Paladin, page 27
“Where does your crew hang when they’re not at that bar?”
“That house on 9th and Hoover. The pink one with the green shutters. But you won’t find them there. They’re at the cabin. They’re making the exchange tomorrow.”
“The exchange?” Jericho asked. “What exchange?”
She rolled her eyes. “The exchange, the sale. Whatever you want to call it. The cops know you took out Detective Douche. They’re worried you’re onto them. They’re dumping the cargo off on some wannabe Hell’s Angel types in exchange for fentanyl, which is much easier to hide than a bunch of whining, screaming brats and hysterical girls.”
“They’re going to just…pass them off to a biker gang? What will they do with them?” Arsen asked.
“The girls, they’ll turn out, and the kids, they’ll probably sell. Sometimes, they keep them. Just depends.”
Ever wanted to scream. He wanted to grab that knife off the table and stab it into her heart. How could she say something like that? Like they didn’t even matter? Like they weren’t even people? “Don’t you care at all?”
“You really are just a tiny baby still. Maybe she should have taken you out of that house every now and again. Even after everything she did to you, you really still think there are good people in the world? There are only two kinds of people. The victims and the victors. You just have to decide what team you’re on. I got tired of being a victim so I did what I had to do to survive. I can’t worry about other people. Only myself. You worry about other people and the world will eat you alive.”
“Wow,” Asa said. “I thought I was cynical.”
“Just kill me already,” she muttered. “I gave you what you wanted.”
Atticus stepped forward. “Not quite yet. What happens next is this: you’re going to tell me all the painstaking details of this exchange, and then you can die. Got it?”
“Whatever,” she muttered.
Ever turned to Arsen, his hands landing on his chest, voice pleading. “I want to go home now. Can we go home now?”
Arsen nodded, kissing his head. “Yeah, besenok. We can go home.”
“We go in at dawn,” Jericho said, earning a groan from the boys.
“Aw, man. I got off work at three a.m. I’m not going to be raid ready in an hour,” Levi complained.
“The exchange is being made tomorrow afternoon. We have to go before then or we run the risk of not rescuing them in time.”
Atticus rolled his eyes. “And it’s the only way to assure we don’t get surprised. According to Cherry, these idiots are out there right now getting drunk and partying. That means most of them will be sleeping or unconscious at dawn, and even if there’s a guard, they won’t be on their game. With this many targets, we have to think logically.”
Levi huffed. “I don’t wanna think logically. I want to have one day where I can sleep more than an hour,” he whined dramatically.
“You don’t have to go,” Ever said softly from where he sat smooshed between Levi and Arsen on the couch. “You can sleep. I’m sure the others can do it.” Ever looked at the others with wide eyes. “Right?”
They all smirked as Levi’s face fell. “What? No. No, it’s cool. I was…I was just saying. It’s all fine. I’m good,” he finished in a barely-there mumble.
Ever gave him a huge smile, then hugged Levi’s arm. Arsen watched as his grumpy, tatted friend flushed red to the tips of his ears, staring at the floor. Arsen almost felt bad for him. He didn’t know when or how, but Ever had won Levi over and then some. He was borderline obsessed. He might be worried if Ever showed anything but brotherly affection towards Levi. But he never did. He only saw Arsen.
“We go in shock and awe style, catch them off guard, and start shooting immediately,” Jericho said. “Target acquired. Target eliminated. No second-guessing. No hesitation. We know they’re armed. And stupid. You’ll have vests thanks to Atticus, but that’s not going to protect your head.”
“But…I thought we needed to make this look like a cartel killing?” Nico asked.
“That’s our job,” Asa said. “You drop ‘em, we’ll ugly ‘em up. Make ‘em look real gruesome for the crime scene photos. Don’t you worry.”
Ever stared at Asa hard. “You really like what you do, huh?”
Arsen’s stomach churned. Some small part of him worried that, after what they’d done to Cherry yesterday and what they planned on doing to others in only a few hours, this was too much for Ever. He was too soft, too sweet. He wasn’t meant for a world of blood and guts. Maybe he’d leave now that he’d seen who Arsen really was.
“It’s my passion,” Asa teased, not even a little ashamed.
Felix rolled his eyes, looking at his husband. “Can you shut him up before he scares the baby?”
But before Avi could even think to say anything, Ever sighed. “I wish I had a passion,” he said wistfully, blushing when the others laughed. “What?”
Arsen’s heart swelled. Ever was a constant surprise, as sweet and pure and angelic as the day he’d found him, but he was also somewhat feral, prone to biting, swearing, and was horny almost around the clock. It was like Arsen had cooked him up in a lab. He was perfect.
“You’re just very cute, besenok,” Arsen assured him, giving all of them a glare that told them not to laugh at his boyfriend, even if Arsen kind of wanted to laugh, too.
Ever put so much pressure on himself to go from captive to productive member of society, as if that was an easy thing for any of them to do, much less him. When this was finally settled, Arsen was going to sit down with Ever and Jericho and make a plan for Ever’s future. It was clear he wouldn’t feel settled until he was working towards some kind of goal, even if Arsen thought his only goal should be healing. Maybe a plan was what he needed to start that process?
“You have your whole life to figure that out,” Jericho promised. “In the meantime, let’s get back to the plan. Thomas thinks you guys taking out the cops is too much heat”—a bunch of groans sounded, but Jericho shut them up with a single arched brow—“on such short notice. He’s sending Adam and whichever Mulvaney is free to take them out as we speak. They have the money and the resources to make it look like they were never there. Besides, it’s easier to divide and conquer.”
“I hope they send August,” Seven said. “Imagine what he’d do to those bodies…and he won’t even wait until they’re dead.”
“To be fair, we’re only waiting until they’re dead so you guys can play, too,” Avi said, then looked at Ever. “I think chipmunk has had enough of the blood and guts for now.”
“He won’t be there so it doesn’t matter,” Arsen said.
Ever’s gaze snapped to his. “What? No way. I’m going.”
Arsen’s mouth fell open, and he stared at Ever for a full thirty seconds before he realized he wasn’t verbalizing any of the words bouncing around in his head. He couldn’t help it, though. His heart hammered against his ribcage hard enough to steal his breath. “Absolutely not. There are too many things that can go wrong. You could get shot, you could get taken again. No. No way. I won’t allow it.”
Nico snickered. “You won’t allow it? Okay.”
Ever’s eyes went wide, and, for a split second, Arsen thought he might cry. Then Felix was behind him on the couch, running sharp nails through his hair. “You don’t have to listen to him, gumdrop. He’s not the boss of you.”
Ever’s eyelids flickered as he arched into the touch, practically purring like a cat. He really was touch-starved. Good thing because his friends clearly had no fucking boundaries. Besides, none of that was the point. “I’m not saying I’m your…boss. I’m saying I can’t think straight if I have to worry about where you are the whole time? Please, just…sit this one out.”
Felix’s petting wasn’t enough to keep Ever from glaring at him, chin thrust forward, arms crossing. “No. I’m going.” His voice wobbled slightly. “I-I need to see for myself.”
“Wasn’t Cherry enough?” Arsen begged, feeling sick.
How was he supposed to concentrate knowing Ever was in danger? This wasn’t fair. It would be like trying to do this with one of his arms tied behind his back.
“Okay, enough,” Jericho said. “Ever, you can come, but you wait where we put you. Atticus will keep you company. Once they’re all dead”—he looked at Asa and Avi in turn—“but before we start carving up bodies, you can bring Ever in so he can see for himself.”
Ever frowned then shook his head. “I don’t care about them. I never want to see them again. I care about the people locked in that shipping container. Do you know how bad it probably is in there? No bathroom. No ventilation. No blankets or heat. They might not even have food or water. They don’t know what happened, or why they’re there, or if anyone is coming to save them. I just…I just need to see for myself that they’re all okay. That they’re all…alive.”
All eyes went to Arsen. How was he supposed to argue with that? He wasn’t a fucking monster. “Fine. But you have to stay with Atticus. Promise?”
Ever nodded.
Jericho looked at Ever. “I can’t have Arsen distracted or he’ll be a liability. Got it?”
Ever nodded. “Yeah, okay.”
“Good,” Atticus said. “We leave soon. Everyone start getting ready.”
There was a pause, then—
“Why are there so many blankets here?” Seven muttered, looking around at the assortment stuffed in baskets and thrown over the sofa and chairs.
“Yeah, do you guys get cold a lot or something?” Nico asked.
Atticus turned red, looking to his husband like he was asking for help. When Jericho just smirked at him, he said, “I hired a decorator. She was…clearly a fan of the look. Neither of us cared enough to change it.”
“Maybe she just noticed you’re pale enough to burn indoors and wanted you to be able to cover up at the first touch of the sun’s rays,” Avi said.
Atticus glowered at his brothers. “Nobody fucking likes you.”
Nico elbowed Asa. “I like you, man. I think you’re hilarious.”
“Aw, thanks, I think you’re neat, too.”
“Traitor,” Atticus muttered. “You’re all traitors.”
Jericho chuckled. “Enough chit-chat. Let’s do this.”
Everyone grumbled but nodded. “Yeah, yeah.”
The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon when they parked their cars about a mile down the road from their destination at a place that rented tiny fishing cabins. The air was slightly chilled, a low layer of fog making their job harder. Arsen kept Ever in front of him the whole way, holding onto his arm with his free hand, keeping him upright as he stumbled over roots and knotted vines.
When they found the cabin, they stayed hidden, hunkered down behind the trees while Jericho scanned the place with binoculars. “It’s quiet. Not even a guard on duty. Morons.”
He put the binoculars back and pulled out a strange contraption, pointing it at the side of the house.
“What is that?” Arsen asked quietly.
“Think of it like x-ray vision,” Atticus said. “It can tell us where they are in the house by their heat signature.”
“Man, you guys have the best toys,” Levi muttered, then yawned loud enough for his jaw to snap.
It was true. Whenever they involved the Mulvaneys in their jobs, they always came with Kevlar vests, weapons not even available on the market, and toys that looked like something straight out of a spy movie. It was helpful but also somewhat intimidating.
Arsen held Ever against him, resting his chin on his head. Ever was tense, his eyes locked on the only thing he cared about. The shipping container was barely visible from their current location, but it was clearly the one Cherry mentioned. It looked more like a storage unit or a shed, but the locks were so big Arsen could observe them without effort even at that distance.
They’d brought bolt cutters for that reason. Atticus had insisted, saying the last time they’d done a rescue mission like this there’d been a struggle to find a way to unlock the door without hurting anybody. Ever held the bolt cutters in a death grip, like he was taking his one job very seriously.
Arsen’s mouth was dry, his adrenaline through the roof. These large-scale jobs were always way more intense than taking out a single bad guy…or woman. There was so much room for something—anything—to go wrong. And now, he had Ever.
“They’re all in there,” Jericho said. “There are three bodies lying prone in one room at the back. Bedroom, most likely. Another two bodies with a lesser heat signature, also prone. Chances are we got another bedroom. There are two sitting up in the front room and several on the floor. If they weren’t all glowing hot, I’d say someone beat us to it with how still they are.”
“You’re going in two teams. Felix, Seven, Nico, and Avi take the back, Arsen, Lake, and Asa take the front with me. Head on a fucking swivel. We make no mistakes. Comms check.”
They all checked to make sure they could be heard by the device in their ears, then parted into their own groups. Arsen didn’t want to leave Ever there, so close to the action, even though he knew he was out of the line of fire. He turned him around and gave him a hard kiss, then pulled ear plugs from his pocket, handing them to Ever, who frowned at them.
“The gunfire will be loud. They go in your ears,” Atticus supplied.
Oh, right. How would Ever know that? Arsen shook his head, then helped Ever put the plugs in, then took his cat headphones from his bag and gently placed them over his ears. “Please, be safe, besenok.”
Ever nodded, then cupped his face, pulling him down for a much longer kiss. “Hurry back, Senya.”
A shiver of lust rolled over him. Now was most definitely not the time, but hearing Ever call him that was still a novelty, still excited him. He hoped that never went away.
“Ready?” Jericho asked. They all nodded, weapons at the ready. “We go on my mark.”
Arsen, Jericho, Asa, and Lake jogged quietly across the brown and dying lawn. In Jericho’s hands was a SWAT-issued battering ram—identical to the one Avi carried around the back. There was no way the door would stand up against that.
The sound of gravel crunching under their boots sounded as loud as the gunfire that was about to ensue. He could only hope they were all too liquor-soaked to hear them coming.
Once they were gathered at the front door, he glanced back at Ever, who looked so small beside Atticus. He was doing this for him.
“We breach on three,” Jericho whispered into the mic.
“Uh…” Avi said.
“Yeah?” Jericho said in a harsh whisper.
“Like one, two, and then we breach on three, or one, two, three, then go?”
There were snickers of laughter in Arsen’s ears, but it did nothing to quell the turmoil. He just wanted this over with.
“I said on three not after three,” Jericho said, irritated.
“Just checking, jeez,” came Avi’s own grumble.
“One.”
Arsen raised his gun, taking a deep breath and letting it out, then cracking his neck.
“Two.”
A wave of perfect calmness swept over him as he narrowed his focus down to the single task at hand.
“Three.”
The battering rams hit the door in sync, creating a bomb-like boom as the wood splintered in protest. Jericho kicked the ruined door in just as the first shot rang out from the back. Arsen leveled his gun at a man scrambling for the weapon tucked in his belt and pulled the trigger, a perfect hole forming in his left temple as blood spattered on the wall and he collapsed in a heap.
It was a slaughter. Totally unfair in every conceivable way. Arsen aimed and fired, aimed and fired, watching with some satisfaction as each body hit the floor.
“Save some for the rest of us,” Asa muttered in the mic as he took out two men in rapid succession.
It was all happening so fast but not in Arsen’s head. Whenever he was in these situations, it was like time slowed down to give him an advantage, even though he knew it was simply the body’s response to stress.
Asa pulled a vicious knife from his belt. It looked like something out of a horror movie. “You want a picture for the boy first or are we good?”
Arsen’s stomach churned. “Do what you have to do, man.”
Asa’s laugh was chilling as he grabbed a man by the hair, taking the knife across his neck in one smooth motion. Arsen watched the man’s skin part before turning away. There was a sick, squelching sound but Arsen couldn’t bring himself to look.
“Fuck!” Lake shouted, sounding pissed. “That fucker shot me.”
“You let them get the jump on you?”
“Seven shot me.”
“You literally jumped in front of my gun, bro. You shot yourself.”
“How bad is it?” Jericho asked.
“It’s bleeding pretty bad. It might have hit an artery.”
“Fuck!” Jericho shouted. “We need you, Freckles.”
Arsen’s eyes went wide. “We can’t leave Ever out there alone.”
“You want him in here? With this?”
Arsen looked at the horror show Asa was creating in the living room. “God, no.”
“He’ll be fine. In about fifteen minutes, you can take him to open that shipping container and be the hero.”
Atticus busted through the door. “Where is he?”
“Back room,” Seven called. “It’s his right thigh.”
Ever could hear nothing but the sound of his own labored breathing. It sounded like he’d run a marathon, even though he was only sitting there, waiting for the others to finish slaughtering people in his name. A tiny giggle escaped him, drawing Atticus’s attention away from his granola bar.
Ever stifled the next laugh threatening to bubble up from some place deep inside him. Why was he laughing? None of this was funny. People were dying. Ever should care about that. He should feel something. Did it make him a bad person that he didn’t?
