* * *
Quincy had just stretched out in his sweatpants on Gareth’s couch when the man came running into the living room, his cell phone at his ear.
“Get dressed. It’s going down.”
He jumped up and grabbed his clothes as Gareth continued talking on the phone. He could tell Isaac was on the other line.
“If we leave now, we can beat the television cameras to Rawlin’s place.”
They were in the car and racing to their former chief’s house within minutes. Sirens filled the air and when they arrived, the street was filled with news vans. They parked down the street and walked, joining the crowd of onlookers. People had come out of their houses in nightclothes and robes to see what was happening. Quincy made sure he stood in the front, Gareth beside him, and the rush of joy he felt as Chief Bill Rawlins was led out of his home in handcuffs was that final puzzle piece in the disarray that had been his life for so long. Watching it was almost anticlimactic.
His former boss looked up and caught his gaze, the man’s eyes narrowing as a snarl twisted his lips.
Quincy merely smiled, knowing it would infuriate Rawlins—it did, as he suddenly struggled against the man leading him. He would probably try to take Quincy down with him, but Isaac had cleaned all the records so there would be nothing to back up anything he said. Quincy had been careful while still on the job—so careful.
But none of that mattered now.
He was happy to see justice being done, but his place was no longer here.
It was with Lane.
He turned his back on his chief, his former life and looked at Gareth. “Were you serious about going with me to Maine?”
Gareth, who still watched the scene behind Quincy, slowly nodded. “I am. I hate my job as a bouncer, and I don’t want my old one back.”
“You sure? You loved it.” They started weaving through the crowd back toward Gareth’s car.
“I like doing something good and what Lane is doing there sounds more up my alley. Besides, I’m ready for a change of scenery. You said it’s beautiful there.”
“It is. The place sits right on the bay and is completely private—surrounded by woods.”
“I doubt I’ll live in the house. I’ll find a place in town.”
“Thinking of trying for a job there or do you want to help us?”
Gareth stopped with his hand on the car door. He looked up at the night sky, then across the hood at Gareth. “No job. Not with the police. I’m done with law enforcement. At least we’ll be mostly on the right side of the law. How do they plan to return all the stolen collectibles?”
“I’m not sure they have all that worked out yet. Shipping for one, but that will be tricky since everything can be traced these days. More than likely, they’ll return them as they took them. Lane mentioned something about shipping them out from the towns they were taken. They could also mail from the different places they go to steal things back. However they, or we, work it out, it’ll be dangerous work.”
“I’m up for it.” Gareth opened the door and climbed inside.
Quincy got in on his side, his gaze snagged by the swarm of flashes going off from the news cameras.
Gareth’s sudden chuckle pulled his attention. “Never thought I’d see you fall so hard for someone you move across the country to be with him.”
“He’s worth it. Even after a short time, I can feel it in my gut.”
“Well, your gut has never done any of us wrong.”
“I don’t know how you can say that when we both got fired.”
“That wasn’t your fault and that’s the last time I’m saying that.”
“You’re a good friend, Gareth. So how long do you think it’ll take you to wrap up things here?”
He chuckled. “In a hurry?”
“You know it.”