Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
“You must have seen a change in him.”
“I did. And I wasn’t the only one. Our sergeant—our team leader—did everything he could, we all did to cover and try and help, but eventually, everyone saw what we’d been trying to hide.”
“He lost his job.”
“He was put on administrative leave, and he blamed me for that, which ended us.”
The words were spoken matter-of-factly, but I knew then that Gale would have preferred to cut out his heart. He was caring and kind, and he wore that easily, like he lived well in his skin.
“I begged him not to leave me. It was embarrassing and humiliating, the lengths I went to, anything to try and get him to stay. I made a fool of myself, but if I hadn’t, then I wouldn’t be able to say now that I did all I could.”
I stayed quiet, just listening.
“By then it wasn’t love anymore. It was that sense of loyalty and my stupid ego. You get to that place where you think that even though everyone else had failed, you certainly won’t.”
“But he left.”
He nodded.
“I’m sorry.”
“You and everybody else,” he said with a sigh.
“Then what happened?”
“Between his drug addiction and a series of investments that didn’t pan out, he got in deep with the Contreras Cartel out of Mexico City that was operating in LA and moving product across the country to New York.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I know you are. I can tell from your face. Who do you know with an addiction?”
“My cousin.”
“Then you get it.”
“I do,” I said solemnly. “The first time it happened, when he fell in love with the drugs, I couldn’t believe that he would give up everything so fast for his next fix.”
“Did you take him to rehab?”
“Three times,” I admitted.
“Dean refused to go, and then he did something even worse—he double-crossed the cartel.”
From what Gale explained, Dean was given product to move, and the only directions he was expressly given was not to cut the product. Even if you could double or triple your money, the important thing was to have the best product, the most potent. By cutting it, Dean made a fatal mistake.
“What happened?”
“The DEA turned their attention to busting the new player in town, and you know who it turned out to be.”
I was quiet, not wanting to push.
“Bored already?”
I glared at him. “No, but I’m sure we’re getting to the hard part.”
“We are,” he agreed, leaning against me so we were shoulder to shoulder.
I wanted to save him some of the telling. “Did he fire on you and his old team?”
“He did, but we weren’t the only ones there.”
There was silence for long moments until I grabbed his hand with both of mine, holding tight. He had been staring at the coffee table, but lifted his head to meet my gaze.
“That’s a horrible story, Deputy Chief Malloy. Remind me never to ask you to tell me a bedtime one.”
His smile was rueful. “I could kiss you right now for making me feel even a fraction better.”
“I can’t even imagine what you went through with his family.”
“No, you can’t, because he’d never said a word about me to them. They didn’t even know who I was.”
He had knives sticking out of his heart, and I’d missed that on first glance. But now the man’s soul was showing. Hard to see the pain on his face, the hurt in his eyes, and all I could offer was to keep him grounded by holding on. It didn’t seem like nearly enough.
“I haven’t told anyone here that story,” he confessed. “I left all of it behind when I moved out of New York. Thank you for listening, and even more for wanting to know in the first place.”
“You’re welcome.”
“It’s so odd,” he said.
“What’s that?”
“Like we’re already friends.”
Strangely, it was the same for me.
Then he said, “I would really like to stay here with you instead of going home if that would be okay.”
I just stared at him.
“Was that weird?” He chuckled, sounding both awkward and embarrassed. “It was, wasn’t it?”
“Not at all,” I murmured, smiling at him. “I think that would be good.”
His sharp exhale let me know he’d been waiting to hear that.
The dryer went off then, and he followed me so I could pass him sheets and pillowcases for Ada’s bed before I took the ones for mine. There was a cedar hope chest in each room, and inside were quilts that had been kept safe for years. Once he was done making her bed, he let her know it was ready, and she drifted from the couch into the room. I wasn’t surprised that she left the door open—she wanted Misha to be able to find her if he wanted. Plus, she had been missing company, and closing the door would cut her off from me and Gale.