Page 93 of The Masquerade: Room 2

“Fuck. I just lost it.”

“Don’t beat yourself up. You were trying to protect the kid. No one can fault you for that.”

“The police can absolutely fault me for it. Even if I get off on the charges, it doesn’t guarantee I have a job to return to. I’m supposed to set the tone for my department.”

“And sometimes the tone is to protect those weaker than ourselves. You’re a good man, and you understand what that little boy faced day in and day out for years.”

“There are better ways to deal with it.” I cut him off. I’m sure I’ve confirmed what Freya has likely suspected for a while now. Putting off telling her my damage seems a little dumb right now, but I didn’t want her to look at me with pity in her eyes.

“Let’s get you a drink.”

“That sounds good.”

“Come on, I’ve got the town car waiting outside. We’ll go to Venom, and Naddie can walk us through your next steps.”

“I need to go back to the hospital and speak with Joseph.”

“I spoke with him in person. He’s expecting you tomorrow morning at eight.”

“What did I do to deserve a friend like you?”

“You’re not a total dick.” He laughs.

“I guess. Flex lowered your standards years ago.” We both have a chuckle as we head outside. I slide into the back of the car next to Freya, and she slips her hand into mine, squeezing tight.

“Are you okay, Daddy?”

I wrap my arm around her shoulder, pulling her tight to my side. “I’m okay, little one. Would you rather go home?”

“No. I want to hear what Nadia has to tell us about your case… what happens next.”

“Okay.”

We ride the rest of the way in comfortable silence, Freya giving me strength just by being here with me.

When we get to the club, Flex is there to point out the obvious. “Aren’t you supposed to be in an orange jumpsuit?” he says as I stand at the bar, still in my scrubs. I have extra clothes here for Freya and me, so I send her to get changed first, taking the opportunity to have a quiet word with him.

“Very funny. I hope Armani does a good prison pinstripe.” If I don’t laugh, I’ll fucking cry. How to lose your career in twenty seconds.

“Seriously, bro, are you okay? What the fuck happened?”

“How did you know?”

“Celest called me in a panic, not knowing what happened. I called Genevieve, who had already spoken to Dalton, and I called him. Chinese whispers.”

“So, my reputation is well and truly fucked. Great.”

“You’re a fucking hero. Any man who takes a hand to his kid deserves everything he gets.”

“Look, I don’t know what’s going to happen moving forward. My job is on the line. I could go down for this if it doesn’t go my way. I’m still training Freya right now, and there are a few things she wanted to try. Do you have a sub right now?”

“Not technically.”

“She wants to try a threesome.”

“Didn’t you guys have a public moment with Celest?”

“She kissed her tits. That was it. On her list, she said maybe to a threesome with another guy. I don’t want her to miss out because I don’t want to share.”

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