Page 97 of Constantly Cotton
Jai didn’t miss the reference to the shower more than once. He agreed. Too much time in the grime and heat and… well, he had a big body and probably a big smell.
By the time he’d gotten out, his phone had charged and he called Ace first because if he talked to Ace, he knew what he could say to George.
“How is it going?” he asked without preamble.
“Buddy, you do not want to know.” There was a certain grimness in Ace’s voice. “And if you talk to Burton, tell him next time I want a heads-up about what’s waiting for me when I get back. I’m not a little kid and Sonny’s stronger than he looks.”
That alone had Jai sitting up in bed, the sheets wrapped around his waist, alarmed. “What in the—”
“Have Burton tell you when he gets back—and tell him that the thing that went down is settled now. I dropped our straggler off near an urgent care and with a shitty story. I’ll give Burton his name later, but right now, I gotta get home. Sonny and Ernie are more fuckin’ tired’n I am right now.”
“I am boggled as to how this happened,” Jai said, not even wanting to hear the story before he flew down to Victoriana. “What should I tell George?”
“Tell him you’ll be there after Burton’s done with you,” Ace said, sounding surprised. “Man, all I’m saying is you have earned yourself a week off. Sonny and Ernie held down the fort just fine, so, you know, sleep. Scare small animals. Tell George hi from Jai.” Ace snickered at that last one, and Jai tried not to smirk. It was hard, though, when his boss—his friend—was giving him carte blanche to be with his boyfriend in spite of a whole lot of trouble that had just tromped through their house.
“My head hurts,” Jai admitted, surprised because he didn’t admit to physical discomfort unless it could hinder him doing his job. “I don’t know how you’re moving.”
“I caught a nap on the helicopter down,” Ace admitted. “I’ll be fine. You nap now if you got the chance. Burton’s probably got shit all figured out.”
“We are currently in a safehouse where—” He was going to say it—he was going to say “near Constance”—but then it occurred to him that a parabolic mic was pretty damned easy to use and that could be a reason Ace didn’t want to give Jai details about what happened with him and Sonny either. So he finished with “A safehouse where I can sleep.”
Ace’s grunt told Jai he wasn’t fooled. “Good. You do that. Give George a holler, though. I’m sure he’s worried.”
“Da,” Jai told him gruffly, and it was a sign of how tired he was that he let what happened at the garage go for the moment, accepting Ace’s reassurance that he had it under control. Ace would tell him if it wasn’t. He might downplay it, that terse military man’s vocabulary serving him in good stead.Not a big deal, Jai, but half my leg and most of my kidney is blown across the desert, you wouldn’t want to come here and calm Sonny down while I go into a coma, right?“You tell us if anything else happens.”
“If it comes up,” Ace said, his voice so mild it almost put Jai to sleep. Almost.
He signed off, tired, and instead of talking to George, which could get long and comforting, he texted him instead.
Children are back where they belong. Burton and I are staying to look after friend.
George’s response was so veryGeorge, really.
Was he hurt?
He’d been shot—Jai had seen that. His shoulder and arm were bloody, and he was bleeding through his Kevlar, which indicated some knifework there too. And his face looked like he’d been through a war.
Da. He risked much to get those children to their parents.
Are all the bad guys taken care of?
He sighed. Probably not, if Ace had dropped one of them off at an urgent care and Jason had been attacked in transit.
Nyet. That is why we are staying for a few.
Oh! I have a few days off—I could trade some shifts, turn it into a week, and come stay with you!
Jai stared at the screen, a part of him getting so excited about having George by his side, being a quiet hero in his own way, that his eyes actually burned. More and more, the long weekends with George were not enough. More and more, Jai wanted George to come home to Jai, in his neat little apartment, so they could eat together or watch movies. But why would George leave a job in which he was respected to live in the desert?
Until Jai could answer that question, he wouldn’t ask the other.
It is not safe, little George,Jai replied regretfully.We are here as weapons and surveillance. If you are to take vacation days for me, I would rather we spend them doing fun things. Like camping.
Or getting a hotel by the beach,George filled in. Jai stared at the words hungrily.
Da. When I am done here, perhaps we can do that.He pressed Send and then paused, feeling shy even as he typed the words.I would love a vacation with you that does not involve tents and bonfires.
Me too. Love you, Jai—don’t forget that.
