Sometimes, people make a mistake purely by accident—one that shapes the course of their entire life. Colin Stone was starting to feel like that had just happened to him.
With an exaggerated, exasperated gesture, Brad ran a hand through his hair and let out a long groan. "I didn't do anything wrong. You have to believe me, Sheriff," he said suddenly, straightening slightly, which only emphasized how much taller he was than the policeman. "It really was an accident. I mean, I wouldn't be looking for trouble in my situation, would I? Hey, guys, why so quiet? Steve, say something. Larry…"
Two men flinched in turn. The first was the one in the flannel shirt. A white bandage stood out starkly against his forehead.
"Just a little argument, nothing more," he said. "What about you, Steve?"
So that was Larry. Which meant Steve…
All eyes turned to the biker, who was still barely holding himself up. His face was frozen in a mix of pain and anger, but he said nothing. Despite his build, he now looked lost.
"Well, my dear," the sheriff addressed him with an odd calmness in his voice, "what's your take on this? What do you have to say about the whole situation?"
The biker—Steve—opened his mouth but hesitated, as if searching for the right words. His gaze flitted across the faces in the room, maybe hoping someone would answer for him, take his side. But the truth was, for some reason, everyone had chosen Lipski's side—even his own buddies. The biker knew he had no leverage here.
"It…" he finally muttered, his voice hoarse. "It was just a little argument." He said it quietly. "And he just got hit by accident. You know how these… arguments go."
The bartender straightened. She let out a breath she'd been holding, relief flashing in her eyes, though her face still held a warm, polite smile.
"See, Sheriff? Just a minor misunderstanding," she said in a soft voice, trying to ease the lingering tension in the air. "No hard feelings, and we can all go our separate ways in peace."
And it seemed that everyone, except for the older cop, eagerly nodded their heads. Even Steve. Even the younger officer.
The sheriff slowly nodded, but his eyes were still like cold steel needles piercing into Brad. For a moment, everyone held their breath, waiting to see what he would do.
"So, there was no incident, right?" he confirmed. "Everyone sticks to this version?"
They all agreed.
"Alright, Lisa," the officer's tone softened, as if all the air had left him. "But there was a call, so let's file a report. The rest of you can scram."
People murmured with relief and began to disperse. The tension started leaving Colin, too, but he had no intention of going anywhere—at least not until he treated Brad's wound.
"Sit down," he snapped at Lipski. "I need to take care of this," he added, emphasizing the word need. Brad obediently took the seat he pointed to.
"Boss, I'll stay and keep an eye on things," the younger officer spoke up for the first time, having stood silently beside his older colleague until now.
The senior cop shot Brad a hostile look.
"Make sure our unlucky friend doesn't end up in another unlucky situation."
"Of course!" the younger officer replied with dutiful enthusiasm.
As his partner and the bartender went to the back to prepare the report, the young cop took a seat right next to Brad, as if determined to follow his superior's orders to the letter. It was irritating. Were the cops really not going to leave him alone?
"How's your hand?" the officer suddenly asked in a different, concerned tone.
"A scratch," Brad replied carelessly, opening and closing his fist.
"Stop moving it," Colin snapped, growing more and more annoyed.
"Sorry, Doc," Brad muttered, then immediately turned back to the officer. "Sorry about the mess," he added, strangely embarrassed. "You know I try to stay out of trouble..."
"I know, don't worry about it. You saw the people. Even Steve was on your side. Was that Steve?" The cop motioned toward the wound on Brad's forearm, which he once again moved in response.
"Stop moving your hand, please."
Colin would have preferred if the officer disappeared altogether and let him remove the glass shards in peace, but their conversation was too interesting to ignore. He felt like he was learning a lot of intriguing things about Lipski.
"Sorry. You know, Aiden, I'm not exactly innocent here…"
"You covered for me when I was attacked," Colin immediately interrupted. Did this idiot not realize he was about to confess to attempted murder or at least assault in front of a cop?
"Relax, Doc, Aiden's on my side. We've been best buddies since school."
Aiden raised an eyebrow, as if silently asking whether the new doctor was truly safe to be around.
Ah, so in this conversation, Colin was the unknown, risky factor.
"Doc's cool," Brad explained gently. Then, with satisfaction and a hint of pride, he added, "He had my back."
It wasn't something to brag about, Colin thought—I lied to the police, after all—but he still felt something pleasant and light inside him, like a soft, silky pink scarf wrapping around his heart. It felt nice that Brad appreciated his small gesture. These days, people rarely valued such things. He felt heat rise to his cheeks, and his heart…
Calm down, he ordered himself. Man, don't even go there. You do not want to start fantasizing about a guy who isn't even gay and, on top of that, seems to have a lot of skeletons in his closet.
Except… that argument only made his heart race faster. Brad was dangerous, always walking on the edge, and that was… thrilling.