“Two of us.”
“Whatever.”
Goldie grabbed paper towels from the counter to wipe himself down with while Day ran off to the bedroom. Goldie didn’t know what he was going for until he came back with two fresh pairs of pants and his headphones slung around his neck.
“Mr. Nash! Mr. Hanley!” Alvarez banged on the door. “Come on!” There was a pause. “Do not make me come back with a warrant.”
“One sec!” Goldie called out as he quickly stepped into the new sweats. “Fuck, fuck,fuck.”
“Do not worry, angel. I will tend to you properly later.” Day used the pants they’d been wearing previously to mop up the floor, and then he gave Goldie a big thumbs-up and a smile.
Yeah, sure, because the puddle of piss all over the floor was what they needed to be worried about—not Florence’s unconscious bloody body.
Goldie hoped he looked halfway presentable as he hurried to the door. He took a deep breath before swinging it open with a strained smile that was probably more of a grimace. “Detective. Hi—”
“What the fuck happened to you?” Alvarez demanded. He glanced around Goldie, and he cringed. “What the fuck…? Is that a fuckingbody? Mr. Nash, I swear to Almighty Christ—”
“He’s alive,” Goldie said quickly. “It’s Florence Bair. My old tag team partner. He came here to kill me and Day, set it up as a murder suicide. He attacked us, and we, uh, struggled a little bit—”
“No shit!”
“He’s just unconscious. Day hit him with a frying pan.”
Alvarez planted his hands on his hips and breathed in slowly, no doubt preparing for an epic rant.
Goldie cringed as he tried to brace himself.
“Do you guys just love fucking with me?” Alvarez snapped. “Is that it? Is there a big sign on my back that says I love being fucked with, please make my entire fucking life a living hell? Oh, look! Some crazy ass bullshit going down. You know who we should call? Detective Alvarez! He loves getting fucked with crazy ass bullshit!” He threw up his hands. “Ever think about moving? How about taking a vacation?”
“Detective—”
“Go to the beach and get a whole new bunch of assholes to try and kill you?”
“Detective,” Goldie tried again. “Maybe you should call for an ambulance before this really does turn into a murder?”
Alvarez glared. “Tell me how to do my job again and there’s gonna be.”
“Noted, sir.”
Goldie got out of the way as Alvarez barged in to check Florence’s pulse and call emergency services. Day hugged Goldie’s side, and he snuggled his face against his chest. Goldie wrapped his arm around Day’s shoulders, murmuring, “You’re not gonna try to sneak over there and finish the job, are you?”
Day shook his head, smiling. “And God said, I will give to each person in accordance with their deeds.”
“Does that mean you’re letting him go?”
Day gestured to Alvarez. “Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand.”
“So, getting arrested is good enough for you and your father?”
Day rolled his eyes, and then he put his head back down.
“Thank you,” Goldie said earnestly. “Really. Hey, you know… This could be the start of a whole era for your mission—”
“And God said, don’t press your luck.”
“Okay, fair.”
24
