stopped when it was Alex’s wife that answered the phone, as evidenced by the ashen look on his friend’s face and the simple “I love you, baby, always tell Em I love her too.” He cut the call and returned the phone to where Ansell Stewart was telling them to put it.
“You should never have come in you know. I didn’t want any witnesses to the end of things with her,” Ansell said calmly. There was no grandstanding or eloquent speeches or anything that gave them a chance to rush the guy. They sat there for an hour, maybe more, with Ansell staring at his wife, absolutely silent and still. It didn’t matter what she said or pleaded or explained, he was unmoved. The precinct had long since tried to establish contact, which could be a good thing. The precinct would know something had gone wrong. Daniel and Alex were listed as missing and their last call in would be the center of a search for them. Outside this place colleagues and peers would be waiting for support in getting their guys out alive. Unfortunately, Daniel couldn’t see being alive much longer as an option. Alex tried talking but Ansell ignored every word. Daniel attempted to talk. Nothing.
Then Ansell made a mistake.
“On your knees,” he said evenly. Evidently he had decided what he was going to do. Alex looked at Daniel and for a second their eyes met. A wealth of information passed between them. Getting them on their knees was an execution-style killing.
Special Forces maybe? Alex nodded subtly and suddenly Daniel knew what his friend was going to do. As the superior officer of the two, he probably felt it was his responsibility to do something—something that was most likely going to be stupid.
There was no way this would end well. Causing a disturbance, getting the guy’s attention away from them, was going to end with one of them getting shot. Alex was a daddy; hell, Daniel couldn’t leave Emma without her daddy.
Daniel didn’t even hesitate. When he made to move to his knees he stumbled and it was just enough to catch Ansell a little off guard. Suddenly Daniel had his moment. In a second he had his hand on the gun and everything stopped. The bullet left the gun and dug deep into his thigh at an angle, but he had a grip of the gun and was able to
hang on tightly through the breath-stealing pain. When Alex was shouting and helping and pulling him away there was another bullet fired. Daniel couldn’t see what had happened as a mask had fallen over his eyes, and with the single thought for what his parents and Chris would think, he allowed his conscious self to subside.
* * * *
Chris felt tonight had been different. No Daniel, for one. He had been called in early for his shift and never made it home. Chris really tried not to worry, but he had a serious investment in the other man, was emotionally tied to him in ways he had never imagined.
He’d had one phone call. Just past three am, his cell vibrated itself onto the floor before he was fully awake enough to reach for it. Cursing, he grabbed at it, seeing Daniel’s name on the display. He pressed buttons to answer but the vibration had stopped, clearly he was just barely too slow. It was okay, Daniel was probably leaving a message.
He waited until the phone indicated a message and he immediately tried to contact Daniel, but it went straight to voicemail. Damn. He scrolled to his own voicemail and connected: one message.
“Hi. I’ve just—jeez—Chris, I just wanted to tell you I love you. Sorry we don’t have more time.” Daniel’s voice was low and controlled and incredibly calm, but ice shivered down Chris’s spine and in seconds he was off the bed and pulling on jeans. He picked the cell up again, tried keying Daniel’s number, but again nothing, straight to voicemail.
He needed to call someone. Shit, he realized he didn’t even know what precinct Daniel was with, so twisted up in his own problems he had never really asked. It wasn’t near here, it was on the
“You should never have come in you know. I didn’t want any witnesses to the end of things with her,” Ansell said calmly. There was no grandstanding or eloquent speeches or anything that gave them a chance to rush the guy. They sat there for an hour, maybe more, with Ansell staring at his wife, absolutely silent and still. It didn’t matter what she said or pleaded or explained, he was unmoved. The precinct had long since tried to establish contact, which could be a good thing. The precinct would know something had gone wrong. Daniel and Alex were listed as missing and their last call in would be the center of a search for them. Outside this place colleagues and peers would be waiting for support in getting their guys out alive. Unfortunately, Daniel couldn’t see being alive much longer as an option. Alex tried talking but Ansell ignored every word. Daniel attempted to talk. Nothing.
Then Ansell made a mistake.
“On your knees,” he said evenly. Evidently he had decided what he was going to do. Alex looked at Daniel and for a second their eyes met. A wealth of information passed between them. Getting them on their knees was an execution-style killing.
Special Forces maybe? Alex nodded subtly and suddenly Daniel knew what his friend was going to do. As the superior officer of the two, he probably felt it was his responsibility to do something—something that was most likely going to be stupid.
There was no way this would end well. Causing a disturbance, getting the guy’s attention away from them, was going to end with one of them getting shot. Alex was a daddy; hell, Daniel couldn’t leave Emma without her daddy.
Daniel didn’t even hesitate. When he made to move to his knees he stumbled and it was just enough to catch Ansell a little off guard. Suddenly Daniel had his moment. In a second he had his hand on the gun and everything stopped. The bullet left the gun and dug deep into his thigh at an angle, but he had a grip of the gun and was able to
hang on tightly through the breath-stealing pain. When Alex was shouting and helping and pulling him away there was another bullet fired. Daniel couldn’t see what had happened as a mask had fallen over his eyes, and with the single thought for what his parents and Chris would think, he allowed his conscious self to subside.
* * * *
Chris felt tonight had been different. No Daniel, for one. He had been called in early for his shift and never made it home. Chris really tried not to worry, but he had a serious investment in the other man, was emotionally tied to him in ways he had never imagined.
He’d had one phone call. Just past three am, his cell vibrated itself onto the floor before he was fully awake enough to reach for it. Cursing, he grabbed at it, seeing Daniel’s name on the display. He pressed buttons to answer but the vibration had stopped, clearly he was just barely too slow. It was okay, Daniel was probably leaving a message.
He waited until the phone indicated a message and he immediately tried to contact Daniel, but it went straight to voicemail. Damn. He scrolled to his own voicemail and connected: one message.
“Hi. I’ve just—jeez—Chris, I just wanted to tell you I love you. Sorry we don’t have more time.” Daniel’s voice was low and controlled and incredibly calm, but ice shivered down Chris’s spine and in seconds he was off the bed and pulling on jeans. He picked the cell up again, tried keying Daniel’s number, but again nothing, straight to voicemail.
He needed to call someone. Shit, he realized he didn’t even know what precinct Daniel was with, so twisted up in his own problems he had never really asked. It wasn’t near here, it was on the
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