by Tatum Throne
“For the love of fuck,” Bane said.
“You have two options. Deal with London or go through retraining.”
“I guess I’ll deal with London.”
Trent sighed, leaning back far into his chair. “What’s going on? I know something else is bothering you.”
Cole stiffened, waiting for Bane’s words. He resisted the urge to look at Bane. There was a lot of dead air.
“It’s nothing. I have to go talk to London.”
Cole felt shaken inside. They both were stewing over things. Bane went to move past Cole and bumped into him.
“Excuse me,” Bane said.
Heat spread out from the spot where their arms brushed. “No problem. Bane?”
“Yeah?”
“We need to talk sometime,” Cole said.
“Can’t right now. It’s going to have to wait.”
“Don’t shut me out.”
“I’m not. I’m just too busy to think about us right now,” Bane said.
The door slammed closed behind Bane. There were times when no words could bridge the divide. Cole knew that the next move was his. Bane had looked as though he swallowed something bitter every time their eyes brushed. Cole remembered his first time with a guy and it was nothing like what Cole and Bane had together. His previous lover had experience on his side too. This time, the roles were reversed. He just wished that Bane had trusted him with the truth. Cole knew he was treating Bane unfairly. He had to let go of the omission and move forward.
Trent frowned when they were alone. “What’s going on?”
Cole dropped down in the chair and lifted his hands to sign. It felt easier to sign it than to speak the words he was feeling so deeply out loud. “It’s fucking complicated right now.”
“Tell me what’s going on.”
“I’m in love with Bane. I told him I needed space. I shouldn’t have.”
“What? Why would you push him away?”
“He kept the truth of his experience from me.”
“How much experience has he had? It can’t be that much.”
“With guys, not so much. Just me. He’s been with a lot of women.”
“Then what’s the problem? Are you upset he didn’t tell you about the women before you guys got involved?”
“No. I knew about the women. I thought he had experience with men, too. He didn’t have any before me.”
“Then what’s the problem?” Trent asked.
“I was his first for everything. I just wish…”
“You wish you would’ve known before.”
“Yeah. It means everything to me. I wish he would’ve told me. I would have taken things slower with him.”
“Maybe things were meant to go fast between the two of you.” Trent sighed. “What are you going to do about it?”
“I don’t know. I think I blew things, Trent. I don’t think I can make this right.”
“Give it twenty-four hours. Things always look better in the morning.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“I always am.”
Trent grinned. Cole wished he could see his future and know that everything would work out the way it was meant to. All he could feel was sadness and heartache when he thought about how he fucked up his relationship with Bane.
“Hey, chin up. You won’t lose him.”
Cole’s hands shook as he lifted them. Emotion poured from his heart. He tried to keep the tears from wetting his eyes, but he couldn’t. “How can you be so sure?”
“I know Bane.”
Chapter Nine
Bane was leaning his shoulder against the wall of the conference room. His thumbs were hooked into the front of his belt. He was in tactical clothes today for the job in the field. Some days it felt as though they spent as much time planning tactical events as they did executing them.
The guy from the US Marshal Service was in front of the white board. A map of the city was projected onto it. They were executing a warrant for a fugitive from NYC who was supposed to be in the area with his aunt. They were still at headquarters going over the tactical aspect of their pick up. Mars was anxious to get outside. There were four guys from the US Marshal’s Service. Two were from NYC and two were from Cincinnati. Bane, TJ, and Adam were working with the Marshal Service. It was common practice that local law rode along on a pickup. It was their playground after all.
“The aunt’s apartment is here on Fourteenth Street. Raines, I want you parked here facing west. Duncan, I want you and Mars parked facing east. Compton will take position in his vehicle on Thirteenth, behind the building. I want visual confirmation before we serve the warrant.”
The map of the city vanished, replaced by a picture of their suspect. “This is Smith. He’s been known to resist arrest and shoot at officers. Consider him armed and extremely dangerous. He’s got a girlfriend in the area. We’ll be hitting both locations at the same time. Meyer and I will be hitting the girlfriend’s place. Questions?”
Nothing was standard operating procedure with these types of fugitives. Shit went wrong all the time. Most times fugitives ran far and fast when they saw the Marshal Service coming. Bane envied the bastards. At least he got to pretend to be one of them for a day. Mars whined and the corner of Bane’s mouth ticked up. He was K-9 for life.
Beneath Bane’s clothes, his bulletproof vest was tight against his T-shirt. Mars whimpered again. They were all suited up and ready to go. So, they headed out of the conference room and cut through the back walkway. The team headed through the walkway and out toward the parking lot. Cole was walking into the building without Trent at his side. His gaze cut to Bane, but he quickly looked away.
Bane found himself reaching for the phone more times than he wanted last night. What happened next was up to Cole. Bane watched him closely as the distance closed between them, but Cole didn’t look up. When they passed, Cole finally looked up at him. There were questions in his blue eyes. Bane found himself slowing to talk to him.
“Where are you off to?” Cole asked.
“To serve a warrant. It’s all routine.”
“I’ll catch you later?” he asked.
There was hope and uncertainty in Cole’s eyes. “Maybe.”
“Be careful out there.”
Bane felt a shiver ripple down his neck. “I will be.”
Bane caught up with the guys. Excitement vibrated through Mars as he jumped into the backseat of his car. Bane adjusted his radio as he got behind the wheel. They all took separate routes to the locations that were a fifteen-minute drive away. Bane found an open parking spot in his designated area and shut off the car. Now, it was time to wait for all the fun to begin.
The weather was stunning and perfect. Blue skies and sunshine rained down for miles. It was the perfect weather for someone trying something stupid. It was a cool morning. Through the tall buildings, Bane saw dark clouds on the horizon. It wouldn’t be long before the rain started up. The trees were budding. Pollen rained down, leaving Bane’s car in a thick sheen of green dust. Bane had a clear view of the front and east alley to the brick building. This section of Over the Rhine was revitalized with new apartments in historic buildings. High crime was still a problem for Cincinnati. Bane watched the building while his brain played tag with thoughts of Cole. There’d been dark circles under his eyes. That blond hair of his was mussed, too, like he hadn’t bothered to comb it that morning. Or maybe he had combed it with his fingers after he stepped out of the shower.
Traffic was light despite the early morning hour.
Despite the pretty weather, things felt off. Bane couldn’t put his finger on it. It was a vibe he couldn’t shake. It probably had everything to do with his ending relationship with Cole. Sunlight reflected off of Bane’s sunglasses. A light breeze blew between the buildings and in through the open window in the back. Mars’s ears perked up as he stuck his head between the seats. He looked around, too. Bane put his hand on Mars’s head, giving him a scratch.
“What is
The dog whimpered. A chill raced down Bane’s spine. Yeah, he didn’t have a good feeling about this either. The chatter among the Marshals on the radio was background noise. They were checked in at the girlfriend’s house. Bane looked up at the front windows of the apartment building. The curtain on one of the front windows fluttered as though someone had put their hand on it to pull it aside. Bane grabbed his radio.
“Forty-two-sixteen. I saw some movement on the second floor window. Someone took a quick glance out of the window.”
“Copy, forty-two-sixteen.”
Bane glanced down at his clipboard. A picture of their fugitive’s mug shot was clipped onto the board. He was five-ten with sandy-brown hair. He had skipped his meet and greet with his probation officer two months ago. Failure to meet meant an automatic trip back to jail. Mars whimpered again. Bane glanced back in his rearview mirror. Mars had his nose pressed to the window, ears perked up. Everyone was on high alert due to the playtime at the window. Bane had a feeling that was their fugitive taking a look outside.
The radio jammed to life. “Our fugitive is running out the back door of the aunt’s apartment.”
Bane put the car in drive and sped over to the alley where he parked it on the sidewalk. He jumped out, flinging open the back door for Mars. Their fugitive was on foot, running down the alley toward them. Mars took off at a fly, sprinting down the alley after the guy. Bane chased after Mars. Mars lunged, grabbing the guy by the arm. It was the same arm that held a knife. They went down to the ground.
Everything slowed down. Mars had his jaw locked on their fugitive’s arm, shaking it back and forth. Their fugitive snapped round. Mars lost his hold, but went in again. Bane didn’t have a clear shot of their fugitive with Mars in the way. The US Marshals were running down the alley. Bane had to make a call.
“Police officer, get on the ground!” Bane ordered.
The fugitive was fighting to get free from Mars. Mars threw his body into their fugitive again. Bane didn’t have a good shot. He holstered his gun, tackling the guy to the ground. He pinned his body to the pavement. A knife was locked down tight within the guy’s hand.
They fought hard. Bane felt the slash of the knife cut through his shirt. He locked his arm around the suspect’s neck, taking position behind. Bane was flipped onto the ground with their fugitive pinning him on top. The knife came flying at his chest. Bane grabbed the guy’s wrist, struggling for purchase on the knife. Bane popped his hips, knocking the guy off balance and flipping him off.
“Drop the knife!”
A gun was pointed at the suspect and Bane. Not good. Bullets didn’t show discretion between the good guys and the bad when they were fired. A Marshal came in close, grabbing the guy’s arm. They all went down hard to the pavement.
The knife spun away. It took them another five minutes to get their suspect settled down enough to get him handcuffed. Bane was breathing hard as he sat back on his knees, letting the US Marshals take over on the search of the suspect. The guy was probably whacked on something illegal.
Bane looked down at his torn jacket. The warmth of blood flowed down his arm and out over his palm. He worked his jacket off his shoulder. It was bad.
TJ rushed to his side. “Fuck.”
“Sounds about right.”
TJ was on his radio calling for an ambulance. Pressure was put on the wound by TJ. Bane felt his stomach roll as his arm was elevated and pain zinged down the nerve on his arm.
“Are you injured anywhere else?” TJ asked.
The pain was too great. He wasn’t sure. “I don’t think so.”
“You’re taking a ride to the hospital.”
“Looks like I am.”
Pain throbbed through Bane’s arm. He felt dizzy from the shooting sensation through the nerve in his arm. It was his trigger hand. This injury was going to fuck him up for a while.
* * * *
Something was going on. Cole watched as Trent looked down at his cell phone, reading the text message that came in. His face went pale as he responded to the text.
“We have to get to the hospital,” Trent said.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s Bane. He was injured in the field. He’s in surgery now.”
Cole felt the room start to spin. His body went weak as his hand dropped to the wall to catch himself. “Oh, God.”
Tears rushed to his eyes. Trent came in close, holding his face. “He’s going to be okay. TJ is down there now. His arm was injured by their suspect’s knife. Let’s get down there. He’s going to want you there when he wakes up.”
Cole wiped his eyes with his hand and signed. “I hope you’re right.”
“I’m always right. Come on. I’ll drive.”
They took Trent’s car. Cole couldn’t think straight the entire time they drove to the hospital. No one he ever loved had gotten injured before. They parked in the emergency parking area and went into the hospital. They bypassed the security entrance and headed toward the elevators. He hit the up button.
“What floor are we going to?” Cole asked.
“The MICU to wait for him to get out of the PACU.”
The team that Cole saw leaving with Bane that morning was in the surgical waiting area. He looked around, taking note of all the guys from SWAT. He didn’t recognize one of the women off to the side. Her dark hair was the same color as Bane’s. She had the same eyes as his, too. Cole was usually comfortable in hospitals. Today, he was on edge. Cole took up a free spot to wait it out. Trent caught him looking at the woman.
“That’s Bane’s younger sister, Tory. His parents are out of state. She’s all he has in Cincinnati.”
Cole nodded. One of the guys had bought a giant blue whale from the gift shop. “Who’s that?” Cole asked.
“Grant. He usually works third shift. It’s probably why you haven’t met him before.”
Jealousy stole Cole’s breath away. He didn’t have anything from the gift shop for Bane. He wished he had gone downstairs to pick him something up. Another guy had a hat with two side holders with beer. Cole paced away from the group. He went to the window to look outside at the city. Dark gray storm clouds hung over the city. Rain misted in a white fog, hanging over everything. Raindrops gathered on the windows, sliding down in thin streams. He dropped his forehead to the window.
“He’s going to need you,” Trent said.
Cole glanced at Trent. “I don’t know if he needs me anymore.”
“Getting injured in the field does something to your confidence. He’s going to need you while he recovers. Trust me.”
“I don’t know if I’m the right man for him.”
“You’re the only one for him.”
Down below the city skyline rolled out in a blanket of concrete and old buildings. Traffic was heavy due to rush hour. Cole was nervous about seeing Bane. He hated himself for pushing the man he loved away. It wasn’t easy coming to term with one’s sexuality. Cole spent a long time figuring out who he was and what he liked. He knew all about the pain and confusion that came from coming out. When Bane needed him most, Cole had pushed him away. Guilt played overtime in his heart.
Cole was almost positive Bane wasn’t out with anyone. Cole wanted to comfort him. He wanted to take care of him and wanted to be taken care of. Love was hard enough. They didn’t need to fight about Bane’s lack of sexual experience with men. At the end of the day, it really didn’t matter who Bane had been with prior to Cole. All that mattered was that they were together now. Bane’s love was the only thing Cole wanted and needed. He couldn’t imagine losing him.
Two hours later, a nurse came out to address the group.
Cole signed her words for Trent. “Officer Duncan is out of the PACU and stable. He’s awake and doing well. He can have three visitors at a time.”
Some of the guys from SWAT indicated that they wanted to go in first. Trent put his hand on his shoulder, leaning in close. Grant indicated that he wanted to go in first. He adjusted the giant whale around in his arms.
“We’re going in last, okay?” Trent said.
The waiting area slowly cleared out, leaving only Trent and Cole. It took a long time to shuffle through all the visitors. Cole nervously paced the waiting area as he waited for his turn to see Bane. A volunteer with the hospital finally came out to lead them through the long hallway to his room. They went together into the hospital room. Bane was sitting up. His arm was heavily bandaged and propped on pillows. Their eyes locked. Bane’s eyes softened when he realized who he was looking at. Trent put his hands on Cole’s shoulders.
“I brought you a get well present. Get better soon,” Trent said.
The quiet click of the door sounded behind Cole. They were alone. “Are you okay?” Cole asked.
“It’s nothing big.”
“What happened?”
“Our suspect got rowdy.”
Cole came in close, linking his hand with Bane’s. The door opened suddenly. Cole moved to pull his hand away, but Bane stopped him by locking his hand down tight. It was Bane’s sister. Her gaze flew from their joined hands to Cole’s face.
“Hi, I’m Tory.”
“This is Cole,” Bane said.
Tory offered her hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Bane’s told me all about you.”
Shock raced through Cole’s body. “He has?”
Tory smiled as she went for her purse on the chair. “Lots.”
“Are you leaving?” Bane asked.
“I have to get to work. Can Cole take care of you for a little while?” Tory asked.
“Sure.”
Tory gave Bane a kiss on the cheek and looked at Cole. “Take care of him for me, Cole.”
When they were alone, Cole asked. “How long are you in for?”
“At least another twenty-four hours. They like to keep police longer for some reason.”
“Do you mind if I stay?”
“I was hoping you would. Tory did tell you to take care of me.”
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