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)
He straightened the papers on his desk and checked the time on his phone just as he’d been doing every five minutes. As distractions went, police work wasn’t having much success. His mind continued to drift because Azariah was dancing at The Vibe.
The same place he and his partner suspected drugs were being sold. Images of Azariah grinding the laps of strangers and letting them touch him for tips wouldn’t stop bombarding his mind. Just as Azariah had predicted, those thoughts did drive him crazy.
He had no trouble imagining all the worst scenarios.
In his mind, Azariah kissed dozens of other men. In his mind, Azariah brought them all home and fucked them. In his mind, Azariah and Keller laughed while they shared a needle and tag-teamed blow jobs of old bloated queers with wads of cash.
But in his heart, all he saw were the scared onyx eyes of a man who needed something to believe in. In his heart, there was only Azariah’s aching vulnerability and the certainty no one else had ever seen it—because if they had, they never would have let Azariah go.
In the face of that, all his ridiculous imaginings and the jealousy they spurred seemed petty and cheap.
Their brief conversation that afternoon had made Connelly realize how cowardly he was being. He might not have meant to ask Azariah out, but as soon as the words had left his mouth the rightness of them had calmed his anxious heart.
He counted down the seconds until Azariah would be finished for the night. Trying not to think too much about the future. Nothing was certain. His father’s death had taught him that. He just had to take one step at a time, and if he continued to follow his instincts, he’d always be headed in the right direction.
He spent the next hour dissecting the information he and Raoul had gathered about The Vibe and Keller. It wasn’t much. They were restricted to working during their personal time and Raoul wasn’t as motivated as Connelly. He still pushed for handing it over to the proper authorities. But there was no point in giving them a big pile of nothing, was there? Besides, Connelly was invested now. If someone was using the club where Azariah worked to sell drugs, he would be the one to put that person behind bars, no one else.
By the time he finished and shut down his computer, it was close to last call. It didn’t take him long to drive home, one benefit of living near the station. He stowed his gun and badge then watched the clock.
As soon as he was sure The Vibe was closed, he picked up his cell and dialed the number he’d already memorized. It didn’t even ring once fully before Azariah answered.
“Why are you still awake? Shouldn’t you be getting your beauty rest?” There was such acceptance in his tone, such hope, that Connelly breathed a sigh of relief. Until that moment, he’d believed there was a chance Azariah would change his mind.
“I wanted to hear your voice before I fell asleep so I can have good dreams.”
Azariah’s wicked chuckle lit all Connelly’s nerves up like fireworks.
“Naughty boy. I know what you’re really after, but you’re going to have to wait a little longer for that. I’m still in transit.”
“No, that’s not what I—”
“Uh-huh, sure.”
Connelly laughed. “Not saying it wouldn’t be fun because I’m pretty sure your mind is enticingly dirty, but I really just called to talk.”
“Enticingly dirty? Damn it, Hot Fudge.”
“What?”
“My mind is a gutter, nothing enticing about it. Trust me.”
“Agree to disagree, a dirty mind makes everyday life interesting. So, where are you now?”
“On the train.”
“Oh, I can call back.”
“Nah, there’s only one other guy in the car and he’s passed out.”
“Okay, so, how are you?”
Azariah’s tone was teasing. “Really?”
“Yep.”
“Well then, I’m fine.”
Connelly sighed. “We’re really not good at this small-talk thing, are we?”
“Let’s skip the small talk and go right for the jugular.”
“You sure? That could get messy.”
“If it’s not messy, what’s the point?”
“I admire your bravery. We’ll play twenty questions. Honest answers only, ask anything you want.”
Azariah hummed in appreciation. “All right, but not twenty. How about five?”
“Fifteen. I’d actually like to have a conversation.”
“Ten, because I’d actually like to sleep tonight.”
Smiling up at the ceiling, Connelly said, “Deal.”
“I’ll even let you go first.”
“Generous of you.” Connelly thought for a moment. There was so much he wanted to know about Azariah, but after talking to him that afternoon one thing stood out. “Okay, tell me about your first love.”
“Jack Kerouac.”
“I’m serious. We said honest answers only.”
“That was honest. He’s the only man I’ve ever loved. His words are full of pain and truth—the bad, the good, the ugly and the beautiful.”
“No wonder you’re such a dark soul.”
“Well, yeah. Plus, he was hot as hell.” The laugh that followed was tense so Connelly didn’t reply.