Source of Protection by DJ Jamison

Author:DJ Jamison
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: cop romance, gay romance, novellas, crime romance, ashe sentinel, gay romance series, gay short stories, romance short stories, gay contemporary
Published: 2016-05-15T14:21:49.123978+00:00

***

It was only slightly cool for barbecue weather.

Autumn in Kansas tended to swing wildly from warm, sunny days to cool, cloudy days turned frigid by the wind. The past week had been unusually mild, and even with a brisk breeze today, Jorge and Mac’s first barbecue as a couple drew enough people to fill the courtyard outside Jorge’s apartment to the brim.

Rick crossed the courtyard with Will as unobtrusively as possible, fully aware of the crowd’s eyes on them. He didn’t doubt they believed Will to be a date, and that was okay. It was better if no one knew Will had been a murder suspect until a few hours ago, and could become one again if the evidence went sideways.

But it did create a bit of a Catch-22, seeing as he didn’t want to overstep boundaries while Will was in his protection, and yet he needed to blur the boundaries enough not to raise questions.

Questions were dangerous, especially at a party full of news reporters.

This was such a damn bad idea. Rick was full of them when it came to Will.

Mac manned the grill, turning brats and burgers, while Jorge stood nearby overseeing a card table holding bowls of potato salad, cottage cheese and potato chips. On the ground nearby sat a cooler filled with ice and cans of soda and bottles of beer. Both men looked up as Rick and Will approached.

Jorge grinned, joy pouring from him like rays from the sun, and Rick was reminded of how Jorge’s smiles had blinded him just a couple of weeks ago. He was still radiant, but Rick’s growing attraction to Will dampened the effect to a more tolerable level.

“Rick, you made it! And this is Will?”

Jorge turned warm, dark eyes on his companion, who nodded and produced a tiny smile of his own. That smile, a mere fraction of the one Jorge had bestowed on him, made his heart flutter. Will’s smiles were rare, and all the more precious.

“Yes, this is Will McCall. Will, this is Jorge.”

“And I’m Mac.” Rick’s ex had left the grill and handed them each a plate with a brat. “Go ahead and make up a plate. Will, everyone here is friendly, so don’t worry about anything and just sit back and relax.”

“Sure,” Will said, not sounding all that convinced.

“So, where are you from, Will?” Jorge asked.

It was an innocent enough question, but Rick could see the way Will tensed up. He began piling his plate with potato salad and chips, clearly avoiding eye contact.

There was that shadow from his past again. Rick would be tempted to think Will was a fugitive from the law, but if he had a record it would have come up in Nielsen’s investigation. Then again, he could be a fugitive of a different type if Rick’s theory of an abusive ex wasn’t off-base.

“The West Coast,” Will said vaguely without looking up.

“What brought you to the Bible belt of all places?” Mac asked, sounding incredulous anyone would willingly move to the Midwest.

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