After things had calmed down with Tracy and Brandon walking out, Patricia decided she would like to take a bath and relax, while Jaiden went to his room to pack a few more things. This left Nate and Toni alone.
Nate looked Toni up and down. "You two seem cozy. I'm assuming you talked it through."
Toni was surprised and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, we've talk about several things."
Nate sighed. "Anything about a relationship?"
Toni's brow creased for a moment. "Nothing really like that."
Nate groaned a little. "Of course not. Silent, brooding idiot."
"A murder, kind of got in the way of discussing a relationship. Priorities." Toni said defending Jaiden.
Nate froze and then laughed a little. "Damn, you guys are similar. Work has always been first in his life. Once he gets a case, he puts his dick away."
Toni coughed a little. "That's not... technically true."
Nate's face broke out in a mischievous grin. "Holy shit. You must be good."
Toni frowned. "Now I understand some of Jaiden's comments about you. Too talkative for your own good."
Nate snorted. "Calm down Tarzan. It means that you're special. In all the years that I have known him, he would never get involved with anyone while working a case. It breaks his rules."
"Boring ass rules." Toni muttered.
Nate gave him a sad smile. "I agree, but you can't blame the guy with the shit he's been through. He's scared to jump into anything serious and open himself up. He built all those damn walls for a reason. It gives him a sense of control over his heart. But you've done something to him. He immediately regretted leaving you high and dry the other day. If his family didn't invade our home, he would have been back at your place within the hour."
Toni raised an eyebrow with curiosity. But when Nate opened his mouth to speak but Toni shook his head. "Everyone has their painful past and reasons why they guard themselves. I'll trust that he'll tell me about it one day."
Nate sighed. "He deserves a chance for happiness. He's been-"
"Nate." Jaiden's voice interrupted him, but it wasn't harsh.
Nate jumped a little and looked embarrassed.
Jaiden had a bag slung over his shoulder. "We should head out now." He told Toni.
Toni nodded and patted Nate on the shoulder before he headed out.
Jaiden lingered next to Nate as Toni walked out. "Thank you. You're a friend, but I want to make the effort and talk it through with him. I think he may be worth the risk."
Nate grinned. "You better not fuck it up."
Jaiden laughed as he headed out the door. "That's a little hard for me. I have a habit of fucking things up."
Jaiden jogged to catch up to Toni who was already a little down the hall. Jaiden gave him a tight smile. He overheard a little of the conversation and appreciated how Toni wanted to know the truth from him. It was a small thing but meant a lot.
Toni reached out and ran his fingers through Jaiden's hair and smiled. "Shall we start our day?"
Jaiden laughed. "Another day of coffee and murder. Sounds like a date."
Toni had moved his items to the empty desk next to Jaiden so they could be closer in the office. Jaiden had watched him work and was surprised that the flirtatious man was extremely serious when it came to the job. It made him feel a little better, having a clear line between work and... whatever they were.
What were they?
Jaiden bit the end of his pen nervously. He never really had to worry himself over something like this before.
However, his fretting was discarded when his computer notification went off and he saw that a new file for his case was uploaded. They had been requesting call records for their victim and it seems like they just got it in.
Jaiden wore a wry smile. More things to look through. He opened the file with a sigh and watched the call records load. Unfortunately, his victim was quite sociable, and the many lines of data didn't stop loading. Seriously, who has the energy to talk on the phone for so long and so frequently?
Jaiden waited until everything loaded and imported the files into an excel sheet so he could sort it easily. He then went through the manual task of cross referencing the numbers and seeing if they were associated with the church goers and friends.
Toni rolled his chair over and leaned against Jaiden, his head dangerously close. Jaiden felt the sexual frustration from this morning make another appearance.
"That's impressive." Toni said, looking at Jaiden's notes.
Jaiden chuckled. "Carlos was stuck in the old school ways and made me use highlighters and post it notes for this type of shit. Fought him tooth and nail to trust me to use a different system for this sort of data. I had to make it impressive for him to approve."
Toni laughed a little as well, and Jaiden was stuck with a strange realization. The heavy pain in his chest when he talked about Carlos was lighter than usual. It seemed almost manageable when he was with Toni. He rubbed his chest absentmindedly, as if trying to confirm it.
"Any headway on all of this?" Toni asked.
Jaiden frowned. "A few possible paths we can take. But I do have a few cell tower pings downtown at night... on the weekends."
"Downtown on the weekends? That's normally the time and place people go clubbing. Doesn't really fit her image." Toni said.
"Also, all calls and text messages stop on Friday afternoon at her home. But her time of death was late Sunday night. This is uncommon behavior so we're missing two days of data."
"So, we have a possible timeline of when she probably ran into her killer. No signs of struggle... and we don't think she was held captive." He rolled back to his desk and pulled out the medical report and flipped through it. "They are still testing the body, but maybe we will find evidence of drugs."
"The question is, did the killer stay in the house with her or moved her?"
Toni straightened a little. "Maybe the killer stayed... and if they stayed for the weekend, they might have gotten sloppy. Which means we should go back to the crime scene."
Toni grabbed his keys and waited for Jaiden to get up so they could walk side by side out of the precinct. They didn't notice the stares from the other officers and detectives. Jaiden and Toni were both were particularly strict and tended to work alone. They were the last two anyone expected to coordinate together. Yet, they seemed to be a well-oiled machine.
Jaiden climbed into the passenger side of the Charger and sunk into the seat. He was already feeling tired from the many questions running through his head. Toni climbed into the car and sat down without starting it. He reached over and intertwined his fingers with Jaiden.
Jaiden looked over with a confused look. Toni had been the perfectly professional partner the entire time they were in the precinct so it was unexpected that he would do something remotely intimate.
Toni smiled. "Just needed to recharge."
Jaiden tightened his grip around Toni's hand. "This is a recharge?"
Toni smirked. "Hardly. Taking you to bed with me would be the most effective method."
Jaiden couldn't help but to laugh. "I think we'll wear each other out more that way."
"I was talking about sleeping. Where did your mind go?" Toni replied with a smirk.
Jaiden blushed a little and looked away. "You're impossible."
Toni's smirk didn't lessen as he leaned to the side, so he was close to Jaiden's ear. "I like the way you think."
Jaiden felt his skin react to Toni's breath on his neck. Flashes of their night together and the teasing in the shower this morning invaded his mind. He felt a heat rush through him again and cursed when his pants tightened.
Jaiden turned and was unbearably close to Toni. He wanted to close the distance and devour his lips. "You should stop." His voice was a little huskier than usual.
"And why should I?" Toni teased, clearly seeing the desire in Jaiden's eyes.
Jaiden moved Toni's hand to feel his arousal. "It will be a little hard to go anywhere with this."
Toni's mouth hung open for a moment and pulled back. He rubbed his eyes and let out a shuddering breath. "Mierda."
"You started it." Jaiden mumbled.
Toni laughed, still covering his eyes. "Technically you did this morning. And for someone with strict rules, you seem to be a little free with them."
"I wasn't before you."
Thinking about it, where was he at with his rules? How many were hanging on by a thread, or did he already toss them all? Did it even matter anymore? Could he really resist this man?
Toni flashed him a smile. "I'm flattered." He started the car, and they took off towards the crime scene.
The house still had some forensics finishing up some tasks and gave Toni and Jaiden a cautious nod. Except for Nate. He came bouncing towards them with an outrageous grin.
"My two favorite detectives!" He called out and went to hug Jaiden. But Jaiden held out a hand to stop him.
"Find anything new?" Jaiden asked.
Nate frowned. "Not even a hello? That's cold, even for you."
Jaiden frowned and crossed his arms without replying.
Nate groaned. "So stuffy. Fine. There's evidence of a second person in the home, but we can't find any prints. There was a bottle of Pinot Noir and two wine glasses in the kitchen, but they have been wiped clean. No prints. No DNA. We assumed it may have been for her and her husband, but there was a receipt in the trash for the wine that shows that she purchased it Friday morning. Her husband was already gone by that time."
Toni and Jaiden exchanged a look. Toni patted his shoulder. "You did a good job. Anything upstairs?"
"We did a preliminary sweep and didn't find anything unusual." Nate replied.
Jaiden nodded but started to walk upstairs.
"Did you not believe me?" Nate shouted from the bottom of the stairs. Jaiden could hear the pout in his voice.
"I believe you, but I like confirming things with my own eyes." Jaiden answered.
"This is why everyone thinks you're an asshole!"
"I'm an asshole who gets the job done! It's all about results!" Jaiden said with a chuckle.
Jaiden was looking around the rooms with a frown. Everything was clean and organized. Nothing seemed out of place and the smell of old blood and bleach was starting to affect him. He rubbed his temples lamenting that he just got over a migraine from hell. The strong smells seemed to be calling it back.
He was looking around in the master bedroom. Light wooden floors, white walls, and decor... it was clean. The bed was made, the trash was empty, laundry hamper was empty.
He knelt and looked under the bed but that was futile as well. It was spotless, cleaner than most hotel rooms he had been in. It seemed to be almost deliberate.
He was headed towards the master bathroom when he saw Toni walking to the room and talking to someone on the phone.
"Thanks Derrick, that would be a lot of help." Toni said as he entered the room. He gave Jaiden a wink while the phone was still next to his ear. "Yeah. See you at the station."
He hung up and out the phone away. "They're going to try and pull the footage of the grocery store. It may be the last video we have of her while alive."
"Good call." Jaiden replied and went into the bathroom. He groaned as the bleach overwhelmed him. He stepped out almost immediately and held his hand over his mouth.
Toni was next to him and had a hand on his back. "You ok?"
"Yeah... I'm normally a little sensitive after a migraine so the bleach is killing me." He said and then paused. "... and it's stronger in the bathroom."
He took a deep breath and went back in, trying to ignore the burning sensation and the nausea. The bathroom was equally clean. Nothing in the trash, and all surfaces were wiped down.
He walked around with his hand over his mouth, trying to mask the smell. But he knew he was turning pale, and his eyes were becoming unfocused.
He suddenly felt himself be pulled back into Toni's chest.
"Let me get you out of here." Toni's said quietly.
"I can handle it." He said stubbornly.
"You can hardly stand."
Jaiden didn't respond but he kept his eyes closed while he rested his head on Toni's shoulder. He could smell the faint soap and his cologne. In this position it masked the bleach slightly and he felt calm.
"Jaiden?" Toni called out gently.
He responded with a mhmm.
"If you're not walking out, I'm carrying you out."
Jaiden snorted. "How romantic."
"I'm being serious."
Jaiden pulled away from Toni and smiled. "I'll let you carry me next time."
He moved past Toni but faltered. The smell was too strong. He hated that the migraine after effects were worse than a hangover. And it only gotten worse since Carlos died. Perhaps it was the guilt, or maybe it was the nightmares.
He felt himself sink to the floor with a groan. Toni moved to catch him, but instead of picking him up, he eased him down to sit on the floor.
"Mierda! Jaiden!" Toni exclaimed.
"Sorry." Jaiden murmured as he sat on the cool tiles. He gripped onto Toni's arms to have some support as he stood up again but stopped. Underneath the vanity, he noticed something small tucked away. He pulled on Toni's sleeve. "What the hell is that?"
He pointed to the object and Toni knelt for a closer look. "Looks like a pill."
Jaiden gave a strained laugh. "See... sloppy."
Toni groaned and moved back to Jaiden, scooping him up in his arms and carried him out of the bathroom. He checked to make sure no one was in the hallway before he carried Jaiden to one of the side rooms that didn't have such a strong bleach smell.
He watched Jaiden carefully, not saying a word. Jaiden ran his hand through his hair. "Your silence is unnerving."
Toni's brow furrowed. "What just happened in there?"
"Like I said, I'm a little sensitive right after a migraine. The smell got to me." Jaiden said with a wave of his hand. "Really, I'm alright."
Toni's jaw was tight. "Does this happen often?"
Jaiden gave him a half smile. "Not often enough to be a hindrance to the case."
Toni knelt in front of him, showing a level of concern that Jaiden wasn't used to. "Fuck the case. Can't I just be worried about you?"
"If you're worried if it's something serious, you don't have to. There's nothing wrong up here." Jaiden tapped his head. "No anomalies or anything to be concerned about. I went to the doctor a year ago when they were getting really bad. I'm just prone to headaches and migraines. If the migraine is bad, I'm fucked for the next day. I'll be fine by tomorrow."
Toni sighed and held Jaiden's hand. "When did they start?"
Jaiden stiffened and looked away to avoid eye contact. "About two years ago."
Toni fell silent. Two years ago... when he lost Carlos.
Jaiden suppressed his emotions and plastered on a smile. "Come on and get up. It looks like you're proposing, and you told me the other day you weren't asking me to marry you."
Toni took a deep breath and stood up and held out his hand to help Jaiden. Although he wasn't happy with the way Jaiden brushed off what was happening, but he didn't want to push Jaiden too much. But there was a lot to be concerned about with Jaiden and his pride.
When Jaiden started to walk away, Toni pulled him back, his hand hooking around Jaiden's waist.
"You don't have to tell me anything, but if you ever go into a dangerous situation when you're feeling anything less than one hundred percent, you must tell me." Toni's tone had no room for negotiation. He was stern, almost angry.
"Toni, I'll be fine."
"To hell with your empty reassurances. You may not be ready for us to be partners romantically, and that's fine. I'm patient. But right now, we're partners on this case, and I need to trust you. In order to do that you have to be honest with not just me, but yourself. You cannot throw yourself in a situation where you put either one of us at risk."
Jaiden seemed to understand Toni's concerns, and it hit him harder than he expected. For a moment he saw Toni laying in a puddle of his own blood in that abandoned church where Carlos died. He shook and felt his breathing hasten for a moment. He closed his eyes, trying to shake the mental image.
Jaiden looked Toni in the eyes. "I promise."