Protecting Braden (Custos Securities Series Book 2)

by Luna, David

  His calves hit the fender, his back, the hood of the car and then he was rolling. He tucked his body into something resembling a ball, trying to protect his head with his arms. He felt the impact of the windshield against his arms and his head, and then he was rolling off of the roof of the car and landing in a heap on the ground. The only thing he heard before everything went black was the screech of tires as the car finally braked to a stop.

  Braden felt hands on his back, shoving him, and all of a sudden he was hurtling through the air. He hit the ground with a bone-jarring thud. Disoriented, he looked behind himself to see who had pushed him. The last few seconds of Cade’s free fall from the top of the car would be forever etched in his brain. He had no more thought of fleeing. Seeing Cade crumpled on the ground after being struck by a car was the wake-up call he needed to get himself together.

  Fear suffused his whole body when he realized Cade wasn’t moving. He went to get up and realized his own trip through the air had left him with more than a couple aches and pains. He’d have to take stock of his newest injuries later; for now he just had to get to Cade.

  Finally getting to his feet, he made his way over to Cade’s side as quickly as he could. He knew enough not to try to move him, so he got down on his hands and knees and touched Cade’s arm tentatively. He called out his name and squeezed Cade’s hand. Still no reaction. He felt something hit his foot and turned around. He saw booted feet but when he looked to see who’d kicked him, he was only able to see a fist flying at his face, faster than he could deflect. He sucked in a breath as pain exploded through his jaw, before the blackness overtook him.

  Eric’s face spread into a sinister smile as he drew back his fist and let one fly, catching Braden in the jaw with a solid right hook. God damn, that felt good. He’d been waiting to knock some sense into Braden, and he loved the rush of adrenaline that coursed through his body. He dragged Braden unceremoniously to the car. He was about to put him in the backseat when he heard bystanders approaching. Several of them were holding up cell phones, like they were recording everything. Fucking cameras had become the bane of his existence.

  He heard someone shout, “Hey!” He pulled his gun from his waistband, waved it in their general direction, and took mild satisfaction in seeing them all duck for cover. He hefted his prize into the backseat and was in the car speeding off before that fucking brute of a man had even moved. He hoped the bastard was dead, but if he wasn’t, he’d never be able to find them.

  If he was honest with himself, he knew he’d never win if it came to a fight between him and McCade. He’d taken his advice after listening to that voicemail on his phone over and over again. He’d googled his name and what he had read had sent him into a deep-seated panic. The shit that was online about him was unbelievable. He knew that there was no way all of it was true, but if even half of it was, the man wasn’t someone he wanted to come face to face with, ever. The only thing saving him was the fact that McCade couldn’t possibly find him now. He’d been very careful. He’d gotten out of that house that he’d been renting the second he saw himself on TV, knowing that old bitch would turn him in.

  He’d cut and dyed his hair, and grown and dyed his beard. He’d even managed to find a man that looked enough like him and snagged his wallet, complete with driver’s license. He was now renting a shittier house in a shittier neighborhood, but along with that shittier address came neighbors that turned a blind eye and minded their own business. That was what was going to keep his ass safe from that Special Forces asshole.

  Said asshole was pissing him off, more and more each day. He’d varied Braden’s schedule and changed his running routes. In the past, he’d been able to sit and wait Braden out because he’d known his routines so well. All he’d had to do was sit in a coffee shop or some other business on his route and inevitably Braden would jog by. Now, he never ran the same route twice and he was Never. Fucking. Alone. Braden wasn’t stupid enough to fall for the same scheme twice, so he knew nabbing him again was going to require luck, and a shitload of patience. It had finally paid off. Big time.

  After a lot of frustration with Braden’s new and unpredictable schedule, he’d given up on trying to follow him everywhere he went. In the end, he admitted to himself that he’d have more luck being a bit unpredictable himself. He had a new look and a different stolen car so he’d drive through Braden’s neighborhood side streets, usually about once, sometimes twice a day, on the off chance he’d get lucky. Frustration was mounting, but all he could think about was getting Braden’s traitorous ass back where it belonged so that he could figure out how best to punish him for his transgressions.

  After several weeks, his plan didn’t seem to be working out, but last evening he happened to be driving by when Braden and his asshole keeper were pulling out. He’d followed them to the hospital of all places, but after doing his level best to figure out a way to nab Braden that night, he’d admitted that it was too risky. There were too many people there that looked capable enough to get in his way. He’d left, frustrated that he’d let an opportunity pass, but unable to manipulate the situation in his favor.

  Frankly, he didn’t think the time would ever come when he’d be able to get him. There hadn’t been a break in the security on Braden for one second since he’d left him unconscious in that car, what felt like forever ago. He’d been waiting and waiting for an opening and had been elated that he’d seen them yesterday, thinking his luck had changed and he was angrier the day after, knowing he’d failed and feeling as if he’d never get another chance.

  He’d forced himself back into his stolen beater that morning knowing it would probably be a fruitless trip, but unwilling to become lax in his plan. And wouldn’t you know it, his little reconnaissance mission of the neighborhood had turned unexpectedly in his favor a second time, when he saw them jogging up ahead of him, and then slow down.

  He couldn’t believe his luck when a parking spot had opened up and he’d been able to pull over to watch their discussion. He’d then seen Braden take off like a bat out of hell. It was pure good fortune Braden took that intersection at that exact moment. Eric didn’t second guess himself. As soon as he’d seen Braden take off, he’d pulled out of his spot and picked up speed. He honestly didn’t care which one of them he hit, he was armed either way.

  The “accident” couldn’t have worked more in his favor. Just thinking about it made him laugh. He should have shot McCade while he’d had the chance, however, he wasn’t stupid and he knew having that many witnesses, especially with cameras rolling, would have been a really idiotic move. Retrieving his property while being watched by half a dozen strangers was one thing, murder in cold blood on video, another altogether. And Braden was his property, of that there was no doubt, and everyone would know it.

  It was too late for McCade. He’d have to live with the fact that he couldn’t save Braden, that’s if he lived at all. He didn’t know what he was going to do with the little fucker. It was almost too good to be true. He knew he’d be beating a few lessons into him very soon, but after that, he wasn’t sure. He’d waited long enough to have his tight little ass again, so that was also on the agenda. He was not feeling generous, so he wasn’t going to be gentle by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, he couldn’t remember ever feeling this angry. It was a living, breathing thing inside of him.

  He’d seen red when he had watched his own face come up on the 6 o’clock news weeks ago and then again and again on each local news show. If Braden had been there at that moment, he wouldn’t have been able to stop himself from snapping his fucking neck. He’d had time to calm down since then, but the fact that he was now living in a hovel and hiding from the cops on bogus charges was enough to make sure Braden never forgot the lesson he was soon to learn. As long as Braden dropped the charges and explained to the cops that it had all been a big misunderstanding and that Braden was, in fact, his for the taking, everything should be fine.

  If he decided he was feeling generous, he migh
t keep Braden around. They’d have to work out some rules for him to abide by; otherwise, he had no further use for him. He smiled at that last thought, knowing how easy it would be to just let Braden lapse into another coma and walk away when he was done with him.

  Cade could feel someone nudging his shoulder. They spoke, but the words weren’t clear, almost as though they were far, far away. “Hey man, are you OK? Wake up, buddy.”

  His return to consciousness was a slow process and he realized his head was killing him. He opened his eyes and brought a hand to his head to feel the huge lump that had formed there. He looked up into a stranger’s eyes in confusion. He wondered what the hell had happened when a stranger leaned over him. “Man, that crazy bastard ran right into you and then kidnapped the guy you pushed out of the way!”

  Cade sat bolt upright and ignored the screaming pain that thumped through his skull. He looked around to be sure. “The man I was running with was kidnapped?”

  “Yeah, man! The driver slammed his fist into the little dude’s jaw, dragged him into the back of his car and took off.”

  Cade threw himself back, clutching the sides of his head and screamed, “FUCK!”

  The stranger’s eyes widened and he backed up a bit. “The cops have been called. They should be able to help you soon.”

  Cade realized he didn’t have time to spare. He’d probably only been out for a couple minutes or so and his head was killing him, but he needed to get his ass in gear and track Braden. He reached for his phone on his arm band and realized it wasn’t there. He searched around for it and found it about a foot away. He reached for it and saw the shattered screen immediately but tried to use it anyway, cussing like a sailor when he realized it was totaled. He tucked it in his pocket and looked for the guy he’d been talking to. “Can I use your phone?”

  The guy nodded, pulled out an old flip phone and handed it over. Cade opened it and dialed Cooper as he walked away from his would be helper. When Cooper answered, he didn’t waste time on pleasantries and spoke low. “Coop, he got Braden while we were out running. I need you to pick me up. Bring the emergency go bag and some clothes for me. Oh, and Braden’s testing kit. My phone is dead, use my tracer to track me. I gotta get away from the scene so I don’t get delayed by the cops. Once you’re off the phone with me, call Brody and get all of Braden’s tracers activated and searching.”

  He hung up, not waiting for a reply. He knew it would be a bit before Cooper was able to get there, not only because of everything he had to bring, but because traffic was starting in earnest. He handed the guy back his phone. He was about to tell the guy that he was going to leave and to contact Detective Miller, but it was too much to explain and he heard the sirens approaching, so he thanked him for the use of his phone and then turned and ran toward where Cooper would be coming from and away from the sound of the sirens. He heard the guy call out to him, but he ignored it. He’d have to call Detective Miller as soon as he was picked up.

  By the time Cooper had finally pulled up alongside him, he’d gotten himself in the right head space, put all the other shit aside for now, including the pain in his body and head, and flipped his internal switch for the battle to come. Cade noticed Jackson and Sawyer sitting in the backseat, ready to go, and he was grateful. He hopped in the SUV and gave them all a very short explanation of what happened while he stripped down completely and redressed. He began filling the pockets of his cargos with another ammo clip, several knives, and a few other things that Cooper had brought with him.

  He felt some nausea threaten the meager contents of his stomach, most likely due to his head injury, and if he had to guess, he was probably covered from head to toe with bruises and scrapes. None of that mattered. He had to swallow down the nausea and ignore the pain. As soon as Braden was safe, he’d let his body react as it needed. He couldn’t believe he’d fucked up. If anything happened to Braden, it would be on his head.

  His men didn’t ask any questions or push further for information. Cooper silently handed over his own phone, knowing Cade would want to make calls. He pulled out his broken phone and tossed it in the cup holder knowing it would be trashed properly, later. Cade was in the zone. He dialed Brody and put it on speaker. “Do you have him?”

  “Yeah, I’ve got him. He’s in the Bayview, Hunters Point area. Not a good part of town, so we know Eric’s options are limited at this point. It’s a really rough neighborhood, which will keep people from calling the cops if they hear anything from him, but most likely anything from you guys as well. I’ll keep eyes on him to make sure his location doesn’t change. When you get to Bayview, call me, and I’ll direct you to his latest location.”

  Cade hung up with Brody and sat, running through scenarios in his head. He remembered he had to call the detective, so he pulled up the contact on Cooper’s phone and dialed. “Detective, this is Cade. I’m calling to let you know that he’s taken Braden again. I was hit with his car while we were running and when I came to, Braden was gone. A witness told me Eric punched him and dragged him into the car and left. I left the scene of the accident, so you’ll need to smooth that over with the cops. I wasn’t going to be delayed in my search for him by a bunch of beat cops asking a million questions—”

  Cade rubbed his head where it had hit the windshield and looked at his bloody palm. “I don’t much care about procedure at this point, deal with the fall out. I’m out in search for him now, just so you know. The only info I have from the accident is that he was driving another beat up Honda, white, at least ten years old, but I have no idea what model. I was too busy being thrown through the air by the impact to notice. Once you get the witness statements from the cops at the scene, let me know if there is any further information regarding the car. I didn’t even see him, so I have no idea if he’s changed his appearance again. My phone died when I hit the pavement so call me at this number if you learn anything new.”

  He hung up the phone without waiting for a reply, knowing that the detective was pissed, but unable to care. He wanted to hit something, he was filled with so much rage, most of it at himself. He was being swamped by guilt. They’d both been exhausted last night and getting up so early to get to the bakery had been the last thing either of them had wanted to do. He should have insisted someone run with them. Sawyer felt uneasy and he’d just assumed that they’d gotten home and were safe after the hospital scare, but he should have been more diligent.

  The day had felt off from the get go. He hadn’t been at the top of his game and Braden would be hurt, again, because of it.

  Cooper interrupted his thoughts. “We’re coming into the Bayview area, should hit Hunter’s Point soon.”

  Cade got his head back in the game, looked out the window to the seedy area they drove through. He felt adrenaline course through his veins, readying his body for the fight to come. He dialed Brody and he picked up before it rang a second time. He gave them the address and told them good luck. He plugged it into the phone’s GPS. They were still several miles out. Traffic had thinned in this part of town.

  He hooked in his earpiece and tested it out, speaking quietly, outlining his plan. Sawyer and Jackson were to stay outside guarding the front and back exits, in case he made a run for it. Cooper was to go in the front, while he took the back. He received affirmatives from all three, validating that all ear pieces were functional.

  They’d spend a couple minutes surveilling the house and surrounding areas first. He wasn’t about to bust into the place without doing his best to figure out what the hell they were going into, but he wasn’t about to waste any time when Braden could be getting hurt as they scoped out the place.

  What he did know is that they had the element of surprise on their side. Braden would never tell Eric about the tracers, and he was positive it would never occur to him. At this point, Eric was riding high and feeling quite smug that he’d managed to get to Braden again.

  What worried Cade the most was the amount of anger Eric would be carrying for Braden. He also k
new from the profile that Eric would most likely keep Braden around for a while to torture; his need for revenge needed to be satisfied before he did anything final. He was a sadistic bastard and a rapist, so he could do all manner of things and he’d had him at the house for nearly an hour now. Though that didn’t seem so long, it was long enough to do a lot of fucking damage. Cade knew he needed to find it in himself to stay above the emotions of the situation. It would kill him to see this whole scenario as just another battle, but he had to be able to distance himself somewhat from Braden in order to be able to focus on bringing Eric down.

  They rounded the corner of the closest side street and pulled over. Before they got out, Cade gave them a few brief instructions. That’s all that was needed for his men to fall into their familiar pattern of surveillance. All four men got out, armed and ready to go, and hoofed it the rest of the way. They separated and began spreading out between the houses to get to their destination.

  The houses were all in extreme need of repair. Several of the homes were boarded up and covered in graffiti. Cade was about to exit the street into an alleyway, when a blond-haired woman with a black eye and track marks on the arm that was holding onto a little girl’s hand came toward him. They both paused, startled, and looked at him. The woman was savvy enough to know that she needed to forget she saw him, immediately. She averted her eyes automatically, jerked her daughter’s arm to pull her close, and they both scurried across the street to get away, as fast as they could.

  Cade saw Sawyer silently slip over the chain link fence at the back of the house. There wasn’t much back there but a copse of thick blackberry bushes, behind which he was able to take cover. Cade stayed back, out of sight of the house, for another few minutes and then approached behind Sawyer who gave him several hand gestures: no movement, no sound, all clear to approach. Cade gave an imperceptible nod and approached the steps up to the dilapidated back porch, gun drawn.