Page 81 of Tortured Eyes
“Tell him, or Carter, to look at Senator Kelly. And you’ll need my access codes. Clearwater Translucent 928. All one word. The evidence is on my base servers. Got it?”
“Who? What? I can’t remember that and...”
“Yes, you can. Trust me. Now get the fuck on with this." He grunts, his face contorted with pain and anger. "Find some of those guts you've got and act like you mean it. Weak crap is not gonna fly here. Do I need to hurt you to make this happen?”
His change in attitude makes this a lot fucking easier.
“Fine.” I pull him to standing, keeping him from listing over again, and start to walk him towards the two cops running in our direction.
“Officer down. Officer down! One suspect in custody who needs immediate medical assistance. GSW to the shoulder.” I run off the spiel and with my free hand, pull my badge from my pocket to present to the officer coming our way. “I’m Detective McCarthy. Detective Mason has been shot. One gunshot wound to the head. Please secure the scene, officer.
“Right away.” The uniform rushes past us towards where Mason’s body hit the ground. The second officer pauses as we continue walking towards the car.
“Call for backup. We’ll need to go to the hospital before taking him to the precinct.”
“We?” The officer asks, quickly.
“Yes. The suspect has also been shot and needs medical attention first.” Logan leans into me for a moment before trying to right himself. He’s stubborn, and he’ll hate being looked at, but he has no choice in this.
He wants to do this, so he's got to follow my rules now.
* * *
The officer seemed on edge the whole time we were at the hospital, but he didn’t ask questions or interfere. Logan only needed the wound to be cleaned and stitched, through and through it seemed. He’d lost a lot of blood, so had IV fluids to build up his volume. Other than that, though, he was fine and discharged.
It feels like we’ve been through hell, but we finally arrive at the station, and I stride through. This should be everything for me—arresting a Cane—but it's bittersweet. Logan’s here because of me, because I didn’t want Mason to shoot him. I saved him, and after everything we've been through here, he is saving me? It makes no sense at all, but then nothing has since meeting him. Including my thoughts, my feelings, and my pull towards his entire being.
I take Logan through processing and don’t miss the looks on the faces of all the officers. Since I can remember, I’ve investigated crimes the Canes have been associated with or could have been involved in. Yet nothing has worked, until now. If I could look at this objectively, I might be fucking enjoying this moment, but I’m not. It’s hell.
“What are you waiting for?” Logan looks at me, his eyes drawn close and a scowl on his face. It takes me a moment, but I catch up and hand him over, knowing I need to be elsewhere and quick. There have been others around since the shooting and no time to talk or explain anything further. I've just had to do something I never thought I’d be able to do—trust a Cane.
As Logan is shown into one of the interrogation rooms, I leave, mentally trying to figure out what I’m supposed to say to his dad when I get there.
“McCarthy?” Benson’s voice rings down the corridor towards me. I halt and on a deep breath, turn to face him. “What the hell happened?” His eyes search mine, as if I have all the answers he’s looking for. I do; I just can’t share them with him. What’s another lie when I’ve already hidden so much?
“Mason. He confronted Logan. Drew his gun, but Logan pulled the trigger first.” My voice is cold and calm, everything I don’t feel.
“You make it sound like it was Mason’s fault.” His surprise is clear, and I still need to work out how I can explain how Logan took my gun. But all in good time. I’ll have to make a statement. Hell, the amount of paperwork I’ll have to lie on makes me want to vomit.
“Logan’s in custody.” I go to turn away, desperate to be out of Benson’s presence. After everything he’s done for me over the years, this is how I repay him?
“You aren’t leading this?”
“I’m too close, sir. Trust me.” The last words slay a piece of me, and for a brief moment, I wonder how I’m ever going to continue to do this job after tonight. Everything I’ve ever believed in and held myself up to is in tatters. I’m supposed to uphold the law, not break it. I’m supposed to protect the city, not protect the person I should be arresting.
So much for honour. So much for integrity.
As those words eat away at my conscience, another chain of thought presents itself. I have the ability to screw Logan over, to send him down for this. They’ll throw the book at him for killing a cop. I don’t need to go to Quinn and have him send in the cavalry. It might teach him a lesson to have him stew in a cell. Although, that crushes me more than walking away knowing I’m in the wrong. Because I am. On so many levels. What I did could be defended as self-defence. Maybe. But I’ll know. I’ll know what I’ve done and that Logan is the one to protect me. What a fucked-up dilemma.
I nod to my lieutenant, ignoring the look of disappointment in his eyes, and leave. I'm heading straight to the garage to pick up a squad car, seeing as my bike is busted, before I overthink this to the point of confessing.
Time to go meet Daddy Cane.
* * *
The gates to the house loom large, like the physical barrier they are to what I need to accomplish. Simple, really. Convince Quinn Cane to hear me out without shooting me. It’s not clear if Logan's told his father I was responsible for Nate’s death or not. Neither is it clear if he blames me, or if he explained the full situation. But then, what does any of it matter? Logan saw my hand in Nate's death and so will Quinn.
I swallow the possibilities my visit will create and get on with it. The small screen and buzzer are set into the brick column that starts the wall around the property. With the car idling, I reach over and press the button.
