Love and Hate

by Farmer847

A chilling crime of massive proportions rips through The City by the Bay, leaving countless people dead and Mike and Steve frantically racing against time. Can an expert from Boston help the duo speed up the investigation before more lives are lost? As they close in on their killer, one important question remains unanswered. What will the price of his capture end up being?

40. Chapter 40

It felt like a strange deja-vu as the Porsche slowly rolled down the steep incline of Union Street, the Bay off in the distance churning violently from an incoming storm, resembling the troubling thoughts flooding in his weary mind. As darkness fell and slowly encompassed the city, roads started to clear and parking spaces filled up quickly, people arriving at home, or meeting over dinner, trying to make the best out of the evening.

Steve could practically sense the unspoken fear crippling the citizens of San Francisco, people hoping that the mass shooting at Hank and Barry's was an isolated incident, executed by a mentally unstable individual. And yet, without a suspect in custody, everybody was left to wonder if it truly would remain an isolated incident, or if the initial shooting was nothing more than the groundwork for worse, far bloodier acts of domestic terrorism.

Sighing at the thoughts that clouded his mind and made his heart race, he pulled the Porsche in park next to his apartment, ready to come home and call it a night, when he saw the blue '74 Capri across the street, tucked in between two of his neighbor's cars.

"You have got to be kidding me…"

Slamming his hands against the steering wheel in unmasked frustration, Steve leaned forward onto the dash to look at his entryway. Sure enough, just like the other night, Hank was sitting on his doorstep, waiting patiently, despite the frigid temps.

With a final grunt, he got out of the silver sportscar, pretending ignorance, as he jogged up the concrete stairs, then the wooden ones, before managing a theatrical gasp that sounded a lot more pathetic than he'd hoped for.

"Hank. I didn't expect you here. Is everything alright?"

With a hasty nod, the other man rose from his hunched over position, clearly stiff from sitting there for god knows how long. Then, without much of a warning, he reached for Steve's upper arms, squeezing them tightly as he released a heart-breaking sob.

"I owe you an apology Stephen Jacob, for my behavior earlier in the day. But I think I owe you a lot more than just that."

Caught off guard, he'd taken a step back, almost tumbling down his stairs had it not been for Hank's hands holding him in place. Noticing the situation, the bar owner smiled warmly, then gestured toward a full shopping bag sitting on the ground.

"Well, you look dead tired and I am freezing. Would you mind if we take this inside? I brought dinner and beer. It's the least I could do. And I promise to behave better this time around."