Page 41 of Before They Were Lovers

Day took his leather coat from the uniformed officer who’d picked it up for him and jumped into the big F-350’s passenger seat.

“Yeah, I definitely think we need a new snitch,” Godfrey responded while pulling smoothly into traffic and then flooring it down the boulevard.

“So, good cop, bad cop?” Godfrey smiled at Day.

“We’re both bad cops, God.” Day smiled back.

“This is true, but you’re more convincing as a good cop.” God stroked his goatee. “Hey, uh, you know Cap is gonna chew our asses out for not calling for backup.”

“Which is whose fault? I told you to call it in, God…but no…you gotta be Billy Bad-Ass and kick the door in before we even got the plan down,” Day argued. He tried to stretch his legs and hissed at the pain in his knees. “God, I swear you’re chasing the next one, man. My knees are killing me.”

“If you stopped dropping down on them in back alleys, they’d be fine when you’re at work,” God replied easily, taking the toothpick from his mouth and flicking it out the window.

“Oh, wow, aren’t you just full of shits and giggles today.” Day pulled one of his 9mm handguns from his holster and checked the safety before locking it back in place and putting his leather coat back on. He held on to the oh-shit bar as God made a hard right turn into the station’s parking lot. They saw the squad cars pulling into the underground tunnel with their four new arrestsand the evidence van backing in to unload the fifty pounds of marijuana they’d just secured from their raid.

Day dropped to the pavement and winced again at his aching knees.

“There’s no way those idiots could bring that kind of weight into the city on their own, God. We’re getting closer to the kingpin… I can feel it.”

“Well, let someone else feel it, princess. Long as we get the drugs off the streets, I’m good,” God replied and aimed the key fob toward his truck, activating the alarm.

Godfrey—or as Day and most of the force liked to call him, God—fell in line with his partner and strolled through the precinct’s bullpen like they hadn’t a care in the world. But Day knew they’d fucked up. They should’ve had backup when going in to make that kind of arrest, but their snitch had lied to them about how many dealers worked out of that house. Although he and God were able to take four of them into custody, three others had gotten away…and there’d been a little gunfire too.

God’s tight black T-shirt clung to his body while his gold detective badge, which hung from a sterling silver link chain around his neck, swayed methodically as he walked. His dark denim jeans fit snugly but comfortably. His gun holsters held his Desert Eagle on one side and his 9mm handgun on the other. His thigh-length black leather coat barely concealed the large firearms or the six-inch serrated blade with the pearl-handle grip secured under his left arm.

Day was about five inches shorter than him, but they complemented each other perfectly. Day was quick, witty, smart, skilled, and very dangerous. He’d graduated at the top of his academy class and already had commendations for marksmanship. It’d only taken four years for him to make detective, and after overseeing several of the city’s most successful drug busts along with God, both were promoted tothe Tactical Narcotics Team. God and Day were known on the street. They were respected, revered even. When drug kings saw them busting through their front door…they knew their reign was over.

Everyone also knew Day was gay and out, but ever since that first day in the conference room when God choked Ronowski without a second thought, no one bothered Day about it because no one wanted to face the wrath of God.

“So, we hear you two busted up that cartel over on Thirty-Third Street.” Detective Seasel strolled up beside God as he sat at his desk with his boots propped up on the edge. Day was perched on the corner, looking down at his partner, silently communicating with him like always.

“That’s right, sweetheart, another righteous bust for us,” Day bragged. He looked around Seasel to her partner, whose electrifying blue eyes were shooting daggers at both of them. “You got a problem with that, Ronowski? You look like you’re dying to get something off your chest.”

“I don’t have a goddamn word to say to you, Day. Come on, Vikki, let’s get out of here. We have a planning session to get to. Unlike you fuckups, there are some of us who believe in working as a team to get the job done right.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Day shook his head sadly and sucked his teeth at the angry man. “Mad because we didn’t invite you to come along, Ronowski?”

Ronowski gritted his teeth. “What-the-fuck-ever. This unit is about working as a team. Every time you jackasses go off half-cocked, someone has to come behind you and clean up your fucking mess,” the detective fumed.

God just shook his head, watching the angry exchange. There was no love lost between Day and Ronowski, obviously. Ronowski’s partner, Vikki Seasel, was cool though. She was a pretty woman with an even hotter body. She had plump lips andlong, sandy-brown hair that she kept pulled into a tight ponytail at the base of her neck. Her warm brown eyes were beautiful, and although she was tough as nails, she knew how to bat her eyes to throw a suspect off during an interrogation. Her hips were nicely proportionate to her small waistline, and Day didn’t miss God’s lustful stare whenever she approached.

“All right, let’s go, Ro. I’ll see you guys later.” She gave God an extra-long stare before turning and following her partner through the bullpen.

Day waited until they were almost to the other side of the room before standing.

“So, Ronowski, same time as last night… My place, right? I bought the extra-large condoms this time so we don’t have that little problem again,” Day yelled for all to hear.

Ronowski spun around, his face a bright shade of red, and Day thought the man was going to burst a blood vessel in his neck.

“Fuck you, Day!” Ronowski yelled back at him, his fist clenched at his side.

“So you want to do me this time? That’s cool. I’ll let that tight ass of yours have a break tonight.” Day feigned confusion before adding, “I guess we won’t need those extra-large condoms after all, huh?”

The room was buzzing, and many of the officers had turned their attention to a livid Ronowski, laughing hysterically. Even God had a hard time concealing his smile.

Ronowski looked like he was about to charge back across the floor until God slowly stood.

“All right, knock it off out there! Get back to fucking work,” the captain bellowed out into the bullpen from his open door. He turned his sharp eyes on them and shook his head.

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