They were wasting fucking time and that smug fuck was just sitting there like he had all the time in the world. He kept asking the time every five minutes. I stared through the two-way mirror into the interrogation room. It took everything in me to keep my hands from shaking. I needed to get my shit together or I wasn’t going to be of any use to Andy.

Just the thought of him brought the panic back, reminding me how helpless I was. Yeah, I had a soft spot for the kids that drew the short straw in life. I never once thought I’d be punished for it. All those fucking kids dead because of me. Now, the first man I cared for was going to pay for some delusional man’s assumptions.

How many had Daniels killed because he thought I belonged to him?

“Ray, don’t do it. Don’t let him in your head.”

“Too late. He’s been there for months.”

I turned my head to look at Bradford. I thought we’d agreed that he would get away from the precinct and wait for my call. When Andy had quipped about Bradford’s badge envy, it wasn’t that much of a joke. He easily stepped inside and closed the door, for being in a station of cops that looked at him as a career arrest the man was way too fucking calm.

“Thinking about a career change?”

“No, the coffee is terrible.”

I couldn’t help my grin at his exaggerated shudder. The man knew me better than anyone. He was there from my first stolen car and beatdown to extract a debt.

“What if I can’t keep it together? All I want to do is rip the fucker’s throat out.”

“You’ll keep it together because your boy needs you.”

“Andy is far from a boy.”

“Semantics, my old friend. You lived for this job and took pride in it, man, but deep down you’re one of us. And we know how to handle all those pesky problems.”

Bradford’s elegant façade crumbled and the monster I knew peeked through. I’d witnessed his cruelty, and no matter how much of a respectful businessman he came across as, he was still that enforcer his old man groomed him to be.

“Where’s Richie?”

“He and our men are waiting for my call. We can be on the move in minutes.”

“If something happens to me, I need you to make it right.”

“Nothing is going to happen to you. We take care of our own.

“He dies, Bradford.”

“In the most horrible ways we can imagine.”

I nodded in silent agreement and took a deep breath. I’d ordered Green to stay out of the interrogation room. I knew how the Mac family worked, but nothing about Benji’s actions aligned with Finn.

“Did you talk to Finn?”

“Talk is not quite the word I’d use. He wanted Benji turned over to him.”

“He’s a fucking idiot if he thinks I’m gonna let that happen.”

“Finn wants to handle…in house.”

The lure of the temptation scared me. Yet I knew that it wouldn’t get us the information we needed. My body stiffened as Benji stood and walked toward the glass. As Benji knocked on the glass, I raised my hand to turn on the intercom.

“Clancy, ya might want to bring my laptop.”

I was in movement before the last word was out of his mouth and grabbed the computer from a table at the back of the room. When I entered the squad room, I found cops watching me impatiently, but they were feeling the pressure for different reasons. I pulled the calm around me and I glanced at Bradford to find him tapping his earpiece, I was still wearing mine as well. I quickly turned mine on and he disappeared as I entered the room.

Whatever it took, I’d get Andy back and I’d do it my way.

I squared my shoulders and motioned for Benji to sit back down. I laid the laptop on the table and he was already in motion. Opening the lid and starting to tap away at the keys.

“Finally, ready to talk, huh?”

“You old-timers are so fucking easy. Daniels thought he had me wrapped around his little finger. He was disgusting the way he grunted away and wanted to pretend I was you. You made quite the impression on your ex-partner.”

Bile burned at the back of my throat. The rational part of me knew I hadn’t done anything to lead the fucker on, but—I shoved all of that away. I didn’t have time for reflection. Daniels needed me to play out his fucked up little plan, but how long would he wait before he tried to take Andy out? As we spoke, he could have started his ritual.

“What the fuck does he want?”

I rested my shoulders back against the wall beside the door, and as casually as possible, shoved my hands into my jean’s pockets. It was more for my safety than his. I wanted to grab the front of his t-shirt and throw him around the room until he gave me what I needed. No one would attempt to stop me. I knew there was probably a crowd growing on the other side of the mirror.

“What do you think the crazy fucker wants? You.”

“How did you hook up with him?”

He snorted and smirked. “Closeted men are so manipulatable. Scared shitless someone will learn that deep-dark secret that they like a dick up their asses or they like to gag on a cock or two. He busted me and my old man was done with my shit. I gave him a piece of ass to let me go. Then the situation changed. He framed you for the bribe hoping to come in and save you.”

I forced my hands not to curl into fists in the confines of my pockets at finding out that not only had Daniels taken Andy, but my badge as well. “Save me?”

“Come up with the evidence that I would supply after the job I did to frame you. Then you took the deal before he could sweep in like your knight in shining armor.”

“I’m not getting this bullshit.”

“All this shit,” He waved his arms around the room. “He was supposed to help me get rid of dear old dad, and I’d help him take out all those pretty boys at Epiphany. He had a very long list of twinks you mighta flirted with or fucked since the day he met you, but when you left Sex Crimes and transferred to homicide, you broke his poor little heart.”

He talked too easily about taking out Finn, and from what I knew, his old man doted on him. Had never told him no once in his life.

“Why would you want to take out Finn?”

“Easy, I was done following orders. Finn’s a relic. Unable to move forward with the times. Getting…soft.”

“What game is Daniels playing?” I asked.

“Quite simple, Clancy, look.” He spun the laptop around.

The air froze in my lungs as I saw Andy under a halo of light and tied naked to a chair. He looked to be struggling with keeping his head up. I tried to keep my head in the game and searched the surroundings in the frame. Everything looked like hundreds of industrial spaces in New West. A timer counted down at the bottom of the screen. They had less than an hour to do whatever the hell Daniels wanted.

I wanted to refuse. I wanted to tell Benji and Daniels to fuck off, and make sure they rotted behind bars for the rest of their lives. Yet I was trapped, restrained by their rules. I removed my hands from my pockets and curled them into fists. I placed them on the table and rested my weight on them as I moved in closer to the screen.

“You have,” he peeked at the screen, “fifty-six minutes to get to your pretty, little whore. I almost fucked up the plan just to get a taste of that sweet, tight ass. I did enjoy the perks of my role but had to forego with Andy. I bet that boy loves to be pounded, begs for it. He definitely sounded good screaming your name when I watched all those intimate moments. Your security system is a piece of shit.”

Fuck rules, I swung before I fully thought it through and felt satisfaction when him and the chair hit the floor. Blood flowed from his nose.

“Where is that Clancy calm? I heard about you. Man, they still talk about how vicious you were. Obeyed without conscience. A sought-after enforcer. Do your fellow brothers in blue know all those nasty things you did before you pinned on that hunk of metal?”

I didn’t have the time or inclination to justify my choices in life. He was wasting my and Andy’s time. “What the fuck does Daniels want?”

He eased up from the floor and fixed his chair. All I could do was stare as the seconds ticked down.

“You have fifteen minutes to arrange for a car to be waiting outside. You and I will get into the car, once inside I will relay directions, and if at any point I think we’re being followed, I’ll clam up and your boy dies. Tick-Tock, Clancy, Andy’s running out of time.”

I stormed from the room just as Green stepped out of the observation room.

“You’re not going alone, Clancy, I don’t—”

“I don’t give a fuck, have the car ready. Is there any way to trace the signal?”

“It’s bouncing all over the fucking place, right now. It’s looks like Daniels is in Belfast.”

“Motherfucker! Get a car ready now. And if you fuck this up, I’ll make you pay worse than I’m going to make Daniels suffer.”

I headed for the nearest bathroom and slammed the door behind me. I turned to rest my forehead on the cool wood and tried to take deep, even breaths.

“Ray, you copy,” Richie’s voice pulled me back from my meltdown.

“Go ahead.”

“We’re in position and ready to move. We’ve got eyes everywhere. I’ll give a description of the vehicle. Daniels and Benji won’t know we’re on your ass.”

I confirmed and spent the next fifteen minutes arguing until Benji and I were alone in the car. I repeatedly checked the mirrors and the only familiar vehicle I saw was a motorcycle that disappeared and reappeared. He droned on, we took several lefts and rights as Benji studied the traffic behind us.

Thirty-seven minutes, the counter was moving too fast, and with each second that ticked off, the knot of fear in the middle of my chest threatened to suffocate me. I tried not to focus on anything other than his words and finally the turns ceased.

Something about the area we drove into caused a mixture of rage and sickness. I remembered this route. Andy and I had driven it a short time ago. And the sloppiness of my own actions hit me hard.

“Seem familiar?”

I ignored his question as I pulled up behind the abandoned warehouse and noticed the door stood wide open. The click of the laptop lid was too loud and harsh; I was out of the car and scanning the area.

“Keep it together, Ray, we move on your word,” said Bradford.

I hadn’t expected him to run backup. As far as I knew he tried to stay out of the dirty work these days. I didn’t answer him and jogged around the car to open the door, then dragged Benji out.

I reached for my weapon in the holster at my hip. Savored the familiar weight of it and the coolness of metal. I hooked the fingers of my free hand in the collar of his t-shirt and shoved him forward. Daniels might not want me dead, but that didn’t mean I didn’t want a shield in case. The trip inside was slow and every step carefully made.

No lights shone until suddenly the place lit up. I barely restrained myself from running forward at the sight in front of me. Andy was naked and his upper body marred by shallow lacerations. Sweat and blood made his skin shimmer under the lights.

“You made good time, Ray. Was he followed?”

“Not that I could tell, we made turns all over the fucking place. I won’t say they won’t show up eventually.”

I pushed Benji and the man stumbled forward as I took my weapon in both hands. The almost invisible tremors in my hands threatened to give away my nerves.

“Andy,” I called his name.

“Don’t worry, he’s…well, for now. I gave him a paralytic, but rest assured he felt every cut.”

I kept them both in my sights as I carefully made my way to Andy. When I reached him, I dropped to one knee and raised my hand to stroke his cheek. His skin was cool to the touch

“Don’t touch him!”

The hysterical edge to Daniels’ tone warned me that the man barely held onto his sanity.

“Ray,” Andy’s broken voice urged me to look at him.

“Baby, I’m right here.”

“I’m so sleepy,” he slurred.

“Just hang on for me.”

“Where’s my payment, Daniels?” Benji demanded.

“It’s right here.”

The reverberation of a single shot echoed in the cavernous space, making the sound sharp and it zinged my eardrums. I jerked my gaze to find Benji with a hole between his eyes.

“I’m sorry you had to see that, Ray, but he ruined so many of my plans. Led around by his dick. No better than all the whores I killed.”

Even if Daniels made it out of here tonight, he’d just sealed his fate. Traitor or not, Finn wouldn’t let his son dying go without retribution.

I dug my knife out of my pocket and quickly cut the zip ties that secured Andy’s wrists and ankles to the chair. He instantly collapsed against my side with his head on my shoulder. His breathing ragged where it fanned against my throat. He didn’t wrap his arms around me or whisper my name again.

“Why? What the fuck were you thinking?” I demanded.

I eased Andy to the dirty floor, hating the necessity of it and reached for a sheet that was close by. I tucked it around him and straightened. Daniels looked older and as forgettable as I remembered. He looked like thousands of other men walking the city streets. He blended so easy for years, and worse, he hid under my nose the entire time we rode together.

He took a few steps forward.

“Don’t fucking move,” I ordered as I side-stepped, removing Andy from his line of sight.

“You don’t have to pretend anymore, Ray. I knew you were the one for me the minute we met. It was fate, can’t you see that?”

“You’re fucking insane.”

“No, please, don’t deny it. I saw the way you looked at me. You loved me, but we don’t have to act anymore.”

He kept moving toward me, and I finally stopped in a position where Andy was out of the firing line. Daniels tapped the barrel of his Glock against his thigh in an agitated rhythm. As much as I wanted to call in backup, I wanted to know why more than anything. I felt as if I was drowning under the weight of guilt from Andy’s suffering and all the boys killed in the name of Daniels’ twisted love.

I knew I had to attract his anger, vest or not, that wouldn’t stop a head shot. He had wicked aim and I knew he never missed. As long as Andy survived, I didn’t care about me. Bradford would take care of him for me and avenge my death.

“I didn’t look at you any way. I worked with you. We weren’t even friends. Fucking you would’ve been the last thing—”

“Shut up! Is that…thing what you want. Some whore.” His voice rose several octaves as he started to turn to Andy.

“Daniels,” I spoke sharply and drew his attention back to me.

My chest began to heave as I tried to bring oxygen into my lungs as the panic threatened to make me lose it. He was ranting and the words ran together. He paced and swung his weapon wildly, and then rage turned to something else. Tears began to flow down his cheeks and his body seemed to deflate.

“I did all this for you, Ray, to prove to you that I could be what you wanted—needed.”

In slow motion I watched his right arm move in tiny increments until the weapon was pointed directly at me. I stared down my barrel at him. It was a standoff and the moment of truth had arrived. Live or die, it would be decided in a single breath and gentle squeeze of a trigger.

“I never wanted you or anyone, not until a scared man asked me for help. You’re never going to have me, Daniels.”

I didn’t focus on his face. I gazed into the blackness and took solace in the fact that if I died, he died, but Andy would go on to live a long life without looking over his shoulder. It was barely a microsecond, but I didn’t miss the flex of his trigger finger. I slowly inhaled.

“If I can’t have you, then…” He paused.

I exhaled and gently compressed the trigger. Two shots rang out and agony exploded along my left collarbone, I felt myself falling. I didn’t know if he was dead or on his way to the Hell, but images of Andy and overwhelming pain took the last of my control. I shuddered upon dirty cement and I couldn’t lift my head, but I searched for Andy. He was right where I’d left him with the sheet tucked around him.

The pounding of steps blended with the roaring of my heartbeat in my head.

“Officer down, get the paramedics now.” A voice I felt I should recognize joined the pandemonium inside my head. My eyes rolled upward. All I could think was Andy was safe and I’d done my job. That’s all that I’d wanted to do, but I mourned the fact I wouldn’t be around to see him live out the rest of his life.

Someone was calling my name, and then nothing at all.