Page 78 of Sean's Sunshine

Billy didn’t care. “Are you?” he demanded, craning his neck to stare the guy down.

“Sean, who’s this?” Jesse asked, confused.

“I’m the guy who helped him clean glass up off his porch, you fucking douchebag.Get away from him!”

He wasn’t aware he was shouting—or advancing on the guy, shoulders back, hands coming up like he was going in for the attack—until Sean tugged at one shoulder and Henry tugged at the other.

Whatever the fuck Henry had been doing—and it probably had something to do with the sniper in the stadium—he had his real soldier game face on, and Billy was reminded that Henry had spent a lot of time on deployment before he’d ended up in the flophouse.

“Billy, calm down,” Henry was saying in his ear, and Sean was breathing heavily, which told Billy he’d overdone it, which only made him angrier.

“Thisguy,” Billy snarled. “Thisfuckin guy—he’s the one who dumped Sean in the ICU.”

Suddenly he and Henry were shoulder to shoulder, and Henry bumped him subtly so they were both standing in front of Sean.

“I remember you,” Henry said, voice flinty. “Go away.”

“Guys,” Sean gasped weakly.

“You show up with a fifth of Jack and a box of condoms and you think that’s okay?” Billy snapped. “And then when he says ‘no,’ you throw the bottle at our front door? Are you fucking kidding me? Whatever you think you’re doing here, you’re not wanted. Go away.Get out!”

“Billy!” Sean tried again, and Billy turned toward him.

“Are you okay?”

Sean struggled for a deep breath and gave him a look of mute appeal.

“He needs me,” Billy told Henry. “But you know what he needs more?”

“For this douchebag to go do his job,” Henry answered. “Did you hear us, douchebag? Go do your fucking job.”

And suddenly there was another grown-up on Billy’s other shoulder. “Jesse,” Andres Christie said, his voice icy.

“Detective,” Jesse said, looking worried. “I was just checking on Sean, er, Detective Kryzynski.”

“I think Sean’s boyfriend has the right idea,” Andres said. “Go do your fucking job, Mr. Compton. Leave us to help Sean. You are not fucking qualified.”

Jesse’s eyes grew wide. Apparently Henry and Andres scared him, and the idea that Billy was his boyfriend pretty much tied him in a knot.

“Boyfriend?”

“Fucking go!” they all snarled, and that was it. He spun on his heels and went to ask Andres’ partner some questions about the scene.

Andres, Henry, and Billy all turned toward Sean then, and Andres murmured to them, “This place is about to become balls to the walls cops. You guys go ahead and leave. I was with Henry, and I’ll get Rivers’s statement in the hospital.” Andres chuckled. “And see if that proposal we all heard him make really sticks.”

“Weak shit,” Henry muttered in disgust. “He needs to do better.”

“Right?” Sean rasped, and Henry gave Billy an urgent look.

“Get him home before he ends up in there with Rivers and they kill each other.”

Billy grimaced and held up the keys to Ellery’s Lexus. “I promised Mr. Cramer that somebody would get his Lexus to Med Center. Curtis can drive it, but somebody needs to pick him up or—”

Henry scooped the keys out of his hand. “Good catch,” he praised. “I’ll go fetch Curtis. I’ll drive the Lexus, and he can drive the haunted minivan.”

Billy and Sean both shuddered. They’d ridden in it the day before—Godspeed to Rivers and Henry, but neither ofthemwanted another ride.

“Deal,” Billy said, and then he turned toward Sean, taking his elbow and steering him toward the Charger. “Come on, Mr. Hero. Let’s get you in bed and down for your nap—”