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Victor Munoz had tried to get Carson fired but nothing came of it without Victor admitting he’d been selling drugs to begin with. Victor had sworn to get his revenge, but Carson hadn’t cared. He still didn’t. Carson wished he’d taken his gun that night instead of leaving it at his home.
His fists beating Victor’s face had been therapeutic, but Billy was still dead.
Instead of returning to his position, Carson had run to Rocky Lake to take his new job. The Munoz cartel wasn’t through with him though. They’d shown up in his new city and Carson would not lose anyone else he cared about to the gang or the drugs. It was time to face his past and the first step would be finding out why Arturo was there and where Victor Munoz was hiding.
* * * * *
Sam
“Thanks for bringing me home.” Caden turned in his seat and smiled at Sam.
“Of course. Anytime. You know that,” Sam assured his friend. It wasn’t often that Lincoln couldn’t pick Caden up but when Lincoln was stuck at work, Sam was happy to help.
Deep down, Sam had known things would change when one of them found a Daddy but he sort of missed having Caden around all the time. Sam, Adam, and Caden had become so close with it just being the three of them for so long. Sam felt like he was the big brother to Caden, but his little brother was spreading his wings and finding himself. Sam was proud even if he missed how things used to be.
“Do you want to come in? Daddy said for me to put the casserole in the oven and it’s your favorite.”
That perked Sam up. “Green chili casserole?”
“Yep, it’s so good.”
“I’m in!” Sam reached for the door handle. He hadn’t heard from Carson but if Lincoln and Nash were still working then Carson was probably there as well. He could hang out with Caden until Lincoln got home then maybe he’d give Carson a call.
The relationship was still new enough that Sam wasn’t sure if calling or texting Carson would be bothering the older man. It was obvious that something had happened with the three cops running out of the shop earlier and now Lincoln working late.
“Cool!” Caden wiggled in his seat before he opened the door and nearly fell out. It was a good thing his seatbelt was still buckled.
“Seat belt,” Sam teased.
Caden flushed. “I’m used to Daddy doing it for me.”
“Well, I’m not Daddy so you have to unbuckle yourself,” Sam replied with a laugh.
“You’d make a terrible Daddy,” Caden responded with a shake of his head. “Daddies would never give me as much chocolate as you do! Lincoln makes me brush my teeth two times when I come home from playing at your place.”
That actually made perfect sense and Sam could see Linc ordering Caden to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He wanted that. Someone who put his needs before everything else even if it wasn’t what Sam wanted.
They exited the SUV and Sam clicked it locked before he followed Caden up the sidewalk to the front porch. The decorations still made Sam smile. Who didn’t love fall? Caden liked the cooler weather, Adam loved all things Halloween and anything spooky, and Sam enjoyed the beginning of the holiday season.
Growing up, holidays had sucked. The décor around the house and all the stupid dinner parties had only been to impress others. Even before he’d gotten into politics, Sam’s father cared more about what the congregation thought about the family than how he treated his family.
His first holiday with his grandma and Susie had been small and wonderful. There had been so much love with just the three of them Sam had the best time of his life. Since moving to Rocky Lake, Sam had taken over hosting holidays with Susie and Adam. When his grandma was still alive, she’d even driven down. Holidays were his jam and he hoped to include his very own Daddy this year.
Caden unlocked the front door before rushing over and turning off the alarm. His tongue caught between his teeth, Caden pushed buttons until the beeping stopped. He glanced over his shoulder and shrugged. “I get nervous that I’m going to set it off and the cops will come and Lincoln will be mad.”
Sam closed and locked the door before he walked over to sling his arm around Caden’s shoulder. “I can guarantee that even if that happened, Lincoln would not get angry with you. He’d be worried about you but never mad.”
Caden nodded then turned to bury his face in Sam’s neck.
“It’s okay.” Sam patted Caden’s back. He’d let his friend hold on to him for as long as Caden needed.
“I know that Daddy won’t get mad at me but sometimes I still feel like all this is just a big dream and I’m still living on the streets.”
Shit! Sam hugged Caden tightly. “I promise this is all real. You deserve Lincoln and everything else good that is happening.”
Pulling back a little, Caden tilted his head. Sam wasn’t used to being taller than anyone, but he liked Caden looking up at him. “You deserve good things too. I want to hear more about you and the L.T.”
“Reset the alarm and I’ll tell you as we put the food in the oven.”
