopping about a foot from him, forcing himself not to draw the guy against him like he wanted. Instead, he holstered his weapon.
“How’d he get away? Is he going after Mitch?” Aaron asked, moving toward him with the same fear and concern clouding his eyes that Kreed had felt only moments before.
“You two can relax.” The deputy marshal who checked Aaron’s room came out, pointing to his earpiece as he spoke. He had a direct line of information filtering through his ear. “They’ve got an eye on the suspect. He’s headed down Midlothian Parkway. He’s on the run, but they’ll get him. There’s nowhere to go.”
“Keep me posted on that.” The front door was still wide open, and Kreed heard several vehicles taking off from across the street. Probably Masters heading toward the chase. Reaching out, he took Aaron by the neck, guiding him inside the office, away from prying eyes. Kreed closed the door behind them, before pulling Aaron to his chest.
“You scared the shit out of me,” he whispered on a haggard breath, burying his face in the crook of Aaron’s neck.
“I was scared. That guy was off the charts,” Aaron said, wrapping his arms tighter around Kreed.
“I didn’t know if you’d get out of there. I was texting you, telling you to leave. It felt off from the minute you walked inside the place,” Kreed said, pressing his lips against the heartbeat pulsing in Aaron’s neck, still clutching him like a vise, so thankful he was safe in his arms.
“I didn’t have a chance to check my phone.” Aaron relaxed against him.
“I need to check on Knox. Find out what’s going on. Are you good here? I’ll have someone stay.” Kreed started to pull away, but Aaron’s hands fisted in his jacket. There was a hint of panic hidden in their blue-gray depths. He looked down to see Aaron’s hands shaking as he clenched them closed. His calm, cool, collected guy that pushed every boundary Kreed put in place had anxiety rolling off him in waves. Kreed covered Aaron’s fists with his palms. “You’re okay, Aaron. It’s over. You did good, exactly what we needed. You don’t have to go back there again.”
“I’ll be all right. It’s just a lot,” Aaron said quietly. Kreed watched as Aaron visibly tried to pull himself together. Even with the uncertainty of the deacon on the run, Kreed waited several long moments before he lifted Aaron’s chin with the tips of his fingers, studying his face. Aaron was freaked, but had worked himself out of meltdown mode. That said a lot for a situation like this and the man Aaron truly was.
“We’ll be leaving here tonight. Pack up, but plan on staying with me for the next few days while they decide how much they need from us.” Kreed tried for reassuring as he kept his eyes on Aaron’s. Giving a small smile, he wanted to convey the pride he had for the job Aaron had accomplished. The kid had done everything he was supposed to. While Kreed sat at the monitor, watching, he’d been going a little nuts wanting Stuart to abandon the job and get his ass out of there, but church boy pressed on, closing this case up tight.
Not completely certain they weren’t being heard, Kreed still leaned in and kissed those slightly upturned lips.
“You did so good today. Stay put for me.”
“Call Mitch. Make sure they’re okay.” Aaron nodded.
“They are. I’m going to call and check on them, but they’re at a secure location,” Kreed confirmed, bending in to kiss Aaron again, this time he lingered for a second or two longer.
“This has to be bigger than just here,” Aaron added. The kid was thinking now, surely that was a good sign. Except when Aaron started using that brain, they ended up in situations like this. Maybe the kid could contain the thought process until they got this part of the investigation closed.
“I’m sure it is, but Connors is all over that. Our job’s done.” Kreed lifted his hand for a high five, and Aaron smiled a little, giving his hand a soft slap, before running his fingers through his hair.
“We really did it.”
“Yes, we did.” Kreed followed Aaron’s lead, running his fingers through Aaron’s hair while wrapping an arm around his waist, drawing him against his chest. Kreed kissed him thoroughly and swiftly. All the tension he’d held, the worry over keeping his church boy safe, faded. They’d done it.
Chapter 25
Both Mitch and Kreed stood side by side in front of the one-way mirrored window, watching as two of the bureau’s agents interrogated Pastor Helps. He answered every question asked of him with a tirade of hellfire and damnation Bible verses that Kreed wasn’t entirely sure were word for word from the scripture. He suspected Helps added and deleted as he needed to drive his point home.
“I just got word that Burns didn’t make it,” Brody said, coming inside the small room to stand next to Kreed.
“I didn’t see how he could,” Mitch said. Kreed silently agreed. The car chase had ended almost as quickly as it had begun, with a cement truck pulling out onto the parkway, clearly unable to anticipate the fleeing man’s high rate of speed. The deacon, with no way to avoid the impact, had lost control of his vehicle and slammed into the side of the truck. Even though the fire rescue team had arrived quickly, it took a solid hour to remove him from the wreckage, and he’d been barely alive at that point. “He’s pissed off,” Mitch added, cocking his head toward the pastor.
“Yeah, but his staff members are singing like canaries,” Brody replied, tucking his hands into his slacks pockets. The pastor sure was putting on such a show that it was kind of hard to turn away. To be so old, he was going strong. For many reasons, Kreed would hate to be at one of this guy’s sermons, because he could see hours spent waiting for him to finish on the pulpit. “We’ve got more than enough to file charges. They’re just trying to get information now about the satellite churches—how much they knew. He’s gonna be the one to have that information.”
“You think that vein in his forehead’s gonna explode?” Kreed asked, shoving his fingers into his jeans pocket, not able to tear his eyes away from the scene playing out in front of him.
“I’ve been watching it but decided only the good die young,” Mitch stated.
“Seriously, he looks like the crypt keeper. Did you notice that?” Kreed asked Mitch, knocking him in the arm with his elbow.
“More like the crypt keeper’s weird grandfather.” Mitch chuckled.
“You guys are too much,” Brody said, laughing a little.
“Has he cracked yet?” Skinner asked, coming inside the office. His arrival was the only thing that had all three men turning from the window.
“He’s close to a confession or blowing a vessel. It’s hard to know which one,” Kreed answered. Skinner shook each of their hands before patting Mitch then Kreed on the shoulder.
“Job well done. If you hadn’t stuck with this, we might not have ever known. Most certainly more men would have lost their lives,” Skinner said, taking a spot next to Brody, looking in on the pastor.
This case was Mitch’s baby. He deserved that credit, but he’d never take it. Kreed was certain his buddy just felt like it was all in a day’s work.
“Where’s Stuart? He needs some recognition in this,” Skinner asked.
“He’s still in Midlothian. I need to get back there,” Kreed said, thinking about the look in Aaron’s eyes just before he’d left.
“Montgomery invited you to stay at their house,” Knox said, and as anticipated, he never acknowledged the compliment Skinner had just given him. That was so fucking Knox. Kreed nodded, having turned back to continue staring inside the small interrogation room. He decided he’d probably take Jace up on that offer. The kid seemed to really like Jace and Colt. Aaron would probably feel better staying in Dallas with someone he knew than waiting alone in a hotel or even waiting in some stale room here at the station for when he might be needed.
“I really need to go check on Aaron,” Kreed finally said, forcing himself to turn away from the window once again.
“We need to talk to Stuart,” Skinner said, but he didn’t move. The director couldn’t seem to stop staring at the freak show playing out in the other room. Kreed understood. It was like watching really bad reality TV but knowing, for sure, this was completely real. No script could be this fucked up.
“I’ll bring him in, but give me a few hours,” Kreed said to Director Skinner, then turned his attention to Mitch. “Do I just call Jace?” He kept his eyes averted from the interrogation, not wanting to be drawn back in to the crazy, fucked up performance going on behind the glass divider.
“Yeah…or I will,” Mitch said, finally turning away. The guy followed Kreed out the door and walked with him down the hall. As they stepped out of the front doors of the office, Mitch walked all the way to the parking lot. In the silence they shared, Kreed could tell his partner was trying to get out from under the contact surveillance cameras surrounding the building. From this vantage point, they’d still be seen but not necessarily heard. Mitch swiftly pulled off the sunglasses hooked to his T-shirt collar and put them in place before he turned to Kreed, stopping him about ten feet from his rental car.
“Thank you for this,” Mitch said, holding open his arms and hands. Mitch was a little awkward in his movements, his brow furrowed. Aww, damn, his partner was emotional.
“You did this, man. I just helped out when you needed me.” Kreed swallowed the lump in his throat at Mitch’s sentiment. Nothing more was said. They stood there, staring at one another until Mitch drew Kreed in for a hug, and Kreed accepted it, wrapping his arms tightly around his partner. It felt so good to have those crazy people off the streets. There would always be more like them, but just knowing this cell was shut down made the moment a little more special. “I wanted you to have this finished so you wouldn’t always be looking over your shoulder. I know it killed you not being right in the middle of this after what they did to Cody.”
When Mitch pulled away, he lowered his head, digging his fingers in his eyes underneath his glasses. After a second or two, he finally said, “You saw it through for me, and between you and Skinner, y’all kept me involved and gave me purpose in the case.”
Kreed nodded and silence settled between them again. “I’ve gotta go. Aaron’s alone. I figured I’d take Montgomery up on his offer.”
“Cool. They’re ready to extend their appreciation too,” Mitch said, kicking at something unknown on the pavement. “You’ve been a little weird. Is there something goin’ on with you?”
“The kid and I started something. I don’t know where it’s going, but if it’s a problem, we can stay at a hotel,” Kreed stated, just laying it out there. Mitch deserved the high coming his way from closing this case. Kreed didn’t want to be the downer, but he also didn’t want to wait to explore what might or might not be between him and Aaron.
“So one room, then. I’ll tell Montgomery. Aaron, huh? You know, all this time, I really thought Stuart was straight.” Mitch chuckled before he turned and left Kreed standing alone. He grinned as he watched his buddy walk away. Kreed sighed deeply, so glad that had gone as well as it had. His heart was lighter than it had been in a while. He pulled the keys from his pocket as he headed toward his truc
k. Aaron would be waiting for him.
Chapter 26
Two days later, Kreed backed out of the Michaels-Montgomery driveway with a scheduled fourteen days off. Aaron sat in the passenger seat with his phone in hand, texting, his thumbs moving faster than Kreed had ever seen anyone before as he worked the small keyboard on the screen. That alone highlighted the generation gap between them. Kreed wasn’t a texter, and when forced, he punched at the screen with his forefinger, much like he did with a computer keyboard. That was just never his thing.
Although Kreed was almost completely free for the next fourteen days—only being available if something with the case came up—Aaron apparently had work. If he’d heard it once, he’d heard it a hundred times—smart boy was far behind in whatever his job required.
It had taken quite a bit of talking to get Aaron to agree to come to Hawaii once Jace had offered up his place for a little extended R and R. In the end, Kreed conceded on all points in order to get Aaron alone for an obstacle-free vacation. He had a shit load of the kid’s traveling computer gear bundled up and shipped out so he could complete his work from the island. Kreed had even promised he wouldn’t interfere when Aaron sat down to do his job.
The whole Aaron-slash-work situation needled at him. Kreed only now realized the kid might not be as into him as before, and he didn’t know exactly how to get them back there or what had happened to make the change.
Jace and Colt stood on the front porch, waving them off. Both Mitch and Cody were downtown, helping Masters put the final touches on the case that had exploded over the last forty-eight hours. Twenty-five arrests had already been made, most of them being people with knowledge of the church’s activities.
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