Cold Spite (Cold Justice: Most Wanted #5)

Chapter 28

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

“ W hat the hell is going on?” Ryan Sullivan drove a work truck back to their apartment building.

Cas was keeping his head down in the back of the vehicle. Sebastian Black and JJ Hersh bookended him in the backseat, and Seth Hopper took shotgun. It was overkill, especially as Novak had even insisted on sending drones fitted with thermal cameras over the nearby buildings to check for snipers—in case Scanlon was lying in wait to finish the mission.

The guys needed to know what was happening for their own protection. “I’m pretty sure the bomber is a drug smuggler I helped put away five years ago following an undercover op down on the Mexican border.”

Seth Hopper glanced around sharply at that.

They’d all gone a few rounds with the cartel last month.

“I doubt he has any connections left in the cartel given the turnover rate, but, unfortunately, he was also a Navy SEAL.”

“Joseph Scanlon? You think that motherfucker blew up your truck?” Hopper was also a former SEAL, as was another sniper on HRT. But none had gone through BUD/S or been on the same team as Scanlon—SEAL Team One.

“Yep. ”

“If you know it’s him, why isn’t he arrested already?”

“Because there’s this little thing called proof.” Cas tried to sit up, but Sebastian shoved him back down.

Cas gritted his teeth against a lash of pain. “Hey, watch the injuries. One of us was almost blown up today.”

“Sorry, man.”

Ryan twisted around. “Thought you said you weren’t injured?”

“I said,” Cas gritted out, “that I wasn’t seriously hurt. Doesn’t mean I didn’t lose some skin when I hit the ground. I’m fine. Just sore.”

Ryan huffed and turned his attention back to driving.

“This have to do with why you ran out of the bar Monday night?” Sebastian asked.

“And disappeared all of yesterday?” Ryan sounded how a parent must.

“Perhaps.”

“So, the friend who died…” Sebastian asked gently.

Cas shared the story, keeping the details to a minimum.

“He killed her partner?” asked Sebastian.

“Yeah. Then she called me because she decided the best thing to do was play dead, which Frazer told her was a smart move as Scanlon’s a motherfucking psychopath.”

“How do you know you can trust her?”

Cas felt a little sick going over a bump. There was only one way to make these guys truly understand. “I know because she’s the love of my damned life, and I blew it. I broke it off and left her behind when I applied for HRT. I didn’t do it kindly. I burnt it down to the ground and regretted it ever since.”

There was a long moment of silence while they absorbed that information.

“That explains a lot,” said Ryan.

Yeah. It did. “You can’t share this information that she’s alive or that we were together. And if the higher ups discover we were personally involved they’ll take us both off the task force.” Separate them—like her father had done years ago.

“Not even the other guys on Gold Team?” Hopper pressed.

“No. It’ll get back to Novak, and he’s duty bound to tell Ackers.” Cas ached all over, but they’d arrived in the underground parking area of the apartment building, and he sat up and winced as his damaged skin protested.

“Novak is gonna be pissed.” Sebastian scanned the underground parking lot.

As much as Cas respected his team leader, he wasn’t budging on this. “I need to be part of this investigation. I need a chance to make it up to her. Promise.”

Ryan raised his little finger and held it up between them. “Pinky swear.”

The others all hooked their pinkies together in a tangled mess. “Pinky swear.”

Cas shook his head and placed his grazed palm over their hands. “Thank you.”

Emotion crowded the back of his throat. He might not have grown up with a family, but he had one now. And now he was going to track down and neutralize the motherfucker who’d put everything he held dear at risk.