Once Upon a Rainbow, Volume One

by Mickie B. Ashling

  “What’s wrong?” Erik asked.

  “Wrong?” Noah wasn’t good at playing dumb, but Erik humored him.

  “Why don’t you want to do this?” Erik clarified. Noah looked at Erik and then glanced away.

  “It’s been eight weeks… What happens if we find them?” He folded his hands together as if to give them something to do. The trepidation made sense then. Noah had only seen death and destruction in the abstract. He stayed safe in his office, looking at words and patterns, stories of the past. The reality could be much worse. Erik reached across and placed his hand on Noah’s arm in a way that he hoped was comforting.

  “Then we get justice for those left behind.”

  Chapter Two

  “SO WHAT HAPPENS again?” Noah ran his hand through his hair for the second time in a minute as he talked through the plan with Alice. He was going to pull it all out at that rate. There were deepening frown lines around his eyes as he focused on what she was saying. Noah might have had reservations about being part of the investigation, but he was taking everything seriously.

  Erik walked over to where Alice and Noah were sitting and perched on the edge of the desk that Noah had borrowed, pretending he didn’t see the annoyed glare Alice sent him. Michaela would have just clipped his ear, but that wasn’t Alice’s style.

  “You and I go to the club,” Erik interrupted, answering Noah’s question. “We’re boyfriends wanting to check out the club for my birthday.”

  Noah nodded, fiddling with a pen that was on the desk. “We go in together and then try to split up and look for clues?”

  “We aren’t meddling kids, Noah.”

  Alice snorted. “You can split up by any means necessary if needed,” she reminded them. “One of you can decide you need the washroom, or if worst comes to worst, you can ‘argue’ and have a dramatic fight.” Alice had a twinkle in her eye when she made the suggestion.

  Was there anyone on the damn team that didn’t know about Erik’s crush on Noah?

  “Try and talk to people, see if anyone remembers seeing the men, maybe get a feel for anything dodgy going on. You’re looking for anything that might have led them astray or away from the safety of the club. Maybe they were after drugs, maybe they all left with the same guy, that kind of thing,” Alice suggested. Noah nodded along to each point. He had his tongue stuck out in concentration, and Erik was frankly surprised that he wasn’t making meticulous notes.

  “Erik, I know it’s not ideal, but it may be worth seeing if you can scent any of the missing men.”

  Erik shot a venomous glare at Alice. “Fuck off. I’m a werewolf, not a sniffer dog.”

  A snort came from behind them, so Erik turned his scowl on the person interrupting. Craig held his ground and looked Erik straight in the eye; the technophile’s mouth twisted into a smirk.

  “Woof, woof, doggy.”

  Erik slid off the desk and stalked forward, one hand twitching to box the other man’s ear.

  “Children!” Alice channeled her inner school teacher and sent Craig away with a sharp gesture.

  “But seriously, I’m not going to be able to smell shit,” Erik argued. “Booze and sex are all clubs ever smell of.”

  Alice let out a long-suffering sigh. “Would it hurt you to just do what you’re told without an argument?”

  “I—”

  “—I really don’t think this is a good idea,” Noah interrupted. Noah had worked himself into quite a state. He was fiddling again and chewing at his lip. “Are you sure that I’m the best person for this?”

  Alice let the argument with Erik drop and turned her focus on Noah. There was no hint of deception in her gaze when she said yes.

  “We need someone that can realistically act gay,” she told him. “The men that have gone missing have been a mixture of singles and people in relationships. The only thing they have in common is that they’re gay. Erik and I are the only ones with full undercover training and there’s no way I can get into a gay club.”

  Noah managed a tiny smile at the quip.

  “You’re only backup for Erik. We just can’t risk any of the others freaking out mid-op.”

  Noah’s mouth was set in a firm line, and Erik could see the effort it required him not to argue back. Privately, Erik agreed with Noah. What good were agents who couldn’t suck it up and kiss another man? It was an insecure person who let a few kisses corrode their confidence.

  “Right,” Noah muttered to himself.

  “It’ll be okay,” Erik told him. “You’ve got me.” Erik’s confidence brought a real smile to Noah’s face before his expression dropped again.

  “Are you going to be okay pretending to be with me?” Noah asked. “We might have to kiss.”

  Erik was fairly sure that “hell yes!” was not the answer Noah wanted, so he just smiled and nodded.

  “Club wear,” Alice interrupted, reminding Erik that she was still there. He was pretty sure she knew exactly what he had been thinking in response to Noah’s previous question as she gave him a very knowing look. It was just so easy to get caught up in Noah whenever they were together.

  “Dress code?” Erik asked.

  Alice shouted the question at Craig, who shrugged. “No trainers, no football shirts, the usual.”

  “I can manage that.” This was the first part of the mission that Noah actually seemed happy with.

  “I didn’t see you as the clubbing type,” Erik said before his brain kicked in.

  Noah barked out a laugh. “I wasn’t born glued to history books and tied to an office chair.” The words were serious, though Noah’s eyes danced with mirth. “And I sure didn’t spend my uni nights in the library.”

  “Sounds kinky,” Erik shot back.

  Alice smacked each of them on the arm. “Can we focus?”

  ERIK PULLED UP by the curb outside Noah’s house and parked. The sun had set hours before, and the only light came from the artificial glow of the streetlamps. He walked down the drive and rapped lightly on the door. Barely a moment later, it opened and Noah came outside. Erik had never seen Noah looking like this before. Noah had always been a sharp dresser and the old-fashioned charm suited him, but this was the first time that Erik had seen Noah dressed down. He looked hot. Noah was in black denim jeans that hugged his legs, paired with a navy shirt that had the first few buttons left undone. The visible patch of skin made Erik want to undo more buttons and see the rest of the enticing man before him. A number of bracelets were tied around Noah’s left wrist along with a chunky watch. It was a fantastic mix somewhere between preppy and hipster that Erik never knew he found attractive before.

  “Hey.” Noah greeted him as usual, and for a moment, Erik was sure he had forgotten how to talk. He felt underwhelming in his own jeans and polo shirt.

  “Hey.” They had agreed that it might help Noah if they spent the entire evening in character, so Erik brushed his lips against Noah’s cheek in a soft kiss and wished he could have done it on the lips instead. This evening was going to be harder than he had anticipated.

  GINGERBREAD WAS A half-hour drive away on the outskirts of the city. The club was located on an industrial estate, but a spattering of trees had been planted in an attempt to mask the urban concrete feel. It almost worked. Erik followed the signs into a small car park, which was maybe half-full. The building was attractive, a new build in red brick and black metal, modern-looking with the name plastered across the front. It didn’t have any of the garish luminescent signs of the inner-city clubs or a line of drunk kids waiting to get in. All part of the exclusivity, Erik supposed.

  Erik got out and walked around the car to open the door for Noah and then took his arm as they headed to the entrance. The doorman was just as bored as any he had come in contact with at other clubs and let them past with a cursory glance. Erik kept his arm around Noah, enjoying how easy the action came. After this mess of a case was over, he was going to man up and invite Noah on a date, a real one.

  The clerk at the front de
sk took their coats and entry fee. He also explained the rules, making it quite clear that if they were caught taking photos they would be ejected. There had been speculation amongst the team that if there was something supernatural going on, then they could detect electrical devices; according to Craig, it was the only way that they could keep the place so quiet on the net. Erik was less convinced. He figured a high-end metal detector probably did the job just as well.

  Erik shepherded Noah toward the bar. Noah hadn’t lost the look of worry he had been sporting since their conversation with Alice. Erik hoped the wide-eyed expression vanished soon because it made him want to shelter the other man from the world and that was just ridiculous.

  “You get drinks, and I’ll check out the toilets?” he whispered in Noah’s ear, thinking that the sooner they explored the place, the sooner they could leave again. Noah nodded and continued the path to the bar. Erik enjoyed the sight of Noah’s hips swaying as he walked.

  It was difficult for Erik to tear his gaze away from Noah and head toward the toilets. Erik kept his pace slow enough that he could glance around and get the lay of the land. Music pulsed through the floor, some modern song with about six words and a repetitive beat. Nothing seemed unusual, though it wasn’t very likely that someone was openly doing something to the men. The only thing of note was a small crowd of people who looked like they were hanging around a doorway. Erik made a mental note to check it out later as he couldn’t see exactly what they were doing well enough from his position. He headed into the bathroom and washed his hands to complete the circuit.

  Back outside, Erik was drawn to Noah as always. This mission was a special kind of hell, having to pretend something that he wanted so badly for real. He began the loop back through the room, changing his path to go closer to the crowd of people when some slimebag walked over to Noah and started touching him. Erik marched across the room, aware that his thunderous expression had people dodging out of his way without a word. He reached Noah just in time to hear the douchebag try out a line.

  “What’s a handsome fella like you doing all alone?”

  “He’s not.” Noah was his for at least one night, dammit. The words were sharp, and the guy flinched away from Noah as if Erik had hit him. Erik slid one arm around Noah’s shoulder and the man moved away, leaving Erik satisfied.

  “What a creep,” Noah whispered in his ear as he handed over a drink. “I’d have punched him, but I didn’t want to get kicked out.”

  “I’d have loved to see you hit him,” Erik told Noah with a laugh, though he wasn’t entirely joking. Noah failed to bite back a smile that lit up his whole face.

  “We should probably dance,” Erik suggested, though he was loath to break the quiet atmosphere between them. Noah abandoned his empty glass on the side and grabbed Erik’s hands, pulling him to his feet. They moved onto the dance floor. Erik took the lead, turning Noah so that his back was pressed against Erik’s chest. Noah felt amazing in his arms, and it reaffirmed Erik’s promise to himself that he would ask the other man out properly so they could dance for the simple reason that it was fun. Maybe they could come back to the club once the case was over. They swayed in time to the music, neither of them talented but both enjoying the rhythm.

  Erik steered them across the dance floor, gradually moving toward the door. Some of the crowd had moved on, but there were still a few people around. They stopped dancing to join the people milling around. Erik detached himself from Noah and eased his way into the crowd. The people didn’t seem to be aiming anywhere in particular, so he dodged through the gaps and made it closer.

  “You hoping to get in too?”

  Erik twisted to see who had spoken. The guy was young enough to make him feel guilty about pretending to be interested, but he turned on his flirtiest smile and leaned in anyway, hoping to get some answers.

  “Just wondering what’s going on, actually?”

  The kid tilted his head and studied Erik for a moment. “Huh,” he huffed. “Didn’t peg you for a newbie.”

  Erik raised one eyebrow and stared until the kid backed down.

  “Jeez.” The kid held up his arms in insincere surrender. “It’s the VIP section. You either have to be super rich or super lucky. The owner, Leo, picks random people to go in every so often.”

  “And…?”

  “And I dunno,” the kid said. “I’ve never been picked.”

  Erik bit back the laugh that threatened to come out and offered an apologetic smile before negotiating his way back through the crowd to Noah. Noah had abandoned the crowd and stood leaning against a wall, seemingly staring into nothing. Erik took the opportunity to admire his friend. Noah looked up just as Erik reached him, a fond expression crossed his face, and he moved straight back into Erik’s arms. Noah leaned in and put his mouth next to Erik’s ear so that they wouldn’t be overheard.

  “So what’s going on?” Noah asked. The words tickled Erik’s skin, and he imagined how it would feel if Noah were to move even closer and plant a kiss on the lobe, how his breath against the skin would feel.

  “Uh.” He forgot how to function for a moment.

  “Did you find out what they’re all waiting for?” Noah prompted. Erik cringed internally. Where had his ability to act like a normal person gone?

  “There’s some kind of VIP section. The owner sometimes picks people to go in.”

  “That what your boy toy told you?”

  Erik had never heard Noah sound so bitter. “What’s up with you?”

  Noah ran a hand through his hair and gave an odd little laugh.

  “Thought you might have traded me in for a younger model.”

  “I wouldn’t do that.” The words came out with too much honesty and Erik worried that he might have given himself away, but Noah just smiled.

  “You’re the only thing keeping me sane right now,” Noah admitted. The words were soft and full of just as much feeling as Erik’s had been. Erik had to close his eyes and look away because he wasn’t sure he could trust himself at that moment not to do something stupid like kiss Noah. Instead, he held out his hand and nodded toward the dance floor.

  “Shall we?”

  Something had changed since the last time they had danced. The music was the same and they were the same, but the feelings had changed. There was an intimacy in the way that Noah leaned his head against Erik’s chest that hadn’t been there before, and Erik treasured that closeness. The music seemed to fade away, and all Erik could hear was the pounding of his own heart. Erik spun Noah away, hoping to break the spell between them, but Noah turned completely so that he was once again chest to chest with Erik. Then Noah’s face was right in front of him. Noah licked his lips, and Erik found himself leaning in, giving the other man plenty of time to move away.

  “Hello, boys!”

  Erik tore his gaze away from Noah and held back the growl that had threatened to escape.

  “Hi.”

  The newcomer was dressed smarter than most of the clientele in a two-piece suit. He had a bright smile and an open face.

  “I’m Leo, the manager of this fine establishment.”

  Erik shook the hand that Leo offered and released Noah so he could do the same, but Leo leaned in to kiss Noah on each cheek instead. Erik didn’t hold back on his growl that time, and Noah noticed if his raised eyebrows were anything to go by.

  “It’s a lovely place,” Noah commented, turning his back on Erik. Leo’s smile widened, obviously lapping up the compliment.

  “Thank you, darling!” He placed one hand on Noah’s arm. Erik wanted to snatch the man’s appendage off. “You’ve only seen half of it, though,” Leo declared. “The two of you must come back tomorrow and visit the VIP section. I insist.” That was the opening they had been waiting for.

  “Really?” Noah’s eyes lit up, and he turned back to face Erik. “How awesome is that?”

  Erik kissed Noah’s cheek fondly and Leo laughed.

  “You two together are…delicious. See you tomorrow
, boys.” He wandered off with a wink. Erik delighted in the way Noah’s cheek pinked at Leo’s remarks.

  “Shall we?” Erik asked, holding out his arms. Noah retreated into them, burying his head into Erik’s chest. They danced another song before Erik carefully maneuvered them across the floor.

  “We need to do some more investigating,” he whispered in Noah’s ear, not quite halting the sigh that accompanied the words. He didn’t think he imagined the reluctance in Noah’s gaze as he stepped away.

  Erik turned to face Noah. He was biting his lip and had a frown on his face, a contrast to the bright smiles from earlier. Though they returned to dancing and chatting with the club occupants who weren’t busy, they didn’t pick up on anything to do with the missing men. They saw Leo a few times more, flitting from place to place. The closeness that Erik had felt with Noah had been lost, replaced by gnawing guilt and a sense of responsibility for the job.

  It was after midnight before the place began to wind down. Official closing time was 2:00 a.m., but Erik and Noah left a bit early to stand outside. Noah leaned against the wall while Erik dangled a cigarette in one hand. He hated them—the way the smell of the smoke clogged up his senses—but it was a valid excuse for hanging around. The men who had struck lucky stumbled outside the club with wandering hands and filthy smiles, and those who hadn’t found partners for the evening came out more quietly, heading for cars and their homes.

  The evening was a bust.

  Chapter Three

  ERIK AND NOAH walked into the office to find it full of people; far too many people for 3:00 a.m. Erik stalked up the stairs, barely noticing Noah following behind. The team’s office was on the first floor, and the place was lit up as if were midafternoon. Alice sat beside Craig at one of the tables. They were poring over something on the computer screen. Erik was about to walk over and see what was going on when the whiteboard caught his eye. Erik’s heart dropped. The text had changed, and there was a thirteenth photo that hadn’t been there before.