Page 33 of Hack
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
"How long have they been inside?" Carter asked Trenton as they waited for any information from the team that had gone into the home.
"Twenty-seven minutes," Trenton answered.
"Police scanner is quiet. So far so good." Matt sat beside him, probably just as worried about everyone as he was. After all, his husband was in that house.
Large stings always got Carter nervous. He hated them. With more people on both sides, there was more room for something to go wrong. All it would take was one scream, one escape, one gunshot, and the whole thing could blow up in their face.
The fact that there hadn't been any police dispatched to the home yet was good, but that didn't mean everything was going smoothly inside the house. Twenty-seven minutes was within a reasonable time frame, but Carter was still on edge. He would be until someone sent him a text that they were in the clear.
Once that happened, the police would be called, then it would be up to Beau at the hospital to alert them to the condition of the kids they were saving. It was going to be a long night. It was already two in the morning, and he wouldn't get home for another couple of hours yet. Then he had to be at the airport early. Hopefully, he could catch some sleep on the flight.
He closed his eyes, thinking about Archer. He'd been looking forward to getting away for a few days, even if he hesitated leaving the team alone. It was hardly the first time he'd been away for a few days, but like always, he worried things would fall apart while he was gone. It wouldn't, and deep down he was sure of that. His team was the best and they could handle whatever came their way, but he was a control freak when it came to everything.
Maybe that was why things that had happened with Archer were bothering him so much. He liked control, and what they did the night before was anything but controlled. It had been wild and crazy, and even though they hadn't done much, it had been intense. Even now, over twenty-four hours later, he still got hard just remembering.
He couldn't start thinking about that now. He had a sting to worry about and didn't need the distraction. He turned his focus back to his phone as if he could will a text to suddenly show up. When there was nothing, he sighed. "This is killing me. They should be out by now."
"They're still within the time we figured it could take, and if they found anything else, it could be longer. With three of them in there, one of them would get an SOS out if something went wrong. Give the guys some time." Trenton didn't look at him as he continued to watch the computer, keeping an eye out that all cameras in the area stayed blocked for the time the team was doing their job.
Carter stood, pacing the room, going back and forth in front of the computers that lined two walls of the room. This sucked, and as he waited, all he could think about was the night Dyson had been arrested. He couldn't go through that again, but it was ignorant to think that it wouldn't happen again somewhere down the road. What they did was dangerous, and highly illegal. The police, while tolerant enough not to hunt them down like some drug lord, still would jump at the chance to catch them in the act again.
He needed to stay calm. He was the one always warning everyone that stressing out would be the biggest mistake any of them could make, yet here he was doing it. He rolled his shoulders, the tension that Archer had almost rid him of returning.
Maybe he could get another massage while they were in Atlanta, locked in a motel room together, alone. Fuck, he really didn't need to think about that, because he knew exactly what they'd be doing once they were behind a locked door with a bed close by. There was no doubt they wanted each other, they'd admitted that much this morning when they'd had coffee together and discussed what had happened the night before.
Archer had been honest with him, telling him that he wanted him, wanted more to happen between them, but was nervous because whatever was between them didn't feel like casual sex in the slightest. He was right, the fire that built between them wasn't casual. It was an inferno waiting to consume both of them, and against his better judgment, Carter wanted more as well.
He'd found Archer attractive right away, but he hadn't let his mind go anywhere else. They were working on a case, and he wasn't going to let anything get in the middle of that. He wanted Lyle caught too much to let sex ruin a good partnership, and that's exactly what Archer was. The guy got him, understood him in a way most people didn't. He understood his need to find Lyle, his need to bring justice for his daughter and the others who the monster had killed. He could communicate with Archer better than he could his team members, and that was saying something because they were tight, as tight as brothers and sisters most of the time.
He should have known sex would be the same way for them. Archer's curious caresses had led to so much more, and now that Carter had a taste of him, he wanted more. He loved sex as much as the next guy, but he hardly ever went looking, seeking, trying to find it. If it came along, he took advantage of it for a night, then forgot it. Archer wasn't going to be someone he ever forgot. The little they'd done had been hot and wild, and they'd just stuck their toe in the water when it came to where they could go with things, especially with all the time they had alone.
His phone dinged, and he instantly relaxed, seeing a message from Bryon. "They're on their way to the dump site. All went well. Listen for the police to get the call, then once the team has had time to get out of the area, get those camera feeds back up and running." Carter slumped down in his chair, his body exhausted just from the stress of waiting.
Maybe a few days away would do him some good. He'd been working non-stop since Dyson's arrest, unable to ease his guilt. Sitting home gave him too much time to think, so he chose to work instead. At least with Archer, he wouldn't be thinking of the team, he'd be focusing on Angel and finding the man who'd taken her from him.
Yeah, like that was so much more relaxing.
He ran his fingers through his hair as he watched his team work. They went through the motions with ease. They'd done this so many times they hardly had to think about it. He was a fool to worry about them while he was gone. Things would go smoothly without him.
It was another thirty minutes before the sting team made it through the door. He met them there, doing a visual inspection of each person, making sure they were safe. "How'd it go?" He looked at Bryon.
Bryon nodded. "Good. In and out. They were all asleep, and we got them before they even knew we were there. We heard kids crying down the hall, but other than marking the trail to the door, we left them alone. I'm curious to hear from Beau. One of those cries sounded a lot younger than we expected." Bryon went to the kitchen and washed his hands. "You out of here?"
"Soon. I'll be back in town on Monday afternoon. Call me if you need anything." He ignored the wave of panic that washed over him again at the thought of leaving.
"Don't worry about us. We got this. You go take care of what you need to. You sure we can't help in any way?" Bryon grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.
"I'm good. Just checking on some leads." He hadn't mentioned Archer to anyone yet. He didn't want to talk about it all in detail, and if he let them know he was working with someone they'd want to know about any new leads or information they might have. "Thanks for handling things here."
"Always. You deserve some time away. I just wish it was for a more enjoyable reason."
"Maybe someday, once I put her killer in the ground." He glanced over at Xander and Kacey, again making sure they didn't have any injuries.
"Just ask for help when the time comes. You don't have to handle this all on your own," Bryon told him.
He nodded, but they all knew that he wouldn't ask for help. This was something he needed to handle on his own. He wasn't going to put anyone else in the position of facing murder charges by being with him. He was sure any one of them would stand by his side, but other than Archer, he wasn't letting anyone know what his plans were when the time came, and even Archer would only know he was going in. He wouldn't need to hear what he was going to do to Lyle once he got his hands on him. "Go relax. It was a busy night. I'm glad we took this group down, but we've all been stressed making everything work."
"I will. You have a good trip. I hope you find whatever it is you're looking for." Bryon gave his shoulder a squeeze. "We'll be here when you get home."
He smiled and turned away. There wasn't anything else to say. Bryon understood. He had his own demons to fight, though he handled things differently than Carter did. It didn't mean the pain of either of their losses was worse than the other, but they each took a different view on how to find closure, and that was okay.
He said his goodbyes and headed out the door, refusing to go back in and check on things one last time. He didn't need to, and if anything proved he needed a break, his worry about leaving the team to handle things proved it all.
The drive home was quick, and he wasn't shocked to find only the kitchen light on. Archer had probably gone to bed hours ago. There was a part of him that wanted to walk into his bedroom and climb into bed beside Archer and find a way to push the stress away for a few hours, but he ignored the urge. They both had to be up in just a matter of hours, and he was going to let Archer rest while he could. Neither of them knew what would happen once they were in Atlanta. Sex was a desire, not a necessity. If it happened between them again, it wouldn't be tonight.
Locking up and cutting the lights, he made his way into the bedroom, taking the time to shower before he climbed in the bed. With the alarm set, he closed his eyes, thinking over all he'd done during the day, debriefing himself mentally.
Tomorrow, he'd leave thoughts of his team behind and concentrate on his daughter for a change. He needed all his attention on her case for the time being. She deserved closure, and with Archer's help, he hoped he could finally bring it to her.
