Cal. Not that I’m excusing what I did, but I had no idea what was going on with your meds. I hope that motherfucker rots in hell for what he did. Anyway, yeah, I was a shitty brother, and there’s no excuse for what I said to you that day. I’m really sorry.”
“I forgive you.”
Rafe’s brows drew together, and his eyes grew glassy. He pressed his lips together and nodded, his hands clasped tightly between his knees.
“What are you going to do now?” Ethan asked softly.
Rafe shrugged. “There’s nothing I can do. There’s no cure for it. Maybe one day. All I can do is prepare myself for the day my legs stop working.”
“When that day comes, I’ll be there to help you in every way I can,” Ethan promised.
“Me too.”
They looked up to find Seb standing to one side looking uncertain. Rafe stood, and they faced each other, neither one seeming to know what to do. Seb shoved his hands into his pockets.
“I’m not here out of pity. I wanted to say I’m sorry. I accused you of being an asshole, and I was no better, always expecting you to be the one to make all the effort.”
Rafe stepped up to Seb, and Ethan braced himself. He hoped they wouldn’t get into a fight here of all places. To Ethan’s surprise and relief, Rafe pulled Seb into a hug. The two wrapped their arms around each other, and Ethan smiled. He couldn’t remember the last time his brothers had hugged. They stood like that for a long time, and Ethan met Seb’s gaze. He gave him a nod and smiled.
“We’ll get through this together,” Seb promised. “No more pushing us away, okay? We’re your brothers, and we love you. Let us help you.”
Rafe nodded. “Okay.” He cleared his throat and motioned to the corridor they’d come from. “When Hudson wakes up and he’s better, I’ll apologize. I doubt he’ll forgive me, but I need to at least try. I know how much he means to you.”
“Thank you.”
The three of them made their way back to Hudson’s room, and everyone got up when they entered. Calvin looked relieved when he saw them. Most likely because they’d returned without bruises.
“I don’t want anyone treating me different,” Rafe grumbled as he walked in.
Nina ran over to him and hugged him.
Sloane shook his head. “We don’t treat Hobbs any different. Why would we treat you differently?”
“Sorry I punched you,” Dex added. “But you did deserve it.”
“Fair enough. I’ll try not to be so much of an asshole.” Rafe stopped in front of Sloane and met his gaze. “I’m sorry for always giving you such a hard time. I guess I felt a lot of resentment towards you. I’ve always respected you, and when I found out about my condition, I needed to vent, and I guess you were an easy target.” Rafe shifted uncomfortably, but he carried on, determined to say what he needed to say. “You were the kind of Team Leader I always wanted to be, and it got hard, seeing you doing so well, knowing where I was going to end up. I looked for any reason to drag you down, and I’m sorry.”
Sloane looked surprised. He quickly snapped himself out of it and held his hand out to Rafe, who took it without hesitation. “I appreciate your honesty. If you need anything, just ask.”
“Why would you help me?” Rafe’s expression was wary. “After all the shit I’ve said to you? After everything I’ve done?”
“Because Destructive Delta is family, and that includes anyone connected to Destructive Delta.” Sloane took a deep breath and shoved his hands into his pockets, looking somewhat embarrassed. “The truth is we can be stubborn asses. We’re so used to doing things our way that when things change, we have trouble keeping up. It’s easy to think that putting our trust in others makes us weak, when really it makes us stronger.”
Rafe pulled Nina close and smiled down at her. “I’m starting to see that.” He kissed her, his public show of affection unexpected. Ethan was happy to see his brother smiling. It was obvious how much he cared about Nina, and that was something Ethan never thought he’d see. Ethan worried about Hudson and Nina’s relationship. Hudson had been deeply hurt. He and Nina were close friends. If only Nina had confided in Hudson, things might have gone a little differently.
Nina stepped up beside Seb. “Not a day goes by when he doesn’t think about you.”
“He told me he didn’t love me,” Seb replied softly, bringing Hudson’s hand to his lips for a kiss.
“We all know that’s bullshit. There’s no one but you, Seb. There hasn’t been since he left you, and there won’t be. I tried to get him to move on, to at least go out on a date, and he tried.”
“He dated?”
“I said he tried. He sabotaged them.”
“What do you mean?” Seb asked, his eyes on Hudson.
“Whenever someone asked him out, he told them he was marked. They’d bail. There were a couple of Humans who didn’t, but they never made it past the first date. Nothing worked because none of them were you, Seb.”
“Then why won’t he come back to me?”
“Because you can’t just pick up where you left off.” Nina knelt beside Seb, her hand on his arm. “Until you both forgive yourselves for what happened and find a way to leave it behind you, you can’t be together. He knows that. As painful as it’s been for him, there’s always this little flicker of hope. If you come together and it doesn’t work, that’s it.”
“He’s scared,” Seb said, nodding his understanding.
It made sense to Ethan. He’d never thought of it that way. So all these years Hudson stayed away from Seb, afraid a reconciliation would lead to confirmation their relationship was never meant to be. So instead, he suffered in silence, living with the hope that someday things might change.
“We should give them some time,” Rafe told Ethan, motioning for everyone else to follow. Ethan agreed. Seb needed some time alone with Hudson. He’d gone pensive, and Ethan had no doubt he was considering Nina’s words. Ethan took Calvin’s hand, and they left the room with everyone following close behind.
Outside in the waiting room, Sloane was getting ready to check in with the sarge when they heard it. Shots fired.
“Shit.” Sloane put his phone away and ran over to reception. “I’m Agent Brodie with the THIRDS. Where’s your security office?”
The anxious nurse put in a phone call, and seconds later a security officer came running.
“Agent Brodie?”
“What’s going on?” Sloane asked.
“I’m Riviera, head of security. We have a hostile situation in the lobby. The shooter says he’s looking for an Agent Summers.”
Sloane turned to Calvin. “Hector Ruiz.”
Chapter Eleven
SHIT. RUIZ had come looking for him.
If there had been any doubt about who was responsible for the shooting at Dekatria, this pretty much confirmed it. Ruiz was out for Calvin’s blood. If Ethan hadn’t knocked Calvin to the ground when he did, Ruiz might have had it. Instead Hudson was lying in a hospital bed with two bullet wounds.
Calvin joined Sloane, along with the rest of their team, including Nina and Rafe, as they followed Riviera to the security office. They had to take a number of long corridors, since the office was located near the entrance of the emergency department, outside the lobby. When they reached the office, several other officers were there. Riviera brought up the camera feed in the lobby, where Hector Ruiz held a security officer hostage, a gun aimed at the leopard Therian’s head.
“The THIRDS are on their way,” Riviera said.
Sloane studied the screen. “Okay, we’ve got a major containment problem. We need to find out if Ruiz showed up with anyone else. Can you show me his arrival?”
Riviera nodded and got to work bringing up the footage of Ruiz’s appearance. Ash stepped up beside Sloane. “If Ruiz makes it out of that lobby and into the hospital, we’re talking hundreds of rooms, multiple exits. If he’s not alone, we have an even bigger problem. We’re going to need as many agents on this as possible.”
&
nbsp; “Here.” Riviera brought up several camera feeds of Ruiz entering through Emergency before he grabbed the nearest security officer and removed his firearm, shouting at the citizens in the lobby and firing a warning shot.
“What about exterior footage?” Sloane asked.
Riviera brought up footage from the parking garage and outside the hospital. A taxi dropped Ruiz off.
“Looks like he’s alone.” Sloane turned to the team. “Dex, get ahold of the sarge and tell him where we are. Meet him at the side entrance. I want as many agents as possible securing the entrances and exits. Put an agent on every floor. Cael, Nina, keep an eye on the security feeds. I want to know about anything or anyone that looks out of place. Rosa, stand by for possible medical assistance. Letty, Ash, Rafe, you’re backup. I’m going to go talk to him. Cal, you know what to do.”
It was what he feared. Calvin faced Sloane. “Let me talk to him.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Cal. This guy’s trying to kill you. If we—”
Ruiz’s voice came in through the security office speakers. “I know you’re listening, Summers! If you don’t get out here, I’m going to start shooting!”
“It’s me he wants, Sloane. I don’t want anyone getting hurt because of me. Let me try to talk him down,” Calvin pleaded. The last thing he wanted was to put a bullet in another Ruiz family member. He needed to give Hector a chance to do the right thing. “He’s angry, and he’s hurting.”
“And he put Hudson in the hospital,” Ash argued heatedly. “He could have fucking killed someone! He could have killed you. He tried to kill you.”
“I know that, but does that mean we take the easy route and take him out? If I have to, I will, but I want to make damn sure I’ve given him every opportunity to turn himself in.”
“Or an opportunity to shoot you,” Ash scoffed.
“That won’t happen.” Calvin turned to Riviera. “Do you have any equipment?”
Riviera nodded and motioned to the far wall and the large weapons locker secured shut. “Vests and firearms.”
“Okay, good.” Calvin turned to Sloane. “Please, you have to let me do this.”
Sloane seemed to think about it for a moment before giving him a nod. “All right. Suit up and head out. Letty, Ash, and Rafe will be on the sidelines and out of sight in case this goes south.”
“Got it.” Calvin turned to Ethan as Riviera went to the weapons locker to get him the equipment he needed. “I have to do this,” he told Ethan.
Ethan pulled him close and gave his lips a quick, gentle kiss. He nodded his understanding. Calvin strapped himself into the tactical vest Riviera handed him before taking one of the Glocks and checking the magazine. With a full clip and one in the chamber, he headed for the lobby with Letty, Ash, and Rafe. They made sure to stay tucked away as Calvin approached the swinging doors leading to the lobby. He nudged one side open.
“Hector, I’m coming out. Don’t shoot. I want to talk.”
“Well, let’s go, then,” Hector called out. “Let’s talk.”
Calvin held the Glock in his hand and raised his arms at his sides as he slipped out. Hector tensed at the sight of the gun, but he remained where he was, jerking the security officer in front of him and using him as a shield. Letty, Ash, and Rafe were concealed to Calvin’s sides, waiting in the shadows.
“You wanna talk, but you bring a gun?” Hector growled. “Typical THIRDS pig.”
“It’s for my protection, Hector. You tried to shoot me tonight, remember?” Calvin slowly lowered his arms, his gaze never moving from Hector. The guy was sweating and fidgeting. He looked to be in his early twenties. Something told Calvin Hector wasn’t as self-assured as he made himself out to be.
“I ain’t saying nothing.”
“You put one of my friends in the hospital,” Calvin said, his voice calm. “A really good guy who does a lot for this city. I know you saw an opportunity. A room full of THIRDS agents, me being one of them. But they’re more than that, Hector. They have families like you. You had a room full of Humans and Therians who fight to keep this city safe.”
“Like you kept my uncle safe?”
“He left me no choice, Hector. He killed someone and injured two others. Yes, he had every right to be upset for what they did to him, but that didn’t give him the right to take someone’s life. We tried to get through to him. We did. But he was too distraught to listen. He was going to shoot someone. I couldn’t let that happen. I don’t want to shoot you, Hector. Please, you have to believe that.”
Hector let out a scoff. “What makes you think I won’t shoot him or you first?”
“Because this is what I do. It’s what I’m trained for. You’ll never see it coming. You’ll be dead before you get a shot off. Is that what you want, Hector? Do you really want to put your aunt through that after all she’s suffered?” Hector was unsure. Whatever had happened at Dekatria, Calvin was certain Hector had help, someone to push him into the decision, perhaps from his friends. It was easier to set something into motion when you had your friends backing you up. The THIRDS would get to the bottom of it. Right now Calvin would do his best to give Hector a second chance.
“Shut up! Don’t bring my aunt into this.”
“She’s still mourning your uncle’s death. Do you want to add yours to her grief?”
Hector swallowed hard, and Calvin continued, hoping he could get through to the angry young Therian. If Hector had really wanted to shoot Calvin, he would have done it by now.
“Think about your family. They’re suffering, in pain. Think about your little cousin. She needs you, Hector. She needs all of you right now.”
“Stop!” Hector shook his head, tears in his eyes. “You’re trying to manipulate me so I don’t shoot.”
“I’m trying to save your family from another loss,” Calvin replied sincerely. “They don’t deserve that.”
“My uncle didn’t deserve to die!”
“You’re right. He didn’t. But he made a choice. He hurt his family. Is that the choice you want to make here today, Hector? Because you have a choice. The same one he did.”
“You think I’m gonna punk out?”
Calvin shook his head. “No one who makes a sacrifice for their family is punking out. Think about it. Really think. Is the chance that you might get a shot off worth the pain you’ll cause your family? Worth your life?”
Hector pressed his lips together. His face and eyes were red. He looked tired, like he hadn’t slept in days. The seconds ticked past as Hector thought about his next move. His eyes darted around the place, at the hostages on the floor, some crying softly, others rightfully terrified. Hector turned his attention back to Calvin. “How do I know you won’t shoot me?”
Calvin kept his eyes on Hector as he lowered his gun to the floor. He stood slowly, hands out in front of him, and kicked his gun to one side. “Now it’s your turn.”
Hector hesitated, and for a split second Calvin thought he might back out. Instead he slowly lowered his gun to the floor. He stood and kicked it over. Letty, Ash, and Rafe rushed out, guns in hand.
“Get on the floor now!” Ash shouted as they rushed him. Hector dropped onto his stomach and put his hands behind his head. Ash and Rafe restrained him while Letty secured his wrists with Therian-strength zip ties. Calvin approached as they dragged Hector to his feet. He stopped in front of him.
“I know it might not seem like it, but you made the right choice. Tell your family you made a mistake and you’re sorry. You all need each other.”
Hector let his head hang before giving Calvin a nod. Teams of agents rushed in as Ash and Rafe escorted Hector out of the hospital to one of the awaiting BearCats. It was over. For now at least.
Sloane stood beside Calvin and smiled at him. “Good job, Cal. You did real good.”
“Thanks. I’m glad no one was hurt.”
“It’s been one hell of a long night. Why don’t you and Hobbs head home. We’ll finish up here. You can write your re
port in the morning.”
“Thanks, man.” Calvin wasn’t about to turn down Sloane’s offer. He was exhausted. The place was crawling with agents, and the EMTs were checking on the hostages. As tired as Calvin was, all he wanted to do was get Ethan home. Ethan had been on the verge of a bad panic attack before the shootout. He needed to make sure Ethan was all right.
Calvin dropped off the vest and gun with Riviera, thanking him before letting the rest of his team know he’d see them bright and early Monday morning. Tomorrow was Sunday, so he could just fill out his report from the comfort of his living room while in his pajamas. He smiled at Ethan and motioned toward the door.
“Let’s go home.”
Ethan smiled widely and followed him out. They headed for the parking garage and Calvin’s Jeep on the second floor. Ethan was quiet, and Calvin knew it was the exhaustion finally setting in. Ethan had been through a lot today. The party itself had been draining enough, but with his brothers, what happened to Hudson, and his panic attack, Ethan would be feeling it soon.
When they got home, Ethan disappeared into his room. Calvin let him go. In the meantime, he got a nice hot bath ready in their Therian-sized bathtub. He added scented bath salts and lit a few candles before turning on the small bathroom radio to some soft tunes. In his bedroom he undressed, hanging up his clothes behind the door. He wrapped a towel around his waist, then walked to Ethan’s bedroom. His boyfriend was most likely going over everything that had happened tonight, wondering if he could have done something different. His anxiety would be trying to get the better of him, and he’d be worried about what everyone else might be thinking of him.
Calvin knocked, smiling warmly after Ethan hesitantly opened the door. He held his hand out to Ethan.
“I could use a nice warm bath to unwind in. Join me?”
“Okay.”
Ethan quickly finished undressing and took Calvin’s hand. They walked into the bathroom, where the bath was nice and full. Ethan was going to get in first when Calvin stopped him. He tossed his towel and turned to Ethan.
“Let me take care of you.”
Ethan’s expression softened, and he put his hand to Calvin’s cheek. “You always take care of me.”
“That’s not going to change, Ethan.” He stood on his toes and kissed Ethan, loving the feel of Ethan slipping his arms around him, pulling him close against his hard naked body. Before things could get heavy, Calvin stepped back. He smiled at Ethan before climbing into the tub and sitting back. “Come on. Before the water gets cold.”
Ethan climbed in and carefully sat. Even though their tub was Therian-sized, with both of them Ethan had to bend his knees, and they stuck out of the water as he slid down so he and Calvin were chest to back. Calvin took the shampoo and washed Ethan’s hair, telling him to close his eyes and relax. Ethan had done the same for him over Valentine’s Day, and now it was Calvin’s turn. The soft sigh Ethan let out squeezed at Calvin’s heart. It scared him a little how much he loved Ethan, especially since that love would only grow with time.
Calvin rinsed Ethan’s hair, using the tips of his fingers to massage his scalp. Then he poured shower gel into Ethan’s pouf and soaped him up, using his hands to caress Ethan’s body as he washed him. He slowed down, taking his time as his fingers explored Ethan’s skin, his sculpted muscles and firm abdomen. He moved his hand lower until he had Ethan’s half-hard cock in his grip. Leisurely he stroked Ethan, smiling when Ethan let his head rest back against Calvin’s shoulder.
“I love you,” Ethan said softly.
Calvin turned his head and kissed Ethan’s lips, savoring the taste of him. There was no telling what the future might hold for them, so Calvin would make it a point to cherish what he had while he had it. He’d never been much of a dreamer, always focused on goals and what he could do to achieve them. Life had taught him not to take anything for granted, and he had no intention of starting now, especially with Ethan in his arms.
“I love you too,” Calvin replied, pulling away to smile down at Ethan before kissing him again. Never in a million years would he have imagined having what he had with Ethan. Deepening his kiss, he stroked Ethan’s cock, quickening his pace just enough to make Ethan moan. They kissed for what seemed like ages but wasn’t really. The water was still warm. Calvin picked up his pace. This was about Ethan and making him feel good.
Ethan arched his back, a shuddered sigh escaping him as Calvin tweaked one of Ethan’s nipples. His skin was flushed, his breath coming out quicker. His fingers dug into Calvin’s thighs as he thrust his hips against Calvin’s hands.
“Cal….”
“It’s okay,” Calvin murmured, kissing the side of Ethan’s head.
Ethan groaned, his muscles tensing as he came. A shiver went through him, and Calvin rained kisses up the side of Ethan’s head.
“I got you.”
Ethan stood and turned. He climbed out of the tub and held his hand out to help Calvin. He followed Ethan without question, his heart skipping a beat as Ethan dried them off before leading Calvin to his bedroom. He closed the door and pulled Calvin against him, kissing him with a passion Calvin hadn’t known Ethan possessed. It curled Calvin’s toes and sent the most amazing shiver up his spine. He stood there, floating on a cloud as Ethan stepped away to turn down the bed, then the lights. He took Calvin’s hand, and like every other time in their lives, Calvin followed Ethan blindly and willingly. They climbed into bed and huddled close together, their limbs intertwined. Calvin paid close attention to Ethan’s