Locked Down
Page 26
Moving in with someone after only knowing them for a few weeks was arguably crazy, but so had the rest of their relationship been, so it’d just made sense. To them, anyway. Sammie and his mom had been happy for him, but also voiced their concerns about how fast things had moved and whether he’d end up getting hurt. But a year later, and it was like Gabe had just always been there. He was part of the family now, and they both knew it would never change.
They arrived at the picnic area just off the shore of Lake Conroe to see Danny and Jake already cooking on an outdoor grill. Sitting at a nearby table drinking beers from a cooler were Jared and his new boyfriend, a park ranger named Troy. After the shooting, Jared had apparently befriended Jake and Danny, then all of them had inadvertently kept in contact. Jake and Danny had even been in San Francisco for a couple of very fun weekends, and the pair was always teasing him and Gabe about moving to Everness. The small, picturesque town was definitely a nice place to visit—maybe it could be their special holiday spot and they could make regular trips—but he couldn’t see himself and Gabe ever leaving San Fran.
“Hey, guys!” Jake called out, having seen them first as he flipped burgers on the grill.
Danny came over to meet them with an enthusiastic hug, and then they were getting the same from Jared and being introduced properly to Troy, whom they’d only heard stories about up to this point. Notably the drama surrounding the pair getting together recently, which had involved an arsonist targeting the Sam Houston National Forest during one of the hottest, driest summers on record.
“How was the trip here?” Jared asked once they were seated with beers in hand.
“Good,” Matt replied with a smile, relaxing into Gabe’s side.
“It would have been better if we’d joined the mile-high club like I’d suggested,” Gabe muttered before taking a swig of beer.
The others laughed as Matt poked Gabe in the ribs.
“We saw on the news, Thomas’s trial finished last week,” Danny said. “Twenty-five years.”
Matt nodded, picking at the label on his beer. The trial had dragged on for months and become a media circus. The DA had decided they wanted to make an example of Thomas being a homegrown terrorist to show what white-nationalist extremists could expect if they took their beliefs too far. He had mixed feelings about the end results.
Thomas deserved punishment for what he’d done and had shown very little remorse for the people he’d hurt and terrorized. But Matt doubted there’d be much hope in rehabilitation by the time his cousin spent twenty-five years behind bars. In fact, there would probably be nothing left of the boy Thomas had been in the man who walked out of prison two and a half decades from now.
“Guess Texas will be seeing a lot of us, then,” Matt replied with a wan smile. “Well, the prison, anyway.”
Danny reached over and clasped his forearm. “Anything you need, Jake and I are here.”
“That goes for us too,” Jared said, twining his fingers with Troy, who nodded his agreement.
“Thanks, guys. It means a lot.” Matt took a breath, needing a moment to get his emotions under control. Gabe slid an arm around his waist, pulling him closer with a loving smile.
“Who wants burgers?” Jake asked, stepping over to set the tray in the middle of the table.
Everyone tucked into the food, the conversation becoming lighter again as they joked about Jake’s cooking skills.
Matt stole a covert glance around the table, not quite able to believe how lucky he’d gotten. Not only had he found Gabe in Everness, but he’d also found a whole new group of men who’d become almost like brothers—after what they’d gone through during that intense two weeks, they’d forged a unique bond he doubted would ever fade or break.
“What are you thinking so hard about?” Gabe asked quietly in his ear so the others wouldn’t hear.
“Just that maybe the whole of Texas doesn’t completely suck after all.”
Gabe grinned at him, probably remembering that first day when he’d been stranded on the side of the road with a flat tire and bitching about the entire state as if everything and everyone in Texas had conspired against him.
“We’ll convince you to move to Everness yet,” Danny declared as he covered his burger in an alarming amount of ketchup.
“I don’t think Everness is ready for gluten-free baked goods and organic free-trade coffee,” Gabe said before pressing a sloppy kiss to his cheek.
“Don’t forget the carbon neutral footprint,” he replied with an unrepentant grin.
“Sounds to me like it’s exactly what Everness needs,” Troy put in. Being a park ranger, he was probably more sensitive to environmental issues.
“We’ll catch up,” Danny replied confidently.
“Yeah, in about three decades,” Jake murmured and then dodged the playful swipe Danny took at him.
“To Everness,” Gabe said, holding his beer up. “Because without that tinyass town, none of us would be here.”
They all joined in Gabe’s toast before dissolving into another round of good-natured teasing.
Matt stayed quiet, watching and enjoying the banter. Gabe had been right—if not for following Thomas to Everness, he wouldn’t be here now, wouldn’t be happier than he ever thought possible.
Everness might not have been where he wanted to go. And it might not be where he could picture himself living, but just like a certain FBI analyst, the town had left its mark on his heart, and he knew he’d never be the same without it.
More from Jess Anastasi
A Texas Heroes Novel
Attraction sizzles when Danny Jones sets eyes on Deputy Jake Perez, despite meeting over the discovery of a mutilated corpse. But being with Jake could cost Danny his family, and being with Danny could cost Jake the very thing that brought him to Everness, Texas—revenge against the man who killed his brother. How much will Jake sacrifice to take down a psychotic criminal and finally see justice served?
After college, Danny thrived as a gay man in Houston. But when his mom’s cancer brings him back to small, conservative Everness, he must go back into the closet or risk the wrath of his abusive father—a choice made even harder when Danny starts to see a future for him and Jake.
As the body count rises and Danny becomes a target, Jake is caught between his vengeance and protecting the man he loves. He never wanted to end up in a backward town like Everness, but Danny is the best thing that ever happened to him. Jake needs to keep Danny safe as his secrets catch up to them—especially when the threat might be closer to home than they imagined.
JESS ANASTASI has been making up stories ever since she can remember. Though her messy handwriting made it hard for anyone else to read them, she wasn’t deterred, and now she gets to make up stories for a living. With a multi-award-winning science fiction romance series to her name, her books feature larger-than-life heroes with relatable vulnerabilities who find themselves in situations that push their resolve to the limit. Jess is a tea addict who loves loud music, dancing in her kitchen, and a good book on a rainy day. A fangirl at heart, she probably spends too much time watching too many TV shows. Jess lives in regional Victoria, Australia. Find out more about Jess and her upcoming releases at www.jessanastasi.com.
By Jess Anastasi
TEXAS HEROES
Take Down
Locked Down
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Locked Down
© 2019 Jess Anastasi
Cover Art
© 2019 Kanaxa
> Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
Mass Market Paperback ISBN: 978-1-64108-155-9
Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-1-64405-218-1
Digital ISBN: 978-1-64405-217-4
Library of Congress Control Number: 2019904440
Digital published October 2019
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America