Page 13 of A Simple Mistake (Deadly Mistakes #1)

THIRTEEN

Liam

Present

I wake up when my phone dings and find myself lying on the bathroom floor. Lucille Pawl is standing on my chest glowering down at me, like she thinks her measly weight might suffocate me. I sure as fuck wasn’t sleeping on the bathroom floor to appease her woeful cries. Instead, I assured her it was because I wanted to witness her misery.

She hisses at me and jumps off to stalk around the bathroom some more as I reach over to my phone and see that it’s Gabriel.

I snatch it up, eager to see what he has to say, but of course it’s only about that pesky feline of fury.

Gabriel: I’m super upset having to do this, but do you think you could continue to watch Lucille Pawl? With my concussion and the chance that the killer might still be after me, I think it’s best I stay with someone. But the person I’m staying with is allergic to cats. Her stuff can be brought over in thirty minutes, if that’s okay?

Me: Where are you staying? I think you should stay here, or I can stay at your house with you.

Gabriel: Thank you for your concern. I have it handled.

Me: Which means?

Gabriel: Which means I have it handled.

I growl at that before looking at the cat who is also pissed. “I don’t want you.”

She clearly doesn’t want me either as she yowls at me… but if the cat’s here… there’s a better chance of Gabriel being here.

Me: Why don’t you stay here with your satanic cat?

Gabriel: I can’t.

What the fuck does he mean he can’t? Of course he can. I’ve been good. I’ve listened to what he’s wanted. I even went to Sgt. Michaels and groveled for my job back. I have the odd feeling it wasn’t my groveling but the whole cheating on his wife thing that caused him to put in a good word for me and invite me back with open arms. It’s not like I’ve forgotten how to be a detective, having only stepped away for a year.

I think they’re also aware that they need me. They can be stubborn all they’d like and hate me all they want, but at the end of the day, if they don’t want more to die, they need to rehire me.

But Gabriel would be safest here. He has to know he’s safest here. Is he really going to hang on to a year-old grudge over the death of a man who clearly deserved to die instead of caring about his own life?

I turn to the cat that’s glowering up a storm. “I guess it’s just you and me. We can hate the world together.”

The cat is not pleased. She’s already getting a head start on hating the world.

When there’s a knock on the door, I rush over to answer it and pull it open. My entire day is immediately brightened by seeing Gabriel surrounded by bags, and then all that brightness is shattered the second I get a look at Chris in the driver’s seat of the car in the driveway.

“You’re trusting your life to Chris ? The man I made cry by day two of being my partner?” I ask. “What’s he going to do when the killer comes back? Cry on him?”

Gabriel oddly doesn’t find me funny. “He lives with his brother who is also a police officer. I think it’s perfectly safe for me to be with the two of them.”

“Yes, but you would be safest here and with your oh-so-loving cat.”

Gabriel stands in the doorway and stares at me for a moment as I prepare to share how inadequate his new “safe haven” is, but before I start, I get a good look at him.

He looks tired, his face is bruised, and dark circles underline his eyes. His scruff that he’s grown since I saw him last year is trimmed neatly, but it’s the only thing neat on him. He’s still the most handsome person I’ve ever seen, yet his expression makes me hesitate. I want to hate Chris. I want to wrap Gabriel up in my arms and drag him into my life while I hunt down the killer and destroy him. It took no work to drag Gabriel in the first time. He was like a little puppy dog right on my heels every step of the way, eager to learn, eager to grow… and as he did, I began to question his feelings for me.

At first, I thought they were senseless emotions, but as time stretched on, I began to realize that I couldn’t stand the idea of anyone else looking at him with desire. I wanted him for myself, and I never wanted to share.

So as I stand here facing him, I know there’s a solid wall between us. But in that wall, there’s a single brick missing that allows him to see me, though if I make the wrong move, if I say the wrong thing, he’s going to repair that wall, and no matter what I do, I’ll never be able to break it down.

Little ever bothers me, but the idea of that wall turning solid again makes me feel emotions I’m not sure I even understand.

“I brought Lucille Pawl’s things.”

“You’ll call me if something feels off?” I ask.

His eyes catch mine and he looks surprised. It’s clear he was expecting a fight. “Yes.”

“What protocols do you have in place if he tries to come back for you? You have to understand that men like that… they become fixated. You got away from him, and he’s going to want you back.”

Gabriel swallows hard before nodding. “I’m aware. Chris has a security system, and his brother who lives with him has his ex-K9 unit dog. We’re going to be very careful… thank you for your concern. And… Liam, really, thank you for saving my life.”

“Yeah, of course. Anytime.”

“Let’s make sure we don’t need that ‘anytime.’ I don’t plan to do this again,” he says with a soft smile, and it’s like the tension evaporates just a little bit. He came in here prepared for a fight and I was so fucking close to giving him one.

But I didn’t… so does that mean the hole in the wall has opened just a little bit more?

“How are you feeling? How’s your side?” he asks.

“Fine.”

“Chris heard you were coming back tomorrow. Don’t you think you should take a day off to heal? You hurt the killer pretty badly; I doubt he’s out doing much as we speak. Hell, maybe you hit something vital, and he bled out.”

“It wasn’t vital enough,” I say. “I drove the knife in too far to the side to kill him. But yes, I’ll be in tomorrow. After this is over… after I find him… am I just supposed to disappear again?”

Gabriel watches me as he seems to think about the answer to that. “I don’t know.”

“Well, when you decide, let me know. I bought this stupid diner, and I need to know if I should go back and be miserable in it when I’m done or if I can burn it down and turn it in to the insurance company.”

He raises an eyebrow.

“I’m joking. I’ve always found arsonists distasteful,” I say.

His eyebrow lifts even higher. “Oh? Just arsonists?”

“I have wonderful taste, Gabriel. Now… I’ve been dying to ask. If you’re not moving in with me for the rest of your life, why do you have so much stuff?”

“Because Lucille has never been away from home, and I think she’ll do best if she has all of her favorite things.”

“Doesn’t she hate everything? Maybe just hand her a bottle of poison and a knife so she can off her foes, and she’ll be as happy as can be.”

“She’s a sweetheart. Where is she?”

“In the bathroom. I assumed she’d be leaving today and didn’t want to fetch her out from within the couch.”

Gabriel hurries by me, lugging half of his life savings in the form of cat items after him. Whenever I’ve been to his house, I haven’t seen the cat do anything of use, so does it even play with these toys?

He drops them in the living room and rushes off to the bathroom. The moment he opens the door, he’s immediately all smiles. I swear the cat smirks at me as she runs into his arms like I wish he’d run into mine. I’m so much more useful than that measly cat.

“Baby, how are you doing? It looks like Liam has got you a nice little cove all set up. Papa brought all of your favorite toys.”

The wretched thing immediately starts making biscuits on his arm as he carries her out into the living room. I watch him as he opens the bags and dumps a pet store’s worth of toys on my pristine living room floor. Balls and fake mice and stupid feather things go rolling everywhere. If anyone else did this, I’d be instantly annoyed, but I oddly feel like Gabriel could do just about anything—even commit murder—and I’d be fine with it.

“Oh joy. I can’t wait to roll my ankle on one of those in the middle of the night.”

“Ah yes, death by lethal cheap cat toy that breaks the moment you step on it,” he says with a grin.

“You won’t be here to catch me when I fall.”

“Lucille will give you kisses if you do. She also likes her heated bed at night. So if you could put it next to your pillow? You shouldn’t be bending with your side. I’ll get it,” he says, and off he scurries into my bedroom.

I trail after him as I watch him climb into my bed, something I’d dreamed about constantly, but my dreams were oddly different. He was usually naked, and I was usually climbing over him, kissing him, touching him… moving inside of him.

Not watching him string an electric cord across my room and fluff up a pet bed that he puts the cat into. The cat is not having it. She immediately climbs out and back into his arms.

“What if I leave my shirt with you?” he asks as he shrugs his overshirt off and lines the pet bed with it.

The cat acts like it’s coated in acid when he tries putting her in it again.

“Chris isn’t allergic to me. We can allow the cat to have the house to herself, and I’ll curl up at the head of your bed,” I offer.

“Funny,” he says, but it wasn’t a joke.

And he’s off again. When I find him, he’s fixing some window bed to my window right next to the spot where I sit on the couch. Like he thinks I want that thing with her claws of execution within inches of my face.

“How many beds does this thing need?” I ask.

“As many as she wants. If you think she’s still not happy, I’ll bring her cat tree over.”

“You do realize that she’s only happy attached to you, right? Cat, do you not understand that this is the man who gave you that atrocious name? The very name that’s given you such a complex that you’ve woken up each morning and chosen violence?”

“She loves her name. Okay… I have to go. I don’t want to leave her but… she’ll be good with you. I know you’ll take great care of her. I just hate leaving her,” Gabriel says, looking a bit upset.

“I will treat her like my own child.”

“I really never thought you should have children,” he realizes.

“I will treat her like…” I try to think of someone that I would treat even semi-decently, and oddly… I’m struggling to come up with one.

“You hate everyone. How about you just treat her ‘well.’”

“Well…” I say, like I’m trying out the word. “Yes, Princess Lucille the Satanic Sixteenth will be treated like the princess she is.”

“I’m starting to feel a little worried about leaving her.”

“That’s much better than the ‘very’ worried that I think you should be.”

“You two might butt heads, but I know you’ll be good with her. Oh, and this is her harness if she has to go outside like to the vet or something, but I can’t fathom that’d happen without me taking her. I’ll bring more food and litter to work tomorrow.”

“You’re not taking tomorrow off?”

“No… this has to end.”

“They’re going to let you work the case? Doesn’t that go against protocol?” I ask.

He hesitates before catching my eyes. “I assumed you already got me reinstated as your partner.”

“Ohhh, don’t make me blush. You think I’m so skillful that I managed to talk them into letting you work on something you were involved in?”

“I sure as fuck do,” he says. “So?”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe what?”

“Maybe… I… insisted that the information you acquired would be absolutely vital to our success. But if you don’t want the position, you can move elsewhere. I don’t know that they’re actually going to allow you out on the case since they’ll run into the issue of whether or not you can be unbiased when you were involved. But I sure as fuck am not going to be.”

“Liam.” There’s that warning tone.

“Yes, sweet and perfect Gabriel? What have I done wrong now?”

He stares at me for a moment, and I can’t quite tell if it’s a “Why the fuck did I decide to trust this guy?” look or an “I super love you and we should forget all the teeny-tiny things you’ve done and make sweet, sweet love right now” look, but I have to assume it was the former by the way he puts his cat in my arms. I actually have to assume he hates me when he hands me the cat. It’s like going, “I have this raging ball of fire—I know the perfect place for it, in Liam’s hands.”

The cat is confused. Her purrs shut off immediately as he leans in and kisses her forehead then starts to turn for the door as the two of us stare after him, like our looks could coerce him into returning.

“Gabriel, you forgot something,” I say.

He turns back to look at me. “I’m not kissing you.”

Dammit.

The cat and I grumble at the same time as we watch him walk out the door and shut it behind him.

“Maybe if you were a bit cuter, you could have suckered him into staying,” I growl.

The cat growls in a “Maybe if you weren’t a fucking serial killer he would have chosen to stay” way.

Dammit. Dammit.

The cat jumps out of my arms and rushes to the door where she paces and cries, and I have the odd desire to join her. I guess we can be absolutely miserable together.