“Let’s go through Jarod’s apartment, and then take a lunch break. You’re stressed already, and we haven’t even started. That worries me.”
Gene glanced over.
“You know how there are just cases that your gut screams over?”
He nodded.
“Yes.”
Gene was to the point.
“This one is it for me. I don’t know why, but I feel like the shit is about to hit the fan, and that makes me twitchy. I’m feeling guilty that we even let Corbin help, because what if thatputs a target on him? Yeah, we sent him off duty, but still…Then, what if we wade into some Voodoo bullshit, and one of us gets hurt?”
Oh, boy.
That was a lot to carry.
Someone was definitely tired, and having to work on this vacation wasn’t helping either. What Ethan had noticed with Gene was if he didn’t get a week off without work, he struggled to keep up.
Sex recharged him, but for Gene, he needed time off for good, and bad, behavior. He wasn’t married to his work like Ethan was.
It seemed that they needed to talk.
Ethan pointed to the side of the road where they could have a discussion safely, and Gene could focus on him.
“Pull over.”
Without hesitating, Gene did as he asked, and when he did, Ethan turned in his seat and faced him.
It was time to help his man out.
“Breathe for me.”
He did, and it was crystal clear that his man was carrying a lot of stress on his shoulders.
Oh, and he wasn’t sure why.
“Talk to me. Tell me what has you freaking out. You’re not normally like this, and that worries me. Yeah, we’re both tired, but we literally just had this conversation in the conference room about the killer, and you’re fixated on it. What I said should have calmed you down—not stirred you up.”
Gene closed his eyes.
What he wanted to say was a religious wackadoo had sexually assaulted his man, and he was living with that every day, but he couldn't.
The only time that ever came out of his mouth was in the confessional when he talked to a priest.
He was taking that shit to his grave.
Next to him, Ethan touched his leg, offering reassurance to Gene. He wanted to be there for him like Gene had always been there for him when he needed help.
“Gene, Babe,” he said. “Tell me.”
He turned his head.
Oh, he wasn’t going to lie to him, but he wasn’t going to be fully honest.
That was for damn sure.
“I’m struggling with the religion aspect. The last religious case we had was David Neives, and we know how that ended. You nearly died on me. I’m just…rattled.”
