Page 15 of Devil's Hour
Sawyer nodded. “How often would you say that happens?”
“How often do things get slow?” Zeke asked to clarify. Sawyer nodded. “Not very often, and if I’m frank, we’re not experiencing a slow period right now.”
“Why do you think your lieutenant has ignored these three fires?” Blue asked respectfully rather than accusingly.
“Honestly, I can only think of a few possibilities,” Zeke said, then paused when the waitress arrived with overloaded plates of food.
Blue lowered his face over his bowl of shrimp and grits and inhaled deeply. “Heaven in a bowl.”
Royce and Zeke had both ordered fried catfish sandwiches and kettle chips. Sawyer had chosen lobster salad on a French roll with an order of fries. The men took a few minutes to appreciate the delicious food before picking back up where they’d left off.
After a long drink of sweet tea, Zeke said, “We can’t ignore the fact that firefighters are often involved in serial arsons. The way I see it, we’re potentially looking at negligent indifference or criminal intention on Danson’s part. She either doesn’t care or is involved, either directly or indirectly. Maybe she’s not setting the fires herself but is paid to look the other way or stall the investigations.”
“Why would The Purists want her to bury their handiwork? Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of a vigilante group? Don’t they want the attention?” Blue asked.
“Typically, yes,” Sawyer said, pursing his lips. “We don’t know enough about their agenda right now to predict their motives or next move accurately. Maybe stalling was the right tactic until they were ready for the city to know what they were up to.”
“Could’ve been test runs too,” Zeke added. “They wanted to test response time and see what kind of attention the fires would get.”
“Or lack thereof,” Royce added. “If The Purists are concerned that the poorest communities are overlooked and ignored and feel their world is burning around them, then why not prove their point by highlighting the disparities between fires in wealthy neighborhoods and poor ones.”
Blue tipped his head slightly while studying Royce. “You think this is a class war?”
Royce shrugged. “I’m not sure, but I just get the feeling The Purists are trying to be the people’s champion.”
“Like real-life superheroes,” Sawyer said absently, sounding lost in thought.
Royce turned to face him, then grinned when he saw the smear of mayo on the corner of Sawyer’s mouth. Yep, he was so busy running through the possibilities that the meticulous man wasn’t aware he was wearing his food. Without thinking, Royce reached over and swiped Sawyer’s mouth, and instead of wiping the mayo on his napkin, Royce sucked it off his thumb. The gesture snapped Sawyer out of his reverie, and he stared at Royce’s mouth before turning and looking at Blue. Realization dawned on Royce, and he too studied his friend’s reaction.
“No wonder you looked so chipper this morning,” Blue said, chuckling. “I’m happy for you both. The chief won’t learn about it from me.”
“Thanks, Blue,” Sawyer said, resting his hand on Royce’s knee under the table to calm him.
“I’m not out yet,” Royce said, stunning himself further. “Not at work or to my family.”
Royce knew Blue had noticed something was sparking between them, he’d confirmed Candi and Holly’s suspicions during his recovery, but he’d kept everyone else in his life in the dark for various reasons. His family had a history of settling arguments with their fists, and all hell would break loose when he announced he was bisexual and in a relationship with a man. He needed to be mentally and physically ready, and he wasn’t there yet. Royce also worried they’d retaliate against Sawyer. He knew Sawyer could take care of himself in a one-on-one situation, but at least one of his brothers played dirty, and the idea of Sawyer getting ambushed made Royce violently ill. His brain added the scenario to the subconscious reel of nightmares along with such classics as reliving the day he found Marcus dead in his car and getting shot almost two months earlier.
The bold words he’d spoken to Sawyer when he’d asked for a chance came to him unbidden, taunting him.
“They call you relentless, but do you know what they call me?” Sawyer shook his head. “Fearless. I choose you over the fear of the unknown, Sawyer.”
But had he really, or had he just hidden from the world for seven weeks while he recovered, selfishly soaking up every ounce of affection Sawyer lavished on him without giving him anything in return? Sawyer said he understood his hesitation and reminded him he was patient and relentless when it came to what he wanted. Sawyer had decided he wanted Royce, and he would wait until Royce was ready to come out. But for how long when so many men would sacrifice one of their testicles to be with him openly and honestly? Vic Ruiz sure as hell hadn’t kept Sawyer waiting.
Sawyer squeezed his knee, jerking him out of his thoughts. Realizing everyone was watching him, Royce said, “Sorry. I zoned out there for a second.”
“I’m sorry too,” Blue said, shaking his head. “I just delivered one hell of a pep talk, and you weren’t even listening.”
“I’m sorry, Blue. I’m ready to listen now.”
Blue sighed dramatically. “I’m not sure I can work up the same amount of passion and emotion. I’m spent now. Drained.”
Zeke snorted. “You’re so full of shit.” He laughed and briefly leaned into Blue before straightening up in his seat. “He said one sentence, which was ‘We can relate to what you’re going through.’ Blue and I have been dating for three years, but I just came out a few months ago.”
“Zeke’s dad is a Baptist minister,” Blue said softly, which explained Zeke’s hesitance. “It’s taken some time for him to accept things.”
“But heiscoming around,” Zeke stressed. “I didn’t think there was any way he would, but he’s trying. My parents invited Blue over for dinner last night, and they liked him a lot.”
“They’d like me a lot more if I were a woman,” Blue teased.