“All potential new members get a trial period,” Billy explained, and Gabe filed that away to note down for the profile he was building on the group. “Some for a week, some for a couple of months. It was decided Thomas wasn’t a good fit for the ALP. He left the compound right after he got told.”
“Wasn’t racist enough for you guys? Or just not a complete asshole?”
Billy’s gaze darted to Matt, a shadow of disgust passing through his gaze momentarily before he refocused on Gabe.
“Turned out he had some unfortunate associations before coming to Everness.”
Gabe clenched his fists, only just resisting the urge to ram one down Billy’s throat. The unspoken message was clear. They’d kicked Thomas out of their group because they’d found out his cousin was gay. Gabe nodded at one of the nearby deputies.
“You’re being charged as an accessory to the bar fight. After that, if I were you, I’d lay low for a while.”
Billy gave an insolent shrug, but just for a second, it seemed something else flashed in his gaze. It was gone too quick for Gabe to make sense of it, however, and the deputy came over to pull Billy up and guide him from the bar along with the other two men he’d come here with.
Gabe turned to Matt, who was staring down at his clasped hands, squeezing his fingers together over and over.
“Matt,” he said gently, deciding it was time to get him out of here. He wanted to take Matt back to his motel room. He looked done in, features pale and tension lines around his mouth and eyes. Though they had a likely suspect in in custody, this case wasn’t cut-and-dry. A deep unease about the whole situation had hooked sharp claws into Gabe. He couldn’t leave Matt on his own right now, not if he wanted to be able to do his job without the distraction of worrying whether Matt was okay the whole time.
Matt hadn’t responded to his name, so Gabe stepped closer and crouched down in front of him, capturing his hands to stop his agitated movements.
“Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
Matt looked up at last, troubled shadows in his blue eyes. “You heard what Thomas said this morning. I ruined everything for him. That must have been what he meant. The ALP kicked him out because of me.”
He squeezed Matt’s hands between both of his gently. “The ALP kicked him out because they’re a bunch of assholes. And honestly? It’s not the worst thing that could have happened to him. You did him a favor, Matt. Even if he can’t see it now, I’m sure he will eventually.”
“I have to find him. If he’s got nowhere else to go, then somehow I need to make him realize the best thing he can do is go home to his mom.” The spark of determination in Matt’s gaze was amazing. Did Thomas even realize how lucky he was? That after everything, all the hurt—both physical and emotional—Matt was still on his side, still willing to help him. Family meant that much to him. Matt’s loyalty and devotion ran that deeply. For half a second, Gabe was wildly jealous of Thomas, who clearly didn’t even appreciate what he had in Matt. A kernel of desperate yearning ached in his gut as he wondered what it’d be like to have all that love, loyalty, and devotion for himself.
Gabe mentally shook himself, getting his mind back into work mode. It was exactly those kinds of thoughts he couldn’t afford to have distracting him.
“I know, Matty. I get it.” He used his hold on Matt to gently urge him to his feet. “And I’ll help you track him down as soon as I get this case sorted out.”
Relief and gratitude relaxed Matt’s tense features, leaving Gabe wanting to kiss him again. He shoved down the urge and ignored it, releasing Matt’s hands in case his body decided to disregard his mind like it often did where Matt was concerned.
“Thank you,” Matt murmured, the words quiet but heartfelt.
“Don’t thank me just yet,” he replied, guessing Matt might not like what was coming next. “Because I’m about to lock you up at the sheriff’s station.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
MATT SIGHED as he rotated the uncomfortable office chair back and forth, munching listlessly on the barbeque chips one of the civil administrators, Laura, had brought him a while ago, along with a can of soda.
Between her and Jake, he hadn’t been alone for a single minute since arriving at the sheriff’s station and being deposited in some kind of small meeting room. But he also hadn’t seen Gabe. Well, not up close anyway. He’d seen him crossing back and forth across the main office floor where all the deputies’ desks were situated, but Gabe hadn’t come to talk to him even once in the last few hours, seemingly in full FBI mode as he and Yas worked to confirm whether Ferguson was the one behind the vandalism and attack that’d put a man in the hospital.
The local doctor had come by and checked him out like Gabe had wanted, but as he’d told Gabe at the bar, apart from some bruising he was fine. After the doctor had left, Laura had brought in a laptop and some speakers so he could binge-watch Netflix. She’d sat when she could as he’d watched a new sci-fi show that’d mostly taken his mind off everything else happening, but he couldn’t quite stop worrying about Thomas.
What if he’d already left town? How was he going to find his cousin if he simply disappeared again? And should he even try since Thomas had made it clear he wanted to be left alone? There was a last little stubborn piece of his heart that refused to give up on Tommy, no matter what had happened between them.
“Oh crap!” Laura suddenly exclaimed from beside him, gaze glued to the laptop screen. “I totally didn’t see that coming.”
She’d come in and settled down with her own bag of chips about an hour ago when office hours had officially ended. Both he and Jake had tried to convince her she could go home and didn’t need to hang around, but she seemed determined to keep him company. He really didn’t mind. She was probably about his age and had recommended what was turning out to be an excellent show. When he was concentrating on it, that was.
On the screen, it’d just been discovered that one of the characters had DNA that made him half-alien, the shape-shifting race of beings having infiltrated the universe with sinister plans of universal domination. Only the ragtag crew of a small spaceship stood between the enemy and enslavement of the human race. The captain of the ship was a complete badass who didn’t let anything get in his way of seeking revenge against the aliens who had once captured and tortured him. Truthfully, Matt had been completely sucked in by the storyline. He was planning on rewatching it properly later on. Maybe with Gabe when this whole thing was over.
“Room for one more?”
Matt glanced over his shoulder as Danny dragged a chair closer and sat down next to him.
“Not working tonight?” he asked, offering his bag of chips.
Danny took a handful as he slouched in the chair. “Closed the bar for the rest of the day after all the excitement this morning.”
“And you came here instead of going home?”
Danny sent him a rueful smile. “Between Jake and the sheriff, this place basically is my second home. I’ve spent plenty of time hanging around waiting for one or both of them.”
Laura gave a deep, heartfelt sigh. “I wish someone would hang around mooning over me while I finished work.”
“It’s not as glamorous as it sounds. Is it, Matt?” Danny grinned at him, then popped a chip into his mouth.
He just smiled in return as Danny turned his attention to the screen and started shooting questions at Laura about the show. Truthfully, he wouldn’t have minded hanging around waiting for Gabe if he wasn’t so worried about Thomas. Although, all things considered, the afternoon hadn’t actually been that bad.
They got through another episode and were starting to discuss takeout options for dinner when Gabe and Jake walked in, both sharing similarly grim and tense expressions. Beyond them, Stanley Ferguson was being led across the offices by a heavyset older guy in a suit who had to be his lawyer.
“What’s going on?” Matt asked, focusing on Gabe and trying to get a reading off his expression. The day had obviously taken i
ts toll on him. His tie was tugged free and sitting a little off-center. His dark hair was disheveled like he’d run his fingers through it a few too many times, and he’d discarded his suit jacket, shirtsleeves rolled up and slightly wrinkled.
“Ferguson’s lawyer leaned on us hard enough that we had to release him,” Gabe said through a tight jaw.
Matt tried to suppress a shiver as a chill trickled down his spine, mind dragging the image of the graffiti on his rental into the forefront of his thoughts. “But if he’s guilty—”
“He looks good for it,” Gabe replied with a shake of his head. “Except right now everything we have on him is supposition and circumstantial. His lawyer handed over his passport and promised he wouldn’t leave town. We need evidence, and we need it fast.”
“So now what?” Frustration warred with dread inside him, the combination of emotions making for an unpleasant aftertaste in the back of his throat.
“Now we get out of here and get some downtime,” Jake answered firmly and pointedly, looking at Gabe. “Hopefully in the morning the warrant will come through and we can search his house.”
“If he hasn’t gone home to torch any incriminating evidence,” Gabe muttered, crossing his arms.
“We’ll get him, Gabe.” Jake clasped Gabe on the shoulder for a moment. “They always trip themselves up eventually, and when he does, we’ll be there to put him away. In the meantime, I’m taking my boyfriend home for some R and R. You should do the same.”
Jake stepped over and tugged Danny to his feet, grinning when he pulled hard enough to make Danny practically fall into his chest.
“Jake—” Danny started in an almost-annoyed voice, but the hint of color on his cheeks and the smile edging over his lips said he didn’t mind Jake’s manhandling all that much.
“What?” Jake demanded, crowding him closer. “You really think they don’t know what I’m going to do to my gorgeous boyfriend when we get home?”
“Well, they sure as hell do now,” Danny muttered but didn’t manage to say anything else as Jake kissed him briefly, then shifted over to whisper something in his ear.
Danny bit his lip, fingers visibly tightening where he held Jake’s shoulders.
“We should leave. Right now.” Danny stepped back far enough to grab Jake’s hand and practically dragged him from the office.
“Night, all,” Jake called over his shoulder, looking too self-satisfied.
Laura made a kind of harrumph noise in the back of her throat as she packed up her laptop.
“Those two make me sick,” she complained. Except then she sent them a wink as she smiled impishly. “Mostly because they’re so cute together and I’m crazy jealous. And now I’m going home to finish watching this show with my cat and a pint of ice cream. Pretty much sums up my entire life.”
Gabe gave a charmed laugh. “Someone needs to be the crazy cat lady. Isn’t it a requirement in a town like this to have at least one to terrorize the kids?”
Laura made a face. “That honor already belongs to Mrs. Jefferies. But the way I’m going, I’m sure to inherit the title eventually.”
“I’m sure you’ll find someone, Laura,” Matt felt compelled to assure her, even though he knew she was joking. Probably.
She sent him a smile. “Hopefully you’re right. And hopefully they’re not too far away. I’ve been thinking about getting a second cat.”
“That’ll definitely take you one step closer to crazy cat lady status,” he teased lightly as she stepped between him and Gabe.
“I know. Which is why I need rescuing from myself in a hurry. See you both tomorrow.”
She gave a quick wave as she headed out the door.
Matt let his attention settle on Gabe, who was now leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed.
“Ready to get out of here?” he asked softly, something almost intimate to the words.
For a long second, Matt was inundated with the intense longing to have what Jake and Danny had. To have the kind of relationship where Gabe would take him home and love him in all the ways that mattered—physically and emotionally.
“You keep looking at me like that, we’re going to have a problem,” Gabe said, voice gone a little smoky.
He tore his gaze away, feeling his cheeks heat. “Sorry.”
He wasn’t really sorry, not for drooling over Gabe anyway. He was sorry they were supposed to keep their distance. Honestly, he wasn’t sure how successful he was going to be at that. When Gabe had kissed him after the bar fight, he’d almost combusted on the spot. The things that man could do with his mouth—
“You don’t have to apologize to me for that.” Gabe pushed off from the doorframe and held a hand out for him. “Just makes things hard, is all.”
Matt snapped his gaze back up to Gabe’s dark eyes and was left with no doubt as to what he meant was hard. He shook his head slightly, but Gabe just grinned unrepentantly.
“Come on. I told Yas we’d meet her back at the motel and order some takeout. You do not want to deal with her when she’s hangry.”
He put his hand in Gabe’s, heart skipping a few beats like he was a teenager all over again as their palms pressed together and fingers interlaced. He couldn’t remember ever reacting to anyone the way he did to Gabe. Maybe it was something to do with the heightened stress he was under and the adrenaline that seemed to be on a low simmer within him ever since he got into town. Maybe once they were no longer in Everness, they’d find they had nothing in common and whatever it was between them would fizzle out. But right now, he could easily imagine Gabe being his everything. Could imagine introducing Gabe to his mom and Aunt Katie, taking him into the bakery to hang out with Sammie, slotting perfectly into Matt’s life like he’d always been there. Doing the schmaltzy tourist things he’d always avoided as a San Francisco native, because it actually sounded like it’d be fun to see the city from Gabe’s perspective for the first time.
He mentally admonished himself for so easily getting swept up into what would likely be a fantasy. Maybe that’s all this was. A really good fantasy. Still, he couldn’t ignore the warmth that settled into the very core of his being, like getting wrapped up in a soft blanket and handed a cup of cocoa on a cold day, reassuring and comfortable.
They made their way out of the station, the sun setting on another hot fall day in southern Texas. Gabe led him to the passenger side of his sedan and held the door open for him with a wink. No doubt Gabe had decided to turn up the charm, doing things like holding his hand and flirting with him to keep his mind off the situation he’d landed in. For the most part, it was working, and he didn’t know how he was going to thank Gabe for everything he’d done once this was all over.
Gabe made small talk during the few minutes it took them to get back to the motel, and by the time they arrived, they decided the pizza place who’d delivered from Conroe last night was probably the best option for dinner.
Yas was waiting for them, leaning against the nose of her own car as they pulled up next to her.
“I talked to the motel owners,” Yas said as soon as they climbed out of Gabe’s sedan. “They’ve got a fold-out cot they can give us for the night. They clearly thought it was weird I was asking, but they didn’t say anything.”
Fold-out cot? What the heck had the two of them been planning?
“Guess that just leaves us to figure out whose room we’re all going to bunk down in,” Gabe replied, twirling his car keys around his fingers.
Ah. So that was their plan. Presumably some kind of protection detail for him. Since Yas was the one with the gun, Matt supposed he was safest with her. He was glad Gabe hadn’t just handed him off to stay in her room by himself; that would have been awkward since they barely knew each other.
“Matt’s is definitely out of the question,” Yas responded, leaving Gabe nodding in agreement.
“Yours, then? Since whoever graffitied the rental might know Matt and I were sleeping together. We didn’t flaunt it, but we weren’t exactl
y subtle either.”
“Good with me. Grab your stuff. I’ll go get the cot.” Yas didn’t wait for either of them to answer, but strode off toward the motel office like she owned the place.
“Is she always so—” Matt broke off when he couldn’t quite find the word he wanted to describe the force of nature that seemed to be Agent Yasmin Quinn.
“Bossy?” Gabe supplied with an affectionate grin. “Domineering? Controlling? Tyrannical?”
“I was going to say confident and self-assured.” He sent Gabe an exasperated look. “And I’m guessing you wouldn’t have used any of those words to describe her if she’d been standing right here.”
Gabe gave an unconcerned shrug, still smiling in a way that hinted he and Yas had some kind of private joke between the two of them. “Nah, I’ve called her all those things and more to her face. You should hear what she calls me.”
Matt didn’t get a chance to speculate on how Yas might have described Gabe—though he could guess and the words too charming for his own good would have featured heavily—as Gabe headed over to open his room so they could get their luggage. As Matt grabbed his two suitcases, he was glad he hadn’t had a chance to unpack any of his stuff after leaving it in Gabe’s room early this morning, now that he was moving his stuff for the second time in one day.
By the time they’d lugged everything out and Gabe had locked up behind them, Yas returned wheeling a folded metal bed with a thin mattress squashed in between exposed springs. It did not look comfortable in the slightest.
“Which sucker is going to end up on that?” Gabe asked, shifting aside so Yas could unlock her room.
“My room, I get the bed.” Yas shot him a smooth, sly smile.
“No way, that’s not how this works.” Gabe crossed his arms as stubbornness edged into his expression, but it was tempered with amusement. “Besides, whoever gets the bed has to share with Matt.”
“I guess I could take the cot.” The words were out before he’d even thought about them. But it made sense. He didn’t particularly want to sleep in the same bed with Yas since he hardly knew her and weird wouldn’t even begin to cover it.
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