“Neildid?”
Pop nodded and pointed across the room. I followed his line of direction and was surprised to see said man sitting at the dining table. He and my dad hadn’t gotten along well when we’d been dating. At least, nothing like how Pop was with Calvin. I realized afterward it was because even from the start, Pop hadn’t approved of Neil. He knew four years before I did that we were far too different for each other. And not the sort of different that had two people complementing each other’s strengths and weaknesses. We were the kind of different that made us simply want to punch each other.
But that was in the past. And it’d stay there forever. Neil and I, I think it was safe to say, were finally friends. He’d more than proven his commitment to our new relationship while I was in the hospital after being shot. In fact, he’d been the bigger man in working to establish this new closeness from the get-go. I accepted equal fault for our breakup, and maybe I’d come to terms with it sooner than Neil had, but he’d been the first to show his apology through action.
Neil stood from the table, absently picking up his coat from the back of the chair. “I thought your dad should know what’s going on.”
I nodded. “Thanks.” What I meant wasthank you for being a cop and knowinghowto tell him andwhatto tell him because I’m too close and too committed to the outcome of this case and… I can’t.
“Sure,” Neil said simply.
Pop left my side and walked to the freezer in the kitchen.
Dillon trotted across the room and stopped in front of me to lick my hand.
“How’d Dillon get here?” I asked.
“Ms. Harrison gave me a ring earlier this afternoon. I picked him up from Good Books,” Pop explained.
I gave Dillon a good scratch behind his ears.
Pop returned and held out a bag of frozen peas.
I straightened, took the offering, then smiled wryly. “I was going to ask Santa for one of these.”
“It’s for your face, troublemaker,” Pop answered with a forced smile.
I put the bag against my bruised jaw and swollen lip, meeting my dad’s gaze.
“Sebastian,” he murmured with a simple shake of his head.
“Dad—no. Don’t tell me to stop. Don’t tell me I can’t do this.”
Pop’s jaw tensed, and he crossed his arms. “You’re not a cop, kiddo.”
“Good. That’s the only reason Calvin is still alive.”
“Whoever is behind this,” he began, severe upset barely contained beneath a calm tone and precise speech, “is not a person. They are amonster. And I’ll be damned, Sebastian, if I see you in one more hospital bed. If I—” He stopped.
Bury my son.
I lowered the bag of peas, started to speak.
“William?” Neil interrupted. “Major Cases is investigating Calvin’s disappearance. And they’re good detectives.”
I snorted.
“But they aren’t your son,” Neil continued. “Sebastian has the intelligence, persistence, curiosity, and dumb luck that without, I’m confident we won’t find Calvin in time.” He looked directly at me. “I’ve had every opportunity afforded to me to do right by you, and I never have. Not once. I told you I’d have your back on this. And I meant it.” Neil turned his head to look at my father again. “Even if it costs my badge and my career, I won’t let anything happen to your son that a bag of frozen peas can’t fix.”
Pop took a deep breath. “I have your word?”
“You do, sir.” Neil stepped closer, reached his hand out, and shook Pop’s.
I looked down at the bag, now beginning to sweat in my hands as it thawed. I really hoped, for everyone’s sake, I wasn’t the cause of Neil losing his only real sense of purpose in life.
IT TOOKfurther convincing before Pop was okay. Not that he was actuallyokay. But… until he was at least agreeable to me forgoing the safety of his nest for the big bad world. I didn’t want to leave my dad alone, not with everything going on, but I also didn’t want my mere presence to rain shit down on his parade. He promised to check in with me, had never removed Neil from his cell phone contacts, and had both Maggie and Dillon as frontline home defense. So I hugged and kissed Pop before absconding to the Times Square hotel with Neil and a bag of mushy peas.
I think what also helped—believe it or not—was Neil suggesting to my dad that he’d stay the night with me, and me actually not bitching about police protection. Not that I’d turn my nose up at Neil’s aid. Not anymore. Not after he put himself in the line of fire on both the Curiosities and Moving Image cases when any other man could have andshould have, despised me.
