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I had just finished putting the groceries away when my phone vibrated and Dar’s name popped up.
Someone in the Neighborhood Watch just saw bandage guy leave the boarded-up house on the two-hundred block of sixth. Cops have been called.
“Holy shit, Buck. I think they might actually catch this one.”
My dog yawned and let out a long sigh.
“You don’t look very enthusiastic.”
I took a swallow from my water bottle. Truth be told, I wasn’t very enthusiastic or hopeful either. Whoever this guy was, he wasn’t a newbie at the whole ‘stay hidden’ game.
My thoughts turned to the drunk who had interrupted my illegal activities. He’d looked so devastated; so sad.
His eyes… There was something about his eyes.
I frowned. I was almost positive I knew those eyes. Who was he? Why did he think I was there to kill him? Whoever he was, I didn’t think he’d recognized me. Maybe he’d been too drunk. Or maybe, just maybe, I was imagining the fact that I thought I knew him. Even if I did somehow know him, all he’d seen of me was my eyes. There was no way he would have recognized me.
The butterflies started to flutter in my stomach.
I groaned. I seriously sucked at this whole vigilante thing. Only two acts of revenge in and it was already possible that my cover had been blown. Was that even what I was? A vigilante? I was burning down old and dangerous houses. It’s not like I was out catching or killing criminals.
I reached down and scratched Buck behind the ear.
My phone vibrated. It was Dar again.
I just heard from Donna Painter that the first girl they found dead was Trinity Bendle. They just released her name.
My heart sank. “Jesus.” I swallowed hard. Little Trini. She’d probably been about thirteen the last time I had seen her. It was the day my best friend, her brother, had gotten custody of her and they’d moved away. I thought of Carey and my heart broke. Did he know? Had Trini been in
town because they’d both moved back?
“He’d never move back,” I told Buck. “There’s no way.”
Leaving town and cutting ties with everyone he knew might have sounded like the hardest decision to make, but for Carey, it had been the easiest one of his life. And I’d supported him fully. It had hurt to lose him, but seeing him leave the gang life, get clean, and get custody of his younger sister had been worth the hurt. I’d been so proud of him.
He’d changed his number and made sure to cut ties with anyone from his past. There was no way he was going to get sucked back into the life.
A year later, I’d met the asshole of my life and I’d also cut ties with those who cared about me. When I’d finally gotten out of the relationship, I’d made sure to keep a low profile. New unlisted number, new address, and no social media except for under my photography business’s name… it had seemed like a perfect thing. Until today.
“What if he needed me and he couldn’t find me?” I whispered.
Did you hear if they caught the asshole? I messaged Dar.
Looks like he managed to get away. Cops are out in full force. Maybe they’ll get lucky and someone else will spot him.
I grunted. Not likely. If the canine unit hadn’t found him yet, someone was hiding him.
Starting my truck, I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. What exactly was it that I thought I was going to do? There was no way to start another fire when all available officers were trudging through the area.
I put the truck in gear and headed to town.
My phone buzzed and Dar’s number showed up.
Someone spotted him on the five hundred block of ninth street.
I didn’t bother replying. I didn’t even have a plan as to what I was going to do if I found him, but I just knew I had to get there.
I raced to the truck and peeled out of the yard, my heart in my throat. The bastard had hurt enough people.
I remembered a boarded-up house not far from where he’d been spotted. Taking the corner at a legal speed, I drove past the house and pulled over when I noticed movement behind one of the broken windows.
Grabbing my bat, I quietly made my way to the door.
“She was innocent!”
I stopped short at the sound of a man yelling.
“None of you are innocent.” A second man, this one calm and full of hate. “You all deserve to die.”
I poked my head around the doorframe to get a better view. The first thing I focused on was the first man’s eyes. The drunk guy was there, but this time, he was sober. It had been a few hours, but still… How was that even possible. He’d been right tanked. Not hunched over and stumbling, he looked closer to six foot two. He was taller than I had originally thought. He didn’t have his bandana this time, and as I took in what he looked like, my heart kicked in my chest. This man was taller, thicker, and older, but it was definitely him.
Carey.
The air left my lungs as I was hit in the back and I stumbled into the house. A hand clamped around the back of my neck and I sucked in as breath as whoever it was pulled me up.
“Look what I found!”
Carey’s dark brown eyes met mine and the blood drained from his face.
I clenched my teeth as my captor gave me a shake. “Hey, Stringbean. Long time no see.” I barely managed the greeting as I was thrown to the ground. I managed to get a good look around the room. There were only two of them, so that was encouraging.
“Jesus, Teeny, what are you doing here?”
“Oh, you know. Just taking a drive.” I caught movement beside me and I blocked the kick that was meant for my ribs. Grabbing the man’s foot, I twisted and rolled, dropping him to the ground.
 |
| Ben |
Carey took that moment to launch himself at dog bite guy. The urge to make sure he was alright was overwhelming, but I managed to stay focused on the man beside me. I quickly got to my feet and managed to kick him in the ribs as he was rolling away from me.
I grabbed my bat from where it had rolled to and swung as my opponent launched himself at me.
The man screamed as it connected with his upper arm and the sound of the bone breaking echoed through the empty house.
“PCPS! Everyone, get your hands up!”
I dropped the bat and did as I was told, my heart racing, unsure whether to be relieved or terrified as my favorite voice sounded through the room and I turned to face the man I loved.
Ben’s shock was obvious as he took in the scene before him.
I glanced at Carey, registering the fact that dog bite guy was nowhere to be seen. Ben kept his gun ready, his free hand reaching for the radio on his shoulder.
“Trey, I need you at the boarded-up house.”
“Copy.”
Ben’s eyes never left mine.
“I... I was taking a drive.” I swallowed hard. “I saw a stray come in here and...”
Whatever lie I was about to tell him was interrupted by a gunshot.
Ben fell backwards and I screamed his name, running towards him. It barely registered that Carey somehow managed to tackle broken arm man before he managed to get off another round.
My ears were ringing with the sound of the gun going off, yet the sound of Ben’s head as it connected with the doorframe was crystal clear.
“Ben! Ben!”
There was blood, but not from the gunshot. It was coming from his head. The bullet had hit his vest. I pressed the button on his radio.
“Trey! Help!”
“Aveh?”
I wasn’t sure where he was, but he was running.
“Ben. Come on, Baby. Wake up.”
A groan sounded behind us and I turned to find Carey holding Ben’s shooter up against the wall by the neck.
A shiver ran through me, my heart pounding. He’d shot Ben. That useless waste of skin had shot the man I loved. The shiver intensified and I clenched my teeth to keep them from chattering.
I was going to throw up. But I wasn’t. All my muscles clenched and I clamped my arms around myself. Holy shit. This felt exactly like in my dreams.
The shooter’s eyes met mine and turned to saucers. Carey stiffened and glanced back over his shoulder.
“Aveh, you need to breathe. Relax, Teeny. Understand? You need to relax.”
But relaxing was not an option and Carey seemed to sense that. He shoved his hands down the man’s pockets and pulled a small baggy of pills out before letting go of him.
“Sorry, dude. This one is all you.” He jumped away and got behind me just as a violent tremor almost buckled my knees. His arms circled around me. “It’ll be okay,” he whispered.
The pain and heat tore through me.
I jerked back into Carey’s arms as a ball of fire rolled over the man, his scream piercing the room. The first fire ball was quickly followed by a bigger one and the house trembled as the walls exploded with the impact.
“We’ve gotta go, Aveh!” Carey grabbed my arm and spun me towards the exit where Ben lay.
Flames rolled through the air, up walls and beams.
“Aveh!” Trey’s voice sounded from outside.
I ran to Ben, grabbing one arm while Carey grabbed the other.
Inside, a wall crashed down, the floor above it falling into the blaze. Police sirens sounded and an ambulance joined in.
Trey reached us and grabbed a hold of Ben’s vest, helping us drag him out of the inferno. We collapsed in a heap on the sidewalk just as the cavalry pulled up.
“Ben. Baby, please.” Tears rolled down my cheeks as I held his face. “Baby, you have to wake up.”
“What the fuck happened, Aveh?” Trey stepped to the side to let the paramedics in.
“I saw a stray go in the house, but it wasn’t empty and one guy hit me, but I managed to hit him with the bat. Then Ben showed up and he got shot, but it hit his vest and he smashed his head on the doorframe.”
 |
| Carey |
The fire trucks were getting closer.
Ben was placed on the backboard and loaded onto the ambulance.
Trey pointed to Carey who was standing off to the side quietly. “Who’s that?”
“That’s Carey Bendle. His sister’s the one who was murdered.”
“I was trying to get information on who might have had something to do with my sister’s death.”
“The guy who shot Ben caught on fire, Trey. Carey helped save us.”
Trey ran a hand over his face. Nathan appeared at our side.
“What are we doing, Trey?”
“I’m going to take Aveh and Carey to get checked out. We’ll check on Ben. Once the fire is out, get the scene secure and get the techs in here. There should be two guns in there. Ben’s and the guy who shot him.”
Trey took my hands in his and shook his head at the scrapes and bruises. “Come on. We’ll get those cleaned up.”
He opened the front door to the cruiser and waited for me to sit before opening the back door for Carey.
I glanced back at the man that had once been my best friend. I had so many questions. Had he been back when his sister had been killed or had he come after? What did dog bite guy mean by they all deserved to die? How the fuck had I thrown fire balls and why had he known what was happening? Was Ben going to be alright?
I clamped my hands in between my knees and took a deep breath. Trey’s hand squeezed my shoulder.
“He’ll be fine, Aveh. He’ll have some sore ribs and a headache. He’s got a hard head, you know that.”
I snorted at his attempt to make me feel better. Swallowing hard, I shook my head.
“It’s my fault, Trey. His face when he saw me... he was so distracted by the fact that I was there.”
Trey grunted. “This is not your fault.”
He pulled into the hospital parking lot and let us out of the car. One of the nurses at the emergency room desk looked up and blushed.
Trey grinned. “Abby! Give me some good news on Ben.”
“You know I can’t give out information unless you’re next of kin or his captain. Your charms don’t work here, Constable Montgomery.” Though she sounded professional enough, that blush would have put a cooked lobster to shame.
“Abby, let me present to you, Aveh, Ben’s next of kin.”
She smiled. “Aveh. You’re Ben’s wife?”
Trey interrupted me before I could say girlfriend. “Fiancée.”
“That’ll work.” She smiled kindly. “Are you alright with Trey hearing information on Ben’s treatment?”
I nodded.
“All right.” She typed on the keyboard in front of her. “He’s getting a head CT at the moment.”
“Is he awake?” I inquired.
She checked the notes and shook her head. “Sorry, not yet. If you want to have a seat in the waiting room, someone will let you know when he’s out and if you can see him.”
“Actually, Aveh and Carey need to get checked out. They were with Ben. There was a fight and a fire.”
She glanced around the room and back down at the screen. “You know what, we’re not too busy right now. Come over here and I’ll do a vitals check.”
Trey watched as she documented everything and got our information.
“Sorry, this is going to sting.” Abby took some swabs with disinfectant and cleaned my scrapes. I thanked her through clenched teeth.
There was a roar from down the hall and nurses ran off in that direction.
“Hold him down!”
“Someone get some sedative!”
“He was just out!”
“AVEH!”
My name resounded through the emergency room and I took off running after the nurses.
“Ben! Ben! It’s okay! You’re okay!” I pushed past everyone, putting myself between him and the nurse with the needle full of sedatives. “Let go of him! He’s okay. Just let go!”
Ben’s eyes focused on me and his entire body relaxed. The six people who had been trying to hold him down slowly released their grip.
“You’re okay,” he mumbled.
“I’m okay, Baby. I’m okay.” I swallowed hard and wiped the tears from my face with my arm. “Now you need to be okay, got it?” Taking his hand, I gave it a squeeze. “I need you to do what the nurses and doctors say. I’ll be right here.” My chest tightened and I cleared my throat. “Because I need you to be okay, too.”
“Okay,” he whispered. |
| Aveh |
I gave his hand a squeeze and managed a half smile as they wheeled him away again.
