Down Came the Rain (NOW FREE!)

25

Chapter 25

"What the hell are you doing? I was lookin' all over for you," Frank said as he slid into the driver's seat of the squad car, a steaming travel mug gripped in his hand. "You could have at least told me you were comin' out here." 

Myles turned to his partner, his thoughts a million miles away. "Sorry. Guess I wasn't thinking."

Frank regarded him closely. "Yeah, you've had that dopey look on your face ever since you walked into the station." He put the key in the ignition and gave it a turn. The engine roared to life. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" He took a slow sip of his drink.

"Have you ever been with a virgin?"

Frank's eyes shot open wide and he choked on his coffee. "What the—? A little warning would've been nice." He reached for a napkin and blotted a small brown drop on his shirt. "Why do you ask? Don't tell me Hudson's a virgin."

Myles took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Not anymore."

His partner was silent as he processed the statement. "Are you sayin' what I think you're sayin'?" Frank leaned in closer, his words coming out like a hiss. "Did you sleep with that girl?"

"Yes, we—"

"Sweet Lord Baby Jesus!" Frank set down his drink and leaned back in his seat, dragging both hands over his face. "You've gotta be shittin' me."

"I'm not shitting you."

"I told you! I told you not to get involved. Now you done slept with the girl! Damn it, rookie. You need to think with your head, not your dick." Frank let out a snort and shook his head. "Guess it's too late for that now. Dick overrides head every damn day of the week."

Myles rolled his eyes. "Would you stop talking to me like I'm some hormonal teenager?"

"Then stop acting like one!"

They stared at each other for a long moment before Frank let out a sigh. "So, what's with the question? You gonna brag? Tell me I haven't lived until I've slept with a virgin?"

"No! Nothing like that," Myles said, pinching his eyebrows together. "I just—I just had some questions, that's all."

Frank's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "You have questions for me?" He slapped a palm to his chest. "A hot stud like yourself?"

"I'm serious."

Tipping his head back, Frank let out a laugh. "Well, I'm not. I'll have you know I was quite the player back in the day. Just ask Ebony." He paused. "Wait, no. Don't do that. That would just piss her off."

"Can you be serious for, like, a minute?" Myles asked, his voice laced with irritation. "Or do I need to ask someone else? I thought you were the expert, but if you're not—" He let his voice trail off.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute. Of course, I'm the expert." Frank turned sideways in his seat and put on a somber face. "What can I help you with?"

He didn't know where to start. How much should he say? He hated the thought of breaking Hudson's confidence, but he had some concerns about what had taken place. "So—have you ever been with a virgin?"

Frank pursed his lips and gave Myles a slow nod. "Once. Back in high school. She was my first and I was hers." His gaze drifted off as he lost himself to the memory. "Boy, I'll tell you what ... that was some night! Her parents were away and we were all alone—"

"Frank," Myles snapped, holding up his hand. "Can you please try to focus? We're talking about me."

"Oh, right. Right. Go on."

Myles hid his smirk. "Are you sure? Or do we have to relive your youth?"

His partner puffed out his cheeks. "Nope. Nope. This is about you. I'm all ears."

Where to start, where to start? Maybe at the beginning? "All right." He cleared his throat. "When you were with—the virgin—did you initiate sex, or did she?"

Frank shrugged. "I don't know. We'd been going out for awhile and I guess it was something we'd discussed quite a bit beforehand. So, I suppose we both initiated it." He narrowed his eyes. "Why do you ask?"

Myles shifted uncomfortably. "Because Hudson initiated it. She did. Not me. Not that I didn't want to have sex," he said in a rush. "Because I did. And she seemed to enjoy herself. I mean—she really enjoy herself, if you know what I'm sayin'. But isn't it supposed to be uncomfortable for girls their first time? I just sort of thought I should take it slower with her. She seems so ... vulnerable."

"Vulnerable! That's the exact word Ebony used!"

Wait. What? "Ebony thought Hudson seemed vulnerable, too? I wasn't sure if it was just me. I guess because she lost her family I just sort of figured she was especially raw. But I—"

Frank shook his head. "No, no. Ebony felt it was more than that. I mean—maybe that's part of it. But she said Hudson seemed ... sensitive. She really liked her," he said quickly. "Don't get me wrong. She just said something seemed a bit off. She chalked it up to her being shy and that maybe the recent break-in didn't help."

Myles went quiet as Frank's words swirled around inside his head. A bit off ... Hudson certainly seemed off at times. But she had every reason to be. After living through the horror of watching her entire family die. Being the primary caregiver to a terminal grandmother. Then with the recent attack—Hudson was a walking poster child for bad luck. Maybe she looked to Myles for a bit of stability? Maybe he was what she needed to feel whole? Or maybe that was wishful thinking on his part. Myles chuckled to himself. Leave it to him to let his ego inflate. What guy wouldn't want to be the hero to a beautiful woman? Be the one person they needed to feel safe and secure?

"I looked into the professor," Myles said before he chickened out.

Frank fixed him with a look. "You did what?"

Myles swallowed hard. "I said, I looked into the professor."

"Why the hell would you do that? I specifically told you not to! There are other cops working on this case. You need to stay out of it. Hudson's problems are not yours to fix."

"The hell they're not!" Myles breath quickened. "She needs someone to look after her. We need to bring this Nick Lockhart guy in for questioning."

"Are you kidding me? On what grounds?"

Myles paused. "He has a ton of beautiful, college-aged women as friends on Facebook. And he wears a cross around his neck, similar to the one Hudson described."

Frank's jaw dropped. "You can't be serious," he deadpanned. "That's why you want to bring him in? Because he wears a cross and is friends with beautiful, young women? Do you know how many people wear crosses around their necks? A lot, let me tell you."

"There's a connection, Frank. I know there is. We need to bring this guy in for questioning."

"We can't do that," his partner said. "We have no proof there's a connection."

"Can't we just see? Maybe there's something that we—"

"Myles!" Frank finally snapped. "We can't do that. It doesn't work that way."

"But—"

"No buts." Frank shook his head and put the car in reverse, pulling out of the parking space. "As far as you're concerned, this case is closed."