Eighty-Sixed [manxman]

XVII | Wanted |

XVII

| Wanted |

-

WANTED: ALEC SYKES

Below the bold black headline was a photo of me. Blood running cold, I bit back the bile rising in my throat as I read over the request to contact Alum Springs Police Department with any information.

I felt like a fucking idiot. I knew Garcia wouldn't stop after the failed raid. Sticking my head in the sand and pretending like everything was okay was a stupid move on my part. Instead of having a moral crisis, maybe I should've spent some of that energy worrying about Garcia and the police. I knew Harlow would protect me, but how fair was it for me to kick back and let him do all the heavy lifting when I was the one who put his family in jeopardy to start with.

As much as I detested the thought of hurting anyone, I trained for years to protect myself by any means necessary. It wasn't as though I'd become some damsel in distress by trying to have morals, and it was about time I proved it. There had to be a way to get the police off me, while keeping my hands clean.

I wanted to talk to Harlow, but how much could I truly divulge without telling him I assisted in the raid—that while I saved his nieces, I was also the one who put them in the line of fire to begin with.

While I needed to figure out the situation, I knew I needed to get my ass home first and foremost. God forbid I run into the police.

I turned to head back through the outlet mall to get to the car. The little gift bag for Ella bumped against my knee as I moved. Cutting through an alleyway between plazas, I stopped as two officers entered the other side.

Fuck.

Glancing behind me, hoping to make a break for it, stood three more officers. Had I been followed?

Cursing myself under my breath, I clenched my fists, readying myself for a fight. I trained too long to let myself be followed and fall into such a simple trap. And on top of it all, I was also unarmed. I had well and truly fucked myself. Trying to repent for my past deeds was one thing, but it was stupid of me to be in the middle of town without a single weapon on me, knowing damn well I'd pissed off Daniel Garcia... Jesus, my idiocy astounded me.

"Hands up, Syx! You're surrounded."

Dropping the gift bag, I followed orders. Shifting, I turned so I could get a look at both sets of officers. One on each side had a gun drawn and aimed.

"On your knees."

I sank down, watching from my periphery as the police advanced. Not moving quick enough, the first one to reach me kicked the back of my knee and sent me hurtling against the asphalt. Teeth gritted, I kept quiet. An officer grabbed my hand and wrenched it down against my back as she moved for the handcuffs on her belt. One cuff secured, she took the slightest bit of pressure of my other wrist to slide it in.

That was the best chance they'd give me.

Jerking from her grasp, I knocked the pistols from the hands of the armed officers, each standing one either side of me. Quick aim and pulling the triggers, I quickly shot the other two cops who'd frantically dove for their belts to whip out their own weapons. Throwing myself back, I threw the officer behind me off balance and sent her stumbling onto the pavement.

Bounding up, an officer's fist landed square between my lip and nose. A bit of blood filled my mouth, a couple teeth felt loose. Kicking him back, he smacked into the brick wall of the alley. I shot him in the upper thigh, severing a major artery.

Three down and two to go.

Whipping around, I shot the cop I tripped. The last one had moved in on me, going for a swing. I dodged and returned a similar blow, feeling his nose break beneath my knuckles. He stumbled back. A quick shot to the head, and he hit the ground.

Grabbing up my bag, I pocketed both guns and calmly walked from the alley, jumped into the car, and hit the back roads. I followed the winding streets from the center of town back to Harlow's estate. I left the bag in the car, so I could sneak it in while Ella was asleep. Security stood posted at the door. Dharma nodded as she waved me through.

The front of the house stood silent. Toeing off my shoes by the door, I padded through the corridor. Echoes of giggles and quiet conversation drifted down the hallway, leading me straight to the girls' playroom. Standing at the edge of the doorway, I spotted Harlow sitting in the floor with Paige and Ella. Stacks of blocks set before each of them as they built towers and debated about who's looked the best. An absent-minded, warm smile curved Harlow's lips as he spoke, as though simply being in the same room as the girls lit him up from the inside with contentedness.

Warmth radiated through my chest, like my heart was a cat stretched out in the sliver of sunlight radiating in from a set of French doors.

"Alec?"

Blinking, I focused on Harlow, who stared at me with his brows knitted together.

"Alec, what happened?" He stood. "Your lip's busted, and your knuckles are all cut up."

"Right--there was an incident while I was on my way home." I glanced at the girls, finding they were intently listening. "I'm wanted, and a couple officers spotted me."

"Were you followed?"

I shrugged. "I don't think so, but security probably needs to be on standby."

"Alright, let me tell them, and then we'll get you cleaned up." Harlow pulled his phone from his pocket and called to security to notify them. "Girls, do you want to stay here or come help Alec?"

Both Paige and Ella were on their feet. "Help Mr. Alec!"

Harlow motioned for everyone to follow him. We trailed him into his bedroom and through to the en suite bathroom. "Have a seat." He gestured to the toilet.

I sat on the closed lid, while Harlow went rummaging through his drawers for supplies. He wet a washcloth with soap and passed it to Paige.

"Start cleaning his hands. Be gentle."

"Okay!" She took the cloth, and I held out my hands to her. With all the care and ease she could muster, Paige cleaned the blood from my knuckles.

"Ella, you're on bandage duty." Harlow passed Ella a box of bandages, which looked more like they were for the girls than Harlow as they were various neon shades with doodles of black cats on them. Suppressing a sigh, I watched as Ella went behind her sister and wrapped each knuckle with the brightly-colored woven cotton. With a couple fingers under my chin, Harlow tilted my face up and pressed a cool cloth to my lip.

"Why are you wanted by the police?"

I shrugged. "It's not like I have any shortage of reasons. I might have changed my morals, but I have a nasty backlog of reasons." Not that any of those were the reason they wanted me then.

"Well, until we get to the bottom of everything and curb the police threat, I want you to stay here. That's the only way I know you'll be safe."

I nodded. "Thanks, Oliver." The name tasted strange on my tongue, but it felt right in that moment. It felt normal.

Like instead of nanny and clients, we were a family. A family... As if I could be so lucky as to get two of those in a single lifetime.