“Enough games,” Preacher demanded. “Come out or poor Bunny is gonna get a bullet in this pretty little head of hers.”
She knew he’d do it too. She could hear it in his voice. She also knew he couldn’t get away with what he’d done. “Don’t you listen to him. He’s going to kill me anyway. You know that,” she pleaded.
“I said shut up!” Preacher shrieked before striking her again. She cried out as pain radiated throughout her head again. There was no way she hadn’t sustained a concussion. Her vision was blurry, but she willed herself to stay conscious. How long that would last, she didn’t know. It was getting harder by the second.
Huffy/Joshua
She was right. Preacher wanted to kill them both. They were witnesses. He wasn’t about to let that happen, but he needed to stall for some more time. He stood up slowly, his gun trained on Preacher. Bonnie looked disoriented. Her face under her right eye was swollen badly. Blood had trickled down her cheek and from the soft lips he’d kissed not so long ago.
Rage bubbled inside of him. He needed to keep his cool and focus on his training. Both of their lives depended on it. He wasn’t Huffy, a patched member of Fallen Angels, anymore. He was Special Agent Joshua Cavanaugh. It was time for him to remember that.
Preacher pressed his gun against Bonnie’s temple. “Why don’t you come around in front of me? Kick that steel over.”
He figured he might as well go for broke. “Donald Perry Jones, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of Lloyd Malone. Put down your weapon and put your hands behind your head.”
Preacher laughed. “Is this some kind of fuckin’ joke?”
“Do I look like I’m laughing? Federal agent. Put down your weapon.”
Pure hatred spread across his face. “You lyin’ son of a bitch. It won’t even matter if I don’t kill ya. One of the boys will.”
Bonnie’s eyes were trained on him. She shouldn’t have been in a situation like this. She was a good person. That’s when he realized the shooting outside had stopped. They must all be in the cabin now. Things just went from bad to worse.
Preacher pressed the barrel to her head harder. Bonnie closed her eyes. A single tear streamed down her unmarked cheek. A figure dressed in all black appeared in the doorframe of the bedroom. They moved quickly but without a sound. Had he not been standing there watching, he never would have known.
His features became clear in the light. He had never been so happy to see Jimmy. Joshua focused on Preacher and Preacher alone. Jimmy pressed the revolver to the back of Preacher’s head.
“Drop your weapon, or I drop you where you stand.”
Preacher’s face told a story of disbelief, anger, and acceptance all within a moment. Reluctantly, he lowered the gun from Bonnie’s head and released her arm. She ran to Huffy, throwing her arms around his neck. His leg was killing him, but in that moment, holding her meant everything.
Jimmy raised an eyebrow at him. “You good, Bro?”
“Yeah, thanks to you.”
The front door opened. His father walked in. Bonnie’s head swung around to face a new enemy. He whispered softly, “It’s okay. You’re safe now.”
She looked up at him. One eye was swollen, the skin beneath cracked and bloody.
“Bonnie, meet my father, Special Agent Jack Cavanaugh. Dad, this is Bonnie Malone.”
“Looks like you’ve been through a lot. Are you okay?”
Bonnie nodded her head. “Thank you.” She looked at Jimmy. “Thank you both. I need to check on my dad.”
Sirens sounded in the distance. He let out a deep breath.
Jack put his hand on her shoulder. “Medics are on the way. We’ll get your father. You need to take care of you right now.”
He led Bonnie to the couch and wrapped one of the afghans around her. She was shivering and no doubt going into shock. He went back to his father and little brother. “Thank you for your help.”
His brother beamed with pride. “My first arrest.”
Jimmy had just graduated the academy two weeks ago. He didn’t know it yet, but his classmates would give him a ton of shit for this. Having family in high places wasn’t easy on the force. Any competition would use it against him. Joshua wasn’t going to tell him that now. Let him enjoy the ride tonight.
“Help me get Malone upstairs. We don’t need anyone else knowing about the bunker.”
Jimmy followed him down the stairs where Lloyd Malone lay. His stomach wound was bleeding again. Probably from the fireman’s carry he used to get him down here. He had Jimmy take his shoulders while Joshua carried him by the legs. That way, if LB woke up, he’d see a familiar face first.
They laid him on the bed. Joshua closed the trap door and moved the hanging clothes to front. It looked like a normal closet. Unless you knew what you were looking for, you’d never find the control panel.
The local police department and paramedics arrived faster than Joshua would have thought, but when the Special Agent-in-Charge calls for back up, it probably lights a fire under you. Teams came swarming in. He came out of the room to meet them, pointing one of the paramedic teams to where LB was; the other followed him to Bonnie.
“You’re a dead man,” Preacher spat at him as his brother and another officer led him out the door.
His dad patted him on the shoulder. “Good work, son. Time for you to take a vacation.”
“Three years. What do I even do with myself now?”
“Your first undercover assignment is always the hardest. You take time off. Remember who Joshua is. Leave Huffy behind.”
“Dad…” He trailed off. His dad knew him well enough. He didn’t press him to go on. He waited patiently. Joshua took a deep breath. His dad wasn’t going to be happy. “I don’t want to leave her behind.”
“Son―”
“Listen, she’s not like them. She’s a good woman. A nurse. I can’t shake her.”
“May I finish?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Son, you’ve always made the right decisions. They are your decisions to make.”
Joshua nodded. He looked over toward the couch. Bonnie wasn’t there. He made his way through the crowd of officers outside. He took in the scene outside. Multiple police cars. Two ambulances, the coroner’s van, and a handful of sheet-covered corpses.
Bonnie was sitting in the back of an ambulance. EMTs were taking vitals and patching up her face. He slowly walked over to her. He wasn’t sure if she would even talk to him. He lied to her. He couldn’t just let her go without trying. She teased him about marriage, and he definitely wasn’t ready for anything like that, but he wanted to spend time with her. He wanted to know her, and he wanted her to know him. The real him. Not the persona he created.
“Bonnie, I’m sorry.”
She cocked an eyebrow. “For lying to me or fucking me?”
The EMTs exchanged a look before exiting the rig. At least they no longer had an audience.
“For meeting you under these circumstances.” He sat down next to her. “Look, the truth is this: I couldn’t tell you who I was. This is my job. It was important. I won’t apologize for that. As for the sex, I’m not sorry that happened either. I like you, Bonnie. I think if you get to know me, you might like me too.”