He went to his bedroom and called in a couple favors, then made fast work of putting on some jeans and a T-shirt. After dressing he loaded his gun holster, making sure the safeties were off before he went about packing up his stuff.
God had all his important belongings packed in forty minutes. He turned off all the lights and pulled his belongings to the door. While God waited for his backup, he popped a couple of the pain pills that Jax had left for him. He had to admit to himself that he was in excruciating pain from his brother’s hits, but he’d be damned if he showed it. After the pain eased to a dull throb, God disconnected all his electronics.
He was discreetly looking out the blinds again when he saw the dark neighborhood was now lit up with red and blue swirling lights. He’d told his buddies to really put on a show and they most definitely were. Four police cruisers and a SWAT van came barreling across the field, stopping with a screeching halt right in front of God’s door. His neighbors looked around at the police jumping out of the squad cars as if about to do a drug raid, and all the wannabe thugs began to scatter like cockroaches, not sure what the fuck was happening. God couldn’t help but chuckle despite his aching heart. Because ordinarily Day would be included in this emergency evacuation plan.
God opened the door and stuck his hand out at the crazy SWAT leader.
“Someone call for backup?” the short man said with his mouth set in a wide grin.
“Good to see you, Joker. Thanks for coming, man.” God stepped to the side while Grey’s rookies hustled inside to get God’s stuff in the SWAT van.
“Hey, we weren’t doing shit anyway. Besides, that was fun.” Grey laughed while shaking God’s hand. “I told you I owed you one. You saved my ass in that bust over in Doverton Hills. If it weren’t for you, G, I wouldn’t be here.”
“It’s all good,” God replied with a shrug. He was glad that Officer Grey—who everyone called Joker because the man loved to play practical jokes—didn’t press the issue of why God needed to be moved right away.
“Move it ya pansies. If you break anything, it’s coming out of your already little-ass paychecks!” He laughed loud enough to make God cringe.
“Those your rookies this year?” God asked but already knew the answer.
“Yep. Fresh out of boot camp last week.”
God looked at the tender faces on bodies that were so heavily muscled they looked artificial. He shook his head.
“Is it me, or are these guys getting younger and younger. Some of these guys don’t even look twenty-one.”
Grey stood with his feet shoulder width apart and arms crossed over his chest. He had on a dark blue Atlanta PD SWAT Team T-shirt that hugged his firm pecs, and brown cargo pants. His boots looked military-style, the way he had them laced up over his pants.
“I know, dude. Guys are signing up right out of high school now. That’s why it takes a little extra to whip these guys into good soldiers. Today I had them running laps for three hours before the sun came up.” Grey grinned slyly.
God shook his head. “You do realize this is the police department, not the Marines.”
“These rookies will learn the meaning of hard work and perseverance if it kills me, God.” The man looked at the men struggling to haul God’s big screen television. “If there’s even a scratch on that TV, I’m taking it out of your ass first and then your paycheck!” he bellowed.
One of the men approached them, and he looked like he could’ve spit nails at God before he turned dark eyes on his SWAT leader. No doubt he was pissed for having to do a job that didn’t have a damn thing to do with being on SWAT.
“Sir, with all due respect, what does moving your buddy have to do with training? We are all pretty tired from today’s workout, sir.”
God noticed some of the other men pause to see what their fierce leader was going to say. Grey stepped up until he was nose to nose with the man before he barked in his face.
“You should be happy to assist this man in any way you can! This man saved my life, so he’s not my goddamn buddy; he’s my friend and comrade! So you show some fucking respect, fish, because you may need God to save your sorry ass one day.”
The chastised man nodded once to God and turned to walk away.
“And as far as you feeling tired and overworked, I’ll just put that on my list of shit I don’t give a fuck about!” Grey yelled.
God tried hard to stop his laugh but just ended up going into a coughing fit.