Turn the Other Cheek by Chris Owen

Author:Chris Owen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Gay Romance
Publisher: Torquere Press
Published: 2010-09-08T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Mallory sat on the wobbly office chair in the computer room and tried another password. The computer finally deigned to grant him access to his e-mail, and Mal celebrated by grabbing a piece of paper out of the recycle bin and scrawling the combination of numbers and letters that had worked.

“You know, if you checked your e-mail more than once a month you’d have your password memorized,” Vince said.

Mal didn’t look up, just started deleting spam messages, one after another. “It’s stupid, having two passwords. Why can’t it be the same as the one that logs me into the system so I can check schedules?”

Vince came in and leaned on the table, making everything shake. “Security, you know that.”

“Yeah, yeah. Petty annoyance.” Mal kept deleting. “I think I’m starting to get hurt feelings about the apparent conspiracy to get me on drugs to help my erections.”

Vince snorted. “How are things going?”

“With my erections?” Mal gave him a sideways look. “Cap. A little room in our relationship would be a good thing.”

Vince merely rolled his eyes and folded his arms over his chest. “You know what I mean. Any trouble I should know about?”

“Nah.” Mal sighed and sat back. There were only three e-mails left on his account, and two of them were so old that the guys looking for someone to cover their shifts would have already either worked them or found someone else. The other one he could leave for another few minutes. “No one’s said anything to me at all, actually. But it’s only been a week and a bit.” He glanced at the computer so he wouldn’t be looking at Vince. “I can handle it, anyway.”

“I know. But I need to know if there’s trouble. Even unofficially.”

Mal nodded, but there was next to no chance at all that he’d go running to his captain unless there was a clear violation of his own rights. Anything short of a hate crime or a fist fight, Mal would deal with on his own.

“I hear you took a trip.” Vince sounded a little amused.

Mal looked up, fast. “Who told you that?”

“A little bird told me that you came in Sunday afternoon looking like you were fresh off a bender, only to find out the hangover was two days old.”

“Getting old sucks,” Mal said firmly. He’d only gone into the station to get the book he’d forgotten under his bunk. And the only person he’d seen was Gino, who’d picked up an extra shift. “And so does Gino.”

Vince laughed. “I’m just glad to see you’ve shaken off the big city before reporting in today.” He clapped Mal on the shoulder and stood up. “See you at lunch, if not before.”

Mal nodded and turned back to the computer. “Gossip like a bunch of bored old ladies,” he mumbled. He opened the remaining e-mail and read the request for a shift trade. It looked okay to him, but to be sure he grabbed the shift calendar on the wall and tried to work out when his days off would fall.

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