Cap nodded. “That’s my hope with making the decision to bring in firefighters and police officers. Any official files that we can start building to turn over to the DOJ will help us push these bastards out for good.”
I blinked. “Wait, you’re the one that called the fire department?”
Cap just stared at me for a second. “When I saw the smoke and what direction it was coming from, it was just a gut reaction, you know?”
I nodded slowly. “Yeah, I get that.”
“Plus,” Cap said with a short breath, “I heard the sirens in the air before I ever placed the phone call. But yes, I was going to call them. The smoke got their attention first.”
“Him and some of the guys were on bikes before we could even talk about things,” Brutus said.
I looked over at the big guy before looking back at our president. “Sounds like you made the right call.”
Cap pinched the bridge of his nose. “The police will take forever with that DNA evidence, but I told them you might check in from time to time. Just to make sure they didn’t need anything.”
I nodded, understanding the underlying directive. “Consider it done. I’ll keep you updated as they keep me updated.”
“Thanks,” he mumbled as he looked up at Brutus. “And you.”
“And me,” he said with a slow nod of his head.
Cap drew in a deep breath. “You being back here with the girls is just about the only thing keeping the guys’ heads all screwed on straight. Wrecker was up in arms when we figured out what building was being burned down. Took me forever to talk him off the ledge of going and finding the main building to make sure they didn’t burn that shit down too.”
“I don’t blame him,” I muttered.
“We should consider it, though,” Brutus said as he leaned back against the kitchen wall. “Finding that main house again where Wrecker and Amanda were kept. I know this feels like a backfoot, but if they make it a habit of burning down the structures they’ve got, it may present an opportunity.”
“Opportunity?” Cap asked.
I smiled. “I know where he’s headed.”
Brutus nodded. “Bring it home, Doc.”
I lifted my finger into the air. “For once, their focus isn’t us. If firefighters and police officers were who showed up first to do shit, then there’s a chance they don’t even know some of our guys were at the fire while it was being put out. That could put the trafficking ring chasing official documents for a while, and not us. We could use that to our advantage.”
Cap nodded as the understanding dropped into place. “Not going to lie, it’s been on my mind.”
“We should hold church about it,” I said as I looked over at Brutus. “You think?”
Brutus just nodded his head, so I looked back at Cap, only to find him chewing on the inside of his cheek.
“Say it,” I said as I stepped up to his side. “There are no answers through the kitchen window.”
Cap blinked a bit and shook his head, as if ripping himself from a trance. “Sorry, sorry. It was just…”
He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. I shot a look at Brutus, and he simply nodded before pushing off the wall and heading toward the fridge.
“Hey, Cap,” I said as I placed my hand on his shoulder.
“Being back at that fucking place was rough,” he whispered. “Even if I did get to watch it burn to the fucking ground.”
“I can only imagine,” I said as I squeezed his shoulder a bit.
Brutus came over with a glass of ice water. “Chug.”
Cap stared him down.
Brutus stayed relentless. “Do I need to feed it to you, too?”
