Page 89 of Fierce Hope
“Not a scratch,” Christian responded. “Right. I mean, not a lot of scratches,” he quickly amended, brushing a finger across the blood on his chin.
Two burly officers escorted a still-struggling Sarah toward a patrol car. EMTs had patched her up until they could get her to the hospital.
“Get her processed,” Frazer instructed. “Full workup. I want prints, GSR, everything.”
The chief turned to Deke, his expression softening slightly. “Your boy okay?”
Deke glanced across the clearing where Kenji had wrapped a blanket around DJ’s shoulders. His son looked small and vulnerable, but remarkably composed. “He will be.”
Ronan and Maya appeared from around the side of the building, escorting a handcuffed Chad Delgado toward another waiting patrol vehicle. Chad’s face was twisted with rage, his voice rising sharply in the cold night air.
“Sarah set this up!” He shouted, straining against his restraints. “I only did what she said. She totally scammed me.”
Zara stepped forward, phone held out, recording everything while Maya grinned. “Keep talking, Chad. You’re only making Chief Frazer’s job easier.”
“She told me Kent was stealing from Russians,” Chad continued desperately, his breath forming frantic clouds in the frigid air. “Said we’d both be dead if we didn’t disappear. I believed her!”
“Into the car,” Frazier directed firmly, guiding Chad toward the waiting vehicle.
Sarah, hair disheveled and mascara streaking down her cheeks, launched into a tearful performance from outside the other cruiser.
“He scared me—I had no choice!” she cried, her voice pitched high with calculated desperation. “Chad killed Kent! I was just trying to protect myself!”
Frazer looked like he was developing a serious headache. He gave Deke a weary nod. “They’ll both talk plenty. We’ll have everything we need.”
As the officers cleared the area, Deke felt a presence beside him. DJ stood quietly at his elbow, visibly shaken but steady. The boy’s face was ashen in the harsh emergency lights, his eyes wide but remarkably composed.
“Dad,” DJ started softly, voice hesitant but sincere. “I wasn’t sure you’d make it in time. But you did.”
The simple statement rocked Deke back on his heels. His throat tightened painfully as he gently grasped DJ’s shoulder, the solid reality of his son safe and whole beneath his palm nearly overwhelming him.
“Deacon James Williams Junior,” he began, holding his son’s eyes with heartfelt conviction. “There’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do for you. Nowhere I wouldn’t go to save you.”
“I know. You’re the best.”
Deke’s eyes stung in the cold air. “Right back atcha, son. You’re the bravest kid I know,” he whispered roughly. “I’m proud of you too.”
DJ’s shoulders straightened slightly at the words, a fragile smile touching his lips.
Something shifted between them—some new foundation being laid that was stronger than what had come before.
“How did you find us?” DJ asked, his natural curiosity reasserting itself.
“Your text helped us zero in, buddy. Super smart thinking.” Which reminded him. “How’d you unlock Sarah’s phone? No way she didn’t have that passcoded.”
His son puffed out his chest. “Smudges.”
“Smudges?”
“You know, fingerprints. It was dark in the back seat, so I could see the smudges from her fingers. Two guesses and I had it.”
Deke had to swallow around the sharp rock in his throat before he could speak again. “It’s official, dude. You are the smartest Williams in the family. By a million miles.”
“Yeah, I rocked that for sure. But Jade was amazing, too. She kept talking to me, telling me you’d come. Even when Sarah had the gun, Jade didn’t give up.”
Deke’s gaze traveled across the clearing to where Jade stood talking quietly with Zara, arms wrapped around herself against the cold, or against the receding terror.
Izzy stepped forward decisively, gently nudging DJ away with a reassuring smile. “Hey, hero,” she said warmly. “Let’s get you warmed up, okay? I think I saw some hot chocolate in one of those emergency vehicles.”
