by Ella Frank
Wow, he just put it right out there, didn’t he?
“And that’s what you’re here about? Your family?” Not Henri, how he was coping, and for some reason, that really pissed Bailey off.
Maybe it was because he’d been sitting around his house mourning Henri and Priest’s childhood since he’d learned about it. Or maybe it was because he’d given himself an ulcer trying to believe that what Henri had done to Jimmy Donovan was okay. But the next thing he knew, Bailey was across the room and standing toe to toe with Priest.
“And what about Henri, and what would happen to him? Or do you only ever think about yourself when it comes down to the two of you?”
To his credit, Priest didn’t flinch. In fact, one side of his mouth curled up and Bailey thought he looked slightly…maniacal. “You’re brave.”
Bailey narrowed his eyes, clenching his hands into fists at his sides.
“Would it make you feel better to hit me?”
As Priest’s words registered, Bailey realized just how aggressive he was being and took a step back.
Priest looked him up and down. “I never thought I’d be fighting with you over Henri.”
“Yeah? Well, I never knew you had such a selfish streak.”
“Really?” Priest said. “I’m married to two men, Bailey. I would think that was obvious.”
Bailey said nothing, just glared, wishing he knew Henri half as well as Priest did, and found himself irrationally jealous over the fact he didn’t.
“You really do love him, don’t you?”
And that comment only served to piss Bailey off even more. “Why do you sound so surprised? Because you were too blind to realize he was worth loving?”
Priest’s lips pulled tight, and something fiery flashed in his eyes as he took a step forward. “I wasn’t too blind,” Priest said, his voice low. He pulled a photograph from his pocket.
Bailey reached for it, and what he saw rendered him speechless. It was a picture of Priest and Henri in their early twenties, probably. Priest had an arm wrapped around Henri’s shoulders and was looking at him, as Henri stared down at one of his hands.
Bailey’s eyes latched on to the silver ring with the black diamond in it.
“I wasn’t too blind. I was too close, Bailey.”
Bailey blinked, trying to fight back the tears blurring his vision, and when he looked up, Priest nodded and took the photo back.
“I don’t know what you plan to do here, or even what you should do. But I just want you to know that while we did have a harder start than most, Henri has had a hard everything.” Priest sighed and slipped his hands into his coat pockets. “I love him. But I think you know that. And I wanted you to see that so you understand why he did what he did, and know that I would’ve done the same for him. I’ve always hoped that someone as good as you would happen for him. I’m still hoping for that. I really am.”
Bailey swallowed and rubbed his hands over his face. “I’ve been a fucking mess thinking about all of this, about him.”
A grin slowly curved Priest’s lips. “Would it help you to know that he looks much worse?” Yes, Bailey thought, but when he said nothing, Priest added, “He passed out on our couch the night he dropped you home, and when I took him back to his place, he looked almost scared to walk in there.”
Bailey knew the feeling. Everywhere he looked in this house he had memories of the two of them—the kitchen, the bathroom, right there in his living room. All he saw was Henri, and Henri was all he wanted.
“He’s a good man, Bailey. One of the best I know,” Priest said, as he turned on his heel and headed for the door. “I’ve trusted him with my life and the life of my loved ones—and I don’t trust anyone. I know you have to do what’s right for you, but if he’s what’s right? I’d make sure to tell him before he disappears. I promise, you won’t regret it.”
Bailey watched Priest walk out to his Range Rover and climb into the SUV, and all he could think was that he’d regret it if he didn’t go and get to Henri before he was gone for good.
Chapter Twenty-Six
CONFESSION
What I’m about to do here,
is going to change our lives—forever.
HENRI SAT ON his couch staring at the empty bookshelves surrounding his television and was grateful in that moment that he’d never bothered to fill the spaces up with pointless knickknacks or rows and rows of actual books. It would just make packing up and leaving take that much longer, if he ever got to a point where the thought of not living in the same city as Bailey felt tolerable.
Henri eyed the bottle of bourbon that had become a permanent fixture since he’d returned home from Jamaica, and then looked at the clock on the wall.
It was five o’clock somewhere, right? Not that he really cared. As miserable as he was feeling, he didn’t need a time of day as a prerequisite to start throwing back the good stuff…the liquid eraser. But as he checked out the label on the bottle, he realized that that wasn’t what he had on hand. He had the cheap stuff, and he was reluctant to add that to the tequila he’d finished off the night before.
Fuck. Henri slumped down and let his eyes wander around the room. It was amazing how a single day and night had totally changed how he felt about this place.
He used to love the loft, could actually imagine settling down there—which was insane, but that was where he’d finally arrived in his mind when it came to this place, when it came to Chicago.
With Victor and Jimmy now out of the picture and Bailey firmly in it, Henri had allowed himself a moment where he imagined living there permanently. He’d imagined settling down, establishing roots, and even making friends. He’d even thought about going out with Priest, Julien, and Robbie, and being nervous about meeting Bailey’s family.
But as he sat there now, looking at his empty shelves, Henri realized that that had all just been a dream, a moment he might look back on one day, think about what could’ve been—but for now it was just a painful delusion that he wanted to forget about in any way possible.
Henri got to his feet, grabbed the bottle of bourbon just in case he changed his mind, and headed through to his small study. Maybe he’d feel better sleeping in there? It was, after all, the one place Bailey hadn’t set foot in.
Just as he was about to head in and try to get comfortable on the futon, Henri’s intercom buzzed. The last thing he wanted to do was deal with people. But just as he was about to ignore it and head into the study anyway, the intercom buzzed again.
Oh for fuck’s sake. With the bottle in hand, Henri marched over to his front door and picked up the receiver.
“Who is it?” he barked.
“Ask me up, Henri.”
Henri stared at the wall in front of him and could barely believe his own ears.
“Henri? Ask me up.”
Henri cradled the receiver between his ear and shoulder and pressed the button, and when the line went dead and he realized his hand was shaking, he quickly hung up.
Shit, what was Bailey doing there? He hadn’t called, hadn’t texted, hadn’t given any indication he was going to show up on Henri’s doorstep at eleven o’clock on Monday morning.
Maybe this is it? Maybe Bailey’s here to arrest me?
It wasn’t that much of a stretch. Just because Bailey had said he understood why Henri did what he did, it didn’t mean he would let it go without punishment.
Henri looked down at his crumpled sweatshirt and jeans and knew there was nothing he could do to make himself look any better—but he could get rid of the alcohol. He quickly put the bottle on his computer desk, and just as he was coming back out to the hall, there was a firm knock on his door.
Unsure if he was about to open his door to Bailey or half of Chicago PD, Henri braced himself, ready to deal with whatever fate waited for him on the other side.
BAILEY HAD NEVER been more nervous in his life as he stood in Henri’s elevator, traveling the three floors up. He’d had no idea when he got in his car this morning whether Henri wo
uld be there when he arrived. But when he heard the familiar voice through the intercom, Bailey hadn’t been able to stop his wildly beating heart.
The entire drive over there, Bailey had been trying to decide what he wanted to say. But as he stepped off the elevator and headed down the hall toward Henri’s place, he realized he still had nothing.
What he was about to do next was going to change both of their lives.
Bailey stopped outside Henri’s door and told himself for the millionth time he was doing the right thing, then he raised his hand and knocked. As he stood there and waited, he swallowed around the lump in his throat.
Henri pulled open the door. Bailey took in a deep breath, the sight of Henri standing only feet away from him almost enough to knock him on his ass. It felt like it had been months, years since he’d last seen Henri, and as Bailey soaked in the picture—the messy hair, the dark stubble and crumpled clothes—Bailey thought Henri had never looked more devastating.
Henri looked over Bailey’s shoulder and then scanned the hall, and for a second Bailey wondered what Henri was looking for—but then he understood.
“It’s just me,” Bailey said, and Henri took a step back and moved aside. As Bailey walked inside, Henri’s cologne wrapped around him, and he closed his eyes, remembering the first time they’d met. He’d run full force into this man, and Henri had been knocking him off his feet ever since.
As the door shut behind him, Bailey turned to see Henri standing in the narrow entryway with his head angled toward the floor. His expression was grim, his dark eyes sad, and Bailey knew exactly how he felt. These days spent apart, not knowing what the other was thinking, had felt like an eternity, and it was time to put an end to it.
“Hi,” Bailey said, and Henri lifted his head.
“Hi.”
Bailey slipped his hands into his jeans pockets, and when Henri’s eyes roved down over him, Bailey wondered if he looked as good and familiar to Henri as Henri looked to him.
“I was a little worried that I’d get over here today and find you gone.”
It took everything Bailey had not to go to Henri. The hurt and pain swirling in those eyes tore at Bailey’s heart.
“I thought about it,” Henri said. “But I told you before, leaving you is becoming… Well, it’s impossible now.”
Bailey’s heart felt as though it were shocked back to life, and as it began a steady thump, thump, thump, he took a step forward. “Even if it meant prison?”
Henri shrugged. “Prison doesn’t seem that bad in comparison.”
Bailey reached into the back pocket of his jeans. “Okay. I need you to give me your hands, Henri.”
Henri’s lips pulled tight, and a flash of pain flickered through his eyes as he nodded. But he didn’t hesitate, didn’t argue at all, as he raised his hands and held them out toward Bailey as though he’d been expecting it.
Bailey brought his cuffs up and snapped the first one around Henri’s wrist, and after he tightened it, he did the same to the second. Once they were in place, he hooked his finger around the chain and tugged Henri in until they were toe to toe.
“Well?” Bailey said, as the pain in Henri’s eyes was replaced with shock. “I’m waiting. I thought you said you could get out of a pair of these in ten seconds.”
Henri’s mouth fell open as he looked down to the handcuffs and then back to Bailey.
“I put in my letter of resignation today,” Bailey said. “After what happened at the Quick Mart, I did a lot of thinking about what I want to do with my life, and being a policeman has never really been it. So…this might be my one and only chance to see if you were telling the truth about this.”
Henri blinked a couple of times but said nothing, then he ran his tongue along his bottom lip. God, Bailey really wished Henri would say something, do something, then he might have an excuse to—
There was a distinct clink and then snap of metal, as Bailey looked down to see that Henri had freed his right hand and handcuffed one of Bailey’s—all in less than ten seconds.
“Are you— Oh my God,” Bailey said as Henri tugged him in.
“If I’m not mistaken, I believe that was about eight seconds. A new personal record.”
Bailey’s jaw almost hit the floor as he stared up into Henri’s eyes, and then he began to laugh. “Uh, I don’t know about that. This isn’t what you said you could do.”
“No?”
Bailey shook his head. “Nope. You said you could free yourself in less than ten seconds.”
Henri lowered his head, and when their lips met, he whispered, “Yeah, but I don’t want to be free of you.”
Bailey’s stomach flipped and his heart swelled. “I love you,” he said, and cradled Henri’s face. “I missed you so much, but I needed time to—”
“I know,” Henri said, then kissed his way up Bailey’s jaw to his temple. “I understand. I also understand if this is all too much.”
“No.” Bailey pulled away a fraction and shook his head. “I mean, it is a lot, but I understand why, Henri. I’ve never believed that our past defines us, but yours certainly didn’t give you many options. You fought to survive, did what you had to, and helped save another man’s life.”
Bailey smoothed his fingers along Henri’s jaw and around to trace the line of his lips.
“I’ve always had a difficult time seeing things in black and white. There are so many grey areas, so many times where you need to take a closer look at something or someone before passing judgment. I think that’s why I’ve always had a difficult time in my line of work.”
“Do you have any idea what you’d rather do instead?”
“Well…” Bailey grinned, and Henri tightened his arms around Bailey as though afraid he would disappear. “I like helping people, I still have my gun license, and I know this guy who is a private investigator. I was thinking of seeing if he’d be interested in a partner.”
Henri’s wide smile made Bailey’s entire body light up. “Hmm,” Henri said. “I think you might be in luck. He was just cut loose of this commitment he had with a real dick of a detective and is looking for a new partner.”
Bailey let out a bark of laughter. “Really? Then I think that might just work out. But I have one condition.” Henri raised an eyebrow as Bailey nipped at his lower lip. “This PI business, it needs to be legit. I’ll only sign on if we do things on the up-and-up.”
“Uh, I’m not sure I know how to do that. You might have to keep me in line.”
“Now that sounds like a job I’d love to do…permanently.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.” Bailey pressed a hard, fast kiss to Henri’s lips and then took a step back until their tethered arms were stretched out between them. “Now, about this little trick of yours, how about you show me how it’s done?”
Epilogue
Two Months Later
“ARE YOUR EYES closed?”
Bailey grinned and nodded the best he could with Henri standing behind him and hands over the top of his eyes. “Yes, for the millionth time. But have you forgotten that you blindfolded me in the parking garage?”
“No. I’m just making sure I covered all my bases.”
“I think you’re safe. Do you really think I enjoyed tripping over that stair a minute ago?”
Henri chuckled by his ear. “I don’t know, but I sure like the way you felt when you fell into me.”
“Mhmm. So glad my humiliation was stimulating for you.”
“Everything about you is stimulating to me. Now, if you’re done complaining…” Henri nipped at his ear. “We’re here.”
Bailey stopped when Henri did, and as he reveled in the warmth of Henri pressed up against him, he listened for any other sounds around them, trying to pinpoint where exactly he’d been brought.
It was Monday morning, and where the two of them usually made the ten-minute commute into the small, cold, run-down basement they rented for their PI business to get their week going, this morning they’d m
ade a detour.
Henri had said that he had a surprise, and as he removed his hands from Bailey’s eyes and stepped away, Bailey almost whimpered from the loss of having Henri close.
“Can you see anything?” Henri asked again, and this time his voice sounded as though it was directly in front of him.
Bailey shook his head. “No.”
Then a warm set of lips brushed over his. “Good.”
Bailey reached out to grab at Henri, but before he could make contact, Henri laughed that deep, sexy, rumbling sound that made Bailey’s cock instantly hard, and moved away again.
“Behave yourself, officer. I didn’t bring you here for that.”
Bailey licked at his lower lip, trying to get another taste of Henri—always wanting more. “You need to stop calling me that.”
Henri scoffed, and Bailey noticed the sound was now farther away than it had been a second ago.
“I’ll never stop calling you that. You, Craig Bailey, will always be my officer, always be my hot cop.”
Damn. Henri’s voice had taken on that suggestive tone that let Bailey know they were thinking about the exact same thing: how soon they could get alone, how soon they could get naked.
What were they doing there again?
“Henri?”
“Hmm?”
“Where are we?”
Bailey heard Henri’s footsteps and then felt him move behind him again. As he wound his arms around Bailey’s waist, Henri pulled him back into his body and said by his ear, “Take your blindfold off and find out.”
Bailey reached up and tugged the black material away from his eyes, and as they adjusted to the light spilling in through the window directly in front of them, Bailey noticed they were standing in an office space.
There were two desks set up side by side in front of a huge semicircle window that let in an extraordinary view of Chicago.
“So, what do you think?”
Bailey was at a loss for words as he looked around the space and started to see little mementos of his and theirs all over.
