“You never told me how you were able to crack my code,” Ford said.
“Olivia.”
“Don't tell me she's the one I should have been impressed with?”
“No.” Andrew chuckled. “There were just always papers around. Everything's online these days too, but she still had hard copies of every issue. One day, I noticed one of the classifieds sounded like details from a recent theft. Coded, sure, but the location, what was taken, it could all be surmised from what was written there. I chalked it up to coincidence.
“Then I realized it was from an old paperbeforethe theft. I started looking through other issues to see if there were more like it, and I was right. So, I kept my eyes open.”
“And caught me red-handed,” Ford mused. “You were so proud. I couldn’t even be upset.”
“Less proud when I couldn’t prove any of the other thefts.”
They were close enough on the sofa that Ford barely had to lean to nudge him. “I’ll tell you a secret, Andrew. You were right about all of them.”
Andrew laughed again. If only he’d gotten that confession two years ago. But then, he was glad he hadn’t. Ford would still be in jail if he’d gone away for more counts of burglary. He wouldn’t know about Dalton, and they wouldn’t be here.
“When do you think we can expectthisclassifieds ad?” Andrew asked.
“Too short a turnaround for tomorrow, but definitely the day after. Jericho’s probably getting restless. I should have sent someone with Dalton.” He sat up quickly. “Jericho might make a move—”
“I already did,” Andrew assured him. “When I told Steve about the break-in, I asked him to send a uniform to watch Dalton’s apartment. He didn’t even ask for details, but I’ll explain the rest to him after I leave here.”
“Thank you.” Ford leaned back, and they sat quietly for a while, each of them in their own heads.
Being like that, on Ford’s sofa, alone, felt strangely intimate with the adrenaline fading. Andrew wasn’t quite sure what to do with his hands. Usually, they’d be pawing at Ford’s clothes, but that didn’t seem right tonight.
When Ford turned his head, and their eyes locked, Andrew wanted to say… something, but he had no idea what. Comfort. Encouragement. A request for permission to breach the scant inches between their hands and lace their fingers together…
But that would be intimate too. He wanted intimate, but he wasn’t sure Ford agreed.
“Something else, Andrew?” Ford asked, their gazes drifting between each other’s eyes and their lips.
“No. Just stay safe.” He hefted onto his feet before he kissed Ford and asked to stay. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
AndrewmetupwithSteven back at the scene of the crime and explained everything they’d discovered—about Jericho, the classifieds, and their suspicions about the identity of the thief.
Steven only asked once, “Are you sure Ford himself isn’t involved?”
“I’m sure. But his people might be. We just need your help, and we can finally end this.”
Maybe it was because of family dinner, or just that the plan was the best one they had, but Steven agreed, and Andrew went home to get some rest.
Not one foot into the lobby of his offices the next morning, Kevin asked him, “So, when did you and Ford start sucking each other’s dicks?”
Andrew blanched, looking around frantically for Candace.
“She’s not in yet.”
Thank God.
“But what the hell, man?” Kevin pushed forward to crowd him. “How long has this been going on? And who all knows? And why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because it’s just sex! Just really… awesome sex.”
“Dude.”
“And not many know, okay? Just Luke and Kathleen. And Riley.”
