“Sir. When the bots arrived in the Playground our plan was simply to observe the scene and report back with what we saw. But the crowd got involved and the Pruitt-Bots reacted according to their protocol. It all happened very fast. It seemed best to intervene in order to keep the situation from escalating and resulting in civilian injuries or arrests. We avoided causing permanent damage to the bots and only created enough of a diversion to give the people time to disperse.”
After listening to Zielinski’s explanation, Strong flicked his gaze back to Aiden. “Is that true?”
Relieved that Zielinski had broken it down in a way that didn’t make his decision to engage look like complete incompetence, Aiden nodded. “Yes. We knocked the bots around a bit and yelled at the people to get out of there. Once they were clear, we left.”
Again, Strong looked back and forth between them. “Okay. I don’t love that you engaged with the bots, but your de-escalation tactic undoubtedly kept several people from falling into the blackhole of Pruitt police custody. However, if the bots are involved in the future, contact HQbeforeengaging.”
“I will.” Aiden gave the director a sincere assurance this time. He understood now why it was important.
Strong’s phone beeped and he excused himself to return to his office and take the call.
Once the director was gone, Aiden turned to look up at Mike. “Thanks for having my back with Strong.”
Zielinski dipped his chin once. “Of course.”
Caleb’s chair squeaked as he leaned back to look up at them both. “Looks like your partnership is coming together.”
“I guess he’s not the worst person to work with,” Aiden conceded with a sideways glance at his partner.
“Thanks for that high praise. I’ll add it to my resume.”
The dry comment made Aiden laugh. When an answering smile curved Zielinski’s lips, Aiden’s eyes dropped to his mouth.We kissed. We kissed. We kissed. At the return of that litany, Aiden realized the two of them needed to talk. “Do you need us for anything right now?” he asked Caleb.
“Nope.”
Aiden looked at Zielinski. “Can I talk to you outside for a second?”
He nodded so Aiden turned to head back out to the parking lot. He went around to the side of the building, his partner following close behind. Aiden leaned back against the brick, propping a foot up on the wall. Zielinski stood in front of him, arms crossed over his chest. As always, he was covered from collarbones to wrists by a long sleeve shirt. Today it was maroon. “I want to apologize,” Aiden started.
Zielinski lifted an eyebrow. “For what exactly? There’s been so much.”
Aiden glanced off to the side, a small smile tugging at his mouth. “I deserved that,” he said when he looked back at him. “For kissing you last night. That was out of line no matter how pissed off and riled up I was.”
“I kissed you back.”
“That’s not the point.”
“What is the point?”
Aiden pushed off from the wall, crossing his arms over his chest to mirror Zielinski’s stance. “That it won’t happen again. For whatever reason Strong wants us working together. I have to admit that for the most part, we’ve been successful as a pair. I jeopardized that success with my kiss. From now on, I’ll keep it professional and refrain from taking my frustrations out on you like that again.”
“Okay.”
“That’s it? Just okay?”
Zielinski shrugged. “What else is there to say? It was one kiss. You apologized and it won’t happen again. Let’s forget about it so we can work together in peace.”
Aiden stared at the big man in front of him, wishing he could tell if Zielinski really was as blasé about their kiss as he appeared. Unfortunately, mind reading wasn’t one of his superpowers. He had no choice but to take him at his word and let the matter drop. “Fine. It’s forgotten.”
“Good.”
“Good.”
