“Be glad our SWAT team is one of the best. I don’t know about you, but I’m always grateful if I don’t have to use my weapon. The paperwork if you hit somebody is a nightmare. And with us beingon leaveat the moment, it would be hell.”
George started laughing a little harder than the joke merited, a clear sign of the adrenaline coursing through his veins. He was still pumped up and ready to go, as the mosquitoes attested, yet Andi felt safe in his presence, knowing George was looking out for him. It was a strange feeling to get used to, an alien thing inside of him and he didn’t yet know how stable and trustworthy it was. He yearned for it to be as solid as George’s build, while fearing at the same time it might only be as fragile as a piece of glass and—worst of all—temporary.
Oblivious to Andi’s musings, George checked his watch. “Almost two o’clock. Let’s get to the precinct. The night’s not over yet.”
Andi groaned. Of course it wasn’t. They still had to be there for the booking of their perps, which could take a while, and then they would have to explain how and why they were at the precinct when they were on leave. Most probably the chief would come in immediately, trying to find a way to somehow spin this against them, and then going home would simply not be worth the trouble, which meant another all-nighter ripping holes into his psychic barriers, inviting another migraine in. He felt George’s hand on his back, his partner’s voice smooth and soothing.
“We book those assholes, then I drive you home so you can rest. I’ll write the report and deal with the chief, and you come back in when you’re good and ready. I’ll tell everybody those migraines of yours are chronic and triggered by stress. No arguing with that.” He smiled softly at Andi, leading him outside with one hand at the small of his back. The heat gathering there helped, keeping the fatigue at bay.
It seemed that alien feeling was more like a rock than a piece of glass.
Chapter 29—Trapping the Rats
GEORGE DROVEAndi home as soon as it was possible without raising too many eyebrows. He could tell how exhausted Andi was by the glassiness of his eyes and his jerky movements when he tried to zip up his jacket. George furrowed his brows. Being cold was another sign of fatigue, and Andi couldn’t afford to burn his body’s reserves like that. He needed some fuel to keep his defenses up. Since George had absolutely no desire to hold Andi’s head while he was puking his soul out, as was entirely possible when a migraine hit him full-on, he tried to get his partner home as fast as traffic laws would allow. Dragging Andi inside the house and up to his bedroom was by now almost routine, as well as stripping him down to his underwear and T-shirt, tucking him in, and bringing him a bottle of water and two ibuprofen in case he felt the headache he surely had turning into a migraine.
Andi was already asleep when George placed the pills on his bedside table. Even in sleep his partner’s facial expression was tense, as if the sensory overload from his connection with the arthropods was following him into his dreams.
Another thing he would have to ask Andi about. The more George found out about Andi, the more questions he had, but for now he would let his partner rest and write the report about how they caught Castain red-handed.
BACK ATthe precinct—and fueled with a ginormous amount of caffeine—George actually managed to get about a third of his report done before Chief Norris called him into her office. She had come in while he had brought Andi home, and it seemed she was ready to take him on now. Since Castain and his three detestable guests had made it clear they wouldn’t say a word without their lawyers present, they needed to wait until said lawyers could make it into the precinct. Meanwhile CSI was tearing the house where everything had happened apart, as well as Castain’s residence here in Charleston. Getting a rushed warrant had been a piece of cake as soon as the judge heard that they had caught the suspects red-handed. George hoped they would find enough evidence to truly nail the fucker down in a way not even his expensive lawyers and family money could get him out.
Norris’s call came shortly before lunch, sounding more like a bark than a friendly invitation for one half of the detective team that had just solved a major case. He followed her ungracious summons nevertheless, because she was his boss and all that. After closing the door, she motioned for him to sit down on one of the chairs in front of her desk. For several minutes she simply stared at him without saying a word. George didn’t flinch, didn’t avert his gaze, didn’t give any indication that her silence was doing anything to him. He just gave her time to gather her thoughts, secure in the knowledge that he had the upper hand.
“So, you solved the case.” She sounded as if she couldn’t decide whether that was a good thing or not.
“Yes, we did.”
“And it really was Castain. Just like Detective Hayes predicted.”
“Yes.”
Chief Norris glared at him. “I’m sure both your reports are going to be thorough, especially concerning the fact that the case was no longer yours and you were onunpaidleave when you just happened to stumble upon your main suspect committing yet another crime.” Her voice was dripping sarcasm with an undertone of annoyance and a very small dose of respect. Though said respect was barely detectable under the general layer of animosity that seemed to now include him as well. What was the saying?If you don’t have enemies, you’ve lived like a coward. Having Norris pitched against him was not ideal, but George found he could live with it. She went on, her tone going from bark to vicious hiss in a nanosecond. “But would you care to explain to me how he managed to crack a case that was going cold so fast you could get frostbite just from watching?”
“He?” George raised a brow, not really insulted but wanting her to realize he knew what she was doing—trying to verbally separate him from Andi to maybe still get him on her side, despite being so hostile and for whatever good she thought it would do her.
“Don’t play games, Detective Donovan. We both know you’re too new in this city to have contributed a lot to the solving of this case. Now stop playing dumb with me and tell me how he’s so damn successful!” Her tone made it entirely clear she was done being diplomatic and ready to launch into full-on war.
George rubbed his face. The answers he’d been working on in his mind were lining up perfectly, forming a stringent, logical summary to be laid at Norris’s desk. “I think his success is a combination of truly admirable instincts and a net of informants one can only be jealous of.” George was particularly proud of this phrase—telling the truth without actuallysayinganything. “Detective Hayes is also very good at putting together even the smallest hints to form the greater picture.”
Norris’s eyes turned into slits, her voice tinged with suspicion. “You almost sound like a groupie, Detective Donovan. Did he brainwash you?”
George was almost sure this was a joke, so he allowed himself a small smile, crossing his fingers that what he would say next was Andi’s wish as well. “I don’t know about that, but I certainly managed to brainwash him. We’d like to remain partners, Detective Hayes and me. If that’s okay with you, Chief.”
Norris looked absolutely shocked, which gave George no small amount of pleasure. He was pretty sure that when picturing his work with Andi, she never thought this kind of outcome a possibility.
“You want to stay partners with Detective Hayes.” She sounded incredulous, tasting the words like some new dish she’d never had before and wasn’t sure she liked. “And Detective Hayes is okay with it? I remember him being pretty clear about not wanting a partner ever again after this case was done.”
“I changed his mind. We work well together, and I think he likes me bringing him breakfast every morning.”
Chief Norris shot him a strange glance. The ire from just moments before had gone down a few notches, was now replaced with a certain resignation, as she had obviously realized she had no chance of winning here. They had solved a huge case that would gain her a lot of prestige, after all. And she was the type to be swayed by something like that. It didn’t mean they were friends now, God forbid, and it certainly didn’t mean she would leave Andi alone; George knew this for sure. He also knew he wanted to be there to protect his partner from her as long as he would stay in Charleston.
“Are you trying to be funny with me, Detective Donovan?”
“I wouldn’t dream of it, Chief.”
She didn’t seem convinced, but after a moment she apparently decided to let it drop. “I guess there’s not much I can do. You have my approval. Now leave. I do expect your report by tomorrow. Both your reports.”
George nodded and got up, ready to leave the chief’s office. When he reached the door, she called him again. “Detective Donovan?”
