Page 41 of I Do, or Dye Trying
“I am,” he responded in an equally serious tone.
“I’m Deputy U.S. Marshal Hayes Matthews with the United States Marshals Service field office,” he said, pulling out his badge for Gabe to see.
“What can I do for you, Deputy?” Gabe asked.
“Have you been in contact with Jimmy De Soto?” Deputy Matthews asked.
Gabe flinched slightly when he heard the man’s name. “No, sir, I haven’t. What’s this about?”
“New evidence was presented to a grand jury in the homicide of Ace Dixon that points to De Soto not only knowing the kid would get killed, but that he instigated his death. The grand jury issued an indictment, but someone must’ve tipped De Soto off because he had fled his home by the time Marshals Services arrived to take him into custody.”
“I’m the last person he would look to for help, Deputy,” Gabe told the man.
I had no idea what the hell was going on, but it sounded serious. Gabe had never mentioned that guy to me, but I figured it had to do with his first IA investigation that he wasn’t allowed to discuss. He had seen someone from his past when he took me to Miami to meet his parents, but he hadn’t said much about it.
“Him seeking you out for assistance isn’t what I was worried about, Detective. It’s well-known among his friends and family that he holds you responsible for losing his job. We worried that this might’ve pushed him into looking for you rather than running to avoid jail.” The man pulled a card out of his jacket pocket and held it out to Gabe. “Here’s my contact information, including my cell phone number. I want you to call me if you have any reason to believe De Soto is near. You need to consider that he’ll be armed, dangerous, and not interested in talking. I mean it, Detective, you call me no matter what time it is or day of the week.”
“Will do,” Gabe solemnly replied as he accepted the card. The deputy nodded and returned to his vehicle.
“What’s this about, Gabe?” I softly asked once we were alone again. I was scared out of my mind and trying so hard not to show it.Armed. Dangerous. Not interested in talking.The guy blamed Gabe for what happened to him. It was terrifying and I was certain it was the vision Emory had seen.
“Let’s go inside,” he said, scanning the neighborhood as if he was looking for any signs that something wasn’t right.
I took our empty glasses to the kitchen sink while Gabe locked up and set the alarm. I could see that he was struggling to decide what he could or should tell me. I wanted him to tell me everything, of course, but understood that he legally might not be able to share some things with me. Gabe tipped his head toward the staircase indicating that he wanted me to follow him. I wasn’t too surprised when he turned on the taps to run a bath for us. It was one of the places we felt comfortable enough to unburden our souls.
I lowered myself between Gabe’s legs and reclined against his muscular chest once the bath was ready. The hot water worked wonders to ease my tense muscles and frayed nerves as I waited for Gabe to open up to me. When he did, I was horrified by the things his former partner allegedly did, and my heart broke for the kid’s family.
“He was just a kid, who was mixed up in serious shit. I didn’t see evil when I looked into Ace’s eyes when I questioned him. I saw a scared kid who pretended to be smug. The only evil I saw was in Jimmy’s eyes when he told me the kid would’ve died anyway. Who thinks that way? Who doesn’t want these kids to have a chance at changing their lives? Who just thinks that a person deserves to die because he fucked up?”
“Not you, baby,” I said, hoping to comfort him.
“It’s about time that he stands trial for what he did,” Gabe said adamantly. “Early retirement wasn’t enough. He needs to be in prison.”
“Hopefully he’ll screw up and get caught,” I told Gabe. “Surely his face is being plastered all over the media and internet as a wanted fugitive.”
“I’m going to make sure his photo gets hung up around town so people can call if they see him. If he is coming after me, then everyone could be in danger.” I loved the fierceness in his voice because it helped me get past my fear. I reasoned that the man would be stupid to come after Gabe, but when has logic ever applied to revenge schemes? Still, sitting around and waiting for him to strike made no sense where reasonable action did.
“That sounds like the time you hung up the picture of Buddy all over town,” I said, smiling at the memory. “I think you left them up for a few hours before you yanked them down.”
“It was a full twenty-four hours,” Gabe replied while tweaking my nipple. “I wanted to give someone a chance to claim him if he escaped their yard, but I wanted it to be quick before I got attached to him. They didn’t call me within a day and I tore the signs down.”
“He was meant to be your dog,” I told Gabe. “Of all the windows he could’ve cried beneath, he chose yours.”
“How’d you know about the posters anyway?” Gabe asked.
“I saw them hanging up and recognized the tile pattern on the kitchen floor, and I already had your phone number memorized, even though I didn’t want any part of you,” I confessed.
“You wantedsomeparts of me,” he countered.
“You mean the part that’s poking me right now?” I asked, wiggling my ass against his erection. “Truth is, Gabe, just like Buddy was meant to be your dog, I was meant to be your husband. No owner was going to come forth and claim him regardless of how long you left the posters up. No amount of my posturing and resisting was going to do anything but delay the time that I finally gave my heart to you.”
“That’s beautiful,” Gabe whispered thickly.
“So is your cock,” I said, unable to behave for too long. “I have big plans for it too, so what do you say we focus on the things we can control and worry about the rest later.”
Gabe wrapped his hand around my dick and began stroking it. “I think you’re the smartest man I know.”
Later, I lay in the darkness of our new bedroom that we broke in properly. The perfect name for our house occurred to me. It was okay to give our cars and each other cutesy names, but the place where we lay our heads at night needed a name with special significance. “I think we should call this place home,” I said out loud. Homes were more than just shelter; they were the walls that housed your dreams, kept you safe, and the place you slept beside the person you loved. It was a word that encompassed so many things.