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“He did,” Cash replied. As a software creator, the notion intrigued him. Cash was also someone who worked to exonerate people who had been wrongfully convicted by junk science. And these kinds of advances worried him a lot, especially since they were likely powered by AI. “I take it you have some images to show us?”
“I do,” Burke replied.
“Let’s all go inside so we can get comfortable.”
Cash led them into the house, made introductions between Burke and Patsy, then led them into his office. Burke and Nick both declined something to drink, but Cash grabbed a bottle of Modelo. He took them over to the seating area next to the fireplace since it was more comfortable.
Burke pulled out his phone, tapped on the screen, and handed the device to Cash. “Swipe right to see the various photographs. It starts with a current photo of Samuel Jeremiah taken off the internet. There are several images of him younger with different hairstyles and different hair colors. Look to see if anything jumps out at you.”
Cash’s hand shook a little when he started, but he settled down when none of the images of Samuel Jeremiah looked familiar. He must’ve flipped through a dozen or more photos before the first warning bell went off. Cash stopped on the computer-generated image of Samuel in his midtwenties, clean-shaven with black hair. The features didn’t match his memory one hundred percent, but it was close enough that Cash couldn’t ignore it. Acid churned in his stomach, and he stared down at Burke’s phone.
He was stuck in the past, in a situation he’d never asked to be in and didn’t know how to get out of. Cash had done the right thing. He’d gone to the police and told them about his unplanned involvement. Cash had thought he was giving a buddy a ride to the convenience store to get milk for his toddler. He hadn’t known Mike had a gun hidden in his coat or that he’d stick it in the clerk’s face and rob him. Cash hadn’t known until Mike pulled the money out of his coat pocket back at his apartment. He’d been too stunned to say much, but he’d refused the money Mike tried to give him. Cash had made an excuse to leave the house and avoided Mike for a few days while he figured out what to do. He’d decided to do the right thing, and it altered the course of his life. The cops arrested Mike, but they charged Cash too. They hadn’t believed he was an unwitting accomplice, and nothing Cash said could convince them. The public defender worked out a deal where Cash only served a year. The aggravated robbery hadn’t been Mike’s first offense, so he got sent away for two decades. And for a long time, Cash had clung to the adage that no good deed goes unpunished. He had done the right thing and gone to the police, and they’d turned against him. Durrell Padgett and a life of good deeds had helped Cash gain a more positive outlook. But his past had risen from the dead to wreak havoc again.
Nick squatted down next to him. “What’s wrong, Saint?”
Cash forced his gaze away from the image to look into the eyes he loved so much. “Mike Carson.”
Nick settled his hand on the back of Cash’s neck. “He died during a prison fight.”
Cash nodded and showed him the phone. “This guy looks just like him. It can’t be a coincidence.”
“Fuck,” Nick said.
“Who is Mike Carson?” Burke asked.
Cash was too rattled to talk, so Nick answered for him. He’d been honest with Burke about his past, but he’d never mentioned Mike by name. There’d been no reason to…until now.
Burke met Cash’s gaze and echoed Nick’s sentiment. “Fuck.”
Cash turned to face him, breaking their connection, but not before Nick felt the impact of Burke’s curse ripple through Cash. The sky-blue eyes Nick adored so much were heavy with dismay, fear, and guilt. Needing to touch Cash, Nick took his hand and stroked his thumb over Cash’s knuckles. “No.” He didn’t need Cash to say a word because he could read his thoughts loud and clear. Cash blamed himself for everything.
“This is all because of me.” Cash’s voice wasn’t small or weak; it was calm and resolute.
Nothing Nick or Burke could say would change his mind in the heat of the moment. His brilliant boyfriend would roll everything around in his mind on repeat and would eventually land in the same place Nick stood. And he would happily give Cash the space to do that once they knew more about what they were dealing with. Right then, Cash needed Nick to be the investigator who could cut through the emotions and coax Cash’s analytical brain to the surface. There would be time later for the soothing and comfort he longed to give Cash.
Nick squeezed his hand. “None of this is your fault, but we’ll talk about that later. Right now, we need to learn as much as we can about this man and his relationship to Mike Carson.”
“He’s right,” Burke said. “I’m going to call a buddy in corrections to see what they know about Carson’s next of kin.”
“On a Saturday?” Nick asked. Corrections officers and other personnel worked around the clock, but prison administration kept standard business hours. Not just anyone would have access to inmate records. When Burke only winked at him, Nick said, “Iraq?”
Burked tapped his nose as he stood up. “I’ll step over here to make the call while you see what Cash remembers about Mike’s family.”
Freaking superhero. Once alone on the sofa, Nick turned his full attention to Cash. “Did Mike Carson talk much about his family?”
Cash shook his head, then looked at him with a vague expression. “Iraq?”
“Turns out Burke doesn’t just have a superhero jaw. He’s the real deal. Saved people in Iraq who are now in positions to help us. Burke’s calling in some markers.” Nick didn’t like Cash’s pallor or his unfocused eyes. Normally, he’d kiss his man until he had his full attention, but that seemed rude in front of Burke. Nick squeezed his hand and said, “Hey, I need you with me right now.”
Cash closed his eyes and swallowed hard. He cycled through a few cleansing breaths that improved his color. When their gazes met again, Cash was present. “Mike didn’t mention his family members by name, but he made vague references about his dad disowning him after getting in trouble with the law.”
“How’d you meet Mike?”
“Dirt track racing circuit. He was part of my pit crew. I replaced a popular driver and struggled to make inroads with the team. Mike was nice to me.”
Cash rarely talked about his amateur racing days. It was something he’d left behind when he went to jail. Nick had seen a spark of something when Cash had driven his BMW for the first time. He’d found joy in the way the car hugged the sharp curves and accelerated out of them.
Nick glanced over and saw that Burke was deep in conversation. He decided to see what he could find online about Mike Carson. Any story about his death would probably include a statement from a family member, but maybe not if Cash’s memory was accurate. Nick released Cash’s hand but pressed his leg up against Cash’s so they stayed connected. He hadn’t finished typing Mike’s name into the browser search bar before Burke let out a victorious sound. Nick glanced up to find him returning to the sitting area.
