Page 2 of Mimosa

All the men that worked at the pub were magnificent, although Sonny had obsessed over one of the pictures Taran had given him more than the others.

“Hey, Camp, any word from your higher ups on the plans?”

“Not until we get some concrete evidence. We’re going for RICO.”

“I love fucking feds,” Sonny spat. “You have to cross all your Ts to the point that the case goes cold. Get these mother fuckers or I will. I can still go through IA channels to get them on the local cases.”

“Don’t threaten us,” Taran warned. “We’ll get them, and we don’t have buddies here to cover up for them.”

“Sure. There are feds in this cartel too. How do you even know how many high-up friends they have in your offices?”

Camp actually laughed, and Sonny knew he was trying to break up the anger. “We’ll all get collars on this case soon enough. Stop measuring dicks, boys.”

“I told Murphy that I’d bring you to meet him. When can you swing by?”

“They’re being watched, so I have to be told to get over there. I should be able to go this week. I’m talking to Marion later today, letting her know I’m in the neighborhood and gay, so I can ease in and not be suspicious.”

“Fine. I’ll let Murphy know you have to be told what to do by your bosses.”

“Like you all don’t?”

“Guys,” Camp pleaded. “Stop. We’re on the same side.”

Sonny stood from the table and hissed, “Bust them. Soon. Or we will.”

The folder on the seat of his car was calling to him and he opened it to the partial file on those bartenders of Murphy’s Pub. Flipping through, he stopped on the one they called Mims.

His dark eyes, luscious lips, tiny frame…the guy was beautiful. There was so much behind those eyes, sadness being the glaring emotion he exuded. Sonny had read everything about him, right down to the fact his family had disowned him because he told them he was gay.

Now Ali Bajwa dated older men, in desperate search of a daddy figure to take the place of the father who’d tossed him aside. Rich older men, but one day, when the investigation was concluded, Sonny hoped that maybe he could change the mind of the man called Mims.

Maybe.

Chapter Two

“Mims,”Hazecalledfromthe bookcase door of the secret room. “You here?”

“I’m here,” he called back, watching the download’s speed slow further. “We need better bandwidth or I’m going to literally lose my mind!”

“You won’t,” Haze said as he came into the room, kissed him on top of his head, and sat in the metal chair beside the comfortable computer chair where Mims perched.

Haze was so beautiful, it was hard for Mims to look at him and remember he was his best friend. All the men of Murphy’s Pub were beautiful, but Haze held a special place in his heart.

“What is it you need?” he snapped, then immediately regretted it.

“Snippy, Mims. What’s wrong?”

He sat back hard in the computer chair and sighed, “My boyfriend. He postponed our date again.”

“Does he have a previous engagement with his wife?”

Mims growled, “He’s not married! I asked!”

“You do know that some people lie, right, babe?”

He was sweet when he wasn’t being overly honest with Mims. His dark eyes locked dead-on with Mims’s slightly lighter ones so Mims couldn’t possibly look elsewhere. “He isn’t. I can tell.”

“As long as you can tell,” he teased.

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