“But—no, wait.” Warren took a step closer. “I don’t drink. Or at least I’m trying not to. And tonight, that would be a push too far if I did. Thanks though. And no to anything else either. I tanked enough coffee at the station to keep me upright for days.”
Jude said nothing.
“Look… sit. Please.” Warren gestured to the sofa. “Hear me out. Then if after that, you want me gone, I’ll go. And if I refuse, you’ve got marked police outside you can shout for.”
“Don’t you outrank them?”
“Yes. But you scream, it’s their duty to protect you. And I really hope you won’t scream.”
That earned a long sigh. But Jude finally lowered himself onto the sofa, restlessly jiggling his legs. From cold, maybe. Ornerves. Warren’s palms itched to settle there, to still him, to feel the warmth of skin and tickle of hair beneath his fingertips. But he didn’t. Instead, he dragged the coffee table closer and sat opposite.
Face to face. Knee to knee.
“Careful.” Jude pointed at the table. “That’s Ikea crap. Not sure it’ll hold your bulk.”
Warren let the corner of his mouth twitch. “If it breaks, I’ll buy you one from Oak Furniture Village.”
“Expensive.”
“There’s always a sale.”
A snort slipped out of Jude before he could stop it. He turned away fast, as if even a hint of a smile was a betrayal.
“Okay, look, I want to even the field here.” Warren gestured between them.
Jude arched an eyebrow as if unbelieving he could.
“Yesterday, you said if anyone found out about your past, then your job, your career… it’d all be at risk.” Warren heaved a breath, chest elevating. “Ditto. Right now. Ditto. My whole career is hanging by a thread because of what happened yesterday and how I’m ignoring the slapped wrist to knock on your door tonight. Just by being here, talking to you, I’ve probably torched it already.”
Jude sank into the cushions. “Then why are you here?”
“To let you know it wasn’t a game.” Warren’s throat tightened, but he pushed through, because it mattered. “What happened between you and me? It wasn’t the job. Nor a tactic. It wasn’t a play.”
Jude narrowed his eyes. “Patel told me I was your job.”
“No.” Warren shook his head firmly. “Reidwas my target. I was told to watch you. See what you knew. Befriend you, if it got me closer. But tofallfor you?” He let out a rough laugh. “No. That wasn’t in the playbook. That part was never written on awhiteboard or discussed in a sterile briefing room. That part was all me.”
Jude pressed his lips together, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“And I don’t mean I improvised.” Warren itched to get closer, but he kept the distance needed. “I mean, I broke the rules. I should’ve walked the second feelings got involved. That’s rule number one. If you’re compromised, you get out. But I couldn’t. Because whatever this is between us? It’s bigger than anything I’ve felt for anyone. Ever. Walking away? From you?” He shook his head. “Not a chance.”
Jude unfurled his arms, resting his palms on his knees, loosening bit by bit.
Warren leaned in, knees brushing close to Jude’s. “Seeing you like this… knowing what you’ve been dragged through today… all I want is to touch you. Hold you. Kiss you until you believe me. But I know you feel betrayed. I know you don’t know who I am anymore, what’s real and what isn’t.” He drew a breath. “So it’s your call. Whatever you want from me—answers, truth, or nothing at all—you’ll have it. I won’t hide behind the job. I’ll give you every bit of me, exactly as I am.” He tapped a hand to his chest. “Whole truth. Nothing but. So help me God.” He made the sign of the cross, half self-mockery, half habit ingrained since boyhood. “Brought up Baptist. If I lie now, I’ll get struck down where I sit.”
A beat.
Two.
Warren’s heart stalled in his chest.
Then Jude’s voice cut through, thin but sharp. “How do I even know any of that’s true?”
Warren leaned back, holding his gaze. “I reckon you’ve been around liars all your life. Not just the bastard you lived with, but the kids in your class swearing their dog ate their homework.You can smell bullshit a mile off. So you’ll know if I slip. I’ll bet you even knew there was something off about me from the start.”
“I thought you were too good to be true.”
Warren let the ghost of a smile slip before he caught himself. “Turns out I’m better.”
