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Officer and Gentleman: Part 7
Billy
needs to finish this, to end the thief’s reign of terror over his
adopted city. He’s so close, now—another minute and the thief would
have tired; Billy knows this.
Billy’s own
stamina increases tenfold when he’s holding something as beautiful as
the thief’s knife.
He has the
choice to use the weapon properly—to threaten, to enforce, but to leave
no marks—or to use it the way he knows best—
To leave the
thief dead and unrecognizable in the alley.
But Dominic is
collapsing now, bloodied and panting in the thief’s grasp.
Suddenly there
is no choice.
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“Your
fight is with me,” Billy whispers. “Let him go.” He advances, but
Dominic’s muffled cry stops him. There’s blood on the thief’s hand from
where he’s run the knife across Dominic’s stomach.
“There is no fight, Boyd.” The
thief smiles. “No fight left in you, no fight left in young Dominic
here.”
They hear it,
then: the pathetic whine of a siren. Billy knows instinctively that
another has already died tonight.
The thief
releases an irritated sigh, and throws Dominic to the ground.
“Your boy is
ill, Inspector,” he murmurs, disappearing. “See that you take better
care of him.”
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“Dominic. Dominic, don’t close
your eyes.” Billy is frantic, leaning as he drives to rouse Dominic,
feverish and trembling next to him.
“Hurts ...” Dominic
whispers. When Billy turns into the hospital, Dominic focuses,
flinches—and finally panics.
“No. No
hospital. I’m alright—”
“Dominic—”
“Take me home,” Dominic begs, pale
with fear. “Please ...”
Billy knows why
Dominic is fighting this, but he cannot take care of him alone. Not
without ... assistance.
Minutes later,
Billy’s pockets are heavy with painkillers, bandages and things he
doubts he’ll even need.
Billy never
imagined that tonight would force him to be a thief once more.
--------------
Billy’s done
everything he can to make Dominic comfortable, but the thief still
shakes, heat pouring from his body.
It
sickens Billy that he’s become an expert at cleaning Dominic’s wounds.
He knows he once inflicted such wounds himself, and that knowledge
compels him to be slow and careful with the stitches, the alcohol, the
bandages Dominic tears at in his sleep.
Billy leaves him
to his rest.
At work, the
station is buzzing. Two young men were killed last night, and the
superintendent demands answers.
Halfway through
the discussion, Billy realizes that his case file is missing several
pages.
--------------
When
Billy comes home, he finds Dominic curled up on the couch asleep,
clutching a novel Billy purchased years ago and never read.
Dominic
has nearly torn up the bandages on his chest, and Billy’s eyes burn at
the sight. He kneels, and has barely time to blink before Dominic’s
lips are on his. The gentle pressure, so unlike their usual tussling,
fierce contact, makes Billy gasp.
“I’m sorry.
Always and again, I’m sorry,” Dominic whispers. Billy catches his hands
and sighs.
“You need to
eat,” Billy says gently. He produces a Yorkie bar and smiles. “And more
than this.”
--------------
Dominic takes
control of Billy’s kitchen with laughter and teasing words, whispers
and touches.
Billy’s nearly
finished eating when he feels Dominic’s eyes on him, searching for
something Billy’s not sure he’s going to find.
“Will you tell
me?” Dominic asks quietly.
There is a
shaken pause. Dominic almost gives up, almost stands, but Billy finally
speaks.
“Not yet ... not
now. But yes.”
Dominic nods,
trusting him.
“You’re in
pain,” Billy whispers later. He’s on his back, on his bed, under his
thief, under his spell. “Dominic—”
Dominic covers
Billy’s mouth with his own, and replaces his pain with Billy’s.
--------------
Interlude 3
--------------
The
next morning, Billy feels renewed. He believes he knows how to catch
this killer thief, and he wants the chance again to do so. It takes
another meeting to convince the superintendent that his motivation has
returned, though the missing pages have not.
He meets with
two
younger detectives, and they determine from the thief’s pattern that he
will not attack tonight. Billy posts one of the detectives outside the
pub just in case.
Billy feels
something inside, something he hardly recognizes and has trouble
naming: contentment.
But when he
comes home and reads Dominic’s note, the feeling vanishes.
--------------
Dominic
takes his time walking. His chest burns with every step, and though
he’d rather be anywhere than at the pub tonight, he knows he’s doing
the right thing.
It’s not in
Dominic’s nature to be still, to rest. He grew bored. And fearful.
He’s ready for
this to be over, whatever it takes.
He
sits and waits, ignoring the pain that tears through him whenever he
moves. It isn’t long before he’s joined by the one person he hoped to
see.
“I have
something for you,” Dominic says calmly, fingering the stolen pages.
The thief smiles
gently in return.
Part 8
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