Chapter Fifteen
Terry closed the dresser drawer then picked up the empty cardboard box he had just unpacked. He liked seeing Dan's clothes in the dresser next to his. And considering how hard it had been to convince Dan to move into his room, seeing them there was extra special.
Dan had been so sure Terry would hate him for what his father had done, he had been prepared to move out on the spot. It took Terry some quick talking, fancy footwork, and a spectacular blow job to convince Dan to stay.
And now, he was fully moved in. His name was on the deed, and they were paying the bills together. It actually took some of the financial load off of Terry now that Dan was helping out with the bills.
"Hey," Hector said as he appeared in the doorway, "you got a minute?"
"Of course. What's up?"
"I wanted to let you know that I'll be moving in a couple of months."
"Oh." Terry winced. "Is it because—"
"I found a place, a small farm a few miles east of the Rusty Nail."
"Oh." Terry brightened. He'd hate to think this mess with Dan's father had made Hector move out. "Well, congratulations then."
"Thanks." Hector had one of his rare smiles on his face. "I've been saving up for a while, but I kept thinking I needed just a little bit more. I guess getting shot kind of put things in perspective for me. I realized that I could always be putting a little more away or I could find a place and start investing in my future."
Very true.
"Well, I wish you all the best. When you're ready to move, let us know and we'll help."
"It needs a little work before it's ready for me to move in."
Terry's smile widened. "Well, if you need any help getting the place ready to move in, let us know. I can't do much, but I can certainly paint."
"Yeah, I might do that. I'll let you know."
Terry followed Hector out of the bedroom, but when the man headed for his bedroom, Terry went the other way, heading downstairs. He was about halfway down the stairs when the front door opened and Dan walked in with a black box in his hands.
"Hey, babe, welcome home."
"Hey."
"You're a little early." Dan wasn't due home for another couple of hours. Terry had hoped to have dinner ready by then.
"I just left the sheriff's station, and I have news."
"On your father?"
"And the charges Will brought against you."
Terry raised an eyebrow.
"Once Will healed up from his injuries, he turned himself into the sheriff. After hearing what he had to say, the sheriff promised to talk to the judge and make sure Will only got community service. He might not have shot anyone, but he had still broken the law by filing that report."
Terry didn't think Will should have been charged with a crime, but he wasn't a cop.
"Also, the ethics board has dismissed the case against you. You should be getting a call from Jack today telling you to come back to work."
Yes!Terry pumped his fist into the air. That was the best news he'd heard in a while.
"The police have your mother's jewelry. Keith folded under interrogation and gave the location where he was keeping the pieces he didn't try and hock. The police were able to recover every piece."
"Really?" Terry tried to blink away the tears of relief that sprang to his eyes. "When can I have them back?"
