AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Garrett laughed at Luke’s words. “You make it sound like a country club.”
Caden shook his head. They were making jokes now. But when Caden had first called their friends to tell them Blake had been shot, there were no smiles to be seen and hardly a word to be said. They’d sat in the surgical waiting area seemingly holding their breaths until the nurse came out and told them Blake would be okay. Then they all exhaled at the same time.
“I’m glad you stopped by actually,” Luke said. “I wanted to ask if you’ve had any luck closing in on Russell Graham or the drug cartel.”
Caden shoved his hands into his pockets. He’d promised his friend to stay on top of it, but things were busy at the office. Cases were piling up and now with Blake out of commission, his caseload was only going to get bigger. “Still on the agenda.” Caden hoped the laundromat case would somehow lead back to Graham but it hadn’t. It had however led him to Hallie’s shop, so it wasn’t a total loss.
Caden hated what Russell Graham had put Luke and his new wife, Orly, through, but there were only so many hours in the day. And Caden already felt like he was burning the candle from both ends.
“Hey, maybe I can poke around. I’ll be riding a desk for a while anyway.” Blake’s eagerness to help was amiable, but given his predicament, it just wasn’t possible at the moment. That was what Caden had been putting off telling him.
Caden’s prolonged silence caught his friend’s attention. “What?” Blake asked, pouring himself some water from a small pitcher into a paper cup and downing its contents.
Caden turned to Luke and Garrett. They understood. “We have to get going,” Luke patted Blake’s good shoulder.
“Yeah, I have a deposition I need to get to.” Garrett offered Blake a chin lift. “Text me later.”
“Don’t get too comfortable here,” Luke said, as he and Garrett left the room.
Caden shut the door on their way out and turned back to Blake, who was giving him an inquisitive stare. “Since when do we have to hold back with our friends, especially when it involves that asshole Graham?”
“We don’t.” Caden shoved a hand through his hair. “And I will do what I can to bring him down. But this isn’t about him. I came here because we need to talk. I probably should’ve done this sooner, but I’ve been putting it off. I wanted to make sure you were okay first.”
Blake stared at him expectantly. “Suspended?”
Caden nodded. “Three months.”
“I should’ve known. It’s fine. Not your fault.”
Caden sank into the only chair in the room that was at the foot of the bed. “No. It’s yours. How the hell could you do that? You ran into that active shooter scene after you were specifically ordered not to. You’re lucky you didn’t get your head blown off.” Caden was practically seething at his friend for being such a hot-headed wanna be hotshot.
Blake put his good hand up in surrender. “I get it, okay? No need for dramatics.”
Caden sighed. “You think this is dramatic? Wait til Avery gets a hold of you. I had to practically convince the guy not to fire you on the spot. He was trying to prevent this when he told you to stand down. But you went and got yourself shot anyway. What were you thinking?”
When Blake didn’t respond, Caden drew in a calming breath. “You don’t have to answer me, but you might want to prepare an answer for Avery. At least for the after-action report.”
Blake nodded. “Thanks. And for saving my job.”
Caden couldn’t decide if he wanted to punch the man or hug the shit out of him. Blake was a great agent. He trusted the man with his life. But pulling the stunt he did the other day was going to hurt his career. There was just no way around that. “Yeah, well, I’ve gotten used to you loitering around the bureau. The place wouldn’t be the same without you.”
Blake shifted in the bed and Caden caught a wince. “I should go and let you get some rest. Maybe one of those nice nurses will offer you another sponge bath,” Caden smirked.
Blake tossed the empty water cup at him and chuckled when it hit Caden square in the chest, then fell to the floor. “Direct hit.”
Caden sobered. He picked up the cup and tossed it into the trash can. “Maybe we should avoid those for a while.”
Blake nodded. The thickness of emotion in the room lingered for a moment until a nurse walked in and asked Blake if he was ready for a dressing change.
Caden said his goodbyes and left. He took another moment outside the door to collect himself. He hated when people he cared about got hurt. It only served to remind him just how out of control everything was around him.
As he walked back to the elevator, he caught sight of a woman sitting in one of the chairs in a small waiting room off the elevator bay. Her head was down as she busily typed something on her phone. She looked up just as he peeked into the room. Was that - what was she doing here?
“Hallie?” He asked. She was the last person he expected to see here, but exactly the one he wanted to see right now.
Her eyebrows arched in surprise when their gaze met. She gave him a soft smile that almost made him forget where he was, then started gathering her things. “Hi,” she said, sliding her phone in her bag.
“You don’t have to leave on my account.” Caden stood in the doorway, not wanting to crowd her. “I just didn’t expect to see you here. Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
