by Carol Lynne
Bobby eventually nodded and headed out to the deck, Angelo right behind him. They settled on the two lounge chairs, and Angelo continued to sip at his beer. After several minutes of peacefully watching the waves roll in and out, Angelo cleared his throat. “So you never answered my question.”
Bobby opened his eyes and turned to regard Angelo. “What question?”
“What would you do if you knew the people you cared about were in danger just by being around you?”
“I don’t know what you’ve got in that squirrely head of yours, but stop it. We’ll get through this together.” Bobby scrubbed a hand over his face. “We seem to be doing a lot of that lately.”
Angelo warmed. He’d always known his friends loved him despite the snide comments, but Bobby’s conviction drove the feelings deep into his heart. “Yeah, we’re a fucked up group of friends, aren’t we?”
“Ain’t that the truth.” Bobby took another swallow of beer. “Now that we’re getting you married off, it’ll soon be time to go to work on Mario and Kent.”
Angelo snorted. “I’m not getting married off to anyone.”
Bobby turned to face Angelo. “I thought you liked him?”
“I do. I like him a lot. But he’s not my type. I guess I just don’t see it lasting.” There, he’d said it.
“You’re right about one thing. Torrence definitely isn’t the type of guy we’ve seen you with in the past. But did you ever stop and try to figure out why those old boyfriends didn’t last?”
Only about a million times. “I figured it was because I’m weird.”
Bobby leaned across the distance and punched Angelo in the arm. “Ow!” Angelo howled.
“You’re not weird.” Bobby grinned. “Okay, so maybe you do have a few oddities, but they make you who you are.”
“Yeah? Then why do you guys constantly give me such a hard time?” Angelo asked, rubbing his arm.
“We have to point out your faults. Otherwise you’d seem too damned perfect to hang out with us. Besides, that little nostril flare thing you do when you get mad is cuter than hell.”
Angelo reached up and touched his nose. “I don’t do that.”
Bobby laughed. “You most certainly do. Ask Jules or Torrence.”
Angelo finished off his beer and stood. “Do you mind if I get another one?”
“Nope, but only if you’ll grab me one,” Bobby answered, handing Angelo his empty.
Angelo walked back into the house feeling lighter than he had all afternoon. What his friend said hadn’t changed Angelo’s mind about relocating, but at least he knew he had people who loved him to come back home to on the weekends.
* * * *
By the time Moody returned to the station his disposition was less than friendly. Hell, they didn’t call him Moody for nothing. He gave the desk sergeant a grunt as he passed and continued on to his desk.
“What’d you find?” Jake asked.
Moody dropped into the chair and threw his keys on the desk. From what he’d heard from his informant, Rico was deeper into this mess than he’d first feared. For twenty bucks and a pack of smokes, Billy James had offered up some frightening information.
Moody’s chest felt like it had been crushed like a tin can. “I’ve got a witness who saw Rico pass the keys to Overton’s holding cell to a man in a suit hours before the murder.”
“Rico? As in your nephew?”
“Yeah.” Moody rubbed his eyes. “Do me a favour, Jake, and take the lead on that tip, would ya?”
Jake nodded. “Sorry, buddy.”
Moody shrugged, unwilling to talk more about it. He powered up his computer, knowing what he had to look forward to. He knew the email from Angelo would be the cherry on top of a craptastic day.
He thrummed his fingers on the desk until the machine finally came to life. Moody entered his password and pulled up his email account. He read the instant message conversation between the two men and sighed.
“Jake, take a look at this and tell me what you think.”
Jake stood and walked over. He leant against the back of Moody’s chair as he read over his shoulder. “Who’s CB, or do I need to ask?”
“You don’t. That would be the infamous Carl Blakely.”
“And AP is Angelo?”
“Yep.”
As Jake read the messages, the picture in the background caught Moody’s attention. Because Angelo had sent him a snapshot of his screen, it also captured a partial image of a condominium broker in…Los Angeles.
“I gotta go,” Moody said, pushing Jake out of his way. “Give me a call if you have any thoughts on the messages.”
Moody snatched his keys off the desk and headed towards the door. “Close out of that when you’re done, will ya?”
“Should I call you now or wait until you get on your bike?” Jake asked.
“Well, smartass, guess you’d better call me now.” Moody pulled his phone out of his pocket and waited for it to ring.
“What’re you thinking?” Moody answered, on his way to the parking lot.
“That you’d better watch your back. And that you need to show this to the captain.”
“Yeah, I got that much. You don’t think it’s enough to incriminate Blakely though, do ya?” Moody had hoped all afternoon that Blakely would’ve screwed up and told Angelo something they could use against him.
“No. A good lawyer could get him out of anything on here. It wouldn’t even get as far as the prosecutor’s office.”
“Yeah, that’s what I figured. Did you find anything out about who Blakely was visiting in the office building?”
“Not yet. I never realised how many individual offices were housed in that building, everything from lawyers, to insurance agents, brokers and a handful of doctors.”
“And of course none of them want to talk about who might have come to see them?” Moody guessed.
“Yep.”
Moody reached his bike and unstrapped his helmet. “Okay. Call me if you find out anything. I’m headed to pick up Angelo.”
“I’d feel better if you took the sedan.”
Moody grinned. “Aw, you do care.”
“Fuck off. I just don’t want to break anyone new in on the case.”
Grinning, Moody ended the call and stuck the phone in his pocket. He slid his helmet on and climbed onto the Harley. As he pulled out of the lot, Angelo’s email came back to him, fuelling his anger once more.
* * * *
“Hi,” Angelo greeted Moody.
“I need to see your laptop.” Moody stuck his hands in his pockets to keep from either pulling Angelo into his arms or throttling him, he still hadn’t decided which.
Angelo’s smile faltered. “Is there something wrong?”
“The laptop?” Moody reminded him.
Angelo turned without another word and led Moody into the living room. He pointed towards the coffee table. “You want a beer or something?”
“No, thanks.” Moody sat on the couch and opened the laptop. As soon as the image appeared on the screen, he minimised the IM conversation and pointed towards the condominium advertisement. He continued to look in the history file and brought up each site Angelo had visited earlier in the day.
By the time Angelo came back into the room, sipping his beer, Moody felt like throwing the machine across the room. “Care to explain this?”
Angelo glanced at the screen and dropped to the couch beside Moody. “I called an old colleague about a job. I was just checking out possible housing options.”
“In LA?”
Angelo nodded. “It’s not like I’ll be able to find another sales job here. What else am I supposed to do?”
“We’ll get this all cleared up and you can go back to your old job,” Moody replied, grasping at straws.
Angelo put a hand on Moody’s thigh. “I’m always going to be gay. It’s not something you can clear up.”
“Isn’t there something else you can do?” A lump was quickly forming in Moody’s t
hroat at the thought of losing what he’d spent a lifetime looking for.
Angelo pushed Moody back into the sofa and kissed him. “What would you do if you couldn’t be a cop in San Francisco? Would you settle for working as a security guard or would you go to another city if it meant doing what you love?”
Although he understood what Angelo meant, it still hurt. He couldn’t blame his lover for thinking more of a job than him. Hell, they’d only been intimate for a matter of days. But Moody knew their relationship began the first day Angelo walked into the station. He’d been impressed by the way the smaller man stood up to him. Moody knew bigger men who didn’t dare do that.
He cupped the back of Angelo’s head and kissed him again, pushing his tongue deep. With everything else going on, Moody knew it wasn’t the time for life altering decisions, but eventually they would have to be made. A long-distance relationship was something he’d always told himself he’d never do. Was what he’d started with Angelo worth it?
Angelo broke away, staring into Moody’s eyes. “I’d stay if I could. You know that, right?”
Despite being a couple years shy of forty, Moody reacted like a hurt little boy. “I guess it depends on what’s most important to you.”
Angelo pulled back and stood. “That’s not fair.” He picked up his beer and started towards the deck before turning back. “I didn’t ask to be targeted. I didn’t ask to have my entire career ruined in one night.”
Moody started to comment, but Angelo cut him off.
“I like you.” Angelo shook his head. “No. It’s more than that. I’m falling in love with you, but it’s not enough to rearrange my entire life, at least not yet. I’ve worked my fucking ass off to get where I am. Do you know how much it means to me to have a house without cockroaches scurrying for cover every time you turn on a light? That’s huge.”
“Don’t start with the poor boy routine. I grew up in the same kind of neighbourhood as you,” Moody growled. “And one thing I learned that you haven’t seemed to get through your thick head is that money doesn’t mean shit if you don’t have people you care about.”
With his hands fisted at his sides, Moody watched as the colour seemed to drain from Angelo’s face. “Yeah, well, you earn money and at least you have something real at the end of the day. You invest, you save and if you treat it right, your money doesn’t desert you.”
Angelo calmly set his beer bottle down and walked out the front door. Moody growled his frustration to an empty room. At least he thought it was empty.
“We’re the only family he has, ya know?”
Moody spun around to face Bobby. “I’ve read his file. I’m aware he didn’t know his father and his mother died when he was barely out of high school.”
Bobby nodded slowly. “So, because you read words on a computer screen, you think you have him all figured out?”
“I didn’t say that.” Moody went to the window and separated the curtains. He could see Angelo in the distance, pacing around the cul-de-sac.
“I’m not disagreeing with some of the things you said to him, but you’re not taking into account who Angelo really is.”
Moody crossed his arms and stared at Bobby. “So enlighten me.”
Bobby held up his hands, gesturing with the bottle towards the window. “That’s just it, I can’t. I don’t think any of us can. We’ve known Angelo for years, but no one really knows who he is. He doesn’t let people in. The fact that you’ve gotten as far as you have in such a short amount of time says a lot. Don’t discount what he said about falling in love with you. As far as I know, he’s never felt that for anyone.”
“So what? I’m supposed to just let him move to Los Angeles?”
Bobby tipped the bottle to his mouth and finished it off. “I don’t know, man. Maybe it’s the sense of security that money gives him. Who knows, maybe if he felt secure in something else it wouldn’t seem as important.”
“We haven’t been together long. I doubt either of us is secure in our relationship.” Moody knew his feelings for Angelo were real, but he’d never had a serious boyfriend. What if he convinced Angelo to stay and things didn’t work out?
Bobby started to turn towards the kitchen. “Sounds like you need to take things one day at a time until you know whether or not he’s the one.”
As Bobby left the room, Moody turned back to the window. His lover was still pacing the street, arms flailing in the air. What was he doing?
Moody’s hand was on the doorknob when Bobby sauntered back into the room. “Give him some time. Why don’t you come help me with dinner?”
Moody rested his forehead against the closed door. A large part of him wanted to run out into the street and wrap Angelo in his arms, but he knew that wouldn’t solve their problems, only postpone them.
“Okay, I have to be honest, though. I don’t know shit about grilling.”
Chapter Six
Angelo was still arguing with himself when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He spun around, expecting to defend himself and came face to face with Jules. Angelo dropped his hands. “Oh, hey.”
With his eyebrows drawn together, Jules’ head tilted to the side. “What’re you doing?”
It took Angelo several moments before finally admitting how juvenile he was being. “Arguing with myself.”
Jules nodded. “And who’s winning?”
Angelo realised the absurdity of the exercise. “I’m torn between staying here with the people I care about and working at some fast food restaurant, or moving to LA to get another job in radio.”
Jules pulled at his earlobe, evidently considering Angelo’s statement. “It looked like you were arguing about more than that.”
Angelo shook his head. “Naw. I’m Italian. We always argue with our hands as much as our mouths.”
Jules laughed and started walking to the house. He stopped and glanced over his shoulder. “You coming?”
“In a minute.” Despite the friendly disruption, Angelo’s disposition was far from calm. How dare Moody make him feel guilty! As mad as he was at his lover, he was just as pissed at himself. He knew he’d sounded like a superficial son-of-a-bitch earlier, but everything he owned, he’d worked his ass off for. No one had given him a damn thing in his life.
Angelo kicked at a tuft of ornamental grass. He knew if he went back into the house, he’d take one look into Moody’s deep brown eyes and forgive him. What was the point of falling in love if it cost you everything else?
“Angelo?” Moody called from the front yard of Bobby’s house. “Dinner’s ready.”
Angelo waved that he’d heard him. He really wasn’t ready to go back inside. Maybe he could catch a cab and go back to his place.
“We okay?” Moody asked, walking towards Angelo.
Angelo shrugged. What could he say? He was more confused than ever. Moody reached him and pulled him into an embrace. “If I get the job, I was planning to come back here on the weekends,” he mumbled against Moody’s neck.
Moody sighed and kissed the top of Angelo’s head. “Maybe I’m just being a selfish prick, but I kinda like coming home to you at the end of a shitty day.”
“Yeah, I’ve enjoyed it too,” Angelo conceded.
“Listen. I know I’m asking more than you’re willing to give, but I’ve never met anyone like you, and I’ve never known a long-distance relationship to work out.”
Angelo knew exactly what Moody was saying. It was the same thing he’d been standing out in the street arguing with himself over. Basically, he knew it came down to working a job he loved or taking a chance on the real thing. With a job he depended on himself, with love he was dependant on someone else, in this case, Moody.
“Let’s not argue about LA anymore until I get the call back on the job. There’s no sense playing ‘what-if’ unless I get the damn thing in the first place.” He felt Moody’s arms tighten. Angelo ran his fingers over his lover’s heavy five o’clock shadow. “I don’t suppose you own any sneakers, do you?”
Throughout dinner, Moody couldn’t take his eyes off Angelo. Every smile, every gesture the hot Italian made seemed to fuel Moody’s lust for the man. By the time Angelo snuggled against him on the back of the Harley, Moody’s dick was about to break through his jeans.
He remembered what they’d talked about the first night they’d rode together. The image of Angelo bent over his Harley nearly sent Moody over the edge. He thought about his favourite, isolated, make-out spots growing up.
“Care if we make a stop on the way to my place?” Moody asked over the rumble of the engine.
Angelo leaned further against him and spoke in his ear. “It feels like forever since I’ve been out. Take me where ever you want.”
A few blocks from Bobby’s place, Moody pulled into an all-night drugstore. Before Angelo could question him, Moody tapped his lover on the nose. “Supplies.”
A wide grin broke out on Angelo’s gorgeous face. “Ooh, it’s going to be that kind of stop.”
Moody nodded and glanced down at his hard cock. “Thought I’d show you life on the wild side.”
Angelo chuckled and rubbed his hands together. “Go get the stuff, Big Daddy.”
Moody laughed as he walked into the store. Never would he expect Angelo to call him by such a name. He grabbed a box of condoms and studied the lube selection. Warming? Hmmm, that could be interesting.
He checked out and tossed the paper sack to a still grinning Angelo. “Got a surprise for ya in there.”
One of Angelo’s black eyebrows rose in curiosity. “Really?” Angelo peeked into the bag. “Oh, I’ve seen this stuff on TV. Do you think it works?”
Moody fastened his helmet strap and climbed onto the bike. “There’s only one way to find out.”
As the Harley roared out of the parking lot, Moody was so focused on the hard ridge pressing against his back, he didn’t notice the car following until it was right behind them. He yelled back to Angelo as loud as he could. “Hold on tight. We’ve got a tail.”
