“He's a good guy, and I want to be friends with him. If you fuck this up for me, I'll have Derek kick your ass," I whispered as Derek massaged my neck, staying out of it, I was sure.
Craig glanced sideways at me before he offered a big grin. "Baby G, no worries. This guy? He's not a one-nighter, just like you're not. I plan to court the boy. I suspect he's what I've been in the market for since I met you." That surprised me and reminded me of David O’Shane, yet again. I was still at a loss of what to tell Derek about running into the guy, but there was time. Derek had a lot on his mind what with trying to find out who killed Drew, and I didn’t need to draw his attention from it because of a stupid scenario I’d cooked up in my head.
Ethan walked back into the living room and faked a yawn, turning to look at me. "Gray, buddy, thanks for the notes. I'll get them back to you in a couple of days.
“I need to get a cab and get back to campus. I've got a study group at seven in the morning before my chem class mid-term," Ethan explained with a nod.
"No problem, Ethan. I'll call one for you," I responded, giving Craig the eye to make his move. I sort of felt like a pimp, but if Craig Baxter was being honest, it was the perfect time for him to give Ethan Glass a ride home and prove to himself, and me, he could be a perfect gentleman.
"No need to call a cab, Gray. I'll be more than happy to give Ethan a ride to campus." Craig then turned to Derek. "Thank you in more ways than you can ever imagine. See ya tomorrow, partner."
Ethan looked at Craig, who then grabbed the younger blonde’s coat and held it up for him. "Partner? Are you guys in business together?" Ethan asked.
Craig chuckled before he spoke. "We're both cops with HPD. I'll explain it in the car."
He then turned to us and smiled as he pulled on his heavy, top coat and shoes. "Thanks for the pizza…and everything." He winked at me before he and Ethan left together. I hoped my new friend would be treated kindly. I loved Craig Baxter, but as far as boyfriend material? I had no idea if he was up to the challenge.
Eighteen
Derek
I was sitting at my desk at the 16th Precinct, reviewing the file from an arrest the previous afternoon. After the break-up of Josh and David, they’d continued to work together for a while, but apparently, something became too much and David decided to transfer to another precinct nearer where he'd moved, or so I’d heard. Josh didn’t appear to be taking it well but he was trying hard to keep his shit to himself, so I was giving him a pass on his recent, asshole-like attitude.
The man of the hour had been called out to a domestic violence dispute by a fellow officer in SVU who knew Josh had been trained as a hostage negotiator, and he actually had a knack for it. The suspect had been picked up the previous night for allegations of molesting the stepdaughter because the girl had gone to school and reported to the guidance counselor how her mom’s husband had touched her inappropriately.
The counselor reported it to the authorities, as she was required to do, so the man was arrested. Since he had no priors, he was released on his own recognizance while the officers involved were investigating the child’s accusations.
After he was released from jail, he returned to his house…against the TRO put in place to protect the mother and daughter…and he took his wife and her daughter hostage, repeating over and over how he was innocent of the charges. He’d demanded they tell the truth because it would cost him his job if they didn’t.
When the call came in for Josh to report to the scene, he asked Craig and me to go with him because he didn’t want to do it without backup, which I could understand, so we did. It took most of the afternoon to talk the father into surrendering without killing his family, but Josh pulled it off and we were proud of him.
It was the first time I’d witnessed Josh negotiating with a suspect, and I quickly deduced the man had the gift of gab, able to sound totally sincere while bullshit poured out of his mouth…saying anything necessary to achieve his desired outcome. I watched in awe if I was being honest, and I had to agree, he was good at his game.
Craig and I had canvassed the neighbors, taking witness statements in support of the man's violent temper, possible drug abuse, and escalating hostile deportment in the house since the suspect had been demoted at his job. Each of us provided our accounting of the events surrounding the disturbance, and we owed Josh a report for his appearance at the man’s arraignment that afternoon.
I was familiarizing myself with the statements I'd taken so I could be detailed in my report for Josh, having decided not to do it the night before when the events were fresh. I’d wanted to get home to Gray because we needed a night to ourselves, and I wanted Craig's personal drama out of the way over coffee because it would be faster than having beers. Dude tended to turn into Chatty Fucking Cathy after a few Buds.
Since Christmas, things had really been busy. We'd been making small changes around the apartment to make it more 'ours', and Gray had been diligent with his studies. I supported him one-hundred percent, so staying out later the night before to give him more study time was a good idea. I was a little…lot…surprised when I walked into the living room to see a hot blonde on the couch with Gray.
I immediately jumped to the wrong conclusion that my lover was sneaking around behind my back because my sister planted the seed over the holidays that the time would come when Gray would want someone closer to his own age, but my man wasted no time setting my stupid ass straight and reminding me, I had nothing to worry about when it came to our relationship.
When Craig offered to give Gray’s friend a ride back to campus, I became a little concerned, especially after he told Gray, "Baby G, no worries. This guy? He's not a one-nighter, just like you're not. I plan to court the boy. I suspect he's what I've been in the market for since I met you. "
I was a little skeptical because I knew Craig far too well, but I was going to try to remain open minded. Fortunately for Craig, I was tired so I wouldn't be giving him the third degree with regard to what happened with Gray’s friend.
When Gray took me to bed, the boy took me to church, where I thanked the heavens for his amazing skills. When I fell asleep with his head on my chest, I felt drained of life…in a very good way.
“I’ll give you a choice, Detective Valentine. I’ll very happily suck that beautiful cock, or I can ride the stick. I’ve actually looked up positions on the internet, and nothing compared to my favorite of riding your hard cock, so?”
I wasn’t stupid. Having the man I loved on my cock? I’d never turn it down. “Baby, I don’t see any reason to reinvent the wheel, so come here and let me love you.
Twenty minutes later, we were still going at it hard with Gray edging me several times to make it last for both of us. We had to take a quick shower and change the sheets after because his balls were full, but oh, it was good.
I opened my eyes, not realizing I’d closed them as I visualized the sight of Gray’s hot ass taking my cock when he turned to face my feet. My cock was getting hard as the visual flashed through my head, so I pulled up an investigation description report template to begin filling it in as a distraction. That’s when I heard the whistling.
I glanced up to see Craig Baxter strolling through the squad room in the same suit he'd worn the previous day. It was the same white shirt because I noticed the slight mustard stain from yesterday’s lunch, but the shirt was pressed impeccably, just like every other day. The tie was different though.
He sat down at his desk across from me and continued to whistle, though I sure as fuck couldn't make out the song. He glanced up at me and picked up two pens from the cup holder between us, beginning to drum on the desk…something he knew I hated. Obviously, Craig was waiting for me to ask him about his night, but I was going to ignore him.
I began pecking in the report…typing wasn't my strong suit…and waited for him to quit behaving like an adolescent school girl. "How's Baby G? He's not mad at me, is he?" Craig asked, breaking the ice I suspected.
I continued to document the previous night, but I paused for a minute to sip the coffee I'd brought from home in the nice travel mug Gray had given me after Christmas. My man made excellent coffee, and the breakfast sandwich I'd eaten on the way to work was amazing.
"Uh, what? Sorry. You need to type up your report so we can turn this shit over to Josh when he comes in. His evaluation's due to the L-T as soon as he comes on shift," I reminded.
Craig nodded and fired up his laptop, glancing around the squad room. "I haven't been to bed yet," he stated quietly.
Without glancing up or laughing, I stated, "I don't find that surprising. Where'd that boy end up?"
I glanced sideways and saw him look around, seeing there weren't many people in the room. "He's going to be twenty, crab ass, and he's sleeping I'd guess. His first class isn't until eleven. I left his dorm room at eight after he was kind enough to iron my shirt and trousers. He also loaned me this tie."
I glanced up, seeing it was a nice tie. It was a black and gray striped, and it looked good with the suit, though I couldn't let the news go. "Nicer tie than most of that shit you wear. I thought you were gonna take it slow with the lad."
He laughed. "I am taking it slow, dickhead. I remember when you first started seeing Gray, you'd spend most of the night sitting at 'Pop's' so you could talk to him. I remember seeing you drag your surly ass in here looking like hell the next shift, but you were happy. I'm taking a page from your book because I see how happy you guys are and I want that for myself, Vali. This guy could be the type of guy I'm looking for to finally settle down. God knows I've had enough drama with Harry and his bullshit."
I looked at him and turned my chair, sipping more of my coffee. "Craig, he seems like a nice guy. Don't fuck him over because you're on the rebound, or whatever, from Harry. Cut Harry loose and be upfront with Ethan. Explain to him you're still dealing with an ex…" I began.
Craig held up his hand for me to shut the fuck up. "Vali, what the hell do you think we talked about all night long? The current state of the ozone layer? I laid all my bullshit on the table regarding my past. I gave him numbers and messy break-ups. I told him about my family back east, and I listened as he told me all about his numbers and family. We agreed to take things slow. I'm taking him out on Saturday afternoon."
I was surprised. "You went down the path of numbers? Hell, Gray and I've never really had that talk. I mean, he'd never…" I shut up because I was about to spill personal secrets that weren't anyone's business but ours.
Craig chuckled. "I figured you lucky bastard. Ethan's only had a…well, it's not polite to divulge those details. Let's just say I'm happy I met him and I have a lot of work to do to be worthy of him."
"Worthy of him, who?" Josh asked as he walked into the squad room. I glanced at the clock, seeing it was only 9:00 AM. He wasn't due on shift until noon.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
"I got a call last night from the A.D.A. The arraignment for Jorge Sanchez is this morning. If the guy makes bail, I have a feeling the wife will have a problem with him, so I need your statements by ten to send to the DA's office so they can get their shit together to see he isn’t granted bail," Josh stated.
All discussion was tabled as we all worked to put together the evidence to keep the guy in jail. We discussed the witness statements and prepared an airtight case to present to the DA.
After the hearing, where Sanchez's bail was set at a hundred grand, we went to lunch at Wayne's. Gray wasn't working because he had a study group, and I wasn't exactly thrilled to see Joy and Martin working behind the counter, but when Maddie came out of the back, I felt a little better about it.
"Derek Valentine, how are you, dear?" she asked as she walked to the register and punched in some buttons. It began spitting out paper and made a ringing sound. She glanced at it and turned her gaze to me.
"I'm fine, Maddie. How's your mother?" I asked with a cocked eyebrow. Before she could answer, Ty walked out of the back with a tray of meat.
"Big D! How you doin', brother?" he asked.
"Busy, Ty. You?"
"If I was doin' any betta, I'd worry I was dead. How's G doin' on his tests?"
"He's worked up, but I'm sure he's gonna do fine. He's been studying a lot, and we're planning to take a few days when he has spring break. I'm thinking of going to Key West," I responded, seeing Maddie's head snap up.
I’d heard through the grapevine there was a chance Cary had gone to south Florida based on where he was checked in by ICE at Miami International, though he’d used a fake name and passport. Maddie’s look of surprise and worry somewhat confirmed I was on the right track to finding Cary.
Nate Offer had heard from Craig's FBI-agent friend regarding Cary returning to the United States. Their facial recognition software pinged when Cary went through the Immigration checkpoint and it was reported to the FBI field office in Miami. That was how Nate came by the knowledge, and I was becoming more grateful as I stared at Maddie’s trouble face.
I turned to Craig and Josh. "Go ahead and order. I'm gonna talk to Maddie for a minute about getting Gray some time off. I'll be back."
"What do you want to eat?" Craig asked, cocking an eyebrow at me.
I looked at Ty and he smiled. He obviously knew how I felt about Martin and Joy. "I'm on it, Boss." He walked up to the counter to speak with Craig and Josh, and I followed Maddie to her office. As she was about to close the door, I put up my hand and smiled at her.
"Can I speak with you?" I asked. She looked annoyed, but she extended her hand for me to sit down.
"What can I do for you, Derek?" The look on her face wasn't pleasant as if she knew what I was going to ask.
"Can I get you to not schedule Gray for the weekend before and then the week of his spring break? I'm taking him away as a surprise, and I don't want him to panic about asking for the time off," I told her.
She made a few clicks on her computer and glanced at me. "He told me he wants to work as many shifts as he can over that week. He said he needs the money," she told me. I knew that was a lie because I made sure Gray saved most of his salary for his school expenses.
"Now, Miss Maddie, I don't think I’d walk out on that limb. I know where Cary is, and yes, I'm going to find him. If you alert him to my plans, I'm afraid I'll have to take you in for obstruction, but that’s not something I really want to do. You're like family to Gray and me.
"Cary was selling drugs out of this place, and we have proof we haven't turned over because they'd shut you down in a heartbeat and search every inch of this building until they found the proof to tie you and Preston to Cary’s bullshit. I know neither of you is involved in Cary’s wrongdoing, just like you know your nephew beat the shit out of Drew Corner before the boy was murdered.
"We don't have evidence Cary was involved in the strangulation of Clark Perkins whom we believe killed Drew, but we have evidence to prove Jeremy Corner was involved in all of it.
"If you can convince Cary to come in and testify regarding what happened to Drew, he can work a plea with the DA. I'm not saying he'll get immunity, but he'll be able to cut some sort of a deal, I promise. Hell, I'll see to it, Maddie.
"That kid was special to Gray, and he believed Cary and Caroline were going to take care of him. That trust was betrayed, and you and I both know Drew didn't deserve what happened to him. If Jeremy Corner is out there, and he finds out Cary's back in the country, Cary's a walking target because he can implicate Jeremy, I believe," I explained.
"Derek, he's my nephew. I can't…"
"So, you'd rather he got away with accessory to murder and then bury him? Jeremy Corner was playing with some very bad men from what the FBI has found out, Maddie. If they link it back to you and Pres? You won't be safe either. This needs to end," I told her as I stood from the chair and walked to the door. Most of it was a presumption because we couldn't find that fuck, Jeremy Corner, to save our lives, but if it scared her enough to get Cary Saunders to come back into town so we cou
ld talk to him, maybe…just maybe, we could put it behind us.
I turned back to her and took a deep breath. "Do me a favor and fire Gray. He'd never quit you because he thinks the world and all of you, and you're setting yourself up for a potential retaliation because those guys who got Cary to sell drugs out of here? They're gonna come looking for the money or the pot that was found in the alley where Perkins was killed.
"You go ahead and protect Cary. You call him and tell him I'm heading his way. He can run for a long time, but what's gonna happen to you and Pres? I'm just stating facts, Maddie," I told her as I left the office. I walked over to our table and took a seat. Tyrone brought our food, and I dug in with gusto.
"What's going on?" Josh asked.
"Cary Saunders is back in the States. He's in Florida," I stated quietly.
Craig glanced up motioning for Tyrone to come over. Ty washed his hands and walked back over to the table, taking a seat with us. "How you fellas been? Detective Moore, we don't see you ‘round here much anymore since Drew got killed and Cary left the job," Ty stated. There was something more there, based on the look on Ty's face.
Josh glanced up and then back down, digging into his plate. Something was up, and I wasn't feeling too good about it. I glanced at Ty, and he gave a discreet shake of his head.
I cleared my throat. "So, are you and Kye going away for vacation? Gray and I are going to Key West for spring break," I announced, looking at Josh. I hated doubting him, but there was something up with him.
"Why you wanna go to Key West? It's so expensive down there, and you and Gray don't have it like that unless you won the fucking lottery," Josh complained.
I was about to protest when the bell over the door rang, and Gray walked in with his new friend, Ethan Glass. I saw Craig perk up at the sight of them, and damn if I didn’t know exactly how he felt.
A Valentine's Quest (The Valentine's Trilogy) Page 15
