Back in Black (McGinnis Investigations #1) - Rhys Ford Page 0,45
in the alleyway didn’t hit us, his aim was better, his groupings tight and precise. We’d been protected by tons of steel and plastic, and if Bobby and I hadn’t been as paranoid as we were, he could have taken us out easily.
“The shooter at the Brinkerhoffs’ could have killed both of us if he’d held off. I don’t think he was looking to kill us,” Bobby responded carefully. “But I got the feeling from how he took his shots that he wasn’t used to handling a gun. More of a kid or somebody who was afraid of them. The guy today was a professional. And even though Cole here went all psycho on him, he wasn’t going to talk. Or at least not there.”
“O’Byrne is going to keep him locked up tight. One thing we’ve got going for us is he won’t be remanded over to release, not with a couple of attempted murder charges on him.” As happy as I was about California restructuring the bail system, I didn’t have high hopes a lawyer couldn’t weasel the guy out of custody. “At the very least, they’ll be able to hold him for a few days, maybe a week, and if we can break this open before he gets out, chances are he’ll just go away.”
“Even if he does get out, he might just disappear,” Mike added, “unless you’ve made the job personal, in which case, I not only suggest you carry a gun but you should probably carry two.”
I wasn’t going to say anything either way. Did I wish I had a gun on me while I was kissing the pavement in the alleyway? Hell yes. Was I probably going to end up in another situation where I was facing down a muzzle without anything to protect myself? It sure as hell looked likely. But I had a job to do, and I was going to do it to the best of my abilities. I wasn’t going to try to persuade or cajole Jae, and unless he asked—
“What do you think, Cole?” Jae asked, bringing my thoughts to a screeching halt. “Because what I wish and want isn’t reality. You have dangerous cases, and this one seems to be getting more treacherous with every day that goes by. I don’t want to lose you, not after I fought so hard to keep you. Do you think you should carry a gun?”
Marriages are tricky things. Some guys complain their wives say one thing but mean another. The truth is everybody is like that. No gender has a monopoly on hiding how they feel and saying what they think the other person wants. It’s not a good basis for a relationship, but a lot of people do that. I have the luxury of being loved by a handful of strong-willed people. Whenever I’ve stumbled, I reach out to Claudia, Scarlet, and Maddy for marriage advice. Not because they’ll side with me—because that’s certainly not the case—it was more that they’ll always give me frank, no-holds-barred advice.
It’s been years since Jae and I exchanged rings, and I’ve gone to them quite a few times because I’ve stumbled over obstacles both of us have placed in my path. I’ve come away from those years with a single, hard-learned truth—my marriage will only last forever if I’m honest with the man I love.
“Yes. I think I’m going to have to,” I finally said, rubbing my thumb across his ribs. “You’re right. It’s not like before. But I also don’t want any of this to bleed into my life. The last time, things got too crazy and I almost lost a lot of you. I can’t risk that. Yes, I want to help O’Byrne bring down Adele’s murderer, but if the price of that is too high, if it’s going to cost me one of you, then I’m going to walk away.”
“I have never been afraid of you,” Jae reassured me with a soft kiss. “Just be careful, and remember, if someone tries to kill you, you kill them first. No one gets to take you away from me. No one.”
I WAS still fat and happy and filled with food when Mike ambushed me in the kitchen. I was expecting it. My older brother didn’t like me making decisions on my own, despite me having gone through over three decades of walking, talking, and eating without his immediate assistance. His controlling busybody nature was one of the main reasons his daughter received very loud