Page 7 of A Quiet Man

"Well, we — we talked. His grandparents were the ones raising him, because — well, I won't get into that. Anyway, it got out that he'd been seeing another boy. Someone from school. There were rumors flying around, and he'd been getting bullied, and some little jerk went out of his way to make sure the grandparents found out. Grandpa flipped his lid and kicked him out. That was two nights ago, and Asher was getting desperate." He looked at Justin mournfully. "He said he was getting really desperate, actually. I didn't inquire too closely, but — well — a sexual health test wouldn't go amiss, I suspect." He looked really sad as he said it. Yeah, Riley knew the score, even if he didn't want to say it aloud.

He took a breath, centering himself. "He's agreed to stay with us for a little while and go back to school. We'll help him sort some things out, and Justin will be a go-between to his grandparents, to see if anything can be salvaged there. Apparently, there's no way he can go and live with either of his parents right now. Well—" He hesitated again, apparently not willing to betray a confidence, which Tomas approved of, even if he was curious. "That just wouldn't work right now. So, we'll keep him. Unofficially, and if it works out, he'll go back home, of course. But not if he's going to be hit and yelled at." Riley's gaze gleamed for a moment, quite fierce.

"No, of course not. Hey, good for you." Tomas reached over and gave Riley a gentle sock on the arm. "I knew you'd help him. I didn't know you'd help that much, but yeah. You really got him to trust you? Good job."

Riley ducked his head, his smile shy. If there was one thing in the world he was proud of, it was working with kids. Riley wasn't what you'd call self-confident, and he generally severely underrated his own talents. But he cared tremendously about young people, and they seemed naturally drawn to him, willing to trust him even if they didn't trust another adult in the universe.

He was a natural. Gentle and sweet-tempered, he didn't scare anyone who got to know him even a little bit. There was nothing intimidating about Riley once you saw past his size. That, and he listened to young people, respected them and treated them like real people, not second-class citizens to scoff at or ignore. He took their problems seriously, was willing to listen to the most stumbling, angry narrative with real sympathy, and didn't toe the party line of "Adults are always right. I'm sure you deserved it. Just try harder."

Paradoxically, kids did try harder with Riley on their side. They vied for Justin's attention, wanting to make him proud, to make him notice them — but theylovedRiley. His belief in them, his caring, built them up, made them stronger inside, made them believe they might be worth something after all. It was a gift beyond measure, what Riley could do, just because he cared.

#

"Hi," said Cody. Hiseyes were bright and watchful. "I'm sorry if I came on too strong before. I'm very curious about you, I must admit. But, clearly, you like to work out alone." He watched Tomas closely as he spoke, as if he was waiting for some secret sign.

Tomas wanted to edge back from him, get away. Not because the fox wasn't interesting (he certainly was), but because of the invisible signals he seemed to be looking for, that Tomas didn't have any interest in giving.

Cody's smile softened a little further. "I'm doing it again, aren't I?"

Tomas shrugged. He didn't know how to answer that. He hadn't gotten it all clear in his own mind, so how could he even attempt to explain? It didn't make any sense to feel the way he did, wary and a little disgusted. The gender of the person interested in him didn't matter, or even whether he liked them or not. Nothing seemed to make a difference. He just wanted to back away whenever it happened. It was like an itchy unwanted feeling on his skin — not an itch he needed to scratch, but one he wished would go away. Something that required antifungal treatment, perhaps. Sometimes he wished people didn't notice his physical body at all.

"I guess I'm not very friendly," said Tomas. "It's not you."

"No, I noticed it wasn't me. You didn't want anyone else interrupting your sweating time, either." His smile was very attractive, but he was still so very watchful. "You're very friendly with your partner."

"He's my friend as well as my partner."

"I must admit I'm curious about the resident cop who understands shifters so well that he can work with—" Cody cut himself off as if he was just now realizing whatever he'd been about to say could sound rude out loud. His expression wrinkled into a rueful grimace. "I mean, I'm sure he's perfectly nice, of course!"

"Of course," Tomas said dryly. "I really don't think there's anything interesting about me. Nothing worth being curious about." He hesitated a moment, not sure how to say what he meant. He didn't want to be rude, but this fox wasn't just curious. He was openly, intently curious, and that made Tomas uncertain on a gut-deep instinctual level. A "nope" level.

The fox crossed his arms over his chest, consciously or unconsciously showing off his arm muscles. He had a good body and seemed to know it. But his smile had gone a lot softer, less confrontational than his body language. He even ducked his head a little as he tried to meet Tomas's gaze. "I could use some more friends at the precinct. I'm very new here. Or would that be a conflict of interest? Because I'm a fox, and he's—"

"No." Tomas cut him off, then grimaced. "I mean, no, it wouldn't be a conflict of interest. But..." He leaned closer, lowering his voice. "You don't really want to be my friend, do you?"

For the first time since they'd met, Cody looked genuinely shocked and thrown off-balance. "Of course I do! I wasn't—" His eyes widened a little, and he seemed faintly appalled. "I'm not — that is to say — I wouldn't. At work!"

"Or the gym? You were totally flirting with me. Don't deny it."

"Geez." The guy rolled his eyes. "A little harmless flirting, and now I'm crossed forever off your list of possible friends? Harsh."

Tomas couldn't help but smile. "Well, it's not that. It's just—" Words failed him again, and he shrugged helplessly. "I could use some more friends, as it happens, but not the — the flirting kind, I guess."

Apparently, he'd assumed something he shouldn't have assumed. Maybe because the guy was a fox, and everybody knew foxes were flirts? No, he didn't think so. Tomas wasn'tthatpoor at reading body language and intense eye contact.

Cody's smile returned. "Well, I must admit I'm a flirting sort of friend, but I could certainly rein it in if it would make you willing to talk to me."

Tomas glanced around uneasily. "Aren't there other people you'd rather befriend? I'm not sure getting to know me will get you ahead here in any sense of the word."

"Ha!" The fox grinned — then stopped when Tomas looked perplexed. "Ahem. That is, no, I wouldn't. I can tell you're—" He hesitated as if he didn't want to offend, then decided to come out and say it. "You're kind. I'm not sure if anyone else at this precinct is."

He'd struck Tomas as being used to looking after himself, the kind of guy who'd have no trouble finding his place here. But that didn't mean he wouldn't want to make a kind friend. He seemed to have guessed Tomas wasn't big on jockeying for position or one-upping anyone. In that, he was entirely correct; Tomas hadn't been like that, even before his position became so secure due to his wolf partner.

"There's Riley," Tomas said for the sake of argument. "He's kind."

"He's a wolf." Cody's face wrinkled a little. "I'm not quite ready to befriend a wolf. Besides, he jumps out of his skin every time I glance in his direction."

Not the most tactful thing to say, but unfortunately it hit the nail on the head. Tomas shrugged. "He's a little shy. A good guy, though."