Thunderstorms on the Horizon

by Kendel Duncan

  It hadn’t been King in that grainy video, but he had yet to be able to try to convince Row of that fact.

  But he now had a pretty good idea of who the other party was in the video, of who the man was who had stolen his favorite ballcap, put it on his head and pretended, successfully in Rowan’s mind, to be Kingston as he sucked off Shooter in that alley.

  Fucking David Campbell. The man who had interrogated both of them about the incident, trying to get King to admit that it was him in the video (he was unsuccessful) and trying to get Row to rat on who was in it (also unsuccessful).

  But even though Campbell had been unsuccessful, the damage was done. Both King’s and Rowan’s reputations had been ruined. There was no way they could stay in the service even if they wanted to.

  And Shooter had been killed just a few months later in a firefight, so King had lost that outlet for trying to prove his innocence.

  That left one man, one man who knew without a doubt that King was not the man in that video.

  David Campbell.

  And now this guy had just become the target in their case.

  Talk about being handed revenge on a silver-fucking-platter.

  King frowned over at Brent. Did the man know? No, he couldn’t possibly. Could he?

  Brent’s eyes lifted and locked with King’s and that was the moment King saw it: yes, he knew.

  Somehow this man knew exactly how their lives had been ruined.

  And he just handed them the ability to right every wrong.

  Suddenly Kingston Fisher was incredibly glad he had accepted this job offer.

  Ten

  Jaden had been quiet for at least five minutes when his chest heaved with a hiccup, his body’s way of reminding him how devastated he was.

  Colby’s hands tightened around his chest and his lips pressed into his hair. And then he began to speak.

  “It was my fault. Everything was my fault. We’d had a fight that afternoon.”

  “About what?”

  Colby sighed out a breath, “About keeping our relationship a secret. I was tired of hiding, he was terrified of coming out.”

  Jaden jerked in Colby’s arms, “Wait….are you saying my brother was gay?”

  “Gay or bi. He never really got old enough to figure that out like me.”

  “Because you killed him.”

  “Yeah, because of that,” Colby said with another sigh.

  “Keep going,” Jaden whispered.

  “So, we had our fight in the woods behind the gym. I told him I was tired of being made to feel like I didn’t matter to him. It hurt too much to see him chatting up some hot chick, flirting with her just so he could keep up appearances when he and I both knew that I was the one he wanted to be with. I gave him an ultimatum that afternoon, to come out or I was going to break up with him. He asked me for time to think about it, which I understood but it also broke my heart. But I let him go, thinking that he was just going to go home and think about shit.”

  “But he didn’t.”

  “No, he didn’t. I got a call from a friend of mine at one in the morning that he was at some party and he was so shit-faced he could barely walk. I drove there both to confront him and to get him home but when I got there I couldn’t find him. I spent twenty minutes searching that fucking packed house until I found him passed out in a bedroom. But he wasn’t just passed out, he was barely breathing. I panicked. There was no way I was going to wait for a fucking ambulance so I scooped him into my arms and ran to my car. I shoved him into the backseat and didn’t bother trying to buckle him. At that point all I could think of was getting him to the hospital. I drove like a bat outta hell, talking to him the whole way, trying to get him to wake up.” A shiver shook Colby’s body and Jaden knew that he was fighting back sobs. He waited patiently for the man to continue.

  “He, he, he started having a seizure in the backseat. I turned around for two seconds, reaching for him and screaming at him to hold on when somebody honked at me. I, fuck, I was drifting into oncoming traffic but when I yanked the wheel to correct it, I pulled too hard and the car shot off the road and side-swiped a tree. I tried to get to him to help him, but he’d been thrown from the car and I was pinned in by my steering wheel.”

  Jaden turned around in Colby’s arms, “But I thought you got sent to prison?”

  Colby nodded, “I did. Involuntary manslaughter.”

  “But you were just a kid and it was an accident.”

  “I was a kid who killed the boy I loved, Jaden, there was nothing accidental about it.”

  Jaden frowned, “But, what did the judge say at the trial? How could a jury find you guilty?”

  Colby released his hold on Jaden and sat up, “There wasn’t a trial, Jaden. I plead guilty.”

  “What? Why?” Jaden said and then the answer hit him, “You felt like you deserved to go to prison,” he whispered.

  Colby’s eyes narrowed as he glanced over, “I did deserve prison, Jaden. And I deserved everything that happened while I was in there.”

  Jaden sat up and faced Colby, “What happened when you were in there, Colby?”

  Pain washed over every fragment of Colby’s face, “I, I, not now, Jade, okay? I’m not ready to talk about that.”

  Jaden reached out and squeezed Colby’s hands, “It’s okay, Colby. I don’t need to know.”

  “I want to tell you, Jaden, someday. It’s just that I….I’ve never told anyone about my time in there. I don’t know if I can talk about it.”

  “I get it Colby, and it’s okay, it really is but….” His gaze moved away to stare at the window.

  “But what?”

  He turned back to look at Colby, “I can’t help but wonder if you’re here with me now because you’re trying to replace him,” he whispered.

  And didn’t that feel like another sucker punch to the gut.

  Colby reached up to cup Jaden’s cheek, sliding his thumb back and forth, “His were brown,” he whispered.

  “What?”

  “Westley’s eyes were brown. Yours are this amazing hazel with brown flecks in them that sparkle.”

  Jaden hitched in a breath.

  “And your laugh. When you laugh it lights up your entire face, it’s infectious.”

  Jaden frowned, “When have I laughed around you?”

  “You haven’t….yet. But, I told you…I’ve been watching you for a long time, Jaden.”

  A sweet smile lifted the corners of Jaden’s mouth, “That’s creepy and kind of stalkerish.”

  Colby smiled, “I know, but I couldn’t help it. When I first started to look for you, it was just to make sure that you were okay and I wanted to apologize to you but I was afraid to talk to you. But then…..” now it was Colby’s turn to look away.

  “But then, what?”

  Colby’s eyes moved back, “The more I watched you, the more that I began to know about you, I found that I needed, that I craved….more.”

  Jaden frowned.

  “What’s wrong?” Colby said.

  “All my life I’ve wanted to be loved, to find someone who would just love me for being me and I want it to be you, I’d love for it to be you but…..”

  “You can’t be sure now since you know that I loved your brother.”

  Jaden nodded, “Yeah.”

  “I understand, Jade, I really do.”

  Jaden frowned again, “See, that’s the thing. I’m not sure that you do. Westley was the only one who ever called me Jade and yet here you are doing it too. I feel like you know all this shit about me but I barely know who the fuck you are,” he scooted backwards and rose to his feet, “I need time, Colby, can you give me that?”

  “I’ll give you anything you need, Jaden. Anything.”

  Jaden walked over and picked up his bag. He pulled open the door but then stopped, “I’m guessing you already know how to reach me,” he said without turning around.

  “Yeah, I do.”

  Jaden nodded and took one step out but then froze aga
in. His head turned and he locked his gaze with Colby’s, “I forgive you,” he whispered and then he stepped out and shut the door behind him.

  Forgave him for what? For killing his brother? For fucking him before Jaden knew who he was?

  It didn’t matter.

  Jaden gave him the gift of his forgiveness.

  Colby couldn’t have stopped the tears from coming if he tried.

  Eleven

  Row walked out of the hall, fully dressed now, tucking his wallet into his back pocket. “I’m going to the store for supplies, you coming so you can pick out what you like?”

  You know what I like, King almost said but he bit back that retort. He knew it would only piss Row off even more.

  “Yeah, sure,” he said with a shrug of his shoulder.

  He followed Row down the stairs and over to the car that Brent had loaned them to use. When he dropped down into the passenger seat, Row was staring at his phone. “Got a hot date?” he jokingly said.

  Rowan frowned, “No. Just programming in the route to the nearest grocery store.”

  King waved his phone back and forth, “You know I am capable of doing that too, right?”

  Row shot him a glare, “Yes, I am aware.”

  King grabbed his seatbelt and angrily yanked it across his body. When he went to shove the buckle into the lock, something on the backseat caught his eye. He looked a little closer and, yep, it was what he thought it was. A grin formed on his face as he turned back around to face the front. “Whose car was this again?”

  Row turned the key, “JD’s I think, why?”

  He put the car in reverse but just before he turned to look behind him, King pointed his thumb at the back, “You can definitely tell those two are totally hot for each other. That’s pretty fresh.”

  “What’s fr……oh.”

  King couldn’t help smirking the moment he knew that Row’s eyes had locked onto the dried cum splattered on the backseat.

  “Must be nice….for them,” Row mumbled and then he backed down to where he could turn around – and it didn’t escape King’s attention that the car moved a little faster than it should have. Was he an asshole for pointing that stuff out to Row? Maybe.

  Did he regret it?

  Not for one fucking second.

  He was tired of all the fighting.

  He was tired of the silence.

  He was tired of being blamed for something that he didn’t do.

  He was tired of being alone.

  It was long-past time that he reclaimed what was lost to him, what had been cruelly snatched from within his gentle embrace almost a year ago by circumstances that were beyond his control. It was time for him to right what had been wronged. It was time for him heal both of their broken hearts. It was time for him to reclaim his love, his forever love.

  Rowan Bates was it for him. He was his now and forever.

  It was time for him to remind Row of that.

  And neither hell nor high-water nor a stupid misunderstanding was going to stand in his way. Not anymore.

  He and Row belonged together, period, end of story.

  Theirs was the kind of love people wrote books about, the kind of love that people envied, the kind of love that people longed to have just once in their lives.

  It was time for the stubborn, angry man seated next to him to remember that.

  “You and I….” he started to say but Row’s hand shot out.

  “No, just no. There is no you and I, King. Not anymore,” he snapped and then he shoved the car in drive and shot down the long gravel driveway.

  Seeing how the Black Ops headquarters was in the middle of bum-fuck-nowhere, the nearest store was over half an hour away.

  Twenty minutes into the silent drive, King had had enough.

  “You need to listen to me, Row,” he said.

  Rowan glared at him, “No, I don’t.”

  King glared back, “Yes, you do. You’re placing blame on me because of a hat, Row. A fucking hat. A hat that someone stole off the bench when I was in the showers. A hat that I now have a pretty good idea of who stole it thanks to the case we’ve been given. You threw away everything we had because of a goddamned hat!”

  “You always wore that hat, King! Always!”

  “Riddle me this, batman. Was I wearing it on our last day there when you were packing your shit? Did I have it on when you were shoving your clothes into a bag and getting ready to fucking run?”

  Rowan frowned as he stared down the long country highway in front of the car. He stared so long that King didn’t think he was going to say anything at all. But then he did.

  “Well, no, I guess not,” he mumbled.

  “Exactly! Because I didn’t have it. I still don’t have it. Because whoever was sucking Shooter’s dick stole it from me!” he shouted.

  “And, and you think it was our CO?”

  “Yes! Why else would he name his club Shooters if he wasn’t in love with the guy?”

  Row opened and closed his mouth a few times but didn’t say anything. He glanced in the rearview mirror, flipped on the blinker, pulled off to the side of the road and shut the car off. And then he just sat there silently as he stared out the windshield.

  After at least a full two minutes of silence, King inhaled to say something but Row yanked open his door, got out, slammed the door shut and walked around the front of the car and into the field next to road. And then he leaned forward, hands on his knees, then squatted and fell back onto his ass as a huge sob ripped itself from his lungs.

  King was out the door like a lightning bolt. He ran over, sat on the grass behind Row, wrapped the man up in his arms and legs and pulled him into his embrace. And he had no intention of letting him go….not ever again.

  Twelve

  Somehow Colby made it out of that hotel room and onto his bike, although he wasn’t exactly sure how.

  But the moment he fired up his hog and felt the rumble beneath his legs, he froze.

  What now?

  Where was he supposed to go?

  What was he supposed to do?

  Before he could think any more about the clusterfuck he’d created, he pulled out his phone and shot off a text:

  Hey, it’s Colby…just in case you want my number

  He went to tuck his phone into one of the many zippered pockets in his leather jacket but it pinged with an incoming text.

  Room 12

  Colby frowned. Room 12? What did that mean? Room 12 where? And then his eyes snapped up. Was Jaden still here in the hotel? Just in another room? On the opposite wing of the ‘L’ shaped hotel?

  Had he really stayed?

  Only one way to find out.

  Colby gave his bike a little gas and turned it around in the big parking lot then drove it over to far end of the other wing and parked it in front of room twelve.

  He shut it off and just stared for a few minutes. His heart was going a mile a minute. What was he so afraid of?

  Anything and everything he answered in his own mind.

  He was afraid that Jaden hated him.

  He was afraid that he didn’t.

  What would it mean for him if Jaden rejected him?

  And, more importantly, what would it mean for him if he didn’t?

  Colby hadn’t been in a relationship since Westley. He couldn’t. His heart had died with Westley, at least he thought it had.

  But was he just trying to replace Westley with Jaden? He knew that thought would also be on Jaden’s mind and right now he wasn’t sure if he could answer honestly. Because he just didn’t know.

  He should just leave.

  He should just turn around and go.

  Jaden deserved more.

  He deserved someone better than Colby.

  Colby had just made the decision to go when the door to the room opened and the object of his every waking thought, and the star of most of his dreams for the last several years, stepped out and leaned against the railing.

  Jaden didn’t say a word
.

  He just stared…..and waited.

  Was he waiting for Colby to leave?

  Or was he hoping he’d stay?

  “We’ll never figure anything out if you go, Colby,” Jaden said with a sigh.

  Well, he’s got me there, Colby thought.

  He set the kickstand. He swung his leg over the big beast, grabbed his bag and walked inside. As he did his eyes slid down Jaden’s strong body. He was built differently than his brother. Westley had been lithe and tall, with a swimmer’s body – strong back, chest and arms tapering down in narrower hips and long legs – from years spent on the school swim team.

  Jaden was shorter than his brother’s six foot two but not by much, but he had the all-over strength and build of a running back, having spent his youth playing football – his legs were built for both speed and strength, his upper body strong from fighting off would-be tacklers, and his ass….fuck…his ass was a work of art.

  And he obviously hadn’t lost any of his football strength even though he’d been out of school for a few years now. Probably because he had a very physical job painting bridges throughout the Central states. Colby had seen first-hand the skill and strength it took for Jaden to climb up and down the huge steel pillars, he’d seen it because he’d sat on his bike with a pair of binoculars and watched…..like a damn stalker.

  It hadn’t been easy to find Jaden though, and that had always worried Colby. The man had no social footprint…at all. Almost as if weren’t hiding but that he didn’t want to be found. Colby wasn’t sure what Jaden had done when Colby was in jail but he had the feeling that it was something government-related and secretive. Colby knew about secrets. He was a man very familiar with them. He just hoped that Jaden would be comfortable enough to share his one day.

  “Seen enough or would you like me to just stand here and pose for you?” Jaden said, snapping Colby out of his head and back into the moment.

  “Is that a trick question?” he said with a smirk as he closed the door behind him.

  Jaden sat on the end of the bed with a sigh, “I’m really not sure why I stayed.”