Page 85 of It's Going to Be a Chrome Christmas
Holloway guided her over to the couch and then helped her sit. He seemed to realize she wasn’t capable of doing it herself. This numbness was different. He wasn’t dead, but he also might not be alive… She needed to know.
“Captain?” He was reaching for the door when she spoke and stopped to look at her. “Thank you,” she said. “For being honest with me.”
He gave a small sigh before walking back over to where she sat on the couch. He knelt in front of her. “When Lee came to me with the idea of using Cayden to get to Carver, I rejected it. He was a criminal. Regardless of serving his term or his relationship with you, it was what he was. It was Lee who got me to see that Cayden was just a man with a certain skillset that we consider to be illegal. It wasn’t that long ago that he and I were the ones in a country where our actions were the ones deemed…less reputable, despite the flag we wore on our shoulder. I am sorry for any pain our operation has cost you. I do hope Cayden’s alive. I’ve gotten to know your young man over these past two months, and I have to say, as a happily married, completely heterosexual man, even I can see the appeal in your man.”
A laugh escaped her, which was likely the captain’s goal. He handed her a tissue, squeezed her knees, and then left.
Please, Cayden, she prayed as she rested back on the couch. She needed a Christmas miracle now more than ever.Please be alive.
As soon as the high-speed chase turned into a diving mission, a crowd of bystanders grew thick on either side of the drawbridge. The police barricades forced them back so the emergency vehicles could squeeze through. A large boat with a crane slowly drew closer to the site from upriver. Many had their phones out and were recording or taking pictures.
Cayden snagged a baseball cap from the back pocket of a younger man’s jeans, a cell phone from the outside jacket pocket of an older man, and a lollipop from a lady’s purse. His mouth was dry, so the lollipop was more of a personal choice than necessity. His cut was now balled up and left under the corner of a bench on the sidewalk. The baseball cap was placed over his green spikes. He walked with a purpose, holding his head high.
Sulking or sneaking around could draw more attention than if he changed his appearance slightly and moved like he had somewhere more important to be. He only had a few precious seconds with the phone, so he made them count. He entered the emergency screen and dialed the only number he knew would answer.
He couldn’t say what went wrong exactly. He’d been in communication long enough with Lee to know that the state police had received an anonymous tip regarding the theft.
The state police had been a setup, that much was sure. If Carver knew about Cayden’s deal as a criminal informant, Lee believed Carver would call them to create havoc. Cayden saw two flaws with that theory. First, Carver wasn’t the sneak-behind-your-back sort. If he believed Cayden betrayed him, he was the shoot-first-and-ask-later sort. Calling the police wasn’t Carver’s style. And second, Carver really wanted the Raiju. As soon as Cayden had figured out what motorcycle Carver had been after, he’d known that. Even if Carver believed Cayden had betrayed him, he would have waited until he had the Raiju before turningon Cayden. He needed Cayden’s talent more than he needed Cayden’s death or incarceration.
So the question remained: how had the state police known Cayden was going after the Raiju? Who would have called in that tip?
“I am so happy you are alive! Do not scare me like that again!”
A smile threatened to break through his black mood. “Love you too, man. What’s happening?”
The excitement didn’t drop from Paul’s voice as he started to break down the situation. “Lee’s on his way to the crash site. As soon as we lost communication, he started to you. The others are still converged outside the radius of the rendezvous. They didn’t want to move unless absolutely necessary. Otherwise, we risk losing Carver. We’ve been able to keep your name out of the press, but the state troopers now know it, so keep your head down.”
“Trix?”
“She saw everything on the television. She’s driving down to the fifth right now.”
It was far too tempting to tell Paul to call her phone so Cayden could tell her he was alive. Cayden couldn’t imagine what was going through her mind right now if she saw that crash on the news. Even if the news didn’t have his name, Trixie was too smart and knew him too well not to have figured out it was him driving the Raiju.
“I only have maybe another minute with this phone. Patch me through to Lee.”
“Don’t worry about the phone. I’ll wipe the SIM and set it up the same as your old one. You’ll be able to use it freely in just a few.”
Cayden had no idea that was even possible, but he relied on Paul’s knowledge of technology more than he did his own.That was why he’d made Paul his insurance policy. Regardless of the deal he’d made with Lee and the police, Paul had all of the evidence that everything Cayden had done was sanctioned. If something went wrong and the police decided to make Cayden their fall guy, Paul held the proof otherwise.
“What went wrong with the bug?”
“That’s what I would like to know.” Lee’s voice came very close to showing fear. Interesting.
“Easy, big guy. I’m good. I would have told you guys I was planning on bailing out before the bridge, but the earwig went crazy and I had to take it out or risk my eardrum. I didn’t mean for the bike to end up in the water. The locator chip is still in my shoe, but I doubt it’s working.”
“Best I can figure,” Paul said before Lee could, “the kinetic energy the Raiju creates caused some discharge. While the company said the defective model was safe to drive, no one was anticipating you taking it for such a ride. Discharge static was one of the reasons that motorcycle didn’t pass inspection. Mind, this is just an assumption from a computer screen across the state, but that would be my guess. Any electronics on you would have first gotten a full battery charge before they overloaded.”
Cayden thought he followed along with that. While he was trying to pay attention to the conversation, he also had to watch his surroundings. If a state trooper picked him up before Lee got to him, he was screwed.
“Lee, turn right. You’re a block from him.”
Cayden wasn’t surprised Paul had tracked the phone’s location. If he could wipe the memory of the phone, tracking was probably child’s play.
The screeching of tires drew his attention. His mind told him it was Lee based on the timing, but his heart still thumped loudly while his legs braced to run.
The window rolled down. “Get the fuck in the car.”
Cayden raised his eyebrows. “Hello to you too.” He opened up the passenger door of the Charger, even though he was highly tempted to tell Lee to let him drive. Lee’s face almost portrayed his anger. Cayden closed the door, feeling the anxiety roll off of him. “Thanks for your help, Paul.”
