Hector glared daggers at Calvin before thrusting a finger in his direction. “This isn’t over.” He marched off after his aunt, and it wasn’t until they’d disappeared in the crowd that Calvin let out a huge sigh of relief. With Mrs. Ruiz’s departure, soon the rest of the mob began to move along. Whether she’d said something to the protestors or not, Calvin was grateful everyone was leaving without incident. Not one arrest had been made. Once the crowd was gone, with only a few stragglers left, the teams broke up and gathered near their respective trucks. Calvin waited for Sloane to give the order before following the rest of his team into their BearCat. Everyone was silent, and Calvin subtly squeezed Ethan’s hand. Ethan was about to step into the cabin when Maddock called out to him.
“Hobbs, take a seat on the bench. Ash, drive us back to HQ.”
This couldn’t be good.
Ash silently and quickly made his way into the front cabin while everyone buckled up on the bench. Maddock sat across from them. He was pissed.
“What the hell did you two think you were doing?”
Ethan held a hand up, and Maddock pinned him with a stare.
“No, this is on both of you, but what the hell got into you to make you think it was okay to remove your partner’s helmet? We’re in the middle of a possibly explosive situation, and you paint a target on your partner’s head? For all we know, someone out there could have had a loaded weapon. You know better than that, Hobbs. Hell, rookies know better than that.”
“He got through to her,” Calvin said, hoping to take some of the heat off Ethan.
“And a bullet could have got through you,” Maddock snapped, fuming. “You were strictly ordered not to engage. And with the widow no less? How did you expect that to go? Tell me. I really want to know what the hell was going through your heads.”
“I know, but that crowd was on the verge of rioting. They were waiting on a signal from Mrs. Ruiz. She’d already made physical contact.”
“And you two decided to take it upon yourselves to break protocol on the chances she would listen?”
“The media’s making out like I killed her husband because I hated Therians. The fact I was Human and had possibly killed him out of hate made me a monster. Monsters are easy to target. Ethan showed her she was wrong.” He looked up at Ethan, who gave him a somber nod. There was only one way he could make his sergeant understand. “Okay, you might as well all know. Chances are it’ll end up in the fucking news.” He was pretty sure he’d seen a couple of cell phones out, probably recording him in the hopes of making him look even more of a dick. Everything always seemed to end up on the Internet one way or another.
Calvin told his teammates about his scars and how he got them, sparing them the grisly details. They didn’t need to know about the blood or stitches, or the nightmares he had for months after it happened. “That night, I thought I was going to die. The cops would have written me off as another victim of gang violence. It wasn’t uncommon in our neighborhood, and considering my record for ending up in the principal’s office for fighting, they might have even alleged I was part of a gang.”
“Jesus, Cal.”
Dex shook his head, and Calvin looked away from his team’s horrified expressions. Even Maddock looked like he might be sick to his stomach. Calvin wasn’t ashamed of his childhood, but he wanted to keep the ugly parts of his past where they belonged. He did what he had to for his mom and Ethan, for himself, including things he wasn’t proud of, but his only thoughts during those times were on making it through another day because it meant he was another day closer to getting out of that shithole.
“Mrs. Ruiz needed to know her husband hadn’t been killed out of hate,” Calvin said. “That he mattered. By what she’d said to me earlier, it’s clear her family had faced hate and prejudice before. My being Human hasn’t spared me from the same pain she’s experienced, but this was about her and her pain. Ethan saw an opportunity to bring this to an end, and he took it. That’s our job, isn’t it? Find a way to get through to people, connect, show them we’re here for all our futures, not just one species?”
The truck was silent, with everyone lost in their own thoughts. Calvin had never meant for anyone outside of his mom to know what happened, but if it helped ease some of the pain Mrs. Ruiz was feeling, then it was worth it. He held his breath as Maddock looked from Calvin to Ethan and back.
“Next time, stick to protocol, or I swear I will suspend you both so fast you won’t know what hit you. Got it? That goes for the rest of you.”
Calvin replied his understanding, and Ethan nodded. He patted Ethan’s knee and settled back against the truck’s padded wall. The truck was quiet on the way back to HQ. They’d averted a potentially explosive situation, but Maddock was right. They knew better than anyone how difficult it could be to get through to people when they were hurt and angry. It was their job to listen and do what they could, but in the end when the talking stopped and the violence started, they had to do their duties and protect the innocent. Sometimes it seemed like the world was making progress, heading toward a future where Humans and Therians were treated as equals, but then his team would get called out, and Calvin would see how far they still had to go, and at times it even felt they were going backward.
It occurred to him then that things were about to change for him and Ethan outside of work. At the THIRDS their relationship wasn’t a big deal. No one cared that Calvin was Human and that his boyfriend was a Therian. They’d have to be prepared for what they’d face out there. Dex was already experiencing it, and Calvin could see how it affected his friend. It was one of the few things that truly angered Dex, and usually Sloane was the one having to calm his partner. Sloane was used to it. He’d experienced hate and prejudice for being a Therian his whole life, and although it still stung, Sloane had learned how to deal with it.
For Dex it was harder. He’d dealt with it on a different level, sticking up for his little brother, but this was something else altogether. Dex had never had anyone verbally assault him for kissing his boyfriend out in public or for holding his hand. He’d never had someone threaten him for showing his boyfriend how much he loved him. Calvin did his best to help Dex work through his anger when Dex didn’t want to worry Sloane. When he
needed to let off some steam with someone who understood what it felt like. Calvin understood, and he was ready to face anything. He’d been doing it for years. This time it was a little different, but Calvin wasn’t about to back down. He would always be at Ethan’s side. Always.
Chapter Nine
“WOW. THIS is amazing.”
Ethan nodded his agreement. Calvin was right. The place looked incredible. He was glad the team had been asked to come in early before the rest of the guests showed up. Once the lights dimmed and Dekatria filled up, Ethan was less likely to get a good look at the place. He’d be too busy trying to find somewhere he could feel comfortable for at least a little while. He hated that he couldn’t enjoy parties like everyone else, because he really did want to, but he tried his best. The only time he even made the attempt to attend a big party was if he knew a good number of the people who’d be there. It meant stepping out of his comfort zone, but if he was having a good day and Calvin was with him, he could manage it.
When Cael told them his and Nina’s birthday party was themed, stating they should all dress up in 1920s glamour, Ethan had no idea what to expect. He figured some party favors, a few banners, balloons, the usual party decorations. This was something else altogether. It was like they’d walked into some Hollywood club from yesteryear, from the white and gold gossamer curtains draped between white pillars—brought in for tonight—to the elegant table settings with extravagant centerpieces. Everything from the bar to the stage had been transformed in a bold art-deco style with a black, gold, and white color scheme. The speakers played modern tunes with vintage twists.
“What do you think?” Cael asked as he approached, dressed in a very Gatsby-inspired outfit, from his white shoes and white slacks to his red-striped jacket and boater hat angled on his head.
“Looking smooth, birthday boy,” Calvin said. “The place looks amazing.”
“Doesn’t it,” Cael said excitedly. “We hired Lou to do it. The guy’s a party guru. Just don’t get in his way while he’s working. He will shank you with a toothpick. I’m serious. Ash nabbed a grape from one of the platters before I could warn him.” He shook his head sadly. “Lou’s still telling him off.” Just as he said the words, there was a loud crash from out back. Ash came bursting through the kitchen doors to the sound of Lou’s Spanish curses. He spun and thrust a finger at the swinging doors.
“You’re fucking insane, you know that, Lou? It was one grape!” With a tug to his pinstriped vest, Ash headed in their direction. Ethan couldn’t help his chuckle. Ash looked right at home in his pinstriped suit, complete with red carnation in his lapel, two-tone shoes, and a white felt hat angled on his head. He threw his arm around Cael and looked them over with a grin. “You two are adorable.”