“Been a while, Rhodes. You don’t call. You don’t write,” Hannibal teased.
“I know, I know. Busy at work. How’re Shirley and the kids?” Rhodes wound up tuning him out as he watched some people rush in.
From their cameras, he figured they were media. The lady in the back walked behind them, taking her sweet time. She was very glamorous, with red hair, porcelain skin, and captivating features. The black suit she wore fit her curvaceous figure, and the short skirt showcased her legs. Her black heels had to be at least five inches high. As if sensing him looking, the woman glanced over her shoulder. Her heavily lashed green eyes met his, and she winked as she went down the hall.
“You’re not even listening to me.”
He focused on Hannibal. “I wasn’t, but I promise we’ll talk soon.”
“I’m going to tell your work wife you were ogling some other woman. Maybe I’ll even tell Taggart.”
“If Betty Anne was here, she’d be looking too and thinking the same thing I am. How the hell does she walk in those heels?” Rhodes retorted. “Go ahead and tell Taggart. I dare you.”
Rhodes knew of Taggart’s reputation. He also knew there was always gossip in a station like this.
“Maybe I won’t tell him.” Hannibal grimaced. “I don’t know how you can go out with him. He’s so cold.”
Rhodes wasn’t surprised Hannibal thought so. To most people, Taggart came across that way. He waved at Hannibal as he walked away. As he thought about it, Taggart had never seemed that way to him. Yeah, he had seemed like a know-it-all and borderline rude with him, but Rhodes would never describe him as cold.
Soon he was in the media room, and it was packed with reporters. The chief was speaking, and lined up behind him were Taggart and those under his command who had taken part in the case. There were others on the stage he assumed were the detectives on the cases that had been closed due to Taggart’s division. The number of them made an impressive sight. Rhodes now knew what Taggart meant when he’d said Chuck was about to put on a media show. Rhodes found a spot close to the door and leaned against the wall. He listened as the chief outlined what had transpired.
“The boyfriend coming to support his man,” a snide voice said beside him.
Rhodes turned his head and studied the man. He looked very debonair with his gray suit and blond hair and blue eyes.
“Is there something I can do for you, Mister Lowry?” Rhodes asked in a bored voice. Since Taggart hadn’t mentioned Billy was out of jail, Rhodes figured he didn’t know.
“Taggart thinks he’s untouchable, but he isn’t.” Billy Lowry glared at him. “He’s going to come crying on your shoulder when I’m through with him.” Billy went to touch him.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Rhodes’s tone was mild but deadly.
“You can’t do anything if I do.” Billy stared at him, sneering.
His words might be brave, but Rhodes could smell the fear coming off him. Rhodes knew the look on his face was not pleasant. He’d seen it many times in the mirror after he’d killed. His hand itched to pull his knife. He could take care of Billy right here and leave the room before anyone would even know. The room might be full of people, but he was that good. Billy was brave but foolish and decidedly stupid.
“I could. But I won’t. I made a promise to Taggart.” He looked at Billy. “And it is due to him that I won’t pull my knife and gut you right here and walk away.” Rhodes watched his words register. Billy went pale. “And the people you have following Taggart cease today.”
“I d—”
“Tsk, tsk, Mister Lowry. I spotted them from the first day they followed him to the gates of my home.”
“We thought he was dating Theron Longoria since we couldn’t get inside. But it was you. Who the hell are you?”
“A man you don’t want to fuck with,” Rhodes said, looking away at the stage.
“You can’t just threaten me,” Billy sputtered.
“A threat is a waste of words. I don’t believe in wasting my words.” Rhodes glanced at him steadily.
“Who the hell are you?” Billy asked again, gulping.
Rhodes told him the truth. “No one.”
He was indeed no one in the big scheme of things. Rhodes focused back on the stage, through with him. Billy walked past him, eyeing him warily, and went to the other side of the room. Rhodes stifled a chuckle. He used to get those looks a lot. But that was in the past. He focused on the now and smiled when Taggart moved to speak in the mike. He could imagine what was going through his mind. From their lunch, he knew Taggart hated talking to the media. He was eloquent, and you couldn’t tell he thought it was all a load of shit, as he’d said many times at lunch.
“He’s handsome,” a husky feminine voice said by his side.
He’d smelled her perfume as she came closer. “He is.” Rhodes glanced at the woman, not surprised to see the redhead from earlier. “Then again, it runs in the family.”
“So you did recognize me.” She laughed. “Dumb question since you just said you did. Very flirtatious, I might add.”
He had recognized her once he saw her face. She didn’t look anything like Taggart.
“When one is in the company of a beautiful woman such as yourself, Charlene, one can’t do anything but flirt,” Rhodes replied.
“A load of shit.” She chuckled. “I’m going to like you.” She touched his arm. “But only if you call me Charlie. I hate Charlene and I only use it for work.”
“Why do you hate your name?”
“I’ll buy you a drink and tell you.” She slid her hand into the crook of his elbow. “How about now?”
“Don’t you have to stay to cover this?” Rhodes inclined his head to the stage.
“The asshats at the station said no. It’s a conflict of interest. I only came to support my brother and husband.” Charlene gripped his arm. “So, drinks?”
Rhodes thought of Taggart not wanting him to meet her, then shrugged. “Since you planned this, I don’t see why not. We’re going to the Italian place down the street, so make sure to let your husband know.”
“I would ask how you knew, but Taggart is the same way. He has this knack for knowing too damn much,” Charlene said.
“Very true. At least he thinks he does. It’s an annoying yet fascinating part of him.” Rhodes led her out.
LATER THAT evening, Rhodes rested against Taggart as they calmed their breathing.
“Ring out the old and bring in the new.” Taggart chuckled. “We did the old now, a few more moments and it will be new.”
Rhodes glanced at the clock and saw he was right. He put his hand on Taggart’s chest and looked down into his face. “I met your sister today. Had drinks with her and Chuck.”
“You did?” Taggart frowned. “That’s where he rushed off to after the press conference.”
“Yes. They planned it.”
“They couldn’t wait for me to get around to introducing you. Charlie is so nosy.”
“You didn’t plan on me meeting them.”
Taggart frowned. “What would make you think that… oh, lunch. I meant not yet. I like doing things in my own time.”
“That I do know.” Rhodes was pleased he had planned for a later.
“There is a black kettle in the room. And what is his name?” Taggart tapped his finger on his lips. “Ah, yes… Rhodes.” He tweaked Rhodes’s nose.
“You have this thing with my nose.” Rhodes wrinkled his nose.
“It’s kissable.” He kissed it. “Tweakable.” He did that too. “And so damn big. Man, it is just there.” Taggart widened his hand over his own nose. “A big old nose.”
“Smart mouth.” Rhodes ignored him since his nose was not big at all. It was just the right size.
“Actually, it’s cute.” Taggart kissed it. “Dainty, almost. Oh, I told Walker you were harmless.” Taggart laughed as he said it.
Rhodes joined him. The sound of the ball dropping came on the TV. Rhodes moved up Tag
gart’s body and watched his eyes. The clock chimed.
“Happy New Year.”
“Happy New Year.” Taggart smirked. “Now bring on the new.”
Taggart rolled and Rhodes flailed as they fell off the couch. Taggart rested against him, chuckling like a lunatic. Rhodes hugged him and kissed him. He decided to not mention Billy. It would only make Taggart angrier. He pushed all thoughts of Billy and anything else from his mind as he rang in the New Year with Taggart.
Chapter Six
RHODES PRESSED the doorbell and waited. Taggart opened the door, looking frazzled.
“Come in. Damn it, we’re going to be late. I hate being late. I have to catch them.” Taggart turned and ran back into the house, yelling. “Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm, you come here now. We’ve got to go to the trainer.”
The puppies howled from inside the house. Rhodes went inside and called, “I told you not to mention the T word.”
“They don’t even know what a trainer is. They can’t understand me. They ran when I took out their leashes.” Taggart came back into view. “They’re mad at me because I had to take them to the vet for their shots and a check-up.” Taggart looked behind his shoulder and yelled, “It was for your own good.”
The dogs barked as if answering him before they howled again.
Rhodes tried not to laugh. “They’ll get over it soon.”
“I can’t even get them to go near my SUV. They keep eyeing it like it’s the devil or something.” Taggart paced. “It wasn’t like this last time I took them.”
“Did they have any shots last time?”
“No, it was just a check-over, and they were fine with that.” Taggart approached and kissed him. “Forgot to say hi.” Taggart hugged him. “Now, can you help me catch my dogs?”
“What are you going to give me if I do?” Rhodes put his hands on his waist.
“Bribery is against the law.”
“So… what are you going to give me?” Rhodes kissed him.
“My undying gratitude?” Taggart moaned against his lips.
“Uh-uh, not good enough.”
“What do you want?”
“That’s a loaded question.” Rhodes rubbed against him.
“Well, that’s a given.” Taggart cupped his ass and pulled him closer.
“Good to know.” Rhodes thought about what he wanted, and then it came to him. “On your next day off, I’m taking you out, and you’re not going to ask where. Just go along without any question. It’s the twenty-sixth, right?” Rhodes knew for Taggart that would be hard. He liked knowing.
“Yes. It is. I want to know where we’re going.”
“Those are my terms.”
Taggart looked as if he was debating a way around it. He narrowed his eyes. “Coercion is against the law too.”
“Arrest me, officer.” He put out his wrists.
“That mouth.” Taggart made a tsking sound. “It’s going to get you in trouble one day.”
“I like trouble.” Rhodes laughed. “You’re stalling. Agree to what I want, then we can get your puppies and go to the trainer.”
Taggart looked at his watch. “Fine. I’ll go out to—”
“Nope, not telling. Now turn around.” Rhodes stepped back.
Taggart frowned, turning. He immediately faced Rhodes again. “That’s cheating. You knew they were there.” He looked at the dogs sitting in the doorway and back at Rhodes. “How did you do that?”
“No cheating. I got them here. I’m magnetic.” Rhodes spread his arms. “I draw things in.”
“You’re drawing in a load of shit right now.” Taggart glanced at the dogs, then the leashes on the table. “They’re not caught until you get them on their leashes.”
Rhodes went over and picked up the leashes. He looked at the puppies and crooked his finger. They trotted over to him and he clicked a leash on each of them. Rhodes straightened and looked at Taggart. He had his hands crossed over his chest. Rhodes put the leashes in one hand and crooked his finger at Taggart.
“That’s not working on me, buddy. Let’s see if you can get them in my SUV.” Taggart watched the puppies before he turned to leave. “I have to get my shoes. I’ll be out in a minute.”
“I’ll get them into the SUV before you come outside.” Rhodes picked up the keys from the entryway table and led the dogs out. They started pulling on the leashes when he got close to Taggart’s SUV. “Come on now, don’t make me a liar.”
The puppies started tugging harder and ran around him. Rhodes moved with them and cursed as he found himself tangled in their leashes.
“You’ll have them in the car before I get outside.” Taggart spoke behind him.
Rhodes glanced at him, smiling sheepishly. “Well, at least they’re outside. Now help me before we’re late.”
“It might just be worth it to watch you untangle yourself.” Taggart walked to him.
Rhodes was silent as Taggart helped get the puppies’ leashes straightened. Rhodes handed him Pebbles’s leash and held onto the other.
“Your puppies are lots of fun.” Rhodes chuckled and pulled Taggart closer to him.
They kissed, then parted. Rhodes clicked the keys to unlock the door. The dogs went crazy when they heard it.
“We’re not going to the vet,” Taggart said.
They flopped to the ground and whimpered.
“You had to go say the V word,” Rhodes scolded.
“They don’t know what I’m saying.”
“Keep telling yourself that.” Rhodes got down on the grass with them. “We’re going to have fun. No mean needles this time. Come on, fun.”
The dogs looked at him and each other. They rose and Rhodes stepped back. He opened the door and lifted them in. He closed the door and faced Taggart.
“See? You just need to know how to talk to them.” Rhodes held out the keys.
“Why didn’t you do that earlier before they tried to wrangle you with their leashes? You can drive.” Taggart went to the other side of the car.
Rhodes got in the driver’s side and answered, “I underestimated their resistance to getting into the SUV. Before I knew it, they had me surrounded.”
“They are fast.” Taggart snorted. “They ripped up more cushions before I even got them out of the bag. I swear they have something against cushions.”
“Maybe next time you pick them out, ask their opinion,” Rhodes suggested.
Taggart looked at him.
“Yeah, I know they don’t talk, but take them to the store with you and see if they pick one. Maybe they just hate the style you had.” Rhodes started the vehicle.
“And the reason they ripped up yours too?”
“The same thing. They didn’t shred everything.” Rhodes shuddered and pulled out of the driveway. “It’s worth a shot, or you can do without cushions.”
“How would I look taking my dogs to shop for cushions?”
“Like a man who has cushion-wrecking puppies.” Rhodes laughed.
“Laughing at me is not nice.” Taggart poked at his shoulder. “Hopefully this trainer can get them to behave.”
“He will, but as for the cushion thing, I think it’s better to take my suggestion.”
“I’m going to ask the trainer,” Taggart said.
“He’s going to say the same thing.”
“We’ll see.” Taggart leaned back against the seat. “The DA has started making noises about timely justice.”
“She waited longer than you thought.”
“A week more than I expected, but I hoped for longer.”
“Still no luck finding the lead?”
“Nope. It’s frustrating. Every time we think we’re close, he escapes.” Taggart shook his head. “Walker is pissed he’s eluded us this long.”
“Maybe he’ll find something that will finally lead you to the man.” Rhodes only knew the gender, not the name. Taggart only spoke of the cases he was working in general terms. “Did Eva spank Ramirez yet? And if she did, I hope you have a video of
it.”
“He’s faster than she is when he shows her his best feature.” Taggart laughed. “They’re both crazy. They are corrupting my squad.”
“Building camaraderie brings good teamwork.”
“True. The unit is melding nicely.” Taggart looked at him. “I was thinking of inviting them all over, along with their significant others. A get-together so we can just chill and build on the feeling of team beyond the office.”
“That sounds like a good idea.”
“I want you to come.”
Rhodes made the turn into the property the trainer owned, and parked. He unbuckled his seat belt and turned to face Taggart. Taggart did the same. Rhodes studied him and Taggart had a small smile on his lips. The one Rhodes thought of his all-knowing one. The one that made Rhodes want to kiss him silly.
“Am I expected to cook for this get-together?” Rhodes asked.
“You ask that, but I know you mean you want to cook.” Taggart rubbed his finger along Rhodes’s face. “You enjoy it. Case in point, you always take over when we prepare a meal.”
“I don’t always take over. I help. That’s the way I was raised. You help when preparing a meal,” Rhodes said.
“Okay. You help and kick everyone else out.”
“You still haven’t answered my question.”
“That’s not what you want to know.” Taggart tweaked his nose. “Yes, I am inviting you over to meet my squad as my boyfriend.” He chuckled. “I would say lover, but with my squad, they’d make really inappropriate jokes.” Taggart kissed his nose and looked at his watch. “Shit. Five minutes to class time.” He got out of the car and went to the back door.
Rhodes couldn’t deny that hearing Taggart refer to him as his boyfriend made him feel good.
“Stop sitting there like a lump on a log. Come on.” Taggart tapped on the back of the seat.
Rhodes got out. They met at the hood of the SUV. Taggart handed him Bamm-Bamm’s leash and held onto Pebbles’s. They went to the puppies’ first training session.
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