Page 66 of It's Going to Be a Chrome Christmas
“Name it.” Trixie flinched at the determination in Lee’s voice.
“She’s to be protected at all times. I don’t care what favors you have to pull or what story you have to tell. She gets protection or I walk.”
No, no, no.Hewas the one walking into the lion’s den.Hewas the one who needed protection.
“She’s always been protected,” was Lee’s response, “but I’ll see it’s added to.”
She felt Cayden nod. “Good. I also want guaranteed immunity in writing for any crimes I commit whileattemptingto put Carver away. Meaning whether we succeed or not, I cannot be fined, tried, arrested, and/or convicted for any crimes committed from now until this is over.”
Lee gave him a sardonic look. “As I said, being a criminal informant gives you some leeway. For a fish like Carver, the D.A. probably would overlook anything but mass murder. I’ll make the call and get you your agreement.” After a second, he added, “I have to call my captain anyway. Let him know I’m not dead.”
Trixie felt herself start to slump. She was shaking so hard she couldn’t keep herself upright anymore. Cayden picked her up, cradling her against his chest.
“Anything else?” Lee asked.
“Yes. Leave.”
She wasn’t sure if she imagined the chuckle. She wasn’t sure of anything anymore.
“I’ll pick you up outside of Romero’s tomorrow morning.” He must have started walking towards the door because when he next spoke it was coming from the opposite direction. “Oh, and you’ll need to break your parole. Publicly.”
“I figured that much. I’ll come up with something.”
“My captain is the only one who knows about you. If you’re caught before I get any deal in play, I can’t protect you.”
“I have no intention of getting caught regardless of my deal.”
“And…” There was a small pause. “You can’t come back here. Until this is over, you can’t be with her.”
“Why do you think I asked you to leave?” She felt his lips against her hair. “Tomorrow morning. Don’t be late, or I’ll make my escape without you.”
“Take care of her.”
“Always.”
Chapter
Twelve
Tomorrow wasn’t the priority. Right now was.Trixiewas.
He could understand her sorrow. He felt it too, but he wasn’t about to let it control him. Though he’d only met Lee this once, he’d gotten a good enough sense of the man to know he’d continue his vengeful crusade with or without Cayden. Taking down Carver was his current case, but it also would cripple a portion of Massey’s enterprise. Cayden wasn’t blind to that fact. At least with Cayden, Lee had a fighting chance.
Cayden didn’t know how they were going to bring down Carver and he didn’t know how long it was going to take. He had a feeling nothing short of a recorded verbal confession was going to cut it. Anything else Carver would be able to weasel his way out of. Cayden prayed it didn’t take too long to bring him down. He had a life to live, with Trixie. But he couldn’t live that life if he let her brother walk off into danger on his own. He’d never forgive himself, not knowing if there could have been something he could have done to help.
At the very least, he had to try. Whether he succeeded or not, he had to try.
But when it came down to it, it wasn’t Lee, Trixie, or Marco that had made up Cayden’s mind. Their involvements were just factors in his decision.
Cayden had met Carver when he was sixteen. He’d known how dangerous the man was, and for a while that had been appealing. Like many who fell prey to danger’s temptation, Cayden had thrived on the adrenaline and ignored the evil. He wasn’t blind or ignorant enough to not have figured out about Carver’s involvement in transporting drugs. It wasn’t his sole operation, more of a way to make some easy cash on the side. If he was already transporting the stolen cars, why not let Massey pay him to move his product too?
Cayden had known. He’d just turned his back on it and kept his eyes on the cars. Those were his prizes. Shame racked through him, not even wanting to know how much product had been moved in carshe’dboosted.
Cayden had had many options ahead of him years ago when his conscience had started to rear its head. He could have just walked away or he could have gone to the police then with all he knew. After Bucky had messed up, he’d taken the fall. Maybe he’d thought he’d deserved to be in jail, regardless of being innocent of the crime he’d actually been sentenced for. Maybe he’d just needed time to get his head on straight, to realize what he wanted in life.
Regardless, it had been the coward’s way out. He’d sat in a jail cell for two and a half years while Carver and the Black Pythons were still running the streets.
Lee’s offer to take Carver down was like a golden ticket to wipe his slate clean and cleanse his soul. Cayden may not have ever touched the drugs, but he certainly hadn’t been innocent in their distribution.
