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As the door shut behind him, Bailey turned to see Henri standing in the narrow entryway with his head angled toward the floor. His expression was grim, his dark eyes sad, and Bailey knew exactly how he felt. These days spent apart, not knowing what the other was thinking, had felt like an eternity, and it was time to put an end to it.
“Hi,” Bailey said, and Henri lifted his head.
“Hi.”
Bailey slipped his hands into his jeans pockets, and when Henri’s eyes roved down over him, Bailey wondered if he looked as good and familiar to Henri as Henri looked to him.
“I was a little worried that I’d get over here today and find you gone.”
It took everything Bailey had not to go to Henri. The hurt and pain swirling in those eyes tore at Bailey’s heart.
“I thought about it,” Henri said. “But I told you before, leaving you is becoming… Well, it’s impossible now.”
Bailey’s heart felt as though it were shocked back to life, and as it began a steady thump, thump, thump, he took a step forward. “Even if it meant prison?”
Henri shrugged. “Prison doesn’t seem that bad in comparison.”
Bailey reached into the back pocket of his jeans. “Okay. I need you to give me your hands, Henri.”
Henri’s lips pulled tight, and a flash of pain flickered through his eyes as he nodded. But he didn’t hesitate, didn’t argue at all, as he raised his hands and held them out toward Bailey as though he’d been expecting it.
Bailey brought his cuffs up and snapped the first one around Henri’s wrist, and after he tightened it, he did the same to the second. Once they were in place, he hooked his finger around the chain and tugged Henri in until they were toe to toe.
“Well?” Bailey said, as the pain in Henri’s eyes was replaced with shock. “I’m waiting. I thought you said you could get out of a pair of these in ten seconds.”
Henri’s mouth fell open as he looked down to the handcuffs and then back to Bailey.
“I put in my letter of resignation today,” Bailey said. “After what happened at the Quick Mart, I did a lot of thinking about what I want to do with my life, and being a policeman has never really been it. So…this might be my one and only chance to see if you were telling the truth about this.”
Henri blinked a couple of times but said nothing, then he ran his tongue along his bottom lip. God, Bailey really wished Henri would say something, do something, then he might have an excuse to—
There was a distinct clink and then snap of metal, as Bailey looked down to see that Henri had freed his right hand and handcuffed one of Bailey’s—all in less than ten seconds.
“Are you— Oh my God,” Bailey said as Henri tugged him in.
“If I’m not mistaken, I believe that was about eight seconds. A new personal record.”
Bailey’s jaw almost hit the floor as he stared up into Henri’s eyes, and then he began to laugh. “Uh, I don’t know about that. This isn’t what you said you could do.”
“No?”
Bailey shook his head. “Nope. You said you could free yourself in less than ten seconds.”
Henri lowered his head, and when their lips met, he whispered, “Yeah, but I don’t want to be free of you.”
Bailey’s stomach flipped and his heart swelled. “I love you,” he said, and cradled Henri’s face. “I missed you so much, but I needed time to—”
“I know,” Henri said, then kissed his way up Bailey’s jaw to his temple. “I understand. I also understand if this is all too much.”
“No.” Bailey pulled away a fraction and shook his head. “I mean, it is a lot, but I understand why, Henri. I’ve never believed that our past defines us, but yours certainly didn’t give you many options. You fought to survive, did what you had to, and helped save another man’s life.”
Bailey smoothed his fingers along Henri’s jaw and around to trace the line of his lips.
“I’ve always had a difficult time seeing things in black and white. There are so many grey areas, so many times where you need to take a closer look at something or someone before passing judgment. I think that’s why I’ve always had a difficult time in my line of work.”
“Do you have any idea what you’d rather do instead?”
“Well…” Bailey grinned, and Henri tightened his arms around Bailey as though afraid he would disappear. “I like helping people, I still have my gun license, and I know this guy who is a private investigator. I was thinking of seeing if he’d be interested in a partner.”
Henri’s wide smile made Bailey’s entire body light up. “Hmm,” Henri said. “I think you might be in luck. He was just cut loose of this commitment he had with a real dick of a detective and is looking for a new partner.”
