“What’s up?”
“I’m at the ER with Chase and ran into Mom.” The need to call his brother was confusing, as he didn’t actually know what was wrong. “Dad’s here, but she won’t tell me why. I thought a combined force might get us more information, like why and where.”
“Why is Chase in the ER? Wait, did you say Dad was in the hospital? What the hell for? Other than insane, he seemed fine when we saw him.”
“I don’t know what for,” he ground out. “She won’t tell me. Something about a promise to him not to.”
“And Chase?”
“Oh, he fell on his bruised wrist. Seems it was a little worse than he led us to believe. Needless to say, I have to remind myself that going and killing the fucker isn’t in Chase’s best interest.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can. I’m at Lexie’s, so it won’t take long,” Dal replied and hung up.
“He’ll be here soon, Chase, but I still wish you’d report this and press charges.”
“Don’t, okay? You’re supposed to be babying me and stuff, not harassing me.” Chase pouted, but Rhys could tell this time it was real. He felt like an ass for fighting with Chase. He was right. He should be trying to comfort him.
“All right, sweetheart. What can I do while we wait for the doctors to come back? Maybe you can get them to make your cast some cool color. I mean, I’ve seen everything from camo to dinos to stars and stripes. It won’t be too bad, really.”
“My job is based around my ability to type, Rhys. How the hell am I supposed to finish my current projects or work to keep the influx of business? One-handed isn’t going to work!”
“Hey, now, no yelling. You’re going to scare someone.” Rhys thought about the issue, hoping his next words would be taken the way they were meant. “What about if I get you some of that software where you tell the computer what to do instead of typing it all? And, uh, maybe you could ask Grayson about working for you. He’d like that.”
“Grayson is your friend and came here to help with the serial-killer case, not to babysit my consulting company. How long can he stay, anyway?”
The question gave Rhys hope that maybe Chase would listen. Besides, he’d love to have Grayson closer. “He took a leave of absence to come help out, but I’m sure you could talk him into staying longer. He hates it in DC. He only stays because it’s where he’d been living.”
Chase stared off into nothing for a few minutes, but Rhys refrained from pushing, knowing how Chase’s mind worked at times like this. After a bit, he was rewarded for his patience. “I will talk to him. Really, I need another person or forty-hour days. And he’s good enough. But I don’t need your program. I have one I wrote myself that works for programming, which most wouldn’t be any good for, but I won’t be even half as fast as normal using it.”
“That’s fine. Talk to Grayson, hire a temp, whatever you need to do. Just don’t mess up your wrist or hurt yourself trying to be Super Chase. Please.”
“I’ll be good, or try to be.” Chase looked around the room and scowled. “Where’s the damn doctor? I want to go home.”
“I know, sweetheart. I know.”
“Chase? Rhys? You two okay?” Dal said as he stormed through the door.
Chase looked up and frowned. “Yeah, your brother is just overly paranoid.”
“You fell on the same arm that ass hat hurt, and it was bad enough you screamed and wouldn’t let me touch it, even to see how severely it was damaged. Get over it, Chase,” Rhys snapped.
“Rhys, chill.” Dal turned to face Chase again. “What exactly is wrong with your wrist?”
“I just got back from X-ray,” Chase sulked. “Seems it was already damaged, and when I fell, it created a hairline crack. We’re waiting on someone to put it in a cast. Dammit!”
“Do you want to press charges? I mean, breaking your wrist is a lot more severe than a simple bruise.”
“I don’t—”
“Yes, you will. You would demand James did if it was him hurt. Do you think I care about your safety any less than you do about James’s?”
“Of course I would,” Chase snapped. “But his ex had a thing for hunting him down to hurt and terrorize him. I’ll never see Jonathan, though.”
“Chase,” Dal interrupted again. “I won’t make you report it, but if he broke your wrist over you coming to warn him he might be in danger, what might he be doing to his wife and kids when they act up?”
He snorted but looked up at Dal, his eyes cloudy, lips tight. “You really think it could be more than just him panicking I might out him?”
Dal shrugged. “Dunno, but he broke your wrist. That doesn’t sound like someone I’d want near kids unchecked.”
“I’ll think about it. Right now, I just want to get through this,” Chase said as a nurse and a doctor entered the small room. “Why don’t you two go get some coffee, and Rhys can tell you about his parents while this nice man wraps my hand and arm in gross stuff.”
“Yeah,” Dal said. “That sounds good. Alex is waiting for me anyway.”
Rhys grumbled, leaned down to kiss Chase’s forehead, and followed Dal out.
HALF AN hour or so later, Chase was finally released from the hell the ER doctor put him through over a simple cast; though to be fair, the fact he asked for a rainbow cast was probably half the reason for the guy’s attitude. Make a doctor raid the kiddie area? Yeah, he did, but looking down at his arm, he smiled, loving that if he had to wear the damn thing, at least it was colorful.
He was pulled out of his musings by Dal’s deep voice. “Cute. Don’t they have braces and things they could use instead of the big cast?”
“Probably, but the doctor insisted this was better and would limit my movements. He”—Chase rolled his eyes and nodded at Rhys—“convinced the doc I needed the big one. At least he was willing to take the time to make it pretty.”
“It’s cool,” the beautiful light-skinned black man with Dal said softly. Chase looked him over quickly, pleased with what he saw, hoping this was Dal’s new boyfriend. He was about Chase’s height, thin but wiry. He also had soft brown eyes so light they were gold. Looks aside, it was the way he watched Dal that made Chase happy. Dal needed someone to love that would love him back, and this guy… yeah, he fit the bill nicely.
“Thanks. You’re Alex, right? If we wait for these two to introduce us, we’ll still be here next spring.”
“Brat,” Rhys grumbled, tousling his hair playfully.
Dal chuckled, “My apologies, guys. Chase, this is Alex Nobel. Lexie, this colorful character is Chase Manning, IT god, and he’s crazy enough to be dating Rhys.”
“So nice to meet you, Alex.”
Alex nodded, a shy smile pulling at his lips. “Thanks.”
“Damn, Dal, he’s even cuter than Nikki,” Chase said and grinned.
“Chase!” both Dal and Rhys groaned in unison. “Be good, please,” Dal continued.
“What? He is. Cuter than her hubby or his brother too.”
“I didn’t date her husband,” Dal defended.
“No, but you did date her and her brother-in-law,” Chase countered. Teasing Dal was so much fun.
“She was an experiment or you’re bi?” Alex asked, his voice soft, not meeting Dal’s gaze.
“Bi, yeah. I dated Nikki a couple of years ago. She’s Rhys’s office person for his PI business. Is that a problem?” He shifted from foot to foot, and Chase instantly regretted his words.
“N-no, I just didn’t know you liked girls too. Is that why—” He cut himself off, glancing over to where Chase and Rhys watched them.
“Why what?”
“Nothing. Don’t you need to find your dad? I can go home if you like. One of them can probably drop you off to get your bike, if you’d rather.”
Dal hesitated but then answered, “You don’t have to stay, baby. I know you have your sister coming over tomorrow. Well, this morning. It’s okay if you want to meet Mom another time.”
Chase patted
Dal on the arm. “Hey, big guy, why don’t I take Alex for a quick bite and you two go do the parent thing. Your mom was acting really weird, and I don’t think either of us,” he added, gesturing to Alex and himself, “are going to help her feel better about talking right now.”
Alex tensed and looked up at Dal, the question clear in his beautiful amber eyes.
Dal nodded. “Be careful, and Chase, be nice. Lexie means a lot to me.”
“I know he does, Dal. You two go figure out what’s up with your mom and dad, while we go grab some breakfast.”
They all agreed, and Dal and Rhys walked Alex and Chase out. Once at the car, each man opened the door and gave a kiss to his respective partner. They took Alex’s car, seeing as he’d driven Dal over and Chase wasn’t ready to drive quite yet.
“CANCER?”
His mom nodded, tears still streaming down her cheeks. They sat in the family waiting area, not wanting to disturb their dad. Nor did they want her hiding behind their dad and not telling them what was going on. “We found out just before we left to visit family in Wales.”
“Wait,” Rhys growled. “You’ve known for months he has cancer and haven’t said word one to either of us? He’s our dad!”
“And he’s my husband,” she snapped. “He didn’t want you to know yet. It’s nonsense, but he wanted to wait until he didn’t have a choice. Your dad hopes the treatments he is to start shortly will cure him.”
“So he wouldn’t have to ever say anything? Typical.” Dal fumed, as did Rhys, but they both knew that was the way Bryn was. Never wanted to appear weak, not even when diagnosed with breast cancer—how did a man get that anyway? “Wait, Mom, is this what’s behind his sudden push for me to marry and have kids?” Dal asked, paling dangerously in Rhys’s opinion.
She blushed, looking down at her hand, which clutched wet tissues. She nodded.
“We’ll do everything we can for Dad, but you can’t let him bully Dal like this. It’s not fair.”
“I know,” she sniffled. “I told him that, but he’s determined to have grandkids before he… before he….” She burst into tears again, shaking with her sobs.
Dal wrapped her in his arms, rocking her gently as they both tried to comfort her. An eternity later, she finally calmed but clutched them both to her. “I can’t lose him,” she stated, her voice ruined from all the tears.
“There’s so much that can be done, Mom. We will get him the best doctors in the world. I promise,” Dal murmured, Rhys rumbling his agreement.
They gave her a few minutes to freshen up. When she rejoined them, she sat next to Dal and took his hand, patting it. “Sweetheart, can’t you just go along with things for your dad’s sake? Once he’s better, you can break it off with the girl if you really want.”
He pulled away, worrying his cuticle as he spoke. “I—” He snapped his mouth shut and looked around the room, desperation in his eyes.
“He’ll think about it, okay?” Rhys interjected. He wasn’t about to let his father’s illness destroy his brother and his chance at happiness.
“We just want you happy, baby, and you would make a great father.”
“Thanks,” Dal mumbled, not looking up.
“And it would mean so much to your dad,” she continued, seemingly having no clue how her words were wounding his baby brother. “But, if you stick around, your father will realize you know about his health. Let me be the one to tell him, not have him wake to the two of you stalking his room.”
“We’ll go for now,” Rhys commented, his hand a firm pressure on Dal’s shoulder. “But we won’t keep this hidden for long. He should have his family around him, supporting him. And Dal will consider dating to keep him calm. Deal?”
“Agreed, Rhys. Dal?” She looked at Dal, hope clear in her eyes.
Dal took a deep breath and then nodded. “I’ll see what I can do to make things easier for him. That’s the best I can promise right now.”
She beamed at him, hugged them both, and wished them a good rest of their night. She waved to them as they left her outside their father’s hospital room door.
Chapter 21
“SIMON,” CHASE grumbled.
“Don’t you dare ‘Simon’ me. We’ve barely seen you lately, and you’ve kept that sexy beast of yours practically hidden. I know I wasn’t up for dealing with him the last time I was over, when he came to get you, but you’re our friend.” Simon put his hands on his hips as he continued fussing. “And if he’s this damn important to you suddenly, then we need to get to know him better.”
Chase knew Si was right, he just hated that his friends knew only the bad stuff about Rhys, not how sweet or protective or loyal the man was. They didn’t need to know how delicious or ravenous, though, and he knew that was the kind of gossip Si most loved. “I already have to take him to meet Mom, I suppose I can arrange something for you and the guys too. I mean, you’ve already met him.”
“Yeah, when he hurt you.” Si rolled his eyes and sighed. “Now that things are working out so you two are a couple, it’s different.”
“All right. How about dinner and drinks? Eat, visit, get to know each other…. But no being mean to him, Si.” When Simon grinned, Chase added, “I mean it, Simon. I won’t have you picking on him, making him feel like an outsider. I—” He stumbled to a halt as what he’d almost said reverberated through his mind and heart.
“You what, babe?”
“I-I think I love him,” Chase whispered. His knees threatened to give out on him as he grabbed the kitchen counter in Simon’s apartment.
“Oh, dear,” Simon murmured, grabbing a stool and guiding Chase onto it. “Like love with the dick or love with the heart?”
“I don’t play at relationships, and you know it, Si,” Chase snapped, irritated that his friend was on one of his ‘love isn’t real’ kicks lately. He understood, really. Being dumped like he had had to hurt, but Rhys wasn’t like that.
“I know,” Si soothed. “I didn’t mean it that way, no matter what I sounded like. I’m just surprised is all. You haven’t told him yet, have you?”
Chase shook his head. “Not really. He knows I care about him and I trust him, but no, I haven’t said the words.”
“Do you think he feels the same?”
He thought about that for a minute, concluding that yes, Rhys had to love him. “I think so. You haven’t seen how he is around me or how he’s been with all the murder insanity. I mean, he picked me up, carried me to the car, and even buckled me in when I fell and made this thing worse,” Chase explained, brandishing his brightly colored cast. “He tried to kill that ass of a cop the other day. And how he is when we do nothing….”
“Yeah, even with everything bad lately, you’ve smiled more since you two finally started seeing each other than you have in years. So, what ya going ta do about it?” Simon asked, right brow arched so high Chase wanted to smack him.
“Keep working on us, I guess. I mean, we’re practically living together as it is. Well, until all this serial stuff is done.”
“Do you want to move back to your nice but empty apartment or stay in that big loft of his you told me about?”
“I don’t know.”
“Yes, you do. Don’t BS me. Where do you want to be?”
“It doesn’t matter. We aren’t to that point yet, and I’ve never lived with a boyfriend. Stayed over, sure, but not lived with.”
Simon draped his arm about Chase’s shoulder. “You tell me not to worry how fast the guys in the stories I write fall in love or move to the happily ever after stage, that love has its own timetable. Why would you think your heart had one? Or that his does, for that matter? If he is the one for you, then don’t let my moping influence you. Make him your partner instead of just your boyfriend.”
Chase thought for a minute and then smiled. He looked at his friend, wishing Si could feel the happiness Rhys gave him. “Thanks, hun.”
“I didn’t do anything. Now, go home and get your man.”
He
hugged Simon tight, hoping Si could find the same happiness he had with Rhys. “I think I’ll stop and get lunch and then go back to Rhys’s. I think it’s time we had a talk.” Chase laughed when he thought about how Rhys would hate being told that.
On his way over, he decided to stop and eat at Jake’s Deli. He hadn’t been there in a while, and with all the weirdness lately, he wanted something familiar. He sent Rhys a text, letting him know he would be back in a bit and asking if he wanted to come over to his place. He’d barely been home in days, and he was tired of the limited supply of clothes and body products he had at Rhys’s.
He got through the line quickly and sat at one of the small tables, intending to dig into his tuna on wheat-berry when a shadow fell over his food. He was startled to see Jonathan again.
“Mind if I sit?” The tone didn’t match the scowl on Jonathan’s face, but he figured since they were in public, he was relatively safe. He nodded.
“Here,” Jonathan said, reaching for his empty cup. “I’ll get your drink, then we can talk.”
“All right,” he agreed, confused at the man’s actions, but then Jonathan had stopped making sense to him when they were still teens. He didn’t figure he had any chance of figuring him out now.
HE WAS cold, and God, did his head hurt! What the hell? Chase tried to roll over but found he couldn’t move. Fighting down the terror threatening, he cracked open his eyes to find it was pitch-dark, wherever he was.
Chase took a moment to assess his body and his lack of mobility, realizing his hands and feet were bound, but with no lights, he wasn’t certain with what. He was gagged, and that, more than the dark or the binding, had him freaking out in seconds. He couldn’t seem to get enough air, no matter how hard he tried, nor could he calm down.
Moments later, the world faded until he heard only his own panicked breathing. Then he heard nothing.
CHASE CAME to again, a sharp undulating pain blossoming through his side over and over. He struggled to get out of the way of whatever was attacking him, but he was still unable to move. He cried out, begging around the gag in his mouth for whoever was there to stop please.
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