AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Kaj was numb as he stared down at the young man lying on his front lawn. This was the boy—no, the man, dammit—who’d laid hands on his son. He tried to take my Elijah.
“You okay?” Burke asked softly, and it was as if the question unleashed Kaj’s emotions. Terror mixed with dread and a raw fury such as he’d never felt before. He tried to take my son.
“I’m not going to strangle him with my bare hands,” Kaj said from behind clenched teeth, “if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Then you’re a better man than I am,” Burke said. “I don’t think I’d be as restrained.”
“I want him to rot in prison. If I strangle him before they can save his life, he won’t be able to do that.”
André spread the thermal blanket over Rick’s body. “The paramedics will be here any minute. We’ll get him transported and cuff him to his hospital bed. When he comes to—if he comes to—he’s going to answer a lot of questions.”
Kaj swallowed back the hatred that threatened to choke him. “I want to be there when you ask those questions.”
André gave him a quick nod. “Here are the paramedics.”
Hands clenched into fists, Kaj stood next to Burke as the medics checked Rick over and then gave him an injection of Narcan.
“Overdose?” Kaj asked.
André shrugged. “Likely. If it isn’t, the Narcan won’t hurt him. If it is, it could save him, but it’s a long shot. He seems pretty far gone.”
“His brother Corey did say he’d been using,” Burke said quietly. “And that he was in with Sixth Day.”
“Officer Nolan, call Corey Gates,” André directed. “Let him know that we found Rick. Did it work?” he asked the paramedics.
One of them looked up, pulling the stethoscope tips from his ears. “I think so. His pulse was twenty before. Now it’s forty-five. We’ll take him in, and hopefully the ER docs can help him.” They moved Rick to a stretcher, then loaded him into the ambulance. “You coming, Captain?”
“Yeah,” André said, tossing his keys to Drysdale. “Bring my SUV to the hospital?”
“Sure thing, Captain.” Drysdale turned to Kaj. “Your son’s okay?”
Kaj nodded. “He’s with his bodyguard.”
“Good. I saw the video from last night. Your son is brave, but he shouldn’t have to be.” He handed Kaj a business card. “Please call me if you need anything. I have a daughter. I can’t imagine what you’re going through right now.”
Kaj took the card, hating that he didn’t trust this man, but Sixth Day had known that there were no guards outside his home. Only the NOPD and Burke’s group had this information, and he trusted Burke’s group. That left the NOPD as the source of the leak. Otherwise, those bastards never would have dared to drive up like they owned the place. “Thank you,” he forced himself to say, then turned to Burke. “I need to increase security. Can I add a guard outside?”
“Val already asked and it’s already done. You’re lookin’ at him.”
Smacked by a wave of gratitude, Kaj nodded, hating that his eyes stung. “Thank you. Val was amazing. And that dog of hers tore after that van like it was a pork chop.”
“Ah, Czar. He’s a terrifying teddy bear.” Burke squeezed his shoulder before guiding him up the stairs to the porch, pausing by his front door. “You may want to consider adding police protection.”
Kaj shook his head. “I—”
“Hear me out,” Burke interrupted gently. “Between André and me, we can handpick cops who we trust. At least have them patrol your street. They don’t have to come into the house. Sixth Day might be bluffing, but we can’t take that chance. Not with Elijah’s safety.”
Kaj nodded numbly. “I know.”
Burke’s expression softened with compassion. “Just think about it. Go on inside. I’m going to do a perimeter check. Meet you inside in a few.”
Burke jogged around to the back of his house and for a moment Kaj could only stand in front of his door, his mind nearly paralyzed with fear for his son. Then he kicked himself into motion, dialing his boss on his cell phone.
“Cardozo? What’s happened?”
Kaj told him what had happened, and Hogan cursed. “I just sent out that press release saying you’d been recused, so it’s unlikely that Sixth Day has seen it yet.”
“Or they don’t care.”
