Promises 2 (14 page)

“Top button alerts and dispatches emergency services to your exact location. Think of OnStar. Kinda works like that. Middle one is linked to all of us. If you press and hold for three or more seconds, our watches will alarm with your exact location. It will also relay back to you when we receive your message. The last button you can program to do whatever you want. It can link to any one time piece or to any registered cell, land, or secure line.”

“Damn. That’s wild as hell, Ford. How did you get these gadgets, man?” Dana asked, taking his own watch off and fastening the one Ford handed to him securely around his right wrist.

Quick did the same. The wide strap of black leather was pulled tight while he surveyed the features. The center of the watch was a typical dial with ivory watch hands and a recessed dial that was a mother of pearl etching of the world. It was classy as fuck, but the leather band would match the expensive piece with any possible outfit.

As soon as they all had their own, each of them familiarizing themselves with the new gadget, a shrill alarm pierced the room, making all of them instinctually reach for their firearms. Ford had pushed his alert on his watch.

“You’re an ass,” Dana yelled over the noise, holding his hand over his chest. The shrill ring sounded like a firehouse alarm. There was no way to miss it or ignore it.

“This is what it will sound like if you push the button to alert anyone in the team,” Ford explained, continuing his short demonstration. “You can contact one of us or all of us at the same time. We’re talking state of the art, boys. This thing can get tossed into the deepest parts of the ocean and still work.” He showed them a few other interesting features, including web and some phone services. Quick was tech savvy enough that he was able to catch on fairly easy. 

Quick saw a map display on the face of his watch, the time now flashing a digital display at the top. A red dot pulsed over the map, then the address to their office appeared a millisecond later. This thing was the fucking truth. It was basically a GPS tracker that also told the time. Maybe it would come in handy. He’d need two, though.

“Let’s roll, men,” Duke said, coming out of his office, in his full-on leather and bulletproof vest. He took his watch from Ford as well, telling all of them that it was now a permanent part of their uniform and must be worn at all times. As business boomed, they found themselves taking more bonds and accepting contracts from other bond agents who didn’t do their own retrievals. If any of them got in a jam, this gadget could be extremely beneficial.

Quick noticed Duke was implementing a lot more security measures. First the earpieces and now this. He could only imagine how much these watches set them back. Whether purchased legally or not. Even for the lower risk seizes, Duke was triple careful. Quick wasn’t mad about it. His best friend had something special to live for. Quick hoped he did too. He tightened the straps on his own vest and fell in line behind Duke as they filed into the vehicles. Brian and Ford in the middle, and Dana drove the truck that was designed for transporting their detainees.

Duke pulled into the McDonald’s parking lot off of Queen Street. The other Suburban, driven by Brian crept past them, circling around the block, getting in position to take up the rear. Dana was the last to pull in. He parked the truck behind the dumpster, since it was the only vehicle that said Bail Bonds on the side. Quick noticed the warehouse across the street had too much activity going on in the parking lot for Dana to get on the roof unnoticed. They watched as Dana hurriedly scanned the area before he walked quickly towards the McDonalds.

“Is he really about to get on the McDonald’s roof?” Duke laughed.

Quick laughed a low rumble. “Looks that way. Luckily, there are hardly any customers. Should be fine if we’re fast.”

They waited until Dana was ready, his rifle assembled and aimed in the direction of their skip’s last known address. It was the defendant’s girlfriend’s house. Brian had been scoping out the house for weeks, when he finally confirmed that RayBud – as he was known on the streets – was back there again.

The intel these brothers provided was the best. Quick was sure it was all due to their military background, about which was little known, but their methods weren’t a topic the brothers liked to discuss, so they typically didn’t.

“We’re in position.” Brian’s voice came through their earpieces.

Duke and Quick were out of the truck and jogging up to the front door just as Brian and Ford came around the rear, keeping watch on the back door. Trash littered the yard, everything from old car parts, to beer cans, random trash, and a shit load of cigarette butts overflowed out of an old flowerpot. Duke had been informed that no children, elderly or other relatives lived there. Across the street, he ignored a couple of old men looking on from their porch as they got into position.

“Dana?” Duke inquired quickly, mindful to keep his voice down. 

“All set, Boss. Looks good from up top. Perimeter is clear.”

“Copy that.” Duke turned to Quick and got his nod, confirming he was ready. He flicked his head in the direction of the door, asking if Quick wanted to do the honors. Without missing a beat, Quick banged on the door, simultaneously yelling, “BOUNTY HUNTERS! OPEN THE DOOR OR WE WILL BUST IT OPEN!”

Technically, they didn’t have to knock or announce themselves, but why destroy someone’s door if they were willing to open it? Quick knocked hard once more and stepped back, ready to kick it down, when a woman cracked open the door, just enough for them to see her mouth.

“Open the door, ma’am. We’re here for RayBud,” Duke said, flashing his identification. His bounty hunter star on one side and his bonds license on the other. He pulled the revoked bond order from his back pocket and waved it in the woman’s line of sight. “We have a right to enter without your consent, ma’am.”

“He’s not here. He’s at work,” she lied, still keeping the front door open only a couple of inches.

“He’s out the back, Duke!” Dana yelled in their ears. With the woman completely forgotten, Duke and Quick both busted through the front door, careful to watch for any hidden threats as they vaulted through the dark living room. Quick pushed on the sliding glass door, but it was locked. Not caring about preserving the doors anymore, he picked up one of the wood dining room chairs and slung it with all his might. He and Duke both put their leather-clad forearms in front of their faces to block the majority of the shattering glass.

“You assholes! You broke my door! I’m calling the police!” the woman yelled, throwing cups and anything else she could find at their backs as Quick and Duke raced through the backyard. They already knew there was no fence or gate, so they doubled their speed.

“Don’t let that fucker get away, Brian!” Duke yelled out, the sound of his deep voice deafening in their ears.

The brothers were in the lead – Brian was faster than Ford – almost a half block ahead of them. Goddamn if they both didn’t have the build and physical stamina of NFL linebackers.

“Which way?” Quick heard Ford huff through their earpieces.

“North on Ralph.

“Is he armed?”

“Unknown at this time,” Dana said, his watchful eye tracking everyone’s movements through his scope. 

“Copy that,” Ford confirmed.

“Proceed with caution,” Duke reminded.

No sooner had they rounded on Ralph Boulevard, Quick saw Brian’s massive frame go airborne and crash down on their perp’s back, sending them rolling across the unforgiving asphalt. Brian ended up on the bottom. Quick and Duke were closing in fast, but Ford got there first, and Quick knew it wasn’t going to be pretty. Ford lost it anytime someone touched his baby brother. Never mind that he was military trained as well, and was capable of taking care of himself. Ford, still running full speed, dove head first, knocking RayBud off his brother. This was why they wore the leather. Otherwise, Ford and his brother would have a seriously nasty case of road burn.

RayBud was yelling his surrender, but Quick still had to pull Ford off the scared man. Duke dropped a hard knee onto their skip’s back, making him yell out in anguish. “Someone help me! Record this! Police brutality!”

“Shut up. You shouldn’t’ve run, idiot,” Duke grumbled as he secured their perp’s hands and feet with zip ties. They weren’t required to Mirandize their detainees because they weren’t cops, they only had one sentence to say, everything else could be handled by the authorities. “Your bond has been revoked, Raymond Jones, for failure to appear in court.” Duke pulled RayBud up and began to walk him past the small crowd that’d gathered to gawk.

Brian was up now, brushing the gravel off his clothes. His brother looking on with a watchful eye. Quick asked Brian if he was okay, and of course, he got a dismissive wave. If any of them were hurt, they’d deal with it later.

Dana pulled up to the curb with the gutted out truck and helped Duke frisk their skip before loading a still screaming RayBud into the back. There were a few people standing back with their cell phones raised high, recording their every move, but Quick didn’t give a damn. That was a regular occurrence. RayBud was a coke dealer who didn’t mind that ninety percent of his clientele were high school kids. Now he was off the streets. They deserved medals. Let them shoot their cell phone video; he’d love to star on the six o’clock news.

Speaking of six o’clock… Quick checked his new hi-tech watch. It was a little past one. Dana had transport duty today, so Quick’s day was officially over. He’d drop off Duke at the office and then he’d handle a few things before he picked up his date.

Quick waited for Duke to check on Brian and Ford. They confirmed they were both alright and said they’d head back to the office to handle the last of the paperwork. Real team players. 

When Dana pulled away from the curb, Duke and he made the short trek back to his vehicle. “Back to the office.”

“Um. Drop me off at the hospital,” Duke said, now checking his own timepiece. “I’m a little behind.”

“Hospital? Why?”

“I’m cool. It’s just a checkup. I had planned on rescheduling, but Vaughan wasn’t having it.”

Quick’s mood rose even higher. “Oh, no problem. I’ll take you, even walk you inside.”

“I think I can manage, buddy.”

“No. I insist.”

“I just bet you fuckin’ do.” Duke laughed.

Quick didn’t care that he and Cayson already had plans to see each other later. He missed him. He’d only admit that to himself right now, though.

Cayson

“Dr. Chauncey, your two o’clock is here,” Nania’s professional voice echoed through his intercom.

Thank god. Last appointment until Monday. Cayson smoothed down his light blue tie and waited for Duke to come in. There was the sharp rap of knuckles on his door before it opened. As soon as Duke cleared the doorway, Cayson greeted him with a sincere smile, but it soon turned megawatt when Quick followed Duke in.

He stood and shook Duke’s hand before hugging him briefly in greeting, like he always did. “Good to see you, Duke. I see you brought company.” Cayson gave Quick a personal wink and got a charming one right back. He wanted to lean in and kiss Quick, and maybe even rut on his thigh for a few seconds. There was something about those guys when they walked around, towering over everyone, like they were gods of the universe, in all that black with weapons hanging off of them. You’d think the apocalypse was right outside the safe confines of the hospital. The large, bold white letters, spelling BOUNTY HUNTER across their chests made you want to never miss a scheduled court date if they were going to send men who looked like Duke and Quick to get you. 

With one final look of approval thrown Quick’s way, Cayson overcame the urge to touch the big man and walked back behind his desk. Duke was here in a professional capacity, so he’d act as such. He gestured for Duke and Quick to get comfortable. Duke sat down in his usual chair in front of Cayson’s desk and Quick sat on the couch, crossing his leg and resting his boot on the opposite knee. Yes, the same couch he’d been reclining on just last night when Quick rubbed the tension from his shoulders. Blinking, he cleared his throat, not wanting his hard dick to get to the point of painful.

“I hadn’t planned on bringing company, Doc, but someone insisted on tagging along.” Duke didn’t look behind him, so he didn’t notice Quick’s middle finger aimed at the back of his head. He really was a roughneck. Cayson didn’t mind the character trait at all. He made it feel so right to do something bad and wrong. True, Quick was a law-abiding citizen, but dressed like he was, Cayson felt it okay to indulge in a few fantasies.

Cayson was able to get through Duke’s appointment quickly since they were only going over his lab results from his last visit. The man was in his prime and extremely healthy. His kidneys were functioning well, and looking through Duke’s journal, he saw very little documentation of any complications. He was supposed to document any pain or even twinges he felt during his everyday routine. Cayson squinted at one particular entry, two weeks ago. “Are you still experiencing numbness in your right leg, Duke?” Cayson asked.