Protecting My Heart

by David Horne

  “Thanks.” Zeke nodded.

  Tristan brewed another cup then came out of the kitchen and put two cups down. Both were steaming with the warmth and scent of the coffee. The bitterness was mixed with sweetness and the liquid in it was the color of chocolate.

  “There you go.”

  Zeke looked down at his cup. “You still remember how I take it.”

  Tristan shrugged. “Remembering coffee orders is part of my job.”

  “Right. So. I’m here on business.”

  “I know you are.”

  “What can you tell me about what happened?”

  Tristan sighed. “I’m not sure I can help you out much at all.”

  “Are you sure? Do you know who attacked you?”

  “Not at all. I don’t know who he is or what he was doing there. I’ve never even heard of that type of thing happening in the area.” He shook his head.

  Tristan couldn’t help stealing a few glances in Zeke’s direction. He could tell that the man was worried, but he wasn’t sure what Zeke was worried about more. The crime or the man who was hurt. It was always so hard to tell with Zeke. He hid his emotions well. He had always stayed a bit distant. It worked for him, but it was enough to drive anyone insane.

  “Are you sure?” Zeke asked again.

  “Yeah. I’m sure.”

  Zeke grumbled. “Look. Don’t make me have to be an asshole. I don’t want to have to be one. But I think you know more than you’re letting on.”

  “I told you. I don’t know that guy. And I don’t know why he was there.”

  “That I believe. But I think that you know something.”

  “It’s probably not related at all.” Tristan shook his head and glanced over his shoulder down the hallway.

  Zeke must have noticed it. He frowned and looked Tristan up and down.

  “Maybe we should go down to the bakery and assess the damage.”

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

  “It can’t be fun sitting around not knowing how bad it is. It’ll be fine. We’ll swing by, grab a bite and start taking pictures for the insurance. Then start getting it all cleaned up.”

  “I’m not sure.” Tristan felt a little nervous.

  “What’s wrong?” Zeke asked.

  “I don’t really need your help to clean up.”

  “It’s the least I can do. My partner came and asked questions. And now it seems that people are upset about it.”

  “I don’t know why they would be upset about it.” Tristan sighed.

  “Well, if you work with me, maybe we can find that out.”

  “I don’t think working with you is going to do much good.”

  Tristan shook his head. He didn’t like the fact that Zeke was there. It made him want to talk about everything that had happened and then fall into his arms and sob until he had it all out. Tristan forced himself to stay in control.

  “Maybe we should go get some air.” Zeke got up.

  Tristan was actually grateful for that. It got him away from his parents. And, he could make some decisions. It didn’t seem right to get his father in trouble for whatever he had seen, but it may come to a point where there wasn’t much choice in the matter.

  Tristan examined Zeke’s face. The concern he saw there was very real, and at a level he had never seen before. He wondered if there was any chance. Any chance that they could end up back together. Tristan didn’t think so. It had been a few years since they’d dated and hadn’t actually seemed a possibility before now. This was the first time that they had sat this close since they had drifted apart. It must be an old memory playing tricks on Tristan body that made his heart flutter like that.

  Tristan was sure it was nothing. It was just his mind playing tricks on him. It was getting hard to tell anymore. He felt the confusion that seemed to be taking over his life. The weird things. The odd reality that had suddenly been thrust upon him.

  Zeke’s hand circled Tristan’s. It was a small comfort as Tristan looked up at him.

  Their eyes locked together and Tristan could feel his breath catch in his throat. They shared a moment that couldn’t be explained. Their lips grew closer. It was inevitable where this moment was going to lead. They were going to be caught up in each other, wrapped up, touching. Kissing.

  And, so it was a kiss that felt like it had been waiting for an eternity to happen, heat poured out between their bodies. It was like all the time apart had suddenly disappeared as their lips met. They needed each other. Hands started to wander, nearly to the point of ripping their clothes off until they were interrupted by a noise near the doorway.

  “Look at you two.” Tristan’s father smiled.

  “Sorry, Dad.” Tristan pulled away, feeling awkward.

  “Don’t worry about it. Just try not to get all handsy in front of your Dad.” Martin walked back into the kitchen with a shake of his head, leaving the two men standing in awkward silence.

  The moment was gone. The strange weirdness between them returned. He could feel it hanging in the air. All Tristan could do was avoid Zeke who had come to talk to him. He was right back to being awkward with Zeke. And he wasn’t sure he wanted to fix it.

  Chapter Seven

  Zeke was on his own. His partner was off at some meeting so he was just going to patrol alone for a while. There was so much going on in his mind that he could barely focus on what was going on. He groaned and made his way to the bakery. He would have to at least try to talk to Tristan again, to figure out what was going on there.

  He turned left, then right. Down tiny streets that were too small for the traffic that they held. It was busy during the day, and Zeke felt the frustration start to build up inside him. He wanted to be there. He wanted to be near Tristan. A man who had chaos going on in his life. Chaos that Zeke couldn’t seem to fix, but he desperately wanted to make it all go away for Tristan’s sake.

  Zeke wanted to be a knight in shining armor. It was an odd feeling. Zeke didn’t know how he felt about feeling that way. It was a tangled mess of confusion and feelings that seemed to surround him. It pervaded every thought that he had. He had let go of Tristan before but had forgotten how often Tristan had found his way into his thoughts. It wasn’t something he relished thinking about. It was hard to deal with, to say the least. He wasn’t used to feeling like this. They were painful, these feelings. It was like all the time that he and Tristan had been apart was a dream and he was losing him for the first time all over again.

  Zeke couldn’t stop himself from pulling up in front of the bakery. It made him pause before he gave up fighting the feelings and climbed out of the vehicle, walking into the bakery.

  Maybe it was a bad idea. But he didn’t stop.

  Tristan was inside, sweeping up the broken glass from the floor. It would take some time for the place to be cleaned up.

  “We’re closed.” Tristan said without even looking up from the work he was doing.

  “I’m not here for cake.” Zeke shook his head.

  Tristan nearly jumped out of his skin.

  “Zeke!”

  Tristan hadn’t expected Zeke to be there. He was expecting a customer that he was going to have to turn away while they repaired the damage.

  Zeke laughed loudly. “I didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”

  “I wasn’t expecting anyone, that’s all. We’re closed.”

  “I figured as much. How long do you think you’ll be closed?”

  “Hopefully only a couple more days.” Tristan sounded a little frustrated. Not that Zeke could blame the man for being upset. His business had just been destroyed by a man with a baseball bat intent on doing as much damage as he could.

  “That fast?” Zeke frowned.

  “Yeah. We’ve got enough money in the business account to cover the repairs until the insurance money arrives.”

  “That could be a while. There’s an ongoing active investigation.”

  “We still need to make money in the meantime. I’ve got three employee
s that need work.”

  “I’m not sure that’s a great idea.” Zeke said. “You should think about your safety at the very least.”

  “I’m sure it was just a one-time thing. I’ll be fine,” Tristan said.

  “I’m not so sure about that.”

  “What makes you think that?”

  “I don’t know what I can tell you,” Zeke grumbled. “There’s an active investigation. I’m not supposed to be sharing any information.”

  Tristan mirrored Zeke’s frown. “What aren’t people telling me? There’s got to be something going on.”

  Tristan shook his head. “It’s so strange. People are panicking left and right. My dad says I shouldn’t open right away either.”

  “He doesn’t think it’s a good idea?”

  “Not really, no.”

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t know. He’s not talking about it. I guess it’s just parental concern. But I know that he would open right back up if he was still running the place.” Tristan moved to start sweeping again.

  Zeke looked Tristan over. The shape of his body making his own body react in ways that he didn’t want to admit to himself. He watched Tristan work, casually leaning against the wall.

  “Do you want some help?” Zeke asked.

  “You don’t have to hang around.”

  “I don’t have to, but since you’re insisting on opening up before we can get this whole thing solved…” Zeke said, motioning with his right arm around the bakery.

  Tristan sighed heavily. “I’ve already told you, I have a business to run.”

  “There’s more to it than that.”

  “You’re right. It’s a matter of pride. I’m not going to be intimidated into closing up shop.”

  “What if you’re in real danger?” Zeke asked.

  “That doesn’t matter. This is my shop. I’m not going to let them scare me off. If I do that, I won’t have any chance of keeping this place up and running.”

  “Do you know what they were after?” Zeke asked.

  Tristan shook his head. “Not really.”

  “But you’ve got an idea, don’t you?”

  “Nothing definite. And I don’t want to speak out of turn,” Tristan added.

  “What would you be speaking out of turn about?”

  “It’s probably nothing.”

  “What’s probably nothing?”

  “I don’t really think I should say anything.” Tristan shook his head.

  “What’s got you so scared?”

  “What if it’s nothing? Like not anything to do with this. Who knows what’s going on here.”

  Zeke closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. It was clear that Tristan knew something, or at least suspected something. There had to be something that was scaring him into silence. Someone that he didn’t want to get into trouble. There had to be some way to get him to open up, but he just couldn’t think of it. The truth was that even being this close to Trista was a huge distraction.

  “I’m sorry,” Zeke said.

  “Yeah. Me too.”

  “What are you sorry for?”

  “For not being able to answer your questions,” Tristan said.

  “That’s fine.” Zeke maintained his calm. “I get it. You’re afraid of getting someone in trouble if it’s nothing.”

  “What makes you think that?”

  “That you, of all people, would be protecting someone?” Zeke smiled. “Because it’s you. And that’s what you do.”

  “You really think so?”

  “I’m pretty damn sure of it.” Zeke decided to change the subject. “Is there anything you need help with?”

  “Uh, I’ve got to finish up with this glass and then get the furniture moved back to the back room.”

  “Okay.”

  Tristan passed over the second broom and dustpan so that Zeke could get to work. For a while they worked in silence, both men wrapped up in their own thoughts.

  Soon most of the glass was swept up and Tristan pulled out a vacuum cleaner so that he could make sure he got the rest of it. Zeke didn’t see much he could help with there, so he went to start working on the display case. There was glass all over the beautiful cakes that were sitting in the case. It seemed such a shame to throw them out, but it had to be done.

  Zeke sighed under the sound of the vacuum. It was quiet enough that Tristan didn’t notice. Zeke was worried that everything was becoming a little too tangled for him to ever be able to find his way out. Especially now that the one man who got away was in such turmoil. And the turmoil was clear on his face. After Zeke finished, he turned to watch Tristan go back to work.

  The silence stretched between them, awkward and strange after Tristan turned back to meet Zeke’s gaze.

  It was long, heart wrenching and seemed to be drawing them closer to what was starting to feel like an inevitable conclusion. He shivered.

  Then Tristan spoke. “Do you mind helping me move the furniture to the back?”

  Zeke shook his head, clearing the cobwebs that were forming from the lengthy gaze. “Not at all. Where do you want things?”

  “Just back to the back room. The repairmen are going to start in here tomorrow.”

  Zeke picked up a table and starting to carry it to the back of the shop, through the small door that existed behind the counter. He had been back there a time or two, mostly back when he was dating Tristan and they had met up as Tristan was closing up the shop by himself.

  They had shared a few hot moments kissing back by the shelves. He thought about it, remembered the feel of Tristan’s skin as he put the table down where he was directed.

  Another look was shared between them. Their eyes meeting as the tension grew. It was the best kind of tension that echoed in the void that had grown between them.

  Zeke couldn’t say who started it. Or who made it happen. Or why they suddenly found themselves in each other’s arms, locked in a heat-filled kiss.

  A kiss that seemed to stretch out into eternity. It was one of those things that was supposed to last forever. A kiss that brought them together, touching and feeling each other. Zeke’s hand went to Tristan’s shirt, starting to work it up and over his head. The heat was impossible to ignore. Impossible to fight. He could feel it reaching down to his loins and left him begging for more.

  However, it wasn’t destined to last. The heat and intertwined bodies weren’t meant to be. The sound of glass shattering struck them like a sharp chord, pulling them from the shared embrace.

  It only took seconds for Tristan to rush to the front of the store. There he found another shattered window but no one in sight.

  Zeke glanced outside. “Damn.”

  “I don’t see anyone.” Tristan’s hands were shaking.

  “It’s probably another message.”

  “I don’t even know what they’re trying to say.” Tristan sighed.

  “But you’ve got an idea. And this isn’t going to stop until you do something.”

  “What am I supposed to do?” Tristan asked.

  “I know you know something.” Zeke gave an exasperated sigh. “And I want to help you.”

  Chapter Eight

  Tristan looked at Detective Stewart. She was sitting behind a desk.

  “I’m not sure this is any help at all,” Tristan said.

  “Don’t worry. We’ll investigate. Any information you can provide is helpful.”

  She has a kind smile, Tristan thought.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah. I’m sure.” Jennie glanced down at the pad of paper on her desk. “We’re just looking to find out anything we can. We know someone has been causing trouble in your neighborhood. We want to put a stop to it and protect the people as well as the local businesses.”

  “I don’t think I can help much.”

  “We’re out of leads so anything you can tell up is helpful.”

  “If you’re out of leads, why do you think that something’s going on?”

  �
��We have some evidence and a bunch of people who won’t talk. It’s one of those things that we know is happening, even if we can’t prove it.”

  Jennie sighed heavily. She looked tired like the weight of the world was dragging her down.

  Tristan hated that look. It was one that he had seen many times. In fact, it was what he had been feeling lately with everything that had been happening to him and his business.

  “Really?”

  “Really.”

  “You can’t be serious. I thought witnesses were reliable.”

  “Most of the time they are, but that’s not my point.”

  “What is your point then?”

  “The problem isn’t the reliability. It’s the fact that we can’t look where we need to without someone who saw something. People have rights. And that’s a good thing, but it does make things more difficult sometimes.” Jennie shook her head. “We can’t share much information since it’s an ongoing investigation, but we think that the vandalism of your bakery is a part of it.”

  “How sure are you about that?”

  “Pretty sure.” Jennie nodded. “It’s right up their alley.”

  “Who’s alley?”

  Jennie grunted. “I already said I’m not allowed to say.”

  “Right. Sorry.”

  “It’s fine.”

  “I just don’t know if this is going to help or not.”

  “Why don’t you let us be the judge of that.”

  “All right.”

  “Okay.” Jennie picked up the pen, ready to write.

  Tristan glanced around awkwardly. “Can we not do this here? Around everyone else.”

  “Not in the bullpen?”

  “No. Not here.” He shook his head. “I don’t know how I feel about sharing this.”

  Jenny thought about it for a second before making a suggestion. “All right. What about an interrogation room?”

  “Am I under arrest?”

  “No. Not at all. It’s just a room without a bunch of people around.”

  Tristan thought about it. It made him a little nervous. Going into the room where they question suspects and criminals. It wasn’t a place that he belonged. He wasn’t a criminal. And people may think that he was a criminal for even being there.