Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 70115 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70115 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
“Tell me, Younger.”
Where did he begin? And how much did Hugo really want to know, especially right now when they both knew what they were here for? “There was a lot going on with my family. Changes, some good, some not so good. When you left… No. You were a catalyst, but I was having doubts before that happened, and I know now it was mostly wrapped up in who I was versus who I wanted to be. Whose life I was actually living. Sometimes it felt more like a sequel than an original script, if that makes sense.”
Hugo was silent long enough for Solomon to worry that he’d said too much, then he felt lips press against his hip, offering comfort. “I get it. I remember being a rookie when Elder was the chief. He was hard. Dedicated, but hard.”
“He gave the only good part of himself to that job,” Solomon said, unable to keep the restrained anger out of his voice. “He didn’t have anything left to offer my brothers but his abuse and disappointment.”
“Your brothers? Not you?”
“Not as long as I served a purpose in his world. I had his name. But Rory, James and the others weren’t so lucky.” Solomon pushed away the guilt that had no place here. “The last few years he’d gotten worse. Especially after we’d forced him to show up for a few of the family dinners. After that we distanced ourselves so we didn’t have to see it. We handled him so we could minimize the damage. Worked around him the way any dysfunctional family would. And he got worse.”
He thought about Owen’s wedding and sighed. “But I made sure he knew before he died that I’d quit. That I’d let him believe I was something I wasn’t. I was so angry at what he’d done to my family, the people he was supposed to protect… I wanted him to know that he’d failed with all of us. That none of us were like him. That I wouldn’t put my head down, walk the line and ruin any chance I had at happiness to protect my image or his name.”
“Younger—”
“That’s why I resigned,” he interrupted, tamping down the emotions threatening to overwhelm him. “Your turn. That was the deal right? I tell you, and then you tell me.”
Hugo pushed himself up to a sitting position, his hand gentle on Solomon’s thigh. “You’re already wallowing. I don’t think you want to hear this right now.”
“I don’t wallow.”
“You could get a medal in it.”
He refused to be distracted. “You said I was only a piece of the puzzle.”
The sound Hugo made was resigned. “That’s right, I did. I wanted a clean break from what was happening between us, and I admit that was part of it. Also, we weren’t that good at keeping our relationship secret.” He held up his hand before Solomon could respond. “I don’t think anyone guessed what we were up to, but I got a lot of shit for being your go-to outreach boy. Actual phrasing was more offensive. It got to be a daily occurrence, and that didn’t help the situation.”
Solomon sat up, anger roiling in his gut. “Names, Wayne. I want them.”
“Why? You aren’t Chief Finn anymore, remember? Attacking cops because they’re assholes would only get you arrested.”
“We had zero tolerance for workplace bullshit. You should have told me.”
“Don’t insult me, Younger. You know I’ve always been able to take care of myself. If it crossed the line I would have done my job and reported it, but where’s the line? Ignorant bullshit happens everywhere you go. There have always been one or two good old boy apples spoiling the bunch. People so unhappy with their lives and the lack of effort they put into them, that it’s easier for them to find someone else to blame.” He shrugged. “Add that to my growing dissatisfaction with the state of the world in general, and my desire to work miracles instead of crime scenes, and my decision was an easy one to make. I’m a nurse. I needed to heal wounds, not potentially inflict them.”
“I was stubborn about you taking your job back. Obsessed, and I know it, but I can see why you did it now. I’m a selfish son of a bitch, and I’m glad you were a cop for a while, or else we’d never have gotten together.”
“I don’t regret my choices.”
Solomon covered his hand with his own, needing to touch him. “You never told me why you joined the academy in the first place.”
“I’d been in a bubble through nursing school, up to my eyeballs in anatomy and bed pans, when a friend of mine was shot on her way home from class. It happens, right? I heard a lot of stories like that from other police officers. I was young, saw one too many movies and thought I could change the system from inside. Catch the bad guys. You and I both know reality isn’t that romantic or heroic. There was a lot more paperwork and frustration than I expected.”