Finding Peace (Finding Series, Book 3) (5 page)

“He came into the station a few days ago to report that someone assaulted him and stole his dog,” Jax said and Gray stiffened when Jax’s gaze slid to Ripley. “One of his neighbors mentioned seeing a dog fitting the description of Lister’s dog in your driveway while he was driving past on the way to his hunting spot.”

Fuck.

“I took the dog,” Gray quickly said. “I heard Lister beating the shit out of it as I was driving by his place.”

Jax’s face fell and Gray was surprised to see what looked like disappointment in his expression. Before he could say anything else, Gray saw Jax’s hand rest on the butt of his gun as his eyes looked beyond Gray’s shoulder to a spot behind him and his stomach dropped out when he turned to see Luke studying them both. Thankfully, the gun was nowhere to be seen but Gray suspected it wasn’t too far out of reach.

Gray could tell Luke was about to say something so he quickly turned his attention back to Jax. “Do you need me to come down to the station with you?”

“Gray…” Luke began.

“It’s okay, baby, I won’t be gone long,” Gray said as he cast a too bright smile over his shoulder at Luke. He hoped to God the man could see his unspoken warning to keep his mouth shut. He turned his attention back to Jax and quipped, “They get attached so quickly – even the one-nighters.” A flash of something went through Jax’s expression but Gray ignored it. Jax’s eyes shifted once more to Luke and then his hard gaze settled on Gray.

“I’m going to need to take the dog with me,” Jax said quietly.

“No,” Luke said, his tone lethal. Jax stiffened and Gray felt the situation spiraling out of control as Luke came up behind him. Gray kept his eyes on Jax as he reached behind him and settled his hand on what turned out to be Luke’s stomach. His hope was to both silence Luke and to convince Jax that Luke was simply an overexcited lover.

“Jax,” Gray said quietly in an effort to get the man’s attention back on him.

Jax’s eyes returned to him. “I need to take the dog so Dane can examine her, Gray. She’ll be safe with us tonight.”

Gray felt Luke’s body tighten beneath his palm but thankfully, he remained quiet.

“And Lister?”

Jax didn’t answer. Instead he said, “Don’t leave town.” But Gray had the sneaking suspicion he wasn’t saying it to him. Jax opened the door. “Come on, girl,” he said to the dog.

“Ripley,” Gray said. “Her name is Ripley.”

But the dog had already trotted out the door. Jax gave him and Luke another quick look and then he was gone, pulling the door shut behind him. Luke instantly stepped away from him and Gray felt a pang of loss go through him.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” Luke ground out as he went to look out the window. Gray’s heart nearly stopped when he saw the clear outline of Luke’s gun tucked in the waistband of his jeans. He’d had the sense to cover the gun with his shirt but if he’d turned his back even once to Jax, the sharp eyed cop would have seen it.

“It was the only thing I could think of to explain your presence,” Gray said wearily. “Besides, Jax is gay too so he won’t think anything of it. And with my reputation-”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Luke snapped in obvious irritation. He was so wound up that he kept clenching and unclenching his fingers.

“Luke, I’m sorry if I offended you by letting Jax believe you were gay but it was the only way-”

“I don’t give a fuck about that,” Luke nearly yelled as he suddenly got in Gray’s face. Gray actually backed up until his back hit the door but Luke just closed the distance between them, his eyes glittering with anger. “You shouldn’t have taken the fall for me!”

“What?”

“I was handling it!”

Fury went through Gray and he shoved Luke hard until the man had no choice but to back up a couple of steps to maintain his balance. “Handling it? Is that what you call it? What was your grand plan? Shoot your way out of here? He’s a fucking police officer, Luke, not to mention my friend! Are you telling me you would have shot him?”

When Luke didn’t answer him, a rush of doubt went through Gray. God, had he really gotten this all wrong? Had he just stuck his neck out for a cold-blooded killer instead of a good man who’d gotten caught up in some pretty bad shit?

Luke’s silence was so unnerving that Gray felt an overwhelming need to escape. But he only made it a couple of steps before Luke’s hand closed around his arm.

“I wouldn’t have hurt him,” Luke said in a rush. “I need you to believe that.”

The words alone weren’t enough to convince Gray but the desperation in Luke’s voice was. Gray managed a nod but when Luke continued to hold on to him, Gray’s anxiety turned into something else. Something he shouldn’t be feeling – not around this man…not around any man.

“You need to tell him the truth tomorrow.”

Gray extricated himself from the fingers that were starting to burn his skin. “No,” he said simply. “I can deal with the fallout.”

“I don’t want you fighting my battles.”

“And you’re not putting yourself at risk just because you did the right thing,” Gray snapped. “At most I’ll get a slap on the wrist. And that’s assuming my very expensive lawyers don’t get the charges dropped before the ink even dries on the paperwork.”

Luke looked like he wanted to say something else but he only hardened his jaw and then turned and disappeared down the back hallway. A door slammed shut a second later. Gray felt a wave of exhaustion pass through him as the adrenaline in his system began to wane and it took everything in him to make it to the couch before his legs gave out. The movie was still on pause on the TV but the idea of watching it without Luke didn’t appeal to him so Gray reached for the remote that had gotten stuck between the couch cushions and shut it off. He stared at the black screen for a long time before his eyes grew heavy; he used his last reserves of energy to stumble his way to his bedroom.

Chapter Four

“How is she?” Gray asked as soon as he stepped out of his truck. He’d debated calling Dane to ask about Ripley but had decided to make the drive to the vet’s house instead after his less than friendly encounter with Luke this morning. Gray had actually assumed Luke would take off at some point in the dead of night and he’d confirmed that fact by peering into the empty guest bedroom that looked as unused as the day he’d offered it to Luke. It wasn’t until he’d heard the rhythmic sound of a hammer striking wood above his head that Gray had realized Luke was still around, but had retreated to the roof to start patching the holes he’d mentioned to Gray the day after he’d insisted on pulling his weight. Gray had gone outside to say good morning but the icy glare that Luke had shot him had had Gray storming back into the house to grab his car keys.

“Come see for yourself,” Dane said from where he stood at the top of the stairs leading into the quaint Victorian style home. It had been a while since he’d seen Dane but Gray could tell that finding the love of his life had done a world of good for the other man. He looked…at peace.

“You feeling okay, Gray? You look a little pale,” Dane commented as he followed Dane inside.

“Just getting over the flu,” he hedged. To change the subject, he said, “The walking steroid around?”

“You do realize you and Jax are pretty much the same size, right?” Dane said with a laugh.

Gray did know that, but something about Jax’s presence always made him seem bigger, more commanding.

“Jax had an errand to run,” Dane was saying as he pulled the door closed. “She’s in here.”

He followed Dane to the kitchen and couldn’t help but smile when he saw Ripley lying on the floor beneath Dane’s daughter’s high chair. The big dog was trying to lick what looked like baby food off her muzzle but couldn’t quite reach it. Emma had her head craned over the side so she could see the dog and kept dropping more baby food all over the floor and the dog.

“Hey, Ripley,” Gray called and the dog quickly jumped up and came to greet him. Gray wiped the baby food off the dog’s face and let her lick the remnants from his finger. “So what’s the verdict?” Gray asked as he skimmed his hand over the dog’s too thin body.

Dane’s expression darkened at the question but he schooled his features so as not to upset his daughter as he began the task of cleaning up her breakfast. “Lister did a number on her. She’s underweight by about twenty pounds and from the condition of her skin and coat, she’s malnourished too. I was able to get some X-rays last night when Jax brought her home. I counted at least six cracked ribs that had healed over and two fresh ones. You can’t see it because of her fur, but her body is covered in scars which makes me think Lister hit her with something sharp – since the guy runs a scrapyard, it could have been just about anything.”

Gray’s heart broke for the dog. “Any idea how old she is?”

“Between two and three.”

Gray shook his head. “Bastard,” he muttered under his breath.

“At least you got her out of there,” Dane added as he pulled Emma out of the high chair. Gray wasn’t particularly comfortable with taking credit for rescuing the dog but he also knew that anything he said to Dane would make it back to Jax.

“You’ll make sure he doesn’t get her back, right Dane?” Gray asked as he rose to his feet.

Before Dane could answer, the front door opened and Jax walked in. Emma began clapping her hands excitedly and Gray swore he heard her say what sounded like “Papa.”

Jax gave him a quick nod as he strode past and then he was gathering his daughter in his arms.

“Morning, baby girl,” he crooned before leaning down to seal his lips over Dane’s. “Morning,” he said huskily.

The scene was so sweetly domestic that Gray felt his chest constrict and he had to drop his eyes back down to where Ripley was leaning against his leg. A family wasn’t something he’d ever imagined wanting for himself but now…well, now it didn’t matter because it was too late.

“Coffee, Gray?” he heard Jax ask and was surprised to look up and find that it was just the two of them in the kitchen.

“No, thanks,” he said. “I’ve put a call in to my attorney this morning but since he’s on Pacific time, he probably won’t be getting back to me for a bit. He’ll want to be present when I’m questioned.”

Jax studied him for a long moment as he sipped his coffee. “That won’t be necessary,” he finally said. “Lister won’t be pressing charges. He’s also relinquished ownership of the dog so you can take her home.”

Gray couldn’t hide his shock. “Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

Jax’s knowing gaze was making him uncomfortable so he turned to leave but he only made it a couple of steps before curiosity overcame him and he turned back. “How?”

Jax seemed to know what he was talking about because he said, “I had a long chat with Lister this morning.” Jax’s demeanor was so calm and relaxed that it had Gray on edge. “I suggested he might want to rethink pressing charges and that maybe owning any kind of pet in the future wasn’t a great idea.”

Gray would have smiled at that if he hadn’t been so preoccupied with what Jax wasn’t saying. “Why?”

If the one word questions bothered Jax, he didn’t show it. But he also didn’t answer, so Gray said, “For Dane?” It was the only reasonable explanation. No way would Jax have gone to bat for Gray – it just didn’t compute. The man hated him.

“No, not for Dane,” Jax said as he refilled his coffee. “Why don’t you stay for some breakfast, Gray?”

“Um, I’ve got to get back,” Gray said. He’d like to think the excuse was about Luke but in truth, the conversation with Jax was fucking with his head. The guy was being too nice and that always meant one thing…he wanted something. “Thanks,” Gray mumbled as he turned to leave.

“Gray.”

Gray stiffened and forced himself to turn around. Here it was – the favor, the request…whatever it was that Jax wanted in return for his assistance.

“Next time, have your story straight before you take the blame for something,” Jax said softly. “The speed limit on the road going past Lister’s place is 55 – no way you would have heard that dog from your truck at that speed.”

Heat went through Gray. So Jax had known all along. And he hadn’t called him out on the lie…

Gray wasn’t sure if he managed a nod or not as he turned and left the house. Ripley followed him without any prompting which was strangely comforting since he’d already found himself getting attached to the dog. Only problem was, he was getting attached to the dog’s new owner just as quickly.

***

Luke heard the truck approaching but only glanced up from the hole he was patching on the roof long enough to confirm it was Gray’s. He wasn’t surprised when there was no greeting this time around – just the slamming of the front door. It was exactly what he deserved considering his behavior the night before. If he’d had any sense, he would have tried to explain to Gray the abject fear that had gone through him when he’d heard the car rolling up Gray’s driveway last night. He hadn’t even had time to consider how he’d been found because his first thought was to protect the man who’d offered him sanctuary. His next thought had been about escape. And then Gray had gone and done it again – asked him to trust him for the second time. Hiding had gone against every one of Luke’s instincts but he’d done it anyway. And then that fucking lie about the dog had spilled from Gray’s lips and the combination of shock and anger that had rolled through Luke had him stepping around the doorframe and into the kitchen. He’d locked eyes with the cop instantly and hadn’t missed the way the man’s hand had gone to his gun. He also hadn’t missed the look of fear on Gray’s face when he’d seen Luke.

A high pitch bark distracted Luke from his thoughts and he glanced down and saw Ripley staring up at him, her big tail wagging back and forth in excitement. An unexpected rush of happiness went through Luke at the sight of the dog followed by the unhappy realization that he’d already become more attached to the animal than he would have liked. As Ripley’s barks increased and she began bouncing up and down on her front legs, Luke smiled and made his way to the ladder that was propped along the side of the cabin. By the time his boots hit the ground, Ripley was all over him.

“Hey girl,” he said as he patted the dog’s side. He glanced at the cabin and knew it was time to stop putting off the inevitable conversation he needed to have with Gray. As he made his way towards the door, his gut clenched much like it had last night when Gray had put his palm against his stomach. Luke had known the move was just to convince the cop that he and Gray had something going on between them but fuck, that touch had sent shockwaves through his entire system and he’d gotten instantly hard. He hadn’t cared one wit that Gray had insinuated Luke was gay but learning that Gray was had opened up a whole new world of images and thoughts for Luke. The fantasies he’d had about Gray had somehow seemed more like a possibility if he could just get past the weirdness of being suddenly attracted to another man for the first time in his life.

Luke went into the cabin and found Gray sitting at the kitchen table, his big hands wrapped around a cup of coffee.

“Hey,” Luke said as he closed the door and shrugged off the light jacket he’d been wearing. Although it was late summer, the mornings were still chilly in the Montana mountains.

Gray ignored him and stared out the window.

“You hungry?” Luke asked as went to the fridge and pulled out the nearly empty carton of eggs.

“No.”

“Gray, you need-”

“To eat, I know,” Gray said coolly. “Tell you what, Luke. You don’t want me fighting your battles, I don’t want you fighting mine. So how about we just stay out of each other’s way?” Gray snapped as he stood and headed towards his bedroom.

“Gray, I’m sorry,” Luke said as he shoved the carton of eggs away and followed Gray. He nearly slammed into the other man as soon as he rounded the corner because Gray had stopped moving.

“Save your apologies. Lister’s not pressing charges so your conscience is clear. Stay, go, I don’t give a shit,” Gray snapped before he stormed into his room and shut the door in Luke’s face.

Frustration went through Luke and he threw the door open but froze when he saw Gray in the process of stripping off his shirt. The sight of firm, tanned flesh had Luke coming to a stop. It wasn’t the first time he was seeing Gray’s body since he’d helped the man change into sweats and a T-shirt the night after they’d met but considering how sick Gray had been, Luke hadn’t really taken the time to study or appreciate the man’s wide shoulders, defined muscles and narrow waist. The only thing that would make the sight any better was if the pants went next but Gray had stopped unbuttoning them when he’d heard the door open.

“Like what you see?” he heard Gray drawl. Luke knew the words were meant to make him uncomfortable but he couldn’t help but wonder what Gray would do if he said yes. Or better yet, if he walked up to Gray and finished the job of taking his pants off for him.

His silence seemed to set Gray off further because the man shook his head and began moving towards his bathroom. Luke knew he should just go. Pack what little shit he had and get his ass back on the road. He could figure out all the rest later. But hadn’t this place been what he was looking for when he’d come to Montana? Hadn’t he hoped to find someone he could trust – who’d have his back when he needed it most? No, he hadn’t imagined it would be a virtual stranger but how many men would have done for him what Gray had done last night?

“The cops think I killed someone.”

***

Gray stopped just before he reached the bathroom. He’d known whatever Luke was hiding was bad but he sure as hell hadn’t expected the man to actually tell him the truth.

“I didn’t do it,” Luke quickly added.

“I believe you,” Gray automatically said. And he did. God help him, he had no idea why his gut was telling him to trust this man but it was. He turned to face Luke and saw him still standing near the door, his frame stiff and unyielding.

“Someone I trusted set me up…did this,” Luke said as he pointed to the injury on his side. “It’s safer if you don’t know the details.”

Gray couldn’t help but wonder if Luke was hesitant to tell him everything because he still didn’t trust him. But that was irrelevant so he said, “I can get you the best lawyers. I know Jax will help too – I think he used to be FBI…”

Luke shook his head but didn’t say anything.

“Okay,” Gray said softly. “Tell me what you need, Luke.”

A haunted look passed over Luke’s features before he schooled them. “This, Gray. Exactly what you’re doing. That’s what I need.”

Gray wanted to say that he could do more but he could already see Luke withdrawing so he nodded. “For as long as you need it.”

***

“Where’d you learn to do this?” Gray asked as he tried to tear his eyes from Luke’s ass as he bent over the piece of flooring he’d just knocked into place.

“A guy I met during boot camp started up a contracting business when he finished his deployment. I used to help out in my down time.”

“Was that the kind of work you wanted to do when you got out?” Gray asked.