After Day called and gave the power company the boy’s address and paid the bill—which was one hundred and five dollars—he told the power company to call him if it was ever scheduled for disconnection again.
Curtis thanked them so many times, God almost wanted to tell him to shut up.
“The power should be back on in an hour.” Day pulled out his card and scribbled his cell phone number on the back. “Call me if you have any other problems.”
Curtis just nodded in agreement. His tears had left streaks on his flushed cheeks.
Day grabbed the boy by his collar and damn near pulled him into the front seat. “No more crime. Got it?”
Curtis looked ashamed but he eagerly responded. “Yes, sir. Yes, sir. I swear. Oh, my gosh. Thank you so—”
“If you say thank you again, I’m going to pop you in your lip.” Day cut the boy off.
“Oh, sorry.” He blushed. “Man, I’ve never seen cops like you guys.”
“And you never will,” God rumbled in his deep voice, his harsh cough cutting off what he was going to say next.
“You know, Detective Godfrey, you should really get that cough checked out. It doesn’t sound good at all. I do a lot of medical online searc—”
“Curtis, get out. Go inside and take care of your mom.” God cut him off.
Day snorted. “It’s useless, kid.”
Curtis smiled and climbed down from the truck.
“Curtis.”
“Yes, Detective Day?”
“Stay out of that little store. The owner thinks we arrested you and took you to jail. He doesn’t need to know we didn’t.”
“Yes, sir.”
God and Day watched the young man jog up his driveway and go inside before pulling away. Neither one of them commented on what Day had done. He knew his partner had a soft spot for kids… especially the ones he saw good in. Curtis was definitely a good kid; he’d just been dealt a bad hand. He knew that feeling.
God popped in another cough drop and drove the few miles to Day’s home. He pulled into the paved driveway and put his truck in park.
“You wanna stay to watch the game tonight?” Day turned to ask God before sliding from the big truck. He looked at all the leaves that had blown around his lawn and figured he could probably convince the big guy to rake them up while he grilled them dinner.
“Nah, I gotta go by my mom’s and get some work done while her and Gen are both working,” He responded. He stretched his large frame out in the spacious cab. His leather coat was thrown in the back and his biceps flexed against the white-knuckle grip he had on his steering wheel. Day cocked his head to the side at the unconscious movement. Something’s not right.
“Why do you go over when she’s not there? Don’t you want her—”
“Don’t go there, Leo. Just let me handle my business. Maybe I’ll have time to come by later. Alright?” God cut him off.
“Sure.” Day looked unsure and lowered his eyes to the ground.
“Stop looking like that.”
“Like what?” Day stared at him.
“Like I just tried to fuck you without lube. You know what look I’m talking about. I said I’ll try, okay?” God’s mouth quirked up on one side, making Day surrender as always.
“Fuck off.”
Day watched as God easily maneuvered the big vehicle back out onto the street and took off like a bat out of hell.
It’s been four years, partner… what the hell aren’t you telling me? Day thought as he strolled into his home.
He immediately removed his holster and weapons. He readied one handgun and put it underneath one of the couch cushions and tucked the other in the back of his jeans. He went to his very clean kitchen and took out two T-bone steaks, just in case God did come back.
Meet the Family
God sat around the corner from the little two-bedroom single-family home, making sure no one was there. With help from an old flame, he was able to put the mortgage in an alias so that neither his mother nor his little brother knew that it was him that had moved them there. They thought it was their deceased father’s friends from the force that helped them and made sure they were cared for. God not only ensured they had everything they needed, but that they also had just about everything they wanted.
With God paying his mother’s mortgage and utilities, his salary didn’t leave him much for himself. He didn’t have extravagant needs anyway… all he had were his PlayStation 3, his sixty-five-inch smart television, and… his truck. His little one-bedroom apartment was a piece of shit in an even shittier neighborhood. But someone fucking with him was the least of God’s concerns.
He pulled the throwaway cell phone from underneath his driver's seat and re-read the text.
Mr. Eudall, I know you said to text this number if we had any problems, so I am, because my mom and I tried to fix the kitchen sink and couldn’t. The plumber we called wants $500 to do it and Mom don’t got it right now, since she’s saving for a computer for me. Can you help please?