Don't Judge (Nothing Special 4)

He parked his Jeep in the lot and met up with Ruxs and Green at the same time.

“What’s up Michaels? You cool, man?” Green asked, patting him in the center of his back.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” Michaels replied, casually. He hoped his lie wasn’t too transparent. He was beyond cool, through scared, and past terrified. The way God and Day talked about the bounty hunter made Ruxs and Green seem like Mormon missionaries. He thought Day may have even mentioned some fatalities. Michaels tried to shrug that off. Criminals didn’t want to go to prison. It was no different from the arrests they had to make, and how they had to shoot their way out of busts sometimes. Surely if the guy’d had to kill, it was because he was defending himself

“I’ll see you guys in there.” Michaels veered off to the break room, wanting some time to himself. His hands were clammy and his back had annoying little droplets of sweat dripping down the center. He fidgeted in his jacket and turned the corner to find Day in there. Fixing what was probably his fifth cup of coffee of the morning, despite it being only eight o’clock. The gorgeous man perked up and smiled happily at him.

Michaels sighed, not really in the mood for Day’s shenanigans. “Morning, Lieutenant.”

Day’s eyebrow rose up. “Morning, Detective. Why so serious and formal this fine morning? ” He mocked Michaels’ voice, puffing up his chest and laughing that annoying chuckle.

“Ugh, geez. Do you ever stop joking?”

Day feigned ignorance. “I wasn’t joking with you. I was saying lighten up.”

“I’m fine.”

“Mmm hmm,” Day hummed, with his mug to his lips.

“I’m just trying to stay focused. I’m gonna get Switch back.”

“You’re not going with Judge, Austin. Forget about it.” Day’s voice had gone serious.

Michaels slammed his own cup down on the counter. He’d thought this was all settled last night.

“What? Why can’t I?”

“For the same reason you can’t have a wife and 1.5 kids… because God said so.”

“Which God?”

“Pick one.”

Michaels was getting pissed. Day was fucking with him and it was getting on his nerves. “God said I was going, last I heard.”

“Well what God says doesn’t matter around here. He knows that.” Day sipped again as if he didn’t have a worry in the world.

“Don’t listen to Day,” Syn said, coming into the break room with God and Ro. “You’re going with Judge, like we all decided.” Syn’s voice rose as he stared at Day defiantly. Day shrugged, looking innocent.

God was propped on one of the break room tables, watching him. He finally spoke, “But we do still have some concerns. With none of us there to watch—”

Michaels huffed and cursed, cutting God off and making a show of yanking the cream out of one of the cabinets, slamming the door shut. “You guys have already voiced your concerns. I said I can handle this. Damnit! You’re treating me like I’m a fucking kid!”

“Well you are acting like you missed your little nap,” Day murmured.

Michaels dropped his hands on the counter and took a couple deep breaths.

“You have to stop acting like this is all on your shoulders alone, Michaels. Your screw-up,” Syn said, standing next to him. “That’s what’s got us concerned. Because when you’re in that mind frame, you’ll get yourself killed doing any and everything to fix it. We work and operate as a team. If there was a fuck-up, it’s on all of us. Not just you, man. And not just on Powers, either. He didn’t know an underground tunnel was built; it’s not his fault either. We are the ones.” Syn motioned between him, God and Day. “That cut Switch the deal and got him: a killer, back out on the streets. He got away from all of us. So stop feeling like it’s all on you to make this right. And the sooner you show us that, the better we’ll feel about you going out with Judge to get Switch back.”

Michaels nodded his head, knowing Syn was right. “I apologize. You’re right. I’m going to get him back because he doesn’t belong on the streets… not because he bested me… us.”

“Atta boy.” Day smiled. He gripped him by his neck and pulled him out of the break room.

He sat talking with his team while they waited on Judge. God said he’d be there in the next few minutes. It was after one and Michaels was getting restless. They had all the intel they could possible get. Judge told God he’d piece it together himself. Michaels wasn’t completely sure how tracking worked, but Syn said it was ten percent science and math, and ninety percent instincts. Some people had them and some didn’t. So Michaels had determined he would follow Judge’s lead, backing him up if need be and then when they encountered Switch, he’d get in there and make the clean arrest. Plan determined.