Page 38 of Bazooka
General Zablonsky squirmed in his seat, looking uncomfortable. “I know. He wouldn’t like it.”
“He would be livid,” I corrected him. “And now I’m in a position where I must lie to him to protect him. If he ever finds out, he will never talk to me again.”
“He won’t hear it from me, Detective.”
“No, he will hear it from me,” I pointed out. “But only when I’m sure he’s safe. Anything else you want to talk to me about? I have work to do.”
“Do you have a significant other, Detective?” General Zablonsky asked me.
I had to smile.
“I’m sure you’ve read my file, General, so you know the answer to that question. And in case you wanted to know my sexual orientation, it’s none of your damn business.”
I could have told him I was straight, but I didn’t want to.
He bowed his head. “I apologize. I just wanted to get to know you on a more personal level. I hope it happens one day.”
“I don’t think that’s likely,” I said, standing up. “Have a nice day, General.”
“Wait.”
I turned to look at him.
“Here’s my card. If you need anything… help, resources… Please let me know. This is not a bribe. I’m just trying to help.”
I took the card and left, but… yeah, it didn’t go so well. The entire Luz situation was getting complicated by the minute, and I was smack in the middle of it. I had to come up with a good plan to make things work without losing my damn mind. Why? Because I was about to let the tornado called Luz into my life.
After that, the interview with the “gleesome threesome” was the easier part of my day. Sadly, as I expected, they didn’t give me much to go on, but only corroborated Luz’s story. After his friends left, I joined Luz in the bedroom. He was sitting on the bed, gazing into the distance thoughtfully. When I came in, he looked at me but said nothing. Was he still angry at me because of last night? If so, I was still angry at him, too.
“By the way, you owe me an apology,” I said. “To Patricia, too.”
“You owe me an apology, too,” Luz countered, raising his chin in defiance.
I suppressed a smile. Stubborn brat.
“You start first,” I insisted.
He cleared his throat before speaking.
“I’m sorry if I was hysterical yesterday. I was worried that something had happened to you, and I wasn’t thinking straight.Also, being alone makes me nervous after everything that happened. I’m not afraid or anything, but I get fidgety, so I apologize if I overreacted.”
“I’m sorry, too,” I admitted. “I have been living alone my whole life, and I’m not used to checking in with anyone. I’ll try to be more mindful in the future.”
He cocked his eyebrows. “Future?”
I nodded, walking up to the bed.
“Yeah, erm… it brings me to another piece of news. My caretaker friend said that he can’t take care of you. He has another obligation I didn’t know about, so…”
“Oh,” Luz muttered, looking confused.
I hated lying to him and keeping secrets from him, but I had no other choice. I would rather have him mad at me and safe than happy with me and dead.
“It’s also dangerous for you to return to your apartment,” I continued, looking at the floor. “Not until we figure out what’s going on.”
“Meaning?” Luz said, sounding breathless.
“Meaning we have to find another solution.”
