Rhys would head back into town tomorrow to pick up his truck, grab a new cell phone and collect supplies. After which we would call Agent Kortig.
*****
After a long boring day of waiting for Rhys to return, I was extremely glad to see the cloud of dust on the road that presaged the arrival of his truck. Despite the fact that my leg was feeling much better he would not let me help him unload the motorcycle on which he had ridden into town from the back of the truck. He gave me a stay put glare and rather than start an argument I stayed where I was.
Once he had unpacked all the supplies from the truck and brought them inside – again I was not allowed to help – he handed me a phone. While Rhys was putting all the groceries away, I called Air's home phone and left a message to let him know I was safe. I could have called his cell or the office line, but I wasn't sure if I would be able to lie convincingly enough if I were talking directly to him. So I took the coward's way out.
After everything was put away, we sat down at the table together. Rhys pulled out his phone and pressed one of his speed dial numbers. As the phone was ringing, he pushed the speaker button and put it on the table between us.
"Rhys, my man. How're you doin'?"
"Hey Geoff. I've got a bit of a situation I could use your help on."
"Sure thing. What can I do you for?"
"I've got a friend here on speaker phone and I want you to listen to what he has to say."
Rhys nodded at me and I started talking – telling my story again. It was slightly edited and definitely more streamlined but it still took a good twenty minutes to get through the whole thing. When I finished talking, Geoff had turned completely professional, all traces of the bluff army buddy gone. He said he'd look into the situation and give us a call back in a few days. In the meantime, we were to lay low.
Later that night, as Rhys and I were sitting on the porch drinking beer, I realized that I knew almost nothing about my rescuer, except that he had been in the army and could pilot a hot air balloon.
"How did you get into hot air balloons?" I asked, hoping to break the ice a bit.
He smiled before he answered so I thought it might have been a good question. "My grandpa was a senior balloon pilot in World War II. He loved it and we grew up with him taking us to the Fiesta every year. He died about ten years ago but I still love going up in a balloon. Always reminds me of him."
"Who do you usually go up with now?" I asked, remembering how difficult it had been for him to try to fly his balloon by himself. The look of heartbreak that flashed across his face at that question made me regret asking it immediately. The silence stretched a bit and I thought that he wasn't going to answer. Eventually, though, he said, "My best friend, Alejo."
Before I could stop myself, I heard my mouth saying, "Where was he the other day?"
Bitterness laced his voice as he replied, "Alejo thinks that 'cause I like guys it means I wouldn't be able to keep my hands off him. Don't ask, don't tell isn't just a military thing, apparently."
I reached over and laid my hand on his arm and squeezed gently. "I'm sorry, Rhys. That sucks."
He harrumphed and managed to sound like an 80-year-old man and look like a pouting two-year-old at the same time. "I don't care." I said.
He looked at me and smirked. "I know. Especially if that once over you gave me while I was chopping wood was any indication."
I felt the red hot of a blush spread all the way to the roots of my dark brown hair. "Shit," I muttered under my breath.
He looked at me and, mimicking my tone of voice from a moment before, he said, "I don't care, either."
I smacked him in the shoulder and we both burst out laughing.
Once we calmed down, I spoke again, echoing my thoughts from a few minutes ago. "You know, other than hot air balloons and the army, I don't know anything about you."
He relaxed back in his chair and propped his feet on the porch railing. "Not much to tell. Grew up in foster care. Went to UNM on a ROTC scholarship. Served my four years and got out. Now I live here and lead eco-tourism groups around the desert when the weather is good."
Despite not having much to tell, we talked into the wee hours of the morning. The fierce attraction I had been feeling for him settled into something warm and comfortable as we got to know each other. We fell asleep in our chairs, staring at the stars. Around 3 a.m. he shook me awake and we went inside, me to the bed and him to the couch.
*****
The next few weeks were a welcome break from the stress that had invaded my life. Geoff called every few days to update us on his investigation, or to ask me questions that I mostly didn't know the answer to. We made one trip into Albuquerque to ship another copy of the USB drive to the FBI – this time directly to Geoff. Rhys taught me poker – which is really all about numbers – and then refused to play with me anymore when I kept beating him. I finally convinced him that we were adults and could share the queen sized bed. It must have been the military training or something, but once he was asleep he did not move a muscle. He stayed on his back with his hands folded across his stomach for six hours and then he woke up. Sometimes, in my sleep I would end up with an arm thrown across him or my leg against his and still he never moved.
It was probably for the best because if he had shown any indication that he was open to it, I would have found myself falling for him with no thought to the consequences. And even I knew that this whole situation would end in one of two ways – me dead at the hands of the Doherty family, or me in protective custody and the Doherty family in prison. Allowing myself to fall in love with Rhys would only make it that much more difficult when I finally had to leave him.
Despite all that, I was halfway there already.
I must have spaced out because, the next thing I knew Rhys was snapping his fingers in front of my eyes and saying, "Earth to Jase. Come on!"
I shook myself and ever so eloquently responded, "Huh?"
"What were you thinking about?"
I blushed. "Nothing."
"Okaaay."
Grabbing the deck of cards out on the table as a distraction, I waved them at him. "You sure you don't want to play poker after dinner? I promise I won't beat you too bad."
He smiled and let me get away with the subject change. "Nope."
"How about rummy?"
"Nope."
"Black Jack?"
"Nope."
"Speed?"
"Nope."
"Go fish?"
"Nope."
We dissolved into laughter right as the phone started to ring. I sobered quickly when I saw Geoff's number on the caller ID.
I answered with the ghost of Rhys' laughter still ringing in my ear.
"It's time." Geoff said.
"Okay. We'll go tonight."
Geoff had arranged for me to turn myself in to one of his contacts at the local PD in a small town outside Albuquerque, who would then transfer me into the custody of the FBI to be delivered to Geoff at the Dallas field office. We weren't sure how deep the corruption ran so he didn't want me being filtered through any of the big city stations, PD or FBI, before I reached him. From there I would officially become a witness for the prosecution and then enter the witness relocation program.
When I hung up the phone, I told Rhys, "It's tonight."
We had every move planned out and both of us fell into autopilot as I grabbed my packed bags and headed out to his truck. I walled off the part of my heart that was breaking and kept moving, knowing I had to be strong. Since we had put Geoff on the trail, he had discovered that not only was the Doherty family running drugs and guns through Boston, they were also moving human cargo – women and children to be sold to the highest bidder. No matter what I was feeling right now, I had to help put a stop to it.
An hour later, Rhys pulled the truck over into a parking lot a few blocks from the police station. The look in his eyes was unfathomable as I got out of the truck. "Thanks for everything, Rhys. I won't forget it."
> I slammed the passenger door closed and started walking down the street at a determined pace. I vaguely registered the sound of another car door slamming before someone grabbed my arm and pulled me into the alley I was passing.
Before I even had a chance to register any fear, I was being pressed against the wall of the alley and kissed within an inch of my life. Rhys threaded his hands into my hair and pulled my head towards him with such force that I wouldn't have been able to resist, even if I had wanted to. And, God, did I not want to. I opened my mouth to his hot, fierce tongue and melted into his body as his hips held me against the brick wall. I wrapped my arms around his back and gave as much as I was taking, something clicking into place, my heart screaming pleasure, and home, and stay at my brain.
Finally, he pulled back mere inches and stared at me - his eyes boring anchors into my soul, connecting us irrevocably. "You stay alive, you hear me. You stay alive and I will find you." His voice broke a bit on that last bit and all I could do is nod. "Promise me."
"I promise. I'll stay alive. I promise." The intensity in his eyes eased back just a little. He kissed me one final time and spun on his heel, heading back to his truck.
I was cold and aching in more ways than one from the empty space he left in front of me.
*****
I stared at the glass of the two way mirror in front of me and wondered, not for the first time since they had put me in this interrogation room, what I had gotten myself into. I was cuffed to the table "for the sake of appearances" according to the officer who had left me here over three hours ago.
I had counted the ceiling tiles, counted the water spots on the ceiling tiles, determined the rate at which the fluorescent light blinked in and out overhead, and spent entirely too much time contemplating what could have caused that stain on the edge of the table.
Finally, two detectives came in and got me. They led me, cuffed, to their car that was parked in the back parking lot. Detective number one (they never told me their names) held my arm while detective number two unlocked the car.
Then all hell broke loose.
I heard what sounded like a car backfiring, but it took me all of about five seconds to realize it was actually a gun. Before I could consciously decide on a course of action I was shoved to the ground by detective number one. Detective number two was busy shooting at someone across the parking lot. There was a lot of shooting but from the sound of it most of the bullets were hitting cars and not people – on both sides. And I took a moment to be pleased about that before I was covered in detective number one's blood. If I had not been laying completely flat on the ground the bullet that had torn a dinner plate sized hole in the back of his chest would have punched through my brain like so much jello.
In that moment I decided discretion was the better part of valor and stayed hunkered on the ground. The shooting continued and eventually detective number two was shot as well – in the arm and not the chest – but that made it difficult for him to keep firing.
I jumped almost out of my skin when I felt someone from the other side of the car I was hiding under pull on my foot. I was dragged unceremoniously out from under the car, scraping my torso up on the asphalt the whole way. I scrambled to sit up and a hand went over my mouth before I could do anything else.
"Sshhh, Jason. Calm down."
I recognized that voice. "Geoff?!!?"
"Yeah. Be quiet for a second."
I ignored him. "Aren't you supposed to be in Dallas?"
He gave me a withering look and I just kept looking expectantly at him. I needed to have a valid reason for him to be here or he was going to end up as suspect numero uno in my book for the person who had betrayed me – Rhys trusting him or not.
"An informant told us about a leak approximately an hour after I spoke with you last. I hopped on a helicopter and got here as quickly as I could. I arrived to this." He waved his arm encompassing the parking lot as he said that last part. I stared at him for moment, looking for I have no idea what before I responded. "Fine, but if you are the leak I am going to get Rhys to kill you for me."
Geoff huffed out a brief laugh and said, "Agreed."
He looked around the parking lot for a moment then turned to me, "Follow me. Keep your head down."
*****
The waiting was the worst. The first two weeks had been filled with 14 hour briefings and paperwork and answering the same question 52 different ways. As soon as they were done with me though, I got stuck into a safe house with nothing to do except think; and inevitably all I could think about was that kiss. It sent hot shivers through me and made my chest ache with missing Rhys.
Finally, about a week before Christmas, Geoff showed up at the safe house. TV shows never do justice to how long a trial takes to prepare and execute. He said it could be as a long as a year before the whole thing was over, if you took into account trial prep, and the inevitable continuations and legal maneuvers the Mob would be throwing at the prosecutors. Then there was jury selection, which would include its own game of legal chess. And even once the trial actually started, I was not the first witness and I would have to stick around in case I was needed to be put back on the stand later on.
I looked at the possible months before me and despaired. I begged Geoff to let me write Rhys a letter. Since they were army buddies Geoff could see Rhys and send him stuff without it looking suspicious. Eventually, Geoff agreed. I also managed to get him to agree to send one letter to Air to let him know I was alive and mostly well. That one had to be heavily censored but I was glad that he would not have to worry any more than he already had.
A few days after Christmas, Geoff brought my first reply.
Jason,
Thank you for your letter. I am glad that you kept yourself alive. Please keep doing that. I wish you had been here for Christmas. Even though it never did before, my cabin seems empty now, without you here. I miss you. Please write again.
Sincerely,
Rhys
PS I will think of kissing you at midnight on New Year's Eve. Think of me too?
Despite it being awkward and short, I couldn't help but grin as I read it over for the hundredth time since Geoff had given it to me.
Jason,
I was sorry to hear about the continuance. I hope they don't get another one. Geoff says you keep beating your guards at poker. If you can beat Geoff for me some time I would appreciate it. I can never seem to manage. I took some tourists out into the Sandia Mountains over the MLK day weekend and we got to see the first snow of the year. It was beautiful and I thought of you.
Sincerely,
Rhys
PS I miss you.
Dear Jase,
I have never had someone to celebrate Valentine's Day with before. I find I wish you had been here. We could have sat on the porch and kissed under the stars. Or would you have preferred a fancy restaurant? I think not. I remember the feel of you in my arms and I cannot help but think how many opportunities I missed keeping you at arm's length to save my heart when you left. I want to fall asleep with you in my arms.
Yours,
Rhys
Dear Jase,
I heard they finished jury selection this week. That's fantastic. I spent the whole month taking spring breakers out in the mountains. College kids are weird these days. I wish you were here to laugh at them with me. Don't be frightened but on the last trip out I got bit by a snake. I am fine but I will be laid up for a week or so. We will have scars in the same spot now. You'll have to kiss it better next time we see each other.
Yours,
Rhys
Jaaase,
I fear ima little drunk as I write this. Baby, how can I miss you sooo much when you were only here a month? I think I'm in love with you. I'll proly regret sealing this without seeing it again sober but I don't care.
Love,
Rhys
Dear Jase,
I must apologize for my drunken letter. I hate that I made my confessions under the influence but t
hat makes them no less valid. Forgive me?
Love,
Rhys
Dear Jase,
You like it when I call you Baby do you? Okay. I miss you so much Baby. It's only a little while longer now. Geoff says you testify in a couple of weeks. I am so proud of you for doing the right thing. Don't be scared.
Love,
Rhys
Dear Jase,
Yes!
Love,
Rhys
I touched the folded piece of paper in my pocket one last time before I walked calmly to the front of the courtroom and took the stand. It was my talisman. Rhys’ letters were all that kept me sane while I was kept isolated in my safe house. I knew that he was waiting for me at the end of this, no matter the outcome.
I swore to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth and sat down. The prosecutor walked me through my story with carefully planned questions, and I answered everything in a calm and even voice, trying to project my own honesty.
The defense attorney tried to poke holes in my story, get me to admit to being a liar, to planting evidence, but I stuck to my story as I had practiced and eventually they let me off the stand.
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