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“This is incredibly embarrassing.”
Underneath him, TK smirked. “I don’t know; I still think it’s kinda hot.”
Carlos paused what he was doing— stretching as far as he could in an attempt to reach his phone, which was tucked in the pocket of the jeans he'd shucked to the floor hours earlier— to glare down at TK. “Yeah, that’s because you’re not the one whose phone is in the room right now. How would you feel if you had to call Owen to help us out?”
TK opened his mouth, then shut it. “Okay, fair. Proceed to feel embarrassed.”
With a grimace, Carlos managed to stretch just far enough to grasp the phone with the tips of his fingers, pulling it out of his pants pocket and falling back onto the bed with TK. It wasn’t the most comfortable position, with his left wrist handcuffed to TK’s right, the metal chain looped around a bedpost. But at least they had a solution.
Even if it wasn’t a good solution.
Carlos flipped to his “Favorites” screen and tapped Michelle’s name, holding the phone up to his ear and praying she’d answer despite the late hour.
She did.
“This had better be an emergency.”
“Hi, chica. It is.” TK let out a giggle, and Carlos shot him a look. “You busy?”
Michelle yawned into the phone. “At 3 o’clock in the morning? I think you know my personal life a little better than that, Carlos.”
He chuckled. “Well, this call is about my personal life, actually. I kind of need your help.”
“Oooh,” she cooed, sounding a little more awake. “Do you need me to come wingwoman you at that late-night place? Because you know I will.”
Carlos cringed. “No, actually… I was hoping wingwoman duties might extend to house calls.”
Michelle paused. “If you’re asking me for a threesome, Carlos—”
“—I’m not!” He flushed, and pointedly ignored TK’s laughter beside him.
She hummed. “Okay then. What’s up?”
He let out a long breath through his nose, then muttered, “I need you to come over and bring me the handcuff key that’s in my jacket pocket.”
There was a long silence on the line, long enough that Carlos could hear his pulse in his ears. He’d never live this down.
“I’m sorry,” she began, and he could hear the smile in her voice, smug and shit-eating and just infuriating. “I thought I just heard Carlos Reyes, the most by-the-book cop in Austin, say he’d misplaced his handcuff key.”
“I didn’t misplace it,” Carlos grumbled, his cheeks burning. “I just forgot to bring it into the bedroom with me and TK. In the heat of the moment.”
Michelle’s giggle bubbled over. “You do know how much fun this is for me.”
He grimaced. “I do.”
“I would be neglecting my professional oath if I didn’t ask if you were in any danger, or in any sort of physical position that might lead to injury?” she asked, her tone turning professional.
“I’m in danger of starving to death,” TK chimed in from the other side of the bed, and Carlos rolled his eyes.
“No, Michelle. We’re safe. Just… a bit stuck.”
Another laugh across the line. “Okay, well. In that case, I’ll be over to save the day shortly… after I pick up take-out from that 24-hour diner around the corner from your place. You can pay me back.”
Carlos exhaled. “Thanks, chica.”
“I like my hash browns extra crispy!” TK called out, and Carlos pressed two fingers to his lips to quiet him down. “Mmph.”
“Extra crispy hash browns,” Michelle said. “Got it. Any other requests?”
“I suppose it’s too much to ask that you never bring this up again, ever?” Carlos asked hopefully.
He could hear the grin in Michelle’s voice when she responded. “Way, way too much. Sorry.”
He shrugged. “Had to ask. Then just extra crispy hash browns.”
“See you in half an hour.”
Thirty minutes later, they heard the front door open, and Carlos breathed a sigh of relief.
“We’re in the bedroom!” he called.
“No shit!” Michelle called back, before appearing in the doorway with a knowing smile on her face. In one hand, she held a plastic bag of take-out food. From the other hand, she dangled a tiny silver key.
Carlos heaved a sigh of relief at the sight, his arm straining at the handcuff without even meaning to. “You’re a lifesaver. You have no idea.”
“Hi, Michelle,” said TK beside him. He waved with his free hand, then tucked the covers higher up on his body, as if a waffle-weave duvet could hide him from the situation. “Thanks for rescuing us.”
She smirked. “It’s what I do. Now, are you going to make me eat these eggs and hash browns all on my own, or are you going to help me out?” She tossed the key at Carlos, and he caught it just before it could land on his chest.
TK’s stomach growled, and Carlos nodded emphatically. “We’ll be out in just a second.”
“You should probably put on some pants first,” she said as she floated out of the room, an amused grin on her face. As Carlos unlocked the key and released the two of them, rubbing idly at his wrist, he felt thankful to have someone who would be willing to get him out of such a tight situation and not make a big deal about it. He was lucky to have a friend like Michelle.
“Last call for hash browns!” she sing-songed from the other room, and he laughed, watching as TK stumbled hastily into a pair of boxer briefs and made a beeline for the kitchen.
Yeah. He was very, very lucky.