Authors: Jan Irving
Tags: #Gay, #Fiction, #Romance, #Erotica, #General, #Paranormal
Wylde (17 page)
Noah didn’t take his eyes off Adam, knowing better, but he felt like cheering, guessing that Josh must have summoned Kell.
Adam had his hands up, watching Kell approach him, clearly recognizing another predator. In contrast, Kell’s big body bristled like a protective Doberman’s confronting a trespasser.
“He’s fucking you? Well, that explains why the Chief of this hick town would have looked me up,” Adam noted, eyes reading Kell. “Isn’t that right, Noah?”
pounding at the close call, since he’d been on his way up the steep logging road when he caught Josh’s call for help, Kell was fucking relieved to find Noah safe. More than safe; it looked like he was handling the situation. Still, Kell was glad to be here, and fortunately, another deputy was already on site at the top of the canyon to start the search for Alec and Jade, so Kell had been free to burn rubber and divert straight to Noah’s house.
Now he took a deep breath, reading the situation with the experience of a man who had commanded men. He studied Noah out of the corner of his eye, the competent way he gripped the gun, his set expression, and Kell recognized that his formerly timid lover had come a long way in dealing with his fears.
Kell came to a sudden, lightning decision on how to play this out. He folded his arms and strode closer to Adam, ready to take him if he pushed things, but he didn’t order Noah to put away his shotgun.
me.
”
“Y
OU
didn’t happen to see my friend Alec anywhere? I’m not alone
up here,” Jade clarified, frowning. “He’s way overdue gettin’ back to me and he’s not the kind of guy to ditch a girl. Just don’t tell him I said that.”
“
!
”
Alec wasn’t prepared for the bullet that struck him, full to the chest. A Jade-bullet made up of her slender, compactly muscled body and long brown hair.
Her retriever was somehow free, he was relieved to notice, whining and sniffing Alec, as if catching a familiar scent. He rubbed the goose egg again, shaking his head, still groggy, a little sick; it was a fucking miracle he’d staggered back up the slope at all, but he’d been worried about Jade. “Sorry I took so long getting back. I must have passed out.”
“I was so going to look for you!” Jade scolded, stroking his hair. He decided he rather liked that. “Did you fall and hurt yourself? Are you okay?”
“Head hurts. I just took a spill from a tree.” Alec recognized Mr. Anderson. The hell…? “Funny finding you out here, sir.” He managed to firm his shaky voice.
Jade gave the older man an unreadable look. “He scared the shit out of me, showing up out of the dark!” She paused after looking Alec over. “Alec, don’t be proud. Let me help you.” Jade steadied him, strong from the weights he knew she lifted at the local gym. How often had he gone there himself and worked out, watching her?
“Thanks. Sorry I couldn’t rescue you,” he apologized, chagrined. Way to capture a lady’s heart.
“That’s okay.” Jade’s lips quirked, though her dark eyes were full of concern, so he couldn’t help but be slightly heartened. “I’m not really the wait to be rescued type, in case you haven’t noticed.”
Alec nodded. “I noticed. My heroine.”
“We shouldn’t linger, I don’t think,” Mr. Anderson interrupted. He was studying something in the mud by the shelter they’d discovered.
“What is it? Did you find something?” Alec rasped.
With Jade’s arm around him, he went over to see what the businessman had found. “Tracks.”
“I wager you know who left them, young man. Possibly the same person who stole my missing gun,” Mr. Anderson noted, very gently. “You’ve
seen
him, haven’t you?”
Alec shook his head. “No idea what you mean, sir.”
“I don’t believe you!” Anderson scoffed.
“You say you’re looking for a missing gun? Is this the one your son lost?”
“Adopted son, yes.” Anderson’s mouth tightened. “I was fond of it. It’s a collector’s piece.”
“Uh huh. So you are so desperate to find it, you’re out here at night?”
“You’re one to talk,” Anderson said. “And it wasn’t night when I set out.”
way up the slope, Jade gripped Alec’s hand. “You saw something, didn’t you?”
Alec’s mouth tightened. “Not now.”
Sensing she was about to explode like summer lightning, Alec interjected some humor to head her off before she rained Jade-mood all over him. “I saw something, but it didn’t stop to eat me. It’s all good, Jade.”
Jade’s eyes narrowed. “It’s not all good, but you’re hurt, so you get a free one this time.”
still up, Adam paused by Kell as he headed back to his rental car. “I understand you were an Army Ranger,” he noted.
Kell’s eyes narrowed, and a message seemed to pass between the two men. He gave a slight nod and then watched as Adam climbed into his car and drove away.
Noah let the shotgun fall. He wiped his mouth with trembling fingers. “I thought you were supposed to tell me to drop my weapon or something,” he challenged Kell.
Kell shrugged. “You had it covered. If I thought you couldn’t deal with him, I would have taken it from you,” he said flatly.
Noah’s eyes snapped at Kell’s explanation, even as he acknowledged to himself it was just common sense on the part of a lawman. The point was, Kell had decided Noah
was
handling himself.
Josh appeared, Blackberry still in hand. He gave a little smile when he saw Noah and Kell standing so close together, as if picking up on the silent support flowing between them. Picking up on it and approving of it.
“You called the Chief,” Noah said.
His son nodded and then, after hesitating a moment, went to his dad, hugging him. “I didn’t want him to hurt you.”
Noah’s eyes widened. “Josh.”
He looked at Kell accusingly, but Kell put his hands up, shaking his head. “Hey, I didn’t tell him anything, but like I’ve said before, he’s a smart kid.”
“You sure told him off, Dad!” Josh crowed. “He went totally white when you had the drop on him.”
Kell reached out and took the shotgun from Noah’s shaking hand. He checked it, finding it loaded and ready to rock. Noah hadn’t been bluffing about shooting Adam, he noted with satisfaction.
He looked at Noah, letting the appreciation show in his eyes. “You sure did, Noah,” he agreed softly.
Noah closed his eyes, and Kell saw immediately he needed a moment. “Josh? I want to talk to your Dad alone.”
Josh gave Noah a worried look. “It’s harder not knowing stuff,” he told his father.
Noah’s eyes widened at what Josh was implying. “You’re right, of course. We’ll talk in a little while, if you want. All right?” He wasn’t sure how much he’d share with his son, but enough so that Josh wouldn’t feel he was cut out of his father’s life anymore. Josh was handling his father’s orientation all right, and Noah didn’t want any more secrets to come between them. That was the real reason he’d come here, wanted a fresh start.
And ironically, hadn’t he told Josh just before Adam appeared that secrets had a way of showing up at your door?
His son nodded, satisfied. “Okay. But don’t totally try to protect me, Dad. I can handle myself too.”
When Josh was out of sight, Kell took Noah gently in his arms. “I’m sorry, baby. He was never supposed to know I’d talked to you. He must have a source at the Seattle PD. Guess it makes sense in his business.”
“
God!
I was…!” Noah shook his head.
“Scared, yeah, but you held your ground.”
“With your help.”
“You didn’t need me, and I want you to remember that.” Kell kissed Noah firmly on the lips. “I’m sorry that I can’t stay, be a proper boyfriend, but I was driving around the back roads, looking for signs of Alec and Jade, when Josh rang me.”
“A proper boyfriend, huh?
Go.
I’ll be all right.” Noah’s fingers were tangled with Kell’s.
“I know you will.” Kell cupped Noah’s cheeks and nuzzled his lips tenderly against him. It felt so intimate that Noah’s throat constricted. Boyfriend. He guessed Kell was.
As Kell climbed into his SUV, Noah couldn’t resist teasing him, cocking an eyebrow and calling, “
I’m fucking you?
”
Kell flushed. “I wanted him to know you were strong. To a man like that, topping means you’re strong.”
“Uh huh,” Noah said, deciding if he could take on Adam, he was more than ready to take on Kell. “And I think I like the idea.”
Kell looked nervous. “Uh… we’ll talk about it. Sometime.”
an hour after leaving Noah’s driveway, Kell brought his truck to a halt as he spotted Jade walking with Alec on one of the old treesprouting builders’ roads. She had her arm around the deputy, and her dog also limped by her side.
“Oh man. I got a hell of a headache, Chief. Ask Mr. Anderson,” Alec complained.
Kell looked around. “How would I do that? He’s nowhere around.”
Alec shrugged. “Must have ditched us. Sorry I couldn’t take him in for stealing your lunch.”
“I’ll grant you asylum this once, on account you look like you couldn’t take on a bunny rabbit with both hands.” Kell helped Alec into the truck. In an undertone for the deputy’s ears only, he added, “You sure you’re okay?”
“Just need some Tylenol. Possibly half a bottle,” Alec muttered. “I’m really sorry I didn’t keep track of Anderson, Chief. One minute he was there….”
“Yeah,” Kell said. “I’d really like to know what he was doing up here.” He looked at Jade, who had been content merely to take in the interaction so far. “Glad you found your dog, Ms. Jade.”
“Thanks to Alec,” she said, settling against him.
Kell’s eyes widened and then twinkled as he took in Alec’s blush. Uh huh. Looked like more had gone down on the mountain than a hunt for Jade’s dog. Well, it was about time. Alec had only been in love with her for years.
Kell started the engine, holding Alec’s gaze in the rearview mirror as his face sobered. “Any sign of anyone else?”
Alec blew out a breath. “Yeah, you could say that.”
“You saw someone?”
“Yep.”
“So?”
“So we have a problem, Chief.”
had been expecting Kell to check up on him as soon as he was free, and he wasn’t disappointed when the Chief appeared with Deputy Alec Danvers a couple of hours later on the undulating patio surrounding his lagoon pool. In the discreet illumination provided by his landscaping, he noticed Alec was sporting a white plaster bandage on his forehead, but his mouth was set in determined lines, making Noah wonder if Kell had filled him in on Adam’s visit to the house.
“Gentlemen, I was just relaxing,” Noah said, stepping free of the purple hot tub and reaching for a towel. Studying the two lawmen, he couldn’t help but notice Kell’s appreciative long look. “I hope Jade is all right?”
“Well, so am I. Fine, I mean,” Noah said, holding Kell’s sharp and concerned gaze. “It’s late, so are you, um, back for the night?” He flushed at what Alec might make of that question.
Kell put his hands on his hips. “I’m glad to hear that and no, there’s something I need to do, but I thought I’d drop by and see if you wanted me to pick up some steaks down at the market before they close.” Kell’s eyes lightened as he brought the topic to shallow waters.
“I’m sure. No meat?” Kell asked plaintively.
“
No,
” Noah replied, although he was already considering it. Damn it, look what having a boyfriend did to an orderly man’s life! “You can always eat somewhere else, I suppose.”
“Y
OU
don’t have to stay here with me. I
am
fine,” Noah told Alec
after Kell left. They were in Noah’s kitchen while he chopped up vegetables for the dinner he planned to provide. And all right, he did have some lean steak he was planning on adding especially for Kell; he wanted to surprise him. He guessed that was also boyfriend territory, though in some ways he was groping his way as much as Kell.
Alec shook his head, leaning against the counter and sipping the fine Seattle coffee Noah had made him with apparent relish. “Kell didn’t tell me much, but he wanted to make sure you weren’t left alone until Adam is on his way out of town.”
“Whoa, I don’t want to get into Kell’s business,” Alec said gravely, putting aside his coffee. “But I think he really cares about you.”
Alec looked like he was fighting a smile. “Caveman, huh? Don’t worry, Noah. The Chief just wanted to exchange a few firm words with your ex.”