Catch A Tiger By The Tail (THIRDS 6)

“Shut up! Don’t bring my aunt into this.”

“She’s still mourning your uncle’s death. Do you want to add yours to her grief?”

Hector swallowed hard, and Calvin continued, hoping he could get through to the angry young Therian. If Hector had really wanted to shoot Calvin, he would have done it by now.

“Think about your family. They’re suffering, in pain. Think about your little cousin. She needs you, Hector. She needs all of you right now.”

“Stop!” Hector shook his head, tears in his eyes. “You’re trying to manipulate me so I don’t shoot.”

“I’m trying to save your family from another loss,” Calvin replied sincerely. “They don’t deserve that.”

“My uncle didn’t deserve to die!”

“You’re right. He didn’t. But he made a choice. He hurt his family. Is that the choice you want to make here today, Hector? Because you have a choice. The same one he did.”

“You think I’m gonna punk out?”

Calvin shook his head. “No one who makes a sacrifice for their family is punking out. Think about it. Really think. Is the chance that you might get a shot off worth the pain you’ll cause your family? Worth your life?”

Hector pressed his lips together. His face and eyes were red. He looked tired, like he hadn’t slept in days. The seconds ticked past as Hector thought about his next move. His eyes darted around the place, at the hostages on the floor, some crying softly, others rightfully terrified. Hector turned his attention back to Calvin. “How do I know you won’t shoot me?”

Calvin kept his eyes on Hector as he lowered his gun to the floor. He stood slowly, hands out in front of him, and kicked his gun to one side. “Now it’s your turn.”

Hector hesitated, and for a split second Calvin thought he might back out. Instead he slowly lowered his gun to the floor. He stood and kicked it over. Letty, Ash, and Rafe rushed out, guns in hand.

“Get on the floor now!” Ash shouted as they rushed him. Hector dropped onto his stomach and put his hands behind his head. Ash and Rafe restrained him while Letty secured his wrists with Therian-strength zip ties. Calvin approached as they dragged Hector to his feet. He stopped in front of him.

“I know it might not seem like it, but you made the right choice. Tell your family you made a mistake and you’re sorry. You all need each other.”

Hector let his head hang before giving Calvin a nod. Teams of agents rushed in as Ash and Rafe escorted Hector out of the hospital to one of the awaiting BearCats. It was over. For now at least.

Sloane stood beside Calvin and smiled at him. “Good job, Cal. You did real good.”

“Thanks. I’m glad no one was hurt.”

“It’s been one hell of a long night. Why don’t you and Hobbs head home. We’ll finish up here. You can write your re

port in the morning.”

“Thanks, man.” Calvin wasn’t about to turn down Sloane’s offer. He was exhausted. The place was crawling with agents, and the EMTs were checking on the hostages. As tired as Calvin was, all he wanted to do was get Ethan home. Ethan had been on the verge of a bad panic attack before the shootout. He needed to make sure Ethan was all right.

Calvin dropped off the vest and gun with Riviera, thanking him before letting the rest of his team know he’d see them bright and early Monday morning. Tomorrow was Sunday, so he could just fill out his report from the comfort of his living room while in his pajamas. He smiled at Ethan and motioned toward the door.

“Let’s go home.”

Ethan smiled widely and followed him out. They headed for the parking garage and Calvin’s Jeep on the second floor. Ethan was quiet, and Calvin knew it was the exhaustion finally setting in. Ethan had been through a lot today. The party itself had been draining enough, but with his brothers, what happened to Hudson, and his panic attack, Ethan would be feeling it soon.

When they got home, Ethan disappeared into his room. Calvin let him go. In the meantime, he got a nice hot bath ready in their Therian-sized bathtub. He added scented bath salts and lit a few candles before turning on the small bathroom radio to some soft tunes. In his bedroom he undressed, hanging up his clothes behind the door. He wrapped a towel around his waist, then walked to Ethan’s bedroom. His boyfriend was most likely going over everything that had happened tonight, wondering if he could have done something different. His anxiety would be trying to get the better of him, and he’d be worried about what everyone else might be thinking of him.

Calvin knocked, smiling warmly after Ethan hesitantly opened the door. He held his hand out to Ethan.

“I could use a nice warm bath to unwind in. Join me?”

“Okay.”

Ethan quickly finished undressing and took Calvin’s hand. They walked into the bathroom, where the bath was nice and full. Ethan was going to get in first when Calvin stopped him. He tossed his towel and turned to Ethan.

“Let me take care of you.”