Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 92043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
“Yeah, and how’d you obtain this information?”
Shit. He’d known that question was coming and he still didn’t have a good answer. “Uh...”
“For crying out loud, are you trying to ruin your clean reputation?”
Honestly, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. He hated being known as Boy Scout. His chair scraped across the hardwood floor as he pushed back from the desk. “It was my birthday, Cap.”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass. Hand this over to Midtown North quick and make this shit someone else’s problem. We have our own crimes to solve and I don’t need my best detectives stepping out of line. You have no business working something in that neighborhood or at that club. Don’t fuck things up, I won’t be able to help you again.”
Sometimes he wished Captain Bell had never pulled strings to get him and Raoul out of the 32nd after he was shot. At least there he’d known the threat for what it was. Here he felt indebted and never knew where the next obstacle would come from.
Under his desk, Connelly broke a pencil in half. “Understood.”
* * *
“I thought we were skipping lunch today so we could track down Keller?” Raoul said as Connelly parked near Sal’s Place.
“We are.”
“So why are we here?”
Connelly rolled his eyes. “Ever heard of takeout?”
He couldn’t tell his partner the truth. Which seemed to be a bad habit he’d picked up since the day he’d collided with Azariah. Keeping secrets didn’t sit well with him, but if Raoul knew, he’d commit him to a mental institution because he was obviously insane.
“Right.” Raoul stretched out the word a little too long, clearly not believing Connelly one bit.
“I called ahead.”
“Whatever. Go do what you gotta do.”
Connelly left Raoul sitting in the car and walked the few blocks to Sal’s, ignoring the scramble of people around him as best as he could. Most days, the random snippets of conversations and harried pedestrians gave him a sense of purpose. Not today. He longed for something else. Something new.
It was true he’d called ahead and begged them to wrap up his usual plus extra fries for Raoul. The real reason, though, was because he wanted to see Azariah again.
He hadn’t been able to get in touch with him since their conversation on Friday night. On Saturday, he’d called twice but Azariah’s voice mail had switched on both times. He hadn’t left a message because he didn’t know what to say. Later he’d sent a text but that too had been ignored.
On Sunday, he’d been busy with Peter and Sammy, but when he’d gotten home that night he’d tried reaching Azariah once again. And once again it went straight to voice mail.
He went up to the hostess. “Hi, I called earlier about a special take-out order?”
“Oh, yes, Mr. Reid. Just a moment.”
“Before you go, could you tell Azariah I’m here?”
The hostess’s face pinched. “He’s not working today.”
Connelly’s heart sank. He’d been sure Azariah would be there. Unease had been putting him on edge and now it kicked into overdrive.
“Just found out this morning too. They just expect me to pick up the slack and make arrangements. First Jimmy, then Becca, and now Z. It’s like everyone is abandoning me. Last one off the sinking ship.” She huffed as she marched toward the kitchen.
Connelly sat woodenly and stared at the swinging door that led to the kitchen like his presence alone would make Azariah appear. A minute later she returned with a plastic bag full of foam boxes. He paid and left his usual tip, then went back to the car.
As soon as he got in, he could feel his partner’s shrewd eyes watching him. “Get your fix?”
He shoved the food onto Raoul’s lap and started the engine. “What are you talking about?”
“Your Azariah fix, addict.”
“Shut up.” As he pulled into traffic, his grip on the steering wheel tightened. “He wasn’t even working today.”
“Don’t do this to yourself.”
Pulling his gaze to his friend, Connelly said, “Stop.”
“You need someone who’s stable and confident, not another fixer-upper.”
“I thought you liked Azariah. Aren’t you the one who was pushing me to ask him out in the first place?”
“Yeah, well that was before.”
“Before what?”
“You know.”
Connelly silently dared his best friend to say it aloud.
Raoul raised his chin and said, “Before we found out he moonlights as a stripper.”
Connelly narrowed his eyes but kept them on the road. “Watch it.”
“I’m looking out for you, brother. I just want you to be happy.”
“What are you? My fairy godmother?”
“If I had that kind of control over your love life, you’d already be settled down with the perfect match and adopting your own bundle of joy to be my girl’s bestie.”
“Wait, a girl?” The tension in Connelly’s shoulders released. “Really? When did you find out?”
“Oh, hell.” Raoul rubbed his face with both hands. “I wasn’t supposed to let that slip. You can’t tell anyone, especially Marie.”