Our Little Nest: Book 4 of The Two Timer Series

by D. B. Watson

  “Don’t think of him like that.”

  “Why shouldn’t I? You tossed me aside to save him. So go save him yourself, and leave my boyfriend out of it.”

  “I need Adam’s help.”

  “Find someone else.”

  “Fine then, I’ll tell him about us.”

  “There’s no—us. Besides, Adam will never believe you. It’s your word against mine.”

  “What about our movie?”

  “What movie?”

  “The one I made of us. You were amazing.”

  Patrick tried to slap Yuri’s face, only for Yuri to grab his wrist and hold it captive, pushing him against a wall.

  “Talk Adam into going. I don’t care how, just do it.” Yuri considered releasing his wrist; instead, he shocked Patrick by kissing him, who protested by yanking his hand free and pushing Yuri back.

  “Never do that again!” Patrick snapped.

  Yuri caught Patrick’s other wrist before he could swing again, yanking him close.

  “Do as I ask, Patrick, or I’ll tell Adam what happened last night.” Yuri pushed the astonished man away, walking toward the staircase. “Oh, and your mother is at the tennis court with everyone else,” he called over his shoulder.

  ****

  “My aunt Drusilla spoke in your defense when you went missing last night. Patrick avoided the topic, pretending nothing was wrong but we all knew different,” said Miguel.

  “I placed my work ahead of Patrick and I regret that. I want to make Patrick my priority.”

  “I see. Well, I’m game for tennis. Once Patrick’s done, why don’t you both join us?”

  “We just might,” Adam said, having never played tennis.

  Miguel left as Adam wandered onto the sizeable patio with a fountain and tropical pool. A chill still lingered in the air as Adam enjoyed the peacefulness. He didn’t hear Patrick approach from behind.

  “Hey,” Patrick said, stepping up.

  Adam reached out and ran his fingers through Patrick’s soft curls. “Hey, yourself. That was quick. How’s your mom?”

  “She wanted to check up on me.”

  “So—did you tell her?”

  Patrick looked at Adam, confused at first, then remembered their announcement.

  “I forgot.”

  “What? I thought you would gush over it.”

  “Well, we got to talking, and it slipped my mind.” Patrick turned away, crossing his arms. Adam grabbed his shoulders and turned him back to face him. “Pat, you’re not having second thoughts, are you?”

  Patrick wanted to cry but held his tears. “Adam, I know you want to help Yuri.”

  “Pat—”

  “And you should.” Patrick realized his words came out stronger than he wanted. Adam stared at him, concerned, but said nothing. “You took him as a client, and you need to see it through. He needs your help.”

  “I thought you didn’t want me to leave you again?”

  “I don’t. Or, I mean, I didn’t.”

  “So why the change of heart?”

  Patrick swallowed his anger and looked at Adam with as much sincerity as he could fake.

  “You support me in all my ventures. It’s time I support you in yours. Even if it entails you putting yourself in danger for others.”

  “Pat—”

  “Promise you’ll come back.”

  “Of course, I’ll—”

  “No, Adam. Promise me you won’t jeopardize your life to save someone. You’ll come back to me!”

  “Pat.” Adam cupped his face. “I promise—I’ll come back to you.”

  Patrick hugged Adam, fighting tears that wanted to fall as Adam hugged him back.

  Patrick led Adam back to the kitchen so he could leave unnoticed again.

  “Walk with me to the jeep?” Adam asked.

  “Sure,” Patrick answered in a meek tone.

  Adam grabbed Patrick’s hand as they moved to his jeep. Patrick tried to pull his hand away once they reached the vehicle when Adam yanked him toward him.

  “Adam,” Patrick said, alarmed.

  “Pat, you can change your mind.”

  “What—why?”

  “I know this is bothering you.”

  “Adam—I won’t change my mind.”

  Adam leaned in and kissed Patrick, sending his head back. When they parted, Adam bent down and whispered in Patrick’s ear.

  “You are an amazing man. And I’m so incredibly lucky to have you.”

  Patrick snapped his head up. “Adam, that’s not true.”

  “The hell it’s not. Pat, I’ll come back to you, and I promise I’ll make time for us and make it up to your parents.”

  “I know.” Adam released Patrick and climbed into his jeep. Patrick watched as he drove off.

  CHAPTER 45

  STUN

  Once Adam drove through the gate, he dialed Yuri Jin’s cell number. Yuri answered on the second ring.

  “Hello, Detective Potter.”

  “Mr. Jin, do you still want my help?”

  “I’d be grateful.”

  “All right. I still have some things to do. Let’s meet at the diner near my office in, say, two hours?”

  “I’ll be there.”

  “Okay, see you in two hours, goodbye.”

  “Goodbye, Detective Potter.”

  Adam hung up and called Justin, but his call jumped to his full voicemail box.

  “What the fuck, Justin, where are you?” Adam pressed redial, and after the third ring, he was about to give up when someone answered.

  “Hello,” said someone who wasn’t Justin.

  “Can I speak to Justin?”

  “He’s sleeping.”

  “Who’s this?”

  “Who are you?” The undertone in his voice raised red flags for Adam.

  “This is Adam Potter, Justin’s employer. Now it’s your turn.” A deafening pause followed before a response came.

  “Ethan.”

  “Okay, Ethan. Can you wake Justin for me? I need to speak to him.”

  “I said he’s sleeping.”

  “I’m sure he’ll want to talk to me.”

  Another pause, then murmuring.

  “Yeah,” said a groggy voice.

  “Justin?”

  “I said yeah,” Justin said, yawning his response.

  “It’s Adam.”

  “Okay.”

  “I need you to meet me at the office.”

  “Now?” Justin groaned.

  “I’m coming from Patrick’s family home so in an hour would be great.”

  “Is this important? I’m dead.”

  “Yes, Justin, it is.”

  “If it’s about that research—”

  “As a matter of fact, it is. One, I never received it. And two, did you go to that town?”

  More dead silence, then out of nowhere, the call dropped.

  Adam considered calling back, but felt he got his answer and knew his next destination.

  ****

  Justin’s naked body shook as he sat on his bed with Ethan beside him. He dialed a number he had no way of knowing. After one ring, someone answered.

  “You have news?” said the raspy voice.

  “I think Adam knows I’ve been to the town,” Justin said.

  “This is not news, so I need you to go to him and find out what he knows. Keep communications open. Understood?”

  “Yes.” Justin lowered his cell and looked at Ethan, who tugged on his jeans.

  ****

  Adam stopped at two places: a pawnshop, and the police station.

  A. J. sat and listened to Adam’s broken story about WillowMoss while Artie paced behind him. Adam also wrote his statement and handed it over to A. J. and Artie to read.

  “There, that’s all I can say,” Adam said.

  “Say?” Artie said with a muddled look. “Say what? All you told us was that young men worked at a diner. That’s it. The rest of your rant and written statement are incomprehensible.”
<
br />   “Thanks, Artie,” Adam said.

  “No, Adam. He’s right. Didn’t you listen to yourself? You went on and on about—nothing,” A. J. said.

  Waldo Amherst name popped into his head. He also could not explain or write about his situation. Did Waldo visit WillowMoss? Adam wondered. What was in that envelope Waldo gave me to hold? Could it be proof about WillowMoss existence? “Then that should persuade you to come with me,” Adam pleaded.

  “We have no jurisdiction in this mystery town whose name you can’t say,” Artie said.

  “I just need you both to have my back.”

  “For what? We still don’t know why you need our help,” A.J. said.

  “Come on A. J., you know me, I would never ask for help if I didn’t need it.”

  “True, you like doing things your way. But to be honest, Adam, you gave us nothing to indicate there is any wrongdoing,” A. J. said. “Get us some evidence and we’ll investigate.”

  “Fine, I will.” Adam left the station defeated. He never thought A. J. would refuse to help him, but he suspected they would. If anything happened to him, at least they’d remember their last conversation with him. A deep sigh left him as he recalled Patrick’s words asking him to come back to him.

  He climbed back into his jeep and reached for a bag on the floor in the backseat. He removed one of three stun guns and one of three Tasers. He didn’t want this to become a shootout, so he found less life-threatening means as he opened the boxes and plugged them in to charge. By the time they reached the town, he’d be ready. A text came to his cell, and he saw it was from Justin.

  I’ll see you at the office, it said. This only confirmed Adam’s fears as he started his Jeep; Justin was under the same trance, but at least Adam could free him.

  ****

  He made it home in good time and found a parking spot near his building. He checked his watch and found he still had twenty minutes before meeting Yuri.

  Before entering his building, he noticed a Range Rover parked two cars down with front end damage. Yuri told him his car was struck while trying to get Jamie out of town. He put it to the back of his mind as he entered and headed for the elevator, making sure the lock was in place. Taking the stairs up, he touched his pocket where he’d tucked a stun gun.

  He reached his office, where he found the door open. He walked into a dark reception office but noticed his office light on, with the door shut.

  “Justin?” he called. No answer. He opened the door and saw Justin sitting on a man’s lap in his chair, involved in a deep kiss. Adam stood perplexed that Justin didn’t respond to him when he called and that he was using his office to make out with his fling. Adam saw a folder opened on his desk with newspaper clippings of a ghost town spread out on his desk. On closer inspection he realized the clippings were of his family’s ghost town they used for events.

  “Justin,” Adam said.

  The men stopped their embrace and looked at Adam. After seeing Justin’s face, Adam perceived something was wrong with his friend. He had circles under his eyes, pale skin, and he looked drained.

  Justin rose from the man’s lap, who stood and walked over to the window. Justin stepped around, standing in front of Adam, leaning on his desk. Other than Justin’s face, the rest of him looked normal. His hair and clothes were neat.

  “You wanted to see me?” Justin asked in the same tired voice.

  “Yeah, I want answers. What’s he doing here?” Adam asked, jerking his head toward the other man who he recognized as Justin’s friend Ethan.

  Justin glanced at his companion and smiled.

  “Oh, him? He’s my backup.”

  “Let me guess—this friend’s name.” Adam glared at the man whose face revealed the same fatigue. “Ethan?”

  “Good guess,” Justin said. “You are an excellent detective.”

  Adam returned his focus to Justin. “Did you go to that town?”

  Justin glanced away.

  Adam grabbed his chin and made him look at him. “Answer me, Justin.”

  “Hey, man, take your hands off him,” Ethan snapped, taking a step toward them.

  Adam shot him a glare that stopped Ethan from approaching. At the same time, he reached into his pocket and removed the stun gun, keeping it out of sight. “I need you to stay out of this,” Adam ordered Ethan.

  “Adam, I swear, we never—” Justin said, almost cringing.

  “You’re lying, Justin, and I understand why.”

  “Oh, do you?” Ethan asked.

  “I told you to stay out of this,” Adam barked, not taking his eyes off Justin. He released Justin’s chin only to grip the weapon in his hand tighter.

  “You’re going there to find him?” Justin asked.

  “Find who?” Adam returned.

  “Christopher.”

  “How do you know about him?”

  Justin ignored him. “He won’t want to leave this time.”

  “He will when I get to him.”

  “Are you going to use that on him?” Justin asked, referring to the stun gun Adam held.

  “If I have to.”

  “Are you going to use that on me?”

  “If I must.”

  Justin closed his eyes for a second before reaching out to touch Adam’s face.

  “You don’t understand what you’re dealing with. This is beyond your control, any—of our control.”

  “I’m aware, and I’m sorry.”

  Before Adam could strike Justin with the stun gun Ethan rushed him, sending him off balance, but not to the floor. Justin moved away unharmed as the two men fought. Ethan tried to grab Adam’s wrist that held the weapon, but Adam tossed the man off him, only to have him bolt at him again. But this time Adam pressed the device against Ethan’s side, sending him into spasms. He dropped to the ground.

  Adam checked the charge and turned to Justin, finding him in a corner with his cell to his ear. Adam didn’t need to know who he was talking to. He rushed at him, jabbing the stun gun against his neck, causing Justin to drop his cell and collapse to the floor.

  Adam found the cell and broke it with his heel. He sat with Justin as he came to and looked at Adam.

  “Hey, boss,” he said in a groggy voice.

  “Hey, yourself. How are you?”

  His question confused Justin as he realized where he was lying. “What am I doing in your office, and on the floor?”

  “What’s the last thing you remember, Justin?”

  “I remember—” Justin suddenly lost his voice. He wanted to say he was with Ethan in the town WillowMoss but was unable to. Adam understood why he was struggling and touched his shoulder.

  “It’s okay, Justin, I know why you can’t talk. Come on, I’ll help you up.” Adam pulled him to his feet and Justin flinched from the pain in his neck. “Sorry for that. I had to wake you out of your stupor, so I had to use this.” Adam showed him the stun gun. Justin still didn’t understand what Adam was talking about but switched his attention to Ethan groaning on the floor.

  “Ethan?” Justin moved from Adam to his friend, helping him to his feet. “Are you all right? Adam, what is he doing here?”

  “I found you both here,” Adam said.

  “What? I don’t remember.”

  “I won’t be able to explain fully, but you were both in a trance, and the only way to wake you was to hit you both with this stun gun.”

  Ethan looked at Adam and Justin as he found his footing.

  “Are we okay now?” asked Justin.

  “I think so. Both of you go home and rest. I’ll handle things from here on,” Adam said moving to the safe imbedded in the wall behind Justin’s desk. He opened it and saw the thick envelope Waldo paid him five thousand dollars to hold. He started to reach for it when he realized whatever he was going to face he couldn’t include A. J. He had to face it alone. Also betraying a client’s trust was not something Adam wanted to do.

  “Adam, what are you going to do?” Justin asked.