A Hunted Man (The Men of Halfway House)

by Reese, Jaime

  Hunter's cheeks heated. He looked at Cam and had never been more thankful to see the mischief in his expression.

  Cam laughed as he slowly stood, Hunter immediately followed. In an instant, he was pressed up against Cameron. He snaked his arms around Cam's waist and pressed a tender kiss on his lips then grabbed his hand and pulled him back inside the house.

  "I need to find out why you're being targeted."

  "They wanted to keep me in prison, that was obvious by the things that happened in the past few years. I'm out so I guess they want to put me back in there."

  "But there has to be a reason. There's more to it than that and that's what I need to know."

  "Why do you think there's more, because of the red file thing?"

  Hunter nodded. "There's got to be something linking you to one of my cases."

  "How the hell can I be tied to anything? You know where I've been for the last few years." Cam sighed.

  "I need to get a better handle on what's going on. It's the only way I'll be able to know what I need to do next to prevent something from happening."

  "Okay. What do you need from me?"

  "I need to interrogate the hell out of you to find out where the damn connection is."

  "If that's what it takes to keep me out of there, fine. Let's just do it and get it over with."

  "Cam?" Matt asked, coming into the living room. "We should probably get Sam in on this. Maybe he can help as well?"

  Is there no fucking privacy in this house?

  Cam deeply exhaled then nodded.

  "I'll give him a call," Matt said, grabbing the phone.

  "Who's Sam?" Hunter asked, trying to control the stab of jealousy threatening to unsettle him.

  "He's my rehabilitation counselor. He's also a friend," Cam added as he reached for Hunter's hand.

  "Fine," Hunter grumbled.

  Julian and Cole walked into the living room. Cole looked at Cam and Hunter then smiled. He opened his mouth to say something when Julian quickly smacked the back of Cole's head.

  "Ow, dude, why'd you do that?"

  Julian shot an icy glare in Cole's direction that made him cringe. "That was for whatever the hell you were about to say. You need a fucking social filter for that mouth and brain of yours."

  Cole rubbed the back of his beanie and went to the kitchen.

  "I've got to take Cam in for his test. Is that going to be a problem?" Julian asked Hunter.

  "Test?" Hunter asked.

  Cam exhaled. "Stupid fucking drug test thing. I called this morning and I need to go in. That's why I wasn't at the diner for the early shift."

  "Are you going with him?" Hunter asked Julian.

  Julian nodded.

  "Sam's on his way. He'll be here within the hour," Matt said, joining the conversation.

  "Okay, Julian, you go with Cam and please—"

  "I'm not letting him out of my sight if someone's looking for him." Julian finished Hunter's thought with undeniable determination in his eyes.

  "Thanks. Then get back here and we'll talk. That should give Sam enough time to get here and hopefully get you back at the diner before lunch."

  "Should he be going in if people are looking for him?" Matt asked with obvious concern.

  "If he skips work, it's got to be reported and it'll raise a flag in the system. We need to keep things as close to normal as possible right now."

  Hunter turned to Cam. "You don't go anywhere unless you've got Julian or me with you. Clear?" Julian may have been an ass when Hunter first arrived to the house with his insistence on barricading him from Cam, but he was undoubtedly a worthy asset in a fight.

  Cam nodded without hesitation.

  "You guys go do your test. I need to swing by my house. I'll be back within an hour." He needed to shower, change, and see his father for a few minutes.

  Hunter followed Julian and Cam out back.

  He now traveled down a path where there was no turning back. He looked over at Cam and remembered how this man had finally given in and placed his fragile trust in him.

  Hunter would not take that lightly.

  Hunter stood in the living room of Halfway House with his boyfriend, listening to the events of that day when Cam took a life to protect his own. Over and over, every detail had been reviewed, every disgusting word that had been said, every punch that had been delivered, and still, there was no reason why Cameron had been targeted. The judge, Brad's father, had something to do with this, and Hunter needed to find that missing piece of the puzzle. He wasn't going to stop until he found it.

  "Okay, it can't be something from that day, so it has to be something from before. Tell us about Brad," Hunter prompted.

  Cam began rambling about how he met Brad in school and how they kept different circles of friends. Brad was the stereotypical football player, loved by teammates and feared by the smart students he'd corner in between classes. Cam was the exception. Brad had turned on his charm, and Cam, happy to finally explore the chance of a relationship with a guy he liked, fell into the trap. Brad never told him how he felt unless he played a guilt trip to manipulate Cam into doing something or giving in to Brad's whim.

  "I know what you're thinking," Cam broke into Hunter's thoughts. "I was a dumb kid, very naïve. I was just happy to finally be able to have a boyfriend and I didn't see how much of an asshole he was. I see that now, I didn't see it back then."

  "Cam, no one's here to pass judgment. We're trying to figure this all out," Sam added with a comforting touch to Cam's shoulder.

  Hunter glared. Who the fuck is this man and why the hell does he feel the need to touch Cam or sit so fucking close to him.

  Julian chuckled. "Sammy's a saint-in-training. He's harmless," he said with a knowing look to Hunter.

  He looked at Sam and didn't give a shit how harmless Julian thought this man could be. "Yeah, well, I can't think when you're sitting that close to Cam so do me a favor and go sit somewhere else." Hunter stared Sam down until he stood and took another seat.

  Cam continued to revisit the details of his relationship with Brad. Every. Fucking. Stomach-turning. Detail. Hunter had no issue listening to a court case's gory, blow-by-blow account, but listening to the man he had fallen in love with talk about hope, a relationship, and a future was just too much—especially when Cam was hesitant to take those same steps with him.

  "Okay, just stop," Hunter said as he sat on the couch next to Cam. He was frustrated and tired, both physically and mentally.

  "Sorry," Cam said as he leaned into Hunter. "I know you must hate this."

  Not caring about the audience, Hunter wrapped his arms around Cam and pulled him into an embrace. He needed to hold Cam, stake his claim, hide him in a padlocked safe on a deserted island to escape this chaos that was trying to break them apart. He pressed his nose to Cam's hair and inhaled the scent that always seemed to calm his senses. Hunter focused on the man in his arms—the way their bodies fit perfectly together, the soft, smooth feel of his hair.

  Hunter began to relax, the tension leaving his body.

  He stilled, blindsided by a thought as his mind cleared.

  "Where would you go on these dates?" he asked as he slowly released Cam.

  "His place," Cam responded a bit confused.

  "He didn't live with his father? In the house where you went to your sister?" Matt asked.

  "Not that I know of. I hadn't ever been to that house. That's why I didn't recognize the address when Jas called me."

  "Where was his house?" Hunter asked.

  "Down South. Pretty much away from just about everything," Cam added embarrassingly.

  "Did you ever see or hear anything out of the ordinary?"

  "No. We'd, um…be in the bedroom most of the time and then leave."

  "No weekends or overnights?"

  "Nope. I'd have to leave early enough to make the drive back to my place before my father got home. I didn't want Jas to be alone with him when he'd get out of work."

  Hunter
put his head down, trying to organize his thoughts.

  "Wait a sec, there was a guy who came by one time. It was really quick and I didn't even catch the guy's name. When he saw me, Brad freaked out a bit and told me to go wait in the room."

  Hunter's gaze snapped back to Cam. "Do you remember what he looked like?"

  "Seriously? I might recognize him if I saw him again, but it was ten years ago, and I was more focused on Brad at the time than this guy who showed up. All I remember was that he was big and broad as hell."

  "How long was he there that day?"

  "Few minutes, that's why I didn't think much of it."

  "Did Brad say anything about the guy or his visit?"

  "No. Just told me the guy made some crack about Brad dating Ken."

  "Ken?" Matt asked.

  "Barbie and Ken. The guy. I guess the ass thought it was funny to call me Ken."

  "Maybe he thought you were purty?" Cole chimed in after making an appearance.

  "For fuck's sake, Cole. If you don't disappear, I'm going to beat the shit out of you," Julian said, exasperated as he roughly rubbed his eyes.

  "I remember seeing something on the kitchen counter before I left," Cam commented.

  "What was it?" Hunter asked.

  Cam huffed. "It was a stupid sketch. Like a moron, I thought Brad had doodled something and I was praising his skills. He told me he hadn't done it, but it wasn't there when I arrived, so it must have been that guy. It's probably nothing but that's the only thing I remember from that guy being there."

  "What was the sketch of?"

  "A star and a square thing. I mean, it was seriously basic. Nothing fancy."

  Hunter snatched one of the napkins from under the cup, took his pen from his suit pocket, and started to scribble on it. "Did it look like this?"

  "Yeah," Cam responded, confused. "How the hell did you know that?"

  "That's the link to my case." Hunter rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "Shit."

  "How bad is this?" Sam asked.

  "This is the logo that's appearing on tons of nickel bags flooding our streets. We've got zero leads on this new drug guy. We had one case against him and it was thrown out. I'm still waiting on the written ruling to find out what the hell happened. It would have tied the drugs with the logo to at least one dealer who was obviously an intermediary based on the amount of drugs we found on him. Other than that one case, we haven't had a single lead at all."

  A pregnant silence filled the room.

  Hunter looked over to Cam and saw him worrying his lower lip. He held up the napkin with the rough sketch. "If you saw this there, then this has been going on for a while and Brad may have had something to do with it. I'm going to assume his father does as well."

  "Why do you think his father is involved?" Matt asked.

  "Because he went to see Cam in prison, and he's also the judge who threw out my case."

  "The judge can't be the only one involved," Sam interjected. "Cam's parole hearings were always delayed or cancelled. I was stonewalled when I started asking questions. I was told paperwork was missing, which I know I completed. It didn't take much to figure out whoever was throwing these roadblocks along the way wanted to keep him in there. I just didn't have a clue why. Getting his early release wasn't easy, but I found a few people in the system I knew and trusted. Aside from the bureaucratic hurdles I had to deal with, I know Cam had several experiences inside the prison as well. Cam?"

  Cam sighed. He'd obviously lost his momentum when the connection was finally found. He talked about the times when he was threatened by guards who said they were watching him and the inmates who told him to keep to himself or they'd report back that he was talking too much.

  Hunter could tell Cam was slowly breaking down. His voice no longer held the determination from the beginning of the conversation. He repeatedly ran his hands through his hair to hide the shaking as he recounted several incidents during his time inside. It was obvious there were both inmates and guards who were determined to keep him in check.

  "Cam, tell him about the incident in the laundry room."

  Cameron paused to regain his composure, he looked exhausted. He had his head down and took a few deep breaths. He appeared as if he was battling with something before he finally spoke. "I had laundry duty that day. The room is always supposed to be guarded, both to come in and to go out because it's too easy to transport stuff with the large bins they had. Anyway, a group of inmates gathered around me then jumped me and held me down. They grabbed me and threw me onto one the folding tables. One of the guys shoved a rag in my mouth to shut me up while the other guys pinned my arms and legs. Five of the guards disappeared, one stayed. He was the lookout."

  Cameron closed his eyes and flexed his hands open, then closed. He took another deep breath. He held it for a moment then deeply exhaled before regaining his composure then continuing. "One of the guys had these needles and he started to work at my arm with them. It hurt so fucking bad, and I couldn't yell for help because of that shit in my mouth. I tried to fight them off and the guy got pissed because I was moving so much even though the others held me down. He wouldn't stop digging into my arm with those needles. He said he was supposed to mark me for one of the guys on some trade."

  Cam's contained fury shone in his eyes when he turned to Hunter and spoke in a level tone. "I'm no one's fucking bitch. I had my choices taken away, but I wasn't going to let them take that one from me." Cameron shook off the anger evident in his expression. "Shit like that happens after a while for some of the guys. They don't like loners in there."

  He paused. He steeled himself and continued, "I fought as hard as I could and I finally got free. I still don't know how I managed to get past them and the guard out of that room. My arm was covered in blood. It burned so bad it felt like it was on fire. I just ran, I knew I had to get out of there," he added quietly.

  "One of the nurses saw me and yelled at one of the guards down the hall to get me and let me through to her wing. He was one of the guards who had walked out. He tried to act as if he hadn't heard her but she kept yelling at him and threatened to report him. I think the only reason he finally gave in was because she was screaming so much and drew too much attention."

  "I was in the medical wing for almost three weeks with rips in my skin and this massive infection from the needles they used on me," he finished, pulling up his sleeve, exposing the partial ink and slash scars that marked his arm. "I guess I'm lucky I didn't get any diseases," he finished with a shrug.

  Hunter barely glanced at Cam's exposed bicep—he pulled Cameron into a tight embrace, hoping to soothe the unsteadiness he heard in his voice. Cam's body relaxed against him. His arms slowly wrapped around Hunter's neck then tightened. The heavy puffs of breath brushed against his ear as Cam tried to even out his breathing.

  "You did nothing wrong," Hunter whispered in his ear. "Nothing."

  Cam tightened his hold even more. "Then why did they do this to me," he whispered in a shaky breath so only Hunter could hear before releasing him. He retreated and straightened in his seat, took a deep breath, and placed his clasped hands on his lap.

  They began to chat about other events during Cam's time. Sam recalled some of the instances where the early release process had been delayed and retold some of the stories Cam had previously confided. They began to make notes, trying to narrow down the list of the people involved.

  Hunter looked over to Cam and noticed a subtle shift in the man. Something wasn't right. Cam stared off at nothing in particular, his eyes had a distant, empty look in them as if his mind had wandered elsewhere. Each new story revealed more of his time inside. He wasn't sure if Cam was distancing himself from reliving them or if he was growing uncomfortable with the revelations.

  Cam yanked his sleeve down and muttered under his breath, "I'm tired of it…tired of seeing it every time I happen to cross a mirror."

  Hunter inched closer, he could see Cam's nostrils flaring and his jaw muscles fl
exing. He tried to use a gentle tone to settle him. "We can go see a doctor and find out what can be done about it."

  "Fuck it," Cameron spat before jumping off the couch and racing to the kitchen.

  Hunter launched after him and arrived to the kitchen just in time to see Cam reaching up to his bicep with a scouring pad.

  "Cam!" Hunter yelled to stop him as he tore the pad out of his hand and brutally grabbed Cam by the waist, pulling him flush against his body. He caged Cam in his arms, hoping to prevent the man from hurting himself. Cam's body shook convulsively and the loud, sharp intakes of breath through his nose echoed in Hunter's ear.

  Cam violently tried to push out of the hold. "I can't!" he yelled, millimeters from Hunter's face then struggled further, trying to break free. His eyes were crazed and his entire body shuddered. "I can't fucking take this. I'm tired of it. I hate it. They fucking marked me. They. Fucking. Marked. Me!" He yelled so loudly the veins in his neck corded pushing his skin tautly at the sides, his face was flaming dark red, and he continued to fight for release of Hunter's hold.

  In an instant, Cam's knees buckled and the dead weight of this near six foot man in Hunter's arms almost weakened him. He quickly shifted his position to hold up Cam before he fell to the floor. "I've got you. I'm not going anywhere."

  "I can't do this anymore," Cam whispered in a hoarse, broken voice, his limbs hanging weakly like a lifeless doll.

  Hunter lifted Cam onto the kitchen table and stepped in between Cam's legs where he sat. Now at eye level, he cupped Cameron's face, forcing him to look into Hunter's eyes. "You're stronger than you know. Don't you fucking dare give up now."

  "You deserve better," Cam confessed, with the sound of defeat in his voice and the pain of ten years of torture evident in his eyes. He was slumped over, exhaustion permeated his body. Even sitting, he swayed slightly. "I'm not good for you, Hunter."

  "You're right. You're not good. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me," he said firmly.

  Cameron closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to Hunter's. "You're full of shit sometimes."

  Hunter moved his hand down Cam's face until it rested on the side of his neck. He could feel Cam's racing pulse below his palm. He raised his lips to Cam's forehead and placed a gentle kiss. He couldn't imagine everything Cam had been through in the last decade of his life. He'd heard so many details in the last hour, but knew it was only a fraction of what Cam had suffered each day.