Page 85 of Until Forever

“Jas. He’s down. He’s down,” Cobi screams. “You’re not killing anyone today.”

I watch an officer kneel in front of Scar with two fingers on his neck. “We have a pulse.” The officer nods.

Cobi sighs and helps me to my feet. “What were you thinking coming out here alone?”

“JJ. Where’s my son?” I push his hands off of me and race to the office.

“Daddy!” JJ comes running out of the backroom and straight into my arms.

I drop to my knees in front of him. “I got you. I got you,” I recite while holding him to my chest, not caring there’s now blood all over him.

“You’re hurt,” he says.

I stand and pull him to me. “I’m fine. Did they hurt you?”

He shakes his head.

“Come on, let’s get him out of here,” Cobi encourages with a hand on my shoulder.

Red and blue lights flash off the walls as the sirens blare. Now that it’s over, everything hurts. My eye is swollen shut, and my head is pounding. But I found him, and he’s safe.

“Oh. There are some other guys coming. I overheard them talking. Probably carrying drugs and more weapons.”

“We got ’em. Caught them coming in the same time as us, cornered them at a dead end. We even got the guy you knocked out by the van,” Cobi assures.

I nod and follow him outside. The scene is much like that out of a movie—marked and unmarked cars splattered throughout, officers and detectives in bulletproof vests, perps handcuffed in the backs of squad cars.

JJ wraps his arms around me to stay close, and I wince from the pain in my side. It was probably not the smartest idea coming out here alone. If there were more of Scar’s men here, things would be ending very differently tonight. But my son is safe, and I can return him to his mother unscathed.

“JJ.” Latoya’s voice breaks through my thoughts, and I scan the space for her.

She jumps out of a black sedan, not bothering to shut the door, and races toward us. JJ releases me and storms off to meet her halfway. Latoya scoops him into her arms, holding him tight with a hand on his head.

The flow of fresh tears drips over those that have already dried, the pain this day caused her written all over her face.

“I’ll leave you to your family, but we’ll need you to come down to the station in the morning.” Cobi pats me on the back at the same time as his colleagues escort Scar out of the warehouse.

“All right.” I limp forward, my eyes meeting Latoya’s.

Her breaths fall in sharp bursts, and she gives me a wayward smile. Everything aches, but the only thing on my mind is getting back to her side. I’m in front of her now, blood still skewing my view. My eyes shut and she strokes my cheek, something like a silent decree that we’re okay. Through all the heartache today, she’s still with me.

“I’m sorry,” I mutter, guilt ripping me apart.

“You found him. You promised you would, and you did. That’s all I care about.”

I step into her outstretched arm, wrapping mine around my family. She strokes my chin and rises a little to kiss me, then I break away, and I plant a peck to the top of JJ’s head.

“Can we go home now?” JJ asks when Latoya finally sets him back on his feet.

I chuckle. “Deal, buddy.”

Latoya flanks my right and JJ on the left, and they help me to the truck and into the passenger seat. Once she’s behind the wheel, she fastens her belt and revs the engine.

“Let’s go get Daddy cleaned up.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

JASPER JR. (JJ)

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