“Sounds like wedding bells are in your future, son.”
“Maybe,” Bull answered positively, surprising his dad. He wasn’t being negative anymore. Skies were the limit when it came to what he could do with a partner like Mandel “Fox” Tucker by his side.
The End
…continue for bonus content.
Four hours after the hit…
“Fox, hold on.” Free caught up to him at the elevators as the doors opened. He stepped inside, then pushed the button for the second floor to take him back to his office in the task force department. “You were pretty awesome tonight. You feeling okay?”
Fox let his breath out slowly. “Yeah. Just tired, man. If I’d known God was coming for me, I would’ve got more sleep last night instead of…”
Free laughed. “Well, I think this new setup is going to work out quite nicely. We make a good team, you and me. Your strategic defense expertise with my computers. Man…”
“Was the remote office your idea?” Fox asked, watching the taller man out of the corner of his eye.
“I may have run it past Syn, and he thought it might work for both sides. So, I left it to him to bring God on board.”
“Thanks, Free. For everything you’ve done. I don’t think I could’ve impressed Bull so fast without you.”
“I don’t know about that. He was smitten with you months ago. But if you say I helped, then I am glad to help. Working with you was actually pretty entertaining.”
Fox reared his head back. “More entertaining than Ruxs and Green?”
“Hell, that’s not entertaining. That is stress.” Free fumbled with the collar of his Jimmy Hendrix graphic T-shirt beneath his tweed vest, his wild hair and hipster clothes fitting the classic mold of a hacker. “You should’ve seen Steele, Tech, and me in here at one in the morning, eating Chinese takeout and following Newt Thompson, with Nightshade. Now, that was entertaining.”
“That’s a cool-ass name for that drone, by the way.”
“Right. We had some good times in here on your op. But bloody fucking hell, when Newt dropped trou behind that building, I thought the ghost was going to fall out of his chair.”
Free had him cracking up all the way through the precinct about watching Newt and his antics. Officers waved in his direction, some even coming up to him and welcoming him back. The women were quick to compliment him on how strong and healthy he looked, but Fox didn’t think he’d been gone that long.
“Everyone knows you were out on that ranch during your leave. But now they can see exactly what you have been doing out there as well.”
“Excuse me?” Fox said to his new boss.
“You can’t hide being in love, my friend. And it is all over you.” Free squinted. “It wasn’t easy watching you work those long hours every night because you hated going home before. Now… you cannot get out of here fast enough. This new attitude about your life works for you.”
Fox wondered how many more of his friends thought that way, because they’d all supported him leaving the field and working remotely. Free stopped, an irritated expression morphing his handsome features.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Damnit. God wants us in interrogation two, now.” Free spun in his black Doc Marten boots and began walking in the opposite direction.
Grrrrr. Fox was just trying to get out of the front door already. He still had his clothes and weapons he had to pack at his condo. “Do I have to come?” he almost whined. His phone was dead, and he wanted to be walking through Bull’s front door before he got up for work.
“Yes,” Free answered.
Shit. Motherfuck. Damnit. Fox walked inside the crowded observation room of interrogation two. “Why the hell are all of you in here?” He frowned staring at the entire damn narcotics team who was shoved into the cramped room, as Steele collected money and took bets being shouted at him.
It was absolute madness, and it wasn’t long before Fox was swept into it. Syn made his way to him, looking as calm as usual. “God wanted you to see these two.”
“These the guys that saved our asses tonight?” Fox was barely able to see the two younger men handcuffed to the metal table over Day’s shoulder.
“Yep. Ronowski said they were putting on a pretty good show down here. Watch.” Syn pointed at the one-way glass.
If the idiots behind Fox would shut up, he could hear what the two men were obviously arguing about. One had dark brown hair, light, furious eyes, and a bad-boy persona to him. His jaw ticced as the man across from him let him have it. Fox cocked his head to the side. It was crazy to see them fighting like that when they’d been in total synch in the field, their movements as fluid and uniformed as God’s best enforcers, Ruxs and Green.