Fire and Onyx

by Andrew Grey

  Chapter 11

  “I WANT to kill him,” Evan said into the phone as he paced the floor of his house.

  “No, you don’t,” Pierre told him from the station. “You did the difficult work, and we have practically the entire sheriff’s department, as well as Newville and Carlisle police, on alert and ready for action. The entire western part of the county is being watched, and there are unmarked police everywhere. All of the roads into Newville are under surveillance—” He cut himself off, and Evan’s interest was piqued.

  Wes wound his arms around his waist and leaned against his back. Instantly Evan’s agitation eased away, and he closed his eyes. Here he was complaining about not being part of a large-scale raid when he had this gentle, gorgeous man almost all to himself.

  “I gotta go,” Pierre told him. “The Cadillac you’ve followed a few times has been spotted on its way into Newville. I’ll let you know what happens.” He ended the call, and Evan sighed as he put his phone down on the coffee table.

  “It’s starting.” Even to his ears, he sounded a little like a petulant child.

  Wes held him tighter as Greyson played on the rug with his trucks and an old doggie pull toy that Evan had found in one of the closets. It had been his when he was a kid. “I’m not going to say that I’m sorry you’re not there. Because… nope. I’m glad you’re right here and safe. You put yourself out there and in danger more than enough. Hell, you got lost in the woods and all.” The scratches from it were still healing. “You’ve worked like a fiend all week, and you need to take the chance to rest.”

  Evan turned around. “I know you mean well, but all my friends and brothers are out there, putting themselves on the line, and….” His throat grew dry.

  “And you don’t want to be left out of the fun?” Wes met him with a glare. “Come on, admit it. You don’t like the fact that something is going on and you aren’t in the thick of it.”

  Man, Wes really seemed to know and understand him. Evan actually wondered just how much of an open book he was. Granted, if it was just to Wes, then that wasn’t such a bad thing. It was nice to have someone understand him and want to be there for him.

  “Come and sit down. It’s nearly time for dinner.”

  “I don’t think I can,” Evan whispered.

  Wes scoffed and leaned close to his ear. “And with Greyson up, I don’t think I can use my wiles to distract you, so it’s going to have to be food.” He waggled his eyebrows, and Evan grinned. Wes stepped back. “Greyson, are you ready to eat?”

  When he got up and hurried over, Wes lifted Greyson and took him into the kitchen, where Evan followed. He put Greyson in the high chair and made him a little cereal, put it into a bowl, and handed him a spoon to see what he did with it. Thankfully he stepped back as Greyson dug his spoon in and sent the cereal flying all over.

  “I think he’s going to be a golfer,” Evan said from the doorway, outside the spray zone.

  Greyson laughed and did it again.

  “You’re supposed to eat it.” Wes took the spoon and fed Greyson a bite, then handed the spoon back. Greyson dropped it and dug into the bowl with his hands, then stuck them into his mouth.

  “That gets the job done,” Evan commented, and Wes rolled his eyes.

  “He’ll learn.”

  “And there will be plenty of messes to clean up.” Evan shared a smile with Wes, who returned his gaze questioningly, like he was worried Evan would be upset about the mess or something. “He’s a happy, healthy, joyful little boy.” He sighed. “And I see plenty of young ones who aren’t.” Evan tried not to think of the times he had entered homes to find kids living in squalor. He pushed those images away and tried to get them back into the box where he kept them locked away as much as he could. Evan helped Greyson with another few bites, and then Wes wiped him up and fed him the rest of the cereal before giving him a bottle.

  Evan’s phone chimed, and he strode into the living room and snatched it up off the table.

  “We got most of them,” Pierre said. “And without a single shot. The two groups met just outside Newville, and we were waiting for them. Got both leaders and most of the members. The rest we can round up.” He sounded pleased.

  “That’s good news.” Evan glanced toward the kitchen. “Was one of them Trey Douglas?”

  “No. Apparently he and another suspect arrived late, and we believe they slipped away when they saw us. A car was seen turning around, but in all the activity, they managed to get away. Warrants are out for their arrests, and we’ll find them.”

  Evan nodded. “Thanks. I’m glad everything went well and no one was injured. Have you searched their headquarters?”

  “That’s happening now as part of the warrant execution, but the ones who got away will be going to ground just as soon as they can. We’re going to contact the family in case he tries to get in touch.” Pierre spoke fast and full of excitement. “Will you tell Wes?”

  “Of course, and I’ll ask him if he knows where Trey might go. Thank you.” Evan hung up the phone and turned to where Wes stood in the doorway with Greyson in his arms.

  Wes shook his head. “I have no idea. Trey always kept things to himself, and lately he’s been totally secretive.” He handed Evan his phone. “Trey’s number is in there. Do you want me to see if he’ll answer? I could play dumb again.”

  Evan shook his head. “The raid is going to be all over the news. It isn’t likely that he’ll take a call from anyone. But give it a try.”

  Wes put Greyson down, and he fussed immediately, probably picking up on Wes’s agitation. Evan picked him up, and Greyson reached out for Wes, having none of it.

  “It’s okay. I’m right here. I need to make a phone call.” Wes pressed the button to dial the number and listened, hoping Trey answered.

  A rap beat played in the very back of the house.

  Wes caught Evan’s turn toward a ringing phone. Wes hung up and took Greyson as Trey and a guy he didn’t know stepped out of the laundry room and into the kitchen.

  “My suspicions were correct. You set me up.”

  Chapter 12

  WES HELD Greyson tighter as his blood ran cold. “What are you talking about?”

  Trey handed his gun to the other man. “If either of them moves, blow their fucking ratass brains out.” He yanked Greyson out of Wes’s grasp and stepped back. Greyson screamed and threw a fit of epic proportions. At first Trey ignored it, and then he lifted his son so Greyson could see him. “If you don’t shut the hell up, I will tape your damn mouth shut.” Whether it was the tone or the words, Wes wasn’t sure, but Greyson stopped kicking and just whimpered, struggling to get back to Wes.

  “Don’t, Trey. Just leave him and go. Get away while you have the chance.”

  “Not without my son.” Trey held Greyson tighter. “And he is my son. You’ll never have any because boys getting fucked up the ass doesn’t get anybody pregnant.” He yanked the gun back from his friend and held Greyson under one arm. Greyson kicked and squirmed, whining and crying, but Trey didn’t let him go. “I know what the fuck you did… both of you.”

  “This isn’t going to help you,” Evan said calmly.

  “Sure it is. They are going to think twice before they come after me. And it isn’t kidnapping because this is my own kid. I’m just taking what’s mine and getting the fuck out of here… pig.” Trey smiled. “Yeah, I figured out you were a cop. Should have done that earlier and put a bullet in your head when I had the chance.” Trey’s eyes filled with rage even as ice water ran through Wes’s veins. His knees felt weak, and he forced himself to stay upright. “There was no other way that everything could have gone down. The cops all over the place, Newville lit up in blue and red like it was the fourth of July. Then I remembered what I told you and I figured shit out.” He shook with anger, and Wes tried not to let fear get the better of him.

  “If you’re going to go, then do it. But leave Greyson. He needs to be safe, and you have no idea how to care for him.” Wes wasn
’t above pleading. His baby was red with anger and fear, hyperventilating and wearing himself out as he fought against the stranger who had him.

  “Let’s leave the kid and get the hell out of here. He isn’t going to shut up no matter what we do.” The other guy was freaking out, and Wes hoped Trey listened to him, because Wes was about to go out of his mind.

  “He’s right, Trey. They’re looking for you already, and they aren’t going to stop. If you have a child with you, they will only search harder. Your picture will be on every newscast from coast to coast within an hour. I can guarantee it.” The strength in Evan’s voice was reassuring.

  “He’s right,” Trey’s companion said and took Greyson from Trey, putting Greyson on his feet. He hurried over to Wes, who scooped him up, still very much aware of the gun in his brother’s hand.

  “Son of a bitch,” Trey said as he turned to the other man, keeping the gun steady.

  “We got to get out of here, and this isn’t helping us.” He was already heading for the door.

  Trey didn’t move, keeping the gun on them. “Give me your cash. All of it. And don’t move fast or I’ll shoot you right through the kid. Take out both of you, my living mistake and my piece-of-shit brother.”

  Wes lifted out his wallet, dropped it on the floor, and stepped back. He didn’t have much, but if Trey would leave, then it was a small price to pay. He cradled Greyson, letting his warmth soothe him a little as his baby continued crying. “It will be okay.”

  “What the fuck are you doing?” Trey demanded, and grabbed Evan’s hand. His phone dropped to the floor with an open call. “Fuck.”

  “The police are on their way, and the house will be surrounded in minutes. If you knew I was a cop, then coming here was the dumbest thing you could have done.” Evan stepped to the side and guided Wes behind him. “Get the hell out of here,” Evan said, before pressing Wes out of the doorway and behind a wall. Wes hesitated, not wanting to leave Evan, but he had Greyson. In the end, he ran out of the room and toward the front door, pulled it open, and got to the sidewalk. Sirens sounded, and a shot rang out from behind him, then another.

  Wes’s legs nearly went out from under him, only his need to protect Greyson keeping him upright as police cars pulled to a stop. He needed to know what had happened and was worried half to death that Evan was lying in the house hurt… or worse.

  “Evan is in there, and I heard shots,” he told the first officer who arrived.

  The officer called in that there had been shots fired as he guided Wes across the street to a second officer, who stayed with him.

  Wes stared at the front door as other officers arrived and went inside the house. After a few minutes, Evan came out. Greyson instantly began fussing and squirming, trying to get to him, and Wes understood just how he felt. He wanted to do the same, but held back. Evan’s shirt was covered in blood, and Wes nearly collapsed on the sidewalk.

  Pierre ran over and took his arm, holding Wes upright. “It isn’t his blood,” Pierre said quickly.

  Wes took a few seconds to let the relief sink in, and then he turned to Pierre, who shook his head. “Trey?”

  Pierre shrugged. “I’m not sure at this point. I just know that it wasn’t Evan.” More sirens followed as ambulances arrived. Wes’s gaze remained glued on Evan, and after he spoke to a few more people, he crossed the street to where Wes and Greyson waited.

  “What happened?”

  “Trey and the man with him started fighting as soon as you were gone. Trey wanted to go after you, and the other man stopped him, telling Trey they just needed to get out of there. Apparently he thought the whole thing had gone too far and just wanted to run. Trey had other ideas, and the two of them ended up fighting for the gun.

  “Who was shot?” Wes asked quietly, and Evan lowered his gaze. “Trey?”

  Evan nodded. “In the belly. It’s not good.”

  Wes held himself together as the shooter was walked out of the house, hands behind his back, and escorted to a police car. Then the EMTs entered.

  Pierre got on the phone, stepping away as he made a call, before returning. “He’s alive, but that’s all I know. They’ll take him to the hospital, but I have to tell you that it’s bad—real bad,” Pierre explained.

  Wes nodded slowly and wondered if he should call his parents. He wasn’t sure about the protocol for this sort of thing. “Mom and Dad.”

  “I’ll call and tell them what happened,” Pierre offered, and Wes gave him the number. Then Pierre walked away, and Wes blinked, trying to get his head around if all this was real or not.

  “What do we do now?” Wes asked, holding Greyson tighter.

  “The police will finish up inside and collect all the evidence at the scene. I’m going to need to go to the station to give a statement and write up my report. Then I’ll get us a hotel for the night, and the department will clean up the mess and we can return tomorrow.” Evan seemed shaken.

  “How do you deal with this?” Wes asked. He had no frame of reference. “What do I do? I mean, my brother threatened us with a gun…. He tried to hurt Greyson, and….” He was quickly coming to the end of his rope. “Do I go to the hospital with him to make sure he’s okay? What…?” He leaned against Evan and tried to make his mind work.

  Chapter 13

  AND JUST like that, Evan fell more deeply in love. Wes had the biggest heart of anyone he had ever met. Yes, Trey had done all those things that Wes said, and a lot more. And Wes was still worried about him, even after he’d held them at gunpoint. Not that Evan had any intention of letting Wes go to the hospital or look after him, unless he insisted.

  “You don’t have to do anything. Pierre will get word to your mom and dad. He’s very good with things like that. They can go up to the hospital if they decide to. You have to look after this one,” Evan said, smiling and ruffling Greyson’s hair.

  “Evan,” the sheriff called as he came over. “They’re removing the patient out of the house. I suggest you get changed so you don’t frighten everyone.” Then Sheriff Briggs’s expression softened. “Is this Wes?”

  “Yes. I’m Wes, and this is Greyson.” Wes swallowed. “He’s Trey’s son, though I’ve been raising him.”

  The sheriff nodded, and his intense eyes seemed to take in Wes as though he knew all his secrets. It was kind of creepy and probably why he was good at his job. Evan knew that Sheriff Briggs was a master at reading people. The sheriff smiled and shook Wes’s hand. “I wanted to thank you for your help. You saved a lot of people from danger. I know this situation is hard for you, and it took strength and guts for you to do what was right. I’m only sorry for the pain that is going to result.”

  “Thank you,” Wes said softly.

  “If there’s anything we can do—”

  Wes nodded and shifted Greyson to his other hip. “I don’t know what’s going to happen to Greyson… I mean….”

  “Do you have custody of him?”

  “Guardianship, yes. Trey signed it over months ago, but he was talking about revoking it when we were in there, and I don’t know what that means. Will they try to take him?” Wes asked quietly.

  “I think we can help make sure that doesn’t happen. But I’ll be honest. If your brother survives, he isn’t going to be in any position to take care of Greyson, and after the way he treated him….” Sheriff Briggs paused. “I don’t like to speculate, but you can make a case for having his parental rights terminated. I’m sure Evan knows a good lawyer, or three, who can help you with that.” He shared a smile with both of them and then turned to take care of other business.

  “I’m going to change, and then we can let the police do their work.” Evan hated to leave Wes, but the house was a crime scene and police were scouring everything. Evan went inside and right up the stairs, changed his shirt, brought it back downstairs, and handed it to one of the officers so they could bag it for evidence. Then he returned to where Wes paced the sidewalk across the street. Evan hurried over, and Wes went right into his
arms, both of them holding Greyson.

  “I don’t know how things can fall apart so fast,” Wes whispered. “First the house, and then Trey getting involved with these people, and now this….” Wes shook in Evan’s arms, and Evan wanted to say something to make Wes feel better. None of what happened was his fault, but it had all seemed to settle on Wes’s shoulders in some way, and that sucked. It made Evan angry, and the center of all of it was Trey.

  Even though he was on his way to the hospital, Evan had trouble thinking anything good of the man. He had seen the way he’d treated his own son and how he’d thrown away his family and any chance he might have had. What made Evan angriest about Trey was the way he had hurt his brother. Evan had seen many horrible things as a police officer, but seeing Wes hurting tore at him in a way nothing else had ever done.

  “It will be okay. Greyson isn’t going anywhere, and none of this is your fault.”

  “Of course it is. I should have been there more to try to help him.” Wes wiped his eyes and moved away, cradling an upset and crying Greyson.

  “No, it’s not. This is his fault. Like you told me before, he made his own decisions. There is nothing you could have done to change his mind.” Evan held Wes’s hand, needing to be in contact with him, to provide whatever comfort he could.

  “But….” Wes squeezed his hand. “My mom and dad… they’re….”

  Wes saw himself as the caretaker of his family. At least that was how Evan was seeing this, and with it seemingly falling apart in front of him, Wes seemed to see himself as a failure.

  “Sweetheart, Trey is responsible for his actions, just like you’re responsible for yours and all the good things you do.” Evan lowered his voice. “Please stop trying to take this on.”