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Buck and Eddie had just managed to get the driver of a car out of a car that was pinned to the guardrail when the passenger woke up. Eddie took the driver to the ambulance with Chim, talking the whole time as they assessed him, but all Buck could see was the gun pointed at him, once he was alone with the remaining passenger.
“I told that idiot there was an accident this way.”
“Why, uh, why don’t you put that away, ok? And- and we’ll get you out of here and checked-up, make sure there’s nothing broken or anything.” Buck suggested.
“Only thing broken is my nose.” The guy grunted. “Had my fair share of broken bones in my life, hazard of an abusive, alcoholic dad. You’re gonna move real slow now, and sit down and get us the hell outta here.”
“Buckley, how’s the passenger looking?” Bobby’s voice came over the radio.
“Broken nose.” Buck said, holding the button until the guy cocked the hammer back when he spoke. “If I don’t respond with anything else, they’ll know something’s wrong.”
“They’ll figure it out. Get in. And get me the fuck away from here.”
“Buck, what’s goin’ on?” Bobby called again. Buck pursed his lips and sat in the driver seat carefully, avoiding the broken glass from the broken door window. Not that the door was there anymore, but the glass still was.
“Turn it on.” The guy demanded, and Buck reached up slowly and turned the key, hoping that it wouldn’t work, but the car turned over. “Drive.”
“I can’t just-” Buck flinched as the gun went off, blowing out the back window, making all the other first responders duck down.
“Drive!” The guy shouted, making sure he was heard by anyone near them.
“I’m gonna get in so much trouble for this.” Buck grumbled, shifting the car into gear, grateful it was a manual so he could have better control over the speed. He inched forward until he was clear of the traffic and took off.
“Buck!” Eddie shouted after them, but the guy stole his radio before he could say anything else.
“Buck, is it? Yeah, he can’t talk right now. You’ll get ‘im back soon enough, though.” The guy said, smirking at Buck.
“What’s your name?” Athena asked, and Buck could just tell he was gonna get a lecture after she worried over him.
“Call me Jericho.” The guy said, and Buck knew it wasn’t his name, but he really didn’t care at the moment.
“Where’m I goin’?” Buck asked, weaving through traffic on the interstate, driving faster than he probably should.
“Ten miles up, take the desert highway exit, then go another six miles and pull off to the left, old warehouse district that was abandoned years ago.” Jericho said certainly, the gun pointed at Buck never wavering.
“That firefighter’s done nothin’ wrong. You let him go, we’ll forget about this whole misunderstanding.” Athena said calmly.
“Buck here’s gonna drop me off in a bit, then he’s all yours. What should I call you, then?”
“As far as Buck’s concerned, I’m his mama.” She said angrily. “And my boy better not have a scratch on him at the end of this.”
“Alright, Mama Buck, no need to get so hostile just yet. You got Randy already. Knew he wouldn’t cut it as a driver, but hell, we needed someone. Looks like your boy got tagged in, however inadvertently.”
“Buck,” Bobby’s voice called through, “be smart, kid.”
“Well, looks like Papa Buck has joined the conversation.” Jericho laughed. “You got yourselves a whole family affair in fire and rescue, don’t you?”
“Athena’s LAPD.” Buck grumbled, shifting gears and dodging around a few more cars before he was on an open stretch of road. He knew roughly where the guy was directing him, so he just took off. He never told anyone about his street racing days, and he’d really hoped they’d never come up. But no way was Athena gonna let it go that he was skilled enough to drive like he did without anything in his past. “You just earned me the lecture from hell, jackass.”
“You’re good.” The guy said, raising an eyebrow as Buck continued weaving in and out of traffic without any incidents.
“We all have a past.” Buck said through gritted teeth.
“What’s your name? Your real name.”
“Buckley.” Buck snarled when the guy pressed the gun against his side. “Evan Buckley.”
“I’ll be damned. EB, in the flesh. How’d you end up in fire and rescue?”
“How the hell do you know who I am?” Buck countered, steering a little aggressively around a slow moving mini cooper.
“Anyone who’s anyone always wanted a chance to get EB as their driver. Before he disappeared, anyway.” The guy shrugged.
“I’m out.” Buck said grimly, taking the exit at a slightly higher speed, ignoring the one car that honked at him as he swerved and drifted around the corner, through a light, before peeling toward the warehouse district. Jericho didn’t say anything else as Buck tore through the warehouse alley’s before stopping at a dead end.
“Get out. Try to run and I’ll have to shoot you.”
“Fuck you.” Buck grumbled, turning off the car and getting out, waiting as the guy kept the gun trained on him, pressing it into his back and making him walk with him to the trunk to get out a few bags. Buck groaned as he was forced to carry them inside one of the buildings.
“Who the hell is this?” A big guy with a bald head demanded, pointing his own gun at Buck.
“A gift.” Jericho said with a low chuckled. “Randy nearly fucked up and got us caught. He’s with the cops and firefighters right now since he got us a little stuck. EB here, took his place.”
“You expect us to believe you found EB when he disappeared almost seven years ago?” The guy said incredulously.
“Turns out EB became a firefighter. So. He’s gonna help us get the hell outta here before his cop mama and firefighter papa find us. We’re wasting time talkin’ about it. Get to the cars.” Jericho shoved Buck and Buck had to fight not to glare at the man. He didn’t do a very good job based on the laughs he heard.
“Why’s he still got ‘is radio?” The guy demanded, taking the bags from Buck before throwing them in a really nice looking souped up car. Buck kinda wanted to drive it and had to bite down the urge to ask anything about it.
“So he can call for help when we drop ‘im off.” Jericho snorted. “He’s gettin’ us to the border, to Nevada, then he’s free to go.
“That’s a three hour drive, at least.” Buck complained.
“Make it in two.” Bald guy laughed before getting into the car he’d loaded the bags into. “We’ll follow for a while then break off.”
“Stick to the plan.” Jericho said, pointing at him before shoving Buck toward another car. It was an older Audi, but it would still be hella fast. Buck shrugged off his turnout coat, feeling like he’d drive better without it on and tossed it in the backseat. “Who the fuck is ‘Diaz’?” Buck groaned internally as he remembered he’d had to borrow a shirt from Eddie when he was puked on at an earlier call because he didn’t have an extra.
“My partner.” Buck grumbled, starting the car up and waiting for directions.
“Head for Vegas, I’ll tell ya when to stop or exit or anything.” Jericho said, gesturing for him to go with the gun still pointed at him.
“This is a stupid plan.” Buck mumbled under his breath before hitting the gas and taking off. He stuck to speed limits and followed traffic laws for as long as he could, since they were in the city still for a little while. But once he saw the barricade and cops catching up to him in his rearview, he knew he had to move or he was going to be caught in the crossfire if not shot by Jericho.
“Go!” Jericho demanded, putting the gun to his temple so Athena could see it where she stood in front of her cruiser with the other cops lined up.
“Sorry, Athena.” Buck said, moving his mouth so she could see what he was saying, before flooring it and drifting around the corner and heading through the streets at speeds that were definitely not safe. Jericho kept the gun to his head, but thankfully his finger wasn’t on the trigger, or he’d have definitely been shot by now. He spotted the choppers following after them and took a few detours that would be able to hide them from view before getting back on another highway, going a somewhat reasonable speed. When they were clear of police following them, Buck took a chance and sped up, dodging through cars and avoiding the speed traps. He knew where they had been before he joined the academy, when he’d been part of a crowd that had him making runs to Vegas and back in a single night.
“You’re really him, huh?” Jericho said thoughtfully.
“I used to be.” Buck grumbled.
“What made you stop?”
“Got into the fire academy. Only drove for a while after that to earn money after living in Peru for a year, and my jeep for four years before that.” Buck said, glancing at the man curiously. “The academy wasn’t like any other training I expected. They didn’t have a bunk house or anything. I needed money to have a fucking roof over my head and I wasn’t good at anything else.”
“That’s not what I heard. I heard EB was an insanely smart guy, gifted, even. Maybe not traditionally smart, but had the brains to navigate and calculate risks in seconds before making a decision. Could have been a PhD, if he wanted.”
“I AM a PhD.” Buck snarled back. “I have an IQ of 173, and I suck at interpersonal relations. I can’t sit still, and I hate the concept of traditional education. It’s bullshit. It doesn’t legitimately quantify intelligence. All it does-”
“What’s your PhD, doctor?” Jericho interrupted.
“Civil Engineering.” Buck hissed when the gun was pressed more firmly against his head. “With minor degrees in emergency management and fire science.”
“All stand-up fields.” Jericho said in a teasing tone, if Buck was judging correctly.
“Yeah, and you just put my life under a fucking microscope. No one knew about that shit. They weren’t meant to.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m good with everyone seeing me as the idiot.” Buck stated. “Once they see that I’m not … it’ll change how they look at me. How they treat me.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“How did you get into this life?” Buck countered. “You mentioned an alcoholic abusive dad, but that can’t be it.”
“No, I had an idiot for a brother that went and got into debt with some bad folks. I took jobs to pay his debt and stuck around because it’s like you said; it’s something I’m good at. Working at a restaurant isn’t gonna pay the bills. I don’t need a home or family. I got everything I need. Take the exit in three miles. Head north for a bit and turn off at the old firework billboard. You’ll know it when you see it.”
Buck followed his directions and wasn’t all that surprised that he was stuck waiting around with the guy for most of an hour while the other four cars slowly trickled in. He was definitely ready to go home, even if it meant getting the third degree from his friends and family. They were only a few short hours from the end of their 24 hour shift, so he was supposed to be off at least four hours previously, at this point.
“Time for you to go night-night, EB.” Jericho said with a heavy sigh, turning to face him with his partners at his back.
“What?” Buck asked, tensing up. That was when he realized the big bald guy wasn’t with the others. And then a rag was put over his mouth and nose. He fought taking a breath for a while, but he knew he couldn’t hold off forever. He felt his body go lax and fell back against the guy, who lowered him to the ground more gently than he expected when the fumes finally started to get to him.
“Sorry for this. Precaution, you understand?” Jericho said as Buck started losing consciousness. He was out as he felt his hands pulled in front and zip ties slip over his wrists.
Buck jolted up as the smell of ammonia hit him, coughing as someone caught him when he fell back again, his turnout coat under his head somehow. He winced when his hands were released. His arms twinged in pain. They felt like they’d been tied together for a while. He groaned as he sat up, his head aching a little. All but one of the cars were gone. All except the one Buck had driven.
He slept in the back of the car that he was ushered into, needing the sleep for whatever was about to happen and come out about him. About his past that no one knew about. Bobby knew about the SEALs, and everyone knew he’d spent a year in Peru, but no one knew anything deeper than that. They didn’t know that he’d raced in South America in the underground to make quick money. They didn’t know that he’d raced a few times in LA, barely getting away before he was out of the academy and assigned to the 118. Technically he’d been out of the business for six years, completely, but it was close to seven.
All that was to say, he wasn’t surprised to pull up to an LAPD station once they were back in the city, to find men in suits, slamming him against the side of the SUV and putting cuffs on him and taking him somewhere else. One of the LAPD officers nodded at him as he held his phone to his ear. Great. He was definitely calling Athena. He was so tired by now, he just didn’t care.
“Do you know why you’re here?” One of the men asked once he was in some sort of building he didn’t recognize, cuffed to the table.
“Can we pretend, just for a second, that I was taken hostage near the end of a 24-hour shift and I’ve had very little sleep at this point?” Buck asked agitatedly, feeling a headache starting to throb at his temples. “I don’t know who you are, I don’t know who the guy was that decided I was his ride, and I don’t know where he, or any of his crew, are.”
“Evan Buckley, member of the LAFD for the past seven years, bordering eight. Fired once during his probationary period for stealing ladder trucks for hook-ups. Rehired, getting his boss, Captain Robert Nash, admitted into rehab and even taking him to AA meetings. Sexually assaulted by a trauma counselor who is serving prison time for doing the same to at least a dozen other first responders; work partners with Eddie Diaz, who you spend at least 80 percent of your off time with. Blown up and pinned under a ladder truck when Freddie Costas was targeting Captain Nash’s family in effort to get revenge for his father dying in prison of cancer. Survived a tsunami with an eight year old, not to mention the forty other people you saved that day. Sued the LAFD for wrongfully keeping you from work, and you would have won if you hadn’t been determined to get your job back rather than earn a quick paycheck. Saved your partner when he was shot in front of you while responding to a routine call. Struck by lightning, rendering you dead for three minutes and 17 seconds, followed by a freeway collapsing when your station responded to a traffic accident. That’s not mentioning the, frankly, insane number of extreme rescues you performed personally, nor your training with the Navy SEALs and, we can’t forget, the savior sibling complex.” One of the guys said, flipping a file open as he recited some of Buck’s history.
“For years, the bureau tracked an impossible target. A driver, not a thief or criminal in any true facet of the word. Just a driver. One that the underground murmured about in passing. No name was ever known, just initials. Just ‘EB’. That was it. And years ago, he disappeared without a trace. No more drives, no more mention other than questions about where he’d gone or what happened to him.”
“People in that life don’t just disappear. They get disappeared.” Buck waited for them to say anything else, but they didn’t.
“I’m confused,” Buck said slowly, doing his best to look like an idiot, “am I here because I happen to have the same initials as some- some ghost in whatever underground world you’re talkin’ about?”
“We’re not after you, kid, so don’t play dumb.” One of the guys snarled at him. Well, now Buck was definitely going to play dumb.
“We’re after the people you worked for at various points in time. We want you to turn State’s evidence against them.”
“What?” Buck laughed lightly, looking between them incredulously. “What the hell do you think I know about anything? I’m a firefighter; have been for nearly eight years, as you pointed out. I wouldn’t have had time for any of this.”
“I think that’s enough.” A woman said, walking in and stopping the men from arguing with him further. She set a coffee cup near him that was definitely his normal order, based on the smell of it, which made him narrow his eyes at her. “Why don’t you boys take a break?”
“This is our case-”
“And Buckley is clearly intending on answering you.” She snorted sarcastically before rolling her eyes. “Go.” Buck watched as they got up and left but didn’t reach for the coffee cup yet as much as he wanted to. “Eddie Diaz said that was your normal order when we spoke. He was rather worried about you for someone who’s just a work partner.”
“He knows I’m snappy if I don’t get coffee.” Buck shrugged, still not reaching for the cup.
“He’s also waiting outside for you.” She agreed, taking a seat in front of him. “We’re not chasing you. We don’t care about you. You are not part of anything. But.”
“But?” Buck asked, unable to stop from taking the coffee and drinking it after she said Eddie had talked to her and was waiting on him when he should be at home, sleeping.
“But,” she smirked, “you have ties to a certain crowd. So. I’m going to ask a few questions, and you’re going to answer, Dr. Buckley.” Buck scowled at her, but didn’t say anything. He didn’t actually know anything about any of the drives he’d made, nor about whatever it was he picked up or delivered. He didn’t know, and didn’t want to know. He made it a point not to ask. “You were a transporter.” She said certainly, once she was done asking a few questions.
“I was a stupid kid that needed money for a roof over his head.” Buck argued.
“Stupid is not a word I would use to describe you. You’re free to go. Stick around in case we have more questions, though.” She said, uncuffing him finally. He rubbed his wrists and followed her to a lobby area where Bobby, Athena, Eddie, and Christopher were all waiting for him. Christopher saw him first and rushed over as fast as he could, drawing everyone else’s attention.
“Buck.” Chris said, wrapping his arms around him.
“Hey, buddy.” Buck chuckled, hugging him back and kissing his head. “You are supposed to be at Pepa’s.”
“He refused to go until he knew you were ok.” Eddie said, assessing him with his eyes.
“I’m fine.” Buck sighed. “Tired, a little sore, headache, but overall, fine.”
“You really had us worried, kid.” Bobby said, hugging him once Chris moved out of the way.
“Sorry, pops.” Buck said, sinking into the hug.
“I expect we’ll get proper notification next time our boy is called in?” Athena said a little threateningly.
“We shouldn’t be needing further statements from him, but we’ll do our best to keep you informed.” The woman smiled politely at Athena’s threat.
“I honestly don’t care where I go, but I seriously need a shower and a bed because I’m gonna crash so hard.” Buck stated tiredly.
“We’ll talk after you sleep, baby.” Athena said a little more gently. “Eddie will call us when you’re up again.”
Buck didn’t argue as Bobby took his turnouts to return to the station and he went home with Eddie and Chris, falling asleep and jolting awake every few minutes in the truck as they drove. When he showered, he was expecting to face-plant into the couch for a few hours, but Eddie pushed him to his room, so he went without argument. He still face-planted, but it was in Eddie’s bed instead of on the couch.
He woke up to Chris nudging him urgently, but not saying anything. When he started to register anything, he heard a shout from Eddie telling someone to leave. He was awake in an instant after that. He grabbed the card from the FBI lady and handed it to Chris, making sure he had his phone, before making him hide in the closet so he could call 9-1-1 first, before calling the FBI. He didn’t have a shirt on, but he had been too tired to grab one when he crashed and Eddie needed help now. He rushed out, slamming the door open so they’d think no one else other than he was home.
“What the hell is going on?” He demanded, sliding a little into the room as his socks didn’t catch on the carpet.
“Buck.” Eddie breathed, looking worried before two guys appeared behind him and grabbed his arms. “No, let him go, he’s not part of this.”
“Got a message from a guy I worked with once upon a time.” A guy in a cheesy suit said slowly, looking Buck up and down. “Said they found a guy from the fire department with the name DIAZ across his back that was really a former driver known as EB.”
“They lied.” Buck argued, trying to shake the guys holding him off. “Yes, my initials are EB, but I’m not-”
“He said you drove the same.” The guy interrupted. “Diaz isn’t an uncommon name, I’ll give you that. But what are the odds the same Diaz who fought for me way back when, knew EB? Surely, if he’d known your … colorful past, he’d have said something to get out of the debt he owed.”
“I don’t owe you shit.” Eddie argued. “I paid my debts.”
“You cost me thousands of dollars, Diaz.” The guy tutted. “So here’s what’s gonna happen; EB here, can I call you EB?”
“No.” Buck snarled.
“EB is gonna run an errand for me. Because that’s what he does. Did you know? Did you have any idea that EB was a transporter?” The guy was watching Eddie, but so was Buck. And Eddie looked at him, looking confused and a little afraid for him. “I’m gonna go with no, you didn’t know. Anyway, the world’s been lookin’ for EB for years, never knowing where he went or why he disappeared. To settle your debt, EB is gonna make a run. A simple out and back to deliver a package.”
“You have the wrong guy!” Buck argued, grunting when one of the guys nudged his bad leg, making him fall to his knees. “I’m not the person you’re looking for, I’m not.”
“Then things are gonna get real messy, real fast.” The guy said disappointedly as he pulled a gun on Eddie. Buck froze when that happened. He stopped fighting and struggled to breathe. He couldn’t see Eddie shot again. Not after the sniper.
“Ok, ok! Stop! Just- just stop!” Buck pleaded. “Leave him alone and I- I’ll do whatever.”
“Buck-” Eddie said, still looking at him, not the gun.
“Chris is at school, this is the best chance to keep him safe.” Buck said, hoping Eddie caught his meaning. It was a inservice day, so Chris was home, but these guys didn’t need to know they had more leverage if they looked around.
“He’s gonna be so pissed at you.” Eddie said quietly, his eyes saying ‘thank you’. Not that he needed to. Buck would do anything for that kid, let alone Eddie.
“But you’ll both be safe.” Buck said firmly. “I’ll do it. I’ll do whatever stupid run you need me to do.”
“Glad we cleared that up.” The guy said happily. “Diaz is comin’ along as collateral.”
“He stays with me.” Buck argued. “I don’t trust you not to go back on anything you say.”
“We’ve got incentive in the car to make sure you don’t deviate from the course.” The guy said, looking between them thoughtfully. “Cuff ‘em.”
“I need my hands to drive.” Buck argued as his hands were put in front of him to be cuffed together, same as Eddie’s.
“Fine.” The guy rolled his eyes as Buck’s cuffs were taken off instead of tightened. When they went outside to the cars, Buck was shoved into the driver seat of a Supra. One hand was cuffed to the wheel, though, which was definitely going to be annoying and a pain in the ass to maneuver with. “You have three hours to reach your destination. Once I have confirmation you arrived, I’ll disarm the device and you’re free to go.”
“Shut the hell up and give me the address or coordinates.” Buck growled. A phone was handed over with an address set up. Not that Buck was going to necessarily follow the navigation, but he had the address he needed. He cracked his neck once they were in the car and he turned it on. “Hold on as much as you can. I’ll try to keep it smooth, but no promises since I haven’t driven a Supra in years.”
“You can drive a manual?” Eddie asked in surprise as he pulled his seatbelt on.
“If it has wheels, I can drive it, baby.” Buck said absently, glaring out the window as he took off down the road. He glanced down and saw the transponder light in the floorboard, knowing they were tracking him already, regardless of if they could keep up. Because they were currently following close behind them. “No one ever asked, and I never talked, I guess, about what I did after I left home. When I was 19 and had no money or anywhere to go.” Buck took a few turns, getting them onto a highway so he could hit open roads and higher speeds sooner than later. “I’m not proud of what I did, but I fucking survived.”
“If we weren’t basically being kidnapped this would be really hot.” Eddie said, holding onto his seatbelt as Buck slipped around a corner and into traffic seamlessly.
“Why do you say that?” Buck asked curiously, tracking the car behind them before changing lanes and drifting further ahead of them, making it harder for them to have any kind of visual.
“You’re basically straight out of ‘Fast and the Furious’.” Eddie snorted, making Buck look at him in confusion. “Oh my god, you’ve still never watched it?”
“I meant to.” Buck grumbled. “I did, you guys all talked about it, so it- it was on my list.”
“Where was Chris?” Eddie asked after they drove a little longer.
“Closet. Gave him the agent’s card and he had his phone. He’ll be fine. We’re gonna get bitched at about this, though. From numerous sources.”
“If you say so, genius.” Eddie mumbled.
“Not a genius.” Buck argued. “Genius is an IQ of 180 or above, I’m not that high.”
“Oh?” Eddie asked, and Buck could tell he was raising an eyebrow at him without looking his way. “Had your IQ tested?”
“I had a lot of shit tested.” Buck mumbled, weaving through a few other cars and picking up speed. “Mandatory psych evals after the tsunami and lawsuit, to prove I was fit for duty.”
“And?”
“And,” Buck huffed, “I was diagnosed with depression, acute anxiety disorder, ADHD, OCD, and stamped with a 173 IQ all in one go.”
“That’s … Jesus, Buck.” Eddie muttered.
“I know I’m depressed, I know I have anxiety. I suspected I had ADHD and OCD when I couldn’t stand certain things around the loft being in different places than I left them. The IQ test just pissed me the fuck off because it explained why I struggled so much with traditional education.” Buck weaved through more traffic, turning a little faster than necessary on a few exits to make sure he’d lost their tail, before heading down another older highway that was less used. “I hated school, and I hated the strict curriculum. I did online classes to kill time while I was on the road and managed to get a computer and earned degrees that I never use or talk about because no one cares.”
“I care.” Eddie argued.
“You’re different, Eds.” Buck sighed. “Why did those guys say you owed them money?” He asked, changing the topic.
“Because the last fight I was in I broke a guy’s nose and called an ambulance for him.” Eddie said quietly. “I won, but he was still pissed he didn’t get to collect his portion when everyone scattered before paying.”
“So he decided their debts were yours.” Buck nodded. “She better be tracking us by now.”
“Who?” Eddie asked, looking around as if he could see.
“The FBI agent. The one who told me she talked to you.”
“I didn’t talk to an FBI agent, Buck.” Eddie said hesitantly. “I talked to an Interpol agent.”
“Oh fuck my life.” Buck groaned, banging against the steering wheel. “Just … just fucking perfect!”
“What?” Eddie said, grabbing his arm and making him stop pummeling the wheel.
“She’s been fucking tracking me since I was in Peru. Maybe before. Her questions make more sense now. Ugh.” Buck groaned again. “I … went international, I guess. Things got a little hot, so I … disappeared for a while. I wasn’t ever caught and I wasn’t ever implicated in anything, because I was never directly involved in anything.”
“But?”
“I raced.” Buck said quietly. “I raced, made pickups and deliveries, and somehow got on their international radar, apparently.”
“Yeah, you’re definitely ‘Fast and Furious’.” Eddie snorted before he was laughing. “Oh my god. This is … this is hilarious. I’m making you sit down and watch those movies when we get out of this.”
When they neared the destination, Buck spotted several unmarked cars and took a few detours. It wouldn’t necessarily help, but it would buy them some more time. Eddie seemed confused, but didn’t say anything. He didn’t even complain when Buck started being followed by a marked cop car that turned its lights and sirens on to follow him. He just held on as Buck swerved in and out of local traffic, drifting around corners and stopping suddenly inside an abandoned warehouse.
“Get out.” Buck said, looking over their shoulders as people came out of the shadows and opened the trunk.
“What?” Eddie asked in confusion.
“The job was to get here, we’re here. So I need you to get out and get as far away from here as you can. Maybe flag down a cop or one of the dozens of unmarked cars that are around. I can’t, so you have to.” Buck said gently, before Eddie’s door was opened.
“Wait-”
“Time’s up.” Some tool said as he pulled Eddie out of the car and away from Buck before sitting in the passenger seat. “You’re early.”
“And you’re a douche.” Buck countered, grunting when the guy backhanded him.
“Buck!” Eddie shouted.
“Get the hell out of here, Eddie.” Buck yelled back.
“No, I’m not leaving you.”
“You are.” The douche said, holding up a device that was definitely a detonator of some kind. “All nice and reset upon reaching this destination. Now we move on to the next one. Get him outta here.”
“He said we were done when we got here.” Eddie argued. “He said-”
“He lied.” Douche stated with a grunt. “You think he was just gonna let EB go once he was in his clutches? Once he had the right leverage? That’s what you are sweetheart. You are leverage. Get lost, or he’ll have to see something that’s gonna make all of us unhappy.”
“No! Evan!” Eddie yelled as he was basically picked up and thrown outside. Buck swallowed thickly, hating that Eddie sounded so desperate.
“I’m not back.” Buck said in a low voice. “And if any of you think that, you’re in for a world of hurt.”
“Shut up and drive.” Douche said as he put in a new address for Buck to get to.
As soon as Buck revved the car once, putting it in gear, some sort of blast hit them. Not an explosion-type blast, but definitely something. He looked and saw the power had been killed to the car and the detonator. It was an EMP. While Douche was distracted, banging the device against his hand to see if that would get it to work, because he was a moron, Buck released the steering wheel and slammed it into his face, diving out and hitting the ground as doors opened and people in bullet proof vests swarmed in, weapons raised.
“Buck!” Eddie yelled, running to him and sliding to his knees next to him.
“I’m fine.” Buck said, sitting up, still holding the steering wheel.
“Smart kid you boys have.” The woman Buck thought had been FBI but was really Interpol said with a smirk as she came over. She pulled out some keys and undid the cuffs, attaching him to the steering wheel. “Why don’t I give you a lift home?”
“Am I actually going to get to stay home?” Buck whined, not caring how pathetic it sounded.
“Yes, because I’m making you watch those stupid movies.” Eddie said, pulling him to his feet. “And then you’re never leaving.”
“Bold assumption.” Buck snorted. “Not even gonna ask me out or ask me to move in? None of it?”
“You’re moving in.” Eddie said firmly, grabbing him by the neck and forcing him to look at him, ignoring the people working around them, the people making arrests and the people being arrested. “And then you’re marrying me.” Before Buck could reply, Eddie’s lips were on his and he was … Eddie was kissing him. And Buck just sort of melted into it, wrapping his arms around Eddie and kissing him back.
“God you’re hot when you’re all commanding.” Buck groaned against Eddie’s lips.
“I’ll happily tell you what to do from now on.” Eddie agreed, biting Buck’s lip playfully. It sent tingles all through his body, wanting those teeth in other places.
“As charming as this is, you should move so we can finish documenting the scene.” Interpol lady said, clearly amused.
“Just a sec.” Buck said, diving back in and kissing Eddie some more. Because he wasn’t going to stop kissing Eddie until he had to.
“We’ll finish this at home.” Eddie said breathlessly, stopping Buck from chasing after him for another kiss.
“Fine.” Buck huffed, ignoring Eddie’s smirk as they left and were sat in a dark SUV.
Neither one of them had their phones, so they had to borrow one to call and make sure Chris was ok and that someone had gone to wait with him or picked him up. He apparently refused to leave the house until he knew they were ok and on they’re way home. As soon as they were dropped off at home, having been debriefed on the drive, Buck took another shower while Eddie helped Chris get a bag to go stay with Pepa for the night. Buck fully supported that because he wanted to set up a security system of some kind in case anything else happened.
“Ok, that’s not what happened.” Buck huffed at the end of the first ‘Fast and Furious’ movie.
“What?” Eddie laughed.
“Dom is based on this guy I knew, once upon a time. It wasn’t his sister that hooked up with a Fed, it was his cousin. Yeah, she still lived with him, and they were as close as brother and sister since they were all each other had, but Jared left with the guy Dom is based on. He didn’t just let him go. He left with him for a while before being found and called back for some other shit the Fed’s said he had to help with.”
“You’re an idiot and I love you.” Eddie said, laughing at him.
“Yeah, yeah, I love you, too.” Buck grumbled, pulling Eddie down on top of him on the couch so they could make-out some more. They eventually made it to the bedroom, but their clothes were definitely still in the living room, scattered around.