God almost smiled. Joseph’s mother was going to be pleased with that. She was a single mom who worked two jobs to take care of her teenage son and worked double-time to keep the gangs away from him. He was a smart kid, and he knew math and chemistry, meaning he’d be a great asset to any crew.
“Make sure they have a house with a fenced backyard,” God added as he gathered his files and handed them to Vikki who was waiting by his chair. He remembered Joseph said he’d always wanted to have a dog but couldn’t in the projects.
“What the hell is going on here?” Rowland Jr., the deputy district attorney demanded, barging through the conference room door. His gaze bounced around the table before it stopped on Mr. Rice, who sat there silently.
“Nothing for you to concern yourself with Mr. Rowland,” the chief said. “Private meeting.”
“If this is about the Stewart case then it most certainly is my business. I’ve already said it won’t be prosecuted,” he argued, tucking his tie back inside his buttoned suit jacket. The DDA’s hair was tousled and his clothes were rumpled as though he’d run through the parking lot and the bullpen.
“It’s not about the Stewart case,” the chief growled.
He was probably feeling the same as the rest of them. Disgusted for having to stand in front of such a trifling piece of shit. The people had trusted this man, had voted for his father to take care of Atlanta. And instead they’d let money eat at their corrupt souls.
“Then what? I was told there were possibly more leads.” The young man cleared his throat. “A p-possible witness. You’ll need to turn over that information to my office, captain, so I can determine if new charges can be filed.”
No one answered as they watched the DDA look as if he was about to piss himself. The expression he gave them said it all. His side hustle had been discovered and he was about to go down. God rose from his seat and stood in front of the jerk, his team filing in behind him.
“I can’t wait to nail your ass to the wall,” God gritted out.
Syn had one hand on his shoulder as if he needed holding back, but he was good. This guy was gonna get his in the end. Prison was the worst punishment imaginable for a privileged prick like him.
“Hey. Have you ever wondered what it’d feel like to be fucked by a man?” Day asked out of nowhere, causing the young attorney’s face to turn beet red.
He sputtered as if he’d just swallowed castor oil, “What? No!”
“Well, you’re about to find out,” Day said dryly, and shoulder-checked the hell out of the man when he walked by.
No one else said anything as they left the totally fucked attorney standing there with his trump card showing and his game over.
They knew it and he knew it too.
“Calm down, Cash. You don’t know if anything is—”
“You’re right! I don’t know! How the fuck could I do that, Leo?” God paced back and forth in the tight confines of the empty bathroom while he had a small conniption.
“Cashel. Stop it. You made a judgment call and you—”
“Against your judgment.” God ran his hand through his hair, looking at him apologetically. “How could I do that?”
Day couldn’t stand to see his partner like this—doubting himself to the point where it was making him frantic. And he understood why. He hadn’t wanted his husband to tell Ex and Meridian that Joseph was staying at their enforcers—Ruxs and Green’s—house until it was time to give his recorded statement. None of them trusted him staying in a safe house with some other random cops.
“Ruxs and Green were home all night... nothing happened. Hart has a couple of his men over there now and it’s all clear. You got this, okay. The kid’s gonna stay safe.”
“I just... there was something about that guy,” God said, standing with his head down and his hands braced on the sink.
Day came and stood behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist. “Which one?”
“Ex.” God shook his head. “There was this kind of pain in his eyes. This case is personal for him.”
“So, why’d you tell him?”
“I just got a gut feeling that something is going to happen, Leo. Something bad, something we can’t defeat... and we’re gonna need them.”
Day turned his husband around so he could see him. “Look at me.”
He waited as God began to relax in his hold the longer he stared at him. Day gave him a slow smile. “That’s better.”
God bent until their foreheads touched. “We shouldn’t be in here like this.”
“It’s okay,” Day whispered. “It’s okay to take five minutes for yourself.”
God squeezed his waist and pulled him closer. He buried his face in his neck and groaned. “Sweetheart. Please tell me I didn’t just make the biggest mistake of my career.”