Hector frowned, and Will knew why. Those were the actions of a considerate man. They were not the actions of someone who would shoot up a town and try and kill people just so he could get his son to move back to the city.
“Officer Wilson was a nice guy as long as you followed the rules, especially the rules he believed in. If you broke those rules, he reprimanded you. If you continued to break those rules, then you were no better than the criminals he put behind bars.”
Will heard a creaking noise and glanced up. Hector’s jaw was clenched, his eyes narrowed. “What?” Something had pissed the man off.
Will was hoping it wasn’t him.
“Did he ever hurt you?”
Will glanced away again as he shrugged. “Only when I was bad.”
“Fucking bastard!”
“It was just a few times,” Will insisted.
“Is that why you accused Terry of sexual harassment?”
“Officer Wilson wanted me to sleep with him, but I didn’t want to. I was supposed to ruin his reputation so he’d lose his job and Officer Wilson’s son would have to move out and he’d go back to the city and become a beat cop like his father. When Terry told me he was dating someone, I panicked. Officer Wilson was going to be so mad at me, so I—”
“Accused Terry of sexual harassment.”
Will nodded.
“You know that was wrong, right?”
Will nodded again. “I didn’t want to do it, but Officer Wilson said he’d put me back in jail if I didn’t do what he wanted. I couldn’t think of anything else to do.”
“Why didn’t you tell someone?”
“He was a police officer, and I have a record for prostitution. Who’d believe me?”
Hector grimaced as he sat back in his chair, but at least he wasn’t clenching his fists anymore. “Okay, I guess I can see where you’re coming from, but you can’t do things like that anymore.”
“I know,” Will whispered.
He hadn’t wanted to do it in the first place.
“The next time someone tries to force you to do something you don’t want to do, you tell me.” Hector patted his own chest. “I’ll believe you.”
Will dipped his head then swiped his sleeve over his nose. He wasn’t about to admit he was tearing up, even if it was pretty evident. He already felt like the world’s biggest loser. He didn’t need to add to that.
“So.” Hector stood up and rubbed his hands together. “How about we get started on our day?”
Will glanced toward the window. “It’s dark out.”
“Okay, we can get started on our night then.” He started out of the room. “Come on, Will. These floors aren’t going to repair themselves.”
Will grinned as he jumped up and followed after Hector.
Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Chapter Seven
Hector pulled his motorcycle to a stop in front of the farmhouse. He lifted his helmet off then sat there for a minute, staring up at his house. It wasn’t lit up like a Christmas tree, but it was close. Lights shone through the windows from the kitchen and the living room.
He should have been angry, but he wasn’t. It was nice to know someone was waiting for him when he got home after a long night at work. It was something he hadn’t experienced in quite a few years.
He climbed off his bike and headed into the house. As soon as he stepped through the door, Hector instantly realized Will hadn’t stayed up to work on the house. The sweet aroma coming from the kitchen told a different story.
