Chapter 13
Friends and Enemies
Carter
A loud crash in the distance woke me up, and I raised my head, still half-asleep.
“What was that? Are we under attack?” Tye said, bolting upright in bed and looking comical while reaching for his gun that wasn’t there.
I rubbed my eyes, only to realize that he was shirtless. Why was he shirtless? And why was he in my bed?
“The neighbor is redecorating the bathroom,” I replied after my brain caught up. “I forgot to tell you.”
When I saw a wet trail of what looked like spit on his chest, I made a face.
“God, I think I was slobbering all over you while we were asleep. Sorry about that.”
I could remember sleeping close to him and/or on him because the bed was of average size, and we were two above-average guys in every way imaginable.
“It’s okay,” he said, rubbing his forehead with a frown. “What time is it?”
I sank back into the pillow, groaning when the contents of my stomach threatened to leave the same way they entered.
“I’ll never drink again,” I whispered hoarsely. “I swear to God.”
“Famous last words.”
When I started to pull the blanket over my head, he yanked it off me.
“No! Get up. We’re going to be late for work.”
“I don’t care. Drop dead.”
The fight for the blanket was short and unsuccessful on my part. After Tye suggested we shower together and I told him to go fuck himself, we somehow got out of bed. An hour later, we were showered, dressed, half-sober, and ready to go.
“All set?” Thorsen asked me, shoving the cup of coffee into my hand.
I nodded and brought the delicious-smelling beverage to my mouth.
“Be careful, it’s hot,” he warned me, caressing my arm. “Blow on it first.”
He looked as bad as I felt. His hair seemed tangled, and his eyes were bloodshot blue. Didn’t we talk about his eyes last night? Everything was such a blur.
Once in the car, he held my coffee as I put on my seatbelt. He went to buy us a few bottles of water and donuts because “you look pale and shit.” After that, he made me drink the water because “it will make you feel better, babe.”
My point being, Tye Thorsen was a good guy. An annoying guy, but a good guy. I couldn’t remember much from last night since I drank myself into oblivion, but I knew that. He made me laugh, and I couldn’t remember the last time I laughed. He also made me talk about certain things, and it felt as if a weight had been lifted off my chest. And last, but not least, he taught me how to dance. I couldn’t remember much of the embarrassing ordeal, but it was a useful skill to have, so I appreciated his help.
“I could be your best man,” Thorsen said, bringing me back to reality. “If you and Vic ever get hitched.”
I couldn't help but laugh. “Yeah, no way that's going to happen.”
“Because Vicky doesn’t like me?” he guessed, keeping his eyes on the road.
I looked at him, trying to keep a blank face.
“Why do you think she doesn’t like you?”
He chuckled. “Oh, come on, Dom. I’m a detective, remember?”
“How could I forget? But yeah, you’re right. She doesn’t like you very much.”
“Have you ever wondered why?”
I shrugged. “Dunno. I guess not.”
“Maybe you should,” he said, looking a bit flustered, and it made me laugh.
“What’s the matter, Thorsen? Is it so improbable for someone not to like you?”
“Actually, it is. Everyone likes me. Even you.”
“I don’t like you,” I said, looking out the window.
“Yes, you dooo,” he teased me, grinning. “You were cuddling with me all night looong.”
“Fuck off. I was asleep.”
“It won’t make it go away, partner. That’s all I’m saying.”
When we came to the station, Bruce gave us the rundown of what had happened in the last few days.
“Most reports are in, but they don't help us much. There’s no evidence that would point to Sophie Malik’s killer. No hair, no prints, and no DNA.”
“Everyone makes mistakes,” I mused. “There’s no crime without a motive or suspects. We just have to keep on digging.”
“Speaking of suspects, Bob Bryson is a dead end,” Thorsen added. “His alibi cleared.”
“What about that character…?” Chief Bibb snapped his fingers impatiently.
“Luz?” I guessed. “We haven’t identified him yet, but he’s the last person who saw Sophie Malik alive. It’s imperative we find him as soon as possible.”
Chief Bibb pressed his fingers to his wrist to check his pulse. “You sound as if you have something in mind.”
I nodded. “I think we should visit that gay club, Nirvana. The server we talked to in Allure suggested Luz would hang out there. It’s worth a shot.”
“I’m trying something new with the blood spatter analysis,” John Smith added. “If something interesting comes up, I’ll let you know.”
“Good,” Chief Bibb said, sounding satisfied. “Now get back to work and do your worst, you worst of the worst.”
“I need more coffee,” Thorsen muttered, rubbing his forehead. “My head is killing me. Partner, you?”
“Yes, please,” I replied, putting on my eyeglasses. “One sugar—”
“I know how you take your coffee, babe.”
I nodded absentmindedly and looked at John Smith.
“I want to see those blood spatter reports as soon as they’re done, John. Is that understood?”
He merely nodded, agape.
“What is it?” I said with a frown. “And why do you look as if you swallowed a bug?”
Thorsen
“What about you, sweetie? Want some coffee?” I asked Shelly, pretending not to notice the silence in the room after my blunder. Calling your partner babe in front of the entire PD would confuse anyone. Then again, I was using a lot of endearments all the time. It should help.
“Are you two like besties now?” Adam said, sounding incredulous.
“No.” Carter scoffed at his question, unaware of the kerfuffle. It was actually hilarious how he got used to me calling him that.
“I could use a cup of coffee,” Shelly said, wrapping her arm around mine. “I need to talk to you anyway.”
Once in the kitchen, I poured coffee into two cups, glancing at Shelly who just stood there, looking awkward. “What did you want to talk to me about, Shel?”
“Erm... It’s complicated.”
“Okaaay,” I said, ushering her toward the table in the corner. “Step into my office.”
“It’s about Carter,” she said, sitting down across from me.
Shit. Did she notice anything?
“The thing is,” she murmured, biting her lip. “Carter is kind of… closed off. He always has been. But I noticed that the two of you have gotten close lately.”
I laughed. “I wouldn’t say that we got close. We almost killed each other in that bunker.”
“Yeah, I’m aware of your dynamic,” Shelly said, twirling her finger around her hair. “But I have known Carter for a long time, and he doesn’t let anyone in. And it seems to me he let you in.”
“Oh,” I muttered, surprised by her words. “Really?”
“Yeah, and that’s why I have a favor to ask of you.”
“Of course, Shel. Anything for you, you know that. How can I help?”
“Okay, well…” She blushed before continuing. “The thing is that I… I like Carter.”
“I know that.”
“No, I mean… I like him, like him.”
I smiled, nodding. “I know that, too.”
“You noticed, huh?”
“No duh.”
“Yeah. Well, you’re no dummy. I thought you may have figured it out. Anyway, so… Carter always looked at me as a friend, right? Or a little sister, which is even worse. He doesn’t see me as a woman. That’s why I thought maybe you could say something to him.”
I frowned in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“You know… If you could mention something that would make him see me in a different light. Not as a friend, but—”
“More?” I finished instead of her.
“Exactly.”
Fuck.
I gazed into the distance, hesitating. “I… I don’t think it’s a good idea, Shel.”
“Why? Because of Vicky? Oh, give me a break. He doesn’t love her.”
“It’s not that,” I said, reaching for her hand. “It’s just that… I’m not sure if he would listen to me.”
“Oh, you’re wrong about that, Tye. Trust me, he will listen to you.”
Maybe I don’t want him to listen to me. But how do I tell her that?
“It’s just that…” I hesitated, avoiding her eyes. “I’m not sure you and Dom are… such a good idea… maybe.”
Damn it, it sounded cruel.
“Oh,” she murmured, pulling her hand away.
“I’m sorry,” I said with a grimace. “I didn’t mean it like that. Fuck… I know what I want to say, but I don’t know how to say it.”
She blinked in confusion. “Okaaay?”
“It’s just that Dom…” I paused, trying to find the right words.
She looked at me questioningly. “Dom?”
“Dominic,” I corrected myself. “I mean, Carter.”
She kept staring at me. Why was she staring at me?
“Tye, can I ask you a personal question?” she said with an awkward smile.
“Of course,” I replied, taking a sip of my coffee. “Anything.”
“Are you, by any chance, gay?”
“I’m bisexual,” I replied, groaning when the hot liquid burned my tongue. “Jesus! This coffee is hot.”
She nodded, biting her lip.
“I guess it all makes sense now.”
I looked at her sharply. “What does?”
She gave me a knowing, albeit sad smile. “I’m a detective, too, Tye.”
It took me a moment to realize her meaning. Too long. I was probably quite transparent.
“Oh,” I muttered, feeling stupid.
“This thing between you and Carter,” she said when I raised my hand. “Let me stop you right there. There's nothing between Carter and me.”
She giggled. “No, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m sorry, but you have even less of a chance with him than I do.”
“Thanks a lot,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. And I thought I was being cruel.
She caressed my hand. “No, I mean… You’re great. And Carter likes you. Just not that way.”
“You really want to break my heart, don’t you?” I teased her, but the pain was real.
“It’s just that… You two have this energy, you know? You argue, but you respect each other’s opinions. You butt heads but work together well. And I think it’s nice. I’m glad he has someone honest in his life.”
“Vicky isn't honest?”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. She’s a rich, spoiled, two-faced brat with fake boobs and no personality, jealous of everyone, including her own shadow.”
I burst into laughter.
“Laugh all you want, but you’ll see. She’s meddling in all his relationships. I don’t understand what he sees in her. She’s not his type at all.”
“Okay, so what's Carter’s type?” I asked her for purely selfish reasons.
Shelly smiled mischievously. “The one with a pussy, Tye. Sorry.”
I pressed my hand to my heart as if I were mortally wounded.
“Actually, I don’t know how to answer that,” Shelly continued. “No… in fact, do you know what I think? I think you would be his type if you didn’t have a dick. You’re weirdly compatible… when you don’t argue.”
I waved my hand dismissively. “That’s fine. I hear that our health benefits include a sex change procedure.”
We both laughed at my joke, as Shelly looked at me from under her lashes.
“So... where do we go from here?”
“May the best man win?” I suggested.
“Or a woman,” Shelly countered, smirking.
“If you decide a threesome is acceptable, please let me know,” I joked. “I practically have no shame at this point.”
She giggled and winked at me. “Right back at you, pal.”
Carter
“Why are you so quiet?” I said as Tye turned left into Bodega Street, where the car repair shop was, along with my car, hopefully fixed.
“What do you mean?” he replied, looking confused.
“You haven’t said a word to me since we came to work.”
“Haven’t I?”
“No, you haven’t, dummy. Does it have anything to do with you talking to Shelly?”
“Why would you say that?”
The fucker was playing dumb, and it pissed me off.
“I thought I was clear about Shelly,” I said, trying to remain calm. “Stay away from her. You’re not the right guy for her.”
“I’m offended!” Tye exclaimed. “What’s wrong with me?”
Objectively, there wasn’t one thing wrong with him. Not one. But I still didn’t want him around her.
“It’s just that you’re… you’re…” I was trying to think of something.
“What?”
“Promiscuous.”
“Promiscuous?” he said, looking at me in disbelief. “I slept with one girl in the last six months, and it happened six months ago. Before that, I can’t even remember.”
“I don’t believe you. And why haven’t you?”
He snorted. “I don’t know. I was busy. Don’t tell me you have been dating left and right since you became a cop, because we have such a rich social life.”
“Not really,” I admitted.
“But please, do continue,” he mocked. “What else is wrong with me?”
“You’re too flirty.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s just innocent fun. Everyone knows that about me.”
“You’re also too…” I hesitated. “Handsy.”
He blinked. “Pardon?”
“You like to… For example, you patted Bruce on the shoulder today. You kissed Shelly’s forehead before that. And yesterday in my kitchen, you… you hugged me.”
“I’m a people person! Kind, affectionate, caring. Do these words mean anything to you, you fucking robot?”
“Besides,” I said, glancing at his body. “You’re too big for her.”
“I'm too big for her?” he repeated, sounding incredulous.
“Yeah, she’s tiny, and you’re built like a mountain. You would look funny together.”
“Like Vicky and you? She’s, like, one foot shorter than you. My God!”
“You’re too big,” I said matter-of-factly. “Find someone else.”
“Like whom?”
I shrugged.
He glanced at me, grinning. “By the way, when you say too big, are you referring to the whole of me or just a certain part of my anatomy?”
I made a face as he pulled into a parking lot. “Gross. Why do you have to be so gross?”
“My dear partner, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Curiosity is a natural thing. If you want to see my d—”
I left the car before he could finish the sentence, followed by his laughter. It served me right—even talking to him was a bad idea. Then my phone rang, and as soon as I saw the number, I knew it would only complicate things.
“Ralph? What do you have for me?”
“Hey, Carter. Are you interested in someone named Davidoff?”
Half an hour later, Thorsen and I stood in the shadow of a three-story building in the shady part of town called The Cemetery. And yes, the name was well-deserved.
“Do you trust this Ralph guy?” Thorsen asked me, pulling out his gun.
“He has been my informant for two years. So far, his intel was useful.”
“Okay, then. The cavalry is on its way?”
“Yeah. Bruce said they would be here in ten minutes.”
“Are we waiting for them?”
When he looked at me, we both answered his question simultaneously. “Nah.”
Thorsen grinned and opened the front door while I followed him inside, holding my gun at low ready. I couldn’t hear anything, but the walls were thick, which meant the building was well soundproofed. Its location was excellent, too, with a good view of the neighborhood. If I had to pick a hiding place, I would pick this one.
After we had checked the ground floor, we climbed the dusty stairway that led to the first floor. The faint voices coming from one of the rooms told us we had found our target. We silently approached the door that was ajar, so I peeked inside.
“Baldie and two more guys,” I whispered. “They’re all armed.”
“‘Kay,” Thorsen murmured. “On three?”
“Yes. But Baldie is mine.”
He nodded. “One… two…”
On three I busted through the door, pointing my gun at the bald, bearded man sitting on the dirty sofa. He didn’t have time to stand up or pull out his weapon. He merely stared at me with beady, yellowish eyes.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Thorsen said to the other two guys in the room. They froze on the spot despite the shotguns in their hands, but I could relate. They were, after all, faced with Mount Everest.
Baldie sneered. “Kill them.”
“Honestly, I would tell them the same thing,” I said, walking up to him, “if we didn’t have any backup.”
Baldie’s grin left his face.
“You’re going to jail, Davidoff,” I said as Thorsen motioned for the other guys to lower their weapons to the floor. Judging by their widened stares, they didn’t think of disobeying.
“And you know what else, Davidoff?” I continued, glancing at the table in front of him, covered with bags of white powder. “I’ll make sure you get the maximum sentence, end up in the worst prison, and get the most homicidal maniac for a roommate. Do you know why?”
He gulped, glancing toward the Winchester rifle in the corner of the room.
“You won’t suffer because you’re a scum, a drug dealer, and a criminal, Davidoff. Or because of the people that you put six feet under. Not even because you tried to murder two police officers. No, you will suffer because you made me spend three days trapped in a bunker with that guy there.”
Thorsen grinned, pushing away the weapons on the floor with his foot.
“Now, that is something I'm not willing to forgive,” I said, peeking into the wooden box under the table. “More guns, Davidoff? Are you into arms trafficking now?”
“I’m not going to jail,” he said through his teeth, flinching at the sound of police sirens in the distance.
I glanced at the window, knowing it was the moment Davidoff would attack. And since I itched to punch someone, I let him do it. He slammed into me, and we both hit the wall. I noticed one of Davidoff’s goons reaching for the weapons on the floor, but Thorsen was faster and slammed his head into a closet. Davidoff punched me in the face, just as the second guy pulled a knife on Thorsen. A cold sweat washed over me, and I raised my gun to shoot him when Davidoff pushed me into a window. I heard the glass breaking before I shoved him away and slammed him into a wall. Davidoff tripped me up, and I fell to the floor, with him landing on top of me. He raised his fist to hit my face when I saw a gun pressing against his temple.
“Touch that face and you’re dead,” Thorsen sneered. His eyes were so pale it seemed as if all the color left the blue irises and only the frost remained. Davidoff probably didn’t know it, but that look was more dangerous than the gun pointed at his head.
Ten seconds later, Davidoff and his goons were cuffed to the table while I was blinking the dust out of my eyes. Or maybe it was the heroin.
“You okay?” Thorsen asked me, walking up to me.
He cupped my face, ignoring my protest, as his worried gaze settled on the Band-Aid on my forehead.
“I’m fine,” I said, tearing my gaze away from his bulging biceps. “You?”
He nodded. “I’m okay.”
“Okay?” An angry voice boomed behind us. “None of this is okay, you two imbeciles!”
“Chief,” Thorsen said, faking a smile when Chief Bibb threw a baseball cap at him.
“This is my lucky cap, Thorsen,” the chief growled. “My wife gave it to me.”
I quickly picked up the cap and returned it to him. “Chief, it’s not what you—”
“Think?” he bellowed. “But then again, I’m the only one thinking here, aren’t I, Carter? Certainly not you or your blond shadow over here. Instead of looking for the killer, you are… what? Facing a local thug on your own when you should have waited for backup?”
“To our defense, Chief,” Thorsen said, clearing his throat. “It happened so quickly—”
“You're a charming bugger, aren’t you?” Chief Bibb cut in. “Always smiling… always having something to say. Well, save it for someone else! See this?” Chief Bibb raised his finger, which was shaking. “I bet it’s Parkinson’s. My father had it. My grandpa had it. And now I have it because of you two.”
“Chief,” I protested when he interrupted me.
“If this happens one more time, I will suspend you both, I swear to God. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir,” I murmured, lowering my eyes.
“Yes, sir,” Carter mumbled.
Just like that, my day was ruined. Worst of all, we weren’t any closer to catching Sophie Malik’s killer than on day one, thanks to the asshole we had just arrested. And it was a bummer.