by M. Tasia
“Sorry about the stalking, but you were my only safe way in. It’s good to meet you, Royce,” Matthew said.
“Why are you here, Matthew?” Jesse asked.
Matthew’s eyes were drooping but the smile on his face was genuine. “I often thought I wouldn’t catch up to you. I have so much to tell you.” His eyes closed even farther and Jesse knew he’d have to wait until Matthew was completely conscious before he got all his answers.
“He needs to rest. He can continue this conversation later,” Coop stated, and Matthew simply rolled his tired eyes.
“Still bossy I see. Don’t try to give me that smile of yours again. It’s wasted on me. Go find some other guy to melt to his knees. I may be gay, but you’re not my type,” Matthew announced, and Coop looked stunned. Jesse guessed Coop had never met anyone immune to his “charms” before.
Spider began laughing but covered it with a cough. Soon enough Matthew’s eyes drifted closed and Jesse took a chair to sit beside his bed. Royce did the same. Jesse knew it would be a bit before Royce trusted Matthew but that was okay; he had his friend back.
“You believe he isn’t a threat?” Royce asked. “He has nothing to do with Jerry?”
“Yes, he’s not here to hurt me,” Jesse replied.
“How can you be so sure?” Spider asked.
“I’ve been on the run for so long, trusting no one. I was forced to determine if someone was a threat within the first few minutes of meeting them. Matthew isn’t a threat to me,” Jesse assured everyone.
“We’ll see,” Royce said, and Jesse smiled at his overprotective partner. Jesse loved every bit of him and wouldn’t change a thing about the man he was planning on spending the rest of his life with.
*****
Royce wasn’t about to leave Jesse alone with Matthew until he was sure the man was on the up and up. So when Shannon from the team showed up with new information, Royce had Jesse leave the room with everyone else to get the rundown. Royce knew he was being illogical because Matthew wasn’t even conscious but he couldn’t help it.
“Well, professionally Mr. Matthew Whitton is quite the accomplished computer specialist, created and sold his first start-up before turning eighteen. Occasionally works with our government, large corporations, and other countries such as England. Nothing dirty that I could find. His entire family was killed in a vehicle accident outside San Diego when Matthew was twenty. He was the only one to survive, though barely, and spent months in hospital recovering. He works freelance now and is financially solid. The worst I could find was a speeding ticket from four years ago,” Shannon reported.
“So he’s clean so far, but I want Coop to stay with him until we’re one hundred percent sure he’s not a ploy to get close to Jesse,” Spider said.
“I agree,” Royce stated, pulling Jesse closer to him. Royce knew he was being over protective but he couldn’t help himself; this was his Jesse.
“Matthew isn’t a threat to me but if it makes you feel better, Royce, I accept the need for Coop to stay with Matthew. Did anyone think to ask Coop what he wants?” Jesse asked.
“Do you mind, Coop?” Royce asked.
“Matthew doesn’t seem to want me anywhere near him,” Coop replied.
“Well, that’s a first for most men you meet. Typically you’d be making plans to hook up by now. It’ll do you some good to be around someone who isn’t falling at your feet,” Spider said. “But I won’t force you to watch him, Coop, I can put Shannon on him until Dante and Vincent get back into town. Jake is still going to be shadowing Jesse.”
“I’ll stay with him. Lord knows he needs a keeper,” Coop said, and Spider smiled.
“Thought so,” Spider replied. Coop shook his head and walked back into Matthew’s hospital room.
Shannon left with promises of keeping in touch and Spider followed Coop back into the room. Royce was definitely sticking around to get to the bottom of why Matthew was in Brighton. This may have started as a search for an old friend, but there was definitely more to this reunion now. If Royce was sure of anything, it was that.
Hours passed as they waited for Matthew to wake again. The door squeaked open and Ms. Lucas, a veteran nurse Royce had worked with in the ER, came in. She woke Matthew, checked his vitals, and administered more medication through his IV line. “How are you feeling, Mr. Whitton?”
Matthew watched her every move. “My head’s a little fuzzy and my ankle is really sore. What did you put in my IV?”
“I’ve given you a painkiller that the doctor had ordered you receive every four hours, which should help soon. If you need anything, push the button on the call bell. I’ll be back in a few hours to check on you.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
“You’re welcome, now get some rest,” she ordered.
Nurse Lucas left the room with a friendly nod to Royce.
“So did my report come back clean?” Matthew asked, as Coop raised the head of the bed so that he could sit up. “Before my head gets any fuzzier let’s get the basics out of the way. You checked me out, yes?”
“We had to know, Matthew.” Jesse sounded unsure as he explained and Royce sensed he felt guilty that they did a background check. He wouldn’t stand for that.
“You’re essentially a stranger to us. We had to check your background. Jesse had nothing to do with it. It was all me,” Royce said, taking all the responsibility for digging into Matthew’s past.
“Good. At least we’re even now. I had you and Sentinel checked out long ago.” Matthew smiled wide and carefully adjusted his pillow. “Nice work in Columbia last November, by the way.”
Spider’s demeanor changed almost instantly. “What do you know of that mission?”
“Well firstly, I’m surprised you don’t recognize my voice.” Matthew smirked at Spider.
Spider’s face cleared. “Mouthy? Shit, you were the hacker we worked with on that one. I should have known that voice. You got us in and out of the hellhole and directly to the hostages. Why didn’t Shannon uncover that fact?”
“She undoubtedly found information about me working with the government, correct?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve buried the specifics so far down it would take a hacker ten times more capable than myself to access it. Since one hasn’t been born yet, I’m safe. Shannon is great, don’t get me wrong. She’s kick-ass amazing, but she wouldn’t have even known where to begin looking. If certain people found out all the things I’ve done, my days would be numbered, and obviously I can’t even defend myself. So it’s best for me to hide certain aspects of my life.”
“What was our call sign?” Spider asked, obviously wanting further confirmation.
“Drift,” Matthew replied.
“Why?”
“Because there was so much cocaine involved,” Matthew told him, “it could have been drifts of snow.”
“Shit, it is you!” Coop yelled, causing Matthew to grab his head and everyone else to jump. “You saved mine and Dante’s life on the way out of that hellhole.”
“Yeah, yeah, the two of you didn’t blow up, but my head still might, not to mention my ankle. Keep it down, okay?” Matthew groaned in pain.
“Not that I want to interrupt your reunion,” Royce said, clearly frustrated, “but we need to know why he came to Brighton and why he’s been following Jesse.” It was important they get to the bottom of everything involving Jerry. “Does this have anything to do with Jerry and his family?”
“Unfortunately, it does,” Matthew said, “and Jesse’s life may be at stake.”
Chapter Nine
Royce pulled Jesse closer and asked, “What do you mean his life is at stake? Why?”
“Because Jesse has the power to take them down.”
“Me?” Jesse asked. “I’ve got nothing.”
“Can we have more specifics and perhaps a little bit less cryptically?” Royce asked. His patience was wearing thin. He needed to know how to protect his lover and why this was happening in the first place.
“When my parents and grandpa were killed in the car accident, I had to go through all their private papers and wills,” Matthew explained as he tried to move his foot and cried out in pain. Coop grabbed a pillow from a nearby chair and gently placed it under Matthew’s broken ankle.
“We should leave you to rest, you’re in pain,” Jesse said. “I’m so sorry about your family, Matthew. They were always so kind to me.” He reached out and took Matthew’s hand.
“No. I’ve waited so long to find you I need to tell you. It’s been years since the accident, and I still miss them every day,” Matthew said. “Do you know they offered to adopt you from your parents, but they wouldn’t let you go?” Matthew looked wistful when he explained how his parents loved Jesse and wanted to give him a good home.
“No, I never knew,” Jesse answered. “I would have jumped at the chance.”
“We would have loved to add you to our family. At least now I know why they said no. I was going through Grandpa’s papers and found a copy of a will that wasn’t his. It was your grandpa’s, Jesse.”
“Why would he have Grandpa’s will?” Jesse asked.
“I believe it was to keep a copy of it safe from other members of your family. I’m sorry, Jesse, but I read the will, hoping it would give me some insight into what was going on,” Matthew explained. He blushed, as if revealing this information risked their friendship.
“It’s okay. I’m sure it has nothing to do with me. My parents, aunt, and uncle would have taken everything,” Jesse said. He leaned a bit farther into Royce, as if needing comfort from the memories.
“Well, you’re right and wrong. They did take over the homestead farm and land, but they’re running it as trustees until the real beneficiary takes possession of it.”
“Real beneficiary?” Jesse asked. “Who else would Grandpa have named?”
“You, Jesse. You’re the only beneficiary of your grandpa’s will,” Matthew said. “He left everything to you.”
Jesse tensed in Royce’s arms, “Me? He left the homestead to me?” Jesse said, incredulous. “Why?”
“Sweetheart, from what you’ve told me about your grandpa, he loved you,” Royce said. “He wanted to provide for you. That’s why he would have left it to you.” He rubbed Jesse’s back, comforting him. All the while, his own anxiety was choking him.
“My parents must have been furious,” Jesse said, before wrapping his arms around Royce. That Jesse sought comfort from him made Royce feel ten feet tall and trusted.
“This is where everything gets a little illegal,” Matthew explained. “You see, your parents, aunt, and uncle have been running the farm and pocketing the proceeds, since your grandpa died when we were children. They knew once you turned twenty-five everything would revert to you. They’d be accountable for all the money they took, over and above the generous trustee income they were paid to maintain the property for you.”
“But they never told me,” Jesse said. He looked to be in shock.
“Of course not, they never intended for you to find out. They ran you off before you ever had a chance of knowing, but now that a new lawyer has taken over the trustee income, they have a problem. Apparently, Mr. Foster wants to meet with you since he’s found a few discrepancies in the old lawyer’s paperwork. I can’t prove it yet, but I think the old lawyer was in on it with your family. I have all the paperwork with me to prove everything I’ve said.”
“How do you know all of this?” Spider asked.
“Hello, hacker extraordinaire…plus old Mrs. Gideon worked as the secretary in that law office for over thirty-five years. She knew your grandpa and suspected something was going on when I approached her. This is why I’ve been trying to find you. As well as you being my friend, I had to protect you before they got to you. Jesse, you can’t allow them to get away with this.”
“But what can I do?” Jesse asked.
“You go see that new lawyer and take control of your inheritance,” Spider said.
“But I don’t want the land; it only holds bitter memories for me.”
“There are several good farmers back there who’d be more than happy to buy it off you,” Matthew stated firmly. “Apparently your parents have been illegally upping the rent on the land every year. It’s a good chunk of land and your family doesn’t deserve any of it. They’re horrible people.” Royce noticed Matthew was getting winded and knew it was time to let him rest.
“Oh my God. That’s what Jerry was talking about when he said I didn’t deserve the ‘windfall’ and I had to disappear permanently.” Jesse curled into Royce.
“Don’t worry, baby, they won’t get a chance. We’ll contact that lawyer and get this all figured out. We also need to call Chief Graham so he’s on the same page,” Royce said.
“I’ll call Graham and I’ll let the team know we’ll be heading out of town soon. Jesse, where is the homestead?” Spider asked.
“Idaho, just outside of Boise. But what makes you think I’ll be going anywhere near there? I’ve never wanted to return to the place where my hell started. I’m sorry, but I can’t.” Jesse let go of Royce, stood, and walked out the door.
“I’m taking him home; it’s been a long, stressful day. We’ll talk about this again once Jesse has had a chance to calm down and Matthew has a chance to recover,” Royce stated before following Jesse out of Matthew’s room. He would talk this over with Jesse and figure out the best way of dealing with this inheritance. If his love didn’t want to return to Idaho, then no way were they going. But that still wouldn’t stop Jerry or the rest of Jesse’s family; they had to be held accountable for their actions before they had a chance to get near Jesse again.
*****
Jesse sat in the hot water of the tub, still feeling numb as the steam rose in swirls around him. Royce was sitting in front of him, offering his strength as he washed Jesse’s body. Jesse had no idea what he’d do without the man.
“It just…it just never ends. I’ll never have any peace,” Jesse stated in defeat.
“Yes you will. Remember, this is where we make our stand. I’ll do whatever you decide but there’ll be no more running, baby. You’re safest here and I’m sure we can convince the new lawyer to come down here to discuss what you want to do.”
“What do I do?” Jesse asked.
“Oh honey, that’s your decision. You need to do what’s right for you and I’ll back up any decision you make,” Royce promised before he lay back in the water and motioned for Jesse to join him. Jesse slid across the large tub and cuddled up to his beautiful partner, placing his head on Royce’s uninjured shoulder, their bodies entwined together in comfort.
“I know I shouldn’t be shocked by anything they’ve done, but to keep my inheritance from me? Christ, I’m twenty-nine now and Grandpa died when I was fourteen; that’s fifteen years they’ve been stealing from me.” Jesse sat up quickly. “The abuse picked up after Grandpa died; do you think that was payback for essentially being written out of the will?”
“I think they were always abusive assholes. Perhaps it gave them some sort of sick validation for their actions in their own minds, but if it hadn’t been that, I’m sure they would have found another reason.” Jesse had mentioned his parents had never spared the rod with him even before his grandpa’s death. “I’m also sure that that cult they belong to is benefitting from this arrangement as well.”
“Fringe church,” Jesse huffed. He didn’t believe any real church would behave the way they had.
“You say tomato…” Royce teased, and Jesse knew he was trying to lighten the mood a little for him.
“I still can’t believe any of this is true, but why would Matthew lie? It would explain why they wouldn’t let me go in peace. They can’t afford for me to randomly show up, but if I’m found dead then they would be my only living relatives and able to claim the land.”
“What’s on the homestead?” Royce asked.
“Farmland mainly. I don’t know how much land there is, but we w
ere considered one of the largest cash crop farms in the area. They kept me out of the way of most things; they just didn’t want me around. How could parents not want their child?” Jesse asked. The pain in his own voice was almost too much.
“I don’t know, sweetheart, but I’ll always want and need you. I could never go back to my life before you came into it, so you’re stuck with me.” Royce’s voice was firm so as not to leave any doubt of how serious he truly was.
“I don’t think ‘stuck’ is the right word, baby, but I’m keeping you anyway.” Jesse laid his head back down and soaked in the love coming from Royce.
It was hard looking back at everything that had been done to him and knowing it was all because of money, plain and simple. Jesse had spent his life trying to figure out why his parents hated him and now that he had a possible explanation, he felt hollow. Money was the one and only reason for making his life hell.
“I never wanted to go back to Idaho, Royce. I don’t think anything could make me, not even this,” Jesse confessed.
“Then we’ll stay here and have the lawyer come to Brighton,” Royce suggested.
“I don’t want the property,” Jesse admitted.
“Then you can sell it like Matthew mentioned.”
“But it’s my grandpa’s.” How could he sell his grandpa’s land?
“Honey, it’s been yours for the past fifteen years, you just didn’t know it,” Royce explained. “Sit in front of me so I can wash your back.”
Jesse moved smoothly through the water and sat between Royce’s open legs. Royce’s hard cock slid between Jesse’s ass cheeks, the silky skin rubbing seductively as he leaned back against Royce. All the time his own cock throbbed with need at being so close to his naked lover. Royce slid his hand across Jesse’s shoulders and began to rub with those magic fingers of his, massaging as he washed. Slowly, Jesse’s stress began to fade away as he groaned with each squeeze. Though Royce was forced to use mainly his right hand due to his shoulder injury, the man could still melt Jesse like butter
“That’s it, baby, just relax. We’ll figure everything out,” Royce whispered as Jesse leaned farther back. Every move was carefully choreographed so as not to hurt Royce.
