answer them, a cop stepped in front of him—one Jonas recognized from the day they’d served the search warrant at Charlie’s.
“Mr. Kincaid? I’m Officer Murphy. I have a few questions for you.”
Gray growled, stepping in front of Jonas as if to protect him. “He’s not talking to you.”
“You don’t call the shots here, Andino. Sucks that you can’t cover for your criminal friends anymore, right?”
Gray’s jaw tensed. “This isn’t the time.”
“It’s not the time?” Murphy asked, stepping closer to Gray. “I now have a witness who can testify that your buddy was distributing prescription meds.”
“What witness?” Gray asked. “The addict who busted into Charlie’s house with a gun? That’s the witness you’re relying on?”
“It doesn’t matter. His pockets were full of drugs he obtained from your friend.”
“All that proves is that the meds were in Charlie’s house,” Gray said. They seemed to have forgotten Jonas completely as they faced off against each other. “Possessing prescription drugs isn’t illegal. Giving them to somebody at gunpoint isn’t illegal either.”
“There might be enough drugs to prove intent to distribute.”
“‘Might be’ is the key phrase there, Murph. It’s circumstantial, and your only proof that they all came from Charlie’s house at all is the word of your assailant. So take it to a judge. Ask for an arrest warrant. Tell me how long he spends laughing in your face before he boots you out the door.”
Murphy’s eyes flashed. “If you don’t get out of my way, I’ll arrest you for obstruction.”
Gray laughed as if he were having the time of his life. Knowing Gray, he probably was. “I may not be a cop anymore, but that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten how the law works. You’ve got nothing, Murph, and you know it.”
Murphy took a step closer, shoulders back, chest puffed out. Gray matched him, refusing to back down. Warren came off the wall, ready to intervene.
“Go ahead,” Murphy said. “Take a shot, Andino.”
Gray gave him his wickedest smile. “Nice try. But no way am I giving you an excuse to arrest me.”
Murphy gritted his teeth, weighing his options. He stepped sideways, trying to gain an angle on Jonas. “I only have a few questions—”
“He’s not talking to you,” Gray said, stepping in front of Jonas again. “How many times do I have to say it? Besides, they’re married now. You can’t compel testimony against a spouse.” He grinned like he’d just been awarded a red ribbon. “Like I said—you’ve got nothing. And nobody here’s talking to you. So back the fuck off.”
Murphy’s jaw worked, his fists clenched at his sides as he debated. Every person in the waiting room watched them, including the security guard, his hand on the Taser at his hip. They teetered on that knife edge, waiting for violence to erupt.
“Fine,” Murphy growled. “We’ll leave. But this isn’t over.”
Gray laughed as the cops trudged out the door. “It is over. You’re just too dimwitted to realize it.”
Jonas couldn’t help but wonder how things might have been if Gray had still been on the force. Possibly better, but possibly a whole lot worse.
“I’ll have to talk to him eventually, right?” Jonas asked.
Gray shook his head. “Nope. That ‘right to remain silent’ thing isn’t only for TV.”
“But can he still cause trouble for Charlie?” Jonas asked.
Gray sighed. “Based on what he has now? No. No judge is going to move forward with charges based on the word of an armed assailant.”
Jonas debated that. Murphy had nothing at the moment. The real trick would be not giving him anything to work with down the road.
A nurse appeared at Jonas’s elbow—Karen, if he remembered correctly. “Jonas? You can see Charlie now.”
Jonas glanced at Gray, whose eyes had taken on that pinched look he got when he worried. “Can Gray come back too?”
Karen glanced toward River. Maybe he didn’t work there any longer, but she obviously trusted his opinion. She shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”
They followed her through the security doors. “Down there. Bay seven. We’ll be discharging him as soon as we can get all the paperwork sorted.”
Charlie was sitting up in his gurney, looking more annoyed than hurt.
“Jonas, thank God. Are you okay?”
They spent a minute hugging, checking in, asking the same question over and over, both of them needing reassurance of the other’s safety, until Gray cleared his throat. “You gonna let me in there, or what?”
Jonas laughed and moved aside so Gray could hug Charlie, being careful not to hurt him in the process. “Jesus, you crazy bastard,” Gray muttered. “Don’t