Page 5 of Exhale
So technically, this was all Ace’s fault.
Tim Araya had been charged in connection with a sexual assault case of two minors. The guy had gotten off on a technicality. Apparently, the FBI had mishandled evidence, which in turn had allowed Araya to walk.
And while the asshole had walked out of the courthouse with a smug smile, the man had also landed on the radar of the former Secretary of Defense.
“Watch him and when he fucks up, take him down,” Dave had ordered.
When the former SecDef made a statement like that, everyone who reported to him paid attention.
So, when Ace had received a tip that Araya was holed up in a sleepy Lancaster neighborhood, his brother had sent him out here to check it out.
Imagine his surprise when Araya, high as a fucking kite, had answered the door in his underwear, holding the hand of a girl who couldn’t have been more than twelve, if that.
Owen had seen red.
So, was it any wonder he had punched the guy in the head a few too many times?
Was he to blame when he had dragged the fucker out of his own house in his underwear and tossed him like a fucking doll to the pavement? And from there, beat the living daylights out of him…
That was when neighborhood watch had called the cops, and Lancaster’s finest had arrived a few minutes later with guns drawn, shouting for him to get on the ground.
Owen had taken that moment to shoot an SOS to his brother, just in case.
Of course, he hadn’t gotten on the ground, but showed them his Pegasus identification card all the members of his unit carried.
The two cops had looked nervously at each other and then made the call to Detective Reed, who had shown up with more police at his disposal.
Then the shit show had really begun when Reed decided he would arrest him and figure out the rest later.
The lazy asshole didn’t even bother to make a call to check his credentials. That was how some of the law enforcement were. They were either glad for Pegasus’ help or they were resentful of it.
Reed fell into the resentful category.
Owen twirled the baton in his hand like he was getting ready to hit a home run, and his eyes locked with Reed’s across the short distance.
The sound of several vehicles approaching filled the air, and four black SUVs barreled into the area.
“Stand down,” Reed told his officers, and those who had pulled their weapons slowly lowered them.
Several men got out of the vehicles, and one of them was the Lancaster mayor and another, the chief of police. Owen had met both men at a fundraiser last year.
The third man getting out of the vehicle was his older brother and boss. Behind Ace came Dalton, Oliver, and Parker. The three men opted to stay near the vehicles, but not Ace.
His brother was fucking fuming; Owen knew the signs.
Ace was big, imposing, and scary. His brother oozed power, and the black t-shirt with the Pegasus emblem etched on the front pocket molded to his impressive frame.
The cops around Owen moved out of the way when Ace stalked toward them, and Owen didn’t blame them. Anyone in their right mind would step out of Ace’s way.
“You okay?” Ace asked gruffly when he reached him.
“Yup.”
Ace grabbed his upper arm and held him still. His brother’s cool blue eyes took in the scratch on his right cheek, and ice settled into Ace’s gaze.
“It’s nothing,” Owen said. He knew that look and tried to defuse it.
The last thing they needed was to have Ace punch a Lancaster police detective.
