by Elise Whyles
Maybe it was just the stress of having a firebug in their area. They’d had ten more spot fires in the month since Jack and Gillian had come up. A bit of fun might do them both some good; it couldn’t hurt. If his thoughts sounded desperate, he ignored it. Slamming through the drawers, he made short work of changing into clothes more suited to going to the local bar than work. On edge, anger simmering to cover the hurt, he hurried back to the kitchen where Sean stood cutting into a roast.
“Hey, did you want…” Sean turned, a confused look on his face. “You going somewhere?”
“Was thinking we could head into town. We both have tomorrow off, so we could make a night of it. Stop by the pub, have a couple of beers, some burgers, you know, get away from the office entirely,” Luke suggested. He narrowed his eyes at the flush sneaking up Sean’s throat, the way his eyes were downcast. Anger flared even before Sean could give him an answer.
Luke gaped in horrified shock as Sean shook his head. “What? Why?”
“We don’t need to.” Sean's voice cracked when he spoke. “I mean there’s people…”
Rage and an icy betrayal ripped through Luke. With a low curse, he spun away from Sean who hovered near the kitchen counter. Pacing the confines of the room, Luke faced him, his arms crossed over his chest. “So? Did you think about what would happen when the season was over? There are people back in Drumheller.”
“Well, of course there is. I just don’t think we need to…”
“Oh my fucking God, I get it. Damn, it has taken me a month to figure this out, but I’ve finally got it.”
“Luke, please, I don’t think…”
“I knew you weren’t overly anxious to come out. I figured with time you’d get comfortable, be willing to explore that part of our relationship. Relationship—what a fucking joke.” Luke clenched his fists, his throat tight with emotion. This hurt worse than any pain he’d felt with Tony’s cheating. His heart cracking, he stared at Sean. “But you aren’t going to, are you? What, did you figure we’d just hide this? Pretend in public that we’re just co-workers, nothing more? You had no interest in being with me when the season was over, did you? I’m an easy fuck for you and that’s it.” Ignoring Sean’s sputtering and his pale, stricken face, Luke struggled to rein in his temper and control the pain that hurt far worse than Tony’s cheating ever had. “Yeah, don’t want to disappoint dear old dad, or show anyone you like fucking me. Still clinging to the old ‘I need someone with tits’ bullshit, huh? Well, you know what, I’m done.”
“Please, Luke, no, you’ve got it…”
Turning, Luke grabbed his jeans jacket, his hand fumbling for his keys. The urge to run, to get away from the agony searing through his chest, pushed him into clumsiness. “Doesn’t matter. I’m gonna go into town, have a beer. I’ll be back in the morning.”
“Luke, don’t do this. Please.”
“Do what? Go looking for a new thrill? Look for something beyond a few nights in the sack?” Luke spat, whirling to face a pale Sean. “Exclusivity belongs in a relationship; we don’t have one. You just wanted an easy fuck to show you what you thought you wanted. But it isn’t, is it? You don’t want to be gay, or want to have anything more than a few hot nights between the sheets. Then you can run back to your old life, find a woman, settle down and—fuck this. The fool I am, I wanted you. I couldn’t help the attraction—and against my better judgment, against everything I’ve ever thought, I let myself fall for the poor, innocent little virgin who doesn’t know how to be gay. Fuck it.”
“Don’t you think for a minute I only wanted to experiment. I wouldn’t do that. I care about you.” Sean stepped toward him, his eyes pleading for something, shimmering with disappointment. “I wasn’t using you for a fuck. Geezus, Luke, you can’t pretend to be something like that. I just don’t see the need…”
“I don’t see any need to stay here on my days off with someone who only wants to be with me so long as we keep it in the dark, behind closed doors, because, God forbid, we run into someone you may know and ruin your sterling reputation. Thanks, but no thanks. I’ve done that already, and I’m not into being someone’s fallback guy.” Luke shook his head; he refused to be a fool for the second time. “You wanna know the funny part?” His voice cracked as he grabbed the door handle. “I wasn’t playing; like an idiot I fell in love. Doesn’t that just crack you up?”
The door slammed shut behind him, and he jammed his arms into his coat as he stomped toward the truck. He climbed into the cab and slammed the door, his gaze cutting to the station as Sean threw the door open and stepped out into the fading sunlight.
Slamming the truck into gear, he tromped on the gas and reversed. Ignoring Sean’s waving arms, Luke headed for Jasper. He was done. Cursing as he felt his heart shatter, Luke downshifted around the bend before hitting the accelerator.
“I’m an idiot,” he whispered and cranked the radio up. His foot hit the brakes as the headlights caught the faint movement on the side of the road. The truck skidded sideways, fishtailing wildly a moment before a man dressed in camouflage stepped out. Luke felt his world tumble as he saw the object in the man’s hands. Before he could grab the radio to call for help, a loud report splintered the night, and a searing wash of pain filled his chest. Darkness cast its shawl over him as the figure in the headlights moved forward, the rifle lifting with each step.
*
Sean kicked at a stone in the yard, his heart in his throat. How was he supposed to refute Luke’s assumptions if the man wouldn’t even stand and fight? Damn it. He’d have a coffee and then he’d follow him. Maybe by then Luke would have cooled off and would be willing to listen to reason.
Loud, sharp, the report of a rifle sent shards of pain ripping through Sean as he stumbled on the bottom step. Turning, he scanned the shadow-encased yard. He raced up the steps and grabbed the keys to the old truck and the rifle, every instinct within him telling him Luke was hurt.
“Please, don’t let it be serious. Please. Please.” Praying as the old Ford cranked over with a sputter, Sean tore down the road. Ahead he could see the taillights, and he floored it. Fishtailing wildly, he brought the old truck to a halt and scanned the area. The newer Chevy sat idling, the headlights illuminating the thick underbrush. In the fading light, Sean could see the shattered windshield through the open driver’s door.
Rifle in hand, he stepped out of the truck, his attention swinging wildly through the shadows. “Conservation Officer, come out with your hands up.” The eerie howl of an owl the only sound he heard. Sean reached through the door, grabbed the hand radio and his flashlight before slamming the door. Casting the light around on the ground, panic swelled at the drag marks from the truck. Blood trailed into the brush. A keening wail built in his throat, pushed back only by sheer will as he followed the trail.
Red streaks coated the broad leaves of the trees. A muffled grunt echoed in the silence as he stepped over a log. Broken branches and crushed leaves shimmered in the glow of his flashlight. Fear rose, pushing against the control and training he’d undergone. Luke was hurt bad, judging by the amount of blood.
Inhaling, Sean tensed, every muscle clenching at the faint smell of gasoline and smoke. “No.” Breaking into a run, he offered a silent prayer that Luke would be okay. Branches and leaves struck him in the face as he ducked through the deciduous brush. With each stride, he offered a desperate prayer that Luke was safe.
The flicker of a fire danced through the thick branches, and Sean’s blood ran cold. Turning off the flashlight, he lifted the barrel of the gun and eased forward. Forcing any thoughts of Luke from his head, Sean instead focused on his breathing, keeping calm as he parted the branches and stepped into the small clearing. Luke lay on his face beside the fire, his body bent at an odd angle with one knee bent, the toes of his sneakers digging into the earth. Blood soaked the left side of his body, his jeans saturated with it.
From where he stood, Sean couldn’t see if he was still breathing or not. Rage filled him as a
figure stepped into the clearing. His arms full of wood, he kicked Luke’s leg out of the way and dropped the timber beside him.
His fingers tightened on the trigger, the rage building as Sean crept closer to the man’s camp. He wanted to smash the man into the ground. His stomach rebelled when the man picked up a jerry can and poured the contents over Luke’s body. Luke twitched at the temperature from what Sean assumed was gasoline. Inhaling, he choked back a cough at the familiar stench. When the man turned to the fire, Sean bolted. His weight slammed into the man, knocking him to the ground.
Fury unlike anything he’d felt exploded, and he punched the man. Grunts of pain filled the air as Sean pummeled on the man. With each blow, Sean could feel the horror eclipsing his anger. The bastard had intended to burn Luke alive. A pained moan from behind him drew Sean’s attention. Sputtering a curse, he dived for Luke who had rolled, his arm landing close enough to the fire that the flames had spread. After batting out the blaze, Sean hovered over Luke, one hand pressed against the bloody wound in his chest, as he stared at the battered man across from them. He reached for the rope lying next to the discarded jerry can. Sean made short work of tying his prisoner before he hurried back to Luke.
Lifting the radio, Sean pressed the button. “Officer Sean Tisman requesting immediate backup. Officer down, suspect in custody. Need EMS, requesting air transport.”
“Medics are en route.” The radio crackled and popped as Sean hunkered on the cool forest floor, his gaze steady on Luke’s ashen features.
“Please, please, hurry,” Sean pleaded as he put pressure on the bleeding wound. “I can’t lose him, I just can’t.”
Chapter 19
Rick hurried down the cold, impersonal corridor of Edmonton’s major hospital. Rounding the corner, he stumbled to a halt. Hunkered in a small plastic chair, his clothes charred and covered in blood, a young man stared at his hands. A look of pain and loss on his face. He stared at him for a moment before he hurried toward the nurses’ station.
“Constable Rick Feller.” Rick leaned on the desk. He smiled at the older woman sitting behind the desk, her glasses perched atop her head.
“Rick, how nice to see you.” Warm, familiar, the feminine voice behind him drew his attention.
“Sue, how are you?” He smiled at his ex-girlfriend. Dressed in blue scrubs, she held a chart in one hand and a coffee in the other as she appraised him.
“I’m well. What brings you by?”
“Got a call about Luke being hurt.”
“Ah, yes, he’s in surgery at the moment.” Sue frowned. “He was brought in by air an hour ago before I came on shift.”
“What’s the extent of his injuries?”
“I don’t have full details, but it looks like a gunshot wound to the chest and third degree burns along his left side and over 20 percent of his arm. He’s very lucky his partner was there to pull him out.”
“Where is his partner?” Rick glanced around the quiet nurses’ station of the ER. He frowned at the empty chair he’d seen the young man in earlier. Where had he vanished to?
Sue nudged his arm and pointed to a spot closer to the operating room. “He’s the young man sitting there covered in more grime than two people. Keeps saying it’s his fault, that he didn’t want his dad to know. One of the other nurses asked him earlier what he meant, and he just kept saying it was punishment.”
“Know what?”
“I haven’t spoken to him. Like I said, the other nurses were the ones to talk to him. Name’s Sean, if you’d like to talk to him. But don’t go scaring him; man looks like he’s liable to jump at the slightest sound. He drove in, I’m told. Beat the helicopter by two minutes. Jane said he came in with lights flashing—apparently the conservation trucks have flashing lights on them.”
With a nod, Rick turned and strode back to the waiting room. Dropping his hand from the gun at his side, he stopped next to Sean’s hunched-over body. Soot, blood, and debris covered his clothes. Streaks of red clung to the stubble along his jaw; his eyes were hollow, filled with agony as he glanced up at Rick. Rick shivered at the pain he saw. “Good morning, I’m Rick Feller, a constable…”
“Sean Tisman.” He grunted, holding out his hand. “And I’ve already told the last two officers who came by I don’t know who the bastard was who did it. He’s in custody as far as I know and should remain there until hell freezes over. I can guess at the why, but that’s about it.”
“Let’s start with the ‘why’ then. What reason do you believe someone would have to do this?”
“Because…” Sean’s gaze lifted, and Rick stumbled back at the guilt, the shame, and pain in his green eyes. “I made the mistake of falling in love with another man. Then I compounded it by not being careful to keep it hidden away enough. He found out, and Luke got hurt. I have an idea who it is, but unfortunately no proof.”
Rick tugged up his trouser legs and sat in the nearest chair. Something the nurse said echoed in his head. “Nurse said something about you not wanting your dad to know. What didn’t you want him to know?”
“About Luke. I guess I hoped my mom wouldn’t tell him I’d met someone. Or maybe someone saw us together and told him. Maybe the prick who did this knows him and told him. I don’t know exactly how he found out I was involved with Luke, but … like I said, I haven’t got any proof he’s behind it, but I know.” Sean’s breath caught, pain filling his eyes before they were hidden by his lashes. “Always said he’d do whatever it took to make me go straight.”
“Luke was your counterpart in Banff? Why would that be an issue for your father?” Rick pulled out his notebook and pen. Something wasn’t adding up. Luke was the most open gay man he’d ever met but that didn’t translate into someone attacking him because of his counterpart. Obviously, there was a lot more to this than he knew.
“Man has always hated everything that doesn’t put him on the upside. Hated us kids, hated the farm, the transient workers, Beth’s lawyers, everything. I wonder why he stayed.” Sean exhaled, a distant look entering his eyes as he stared at the wall. He flexed his fingers, his shoulders slumping slightly beneath some unseen weight. “But then, what can I expect from a man who sends someone after me because of my sexuality. How many times have I dodged him on seeking therapy? Beth just got out. Her ex-husband is just like Dad: a mean, bitter asshole.”
“Every father wants what’s best for his kids.” Rick leaned forward, his pen poised over his pad.
Sean straightened, his stare level with Rick’s. Icy hatred filled the green depths; fury and disgust twisted his lips. “You don’t understand my family, sir. My father married my sister to a man twenty years her senior. Growing up, if we did something he didn’t approve of, he had no issue using physical reprimands to correct us. Add in the fact, Constable Feller, I’m gay, and my father is hanging onto the edge of his temper by his fingernails. Any man around me stands to be on the receiving end of my father’s displeasure since he considers me to be a blight upon his family name.”
“Do you think he’d do something violent?”
Sean shuddered, a faraway look in his eyes that set Rick on edge. “I have no doubt he would. He’s not the most tolerant person, never has been.”
“Excuse me, Rick.” Sue hovered nearby. “Doctor Jortsi will see you now.”
“Thank you.” Rising to his feet, Rick tucked his notebook into his pocket. “Mister Tisman, please don’t go too far. I’d like to speak to you further. I do want to remind you, we are in the early stages of this investigation and…”
“I’m not leaving.” Sean raked his hands down his face, unmindful of the smears of soot or flakes of dried blood falling to the ground. He glanced at Sue. “When will Luke be moved to his own room? When can I see him? Did the surgery go okay?”
“He’ll be transferred to ICU within the next couple of hours. I think you should go get cleaned up before then, Mister Tisman.”
Sean glanced down, a frown on his face. “I, uh…”
“Th
ere’s a hotel across the street, tell them I sent you.” Rick held out the key card. “Room two thirty-five is usually held open for members.”
Sean took the card with a shaky hand. “You’ll let me know immediately…”
“Go, have a shower, a nap. It’ll be a while before he’s awake.”
“Okay. I’ll, uh, be back in an hour, then.”
Rick watched him shuffle off, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his uniform. He’d noticed the scratching along his knuckles, the bruising, and wondered if there was more to this than he’d first supposed. Had Sean and Luke had a physical confrontation? He immediately shook the idea off. Sean didn’t seem the kind of man who would do something as violent as this attack to someone he cared about.
“Doc tell you anything?”
“Only that he wanted to speak with you. I believe it’s in regards to evidence recovered.”
“What do you make of Sean?”
“Why? You think he had something to do with this?” Sue stared at him.
“No, he’s acting strange, but it’s not guilty strange.” Rick glanced over his shoulder, his mind a maze of confusion.
“I’m no cop, but the man as much as admitted to you he and Luke were lovers. You must be getting old if you didn’t pick up on that tidbit. I think he’s feeling guilty about being Luke’s boyfriend, about the violence.” Sue lowered her voice. “He’s refused to be parted from him. Kept saying he wasn’t leaving him. The man’s devastated, and it’s not forced or faked. He truly cares.”
“Doesn’t seem the type to be involved with Luke. Too grounded,” Rick muttered as he followed her down the hallway. “Luke’s more into the pretty boys, the ones who are all flash but no substance. It was why he and Tony were involved.”
“Perhaps. But when has the heart ever had a choice? Come on, no point in keeping the doctor waiting.”
* * * *
Sean paced along the narrow corridor, silently counting the squares of tile for the millionth time. He turned at the creak of a door opening and hurried toward the doctor and Rick as they exited Luke’s room. Three weeks of sitting in the silent room, watching the nurses change bandages, remove stitches, and peel the dead skin off the burns. Day in and day out of struggling not to break down, wanting to take away the pain, but he couldn’t. He’d made friends with Rick, the big, burly cop more at ease in a hospital room than he’d ever imagined he could be. Rick had been willing to let him be, to just drop by with a coffee or a bite to eat, never pushing. It was refreshing and something he’d never had before.
