Camden finally nodded his head. Elijah took one final, filling look at him and then moved up the stairs.
He slid his back against the wall when he reached the top of the staircase and tightened his grip on his weapon. Cold fear spread through him as he prepared to turn the corner and face the threat. A gun in his hand had never felt as heavy in his palm as it did now. A shiver of anxiety passed through him, making him glance back the way he’d come. Part of him begged him to follow Camden instead of playing hero.
He was halfway resolved to do just that, but then he remembered the fear he’d seen painted across Camden’s face earlier in the day, and couldn’t walk away. If he ran, Camden would never be safe.
Elijah took a quiet breath and steadied himself. If this motherfucker was bold enough to step inside Elijah’s home, then Elijah had to be bold enough to protect Camden.
When he heard the intruder take another step toward the basement stairs, Elijah stepped into the dark hallway, aimed his gun at the head of the shadowy figure, and yelled, “Freeze, NYPD!”
The silhouette instantly stopped moving.
“Get on your knees and keep your fucking hands where I can see them, or I’ll blow a hole in your goddamn head!”
His heart pounded in his chest as he neared the intruder. Just because a man was on his knees didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous. He stepped carefully until he reached the intruder, then grabbed one of his arms and tugged it behind his back as he planted his gun at the base of his skull.
“Facedown on the floor right now!”
The intruder complied, easing himself onto the floor with the help of Elijah’s knee pressing in his back. When the man was facedown, Elijah tucked the gun into his holster. He quickly handcuffed the perpetrator and yanked him up from the floor, slamming him against the wall.
Elijah pulled his gun out again, training it on the intruder before reaching out and turning on the light. He blinked as his eyes adjusted, and cringed when he saw the intruder’s face.
“What the fuck are you doing, Emmanuel?”
Elijah dropped the hand with his gun to his side as he focused on his younger brother’s face. “Do you realize I could’ve killed you? Why are you sneaking around my damn house?”
His brother, the same height and burly build as Elijah with a shaved head, a thin goatee, and sandalwood complexion, cocked his right brow and tilted his head.
“Exactly which of those questions would you like me to answer first, big brother? Is there any particular order you’d like them answered?”
Elijah squinted his eyes as he leveled his gaze at his brother. “Don’t be cute, Manny. I could’ve killed you. You know you’re always supposed to call before showing up at my place. Let me fucking know to expect your trifling ass before you step up into my crib.”
“I told you last week Vivienne, me, and the ’rents were coming up here to spend a long weekend with your grouchy ass, celebrate you going back to work.”
Elijah shook his head as he pointed a finger at his brother. “Bullshit, Manny! You told me y’all were thinking about heading up here this weekend or the next. I clearly remember you telling me you’d call me to let me know if it was a go.”
His brother’s features tightened into a perfect mix of anger and annoyance. “E. I called you Wednesday and told you we’d be here sometime Friday for the weekend. You said you had to go to your station, on either Thursday or Friday. You were still waiting for a call from your captain. If you weren’t here when we arrived, let myself in.”
“Shit.” Elijah passed his free hand down the length of his locs and shook his head. He had spoken to Emmanuel on Wednesday. That was before all hell broke loose and he was saddled with a protection detail. “Fine, I got my days mixed up, but that still doesn’t explain why you were sneaking around in here. Your steps were too careful.”
“Your SUV isn’t in the driveway or anywhere on this block, yet the lights were on in your basement. I was checking to make sure nobody ran up in your shit. Now, would you mind taking these fucking cuffs off me before my wife and our mama walk in here?”
Elijah turned his head toward a backyard-facing window and saw movement in his carport. Just what he fucking needed, a house full of family when he was hiding Camden Warren in his basement.
“How long y’all staying?”
“Till Monday evening. We each took a day off. Mama was insistent we spend this time together before you disappeared into that precinct again.”
Shame bled through Elijah. His mother’s assumption wasn’t wrong. Going back to work would cut into their family time. But once this ordeal was over with Camden, his desk job wouldn’t impose such demands on his time. He’d be a better son and brother this time around. He just needed to get beyond Monday, and everything would be all right.
“The keys are downstairs,” he growled through clenched teeth, slipped the gun in the holster, and walked past his brother, his footfalls heavy on each stair to warn Camden of his arrival.
When he entered the basement, a brief glance revealed an empty room absent of Camden. Panic pulled at the base of his skull. Did Camden leave? Was he out there alone on the streets in harm’s way, all for a silly misunderstanding with Elijah’s inconsiderate brother?
“Camden, it’s me,” Elijah announced as he stepped farther into the open room. “You still here, man?”
The closet door opened, and Camden stepped into the room. Relief curved Elijah’s lips into a half smile until he saw the grayish tint to Camden’s skin and the frantic way Camden’s eyes were darting back and forth.
Almost every interaction Elijah had with the man revealed Camden to be a cocky asshole. Sickeningly self-assured and resolute in his belief that his smarts, his title, his pedigree made him untouchable. But standing in front of Elijah now, Camden resembled nothing of his former self. Camden was scared.
