Page 54 of Phoenix

“I understand this hasn’t been an easy process and I’ve appreciated your patience. There is one more thing that I want to share with you.” He picked up his phone, pressed a button, and held it to his ear. “Sara, please get him now, and remember, don’t tell him I have people in my office, just say I want to talk to him.” He set the phone down. “As you may remember, we had a lot of trouble getting a foothold into the Knights cartel. There was one exception. He successfully engineered and implemented our strategy. He led this case on the ground from day one. I am not using hyperbole when I tell you that absolutely nobody else could have accomplished this outcome. I’ve never had the privilege of working with anyone as dedicated, tenacious, and insightful. He has been living deep, deep undercover for over twelve years. Only a couple of us knew about his role, and even now that it’s over, he has been adamantthat he will not accept any public recognition, but I believe it’ll be good for everyone involved that you meet him.”

A knock sounded. The chief rose, strode to the office door, and opened it.

“You need to see me, Chuck?”

Jule’s entire body went ice cold, his heart seemed to stop, and his jaw dropped.

“Come in.” Chief Montez faced the room and said, “This is Lieutenant Torrence Dunworthy. He is the person responsible for closing this case.”

Tor stood perfectly still just inside the office, clearly not having expected this audience. Jule catalogued every detail as his brain slowly clicked back to life. A black T-shirt under a canvas button down, a pair of 501s that Jule loved because of how they clung to his ass, and the boots whose leather gained richness, depth, and distinction with each passing year. A tiny white scar above his left eyebrow that he’d gotten racing shopping carts in fifth grade; they’d won the race. Hair buzzed low enough to show the missing line on top from when he’d scraped it freshman year jumping a fence. Strong hands that had pushed him and held him for as long as he could remember. And the most beautiful eyes Jule had ever seen.

It took him a few seconds to unlock his muscles and catch his breath, and then he shoved his chair back, leaped to his feet, and threw himself against Tor. “Holy fuck.” His entire body trembling, lungs heaving, he curled around Tor and squeezed him tightly. “Holy fuck.”

“Shh.” Tor gripped his nape, strong fingers pressing into tense muscles. “Breathe.”He was six years old, standing in the Dunworthy kitchen, wanting to play in the rain, and Tor was stopping him from having a meltdown.

“Did you say Dunworthy?” Jule’s grandfather asked.

“Julian?” His mother sounded worried. “What’s going on?”

“Dunworthy?” his grandmother stammered.

“Julian?” his mother said again. “Do you know this man?”

Did he know Tor Dunworthy? Jule laughed humorlessly. His entire body was shaking, and he realized his cheeks were wet. He kept leaning against Tor, but he turned around so he could see his family. “Yes, Mom, I know him.”

“How? Who is he?”

Tor was his brother, though not by blood. Tor was his best friend. Tor was everything he had ever wanted and the one thing he had feared he couldn’t have. Tor was the person he had loved before he knew what love was and the person he had continued to love no matter what obstacles life threw in their path. Tor was his past, his present, and his future.

“Mom, Grandfather, Grandmother, this is Tor Dunworthy. He is the best person I know and I’m going to marry him.”

“They’re going to have to arrest me to get me out of here, and even then, I’ll give them hell if they try.” Jule crossed his arms over his chest and planted his feet. He was not going to leave Tor, not now that he had a choice in the matter.

A smile crept up Tor’s face. “I’m sure you would.” He cupped Jule’s elbow. “But it’s not necessary. I’m going to be done here soon and then I’ll come to your place.”

“Terrific. I’ll give you a ride.”

“Jule.”

“Not fucking leaving, asshole. Get it through your thick skull and finish up your work while I watch.”

A booming laugh sounded from behind him. “I understood what you saw in him years ago, Tor, but having front row seats to the show is even better.” Chief Montez had returned to his office after walking Jule’s mother and grandparents out.

“He knew about us?” Jule said, surprised.

“Yes.” Tor nodded. “Chuck’s known everything from the beginning. I had to explain it to him so he’d understand.”

“Understand what?” Jule’s legs started buckling now that the jolt of adrenaline from everything he’d heard was wearing off.

Unsurprisingly, Tor noticed. He slid his arm around Jule’s waist and anchored him as he walked him over to the table and pulled out a chair. “Sit.”

He did and the chief sat across from him. “Understand why I should believe a disheveled teenager’s crazy story about the murder of a prominent politician.”

“And why he needed my help to handle it.” Tor handed him a bottle of water.

Jule absorbed the information he had learned that afternoon and assimilated it with everything that had happened since the day his father was killed. “You’ve been doing this the entire time.”

“Almost.” Tor nodded. “Chuck wouldn’t let me badge in until I turned eighteen.”