Beckett stumbled and tripped ahead of Austin, the weight of the gun pressing in the small of his back. He was in shock. He knew that. Seeing Kayden shot point blank, leaving him behind, and with the whole last few days catching up to him it was enough to push him over the edge. Was Kayden dead? As simple as that, was the man who was protecting him dead?
"I didn't mean to… I didn't mean to… God…" Austin was saying over and over, his voice thick with tears and horror. "He moved… it was an accident. I would never shoot anyone."
Anger boiled inside Beckett but he couldn't do anything about it. Austin had shot and killed a man. Kayden. In the chest. Dead. His Kayden. They hurried past the few people who stood in the hall. No one had reacted to the gun shot. Maybe because it had happened inside an old bank safe no one had heard it? One man, tall and slim with white blond hair, stood upright suddenly from the counter he had been leaning on. His hand disappeared behind him and he pulled out a gun.
"Federal agent. Drop your weapon." The man shouted.
"Just let me go," Austin near screamed as they backed out of the hall. "I have to take him," he babbled, "they have my family."
Beckett lurched backward as Austin pulled on his jacket and together they fell out of the main door. And into chaos. Dark cars in a defensive ring, men with guns, FBI jackets that he thought only existed in the movies, and so much panic and shouting. Drop the gun. Drop your weapon. Austin panicked and pushed Beckett ahead of him. Tripping, Beckett sprawled on the floor at Austin's feet. Eyes staring wildly Austin fell to his knees, lowered his head and dropped the gun. Beckett took his chance and crab-walked backward away from the distraught man. He watched in shock as six uniformed cops swarmed his captor, pinned him down and cuffed him.
"They have his family," Beckett said quickly.
No one was listening.
"You have to listen." Austin was shouting; his face in the sidewalk and his eyes beseeching Beckett.
"Wait!" Beckett shouted over the noise. He moved to the closest cop and tried to pull him off of Austin. "They have his family."
The cop shrugged off his arm. The bank door opened and the tall blond guy leaped out shouting orders for a paramedic. Then Manny was there. Like some kind of avenging angel he appeared from nowhere and, flashing his ID, he ran into the bank. They let Manny through and the Fed spun on his heel and followed him in.
Finally with Austin subdued and quiet, the cops moved off of him and another guy, heavy set with dark hair, approached the cops and then assisted Austin in sitting upright.
"I didn't mean to kill him, I didn't. I wouldn't do that… my family." The guy leaned in and placed a firm hand on Austin's shoulder. Beckett strained to hear but he couldn't catch anything. However the relief that passed over Austin's face could only mean his family was safe.
The guy talking stood and then strode the six or so paces toward Beckett. All Beckett could do was instinctively shrink back. Jeez, he was big, a giant, black-haired, dark-eyed bear of a man.
"Let's get you inside," he said to Beckett with hand extended. Beckett assumed he was meant to be letting the giant help him up. There was something in the guy's face. A gentleness. A compassion of sorts. "I'm with Sanctuary," he finally said. "Adam Brooke. You want to go check on Doc?"
The last was what swung it for Beckett. He took the hand and stood. Adam picked up the box which sat next to where Beckett had ended up.
"Austin shot Kayden." Please. He can't be dead.
"We know." Adam's voice, gruff and deep, suited his look.
Beckett wanted to ask, but terror filled him at the thought of Kayden being dead all because of him. "Is Kayden…?" No. He couldn't say it. The words choked him and tasted of bile.
"He's alive and pissed. Got caught center chest but the angle of the shot and his Kevlar stopped his ass from leaving us too soon."
Beckett stopped walking. Relief flooded him in direct opposition to the fear and grief that had been building. In fact suddenly all he wanted to do was sit on the steps to the old bank and get his breath. Seeing Kayden was vital but his body was betraying him and his vision was blurred. His chest was rising and falling far too quickly and panic was edging slowly into the equation.
"I thought he was dead," he managed to force out between labored breaths.
"We need to get you out of here before the fan gets any shittier," Adam said quickly. "A minute and you'll be on every news station on the East coast."
Beckett nodded. Using the wall and Adam's arm for support he finally made his way inside. He heard Kayden before he saw him. The cursing was colorful and every other word included Beckett's name and the demand to see him. Kayden sat upright with his back to the wall in the same room that Beckett had just left and without any hesitation Beckett fell to his knees and just stared at Kayden. At least his bodyguard had stopped swearing.
"Don't do that again," Beckett demanded.
"What?" Kayden forced out with a grimace. He pushed away Manny who had been trying to remove his vest.
"Get shot, you freaking ass."
"Didn't plan on it this time, kid."
"And," Beckett leaned in even as Adam gestured he wanted to get closer. "Don't call me kid," he whispered. The response from Kayden was the ghost of a smile and then suddenly the paramedics were back around Kayden and Beckett stood back and watched.
It appeared Adam was either a trained medic or had seen this kind of thing on many other occasions if his inventory of what had happened to Kayden was anything to go by.
"Stop fucking poking at me," Kayden finally snapped.
Adam rested back on his knees. "He's going to be fine," Adam pronounced. "Maybe a broken rib, but I've seen worse. Get him to hospital, get him X-rayed, find him some pain killers so he stops freaking moaning like a pissy girl, and then transport him to eighteen.
"Fuck you very much, Brooke" Kayden forced out.
"Welcome," Adam replied.
Paramedics arrived at that moment and finally Kayden was wheeled out still cursing the air blue. Beckett launched himself after the man who had stolen a piece of his heart. The paramedics stopped as Beckett became entangled in the wheels. They looked on impatiently as Beckett leaned over Kayden and kissed his forehead.
"See you at eighteen?" Beckett said simply. Kayden looked sideways at Adam who huffed a response which sounded suspiciously like 'girls'.
"Get the coffee on," Kayden said firmly. "And, kid? Stay with Adam, okay?" The paramedics continued around Beckett who stood quietly until realizing what Kayden had called him. He didn't even have the heart to call out after the man. Exhaustion had worn him down.
"And Kayden has left the building," Adam deadpanned as everyone fell quiet.
Beckett looked at the man and then decided if that was an example of his humor then he would probably quite like him. Of course that was blown out of the water with the next thing out of Adam's mouth. Words Beckett didn't want to hear.
"You're my case now, kid. You're coming with me."
"Okay, that's enough," Beckett snapped. This was a step too far. He faced up to six-three of mountain in the best way he could with his five-ten height. "I'm going back to eighteen. I'm waiting for Kayden. I'm working on the contents of the box with Manny. And for fucks sake, the next person that calls me kid I will get a gun and I will shoot them. Got it?"
Adam nodded very seriously. There was a twinkle in his eye but he evidently wasn't going to argue against the tirade. "Manny, you take the information back to Ops. Send on anything relevant."
"Yep," Manny said succinctly. Beckett passed him the box. He lingered, holding it for a few seconds, but it was just to try and connect with his mom before her evidence was taken away. Manny didn't rush him—simply stood patiently waiting. Finally Beckett released his hold and with a smile of encouragement and thanks, Manny turned and began to leave the room.
"Manny, wait." Beckett wanted to ask one thing. Manny stopped and turned with expectation written across his face.
"If there is anything in there for me… can you not let everyone…" God, this was difficult to say. His mom left this stuff to incriminate the Bullen family somehow, every word in there was evidence and he knew that. What chance was there that even a letter from her would remain personal to him?
"Anything Beckett. Anything for you, or that I feel is for your eyes only, it will just be me that sees it and then it will come straight to you."
"Thanks, Manny." It was a relief to hear the other man say it.
"No worries." Manny shrugged. Then he left.
Now it was just Beckett and Adam in the room. Tiredly Beckett slumped to sit on the nearest of the two chairs. Every ounce of energy had left him in a heated rush.
"What happened?"
"I think you got most of the story first-hand." Adam shook his head. "The FBI have had eyes on Alastair and came to us to say he knew about Austin and his connection to you. That he had threatened Austin's family. Evidently he felt getting you was the only way he could guarantee he could get his hands on everything your mom had."
"How did he know my mom had leverage in a box? I don't understand. No one knew except Austin and me."
"Alastair approached Austin with the threat, said if you ever contacted Austin that he should tell Alastair what you wanted."
"How do you know this?"
"Like Adam said, because we had him under surveillance," a voice inserted from the door.
Beckett looked over to the newcomer. It was the blond from the foyer with the gun. Adam had a barely disguised look of disgust on his face. The newcomer didn't introduce himself, or go out of his way to smooth the water.
"We knew his every move."
Was it just Beckett's imagination or did the newcomer near spit that word out? There was definite tension between the two men but that was the least of his worries. As the other guy's words sank in, Beckett couldn't believe what he had heard.
"You knew? Did Sanctuary know? Fuck." Beckett buried his head in his hands. "Kayden could have died," he mumbled.
"No Sanctuary didn't know," Adam defended immediately.
The FBI guy held up a hand. "We had to let it play out, we just never imagined Austin would take it this far."
"And now I'm taking you back to eighteen," Adam interrupted.
"You're not taking him anywhere," blond guy said. "I have orders to debrief Beckett. He's coming with me."
"Like hell is the FBI getting hold of him," Adam snapped.
The two men faced off and suddenly Beckett found himself in the middle of a Sanctuary / FBI pissing match.
"Don't be freaking stupid. We need every sentence of what he's heard and what he knows if we're going to get a case to pin on the Bullens."
"We'll debrief him, Lee. Not the Feds."
"Fucking hell." The blond, evidently someone Adam knew whose first name or surname was Lee, clenched his fists and stark frustration spread in his expression. "Why are you so damn stubborn?"
"This isn't your man. You know that and until your leak is plugged we're keeping him safe." Adam crossed his arms over his broad chest and stood firm.
Lee wasn't a tall guy but he was clearly way past pissed and stood up to Adam quite impressively. Both men bristled with fury.
Shit. You know I could just take him now. I have the jurisdiction," he said.
"Over my dead body," Adam replied instantly.
"That can be arranged," Lee said with no hint of irony.
"Can you, hand on heart, tell me you are one hundred percent convinced the FBI is watertight and that Beckett would be safe going with you?"
Beckett had enough. This macho bull wasn't getting him to where he wanted to be; with Kayden. "I don't give a shit where I go as long as I stay with Kayden," Beckett announced over the dead silence that was as cold as ice between Adam and Lee. And with that he left the room.