The drive to D-One takes no time at all. When it rains in Houston, the nervous nellies stay home and those who dare drive on the slick streets know to get out of the way for those of us who are a bit more daredevilish. In less than twenty minutes, we’re sitting outside of the multi-story, red brick building.
“You ready?” I turn the ignition off and face Logan. He sits there, staring at D-One. I can see the battle that crosses his face. I was there just weeks ago, weighing the decision. I know he’s trying to figure out if he can walk through the doors. Face the people that have tried helping him but he’s turned away. Questioning himself about whether or not he can go on.
He finally shrugs a shoulder.
“You can do it.”
He looks at me and it kills me at how he’s void of emotions.
“Let it motivate you, Logan. Let the anger you feel drive you because we’re going to need every ounce to catch this asshole. The people inside that building are going to help you and me. I’ll be in there, too, doing whatever I can. We have to do it. For Brad and Josh, we have to.”
“Okay.” He nods his head and unbuckles his seat belt.
When I step outside into the drizzle, I breathe in, deeply. I didn’t realize how stifling and tense it was sitting in such close quarters with him. I shake away the repressive feelings and walk to the entrance of the building.
We step inside and make our way through the wide hallway until we’re standing in the center of D-One. I watch Logan stand there, letting it sink in. I look around the office building, taking in the bright, open space.
The four walls on the second floor are made up of frosted windows and a door. Each one is our office, mine being used mostly for client meetings. When I tell JoJo that I’m back, he’ll have to start using one of the conference rooms. Telling Jo that I’m coming to work here makes me crack a slight smile. The first floor holds said conference rooms, the reception desk, the kitchen area, and the waiting rooms. The underground level is where we train with a state of the art gym, steam room, and even a boxing ring.
We dumped all our money into making sure D-one was – and still remains – a top-notch facility. JoJo, Brad, and Logan ran this place with an iron fist and only hired out the best of the best of ex-military and law enforcement.
No one bothers us as we stand there, trying to gather enough strength to tell Jo and the others that we’re back.
“Cameron?” Suzie walks by us looking equal parts shocked and confused. “Logan? What are you doing here?”
I watch him struggle as he faces Suzie for the first time in weeks. We’ve taken his attitude and distance as well as anyone could. Hell, for those first two or three weeks after the shooting, I wasn’t much company. I’m still not but I leaned on my friends when I had too. Logan has been a down right shit to Suzie and no one knows why.
“I shouldn’t…I mean…” He lets out a sigh and I see him giving in. His shoulders slump and he hangs his head. Suzie stands there, staring at his with wide, bright eyes, with a trembling lip, but holding her own.
I stand back, waiting for something to happen. For one of them to explode, to yell, to scream and cry, to do anything. I spot someone moving on the upper level and I see JoJo standing there. I shake my head slightly and hold my hand out. Logan and Suzie need to work it out on their own and now is as good a time as ever.
“I’m sorry, sis. I just…couldn’t. I should have gone out, protected him. Them. Sometimes I still – umph!” Suzie throws herself into Logan. He hesitates for a moment but wraps his arms around her as she tucks her head into his neck.
“Next time, let me in. You’re not alone, Logan. I lost him too.”
I keep watching them as they part enough to look at each other, silently making promises to one another.
“Suzie?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you, baby girl, but if there’s a next time, I’m going to beat that mother fucker up so much that his own mama won’t recognize him after I remove his balls and shove them down his throat. If they can even find the body, that is.” I hear a small giggle come from Suzie’s upturned lips, a sound I’ve not heard in forever.
“Uh, Logan? Maybe not the best thing to say in present company?” He looks at me and I nod to the crowd behind him.
At some point, JoJo made his way down the stairs and was now surrounded by people in navy FBI jackets and some of the local law enforcement. All of them are looking at Logan, smirking and nodding along with him.
“If we’re done playing catch up, we’ve got work to do. Jo, can your men meet us in the conference room?” The big guy next to JoJo doesn’t look impressed at all and starts to usher his men into the room behind them.
JoJo walks up to us, rolling his eyes. “Thanks for bringing him by, Doc. I don’t know how you did it, but, really, thanks.” He gives my arm a squeeze and turns his attention to Logan. “Not sure if you’re up to it, but we can use all hands on deck for this one. They’ve finally opened up the club to us. They got most of the evidence they need and want one of our teams to start looking around. I’ve already got one going through evidence at the station until they release it to our custody. If this is too hard for you, I understand.”
“I’m in, JoJo.” He looks back at me in surprise.
“You’re in?”
“Yes. If you think you can keep me away, think again. I’ve got just as much stake as Logan does to bring this asshole down. Not only did he kill my partner and brother, but the fact that this dickless shit thinks he can dictate what’s right and wrong in the world, destroy innocent lives, and make life a living hell for those of us left behind, then the bastard deserves everything we’re going to do to him. And I won’t hesitate to help Logan hide that body.”
I stand there, firmly holding my ground.
“Cameron, you’re not –”
I hold a hand up, quieting him. “JoJo, no offense, but shut the fuck up. I’ve kept up my PT, I’m up to date on my certifications, and I’m still one of the best damn snipers that the SEALs have ever seen. Now, are you going to show us to the conference room or do I need to walk out? I don’t mind going rogue but one way or another, this fucker is mine.”
“And mine.”
I nod at Logan and JoJo sighs.
“Can’t have my men going rogue now, can I? Come on.”
“Since when are we his?” I crack another smile at Logan’s mumbling as we walk toward the waiting group of people.
* * *
Every few minutes, a chill runs down my back, making me shudder. It takes all I have to not lose my shit and I can see Logan is trying his best to keep his composure. We’ve been here maybe thirty minutes and the further I get in the club, the harder it gets to breathe.
I make my way around a pile of tables and run into Logan. He’s frozen in place, fists clenched, and erratically breathing. When I realize where we are, I go numb.
On the bare floor, dark, dried blood stains remain caked on. Little yellow markers sit where bullet casings once lay. The debris and evidence have already been packed up and sent to the office to be analyzed. But the eerie quiet that hovers, is suffocating.
I feel a cool hand go around my own.
“I know the cops said they didn’t suffer but I can’t help but wonder, ya know? Were they just trying to comfort us? Were they trying to ease the burden?” Logan’s broken whisper matches what I’m feeling inside – scared and lost.
“Sometimes I wonder what would have happened had I not needed to go to the bathroom. Would I have died? Could I have saved Josh and Brad? It eats at me every fucking day knowing that I could have stopped him if I only tried harder. I could have stopped everything.”
“Doc, you did nothing wrong that night. You did what you had to do and that was living so that their deaths weren’t for nothing.” I feel JoJo’s arms go around the both of us as he keeps talking. “I knew you two weren’t ready for this. Let’s get you guys out of here. They need a fresh pair of eyes to walk the perimeter.”
I break away and head toward the door. The closer I get, the lighter I feel. The uneasy feelings wash away and my head clears up the second I step outside. Logan is hot on my heels, ready to get out of the death house.
I close my eyes, lean my head back, and breathe in, letting the muggy, warm air fill my lungs and letting the calm take over.
“Boss? Where do you want us?”
I open an eye to Bertrand, one of our new recruits. A kid fast on his feet and damn good at his job.
“Start walking the perimeter around the back. That’s where the asshole was last seen at. We’re a fresh pair of eyes and no one has gone back there since HPD finished up.” I rattle off a few more instructions and he takes off with two more of our men.
“You think they’ll find anything after all this time that no one else picked up on?”
I shrug my shoulders at Logan. “At this point, I doubt it. The place has been swept over by everyone. I guess it can’t hurt, right?”
“I guess not.” I watch Logan as he starts to look around at the tributes and memorials. “Can you believe people did this stuff? So much support for people they didn’t know.”
Flags, pictures, letters, artwork, ribbons, stuffed animals, and so much more decorate the sidewalk and the parking lot of the club. I can’t stop staring at the all the love. So much that I feel the side of my face pull up into a smile. Until I feel it.
The throbbing in my gut, starting off dull and quiet escalates into a sharp, loud ache. I look up and in between the two buildings across the street, I see him.
The familiar black outfit on an even more familiar looking frame has me dashing across the busy street as quickly as possible.
“Hey! Stop!” I frantically yell at the guy as my heart starts to beat faster and faster.
A car slams on its breaks and honks at me as I try to hurry across but when I get there, the guy is gone.
“God, damn it!” I kick the garbage can that’s closest to me before banging a fist into the brick wall of the sports bar I’m next to. “Fuck!”
“For shit’s sake, Cameron! Watch it when you cross the street. What the hell is wrong with you?”
I whip around facing Logan. “That was him, Logan.” I yell at him with such fury, every bit of hatred and disgust being tossed his way as I take out my anger on him. “That asshole was sitting here, probably getting his jollies off, laughing in our faces while watching us suffer.” I watch Logan pale the more I yell.
“Jesus, he was here?”
“I’m not fucking joking around here, Logan!”
“Let’s go.” He tugs on my hand and tries to drag me from the alley.
“Let go of my arm; I need to go after him.” I try to pull my arm away but he keeps his grip.
Logan turns around, yanking me to him. “He’s gone, Cameron. There’s nothing we can do when we’re like this. We’ll tell JoJo what we saw then we’re getting out of here.”
“Where are we going?”
“My house to open and finish the two bottles of Jack I got yesterday. I think we need it.”
Best idea he’s had in a while.