by Esme Beal
“If there’s a chance, I’ll get it. We can’t give up now. I’ve gotten this far. You have to let me go the rest of the way.”
“…Very well,” she sighed. “Keep me updated on your status with any new developments. Dismissed.”
I turned around and walked out of her office. As soon as I stepped out, I couldn’t help breathing a sigh of relief.
The office was mostly empty outside of the few cops working overnight shifts. I walked over to my desk and collapsed in my seat. Sanders sat across from me, munching on the remains of his leftover pizza.
“You know, they say the pizza in the West Bay is better than anywhere else,” he said. “Frankly, I don’t know what they’re talking about. Northside… Yeah, it’s better than the Northside. But you want the best pizza, you gotta go to the Southern Block. You know why?”
“Why’s that?”
“Because that’s where they really care about food. Even though it’s cheap, you can tell they put a lot of heart and soul into it.”
Sanders winked at me and took another bite out of his pizza. I was too tired to argue with him. I only had enough strength to laugh.
“I don’t know how you can talk about pizza at a time like this,” I said. “Most of our evidence just blew up in that warehouse. Rounding up all the thugs again and questioning them won’t work.”
“Why not?”
“Because now Rivera knows there’s a leak. It’s the only way I could’ve gotten to him.”
“You want my advice, Kennedy?”
“Sure.”
“Go home. Relax. Take a break. There’s no reason for you to worry about this now. There’s nothing you can do. What’s done is done.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. It still bothers me though.”
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and looked down at it. The recording was still on it. Rivera’s face was clear as day. All the evidence I needed was right here. The only problem was there was another man standing right across from him. A man that looked too familiar.
That has to be Cade.
“Why don’t you have a slice of pizza?” Sanders said. “It’ll make you feel better.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Come on! I know you’re hungry. You just survived an explosion.”
“I think you’re right. I’ll just head home and get a bite before I fall asleep.”
“That’s the spirit.”
I got up from my desk.
“Say, Kennedy. I need to ask you something.”
“What is it?”
“When they spotted you, what happened?”
“I just managed to get out of the way before they started firing at me. I headed down the fire escape.”
“Right. And then what happened.”
“And then I got down and they were already gone.”
“No,” he said as he shook his head. “No, they weren’t.”
“…What are you talking about?” I said, narrowing my eyes at him.
“I’ve seen you move. The warehouse wasn’t that big. If you were moving, I mean really booking it, you would’ve gotten down before they escaped. A chance to see Rivera get in his car or that gang get on their bikes.”
“What does that matter?”
“You have your piece on you, don’t you?”
“Yeah. So?”
“Why didn’t you try to stop them?”
Sanders was old. He ate too much. He seemed nonchalant about most things. But all of that added up to a man who was wise enough to figure things out.
I couldn’t tell him the truth. I couldn’t tell him that I thought I knew the man making the deal with Rivera. Not because of what it meant for Bryce but Sanders probably wouldn’t have believed me anyway.
“I don’t know,” I said with a shrug. “I guess my head hasn’t been in the right place. All of the stress of putting this whole investigation together—”
“Do me a favor. Starting eating more. Get more calories in your system and you’ll keep your focus where it needs to be.”
I chuckled at his suggestion and nodded.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said. “Bright and early.”
“Not bright and certainly not early. But tomorrow, sure.”
I headed out of the police station, my phone still in hand. Right now, the only thing that really provided me any comfort was Bryce. After spending a week with him, I was so used to him. Seeing him after every long shift always put a smile on my face.
Tonight was different though. Tonight, I had to take my work home with me.
“I’m coming over.”
I waited a few seconds before he finally gave me the response I was so used to seeing at this point.
“I’ll be waiting.”
Chapter 15
BRYCE
Getting a message late at night from Uriah was a usual occurrence for me. I was as excited to see my Alpha the same as anybody else would be. But it was different with Uriah. I knew what kind of danger he was getting himself into with his work. A message from him meant that he was safe for tonight.
Most of my days were spent in my apartment. I would head out and get some shopping done. I didn’t regret my pregnancy one bit. It was the best reason I could have to focus on myself. And the long days I had taking care of myself always ended with a visit from Uriah.
I knew tonight was different though. Dinner was ready in the oven. Dessert was waiting in the fridge. But I knew that it was a big night for his investigation. He was open with it and more than willing to share those details. Knowing that he was coming back to me filled my heart with an excitement I couldn’t remember feeling in a long time.
The situation with my brother hadn’t been resolved. Cade didn’t give me any details on what he was doing and he didn’t stop by much to visit. Whatever he planned on doing, he was doing without me.
I sat on my couch tonight, my phone gripped tight in my hand while I waited for Uriah’s arrival. It only seemed like a few minutes when there was a knock at the door.
“There he is…”
I jumped up from my seat and did my best not to run through the door. I opened it up and greeted him with a smile.
“You don’t know how long—”
I cut myself off when I saw my brother standing there in place of Uriah. My heart leaped up into my throat. I swallowed it down then blinked to make sure that I was looking at him right.
“Cade? What are you doing here?”
“Can I come in?”
“Actually…”
You can’t. Uriah is on his way. If he sees Cade…
“…I’m expecting someone,” I said. “Can it wait for tomorrow?”
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “It can’t. I really need a place to lay low for a bit. Not for the whole night. Just… until things die down.”
He walked into my apartment before I could say anything.
Dammit.
“Cade, no, really you can’t stay here.”
“I need to hide out for a bit. Don’t worry. The boys are making sure that it’s safe at the Brickstone before I head back out.”
“What’s going on?”
“…Remember that meeting with Rivera?”
Cade gave me a look that I’d seen a hundred times before. The kind of look that told me how serious this was.
“That was you,” I said. “That warehouse that exploded. You were involved in that.”
He gave me a nod.
“Cops were everywhere,” he said. “I don’t know if they saw me. I don’t think they did. But I can’t head to Brickstone unless I know the cops aren’t looking for me.”
“I’m sure they didn’t see you. I mean, did you see anybody?”
“There was one guy… A cop… Looked right at me.”
He started chuckling to himself.
“What’s so funny?”
“It’s strange,” he said. “He looked at me like a deer in headlights. I can’t remember a time when a cop stared me do
wn but didn’t pull his piece on me. Didn’t even tell me to freeze or nothing. Just stood there…”
Uriah…
I closed my eyes and gathered myself. My heart was pounding so hard in my chest that I thought it would explode.
“I told you,” I said. “I told you getting involved with a man like Rivera was a bad idea.”
“It was just a minor setback. A man like Rivera doesn’t do anything without having something to fall back on. Trust me. Once he gets this thing going and you see the money coming in, you won’t be disappointed. It’ll be the best thing ever for me. For you. Your baby, too.”
I looked away from Cade, unsure of what to think. It was all getting so crazy that I wasn’t sure how to react. But my phone was clutched so tight in my palm that I remembered that Uriah was on his way. I had to stay focused.
Cade sniffed into the air and looked around.
“You cooking?” he said. “Smells like meatloaf in the oven.”
“Y-yeah…”
“Expecting someone?”
“I was… I was just having some company over for dinner.”
“Right.”
He gave me a sly smirk. I was too distracted to be embarrassed by it though.
“The Alpha,” he said. “Your boyfriend coming over?”
“Cade, you really need to get out of here.”
“Why? You’ve never been embarrassed about any of the men you’ve been with before. I know he’s a good guy if he managed to get you pregnant. My brother wouldn’t get with a loser—”
“Yeah, well, you’ll meet him eventually. I promise. Just not tonight. Please.”
Cade kept grinning at me. I couldn’t think of anything more to get him to leave.
“All right,” he said as he put his hands up. “I’ll go.”
I held back a sigh of relief and closed my eyes.
“Do you think there’s any chance I could get a piece of that meatloaf?” he asked.
“I’m eating for two now,” I said. “I can’t spare a bite.”
“Fair enough. I’ll get a bite before I head back to the Brickstone and talk to the rest of the gang. You take care now.”
He squeezed his arms around me.
Time was running out. I couldn’t spare another second.
“Come by and visit,” I said. “Just make sure you send me a message first. Then I’ll have some food ready for you.”
“That sounds like a plan, bro—”
There was a sudden knock at the door.
It sounded like it was a thousand times louder than normal. A knock so loud that I could feel it in my chest.
Crap.
I stared at the door, knowing that Uriah was on the other side.
“Bryce.”
I turned back around and my brother gave me a confused look.
“You gonna answer that?”
What do I do?
I looked down at my phone and started typing a message to Uriah. Anything to get him away from the door.
“What’s wrong?” Cade said.
He was no longer confused. There was a growing concern on his face.
“Bro, what’s going on?”
“Nothing. I just… I just need to send a message, that’s all—”
“Who is it? Are you really that embarrassed about your new boyfriend?”
“Cade, please.”
“What does it matter? It’s not like we’re gonna be strangers anyway. I might as well meet him now. What’s the harm?”
“Cade!”
He walked by me. I tried to grab at him but missed. Cade opened the door wide.
Uriah stood there. His head down, he was looking at his phone at the message I just sent him.
My heart skipped another beat in my chest as Uriah slowly raised his head up. The two of them stared at one another like they were frozen in place.
I rushed up next to Cade and put a hand on his arm.
“Cade…” I whispered.
He wasn’t paying any attention to me. He didn’t even know I was there.
“You,” Cade said. “You’re the cop.”
“Cade—”
Uriah started to put his hands up but before he could finish, Cade rushed forward and grabbed him by the collar.
“Cade!”
I shouted out helplessly as the two of them stumbled into my apartment. They fell to the ground and started struggling with one another.
“Son of a bitch!” Cade shouted. “You were following me!”
“Calm down!” Uriah said. “Calm down!”
Uriah was doing his best not to fight back.
“Cade, please!”
I grabbed at my brother’s arm but that didn’t stop him from sending a fist with his other. He caught Uriah right on the side of the head before I managed to pull Cade off of him.
“Stop it!” I said.
Cade breathed hard as he looked down at Uriah on the ground.
“This man,” Cade said as he pointed at Uriah. “This cop followed me here. Bastard followed me to your apartment.”
“He didn’t follow you, Cade…”
I looked up at Cade pleadingly. He slowly turned toward me, a look of disgust still on his face.
“This man’s a cop,” he said. “The same cop who tried to bust my deal with Rivera.”
Uriah got back up to his feet and gritted his teeth.
“I’m not here for you,” Uriah said.
“What are you talking about?” Cade said. “Then why are you—”
Cade stared at me like it just hit him. His mouth half-open, he didn’t even blink.
“The Alpha,” he said under his breath. “This man is your boyfriend?”
“It’s him,” I said. “It was always him.”
“Listen to me, Cade,” Uriah said. “You don’t know what you’re getting involved in. The entire police force is gunning for Rivera—”
“I don’t need advice from you, pig!”
Cade said it with the kind of disdain that couldn’t be faked. He looked back at me. The anger in his eyes disappeared. A frown on his lips, there was a disappointment inside of him I could feel. A disappointment I’d never seen from him before.
He didn’t say another word as he stormed out of my apartment.
“Cade, wait!”
Uriah grabbed my arm and stopped me from following him.
“It’s okay,” he said. “Let him go. There’s nothing you can say to him now.”
“But—”
“Let him cool off. Let him go over things. He knows he’s making a mistake. Just give him time and he’ll understand that.”
I listened to the sound of my brother’s bike revving in the distance. The engine was loud and the squeal filled the air until it disappeared completely. I shut the door and sighed a deep breath through my nostrils.
My brother wasn’t happy about meeting Uriah. But Uriah took it better than I expected.
“You weren’t surprised,” I said. “You already knew.”
“I knew it right when I looked at him. I could see it in his eyes. They were too familiar. With the way you’ve been acting lately, it only made sense that something like this was bothering you.”
The corner of his lip curled into a smile.
“Fated to the cop that’s trying to catch your own brother,” he said as he shook his head. “What are the chances?”
“Uriah…” I sighed. “I don’t know what to do.”
He walked forward and put his arms around me. Even his strong embrace wasn’t enough to squeeze all of the stress I had out of me.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll figure out a way to get your brother out of this and take care of Rivera. Everything will be all right. I promise. Now…”
He pulled away from me and smiled. I was still distracted but not enough to smile back at him.
He sniffed into the air and looked around.
“What is that?” he said.
“Meatloaf,” I said with a chuckle.
�
�Smells amazing. I hope you made a lot of it. I got some advice earlier tonight. Told me that I’d think better on a full stomach.”
“Right now, that advice sounds as good as anything else I’ll hear.”
“Good. Let’s have dinner, Bryce.”
Chapter 16
URIAH
“Cade and I never had anybody else. It was always just us. Even when we were kids, the only friends we had were just each other.
“When we started to get older, things didn’t change much. We were out on the streets. We did our best to hustle to make ends meet. I worked. Nothing fancy but I didn’t care. I never dreamed of living in a giant mansion or driving a fancy car. I just wanted to live an ordinary life.
“Cade though… He always had big dreams. He always thought that there was something more for us. Riches that were promised to us because of everything we’d been through.”
Bryce was lost in his thoughts but he didn’t have to think hard to give me all the details.
“What about Brickstone?”
“The result of a lot of saving,” he said. “Cade… He made his money. He never told me how but I never asked. It was just assumed that he was doing something that cops like you wouldn’t be too happy about. That’s how he founded the Chargers.”
“Who are they?”
“His group. You can’t make it in the West Bay if you’re not part of some gang. It’s tough trying to hustle your way on the streets when some other group is trying to push you around. It only made sense that Cade formed a gang of his own.”
Bryce looked at me from across the table and sighed.
“Cade has done some things. Some things most people wouldn’t be proud of. And getting involved with Rivera… That’s not an exception. But he’s my brother. I know him better than anybody else. I know he’s not a bad guy. He’s just getting mixed up in something and doesn’t understand it.”
“I believe you.”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I… I’m sorry I didn’t tell you who Cade was in the first place.”
“You don’t have to apologize for something like that. You were put in an impossible situation. Cade is your brother. If anybody else was in your shoes, they would’ve done the same thing.”
“But it wasn’t the right thing. I shouldn’t have kept the truth from you. I should have told you right from the start.”
