Page 16 of The Devil's Bargain
He licked his lips. “I want my own room,” he doubled down, but rushed on before either of them could complain, “Just to have. I’ll sleep with you two at night, but I want to have a space I can call my own. And if I take this job, neither of you is allowed to interfere. I was a good detective,” yeah right, “not counting this last case.”
“Which you purposefully didn’t do a great job on,” Aodhan chuckled. “Thanks, babe.”
“I’m being serious.”
“All right, all right. We won’t meddle.”
“But you come when I call,” Mercy ordered. “That’s non-negotiable, just ask our little killer.”
“He means it,” Aodhan agreed. “We took the hook down, but he’s got a penchant for doling out punishment if you leave him waiting too long.”
“Or at all.” Mercy gave him a stern look. “My Second and Third are just that, mine. You come to me when I tell you to, Calix, and there will be no more running headfirst into danger for the high of it. If you want to blow off steam and get an adrenaline rush, you ask me to help you with that. Understood?”
“My job is dangerous by nature,” Calix reminded. “I can’t promise I won’t get into risky situations.”
“I know you can handle yourself. What I’m saying is no more chasing after unknown entities into dark forests. If there’s an unnecessary risk, you command someone else to take it. Tell me you understand and agree, little monster, or I’ll lock you up and—”
“Don’t ruin all the progress we’ve just made.” He held up a hand to stop him. “Fine, I agree. I’ll do as you say, okay?”
“Good.” Mercy stepped forward and planted a chaste kiss to his forehead. “That’s all I’ll ever ask of you.”
It was on the tip of Cal’s tongue to call him a prick, but he caught himself.
Chapter 6:
It was strange being back. Even though Calix didn’t have many positive memories of the station, standing in Bruce’s old office gave him a wave of nostalgia he hadn’t been expecting.
The sadness he’d anticipated. He wasn’t like Aodhan or Mercy. Even though he often separated himself from those around him and didn’t develop attachments, there were exceptions. Bruce had been the only person in Calix’s past who’d trusted and believed in him. Even Mercy had known the truth about the incident with Nero, but Bruce had taken Cal at his word.
Maybe that made Calix an even worse person than he’d thought, because he’d fooled the only man who’d ever fully trusted him, but maybe it didn’t really matter one way or the other. Maybe the important thing was Bruce had been a father figure to him, and Cal had treated him as such.
Which was why he was hellbent on rooting out his killer and getting him justice.
Calix was a hypocrite after all. It didn’t matter that there were families and friends out there wishing for justice for their own slain loved ones, a justice that should be met against Aodhan, and probably Mercy. The fact that Bruce’s wife and kids mourned for him as well also didn’t make a difference.
Cal cared about his own pain and his own debts. He owed this to Bruce, plain and simple.
“I’m a monster.” He sighed and perched on the edge of the desk just as a knock came at the door.
Reed, Saz, and Mitri entered the office, smiling and clearly happy to see him. The warm welcome dashed away some of the negative feelings he’d been experiencing, and he straightened and accepted their handshakes when they approached.
“I can’t believe you’re back,” Reed exclaimed. He and Saz were officers who’d helped out on the last case. They’d worked under Bruce for years, and were probably just as eager as Cal to find the real culprit. “Things have been a mess around here since…Well. You know.”
“We’ve cleared meeting room three,” Saz said. “We’re ready to start the briefing whenever you are.”
Calix noticed Mitri hanging back. “What about you? Are you all right with all of this?”
Mitri had been close with Amory. Close enough, in fact, Cal had even sort of suspected him a little. But then he’d discovered Mercy and Aodhan’s deception, and had been told by the doctor he’d already looked into the forensic scientist as a possible culprit.
On the night of Bruce’s murder, Mitri was at the hospital in the morgue. There were enough witnesses to prove it, and even video footage. Cal hadn’t wanted to rule out his involvement, figuring he didn’t have to be the one delivering the killing blow to still be a part of it, but Mercy had ruled that out as well.
They’d come prepared when they arrived on Alter. In his absence, they’d been collecting as much information as they could.
“I want to clear Amory’s name,” Mitri admitted. “There’s evidence she was involved with Rhett and they did horrible things together, but there’s no proof she hurt Bruce.”
“He still doesn’t believe she did it,” Saz told Cal.
“She was a cold-blooded killer,” Reed growled. “How can you still defend her?”
