Hang on, so you shot a federal agent?”
Hunter shook his head. “No, man. No, that’s what I’m saying. I didn’t shoot no one.”
There seemed to be no convincing anyone that Hunter hadn’t shot Cal, including his cellmates.
“You shot a fed, and you’re just sitting here alive and talkin’. Wow. Watch whiteness work.”
Hunter rubbed his forehead. “I mean, you’re not wrong.”
“Shit.”
He kept his gaze low, not wanting to challenge or seem like he was disrespecting anyone. He reserved his disrespect for the authority figures who’d put him in this position.
Not that he had the energy for that right now.
They had him on a 96-hour hold, which was probably easy enough to get, considering what he was accused of, but it should’ve been the feds who were holding him, not the local jail. Since he wasn’t officially charged, he hadn’t gotten a call, so he hadn’t been able to find out how Cal was. No one was talking murder, so at least Cal was still alive, but Hunter was beside himself.
Cal had looked rough when the EMTs took him. Hunter didn’t regret calling 911 given how much blood Cal was losing, but the police on scene hadn’t believed anything he said, and given that he didn’t have ID on him, they’d brought him in.
Okay, so maybe not identifying himself had been a mistake. Screaming and cursing the whole way to the precinct hadn’t helped. Hunter had a record, so printing him had brought up his name quick enough, but of course, there was absolutely nothing on paper about the work he did or who Cal was to him.
While he regretted his hysteria in the abstract, he was white knuckling even now. How was Cal? What if he and Barnes were at the same hospital and Barnes tried to finish him off? It had been suggested there was an officer waiting to speak to Cal, but Barnes could probably remove that obstacle.
The only thing keeping Hunter semi-sane was listening to the guys around him talk about family and jobs they might get fired from. Kingston was the first guy to talk to him directly.
Ironically, Kingston been rounded up for protesting, but off-campus.
Apparently, Dupre and his agents had rounded up the radicalized Weisse Drache and Liberty Association for conspiracy and terroristic threats, charges that this precinct thought should run through them. It sounded like they were hanging on to Hunter out of spite. Or something. Hunter was too miserable to understand the politics.
“Man, I’m just sick of police doing the most. That fuckin’ White Pride shit on the campus? They bring me in because I didn’t walk fast enough.” Kingston shook his head, his dreads swaying hypnotically. “You weren’t part of that, were you?”
“Nah.” Hunter toyed with his pink hair, thankful that he’d changed it. “It’s a long story. Was working with the feds to prevent—”
“Walsh! You’re out.” A uniformed woman stood in front of his cage. Another officer opened the door. “Free to go.”
Hunter eyed Kingston. “Kingston Keys, right?”
He smiled at Hunter and nodded. “The big KK, you got it. See you around, Walsh. Try not to shoot any more pigs.”
After a quick smirk, Hunter turned to head to the front desk. He wasn’t sure why he was finally out. He scanned the room until his gaze rested on a very injured Cal.
Hunter tripped over his chains trying to get to him. “Cal, are you all right? Oh God, your face!”
Cal lifted a hand to touch his face and frowned, as if he wasn’t aware of how he looked, as if he’d forgotten his head had been bashed into a hardwood floor and bruised. Then he barked, “Get the cuffs off him. He saved my life.”
As the police grumbled and moved to comply, Cal met Hunter’s gaze and offered a faint smile. “I’ve been better, but I’m only here because you saved me. I’m getting you out of here.”
Looking at the guy standing beside him, Cal asked, “You need anything else from me, Detective Sherbourne?”
“No, Agent Riggs. You get home and get some rest. It was crazy discharging yourself so soon.” Detective Sherbourne sounded cranky. Riggs had that effect on people.
Hunter held out his arms to have his cuffs removed, glaring at the officers. “What did I tell you? I didn’t do shit.”
“Mr. Walsh, we could still charge you with resisting arrest.” The officer pulled off the cuffs and stood imperiously as if he expected Hunter would back down.
“An arrest that was made in error. You locked up an innocent man, a man who was doing your fucking job for you.” Hunter eyed Cal. He massaged his wrists as he made his way past the desk. “So, is Barnes still knocked out? Dupre get him?”
Once he was free of the space between them, not waiting for an answer, Hunter pulled Cal into his arms. Cal hugged Hunter as well as he could with his shoulder shot, pressing his face into Hunter’s hair.
“I was so worried when I woke up without you there.” Cal sounded choked up, but he refused to budge so Hunter could see his face. Finally, he stepped back, expression tightly controlled as it often was in public. “Barnes…is in the wind. He blamed you, and he has powerful friends.”
Something in Cal’s manner suggested this wasn’t the place to discuss it.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Hunter exhaled loudly and squinted at the cops as they directed him to collect his belongings. He eyed Cal and shrugged. “It’s just my phone, and they can keep it. It bricked itself after twelve hours without me checking in anyway.”
The other big reason Hunter was glad he hadn’t brought ID was that they’d probably have torn apart the condo. As it was, the cops probably wound up at the old dump Hunter lived in during college.
The whole thing pissed him off, but now Hunter had slipped under Cal’s good arm to help support him, and there were more important things on his mind. They needed to figure out how to get out of here.
“You have your phone, Cal? We need a Lyft. Unless some officer wants to do the right thing here.”
“Don’t worry about it. We’re making a stop on the way home.” Cal brandished his phone, none the worse for wear, and handed it to Hunter. “Call a Lyft, and we’ll go to HQ. Dupre is waiting for us.”
Cal must’ve already done the paperwork, because he herded Hunter out of the building with the same brisk manner as always, as if Hunter couldn’t feel the strain in Cal’s weakened body, the tremor of his big muscles as they walked toward the parking lot.
It didn’t take long for a car to show. Surprising given where they were, but they were on Cal’s account and heading to the FBI probably seemed safe, if the driver was even aware of their destination.
The driver looked like he wasn’t sure that he wanted to take the fare when he took in Cal’s condition, but Hunter gently placed him into the back seat and then joined him from the other side. “I swear to god, Cal, if Dupre tries to arrest me when we get there, I’m going to flip my shit.”
“Sam loves you,” Cal said with obvious shock as he tried to belt in. “Besides, I wouldn’t let anyone cuff you. That’s my job.”
The driver shot them a look in the rearview mirror but wisely declined to say anything. Cal checked that the driver had HQ’s address and then took Hunter’s hand as Hunter settled in beside him. He gazed at Hunter with such obvious, humbling love that Hunter couldn’t bear to think how close he’d come to losing Cal forever.
Hunter tried not to let his emotions overwhelm him, but tears sprang to his burning eyes. He blinked furiously, trembling now as he hadn’t allowed himself to do in the cell.
There’d been so much blood. He’d been so worried. Now here Cal was, looking pale and bruised, but solid.
“Maybe I should’ve shot Barnes. You would’ve shot him. I just…” Hunter let out a shaky breath as he clung to Cal. “I wasn’t sure I could get a clean shot.”
That was definitely a big part of it. His fear of hitting Cal had been crippling in and of itself, but when push came to shove, Hunter wasn’t sure he could take someone’s life. Not even someone he hated. That thought made him feel weak, so he left that part out. “Harder to hit a moving target.”
“Right.” Cal sounded dubious, as if he could read Hunter’s mind, like he knew Hunter couldn’t—when confronted with a living person—take a life, but he didn’t say so, at least not in front of the driver. Instead he tightened his grip on Hunter’s hand, twining their fingers, and gave him a smile so tender it stole Hunter’s breath. Even banged up, even suffering, Cal was heartbreakingly beautiful, and it was impossible to be angry he saw through Hunter’s façade.
Cal brought Hunter’s hand to his lips and kissed it briefly. Then he dropped their joined grips to rest in his lap, his expression for a moment overwhelmed with weariness before he shook his head and once again shuttered the emotion. They pulled up at HQ, and Hunter got out to help Cal, who needed aid in finding his balance as he stood.
“Have a good one,” Cal told the driver, polite as ever as he paid with his phone and left a generous tip. Then he motioned Hunter toward the front door and the security inside. Hunter didn’t have his ID, but someone must’ve called ahead to authorize him.
“Dupre’s waiting downstairs.” Cal shot Hunter a fond look as they started for the elevator and Cal used his credentials to take them to the level with the cells.
Hunter tilted his head. Maybe Cal wanted a head start on paperwork, but that wouldn’t require they go to the cells. He hadn’t been down there since the Liberty Association bust. Then the reasoning hit him like a bolt of lightning.
“Oh Cal, do I get to interrogate Chad?”
He might’ve sounded a little too excited, picturing himself going full-on Law & Order: SVU Stabler, throwing Chad against a metal table and shouting. But then the reality set in—having seen Cal’s pulped face, his blood draining onto the hardwood floor—and Hunter wasn’t sure he could do that.
Even to Chad.
“Not interrogate,” Cal chided, giving Hunter a stern look that somehow worked even when he was pale and purple-blotched. “But I thought, given Barnes is still out there, you’d feel better seeing Chad behind bars.”
Cal raised a brow as if defying Hunter to disagree.
As they stepped out of the elevator, Sam appeared, obviously having been notified by security they were on their way down. Cal smiled and held out his hand, but Sam bypassed it and went in for a hug. It seemed to catch Cal off-guard, but he wrapped his arms around the smaller man and hugged him fiercely.
“Thanks, Sam.” Cal thumped Sam’s shoulder, and Sam beamed at him, looking so proud of himself that it touched Hunter’s heart.
“Sorry I couldn’t…” Sam trailed off, giving Cal a significant look. “It didn’t go the way I’d have preferred, but we got everyone at the rally. Liberty Association’s new Pacific Northwest cell is locked up, and we’re getting a lot of names out of the little Weisse Drache hotshots we collared.”
“You heard about Barnes then.” Cal’s sour tone and painfully squared shoulders communicated how much the situation cost him emotionally.
Dupre nodded sympathetically and then eyed Hunter. “Good job with that, though. Sorry I couldn’t get you out of the clink. I spent a lot of social capital getting my friends to help with the takedown, and the rest trying to salvage Riggs’s career.”
“I’ve done harder time than that.” Hunter tried to smile. “Used your advice on securing the scene. Would’ve called you instead of the ambulance, but Cal was losing so much blood. Knew it would look bad, just didn’t know what else to do.”
Feeling possessive, he put his arm around Cal. He gave Cal a side eye and then said to Sam, “So I hear you need some help interrogating Chad.”
“No interrogation,” Cal and Sam said in unison. They looked at each other and then at Hunter with a laugh.
“You can see him and say your parting words. Once I look through his computer, I’m pretty sure he’ll go away for a long time.” Dupre smiled as if the words gave him great pleasure and then started toward the cells, past a security checkpoint. He waved Hunter through and into the same area they’d visited last time when they had a member of Liberty Association imprisoned after the group bombed Cal’s house.
Cal’s sudden, savage sound of satisfaction echoed Hunter’s sentiments as they looked through the bars at Chad sitting alone in a cell, cuffed ankles and wrists, looking thoroughly defeated but as slimy as ever, as if he still thought he might talk his way out of it. Same way Barnes had looked when Cal pulled his gun.
What was it with these guys?
Chad glared at Hunter, then at Cal, and back again. “I fucking knew it. I knew you were a narc. I told Justin you were a Fed.”
Hunter smiled sweetly. “Justin was kind of a Fed, too, so don’t pat yourself on the back too hard.”
“That’s entrapment!” Chad jumped up and charged the bars.
Hunter stood his ground. “He wasn’t working on behalf of the government. He was using you to further his business. You ever ask him what he did besides letting you suck his dick?”
Though Hunter didn’t know the specifics of what Barnes and Chad did, he knew he’d hit his mark when Chad’s face turned bright red. “Fuck you, man. Fuck you. Why? Why are you here?”
Hunter brought his hood over his head and pulled it back slightly, doing his best imitation of Lady Olenna Tyrell from Game of Thrones. “Because I wanted you to know that it was me.”
Chad’s face went from red to white. “What do you mean?”
“I mean this, the rape boards, and the fact that you could never escape the Google algorithm. It was me.”
“But why?”
“You tried to rape me, motherfucker. And you raped a whole lot of women. You hurt them. I won’t give you the satisfaction of thinking you ruined their lives, but you did some fucking damage. And then you were going to hurt a justice movement? Start a race war? And you have the nerve to ask me why?” Hunter went up to the bars, glaring with righteous fury. “Because you and people fucking like you deserve to pay. More people deserve what’s coming to you than will get it, but I’ll take some justice where I can.”
Cal put his good arm around Hunter’s shoulders and glared at Chad before looking at Hunter proudly. “Justice is exactly what we’re after.” He looked at Chad again and said, “You brought this on yourself, though I doubt you’ll ever take responsibility for your choices. You’ll blame Hunter or Barnes or anyone else to avoid accepting accountability for the consequences you face.” His tone changed from almost fatherly to dark, forbidding. “If you ever come for Hunter, I will make your life a misery.”
Then Cal hugged Hunter sideways and stepped back, standing next to Sam.
Chad glared at Cal. “Yeah? What happened to you? Bet Justin did that.”
Hunter grabbed the bars, forcing Chad to cower even though there was no way he could get to him.
After a beat, Chad let out a grim chuckle. “He did, didn’t he? Got away, huh? Or he’d be here.”
Releasing the bars, Hunter took a step back. “You think he’s going to come back to help you? Think you were close because he fucked you?”
“No!” Chad stepped in and lifted his chin. “I fucked him.”
Hunter rolled his eyes. “That doesn’t mean shit.”
“I did him too,” Cal supplied with a weary frown. “He shot me anyway. Sex means nothing to Barnes. You’ll find that out. You’re either useful to him or you’re not. He’s on the run now, and you’re locked up. Don’t expect too much.”
Sam stood solid and loyal beside Cal and behind Hunter, obviously backing them up even with how wrong things had gone. “We’ll get Justin Barnes. It’s just a matter of time. What’s going to be interesting to see is who rolls over on him first in hopes of a plea deal, and who’s too late and spends their best years behind bars.”
“He doesn’t know shit about Barnes.” Hunter felt gut punched about the idea of Chad walking free to victimize more people. It wasn’t in Chad’s nature to take stock of himself and make changes. He’d always rationalize harming others to make himself feel important.
“Yes, I do. Is there a deal? I’ll make a deal. I’ll tell you anything you want to know.” Chad approached the bars, pleading to Sam.
Sam raised his hands and gave Hunter a searching look before looking back to Chad. “I’m not the one to talk to, but I’ll pass along your interest.”
It was obvious Dupre just wanted to get Chad talking. Chad probably wasn’t sharp enough to hold out for the actual deal before he started blabbing. Cal shot them both a knowing look and then held out his hand to Hunter.
“Come on. Bru’s waiting for us.”
“Yeah. I’ve already wasted enough time on this asshole.” Hunter eyed Chad, giving him a long, slow smirk. “I guess if you’re as smart as you think you are, I’ll be seeing you. If not….”
Hunter gave a saucy finger wave. “You’ll have plenty of Nazis to hang out with in prison, I hear.”
He’d watched all the seasons of HBO’s Oz, so Hunter thought he was kind of an expert on prison politics.
“Fuck you, Walsh. I’ll get out, and then you’d better watch yourself.”
Hunter tilted his head to the side. “Chad, you get out, and you won’t even see me coming.”
Hunter turned and took Cal’s hand. He desperately wanted to see Bruiser. The hard part would be getting lonely old Fred to part with the best little rat dog in the world.
♦ ♦ ♦
Sam drove them home and dropped them off, with a stop at the pharmacy for Cal along the way. Apparently Cal’s SUV had been impounded. Cal couldn’t drive anyway—not until he got range of motion back in his shoulder and was off the painkillers. Not that Hunter would mind being Cal’s chauffeur.
“Thanks, Sam.” Cal winced as he got out of the vehicle, prompting Hunter to hurry to his side to help steady him. It was strange seeing Cal anything less than invincible, but Hunter enjoyed the opportunity to take care of him.
“Be careful, Riggs.” Sam peered at them through the open door. “You too, Hunter. See you soon. Call me if you need anything. Don’t worry about Chad—the contents of his computer will make sure he’s locked up for a long time, no matter what.”
Hunter nodded, reassured. Pathetic that Chad could rape so many women and walk. The way things were these days, Hunter wasn’t positive Chad would even be in that much trouble for being a domestic terrorist, but it seemed as if Sam had the ears of the right people.
But Barnes was in the wind. Fuck. Paranoia that he might return had Hunter examining their surroundings after Sam drove off. Hunter would need to set up a perimeter of cameras around the building. He’d considered it before, but there didn’t seem to be a need.
Now, well.
Barnes didn’t seem so simple as to just want revenge. When or if he returned, it would be in a way Hunter would least expect.
For now, though, he needed to get Cal inside and bring Bru home. He tugged Cal into the building and they rode the elevator up to their floor.
Fred answered the door with a grunt. They could hear Bruiser’s excited yips, though Fred kept him back. “Thought you’d be back last night.”
Hunter had specifically said it might be overnight. He wasn’t sure how things would go down with Barnes and whether they’d need to be there to book him, but with Cal already fading, he decided not to argue for once.
Personal growth.
He gestured at Cal. “Things got complicated.”
Squinting, Fred stepped out the door. Bruiser burst through and pranced around Cal’s legs, yipping and whining so loudly that Hunter had to bend down to pick him up so he could lick Cal’s face.
“Yeah. Looks like it. Need more…” Fred mimed smoking and Hunter nodded.
“I’ll be over later.”
“Good.” With no ceremony, Fred walked back into his condo and slammed the door. He’d probably have questions when Hunter returned, but for now, Hunter was grateful for his terseness.
Hunter led them into their condo, setting down Bruiser to help Cal to the bedroom.
Cal watched Bruiser dance around in excitement and then waved off Hunter’s attentions. “Security check first.”
Bruiser would no doubt bark if he smelled an intruder, but Cal insisted, and Hunter could only go along with it, helping Cal check the condo. No sign of Barnes, or anyone else. Finally, Cal let Hunter undress him and settle him on the bed. Bruiser yipped until Hunter picked him up and set him on the bed beside Cal, and then the little dog rushed to fuss over Cal anew.
“It’s okay, little boy. Daddy’s fine.” Cal crooned at Bruiser until the Pomeranian finally let out a quiet whuff and relaxed, collapsing in a fuzzy pile on Cal’s lap and gazing up at Hunter with bright black eyes. His mouth hung open, tongue lolling in exhausted excitement.
Laughing and then wincing, Cal looked to Hunter and patted the bed next to him. “C’mon. I’ve still got one good arm to hold you with.” Cal raised a brow and then stage whispered, “That’s a good line, right? I stole it from a Western.”
Hunter chuckled as he stripped down to his boxers, tossing his clothes in the general direction of the hamper. The past couple of days started to catch up with him now that he could finally relax. Before he dropped into Cal’s arm, he got two bottles of water from the kitchen and set Cal’s medication on the nightstand.
Finally, he lay down next to Cal and wriggled around until he could get under his arm. Sliding his own arm over Cal’s waist, he exhaled, feeling tears well up again. He’d been so worried about Cal. It hadn’t seemed to matter whether they released him from jail if there wasn’t Cal to come home to.
Bruiser, seeming to sense Hunter’s leaving him out, squirmed toward him and licked his hand where it rested on Cal’s body.
“I should’ve shot him, shouldn’t I?”
“What?” Cal looked over, suddenly alert from what Hunter belatedly realized was probably a much-needed doze. “No. You shouldn’t have shot him. You’re a civilian, and a good man, and I don’t want you carrying that burden.”
Apparently, even shot through the shoulder and weak from head injury, Cal could summon the daddy voice.
“But now he’s free to roam the world, to cause us or anyone trouble.” Hunter thought through that moment again.
Squeezing the trigger would’ve been so easy physically. He knew exactly what it was like to shoot a real gun. He knew how to aim, though his hands had been shaking. He could’ve done it.
After a pause, Hunter asked quietly, “Have you ever shot anyone?”
“Yeah, but I’ve never killed anyone, and I always had backup. I’d honestly like nothing better than to never hurt anyone again.” Cal sighed, sounding so weary, and then turned his face to rest his brow against Hunter’s as Bru capered over their laps and licked at Hunter’s hand where their skin met. “Karma will come for Barnes, never doubt it.”
“What about Dark Sun? You think they’ll just name a new CEO and keep going?” Hunter stroked Cal’s belly, rubbing it in a slow, soothing way. It wasn’t hard to imagine Cal shooting someone. He could be sure about things in ways that Hunter wasn’t.
And despite Cal’s reassurances, Hunter still couldn’t help thinking it might’ve been better if he’d killed Barnes.
“The FBI will launch an investigation into Dark Sun. They’ll have to since Dark Sun was an approved contractor. It’ll be political suicide not to. Somehow I have a feeling you’ll see to it people know about the connection.” Cal smiled and stole a kiss before leaning back against the pillows. He scratched Bru absently, the little dog rolling over and begging for more pets.
Hunter felt his cheeks flush. He’d already been wondering where he could find a photo of Barnes. Cal knew him too well. “Yeah, that’s true. I don’t suppose you have any semi-recent photos of Barnes? I could check Chad’s computer, but I’m sure Barnes was too smart to let himself be photographed with a bunch of Nazis.”
“Oh yeah, and the FBI has pictures of him too. We’ll plaster his pretty face everywhere. He’ll either need to head for a country without an extradition agreement or get drastic plastic surgery. Maybe both.” Cal smiled and squeezed Hunter’s shoulders. “I’ll hook you up. You can do what you do best.”
That was good news. Comforting.
“I did do my best, but I was so scared. He was hurting you so bad.” Hunter couldn’t help but feel as if he’d failed. “There was so much blood. I panicked. I wanted to kill him, I really did.”
“It’s going to be rough, Hunter. I’m not going to pretend otherwise. But we made it through, together, and we’re going to fight for justice.”
Hunter squeezed Cal before he yawned. “I should let you sleep.”
“Mm…unh-unh.” Cal kissed Hunter’s temple and whispered, “You did so well. You saved my life, Hunter. I don’t even know what you did. What happened? I was on the floor, and he was beating the poop out of me, and then I saw your feet… And then the coffee table broke, and….”
Hunter rolled his eyes that Cal still wouldn’t curse. “Oh, well… you two were fighting, and I collected the guns off the floor so he couldn’t get them. Then I.…”
He sighed, feeling bad because Cal was getting the shit kicked out of him while Hunter tried to summon the guts to shoot Barnes. “I kept trying to find a good angle, so I could shoot him in the head, you know? Because injured, he might be able to come after me, and he outweighs me, so I didn’t want to lose the gun. But I just… I dunno. I wound up by the drink cart, so I just picked up the wine bottle and hit him over the head with it. I think he’d written me off as a threat when I didn’t pull the trigger.”
Hunter traced around Cal’s nipple. “I hit him really, really hard. He lost his balance and fell through the coffee table. He had a few cuts from the glass, but nothing serious. I called 911 while I went into the kitchen and found some zip ties, so I could secure his arms behind his back. Then everyone showed up, and they took you away and arrested me.”
“You saved me,” Cal said, his voice heavy with meaning. He leaned against Hunter heavily and buried his face in Hunter’s hair, breathing him in. “When I’m better, I am going to do such gloriously perverse things to you.”
Hunter grinned and squeezed Cal. Thank goodness Cal felt that way and wasn’t angry Hunter hadn’t stopped Barnes sooner. He still couldn’t get the sickening sound of Cal’s head hitting the floor out of his mind.
Covering his anxiety, Hunter smiled. “’Gloriously perverse’ sounds really good. Just one condition: No threesomes.”