Dark Abyss by Kaitlyn O'Connor (classic novels for teens .txt) 📕

chewed my ass out about our unauthorized stakeout. It put him in the position of claiming he’d authorized it just to keep from looking like he didn’t know what was going on, and he didn’t like that worth a fuck since we were completely out of our jurisdiction and hadn’t even had the courtesy to inform Water City PD, who had the jurisdiction. Beyond that, it’s thrown suspicion on him as well as us. I don’t think he could help us even if I managed to convince him, and he isn’t too keen on talking to me right now.”

The men looked at each other. “Do we have any connections in Water City that might be helpful?” Caleb asked.

Joshua seemed to struggle with himself. “I do,” he admitted finally. “I’ve still got family there.”

“I’d forgotten your folks colonized,” Simon murmured in surprise. “Do you think they could help?”

Joshua shrugged. “It’s possible. If nothing else, they might have connections that could help us.”

“But would they?”

Joshua grinned abruptly. “Maybe. They aren’t exactly what you’d call upstanding citizens,” he said wryly. “They aren’t fond of Water City PD.”

Simon rubbed his eyes tiredly. “I suppose you’re all aware that what we’re proposing goes beyond ‘gray’?”

Ian stared at the other three for a long time, wrestling with his own conscience. “I didn’t become a watchman just to enforce laws,” he said slowly. “I became a watchman to protect the innocent, to punish the guilty, and, above all, to do the right thing. If that chip still exists, the right thing to do is to get it and protect it. Anna was working on something to help people. Whatever’s on that chip will, and letting someone destroy it is absolutely the wrong thing to do.”

Simon nodded. “I agree. I hope everybody has enough credits put up for retirement. We might be needing it before we’re done with this case,” he added wryly.

Caleb grinned at him. “We aren’t too old to learn new tricks if this falls on us like a ton of bricks.”

“Speak for yourself,” Simon muttered. “I feel older by the day.”

Caleb narrowed his eyes at him speculatively. “You can always head over to the brothel. You haven’t been in a while. It’ll make a new man out of you.”

Simon flushed, glaring at him. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you, you conniving bastard?” he growled. “Anna wouldn’t give me the time of day if I did.”

“There’s no reason Anna has to know,” he said pointedly. “It isn’t as if you’ve spoken to her, anyway. You’re still a free man.”

“Well, I don’t fucking want to stay one!”

Caleb shook his head at him in disgust. “You aren’t going to get in Anna’s bed if you keep snapping and growling at her! If you want my opinion, you need to let off a little steam before you explode.”

“If I wanted your damned opinion, I’d knock it out of you!” Simon snarled, surging to his feet and stalking from the living area.

Caleb sent Ian an ‘I rest my case’ look.

Ian shook his head at him and snorted. “Why don’t you just take him outside and let him beat the shit out of you? That would make him feel better and he wouldn’t be worried about Anna discovering he’d been dipping.”

Caleb shot him a bird but then thought it over and grinned. “Maybe I will. Anna would be fussing over me and giving him drop dead looks for days, at least. It might be worth it.”

* * * *

Simon had already snatched the door open to his ‘sanctum’ before he discovered there was someone sleeping in his bed. He jolted to a halt, staring at Anna blankly for several moments before he looked around the room and ascertained that it was his room.

It dawned on him after several moments that he’d actually intended to give her his room for her stay. They didn’t have a guest room.

Well, they had until Joshua had moved in.

He’d planned to move most of his personal belongings out before settling her in, though, and that had included his blanket and pillow.

After studying her for several moments, he backed out of the room again and headed toward the living area.

“Where are you going?” Joshua asked in surprise.

“To my office,” Simon growled, passing through and into the atrium.

“He knows it’s his day off, right?” Caleb murmured curiously.

“Joshua!” Simon bellowed from the atrium. “You left the damned sub parked at the door!”

“Well take the tube!” Joshua yelled back at him. “I left it there so I could take Anna out to get something when she felt up to it. She lost all of her stuff when her place blew up.”

Simon stalked passed them again, heading toward the tube in the utility room off of the kitchen. “Pick me up some bedding while you’re at it.”

Joshua sent Caleb a look of disgust when they heard the door of the tube slam and lock. “You just had to bring up that shit about the brothel!”

“You think he isn’t approaching melt down? I didn’t bring it up to try to fuck things up for him with Anna, whatever he thinks. I figured it might help him mellow out a little. He’s wound so tight he can hardly think straight.”

“Simon isn’t the only one wound up. You might be, too,” Ian drawled acidly, “except you already slept with her.”

Caleb flicked an accusing look at Joshua.

“Don’t look at me!” he snapped. “I didn’t rat you out.”

“He didn’t have to,” Ian said dryly. “If you think Simon and I didn’t both know when she showed up at