Rise & Fall

by Charlie Cochet

  “Ash?”

  “Yeah. I thought being on leave would help, but it’s almost worse, because I can’t stop thinking about him. Hoping….” He let out a frustrated groan. “You saw him. He’s shutting me out, and I don’t know why.”

  “So you think going out with Seb is the answer? You think it’s fair to him?” He told himself not to meddle in his little brother’s love life, and although Cael wasn’t the kind of guy to lead anyone on or use them, his brother wasn’t exactly thinking clearly. He’d hate for Cael to do something he’d regret later on. And Cael would certainly regret it. The guilt would eat away at him.

  “I’m not going out with Seb. Seriously, Dex. You really think I’d do something like that? I was up front with him. The night of your birthday party, he took me home. We spent a long time sitting in his truck, talking. I told him I liked him and wanted to spend time with him, but it couldn’t lead to anything long-term because… I was in love with someone else. It turned out we had a lot more in common than I thought.”

  “Seb’s still in love with Hudson.”

  “Yeah. But Jesus, Dex. It was like, years ago.” Cael looked up at him, the heartache in his big silver eyes squeezing Dex’s heart. “He keeps holding on. Is that what Ash expects me to do? Hold on, waiting for however long it takes? I know he said he has issues to work out, but what if he can’t work them out? At the very least, I thought he’d care enough about me to confide in me. Why can’t we work our problems out together, like you and Sloane? Maybe he doesn’t feel the same way about me.”

  “Dude, he took a bullet for you,” Dex reminded him. “Plus, this is all kind of new for him. Even if something were to happen, you have to consider Ash might not be ready to leave his closet.”

  “But no one’s going to care. Hardly anyone cares about it anymore. I’ve never gotten shit for being with guys. The douche-baggery is reserved for my being a Therian.”

  “Maybe no one else cares, but Ash clearly does, so there must be a reason for it.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Cael nodded, and a small hint of a familiar smile came onto his face. “Thanks, Dex. Be careful tonight, okay?”

  “You too, bro. And thank you for the van. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

  “Duh, of course,” Cael teased. “I’m the genius of the family. And the cute one. You’re the weird one with the cheese obsession.”

  Dex chuckled and poked him in the ribs, making him squirm with a laugh. “I’m not weird, you little nerd.” He gave Cael a playfully push. “Go on. Get out of here. Have fun. Get your mind off all this for a while.”

  “Thanks, Dex.” Cael gave him a quick hug before running off, waving his arm. Dork. Chuckling to himself, Dex headed back to the van and after a quick look around, climbed in. It felt good seeing his brother smile again. Inside the van was a different story. Everyone stood around looking like someone had told them they were doing another THIRDS calendar shoot. Luckily, he hadn’t had to do one yet, but he’d heard stories. Horrible stories.

  Austen looked around. “Wow. You need a chainsaw to cut through the tension in here.” He turned to Dex. “What’s up with your bro? He’s been acting kinda like he’s got a stick up his ass.”

  Dex cast Ash an accusing glare. “He’s going through a tough time.”

  Austen gave a lazy shrug as he leaned against the console. “Well, it’s probably not such a bad thing he’s got a date with Seb. Means he’ll keep him away from the investigation for tonight. Getting laid will do him good.”

  Ash launched out of his chair and pushed Austen up against the wall. “Watch your fucking mouth, you little shit. No one asked you for your fucking opinion, so shut the fuck up.” The van fell into silence with Ash resuming his seat. Austen held his hands up in front of him. When he spoke, he addressed no one in particular.

  “Question one: are you all screwing each other? Question two: how can I get in on the action?”

  “I’m going to check on Sloane and Rosa before heading into the bar,” Ash growled.

  Shit. Dex hadn’t texted Sloane with an explanation of where he’d gone. He still had no idea what he was going to tell his partner. Kind of hard to use PR as an excuse after midnight. “What are you going to tell him?” he asked Ash before the guy could stomp his way out the back.

  “That you’re sitting in your ex’s catering van which your brother set up like the fucking Pentagon to do surveillance on Calvin while he seduces Collins’s boyfriend to get intel.”

  Dex’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline. “You’re kidding right?”

  “Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer.”

  “I think adding some more fiber to your diet might help.”

  “Fuck you, Daley.” Ash stormed out, slamming the van door behind him. That went well. Way to keep things on the down low. This whole night had the makings of a spectacular clusterfuck.

  “Is it me, or is he grumpier than usual?” Calvin asked.

  Austen looked thoughtful. “How can you tell?”

  “Cut the guy a break. He’s been through a lot of shit recently.” Dex sat down at the console and put in his earpiece. It was time to get this dog and pony show on the road. He didn’t even know what the expression meant, but screw it. Screw this. Screw everything. Dex was getting bored of all this asshattery. The silence that had engulfed the van was most likely due to his defending of Ash. “Austen, you going in or what?”

  “Yep. Give me five minutes; then send Cal.” Austen slipped out of the van, and they watched him on the small flat screens as he appeared from behind a Ford Fiesta two cars down. He strolled across the street and headed into Candy Bar. Dex switched cameras, following Austen as he walked to the bar, took a seat, and ordered a drink.

  Hobbs stepped up to Calvin, and Dex turned away, pretending to be busy with the equipment in front of him like an extra in one of those cop TV shows. From the corner of his eye, he could see Hobbs leaning in to whisper in Calvin’s ear, his hand squeezing his arm.

  Calvin nodded and replied with a quiet, “I’ll be careful.” The five minutes were up and Calvin left. Hobbs sat down in the chair beside Dex and put his earpiece in. This was such a bad idea, but who the hell was going to get Hobbs to go home? Dex hoped Calvin managed to get some useful information from Bautista without having to put himself in a compromising position.

  Speaking of Bautista….

  “There he is.” Dex pointed to one of the screens where a dark-haired Therian in a white shirt and jeans walked into Candy Bar. They watched as he headed for the bar and took a seat on the barstool next to Calvin. Go Cal. Check out the sassy smile. Damn. Calvin was better at flirting than Dex had given him credit for. He’d given Bautista a flirty smile before turning away to look at something else. Make him come to you. Nice.

  Bautista placed his order and turned slightly toward Calvin. “Hey.”

  “Hey.” Calvin smiled, showing his dimple and the cute boy-next-door look Austen had mentioned. His voice was throaty and came off as kind of shy.

  “You here with your boyfriend?”

  Wow. Bautista didn’t waste any time. Dex kind of felt bad for the guy. What was the point of being in a relationship with someone if you were never going to be there for them? A little voice in the back of his head waited for an answer, and Dex promptly told it to shut its trap. His situation wasn’t the same as Bautista’s and Collins’s. For starters, Dex wasn’t a psychopath. Then there was the fact Sloane was hanging around indoors due to medical reasons, not because Dex had tried to keep him locked away like some princess in a tower, which Collins seemed to be trying to do with Bautista. Concentrate, Daley.

  “Nah, he’s busy working,” Calvin answered somewhat wistfully. “Seems like he’s always too busy.” He took a sip of his beer and shrugged.

  “Mine too. Don’t get me wrong, he loves me. I know he does. I just wish he were around more.”

  “At least you know he loves you,” Calvin muttered.

  Uh-oh. Danger, Will
Robinson! Danger!

  Bautista took a sip of his drink and swiveled his chair around so he faced Calvin. “Your boyfriend’s not dropped the L bomb huh?”

  Calvin shook his head. “We’ve been together a long time, and I was happy with our relationship.”

  “But now things have changed?”

  “Yeah. Well, for me they have. He’s amazing, warm, and the nicest guy ever. He’s fun and silly, makes me smile with his dopey grin. We’ve been through so much together. Is it wrong of me to want more?”

  “Do you love him?” Bautista asked.

  Dex swallowed hard, his gaze landing on Hobbs whose eyes were glued to the screen in front of him. His pupils were dilated so wide his eyes were more black than green, and if he leaned over any more he was going to fall into the equipment. Dex turned his attention back to the screen where Calvin’s blue eyes moved up, as if he were thinking, but he was actually looking past Bautista and straight at the camera.

  “Yes.”

  Hobbs inhaled sharply at the confession and sat back, his gaze not moving from the screen.

  Man, his team was so fucked. Dex turned his attention to Calvin once again. The two continued to talk about their guys, the good and bad parts. The drinks continued, though Dex could tell Bautista was getting thoroughly merry while Calvin was pretending to. For a Human of Calvin’s size, he could outdrink the toughest Therian. It’s like the guy had been weaned on whiskey.

  Bautista laughed at Calvin’s jokes and flirted back when Calvin teased him. Dex was seeing a whole other side of Calvin he’d never known existed, and he wondered how much of it was an act. Calvin was energetic, telling funny childhood stories about him and his best friend and all the mischief they got into. He listened when Bautista needed him to listen, was attentive, and when he smiled it reached his eyes. Bautista leaned in to whisper something in Calvin’s ear and Calvin nodded. Bautista stood and took hold of Calvin’s hand.

  “Shit. They’re moving out.” He jumped to his feet and slid in behind the wheel of the van. Watching the rearview mirror, he watched Bautista hail a cab. As they were getting in, Dex turned the engine on and turned the van around, grateful the street was wide enough. In the mirror he saw Ash and Austen catching another cab. Dex made sure to stay at least two cars behind Bautista’s cab whose plate number he mentally jotted down. The cab traveled for ten minutes before reaching a quiet street of brownstones. Dex parked the van a few feet away, thanking his lucky stars he managed to find some space. At least something was going his way. He spotted a cab stopping at the end of the block, and two figures got out. Austen and Ash. The two disappeared into the shadows, undoubtedly to case the joint.

  Bautista emerged from the cab with Calvin in tow. He pulled him up against him, gave him a kiss, and laughed before heading to his front door where he dropped his keys twice. Calvin teased him and took the keys from him. He opened the door with Bautista’s arms wrapped around his waist. They disappeared inside, and although Dex lost visual contact, they could hear everything in superclear surround sound.

  Things started to get hot and heavy between Calvin and Bautista, resulting in plenty of heavy breathing, groaning, and moaning. Hobbs removed his earpiece and tossed it on the console’s surface.

  “Take it easy, big guy. You know he’s just doing his job.”

  Hobbs let out a huff and crossed his beefy arms over his chest, his frown deepening.

  “You really need to say something to him.”

  Hobbs’s reply was a lazy shrug of the shoulders, but Dex wasn’t buying it.

  “Come on, man. It’s bugging the hell out of you knowing he’s making out with another dude. The guy just admitted he’s in love with you, and all you’ve got is a shrug?”

  When Hobbs refused to look him in the eye, acting like he didn’t care, Dex decided it was time Hobbs snapped out of his moping and pulled his shit together before he lost Calvin for good.

  “I know you kissed him back.” Dex watched Hobbs’s eyebrows shoot up near his hairline. He turned in his seat toward Dex and jabbed a finger at his discarded earpiece.

  “Yeah, he told me. About what happened at the Fourth of July party, how things changed. I get the feeling you’re not big on change.”

  With a dejected pout, Hobbs shook his head.

  Dex could understand. Hobbs struggled every day with his selective mutism and anxiety. It was rough on the guy. Dex couldn’t begin to imagine what it was like for him, being unable to speak no matter how much he wanted to. Hobbs was also a tiger Therian and a Defense agent. There were expectations, and falling short of those types of expectations was never easy for anyone, much less someone who was in a position where confidence was a requirement. Hobbs could be as intimidating as Ash or Sloane, but the problem started when the time came to deal with people. If there was one guy who understood, who’d been there from the beginning, it was Calvin. The same guy Hobbs was pushing away with his inability to accept change.

  “How long do you expect to keep him waiting? Have you addressed it at all?”

  Hobbs shook his head and turned around.

  “You know, for a big, scary-ass Therian, you can be such a child.”

  Hobbs gaped at him. He pointed to himself in question.

  “Yes, you.”

  With lips pressed thin, Hobbs poked Dex in the chest.

  “Ow.” Dex rubbed the sore spot. “I’m not childish.” That earned him a scoff. “Either way, we’re talking about you, not me.”

  With a roll of his eyes, Hobbs turned around again. Well, that had gone well. Dex lowered the volume on his earpiece. He really didn’t need to hear what was going on, especially since it was starting to sound too much like a porno without all the cursing and begging.

  Dex checked his watch some time later, finding it was nearly four in the morning. Fuck. What the hell was Calvin doing in there? Then again, it was probably best he didn’t know. Hobbs was looking like one wrong move could send him into feral territory. His jaw was clenched so tight he was ready to break something, and his pupils were dilated. Despite being in his Human form, he resembled a tiger ready to pounce and tear the shit out of whatever he could get his claws on. Dex checked his earpiece. It was quiet. A series of soft knocks on the door told him why. Hobbs shot to his feet so quick his chair almost toppled over. He opened the back door and pulled a startled-looking Calvin in before shutting the door and looming over his friend.

  “What happened?” Hobbs growled.

  Calvin’s eyebrows shot up before his expression darkened. He looked pissed. “What do you think happened?”

  This had the makings of turning ugly. Dex sat quietly. Should he try to contain the situation? Anger flashed in Hobbs’s green eyes, and Dex decided it was best he let them work it out. Hopefully it wouldn’t lead to something he couldn’t handle on his own. Calvin he could restrain, but Hobbs? It would be like the time he’d tried to jump on the merry-go-round at the park while it was going full speed. He’d ended up flying across the yard and losing a tooth.

  “What, Ethan? Did I let him fuck me? Did I fuck him? What if I did? It’s not like you have a say in the matter. You don’t get to be pissed off.”

  “Stop,” Hobbs snapped.

  “Or what? For fuck’s sake, make up your mind. You either want me or you don’t. Whatever you decide, we’ll still be friends, but stop dicking me around. I can’t take it anymore.” He stepped away from Hobbs and removed Dex’s jacket to hand it over to him, followed by a piece of paper. “The church Collins goes to. He attends early-morning Mass every Saturday. Let me know what our next move is. I’m out of here. I need to go get a drink or get laid or something.” Calvin headed for the door when Hobbs pushed him against the side of the van.

  “What the fuck, Ethan?”

  Dex couldn’t agree more. What the—Oh.

  Hobbs grabbed Calvin by the waist, hoisted him up, and pushed him up against the van’s wall, pinning him there with his body as he took hold of Calvin’s face and kissed him. It took C
alvin all of two seconds to catch on, and when he did, he threw his arms around Hobbs’s neck and eagerly returned his partner’s searing kiss. Years of pent-up sexual frustration seemed to be let loose. The two went at it like nobody was watching. Except someone was watching. Dex was watching.

  Should he remind them he was still here? Should he have brought some popcorn? Should he turn away? Dex sat there for a moment too stunned to do anything but watch. He wasn’t exactly turned off either. Did it make him a perv? It was like watching porn. Two hot dudes going at it. He felt kind of guilty, but had trouble looking away. Who in their right mind wouldn’t find this hot? Damn, he was starting to sound like Austen. Calvin and Hobbs were in their own world, oblivious to anyone or anything else around them, swept up by the fierce emotions which had undoubtedly been driving them to the brink. Their movements grew frantic and desperate. Calvin threw his head back with a gasp for breath as Hobbs moved his lips onto his partner’s neck.

  “Oh God, Ethan.” He dug his fingers into Hobbs’s cropped hair, and the two started rutting up against each other, their breaths growing heavy. Hobbs let out a low feral growl, his hand going to Calvin’s crotch where he massaged his partner before pulling down the zipper of Calvin’s jeans. Oh shit. They were going to whip them out.

  “Please, Ethan. You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for this. I want you so bad.”

  Calvin’s pained words snapped Dex out of it.

  Dex swiftly swiveled his chair around to face the console, hearing the soft groans and Calvin’s whispered pleas for Hobbs to make him come.

  Not. Awkward. At. All.

  Dex snatched up the two earpieces and stuck one in each ear. He went online and quickly connected to Retro Radio’s online station. His face was red, and he felt relief flood through him when the familiar sounds of electric keyboard drowned out all the sex sounds. Hold up…. Are you fucking kidding me? He dropped his head into his hands. In his ears ZZ Top’s “Rough Boy” played with its glorious electric guitar and slow drums, its sensual rhythm and innuendos not what he needed to be hearing right now.