Callum Riggs thought of himself as a reasonable man. An upright, relatively woke individual with a commitment to the greater good. The last year and a half, however, had made him question his choices as he never had before.
Honestly, being involved with Hunter had made him question. The change in administration had just codified Hunter’s insinuations.
It had never been easy being an out gay man in the FBI. The culture wasn’t particularly liberal or inclusive. It wasn’t nearly as bad—or hadn’t been—as some people assumed, but Cal needed every inch of thick skin he could muster even before Obama left office. Nowadays… Well, Cal had seen the true colors of any number of his co-workers, and he could never unsee that.
Belonging to an organization hated by the Commander-in-Chief made life precarious in a way Cal had never imagined. Current trends had shifted his workload from domestic terror like Liberty Association toward immigration disputes or peaceful protestors, and it was all Cal could do to pull cases that suited his skillset. Not to mention his sense of morality.
Persecuting vulnerable people wasn’t why he joined the Bureau during college. He wanted to protect people. So, he threw around his weight, enough to get a tentative authorization for his domestic terror studies, but it was still a fragile thing. This administration’s attitude toward mass shootings and white supremacy was a far cry from what Cal had grown used to.
If Cal couldn’t look forward to Bruiser pouncing on him the moment he walked through the door—and a clingy Hunter doing much the same—he wasn’t sure he could get through his days. He still believed in the Bureau, but it increasingly felt like the Bureau didn’t believe in him.
Maybe that was why he was so looking forward to this meeting with Justin Barnes, his former partner. Barnes had left government work for the private sector, taking his skills to an outfit called Dark Sun. They had government contracts at a very high level but, at least according to Barnes, they were in control of their own fates. Cal couldn’t imagine leaving the Bureau, not really, but sometimes Dark Sun sounded tempting.
They got together at a sushi restaurant near Pike Place, a tiny eatery that served incredibly fresh fish and where he’d often taken Hunter. It was a favorite little nook, and they had great sake, not that he was drinking over lunch break. Barnes might, though.
“Barnes.” Cal approached the table for two where Barnes sat, waited for him to stand, and then clapped his shoulder affectionately. “It’s good to see you. How are you?”
“Doing great, Riggs. Really great.” Barnes peered around the small space. “Cute place. Seems familiar. We came here?”
“Did we? It’s one of my favorite places.”
Barnes let Cal take the more advantageous seat for viewing the door, either out of politeness or arrogance, as he unbuttoned what looked to be a luxury bespoke suit that perfectly encased his body, showing off how hard he worked to stay trim, unlike most higher-ups.
He sat gracefully, dark eyes looking almost black even with the afternoon sun shining in from the windows. In another life, he probably could’ve been a movie star, but Cal knew that just beneath the surface was a man who lived for enforcement. They’d been lovers, briefly, sporadically, when Cal was single and the cases intense. Barnes was neither gay nor out, however, and he wasn’t Cal’s type. Not like Hunter was. It had never gone anywhere, and it couldn’t. Cal would never have dated a co-worker, let alone his partner.
Cal settled in, feeling humble in his department store suit. It hadn’t been cheap, but he was operating on an FBI salary, not the largess of an independent contract. “I’ve been doing pretty well too,” Cal asserted, even though Barnes hadn’t asked. It was at least partially true.
“It’s been a while.” Barnes smiled as the waiter took their order of drinks and handed over lunchtime menus. After a brief discussion about sake, he settled on Sapporo Black beer and the sashimi bento box and handed it back. Very efficient. Some things about Barnes would probably never change.
That competent demeanor had always appealed to Cal. He ordered jasmine tea for himself and his own sashimi bento box. Hopefully the tea would calm him after the morning he’d had and help him gear up for the afternoon. He envied Barnes his beer.
“It has been a while. Maybe too long. We’ve got a lot to catch up on.” Cal rubbed the back of his neck. “Heard you’d been traveling a lot with Dark Sun. Looks like you’re having a lot of success.”
Cal motioned to the beautiful suit and raised a brow. “Glad life is treating you kind. You deserve it.” After all, Barnes had saved his life more than once. Cal wanted the best for him, even if he was a tiny bit jealous.
“Nothing like a Republican administration to kick privatization up a notch.” Barnes winked. Playful, but not especially flirtatious. He looked down at his cuff links as if surprised by how nice his suit was and then grinned. “I have been doing really well. Always looking to attract new talent if you’re thinking of making a move. There’s a lot of good that you can do outside those bureaucratic channels.”
Barnes tipped his head as if he knew what Cal would say and waved his hand. “I know, the law is the law, and you respect it, but threats are coming in faster than paperwork can keep up with.”
“I know.” Cal smiled wider, his tight chest eased by Barnes’s invitation. Even if he had no intention of going private sector, it felt good that Barnes wanted him to work for Dark Sun. “I’m gonna stick it out for a while. I can’t affect change from outside. That can only be done by agents who patiently toil from within the belly of the beast.”
The beer arrived, and Barnes took a sip. He flashed Cal an indulgent smile. “Thought you might say something like that.”
Cal had made progress. He’d been given enough leeway to investigate gun death statistics in Washington once he finished his reports on improvised explosives and bombers. He’d spent a lot of time traveling the state talking to local police departments about their experiences and their numbers of gun deaths, much of which wasn’t collated on the state level, let alone federally.
Barnes glanced at the door to the kitchen, behind which the server had disappeared, and then returned his focus to Cal before leaning in. “But you know you must tread carefully, especially now. Political winds shift, and I know you’ve outlasted a couple of administrations, but this is a completely different beast whose belly you find yourself in.”
Cal grunted, unable to dismiss Barnes’s truth. As much as he’d like to pretend otherwise, there was no denying the FBI was in a bind. Frustrated, Cal sipped his tea and then let out a slow breath. He met Barnes’s eyes, comforted by his familiarity. How many times had he looked to this man for guidance?
“I know.” Cal shook his head and then tore away his gaze to look out the window onto the hilly streets beyond that sloped down to the bay. “I’m in a precarious situation.” Then he looked back to Barnes and furrowed his brow. “Why, did you hear something?”
“I hear a lot of things.” Barnes sat back as the server set out the sashimi and seaweed salad. There was also rice, but Barnes wouldn’t eat it. He was strict with carbs, even if he liked to indulge in alcohol on occasion.
Picking up his chopsticks, Barnes appeared to be carefully considering his words. “It’s admirable that you want to make changes to the organization. You always had more patience for the rules than I ever did.”
His lips quirked as he met Cal’s gaze before he returned his attention to his fish. “But you’re taking on a lot at the FBI. They might overlook you being gay if you weren’t making waves. And perhaps if your partner was more discreet.”
“I don’t know what you’ve heard, but Hunter is a good man.” Cal lifted his chin, defiant. He knew living with Hunter didn’t endear him to his bosses—he’d known that when he fell for the hacker it would complicate things—but Cal was still proud of his boyfriend. As for making waves… “And gun violence is as serious as bombings. Why can I investigate one and not the other?”
Barnes paused after eating a slice of his sashimi, grinned, opened his mouth, and then closed it again. His dark eyes flickered with amusement. “You know why. Even the last administration didn’t fully escape the grip of gun manufacturers. People like their dangerous toys. I’m amused that you think facts are going to change anything, particularly these days.”
Cal bristled at how much Barnes sounded like Hunter. Did everyone think he was a fool to try?
“People are dying.” Cal shoved a piece of sashimi in his mouth, velvet soft and delicious but wasted on him in his current mood. He wielded the chopsticks like daggers, stabbing into the seaweed salad. His gaze moved from his food to Barnes, and he tried to hold that dark stare. “It’s not going to stop until we understand it. It’s related directly to domestic terror, and I’m not going to be able to do my job if I don’t have the data. If the NRA wasn’t breathing down everyone’s neck, I could’ve just looked up stats with the CDC, but we both know why that’s not an option.”
Barnes nodded, pressing his lips together. “There are ways to skirt that. This administration is in an…oh, let’s call it a compromised position when it comes to guns and certain types of domestic terrorism.”
Barnes bit his lip. It was rare for Barnes to exhibit any type of uncertainty, but Cal could read Barnes. He was about to say something very true and probably unpleasant.
“You might try making it clear that your interest is in preventing domestic terrorism from Antifa or Black Lives Matter. That would show them that you understand their concerns and might grant you more leeway. I know it’s against your personal politics, but saving lives is saving lives, right?”
Was it? Sometimes the ends justified the means, but Cal had never been that kind of guy. He liked things straight-forward. Above board. It baffled him that the Bureau that always claimed to prize his integrity would try to compromise it.
Nostrils flaring, Cal fought to keep his temper in check. It wasn’t Barnes’s fault things were what they were. “They’ve already suggested I investigate those groups. Some really aggressive suggestions were made that I look into the Seattle-area anti-fascists for social media threats made against some ‘residents of Kekistan’.” He pulled a face to show what he thought about that and then sighed. “I investigated, but I have a hard time believing it’s domestic terror to channel your inner Captain America and punch a Nazi.”
“First Amendment cuts both ways.” Barnes shrugged.
For a moment, Cal couldn’t help but envy his practicality. That wasn’t the kind of person Cal wanted to be, but his life would be so much easier if he were like that.
“Wouldn’t hurt to file some reports, right? Sure, most of Black Lives Matters is just regular protest, but there was that ambush of police in Dallas. There can be loose cannons on both sides.” Barnes picked at the seaweed salad and then had another swig of beer. “My team is monitoring those groups. We could work together again; let my company do the heavy lifting and provide cover for your project?”
“Really?” Cal wasn’t sure he wanted to fudge the lines, but it was a good suggestion. At least, it was a practical suggestion. He tilted his head to the side and studied Barnes. Hunter would no doubt tell him he’d be an idiot to pass up that opportunity. Much as Cal liked to do things the right way, what was he supposed to do when the right way was barred to him? He needed data. He needed points of convergence. Barnes was situated to help.
Then he narrowed his gaze. “How much is that support gonna cost the FBI? While you’d expect a hefty budget for so big a threat, my project isn’t big enough for Dark Sun assistance.”
“What, you want me to fill out an RFP?” Barnes chuckled as he finished off his fish and set down his chopsticks. “We’re already funded through the year as consultants. It’ll help us to look more useful and expand our budget for next year if things go well. We can call it a trial period if you like, but really it’ll just make both of us look good. Helps to appear like I can work with FBI insiders and good for you if it looks like you’re trying to help this administration’s agenda.”
He wiped his mouth and sat back in his chair. “If you stumble upon some good information, makes everyone look good, right? Maybe you can introduce me to your guy, get him some business on the side?”
“I’ll warn you right now, Hunter only works on cases that align with his personal moral code. And it’s a doozy.” Cal laughed at the idea of slick, pragmatic Barnes trying to cooperate with absolutist Hunter. “He makes me look easy.” Cal couldn’t help but smile. Much as Hunter could frustrate him, he loved him like mad.
“I was pretty sure that the powers that be at the FBI’s worries about him weren’t just because of his hair.” Barnes exhaled as if young idealists made him tired. Cal was pretty sure he knew better, but then, Barnes was a political animal. He looked up at the ceiling, then back at Cal. “Just glad to see you so happy. Pleased that we can work together again. I think it’ll be good. I’ll see if we can’t drum up something that will fit your friend’s code. Might be good for him to have a bigger outfit to help him negotiate moving forward, if nothing else.”
Then Cal sobered, popped a piece of sashimi in his mouth, and gestured with his chopsticks. “Yeah, Barnes. I’d like that. We can coordinate. You perform your work, I’ll perform mine, and I’ll let your data fill in my blank spots. It should take some of the heat off me while I do what needs doing—without an agenda.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Cal sipped his tea and smiled at his old partner. “We were always a great team.”
“Glad you think so. And it is doing me a favor. Dark Sun is a newer player than some of the bigger guys like Halliburton, but I’ve been able to pull in some ex-agents, so we’re really going to be able to plug and play in the FBI. Gives people who come to me a little salary bump, some more benefits, clears them off the government payroll, so it makes the government look good. It’s a winner all around. Plus, anything goes bad, the government can just blame the contractor and move on.”
“You seem to be thriving on that model. I’ll take your word.” Cal laughed quietly and finished his cup of tea. He rolled his shoulders to get comfortable and tugged at his tie. “I’ll talk to Hunter. Maybe you can come over. See how big Bruiser’s gotten.”
Cal smiled at the joke and raised a brow. Bruiser was as tiny as he’d been last time Barnes came by Cal’s old house, before it got blown up.
“I’d like that. Maybe Bruiser will tolerate me this time.” Barnes polished off his beer and waved for the check. Bruiser hadn’t straight up hated Barnes, but he’d certainly never gotten as close to him as he had Hunter. Then again, Barnes had probably never been around the house enough for him to get used to. “The kid is up to you. I’m not going to lie that our org would really benefit from someone with his talents, but I promise I didn’t come to this lunch with the intention of a full house invasion. Just meant to catch up with an old friend, see if I could help you get unstuck.”
“Thanks, Barnes.” Cal didn’t argue when Barnes picked up the tab—he could no doubt expense it—and then rose as he finished his last bite of food. Cal walked out with Barnes into the afternoon sunshine and the breeze off the bay. It ruffled the edges of Barnes’s perfect hair.
“I’ll see you soon, buddy.” He extended his hand to shake, gave Barnes a firm squeeze that lingered just a moment in deference to the length of their friendship, and then headed toward the FBI-issue black SUV he’d parked up the hill.