Back in Black (McGinnis Investigations #1) - Rhys Ford Page 0,61

twinkle in the midnight-blue veil she pulled over her head after the sun quenched itself in the Pacific Ocean.

I had a cold beer and the dark skies to keep me company. It was my third beer since wandering outside and making myself comfortable on one of the outdoor recliners. I’d packed five Cosmic Cowboy bottles into a steel bucket filled with ice and intended to work on the case, going over my notes and everything else. But the folder lay where I’d put it down, on the recliner next to the one I slouched into, and instead I worked on the beer.

It was nearly eight o’clock, but the neighborhood was already winding down. I was once again thankful for the mature trees I’d kept around the property’s perimeter, forking over a small fortune to an expert to keep them healthy and sound. Their full canopies hid most signs of other houses, but the occasional sparkle of light shone through. As large as the lot was—a generous wide and long stretch—we still had neighbors, and we kept our shallow relationships as pleasant as possible, with high fences and the occasional nod of hello if we happened to see one another while getting mail. I liked it that way, especially on nights like this when my mind felt as if an octopus crawled up into it and began thrashing around in its death throes.

Honey lay along my hip, a dirty-blond rag mop with a snore like a rutting bison but possessing a cheerful disposition I sure as hell wouldn’t have held on to if I’d been thrown out of the only home I’d known because my owner’s parents hadn’t wanted his boyfriend to have her. I hadn’t been sure about picking her up from the shelter when they called to say they found her years later, but in a lot of ways, she was the first step I took in forgiving myself for Rick’s death. She’d been practically a puppy when she’d been taken from me while I was in a coma, yet she remembered me when she saw me. Although she pretty much loved everyone she met and would probably show a burglar where the silverware was if given half the chance.

I was still grateful for her and even more thankful Jae talked me into getting the extrawide loungers, because while Honey was a fairly small dog, she took up more than her share of the cushions.

The kitchen’s back door opened, its hydraulics squeaking loud enough to remind me, once again, to spray it with lubricant. None of the outside lights were on, and the moon was a thin curve of silvery yellow hanging on the edge of a far cloud, but I knew it was Jae coming to find me.

The only other people who would’ve sought me out were Bobby and Ichi, one of whom was stabbed and hopefully resting while the other made himself perfectly clear that he wanted nothing to do with me as long as I endangered his husband.

I envied Jae’s grace nearly as much as I admired it. He moved silently, more of a gentle wind across the grass, where I stomped and prowled loud enough to wake the dead. I watched him cross the lawn, his face hidden by flickering shadows, the glow of the streetlamp at the front of the house kissing his cheekbone, then his temple, playing hide-and-go-seek with his features. To say I was in love with him would be like trying to paint the sunset using only black and white. He’d grabbed ahold of my heart, sinking through its torn and hardened flesh to force it to beat again while he fought me every step of the way. He hadn’t wanted to fall in love with me, and I hadn’t wanted to change. I’d been content in my stagnation, happy to dwell in the doldrums I’d fallen into, but neither one of us had any choice in the matter. We were… destined… to fall in love, and I woke up every morning to do it all over again.

It wasn’t a bad way to live.

The sex was pretty fucking fantastic.

Thing is, Jae was never one to let me marinate in misery, and the time had come for me to pay the piper for the time it took me to drink the three beers and wallow in my guilt.

“Come here,” Jae said to the dog, gathering her up while she grumbled in her half slumber. Dumping Honey in my lap, he made himself