“Son of a bitch!” Zane snapped as the light in front of him changed from green to yellow, then red before the traffic managed to even move more than a few feet. The guy in the car next to him gave him a dirty look but Zane ignored him as his phone rang. For once, he was thrilled to see Jagger’s name light up on the screen.
“I’ve got them,” Jagger said before Zane could even ask. “I haven’t approached them yet because the boy looks pretty spooked.”
“I’m on my way,” Zane said quickly as he cut someone off so he could turn left instead of right. “Just don’t let them get on the bus.”
“I won’t.” The line disconnected and Zane sighed in relief that at least Jagger had eyes on the kids. Traffic cleared considerably since he was heading away from the busier parts of downtown and he made it to the bus station in less than ten minutes. He spotted Jagger easily when he entered the busy terminal and Jagger nodded in the direction of some benches in the corner. Brennan saw him almost immediately and he instantly stood up, dragging Hannah to her feet at the same time.
“Stay away from us!” Brennan shouted as he began searching for an exit. “You’re a fucking liar!”
Hannah tried to cover her ears with her hands but Brennan wouldn’t release the hand he was holding so she used her bunny to cover one ear. Brennan’s outburst had caught the attention of several people and Zane saw Jagger step in front of a police officer who was headed their way. Whatever Jagger said seemed to do the trick because the officer kept his distance.
“How did I lie?” Zane asked as he moved so that he was standing between the kids and the main doors. The only other exit was the doorway leading to the buses and Jagger cut that off with his big frame.
“You said you wouldn’t tell anyone where we were!”
“I didn’t,” Zane said as he moved closer.
“You did! I heard you! You said Family Services is making you send us back!” Brennan screamed. Tears were running down his face and Zane realized Brennan must have heard part of his conversation with Connor about the threats Family Services had made about charging him if he didn’t send the kids back.
“I swear, Brennan, I didn’t tell them you were here and I’m not sending you back. Not ever.”
“You’re lying,” Brennan said, though his voice had dropped considerably. It made Zane’s heart ache to see how truly young Brennan looked.
“I’m not.”
“Brennan, I want to stay here,” Hannah whispered.
“We can’t,” Brennan said quietly. “It’s not our home.”
“Brennan, let Hannah hang out with my friend so we can talk,” Zane said as he motioned to Jagger. “Man to man.”
“No,” Brennan instantly said but Hannah tugged free of Brennan’s hold and walked to Zane. She motioned with her finger for him to come down to her level so he did.
“Is he a stranger?” she whispered as she looked at Jagger curiously. The sight of the huge man with his tattooed arms and bald head seemed to intrigue her more than frighten her.
“No, honey, he isn’t. Why don’t you go introduce him to Hunny Bunny?”
“Okay,” she said with a nod.
Jagger was already on one knee by the time she reached him and as soon as he started talking to her, Zane focused his attention on Brennan who seemed both confused and devastated by his sister’s defection. He ended up lowering himself back down to the bench and clenching his hands together. The people around them went back to what they’d been doing before Brennan’s outburst and Zane was glad to see that the officer was backing off.
“Brennan, I know you’re tired and scared,” Zane said as he sat down next to Brennan. “You’ve done an amazing job taking care of Hannah, but you don’t need to do it alone anymore.”
Brennan’s tears had slowed and he wiped at his eyes with the sleeves of his jacket. “You knew her, didn’t you?” he asked. “My mom.”
“Yeah, I did.”
“Are you my dad or something?”
“No, I’m your brother.”
Brennan’s eyes shot to meet his. “You are?”
Zane nodded. “She left me and my father when I was six. I never knew about you or Hannah because I never saw her again. After my dad died, the state contacted her but she was already pregnant with your brother…”
“She didn’t want you,” Brennan said before nodding his head in understanding. “She didn’t want us either. Not after Cody died. If she did, she would’ve stopped drinking and taken care of me and Hannah like she was supposed to.”
“Grief does different things to different people, Brennan. I’m sure she loved you even if she couldn’t show you all the time.” Zane reached out to run his hand over Brennan’s back and was glad when he didn’t pull away from him. “You and Hannah are the only family I’ve got besides Connor. I can’t promise that I’ll get the whole big brother thing right all the time, but I’d like to try.”
Brennan was quiet for a long time. “So is he your boyfriend or something?”
“Connor?”
Brennan nodded.
“Yeah, he is. Does that bother you?”
Brennan shook his head. “No, it’s cool…um, I think…I think I might like both, you know? Boys and girls.”
Zane was relieved to know that his and Connor’s relationship would be one less hurdle that they’d have to deal with. “Nothing wrong with that,” Zane said as he saw the heat in Brennan’s cheeks rise. “So you think you might be interested in giving me and Connor a chance?”
Brennan didn’t actually say anything but he did make eye contact with Zane when he nodded. And the relief on his face had Zane doing what he’d longed to do from the moment Brennan had accused him of lying – he wrapped his arms around Brennan and hugged him tight. “It’s going to be okay, I promise.” Brennan nodded against his chest and then Hannah was there and throwing her arms around the both of them.
***
“Thank you,” Zane said as he reached out to shake Jagger’s hand.
“Not a problem,” Jagger said as he slapped Zane on the back instead. “Declan and I can bring your car by tomorrow – I know he wants to meet these guys,” Jagger said as he hugged Hannah against his chest. As soon as they’d gotten out of Jagger’s car in front of Zane’s apartment building, Hannah had insisted that Jagger pick her up. Zane had been glad for the ride because he hadn’t wanted to lose the tenuous connection he’d managed to build with Brennan in those few moments at the bus station and he’d gladly sat in the back seat between the kids during the short ride home and peppered them with questions about the little things in their lives, like what they liked to eat and what their favorite subjects in school were. It wasn’t until Hannah had reminded him that she was too young for school and called him silly that he realized he had a lot to learn. His only comfort was knowing Connor would be there to help him through it.
He’d called Connor before he’d gotten to the bus station to let him know the kids had been found and again once he and the kids were in Jagger’s car. He’d ended up putting the phone on speaker so Connor could say hi to the kids and the Hannah had promptly asked to have chocolate chip banana pancakes for dinner. Then she’d demanded that Jagger come upstairs for some too.
As they entered the lobby, Zane heard the Concierge call his name but as he took a couple steps away from Brennan, a woman suddenly screamed and a gunshot rang through the air. He spun around to throw himself over Brennan but froze when he saw a man’s arm locked around Brennan’s neck and a gun pressed to his temple.
“Don’t fucking move!”
It took Zane several precious seconds to recognize Lionel Sutter because he was wearing a heavy coat with the hood turned up. A glance to his right showed that Jagger had put Hannah on the ground and shoved her behind him as he aimed a gun at Lionel. But even Zane could see that Jagger wouldn’t be able to get a clean shot off with the way Lionel was holding Brennan.
“Lionel-”
“Shut up!” Lionel snarled. “You!” he
yelled at Jagger. “Put it down!” When Jagger hesitated, Lionel shoved the gun hard against Brennan’s temple. “Now!”
Jagger carefully lowered the gun to the floor.
“Kick it to me.” Jagger kicked the gun over as Lionel focused on the few other people in the lobby. The Concierge was huddled behind his desk and an older woman that Zane recognized as one of the tenants was cowering against the far corner of the room. There was also a security guard who had appeared at the sound of the gunshot but since he wasn’t armed, he’d come to a skidding halt at the sight of Lionel and put up his hands when Lionel ordered him to.
“You,” Lionel shouted at the woman. “Get his keys and lock the front door,” Lionel said as he motioned to the security guard.
As the woman ran to do his bidding, Zane said, “Lionel, let the kids go. You don’t need them.”
Lionel aimed the gun at him and shouted, “Get him down here, now!”
Terror flooded through Zane and he automatically shook his head.
“Do it now!” Lionel ordered as he put the gun back against Brennan’s head. Zane could hear Hannah crying but he forced himself to keep his eyes on Lionel as he slowly reached for his phone. Panic surged through him as he tried to figure out what to do but Lionel suddenly snapped at the woman, “Get his phone.”
The woman, who’d managed to lock the door, looked between him and Lionel. Tears were streaming down her face as she moved towards him and took his phone.
“Find a contact named Connor Talbot!” Lionel said as he looked back and forth between all the people in the small space. “Hurry up!”
“I…I found it,” the woman said.
“Type ‘Meet me in the lobby’.”
The woman was shaking so hard that it took her several attempts and Zane used the distraction to glance at Jagger. The man’s body was so big that he could barely make out Hannah and Zane knew that protecting the little girl would be Jagger’s first priority. It was little comfort though because with the hold Lionel had on Brennan, there wasn’t much anyone could do. Brennan looked terrified but was otherwise holding himself together.
“Lionel, you don’t need to do this,” Zane said quietly though his mind was desperately trying to come up with a plan.
“That bastard killed my boy,” Lionel said though his voice was suddenly much lower. “Show me,” he said to the woman when she finally stopped typing. She took a few steps in his direction and held out the phone.
“Send it!” The woman hit the send button. “Now drop it and move over there,” Lionel sad as he once again motioned with his gun.
“Lionel-”
“Shut up, Devereaux. I know what you did to my boy. You too!” he screamed at Jagger. His eyes shifted back to Zane and his voice went flat as he said, “He’s going to know what it feels like to lose someone he loves before he dies.”
The elevator dinged just a second later and then everything slowed down as Zane’s eyes connected with Connor’s. He saw Connor’s face fall as he took in the scene and then his mouth opened in a silent scream. Zane managed to look back at Lionel just in time to see Lionel’s gun aimed at him and not Connor. He heard his name yelled by several people but he knew as he watched Lionel pull the trigger that there was no way he could escape the path of the bullet. But Lionel must have loosened his hold on Brennan because Brennan suddenly slammed his hand against Lionel’s arm. A gunshot rang through the air and a split second later Zane felt himself being hurled backwards onto the floor. A searing, burning pain shot through his shoulder as he heard Jagger yell, “Brennan, down!”
Zane tried force his body to respond as another gunshot sounded through the lobby. He managed to turn his body so that he could see Brennan huddled on the floor. Lionel lay flat on the ground behind Brennan, blood pouring from the hole in his head.
“Zane!” Connor was at his side instantly.
“I’m okay,” Zane said quickly as he searched the room and saw that Jagger had Hannah in his arms and it was Ray who was standing over Lionel, his gun still drawn.
“Brennan!” Zane shouted as he felt Connor’s hands press against his shoulder. Pain tore through him at the contact but his only concern was for Brennan who still hadn’t moved. “Brennan!” he screamed again as he tried to crawl across the floor.
“I’m okay,” Brennan finally said as he lowered his arms from where they’d been covering his head. He hurried to Zane’s side and Zane quickly scanned him for injuries.
“Hannah.”
“She’s okay, Zane,” Jagger said and Zane could see he was already on the phone.
“Zane,” Connor whispered brokenly as blood trickled through his fingers.
“Connor, I’m okay,” Zane said reassuringly. “Promise.”
Connor managed a shaky nod but whatever words he was about to say were drowned out by the sound of sirens blaring outside.
Chapter 14
“You cheated.”
“No I didn’t.”
“Yes you did. No one’s that good their first time out.”
Connor chuckled at the look of mock outrage on Zane’s face as he confronted Hannah. She just shrugged and said, “I guess I just am,” as she started resetting the board game. Zane snatched her up with his free arm and gave her a raspberry against her neck before releasing her.
“I think I got hustled,” Zane said as he looked down at the brightly colored board game.
“I think you did too,” Connor acknowledged as he watched Zane reach for the dial that he would have to spin to determine how many spaces he would move.
It had been almost three weeks since the shooting and while Zane’s shoulder was recovering nicely and he only had to wear the sling for a few more days, Connor was still struggling with the aftereffects of the nightmare he’d walked in on. He hadn’t given much thought to the odd text he’d received from Zane to meet him in the lobby but when he’d stepped off the elevator and tried to process what he was seeing, he’d completely frozen up. Even his scream had lacked any sound. The whole thing has been over in less than ten seconds but it felt like it had gone on forever. And it was like it had been when he’d stood on that sidewalk so long ago and watched his entire life go up in flames. But as he’d watched Zane fall to the floor, Connor knew that he wouldn’t be able to pick up the pieces this time around and in that terrible moment, he’d finally understood why his father had gone back into the burning house to find his mother, knowing full well that he likely wouldn’t come back out.
“Daddy Connor,” he heard Hannah whisper and then her small hands were patting his cheeks.
“I’m okay, sweetheart,” he said as he covered one of her hands with his own. She looked at him for a long moment before she seemed satisfied that he really was and then returned her attention back to the game. She’d started calling him and Zane “Daddy” in just the last few days and he and Zane had both been caught off guard by it. But they also hadn’t made a big deal out of since it made sense that because of her young age, Hannah would be more likely to see them as father figures more than anything else. Brennan hadn’t seemed bothered by it either. And while he and Zane may not have reacted any differently on the outside, inside they’d been both freaked out and elated and they’d lain in bed together that night and marveled over the fact that they were, in essence, fathers.
The other thing Hannah had been doing a lot of was “finding” Connor when he got “lost.” He and Zane had explained the brain injury early on to both kids but it was Hannah who had appointed herself as his guardian angel of sorts and he often ended up with her patting his cheeks and calling his name, even when he was doing nothing more than thinking about things. His missing leg had been of interest to the kids too but after they’d seen his stump for themselves as well as examined his prosthesis up close, they’d put it out of their minds.
While things had gone pretty smoothly, there had been a few issues with reassuring Brennan that he no longer needed to look out for his sister in the same way he’d been doing since thei
r mother had mentally checked out after her husband and son’s deaths. There’d been some yelling and slamming of doors and a few “You can’t tell me what to do” moments but they blew over pretty quickly. Zane was a natural when it came to talking things out with Brennan but he was a complete pushover where Hannah was concerned.
“Daddy Connor, it’s your turn,” Connor heard Zane say as he poked Connor in the ribs. Connor sent him a dirty look before taking his turn.
“What time did Ren say he’d be dropping Brennan off?” Connor asked.
“Actually, I said I’d go pick him up,” Zane said. “Ren has a car he wants me to see.”
Connor chuckled. “You boys and your toys.”
“It’s a 1969 Dodge Charger,” Zane said with a big grin.
Connor was saved by a knock on the door. “I’ll get it!” Hannah yelled as she hurried to the door. Since she couldn’t open it by herself, Zane followed. He was back a moment later but the smile that had been on his face had disappeared.
“What is it?” Connor asked.
Zane held up the white envelope in his hands and Connor’s happiness faded when he saw Zane’s name on it. There hadn’t been a flower delivery since the day Zane had told him about Blake. When the tenth of this month had passed, Zane had actually voiced his hope that maybe the whole thing was over.
“Hannah, why don’t you go start picking out the books you want Daddy Zane to read to you tonight,” Connor suggested and Hannah eagerly ran off to her room.
“I thought it was over,” Zane muttered as he sat down and fingered the envelope. “At least there are no flowers this time.”
Connor put his hand on Zane’s knee. “Maybe if we call them…ask them to stop.”
Zane shook his head and then tore open the envelope. But instead of a picture, there was a folded up piece of paper. It took several seconds for Zane to read through it and then he handed it over to Connor.
“Who’s it from?” Connor asked.
“Blake’s mom,” Zane said.
Freeing Zane (Barretti Security Series, Book 4) Page 21
