Dax (Arizona Vengeance 4)

Tacker swallows hard, then gives me a curt nod. “Then let’s get going. Sooner we get out there, sooner we can find her.”

“I want to go walk around Legend’s neighborhood,” I say. “If she doesn’t have a car, she could just be hiding somewhere there.”

“Sounds good,” he replies as I start my car.

It’s a twenty-minute drive over to Legend’s neighborhood, and I don’t want any of the time Tacker is my captivated audience to be wasted. At our team meeting yesterday, the entire team discussed how it was going to be a major group effort to get Tacker’s head back on straight. We all committed to it. After the meeting, Bishop, Erik, Legend, and I talked about it some more. So far, we’d seen Tacker react positively to people who needed care or protection. Specifically, he’s developed a pretty good bond with Blue’s brother, who is disabled, and, as mentioned, with baby Charlie. It was a no brainer we’d exploit that angle.

But we’d also discussed just pressing interaction on him whether he wanted it or not. He was going to be getting a lot of pressure from all of us, and my gut said it would be a battle.

So now… while he’s strapped into my passenger seat, I’m going to take advantage of the situation.

“Coach told the team you’d been indefinitely suspended.” I give him a quick glance, noting his face is as stoic and expressionless as ever. “And that you got charged with a DUI.”

I wait for him to respond, but he doesn’t.

“So…,” I drawl, indicating he should say something.

He turns his head my way, and I flick my gaze from the road to him. His voice is dry and taunting. “Was there a question in there somewhere?”

Okay, he wants to play it that way?

I’m diving in.

“How do you feel about it?” I ask.

Tacker snorts in response. “I feel shitty, that’s how I feel.”

“Care to elaborate?” I press.

I get an exaggerated sigh in return and an apathetic tone. “What the fuck do you want me to say, Dax?”

It pisses me off. “I want you to acknowledge you’re going to try to overcome this shit because we’re all worried sick about you. I want you to say you’re going to work hard to get through your issues, get your head on straight, and come back to this team because we need you. That’s what I want you to say.”

“Yeah?” Tacker says with a mirthless laugh. “Well, if I ever figure out what the fuck I want in life and I decide it falls in line with what you want, I’ll let you know.”

He’s being a dick, and there’s no sense in pushing him on it. Besides, it wasn’t my goal to have him miraculously decide to care about things again.

I merely wanted him to know I cared, and I think I accomplished that.CHAPTER 12DaxIt’s not even seven and I’m exhausted. I pull into my driveway, stopping just short of the single car garage where Regan’s car is parked. My shoulders are knotted from the tension of the day, and I’m going to be glad to eat a frozen meal and head to bed.

Granted, the day started off about as bad as it could with the news Pepper had been shot and Charlie kidnapped, but it had ended with the best possible outcome. Lida had been captured just a few hours after she took Charlie. But, most importantly, Legend’s baby daughter was safe and unhurt. Pepper had come through her abdominal surgery. Luckily, the bullet caused no major damage, although she’ll be in the hospital for a few days recovering.

I had been out with Tacker driving neighborhoods and lonely dirt roads during the entire time Charlie was missing. The stress of what we might have found was horrendous. We barely said a word to each other the entire time, both dreading like hell we’d find something unimaginable. When Bishop sent a message Charlie had been found to the team group text, I wanted to weep with relief. Had I not been driving at the time, I would have hugged the shit out of Tacker, but I was at least satisfied he was grinning the entire time I drove him home after hearing the good news.

Of course, I kept up my unrelenting plan to draw him into the fold. I invited him to come over for breakfast on Saturday, figuring Regan and Willow could work on him, too.

He declined.

I asked if he was going to come to the rookie party on Saturday night, which would be a great time for him to reintegrate with the team. Granted, he’s suspended and technically not part of the team, but the party is not a team-sanctioned event. It happens every year on every professional team, but the management turns a blind eye to the utter hedonism of the event.