“If he’s as connected as he appears, my guess is he’s already put together that Bowie couldn’t afford a hitman, and that it’s probably no coincidence that his new boyfriend is a four-time felon with ties to an international drug cartel and an arms dealer with some shady business dealings, especially considering the extremely specialized ammo used in the murders.”
Was Javier supposed to feel guilty about that? “I want him to find me. I just want to make sure the target is firmly on me, not Bowie. Speaking of, did Linc get in touch with his fed friend? Did they say whether there’s an open investigation on Bowie?”
Once more, Nicky’s chair creaked like he was leaning back. “There is some good news in that respect. The Secret Service declined to investigate the case. Chances are they know about Junior’s past and Senior’s crime ring. And like you said, the local cops have nothing but speculation on who killed him and why. If you keep your head down and stay quiet, it will eventually die down. Just keep referring them to your attorney. My guess is they’ll get another case and this will stop being a priority, especially with Senior no longer there to prod them to keep investigating.”
Javier was relieved the case hadn’t gone federal. The local cops had far less jurisdictional sway when it came to things like wiretapping and following up on hunches. “When did Giordano drop off the radar?”
“Last charge on his credit card was when he checked out of his hotel at eleven a.m. yesterday morning. After that, he just disappears and he’s a big spender. Could be a coincidence, but my guess is he figured out you guys flew the coup and had investigators track you down.”
Good. Javier could work with that. “Alright. Keep working on breaking down Giordano’s list of crimes, and see if you can run down who the hell’s DNA is all over that box. Even if it is just an assistant.”
“Yeah, man. I’ll start breaking down the women in Giordano’s life. Both Giordanos. Just in case.” Javier was about to hang up when Nicky said, “Be careful, man. Guys like Giordano… They don’t travel alone, and they usually come packing an arsenal.”
Javier laughed. “Lucky for me, I’m standing in the home of an arms dealer.”
Nicky made a noise of frustration. “You’re not fucking Rambo. You can’t just surprise attack the man if he’s heavily guarded.”
That wasn’t entirely true. The carnage would be slightly more substantial, and a bit harder to clean up, but not impossible. Javier decided to keep that particular line of thought to himself. Nicky didn’t need to know everything. “I mean, I took out three men behind bulletproof glass. I think I can handle a middle-aged diplomat.”
Javier could practically hear Nicky roll his eyes. “And his crew? He’s dirty, man. He’s not playing by the rules. He could easily have a militia at his disposal. We don’t know. I don’t like this.”
Javier was weirdly flattered Nicky was so concerned about his safety, but Bowie was the priority. “Look, as long as Bowie’s safe, whatever happens, happens. He’s the only thing that matters right now.”
“What?” Javier spun around to find Bowie standing there, somewhere between furious and shocked. “What do you mean, ‘whatever happens, happens.’”
Javier closed his eyes and sighed. “Call me when you get something. I gotta go.” To Bowie, he said, “You eavesdropping, angel?” He kept his voice soft so Bowie knew he wasn’t angry. Truthfully, he was just making conversation until he could think of a way to avoid Bowie’s obvious wrath.
When Bowie crossed his arms over his chest, Javier realized accusing him of eavesdropping probably hadn’t been the way to go. “I came to tell you that Sylvia invited us to the ballet on Friday and I want to go,” Bowie said, his tone implying that the ballet thing was already a done deal and that he wouldn’t be swayed from their current conversation. “What did you mean whatever happens, happens?”
Javier gave him what he hoped was an innocent look. “It’s just an expression,mi amor.”
Bowie marched into his space, poking Javier in the chest. “Don’t you try to suave your way out of this. You’re not allowed to pull some dumb martyr shit where you sacrifice yourself like some noble hero. That’s not why I fell for you.”
Javier couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face, wrapping his arms around Bowie’s unyielding body and kissing his frowning mouth. “Why did you fall for me?” he crooned against his ear before kissing his temple.
Bowie deflated, hugging him tight, resting his head on Javier’s shoulder. “Because I was tired of the ‘good’ guys. The ones with their platitudes and pitiful looks and pitiful excuses about how things were out of their hands. You never looked at me like a victim. You never treated me like one either. And you didn’t ask for permission before solving my Giordano problem. You just did it. For me.”
“And you trusted me to do it. You didn’t ask questions and you didn’t second-guess me. Do you still trust me?” Javier asked.
Bowie stepped back just enough to look him in the eye. “That’s not fair. You know I do.”
Javier cupped Bowie’s face in his hands, thumbs brushing over his cheekbones. God, he never got tired of looking at him. “Then let me solve this problem, too. This very last problem. So we can get on with our lives. However that looks for us.”
Bowie shook his head. “That’s the thing. I don’t want to get on with my life if you aren’t in it.”
“Well, I should hope not,” Javier retorted with a little laugh. “I’m not trying to be a martyr, angel. I’m not going into this with a death wish. I just don’t fear it the way some people do. Death and I are long-time friends.”
“Well, I would rather you were mortal enemies. I don’t want to sound dramatic or anything but if anything happens to you, I’m going to throw myself onto your casket like an Italian mother. Just so you know.”
“That doesn’t sound dramatic at all. I expect nothing less.” He kissed Bowie’s nose, his eyes, and, finally, his lips. “You know I love you, right?”
This time, it was Bowie who smiled. “I would hate to think you’d rack up a body count like this for somebody if you didn’t.”
“Only you.”
“That’s weirdly romantic.”
Javier grinned, once more kissing Bowie’s lips. “How’s this for romance? Take me upstairs and I’ll let you fuck my brains out.”
