Sin City Uniform 02 - Copping an Attitude (9 page)

“I meant it. Everything’s going to work out. Try not to worry about anything right now.” Parker chuckled. “I know that sounds like a stupid thing to say, and you have no reason to trust anything I tell you, but I promise I’ll be here for you.”

Slade’s skin was getting sweaty, but he didn’t dare move. He didn’t want to do anything that might encourage Parker into letting go of him again. The drugs had him so fucked up. He wished they weren’t making him so fuzzy so that he could enjoy the moment with Parker more. He did appreciate the way they’d let his guard down, however.

“Don’t you want to call me honey?”

Parker’s eyes rounded. “Shit.” He’d muttered it. “Sorry about that. It’s a… My family… We…” He sighed. “I was raised with it as a common term of affection. Everyone in my family uses it, even my dad. I was born in Texas, but we moved here when I was three.”

Slade wondered if he was supposed to understand why in Parker’s mind being from Texas should explain everything.

“So… You didn’t really mean anything by it?”

Parker squeezed him lightly. “I did. But I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable by me saying something too personal.”

“It doesn’t make me feel uncomfortable. It makes me feel really good.”

God, these drugs. Seriously. Why can’t I stop saying everything that pops into my head?

Parker gave him a wide smile that showed off his gorgeous straight white teeth. Even though Slade thought he’d probably never get turned on again after all he’d been through, he did love gawking at Parker. A lot.

“I’m glad, honey, really glad.”

Slade tried to smile in answer, but it tore at his lip. He winced.

“Oh no, no. There’re stitches.

Parker had such a look of concern on his face that it melted Slade’s heart. He’d removed one hand to stroke Slade’s forehead, while still clasping Slade’s other one. He hadn’t the slightest idea as to why Parker was showing such a strong interest in him, but in truth, he didn’t give a fuck as to why. He just hoped it wouldn’t end too soon.

A dull ache had been forming during the short time they’d been speaking and Slade moaned.

“Do you need more pain meds? Remember, you control it.”

He didn’t want them, but he knew he needed them. For the first time since he’d awoken, he was curious about the extent of his injuries. Slade pressed the button and within a few seconds a soothing numbness flowed through him. He was pretty sure he would be okay. He somehow knew Parker wouldn’t lie to him about that. But he still wanted to know.

“The doctor?”

Parker nodded. “Good question. I’ll find out for you.”

He made as if to move away, but Slade wasn’t ready for him to let go yet.

“Wait. Please stay.”

Parker settled back in the chair. “Okay, honey. But you heard what the nurse said. I’ll have to leave soon, but I’ll be back every chance I get. Before I go I’ll find out about the doctor for you.”

Slade exhaled in relief. He was being tended to by Parker and it was an amazing feeling.

“Mind if I interrupt?”

Slade turned his head the best he could to see a strange man in the doorway. He was probably about Parker’s age and was very tall. He had reddish brown hair with a beard and mustache and came across very serious, but not unfriendly. Slade wasn’t thrilled that he was intruding on his time with Parker, though.

“Sure, Beau. Come on in.”

Slade was relieved that Parker hadn’t pulled away. He noted that the man named Beau had allowed his gaze to flit to his and Parker’s joined hands then dart back to Slade’s face.

“Hi, Slade. I’m Detective Beau Williams with LVMPD. I was hoping I could speak with you briefly about a couple things. I won’t bother you for long, but there’s an urgency involved. Would that be all right?”

Slade looked to Parker.

“It’s up to you, honey.”

Turning back to Beau, he took a deep breath then replied, “Okay, I’ll do the best I can.”

“I’ve been investigating some murders linked to Julio Estevez and Alexei Gromov. Are either of those people familiar to you?”

He had the sensation that his lungs had collapsed, that he could no longer draw any air into them.

“Slade, honey. Take a breath. You’re safe. No one can hurt you here.”

One of the monitors made a dinging sound and the next thing he knew, the white-haired nurse was in the room ordering both men out. Slade panicked again.

Why did I have to do that?

“Parker!”

He’d somehow managed to push it out, loud enough so that Parker could hear.

“I’ll be back before my shift tonight. I promise.”

Slade watched as Parker disappeared with the closing of his door by the nurse. She fussed over him some more, but he didn’t really pay any attention to anything she did. All he could dwell on was the warmth of Parker’s hand in his. It had been forever since he’d experienced the comfort of such a simple gesture. He mused on the endearment Parker had used on him and how much it had filled his heart.

Slade was certain that it wasn’t wise to wish for anything more from Parker. Eventually Parker would go away. He would complete whatever it was he was trying to accomplish with Slade then stop coming around. Slade guessed that Parker would be done with him once he was released from the hospital. Parker would set him up in one of those programs he’d told Slade about in front of the motel.

If Julio doesn’t get to me first.

He was conflicted about what had gone down. For the first five or ten minutes of the date he’d been sure it was Samson’s friend. The guy had definitely been Russian. But when Slade had asked him where the money was, the big tough had looked at him as if he was crazy. He’d laughed, wanting to know if Julio had sent him to negotiate peace. He’d told Slade that a ‘lousy ten grand wouldn’t negotiate breakfast’. It was at that point that Slade had realized something was horribly wrong.

He’d attempted to jump from the moving car but had been yanked back by his collar. The driver and his supposed date had bantered back and forth in Russian then the next thing he knew, they’d parked. Slade had been dragged kicking and thrashing into the alley. He’d tried to scream, but his date had clamped his hand so tightly over Slade’s face that he’d barely been able to breathe.

He closed his eyes and swallowed, the fear enveloping him again. Forcing himself to focus on Parker instead, he was able to stem his rising panic. He pictured Parker’s handsome face, his warm smile. He remembered how it felt to have Parker’s hands wrapped protectively around his, the sound of Parker’s voice as it soothed him and Parker calling him ‘honey’.

Despite telling himself he wouldn’t do it, he imagined one more thing. It hadn’t happened yet, but that didn’t mean that it still couldn’t. He fantasized what it would be like to feel Parker’s soft lips on his. With that picture in his head he drifted back to sleep.

Chapter Six

Parker had dropped by to see Slade on his way in to work, but he’d been asleep. He’d scribbled out a quick note for him and had tucked it under his hand as he slept. The last thing he wanted to do was to let Slade down in any way. He had the impression that Slade had been let down too much in his life.

Shit. I should have left him my cell number.

Parker frowned at his own stupidity. At the same time, he was really floundering around in regards to his situation with Slade. Especially as he wasn’t even sure what the situation was supposed to be yet. It had helped a lot that Beau had talked to him about it. Even more significant was how Slade had responded to him being there, how he’d asked Parker to hold his hand. Even his slip-up of calling Slade ‘honey’ hadn’t been a bad thing.

What am I doing?

He pressed his lips together. Obviously, he was attracted to Slade. Slade was either attracted to him too or was simply very needy and scared. It probably meant that if Parker allowed himself to get too attached to Slade emotionally, he was going to end up with a heaping dose of crushing heartbreak. He figured it probably served him right for hurting Brett—even if he hadn’t meant to.

He remembered what Beau had said about not giving Slade hope where there was none. He took a deep breath, certainty filling him more than it had since he’d first stumbled upon the scared young man out on the Strip. He would be there for Slade however Slade needed. If that meant that he only wanted friendship or a mentor or whatever—even if it was only temporarily—Parker would gladly fill that role and not expect anything else.

“You’re all kinds of interesting tonight, McLean.”

The drone of the scanner had been the backdrop to Parker’s thoughts and he’d completely tuned out the fact that Darren was in the cruiser with him as well.

“Shit. Sorry. I’m pretty exhausted. I haven’t had much sleep.”

“So I heard.”

Parker straightened in his seat. “Excuse me?”

“It’s spread all over the station. Everyone’s been asking me about it.”

“
What
has spread?”

Sounds like I have a fucking disease or something.

“That you stayed at the hospital with Slade.”

Parker wasn’t sure how to respond. His first concern was that Sergeant Lopez would think he’d been lying when he’d spoken with him about Slade and the nature of their relationship. It would be tough to explain that.

“Okay. So I stayed at the hospital with him for a few hours. Who cares?”

Darren gazed out of his side of the window. “Quite a few people, apparently. Sure is hard to control the gossip at that place. Yup. Helps if the people who’ve always had your back know what the fuck is going on.”

Parker couldn’t control a heavy sigh. “Look, Darren, this is all very sudden for me as well and I honestly don’t know what’s happening or what might happen. All I
do
know is that I can’t abandon him right now. He deserves a shot at a decent life if nothing else.”

Darren turned to consider him. “And where do you fit into that picture?”

“I don’t know if I do. But I’ll be there for as long as he needs me.”

Darren shook his head. “This all sounds like a horrible made-for-cable TV drama in the making.”

Parker grunted, tired of all the heaviness of the week. “Hey. I happen to like made-for-cable dramas. There’ve been some really good ones.”

He chanced a sly peek at Darren and was relieved to see his buddy grinning. Darren glanced over at him. “You’re an idiot.”

“Probably.”

A call came through asking for all units to respond to a multiple homicide at a motel nearby.

Fuck. The Deuces Wild.

Parker flipped the lights and siren on, jetting across town on the back roads to get to the scene as quickly as possible. One unit had already arrived when they got there. When both he and Darren checked with them, they explained that they’d been notified by a terrified john who’d shown up to a party date, only to discover three women and two of his friends hacked up in the room. The man was hysterical. The officers were staying with him until a med unit and the detectives arrived. Parker and Darren got busy taping off the scene.

Within minutes multiple responders had arrived. The last vehicle to get to the scene was Beau’s sedan. He unfolded his long frame from his car and acknowledged Parker with a jerk of his chin. They all performed their respective duties as per usual, but Parker was more than a little anxious to find out what was going on. He had no business being a part of anything to do with the investigation, but because of Slade he felt he needed to know.

Right as Beau looked about ready to leave, he gestured Parker over. When Parker drew closer, Beau stepped behind his sedan away from everyone else nearby.

“I just wanted you to know that I had a chance to speak to Slade for a few minutes today once Nurse Ratched let me through.”

Parker regretted that he hadn’t been there. Slade had probably been so scared.

“Does he remember anything?”

“The men who hurt him were Russian.”

Parker inhaled sharply. So Alexei had been targeting Slade after all.

“But that’s not all. Slade knew nothing about the pimp war going on or that he was any type of specific target—and I think it should stay that way.”

“God, yes. Agreed.”

“When I spoke with him about Julio, he was upset at first, but seemed to realize that it was the right thing to do by talking about him. He told me that a guy who’d been one of his regulars with Julio had ended up dead after offering to buy Slade from him.”

Parker grimaced. It was all so disgusting.

Beau paused, almost as if he wasn’t sure if he should continue. “He asked about you, wanted to know if you were for real and if I thought you would ever come back. I think those painkillers are making him unusually forthright. I wouldn’t expect that from him once he recovers.”

“You say that like you expect me to be around when he does.”

“He already has an affection for you regardless of what it’s based on. I had hoped you still planned on being around.”

“What did you say to him?”

“That you were a good guy and that he could trust you. Was I wrong?”

“I’m gonna make damn sure you aren’t.”

“That’s what I thought, but I wanted to verify we were on the same page.” Beau clapped Parker on the shoulder. “I hope it all works out for you both.”

Parker smiled wistfully. “Me too.”

* * * *

It had been over a week since the attack and both Parker and Beau had been in several times to see him. He’d hated and distrusted cops for so long that sometimes he had to stop and remind himself what amazing men they both were.

Based on what he’d been told by Beau, Julio was missing. Rita and a few of Julio’s henchmen had been arrested, but everyone else had scattered. It seemed incomprehensible to Slade that Julio would just run away with his tail tucked between his legs. Beau had also questioned him a few different times about the Russian men who’d nearly beaten him to death. Slade had the impression that there was something about his attack that Beau wasn’t sharing.

And there was something else very important that was bothering him and that he was afraid to say anything about. Had Valeena gotten away? Was Samson really in love with her, or was he involved with Slade’s attack? Had he used her in some way and maybe hurt her? He teared up as his thoughts took him to uglier places. Or killed her? It was driving him crazy not knowing.