Roy swung his front door open. “Callum? You okay, son?”
“I’m fine.” Callum glanced back and forth from Jos to his grandfather. “Maybe you could go keep Jos company, till we get things straightened out?”
“I’d appreciate it, Roy,” I agreed.
“Let me get some shoes.” Roy ducked inside, then came out in a light jacket with his bare feet stuffed into sneakers. He crossed the lawn toward me, taking in the flashing lights, the handcuffed man, the uniformed officers, and the gun I was still holding, since I’d left the holster behind. “You sure everything’s okay?”
“Fine, I promise. Let Jos know there was no violence. We caught a guy who was… stealing money. That’s all. We’ll be inside in a bit.”
“Can do.” He climbed my front steps slowly, and paused, his head close to Jos’s. I couldn’t hear what he said, but Jos let himself be steered inside.
I took advantage of having relinquished the prisoner to jog around to the back door, find my holster, and get the weapon strapped on and out of my hand. When I returned to the front, another patrol car was pulling over, lights but no siren. I went to stand by Callum, bumping him with my shoulder, as the uniformed officers conferred. “Feel safe now?” I murmured.
“I’ve felt safe since the moment you rose up out of the bushes like the Loch Ness Monster,” he muttered.
The adrenaline that had shortened my breath gave way to laughter.
A ping on his phone had him checking messages. “Iverson says someone from his office is on their way.”
“About time.”
Ten minutes later, a sharply dressed woman from the GREC showed up and took charge of the scene. After viewing my video, while Shoemark protested he hadn’t done anything, not even trespassing, since a driveway was public access, the agent slapped me on the back. “Good work.” She turned to the other officers. “Take him in and book him. Start with the Gaming Act, Section 94.” She pulled out her phone and turned away, calling for forensics to come check and tow his car.
Callum said to her, “You seem to be taking this awfully seriously, for a crime you could barely be bothered with four days ago.”
She looked him over. “You’re Fitzpatrick?”
“Yes.”
“Well, your little situation’s barely the tip of the Shoemark iceberg. A lucky break, though, because if the evidence stands up like it should, we can subpoena his electronics and his office, and a whole buffet of information will come our way.” She sounded decidedly eager at that possibility.
“I was recording, too.” Callum touched his lapel button. “Iverson had a subpoena for this voice recorder.”
“Even better.” She dug an evidence bag out of her pocket. “Pass it over.”
“Uh.” I grabbed Callum by the wrist and pulled him aside. Wrapping my palm around the button on his chest to try to muffle it, I whispered, “You were wearing that inside? In my study? When we…” I gestured back and forth between us.
“Yeah? Oh. Fuck!”
We eyed each other. I tried frantically to remember what I’d said and done. Not a full blowjob, thank God, but I’d gone to myknees saying something about suit porn. No video, but I’d bet the audio was bad enough.
Then Callum started laughing, genuinely although with a little hysterical edge underneath. “Good thing I’m kind of out now, huh? Oh, my God.”
I had to laugh too, probably sounding equally off-balance. “At leastyourcoworkers won’t be listening to you.”
He snorted and grabbed my shirtfront. “Fuck, yeah. I’d be chirped till the end of time.” Then he sobered. “We probably have to turn the recording in. Will it be a problem for you?”
I shrugged and got my hand back over the button, pressing hard as I said, “They know I’m gay. If they can’t handle direct evidence…” I didn’t say, “Fuck them,” in case sounds were making it through, but I let my eyes show my disdain. “I don’t care who knows I’m with you.”
Callum bent his head and brushed the lightest of kisses to my lips. “Me neither.” He walked back to the GREC agent and unclipped the button. “Here you go.”
We both watched her tuck the voice recorder in the bag, label it, and sign the outside. “I’ll need your phone, too,” she told me.
I could hardly argue with that, but it was going to be a pain in the ass. Worth it, though, to watch the weight of this case come off Callum’s shoulders.
“Could be worse,” Callum murmured to me. “There could be a sex tape.”
I handed over my phone, then wrestled my too-tall boyfriend into a headlock and noogied his pretty red hair. He pushed me off, laughing. I wished I still had my phone to capture that look in his eyes.
