Page 82 of Mimosa

“What the fuck are you searching for?”

“We have evidence you are harboring a fugitive.”

As three officers filed in the room, a third came and asked him to go downstairs with the others. As he rushed down the stairs, passing five more cops, his stomach was tied in knots.

With the rest of those in the pub, including the two very sleepy kids in Eazy’s and Murphy’s arms, Haze pulled him aside. “Did you see Hippy?”

The only one missing. “No! Is he here?”

“We don’t know. It’s not like we sign in and out.”

Then Mims freaked out, thinking about the paintings in Haze’s room. “Are they going to find the reproductions?”

“No. I took them all out when Sonny came to stay. We were expecting this, remember?”

Murphy handed Katie to Cosmo, who sat with her on his lap. “I have the warrant. It says that Sonny has been indicted for human trafficking.”

“What? Are you serious?”

“Deadly. They pushed their shit onto him.”

“With no fucking proof!”

“Exactly. But, well, we have some problems to deal with. They’ll want to talk to you. It’s in the warrant.”

Mims’s stomach knots were tighter, and he thought he’d puke. “Jesus.”

Then Mims saw Marion Brenner coming toward him. It was already time. He had to be interviewed.

“Mr. Bajwa, may we speak with you a moment?”

The strength in him was building as he thought about Sonny. What would Sonny do for him? How would Sonny care for him?

Since he was ten and realized he was gay, he’d had to lie to his parents and he was terrible at it. He didn’t like to lie, and wasn’t great doing it, but this was different. This was a man’s life, and not just any man. He was the man he loved.

Lifting his head, he said, “Yes. Sure.”

Taken into the back by himself, Marion Brenner and two other officers sat at one of the tables across from him, and he shoved his clammy hands between his knees.

“You were in a relationship with Santiago Aguilar, were you not?” Marion asked.

“Santiago? Who’s that?”

Her smirk made her thin lips even thinner. “Sonny, Mr. Bajwa.”

“Oh, Sonny. Right. I wouldn’t exactly call it a relationship.”

“Wouldn’t you?”

“No. We went on a couple of dates and…”

“And?”

Mims felt his body ease. It was for Sonny, the lies, the deceit. Everything he did was for Sonny. “And we had sex a couple times.”

“And tonight?” she asked while she made a loud sniff. “Did you have sex with him tonight?”

She was implying he smelled of sex. And he was sure he did. He had to cover, but suddenly, his hands began to shake and he broke out in a sheen of sweat. “What about tonight?” he asked to stall while he thought of something, anything, that would help him.

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