Chapter Twenty-Four
He woke warm, sandwiched between the back of the couch and Sam’s body. Sam’s cheek was pressed against his, his breath a burst of warm air across the sensitive skin of his neck.
Content to lay there, he enjoyed how solid Sam felt against him. His breathing was slow and even, his body rhythmically pressing against him with each rise and fall of his chest.
Drew’s stomach grumbled, despite his best efforts to silence it. It didn’t wake Sam but did encourage him to plan to seek out the kitchen and make some breakfast. Sam’s watch told him it was just after five. They had some time before they needed to leave but it would be better to travel on full stomachs.
Figuring out the best way to extract himself without waking Sam turned out to be more of a challenge that he’d anticipated. He settled for pushing himself up and attempting to slide over the back of the couch. Only as he moved, sliding out from under Sam, the other man woke, catching hold of him and tugging him down so he was flat on his back on the couch, Sam’s arms either side of him. He could feel the power and strength in Sam’s body at how easily he’d maneuvered him, even though he'd been more sleep than awake. Sam’s eyes scanned him, as if assessing whether he was a threat before he relaxed, peering down at Drew bemusedly.
“Where, exactly, were you going?”
“To the kitchen, to make you some breakfast.”
Sam checked his watch, blinking at it. “It’s five am.”
“I know but…” he paused, remembering who he was talking to, “I guess that’s normal for you.”
“Yeah.”
Drew’s stomach grumbled again and Sam raised an eyebrow. “Breakfast for me or breakfast for you?”
“Does that have to be mutually exclusive?” he argued, wrapping an arm around his stomach as his face heated.
“I guess not. Alright, breakfast it is.” He climbed off Drew, pulling him to his feet, and they went in search of food.
Drew checked the fridge while Sam rifled through the cupboards.
“Long life milk,” he called.
Sam reported back a moment later. “Coffee. Tons of coffee. And some sort of packaged oatmeal. And there’s a microwave.”
A few minutes later they were sitting around the table with large cups of coffee and bowls of flavored oatmeal.
“I don’t know how you can eat something so sickly sweet in the mornings,” Sam said, pointing his spoon at Drew’s bowl of maple syrup and cinnamon flavored oatmeal.
Sam’s was cinnamon and banana. Drew thought his looked more appetizing but Sam ate with gusto.
“We’ll need to get to Materdale early so we can check out the meeting spot. I don’t want you there when this courier comes.”
“No.” Drew shook his head. “I know Diego. It’ll need to be me who meets them. Diego doesn’t trust you yet.”
“I don’t trust him.”
“We’ve been safe in his home for the better part of a day. In a few hours, we’ll have the information we need. We’ve come this far, can we really risk not getting what we came for?”
“Alright, we’ll do it your way,” Sam capitulated.
The walk back to the car was far more pleasant than the walk to the house. The ground was still wet and muddy, but though the skies were overcast, there was no rain.
Sam was quiet but alert and Drew just tried to focus on keeping his footing this time around. The car was where they left it and, after a hairy few seconds wondering if they were going to be stuck in the mud, they managed to turn and get back on the road.
Drew got the radio on, searching for a channel. This far out there was mostly static on the FM. As they came closer to populated areas, they picked up a local station and were treated to a long two minutes of country music before they mercifully cut it short for news and weather. There wasn’t much of interest, a burst water main somewhere neither of them had heard of and a county fair.
“We could always swing by, it sounds like fun,” Drew suggested, after the presenter gushed for a full five minutes on the variety of craft stalls.
“Yeah, I always need knitted socks. It’s not the same when they’re not handmade.”
The town of Materdale was a sleepy place that hadn’t yet woken when they drove through it at nine am. They stopped to ask directions to the old mill which was on the other side of the town. As they drove through the center, it occurred to Drew that he was wrong. This was probably as lively as a town like this got, which was to say, not very.
“Quaint,” Sam remarked.
“I like it. Wouldn’t want to settle here, though.”
“Yeah, not enough danger and excitement for you, huh?”
“Maybe I’ve got the wrong idea. I’m sure they’d appreciate a good, if inartistic, barista.”
They got one or two odd glances as they drove through, but most people paid them no mind. The pace of life here seemed almost snail-like compared to the frenetic activity of the city. In one way, Drew could see the appeal. He felt like he’d had enough excitement to last him a lifetime but was well aware they were only at the beginning of this adventure.
The old mill had long since closed; boarded up, the area around it quiet. They stopped in front of it and got out, Sam doing a quick scout of the area while Drew took out his phone. When a car drove by, he held it up, pretending to take a picture. He took a few real ones for good measure, on the off chance someone asked to see his phone.
Sam was back after only a few short minutes. “Nothing going on,” he said. “I guess we just wait.”
Drew could see he was on alert for danger. He was scanning the area repeatedly, conscious of the few vehicles that came their way.
The area was quiet enough that they could hear the approaching engines long before the vehicles came into view. At nine-forty, another engine approached, not a car but a motorcycle. It came to a stop across the road from them. He and Sam were sitting on the bonnet of the car. Sam straightened up, cautious eyes watching the new arrival. He stepped off the bike before taking off his helmet. Only he was a she.
She clocked the mill, then glanced at them, before reaching into the back of her bike. Sam’s hand went to his waist where his holster secured his gun, hidden under his jacket. He didn’t draw it, just kept his hand there, watching her, his body angled so she couldn’t see what he was doing.
“Sam,” Drew said in warning. Diego wouldn’t have sent danger to them, that was one thing he was certain of.
The woman pulled a package from the back of her bike and crossed the road towards them. Sam relaxed, bringing his hand to rest on his thigh.
“Which one of you is Andrew?” she asked.
“I am,” he said, holding up a hand.
“Excellent. Early and everything. I like that in a man.” She kept a straight face as she spoke, glancing down at the package.
“Hold on, I’m supposed to ask you a security question.” She straightened up and cleared her throat, as if about to make an announcement. “If I’m a meal, but not lunch, if I’m weapon, but not a bat, if I’m one and I’m all, I am a…”
Drew thought quickly, watching Sam turn to him in consternation. “I am a walrus,” he said.
“And so you are. Enjoy your day.” She handed him the package, didn’t ask for a signature, and crossed back to her bike. They watched her get back on, do a U-turn and drive back the way she came.
“A walrus?”
“It’s a movie reference.”
“Diego likes his clues.”
“Maybe a little too much. Had we not had that coffee, I probably wouldn’t have got that.”
They got back in the car and started driving.
“Should I open it?”
“Definitely. I want to know what we have so we can decide what to do.”
Inside was a large sheaf of paper and three USB keys. There was a folded, typed note.
'Three copies and some bedtime reading,' was all it said.
“What are those papers?” Sam asked.
Drew slipped the USB keys back into the envelope. They weren’t much help without a computer. He flicked through the papers, ignoring the lurch and protest of his stomach.
“Some of them are emails, Russell's, someone else’s. Not… not the emails I sent. Different ones. News articles about… about the kind of stuff Russ is doing. The anti-competition stuff. I don’t understand all of it. A coroner’s report on that… that man’s death.” Drew couldn’t say his name.
He kept going through it. There was a lot there and Drew couldn’t say for certain how Diego had accessed all of it. Some of it looked like internal company memos. Not just Russ’ company but one of his rivals as well.
“I think I know part of what Diego was trying to tell us. A few of these articles mention an investigator with the FBI specializing in corporate fraud. Fred Mathis.”
“Okay, so Diego is pointing us toward who to approach with the information.”
“It looks like it.”
He considered for a moment before adding, “Diego told me to get a lawyer. He says I need to protect myself.”
Sam glanced over at him.
“What do you think?”
“I think I’m in over my head and it looks bad that I worked for Russ, had a relationship with him, and lived with him for over a year. It wouldn’t be hard for them to connect the dots and decide I was in on it. And a few words from Russ would do the same.”
“But you weren’t?”
It was the first time Sam had asked him outright.
“I ran the day I found out.”
“But you went back.”
His chest seized at the challenge.
“He didn’t give me a choice. If he had, I’d never have—”
Sam pulled over.
“Hey, take a breath, okay? I believe you, I’m just trying to see it from the other side. I think Diego might be right about you needing legal representation. But now that we have the information, I don’t think we should sit on it either. So we’ll need to get all our ducks in a row very quickly. I can call the VA for a recommendation or we can call the bar association and they’ll give us one.”
“I don’t have the money for that. Well, I do, but I can’t get to it without Russell.”
“We’ll work around that.”
“Okay.” He forced himself to take a few deep breaths. “Okay, I can do this.”
“Yeah, you can.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
They took a different route back to the city, stopping at another motel for the night. They arrived late and left early, neither of them getting much sleep.
Sam asked Drew to take a turn driving the next morning so he could make some calls to try to get them an appointment with a lawyer.
In between the calls, Vex rang.
“Sam, your apartment has been broken into.”
“What? When?”
“At best guess, last night. No one heard or saw anything. Whoever it was, was quiet but thorough. The whole place has been turned over. Your gun safe was opened…”
“I have it on me.”
“Good. I’ve called the local precinct. They’ve sent a couple of uniforms and they’re going to call in the crime scene unit to take fingerprints. I also told them about the guys watching the building. They’re going to pull CCTV footage. When you get back, they’re going to want to talk to you.”
“Yeah, thanks, Vex. How bad is the damage?”
“They put effort into not being heard, so not too much irreparable damage. A bit of a clean-up, a new lock, and it’ll be good as new. There is one thing though.”
“What’s that?”
“Drew was staying in your guest room, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Did you take his stuff with you when you left? Clothes and things.”
“No.”
“Well, the room has been completely cleared out.”
“Alright. Thanks, Vex, I’ll let him know.”
“Sam?” He knew Drew had heard most of it but filled him in anyway.
“Russell,” was all Drew said when he’d finished.
“Yeah. I guess when he didn’t see you or me going in and out of the apartment, he got impatient and sent someone in there to see what the story was.”
“I’m really sorry, Sam. Is anything salvageable?”
“From what Vex said, it sounds like it’s nothing that can’t be put to rights, except for your belongings.”
“I didn’t have much. Nothing I’ll miss.”
Despite Drew’s words, he could see he was shaken. They switched seats, Sam taking over the driving. Half an hour later his phone rang again. It was Matt’s sister. He pulled over to take the call, getting out for some air. Drew got out too, stretching his legs.
Hearing her upset tone, he walked away a little to get some privacy. When he ended the call a few minutes later, he turned to see Drew leaning against the car.
“What’s wrong?”
“Matt had a visitor at the hospital.” He wasn’t sure how much to tell Drew, not wanting to scare him.
“I don’t understand. Is he okay?”
“Yeah, he is. He’s upset but I think his mother and his sister are more so.”
“Why, what happened? Who was it?”
“He said he was family and staff let him into Matt’s room. He told Matt he was a family member of Matt’s boyfriend, Jon. The one who died in Afghanistan. Apparently, he said a lot of things, about it being Matt’s fault and Matt not doing enough to save him. Left Matt a razor blade and told him to end it. Thing is, they got a friend of Matt’s to call the family and they didn’t even know he was in there. But this guy signed the visitor log with the name Russell.”
He was shaking with anger as he spoke. Drew went white, falling against the car as if his legs wouldn’t quite hold him up.
“Russ went after Matt?” His voice was barely more than a whisper.
“I guess, when he couldn’t find you, and he couldn’t find me, it pissed him off. He’s trying to make a point, about who he is and what he can do.”
“Is… is Matt...” Drew faltered and fell silent.
“He’s okay, like I said. Shaken, but was able to tell a staff member what had happened and they took the blade. They’ve made security aware and only people who’ve been pre-approved can visit. They’re going to get pictures so they can confirm identities before visits.”
He felt sick to his stomach. Matt was already so vulnerable and what Russ did was stick a knife right in the heart of his vulnerability then give him the means to yank it free and bleed out. Wiping a hand across his mouth, he tried to collect his thoughts.
“They’ve made statements to the police. We’ll need to make statements, too. I think they have CCTV, you’ll need to ID Russell, if it was him and not one of his lackeys. God, this is such a mess.”
Glancing up at Drew, Sam was just in time to see him turn a shade paler, stumbling forward a few steps before bending at the waist and throwing up. He was by his side in an instant, holding him upright and rubbing a hand across his back.
Once he was done, Sam helped him over to the car and sat him in the backseat, pulling a bottle of water from the front and handing it to him.
“Sorry, Sam. I just can’t believe Russ is doing this. Matt has nothing to do with anything. He’s been through enough, he doesn’t need this.”
He put a hand over his mouth, muffling a sob.
“This isn’t your fault, Drew. He’s trying to get to you through me, that’s what this is. Matt is safe and we’ll make sure he stays that way.”
“What about Logan? What about your family? Matt’s mother and sister? Vex? How many more people have to get hurt?”
Drew took a sip of water, then a long swallow, choking out a handful of tears.
Sam took the bottle from him then tugged him into an embrace. “It’s going to be okay. Once he realizes what we have on him, how serious this is, he’ll stop all this crap.”
Now, more than ever, th
ey needed to get the information to someone who could use it. Once it was out there, there was no going back, nowhere for Russell to hide.
“Is it even safe to go back to Jed’s? What if he’s tracked us that far?”
“I’ll call ahead, check the coast is clear. We’ll switch the car for my bike and get to the lawyer’s office. From there, we make a plan to meet with this FBI Agent and get the ball rolling.”
It took another few minutes to coax Drew back into the passenger seat and get back on the road. They were both shaken and neither of them spoke much as they drove, Sam keeping his attention on the road and Drew staring out the window as the world raced by.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Drew struggled to pull together the thoughts that raced through his head. Russell was taking out his anger, not on Drew, but on Sam and people Sam cared about. Did he suspect something more between them? Russ could be jealous, he’d seen it more than once.
The few times he glanced at Sam, his face was a mask of anger, and no wonder. After all he’d done to protect Matt, Russ got right to him and did as much damage as he could. Another wave of guilt surged through him and he turned his head away. This was what Vex meant, about not taking advantage of Sam’s goodwill. It would be a matter of days, if not weeks, before they were in a safe enough position to reveal all the information they had. In that time, Russ could do a lot of damage. And it wasn’t Drew who’d be hurt the most.
He made up his mind as they passed the first road sign for the city. There was no way he was dragging Sam down any further into this with him. Not with the very real possibility that he could be hurt. Even worse would be someone he cared about getting hurt, because Sam would blame himself. Not Russ, not Drew. He’d carry it all on his own shoulders.
His plan was simple, all he needed was the chance to put it into action. Sam didn’t ask any questions when Drew pulled out his phone and told him he was sending a message to Diego.
When they pulled up outside Jed’s house, they both got out, but Drew waited by the car while Sam went inside, telling him he needed some fresh air. It was the truth, he was still shaky and nauseous. Pulling the envelope from the car, he took a pen and scrawled a message on it, then set it down on the passenger seat, closing the door and walking quickly away.
Give and Take (Ties That Bind Book 1) Page 14
