Page 42 of The Fix

Rex handed Cami a cup of coffee, and she gave him a grateful smile. “You okay?” he mouthed, and she gave him a small nod.

The police had arrived directly after his call, and they’d been questioning them for an hour now. Cami looked tired but intent on doing all she could to help the authorities untangle what had happened and how Cyrus Sanders had ended up in a locked room in a rental cabin in the woods.

And why no one had reported him missing in four days.

When Rex had first called, two squad cars had arrived, quickly joined by more as he told the story of how he and Cami had come to be in Big Sur.

Then a couple of detectives arrived, and they’d separated him and Cami as they questioned them and sent officers out to the cabin.

As far as Rex knew, the authorities were currently attempting to trace who the property belonged to and how they could be contacted for questioning.

The police insisted on taking Cyrus to the hospital to be thoroughly evaluated, and though it was obvious Cami struggled with allowing the child out of her sight, a female officer volunteered to go with him and stay by his side.

Cami had relented, though she likely knew it wasn’t really up to her anyway.

Cami took a sip of the hot liquid, and Detective Mauro, a gruff-looking man who was surprisingly soft spoken, glanced down at his phone when a text came in.

“No luck with that room,” he told them, obviously referring to the virtual room on the dark web where the video of Cyrus had been.

Rex had known that would be the case. It was the whole point of the dark web—you could put up and take down whatever you wanted, and it couldn’t be traced back to you or recovered.

“Tell me again about the person on the phone,” the detective said to Cami. Rex sat down next to her. They’d gone over this, but he knew that it was just protocol. They wanted to make sure her story didn’t change and she hadn’t forgotten anything.

Cami sighed but didn’t argue. She obviously understood their strategy too.

“I’m almost certain it was a female, and her voice was altered to sound like one of those windup dolls.

High pitched and sped up.” She pressed her lips together and looked off to the side, obviously thinking.

“There is one thing that I forgot to mention. I heard this ... I don’t know, it was like a wheezy sound in the background.

I remember picturing Darth Vader on the line.

That exaggerated breathing, like through a mask.

” She shook her head. “I know that doesn’t make sense, but . ..”

“Not now,” Detective Mauro said as he jotted in his notepad. “But again, every small detail matters. And that might help us at some point.”

Cami fiddled with a thread on the couch cushion. The younger detective by the name of Graf, who’d been there earlier, came back in the house and sat next to his coworker. “I talked to my captain,” he said, and Cami met his eyes. “We could charge you, you know. With not reporting a kidnapping.”

“Not under California law,” Rex said. He’d looked this topic up as Cami had slept on his shoulder on the airplane.

“If you’re not the legal parent of the child, you’re not obligated to do anything.

” And even if Cami was Cyrus’s biological mother, she currently had no parental rights in the eyes of the law.

Cami turned a widened gaze on him, obviously astonished at California’s lax laws regarding compelling the reporting of crimes against minors. But in this case, it was to their benefit.

“This started in Virginia,” Detective Mauro said.

“It doesn’t seem like the best use of resources, considering the crime,” Rex said. “And also, Cami was warned not to go to the authorities. She obviously approached this wisely. Cyrus Sanders is alive and well, thanks to her.”

“And you,” Cami said, reaching her hand out and taking his for a moment before letting go.

“You,” Detective Graf repeated, “caused a man to fall off a cliff to his death.”

“Cyrus’s life was in imminent danger,” Rex said. “And so was mine. That man had a loaded weapon, and I did not. He’d already fired many shots.”

“That’s what the kid says too.” The detective sat back in his chair.

“And the shell casings back up your story. A team has already recovered the body and the weapon.” He paused, his eyes focused on Cami.

“As far as the kid being okay despite you not contacting the police immediately, I don’t work on an ‘end justifies the means’ basis.

This could have turned tragic at any moment. ”

“I’d say it already has,” Rex said. It pissed him off that they were treating her like a criminal when she’d been wringing her hands and bending over backward since her phone first dinged and she learned that a boy was in trouble.

“So instead of lecturing us, maybe find who scooped a kid up and put him behind bars. Find out who his deadbeat foster parents are and charge them.”

Detective Graf’s lips thinned, but neither he nor Detective Mauro seemed like unreasonable guys to Rex.

They’d allowed them to remain in the house as they were questioned instead of dragging them to the police station, where they’d sit in a cold room under bright lights.

Rex’s assumption about the detectives’ decency was further confirmed when the men glanced at each other and then Detective Graf sighed and turned back to Cami.

“We could charge you, but we’re not going to.

You called us the moment Cyrus was safe, and you’ve cooperated.

Also, I looked you up. I’d heard about the crime committed against your family when it happened.

A real tragedy. I’m sorry for what you experienced. ”

“Thank you,” Cami said.

“Could the person who sent you the video have known about your past escape and banked on you being clever enough to find Cyrus?” Detective Mauro asked.

Cami appeared to think about the question. “Maybe. But your question supposes I was chosen solely because of the crime I experienced. It can’t be a coincidence that he’s my son.”

“That still hasn’t been confirmed.” One of the paramedics who’d driven Cyrus to the hospital had also taken a vial of blood from her.

The detectives had informed Cami the results would be back in three or four days.

But it was clear that Cami didn’t need a blood test to confirm the boy was hers.

Rex tended to agree. Cyrus had resembled her on-screen.

In person, it was even more striking. He even had some of her same expressions, which was sort of wild considering they’d never met.

“I know.”

“Also,” Rex said, “that would be assuming the motivation of the person who sent Cami the video was to rescue the kid. If that was the case, why not send the video directly to the cops? Why not rescue him themselves?”

The four of them sat there for a moment, the detectives jotting into the pads as Cami met Rex’s eyes.

She gave him a small smile that spoke of her ability to remain strong.

She obviously wasn’t a woman who easily crumbled in the face of stress.

He’d known that, of course, but he was glad as hell to see her fighting spirit hadn’t dimmed.

A cop came in and gestured Detective Mauro over, and the older detective stood while the younger stayed with them. Cami sipped her coffee, and after a minute, the detective returned. “His foster parents have been located.”

“What’d they say?” Cami asked.

“They’re saying they thought he was at a friend’s house, but there are holes in that story. It looks more like they either didn’t notice or didn’t care. They have six other kids living with them, potentially for the checks they’re bringing in, but I don’t want to assume too much.”

Rex blew out a slow breath, tamping his anger down.

These were the sorts who were chosen to care for the most vulnerable, and often emotionally damaged, children in society?

Cyrus’s words came back to him, the ones they’d heard as he’d spoken to the man who brought him food: I live with a foster family who doesn’t even like me.

They definitely won’t give you money. They’re probably glad I’m gone.

He’d had it right, and damn but that was sad as hell, especially after he’d already lost so much.

“Any information on what happened to his adoptive parents?” Rex asked.

“Only what Cyrus told us,” Detective Mauro said. “That they died in a car accident. We’re having the accident report pulled now. No family member stepped up to take him, and so he went into the system.”

“When can I see him?” Cami asked.

“During visiting hours tomorrow morning,” Detective Mauro said. “He should be released in the afternoon.”

“And then?” Cami asked, and Rex saw the way she stilled. “He can’t return to the foster parents who didn’t notice he was gone for four days. In fact, I hope those people go to prison. Can I take him back to Virginia with me?”

“He’s still in the system,” the older detective said. “Another family will have to be found.”

Cami shook her head. “That’s madness. I’m his biological mother, and I’m willing to take him to live with me.”

The detectives glanced at each other, and then Detective Mauro cocked his head and leaned back in his chair, obviously considering something.

“I might know someone I can talk to. But only after it’s confirmed that no family or friends want to take him in.

I’m assuming not, since they allowed him to go into foster care the first time, but it’ll need to be checked into anyway.

” He paused, considering Cami. Rex was encouraged by the sympathetic look in his eyes.

“This is a highly unusual situation. And there’s the issue of multiple state laws being involved. ”

“Anything you can do,” Rex said. “It would be very much appreciated.”

The detective nodded, and then both men stood. “We’ll plan to be at the hospital tomorrow, too, just to be sure Cyrus isn’t still a target, and we might have a few further questions.”

“Okay,” Cami said. “Thank you.”

They said goodbye to the detectives and the few officers who were still milling around outside, and then Rex closed the door and turned to Cami.

She looked dead on her feet, but her face also held a tired sense of wonder. They stood there for a moment, their eyes locked, before they both stepped toward each other simultaneously, and Cami fell into his arms.

“We did it,” she breathed. “We did it, Rex. Against so many odds. My God.”

He held her, taking all her weight as she wrapped her arms around him so tightly, as if he were the only thing on earth solid enough for her to hang on to.

He luxuriated in the feeling. He was honored by it.

He liked the sound of we far too much. It scared him too.

He couldn’t forget what it felt like to be hurt by her.

Rex let go, and her arms dropped too. She still looked tired and now partly confused. Her gaze ran over his features one by one, halting on his mouth. His body stirred. God, he liked that look. “You dropped everything to help me,” she said. “To help us.”

“I didn’t do it alone. I had help.”

“You would have done it alone. You would have tried.”

He smiled, squinted off toward the stairs. He felt embarrassed and pleased by the look of adoration in her eyes. Yeah. Yeah, he would have. He would have tried anything and everything to bring her son home to her.

“You were shot at. You could have been killed.”

“I wasn’t. I knew what I was doing.” He’d had the upper hand when he’d caused the distraction in the trees. He’d had cover while the man with the gun did not. He’d thought he could get him to expend all his ammunition, and he had.

He just hadn’t banked on the guy having extra in his pocket.

If Cyrus hadn’t thrown the dirt in his face ...

But he wasn’t going to play that game. They were all okay. Cyrus was safe.

Cami stepped toward him again, and he stilled as she slowly went up on her tippy-toes. “Thank you,” she whispered, and then she leaned in, her lips so close to his, their breath mingling.

Oh God, he wanted her. Maybe he’d never stopped.

And that likelihood made him feel scared and vulnerable, not like the man he was but back to the boy he’d been.

The one who’d been insecure. The one who’d been so deeply aware of all he lacked.

He and Cami were both different now, he knew that logically, but his longing for her felt familiar and outside all rationality.

And his impulse was to fight it because he’d been hurt badly by it once before.

Rex turned his head on an expelled breath and stepped away. “You’re welcome,” he said. Cami rocked a little unsteadily as she came down on her feet. She turned to watch him as he moved by her, and then followed him with a sigh.

His heart thumped dully. He wanted her, but not because she thought he’d earned it by acting the hero. And perhaps not a day like today, where emotions were high but would likely crash with the dawning of a new day.

They walked slowly toward the hall where the bedrooms were, tension thick in the air.

She stopped at the room where she’d put her things and paused with her hand on the knob.

“Get some rest,” he finally said, and he wondered if she could hear the longing in his voice, how deeply conflicted he was.

“It’s been a long day, and you’ve got to be exhausted. ”

She nodded uncertainly, and then, with a brief glance over her shoulder, she went inside the room and closed the door softly behind her.