Page 66 of Renegade

“Christ!” John swore. “Okay…I’m gonna slowly lift my coat. Please don’t shoot.”

I turned to watch him do the same thing he’d done with me, lifting the jacket and turning around so that Raven could see he was unarmed. When he slowly spun back, he did his ankles and sighed. “Satisfied?”

Raven gave him a sharp nod as I watched him lower the gun then slide it back into his shoulder rig. Pride surged through my chest. I wanted to scoop him up in my arms and hug him to me. He was so brave and good. I started walking toward him, closing the twenty-five feet between us. John came with me, taking it slow until we came to a stop right in front of Raven. I could practically feel the hostility vibrating through his body. He was holding himself as tight as a bowstring. All I could do was pray he wouldn’t snap. A second later, Raven balled his right hand into a fist…

…and punched John right in the face.

Chapter Twenty-One

RAVEN

I groaned in pain and shook out my hand, looking down at the man I’d just knocked to the ground. He’d rolled to his hands and knees and was cursing as Miguel helped him to his feet. It was all I could do not to grab my lover and yank him away from the man whose resurrection from the dead had been making our lives a living hell for the last week.

I hadn’t believed my eyes when I’d looked up from my phone, happy to see Miguel coming toward me as he’d walked across the parking lot. My interest had peaked the minute I noticed another man in a baseball cap walking beside him, but when he’d looked up at me, meeting my eyes for the first time, fear had raced down my spine. On impulse, I’d found myself reaching for my gun, gripping it in steady hands, almost daring him to make an overt move.

Sutter had one hand over his nose which was bleeding profusely. He looked up at me with bleary, green eyes. I expected them to be filled with loathing but was shocked when they crinkled at the corners as he grinned. His teeth were bloody where his nose had bled into his mouth but other than surprise by his reaction, I couldn’t isolate any other emotions.

“That’s a hell of a right cross, Mathis,” he snuffled, blowing blood bubbles.

“Christ, Raven,” Miguel said, holding out both arms between us to create distance.

I forced my gaze away from Sutter and glanced at Miguel. He was looking at me with a combination of surprise and shock. When he dropped his arms, I started to take a step toward him but stopped, frowning. “What’s he doing here?” I looked him up and down, worried that I’d somehow overlooked the fact that he wasn’t okay but saw nothing wrong. He appeared totally unscathed. I don’t really know what I’d expected, but it wasn’t to find him walking into the Federal building with a murderer. He turned to Sutter, pointing at his face.

“Stay here. Raven needs to lock his weapon in the car.” He didn’t wait for an answer before taking my elbow and pulling me back toward the parking lot. I resisted but he tightened his grip. “I’m not kidding. They won’t let you into a federal building with a gun. Come on, Raven. Someone may be following us.”

Thatgot my attention as I instantly began to move faster, hurriedly scanning the parking lot as we briskly walked back to the car. It looked normal, cars driving in and out, up and down lanes. I could barely breathe.

“What the hell is going on?” I hissed as Miguel tugged me along.

“I’ll tell you everything once we’re inside. You’ve done your worst, Raven, but he deserves a minute to be heard.” I couldn’t believe my ears, but I said nothing more as we got to the truck and stowed my gun and grabbed some napkins with a bottle of water. Sutter was still standing where we’d left him when we returned, and Miguel offered him the napkins and water to clean himself up a bit. Security might look at us sideways otherwise.

We continued on into the building, our charge following close behind. I didn’t like him at my back, so I slowed to let him get in front of me as Miguel stepped up beside him at the checkpoint.

I was relieved as hell to see Mark, Jarrett, and Thayne waiting for us on the other side of the scanners. I’d called ahead to let them know Miguel and I were on our way but was a little surprised to find them waiting. I could tell Mark had recognized Sutter by the cool look in his otherwise pleasant face. He turned and spoke into Jarrett’s ear, and I watched the big Marine straighten his back as he glanced over at us. Thayne’s head shot up and he narrowed his eyes at Sutter. Relief flooded through me as I realized that the reason Miguel brought Sutter here was because we’d both be safe among friends.

“Are those your friends from the ATF?” Sutter asked, holding a wad of bloody napkins against his face. His voice sounded nasally, and I swelled with just a little bit of pride, knowing that even though it probably made me the crappiest person on earth, I really didn’t give a shit. Something must have prompted Miguel to bring Sutter here, and I wouldn’t be a very good person if I didn’t hear him out. I knew he didn’t trust Sutter, but something the man said, had convinced him to listen. I’d try to do the same and keep an open mind.

Miguel didn’t reply to Sutter but instead, showed his ID, gesturing to our friends standing several feet away. I did the same but when it came time for Sutter to show his ID, he blanched and looked at my partner.

“I don’t have ID.” He hesitated for a second, lowering his voice. “Legitimate ID.”

Miguel nodded, glancing up at the others and gesturing them over. Mark was followed by Jarrett and Thayne who were staring at Sutter with practiced calm. We waited as Mark explained something to the guard behind the desk. The man nodded and glanced up at Sutter. “Remove your cap so the camera can see your ears and put your right thumb on the keypad.” The man checked his monitor then pointed to a small camera just insidethe bulletproof glass. “Look into the lens.” Sutter hesitated only a moment before complying. After the guard verified he’d captured his thumbprint and image, he turned to Mark and nodded.

“Come on through the scanners,” Mark said, waving us all over.

We walked through the metal detectors, and I noticed how uncomfortable Sutter looked when he raised his arms to be scanned as he stepped through. Once we were all inside, I let out a slow breath. I had to admit, I was relieved to be out of the parking lot where a sniper might have been watching everything we did. When I thought about it logically, I realized that was probably stupid since they would have just taken their shot. I wasn’t feeling anything but grateful, though…grateful that my Miguel was safe and still recovering from the shock of my life when I’d spotted the bastard walking beside him. I just wanted to hear Sutter’s story and find out the identities of the people who’d threatened Miguel’s life in the Getty’s gardens.

We were all silent as we took the elevators up to the offices. I felt safe surrounded by all our friends who were no doubt as curious to hear Sutter’s story as I was. We walked into a big conference room where Damon Thorne and Mac McCallahan waited. The small blonde woman I’d seen in the lobby of the FBI building was talking to the two men. They all looked over and the expression on Thorne’s face when he saw John Sutter was one of shock. He narrowed his eyes and tilted his head as if he couldn’t believe who he was seeing.

“Sutter?”

“Thorne,” Sutter muttered. He tried to smile but winced, reaching up to his nose which looked…broken.

Had I done that? I flushed with embarrassment.

“What the hell are you doing here?” He stared open-mouthed. “And what the fuck happened to you?”

Sutter turned to look first at Miguel and then over at me. “I got punched in the face...twice.”

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