Read Online A Mended Man (The Men of Halfway House Book 4) by Jaime Reese - Free Book Online
Authors: Jaime Reese
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know where he would draw the strength he needed to get through this, but he had to. He needed to be Jessie's rock of support when he woke.
"You can't do that!"
Everything was crumbling around him.
"I just did," Captain Jameson said with a sigh. "You stay the hell away from Vega's case. It's not your department, so you need to back away and let them do their job. You're lucky I notified the officers to keep you updated, but you're hands off, so stop calling them every hour. You work homicides. That's your focus. It's bad enough you get pulled into the other divisions and agency work with all these other cases you handle. Besides, I don't care how good you are, you'll get myopic and miss something. It's human nature."
"That's fucking bullshit," Aidan thundered, pacing the room like a caged animal and running his hand through his hair. "No one's going to work Jessie's case the way I would."
The captain rolled a pen between his fingers, watching Aidan intently. "I don't know what kind of relationship you have with this man, but—"
Aidan stopped pacing and returned the captain's stare with equal intensity. "What the hell does that have to do with anything?"
The captain tossed the pen into the cup holder and leaned forward, resting his forearms on his desk. "What aren't you telling me, Calloway?"
He didn't hide his sexuality, he refused to broadcast it. It was no one's fucking business and it didn't affect his work. Besides, nothing good ever came out of him being honest in the personal department.
"You can stare me down all you want, but I know there's something more there. People talk."
"And?"
The captain rubbed his balding head. "You know some gossip spreads faster than others, especially where cops are concerned."
"And?"
Harry stood and looked off to some random spot on the floor and shook his head. He finally met Aidan's eyes and his lips thinned. "You should have told me."
Maybe his silence would be a clear indication this subject was… Off. The. Fucking. Table.
The captain shook his head again. "You freaked people out during the call. Those guys have seen you a million times over the years and not once… not once "—he emphasized with a raised index finger—"have they ever seen you anything but steady and hard." He leaned forward, resting his palms on his desk. "You have them all talking, Aidan."
Great. The captain used the first name card. Lovely. His subtle way of begging Aidan to bend. Bend to what exactly? Who knew. If he remained silent long enough, maybe his captain would lose steam and drop the subject.
"They saw you crack. The ones who were there got a better picture and know the scene was a fucking mess and even tougher to swallow with a friend front and center. But the only thing people are hearing is that you cracked over a friend. A male friend. One who is obviously…gay."
Aidan straightened. Fuck being silent. " Obviously gay? How do you figure that?"
Harry squared his shoulders.
"You weren't there, so how do you know what did or didn't happen and what is and isn't obvious?"
"Aidan, don't—"
"Jessie is not as tall as we are. He's not as broad as we are. That doesn't mean he's obviously gay. It just means he's not as tall or as broad as we are. Period. Anything else anyone is deciding based on those bits of info is on them." Aidan scoffed and resumed his pacing, trying to determine what he should say. He could have a conversation with Harry and it would remain within these four walls, but how much exactly could he…or did he want to say? "This is exactly the kind of shit that creates all this other bullshit."
"You shouldn't have lied to me. I can head things off—"
"Oh, I'm sorry, Captain. At what point did we crack open a beer and shoot the shit about whether I liked dick or not?" Yeah, he said that. Fuck it. He'd had enough of this bullshit.
Harry cringed.
"I didn't lie to anyone. People have the common sense not to ask me. Because it's no one's fucking business."
"You
"You can't do that!"
Everything was crumbling around him.
"I just did," Captain Jameson said with a sigh. "You stay the hell away from Vega's case. It's not your department, so you need to back away and let them do their job. You're lucky I notified the officers to keep you updated, but you're hands off, so stop calling them every hour. You work homicides. That's your focus. It's bad enough you get pulled into the other divisions and agency work with all these other cases you handle. Besides, I don't care how good you are, you'll get myopic and miss something. It's human nature."
"That's fucking bullshit," Aidan thundered, pacing the room like a caged animal and running his hand through his hair. "No one's going to work Jessie's case the way I would."
The captain rolled a pen between his fingers, watching Aidan intently. "I don't know what kind of relationship you have with this man, but—"
Aidan stopped pacing and returned the captain's stare with equal intensity. "What the hell does that have to do with anything?"
The captain tossed the pen into the cup holder and leaned forward, resting his forearms on his desk. "What aren't you telling me, Calloway?"
He didn't hide his sexuality, he refused to broadcast it. It was no one's fucking business and it didn't affect his work. Besides, nothing good ever came out of him being honest in the personal department.
"You can stare me down all you want, but I know there's something more there. People talk."
"And?"
The captain rubbed his balding head. "You know some gossip spreads faster than others, especially where cops are concerned."
"And?"
Harry stood and looked off to some random spot on the floor and shook his head. He finally met Aidan's eyes and his lips thinned. "You should have told me."
Maybe his silence would be a clear indication this subject was… Off. The. Fucking. Table.
The captain shook his head again. "You freaked people out during the call. Those guys have seen you a million times over the years and not once… not once "—he emphasized with a raised index finger—"have they ever seen you anything but steady and hard." He leaned forward, resting his palms on his desk. "You have them all talking, Aidan."
Great. The captain used the first name card. Lovely. His subtle way of begging Aidan to bend. Bend to what exactly? Who knew. If he remained silent long enough, maybe his captain would lose steam and drop the subject.
"They saw you crack. The ones who were there got a better picture and know the scene was a fucking mess and even tougher to swallow with a friend front and center. But the only thing people are hearing is that you cracked over a friend. A male friend. One who is obviously…gay."
Aidan straightened. Fuck being silent. " Obviously gay? How do you figure that?"
Harry squared his shoulders.
"You weren't there, so how do you know what did or didn't happen and what is and isn't obvious?"
"Aidan, don't—"
"Jessie is not as tall as we are. He's not as broad as we are. That doesn't mean he's obviously gay. It just means he's not as tall or as broad as we are. Period. Anything else anyone is deciding based on those bits of info is on them." Aidan scoffed and resumed his pacing, trying to determine what he should say. He could have a conversation with Harry and it would remain within these four walls, but how much exactly could he…or did he want to say? "This is exactly the kind of shit that creates all this other bullshit."
"You shouldn't have lied to me. I can head things off—"
"Oh, I'm sorry, Captain. At what point did we crack open a beer and shoot the shit about whether I liked dick or not?" Yeah, he said that. Fuck it. He'd had enough of this bullshit.
Harry cringed.
"I didn't lie to anyone. People have the common sense not to ask me. Because it's no one's fucking business."
"You
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