Deserted - Cara Dee Page 0,116
exposing himself to the cameras in the area. If they’d be forced to admit they had left Camassia, the timestamp on any surveillance would at least prove they hadn’t been anywhere near the fire in Joshua Tree.
If there would be a goddamn fire…
“Still waiting.” Darius checked his phone again. “I told Ryan to stay back until twenty-two hundred.”
“You can just say ten PM, dork.” Gray joined his side and peered at the screen.
Ryan’s messages were much the same as before. Jackie kept giving the occasional thumbs-up, and yet, something wasn’t right. It was past nine. It’d been dark for nearly two hours, and he was supposed to have set the fire as soon as the sun went down.
“I think he’s giving us extra time.” Darius scratched his jaw. “He seemed concerned about us getting home to secure our alibi.”
Hmm. Maybe. Hopefully. But it was still time. The alibi was freaking solid by now.
“I’m glad Ryan’s there, though.” Gray dumped his bag in the back seat, his hair still wet, and opened the door to the passenger’s side. Northern California was nothing like the desert, and sweats and a hoodie didn’t protect against the cold winds for shit. “Oh—you bought snacks?” His eyes lit up at the sight of the bag of chips between the seats. There were a couple candy bars too.
Nothing cured boredom like unhealthy eating.
They got back on the road, and Gray tried everything to distract himself. Darius looked perfectly delicious in his own sweats and hoodie, and it made Gray put “cuddlefuck” at the top of the list of things to do when they got home. After seeing the boys, obviously. It was the main reason they’d stopped to shower; Darius was gonna drop Gray off at the shelter right away.
The chocolate was good, though he kept coming back to Jackie.
“Maybe I should drive,” he said. “I can’t sit still.”
“You don’t say,” Darius drawled. “You’ll drive through the night, though.” He cleared his throat and checked the rearview. “There’s something we can discuss.”
“Yeah?”
“Mm. What would happen to the boys if we’d died in Joshua Tree?”
“What the fuck!” Gray shot him an incredulous look. “Why would you say something like that?”
“Because it’s a valid question,” Darius told him firmly. “I’ve said this before, Gray. There’s a reason guys like me rarely settle down—”
“I don’t wanna talk about this,” Gray interrupted, instantly irritated and uncomfortable. He rubbed at his chest; it felt all tight and spiked his anxiety.
“Jayden and Justin would most likely not get adopted together,” Darius went on. It was a kick in the fucking gut. “They’d be lost in the system—”
“Can you shut the fuck up?” Gray snapped. “This isn’t even our job! We’re not PMCs. You’re retired. It was one time! We had to get Jackie out.”
Darius inclined his head, unaffected as ever. “That’s what I was getting at. I wanted to get Jackie out too, but we’re done now. We’re done. You’ve promised Jayden to be there for him, and we’re gonna take care of Justin too. That’s a huge responsibility, and we can’t do this again. We can’t fuck off for several days to rescue someone.”
Gray swallowed uneasily and clenched his jaw. “I know that.”
“It includes vengeance, knucklehead.”
“What—”
“We leave the case to the authorities now,” Darius stated. “We’re not gonna chase after anyone. We walk away.”
Those words deflated Gray, and he exhaled. He understood Darius better now. Because no one knew Gray as well as Darius, who was fully aware of how badly Gray wanted the higher-ups in the criminal organization to suffer. To die. To get wiped from the surface of the earth so they couldn’t do this to more innocent people.
“I get it,” Gray responded quietly. “We don’t get involved. The heads of the trafficking ring will get away, because you said the Feds will never be able to pin anything on them, but it’s not our place to play judge, jury, and executioner. We walk away, they walk free. I get it.”
“Yeah, I can hear that,” Darius sighed. “I’m gonna need your word on this one, Gray. You have to promise me.”
Gray scowled at him. “What the fuck am I supposed to do? Call all my friends with decades of experience in intelligence and extractions behind your back and…oh, wait. I don’t have those.” He rolled his eyes and turned his scowl out the window. “I’m gonna be there for the boys. I fucking love them.” It hit him that he was offended Darius would imply Gray was taking his