YOU CAN RUN

Beth D. Carter

www.loose-id.com

You Can Run
Copyright © May 2012 by Beth D. Carter
All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the original
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eISBN 978-1-61118-810-3
Editor: Rory Olsen
Cover Artist: Mina Carter
Printed in the United States of America

Published by
Loose Id LLC
PO Box 809
San Francisco CA 94104-0809
www.loose-id.com

This e-book is a work of fiction. While reference might
be made to actual historical events or existing locations,
the names, characters, places and incidents are either
the product of the author’s imagination or are used
fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons,
living or dead, business establishments, events, or
locales is entirely coincidental.

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Dedication

Special thanks to Andy L., who provides info

on all things military, and Mike P., for answering all
the legal questions.

Chapter One

The night air sliced through Kyle’s jacket with

ease. He shivered, hunching his shoulders and digging
his hands deep into his pockets in an effort to conserve
what little body heat he had left. He had been hanging
around the truck stop for over an hour, lingering in the
shadows, waiting for a chance to escape the miserable
weather and get as far away from Baltimore as he
could.

Hitchhiking was the only way; he couldn’t risk

exposure in Maryland by using his credit card. Besides,
he only had a few dollars on him and needed them for
food. If he could just get some breathing space, he was
sure he could clear his head and think things through,
figure out where to go, and decide if he had the guts to
ruin his family’s life.

January in Maryland was always miserable. Rain

turned to ice and snow, while temperatures fluctuated
somewhere between holy-fuck-it’s-cold and I-can’t-
feel-my-nads-anymore. It was the type of weather

where nose hair froze. Kyle had run thoughtlessly and
keeping warm had been the last thing on his mind, but
now, unfortunately, he was kicking himself for not
grabbing his coat. A thin vinyl jacket wasn’t cutting it.

Kyle kept his eyes glued on the big 18-wheelers

coming and going at the busy truck stop. He knew if he
was patient long enough, he’d have the perfect
opportunity to sneak into one. In the meantime, at least
in the alcove he stood protected from the biting cut of
the wind.

About ten minutes later, he watched a dark truck

pull into the parking lot and circle around till it came to a
stop farther away from the other trucks. Large silver
pipes were piled and secured tightly on the flatbed. The
driver hopped down and circled around, inspecting his
cargo and making sure everything was in order before
turning to walk toward the restaurant. For a moment,
the overhead parking lot lights struck his face, and
Kyle’s breath caught in his throat. The man had sharp,
angled planes on his face, bold strokes prominently
displayed by the washed-out light trickling down from

the overhead posts. A short beard angled from
midcheek to neck, while the disheveled hair on his head
curled slightly over his coat collar. It softened him just a
little.

Kyle watched until the man disappeared into the

warmth of the restaurant, and then he turned back to
the truck. Hiding in exposed pipes wasn’t the best idea,
especially in the middle of January, but it might be the
only opportunity he would get that night. And he had to
get out of Maryland as soon as possible. With one
more cautious look toward the restaurant to make sure
the driver wasn’t watching or coming back, Kyle
walked toward the bed, keeping to the shadows and
avoiding the areas where the overhead lights shone.

Kyle walked to the passenger side and started

looking at the pipes. They were huge, large enough for
him to fit in, but the ends were completely open. Air
would rush through them the entire way, and Kyle did
not want to end up as an icicle. Had it been July, he
would have taken the chance, but not in the dead of
winter.

He’d have to wait and hope that another

opportunity came soon. Out of curiosity, he went to the
passenger door and tried opening it, not surprised to
find it locked. He leaned his forehead against the side,
letting it bang once in frustration. He sighed and
reminded himself that he couldn’t give up, not now.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

Kyle whirled, surprise widening his eyes as he

pressed against the truck. The driver stood there with a
cup of hot coffee steaming the air. The first thing Kyle
thought was that he was tall; the second was that the
man was so good-looking he could give angels a run for
their money. Dark eyebrows slashed over intense, dark
eyes. His nose sloped down, neatly, without any bumps
to mar it. Lips full, ideal for kissing. High cheekbones
gave an illusion of aristocracy. A beard lay flush to his
skin. His face was heart shaped, the chin a blunted
point, but there was no way this man would be called
pretty. He was all strength and solid mass.

“I asked what the fuck you think you were doing

to my truck?”

Kyle swallowed thickly. “Nothing,” he answered

softly. The last thing he wanted to do was appear weak
and guilty, but there wasn’t much wiggle room.

The man cocked his head. “Liar,” he said.

Kyle looked around, half wondering if he could

outrun the trucker.

But the man interrupted his thoughts, slamming his

palm against the truck’s side, trapping Kyle. And all of
a sudden, Kyle’s heart hammered against his rib cage
for an entirely different reason.

The position brought the man’s head in closer.

Kyle couldn’t help himself; his gaze flickered down to
lips that remained unsmiling, and the urge to bite and
suck on the lower one almost brought him to his knees.
Never before had desire slammed into him so
powerfully it overwhelmed him.

“Well?”

Kyle blinked and forced his gaze away from his

lips. He looked into the dark eyes that seemed to glow
with amusement rather than anger.

“I need a ride,” Kyle whispered.

“I don’t do hitchhikers.”

That sentence had a wealth of implication behind

it. Or so Kyle imagined.

“Please. Just take me as far as the state line.”

“How do I know you’re not an ax-wielding

murderer?”

Kyle recoiled. He felt all the blood drain from his

face. The man instantly lost his interrogating air and
grabbed Kyle’s arm to steady him.

“Hey, I was kidding,” the trucker said.

“I wouldn’t hurt anyone,” Kyle replied firmly.

The stranger didn’t say anything as he studied

Kyle’s eyes. Whatever he saw, it must have satisfied
him, because he gave a brief nod and stepped back.
“All right,” he said, surprising Kyle. “My name’s
Delaney Vance. You can call me Del. My next stop is
Richmond. That all right with you?”

For a moment dizziness swam through Kyle’s

head. He wasn’t sure if it was because of the invitation

or because he suddenly felt bereft without the closeness
of Del’s body.

“You okay?” Del asked.

Kyle took a deep breath. “Yeah. My name is

Kyle. Kyle…Smith. Thanks, thank you so much.”

At Kyle’s hesitation over his name, Del raised an

eyebrow, but didn’t pursue the matter. “Sure.” He
reached into his coat pocket, pulled out a set of keys,
and hit the Unlock button. “Climb in.”

Chapter Two

Del wondered what on earth had possessed him

to invite the scrawny kid into his cab. He never, ever,
picked up hitchhikers. But there had been something
raw, something wounded in the kid’s vivid blue eyes
that drew him in, and before he realized what he was
saying, he had invited the kid aboard.

Del hoped that his impulsive gesture didn’t come

back to bite him in the ass later.

He walked around to the driver’s side and hoisted

himself up effortlessly. He watched Kyle out of the
corner of his eye, noticing how the kid shivered a bit in
the thin jacket. It made him wonder just how long he’d
been waiting outside to stow away.

He had shaggy blond hair parted down the side

and bangs combed over. Del could tell that the kid ran
his fingers through it often. His intelligent eyes flared
under the dull cabin light. He had a young body, defined
but on the lean side. As Kyle sat down, he let out a
long, admiring whistle. He stared behind the seats at the

sleepaway cab area, which had been transformed from
a regular rig into a minihome.

“Wow,” Kyle murmured, sounding impressed.

Behind the driver’s plush leather reclining seat, a

shower and toilet had been added, completely tiled in
with a drain reservoir under it. Behind the passenger
seat, a tiny kitchen had been built, complete with a sink,
microwave, minifridge and a hotplate. In the back was a
table with bench seats and a bed above the dining area
secured on steel lifts. Drawers and cabinets had been
built into the wall, while a flat screen was mounted eye
level with the bed.

“This is like your home,” Kyle finally said. “No

wonder you don’t do hitchhikers.”

“It’s called a sleeper berth,” Del said, setting his

coffee carefully in a holder. “One thing I can’t really
stand is using facilities that are so…public.”

Kyle nodded. “I get it. I was in a dorm for a while

and hated it. This is really cool!”

“A lot of truckers are converting their rigs,

especially if they own it. I’m a contractor, so I really

needed to feel comfortable.”

“Did you do the design?”

“I gave my input into what I wanted.”

He turned on the rig and let the engine rumble a

few minutes to warm up.

“So, you’re like what, seventeen? Eighteen?”

“I’m twenty-four,” Kyle answered.

The surprise must have shown on Del’s face,

because Kyle chuckled.

“Yeah, I get that a lot,” Kyle continued. “Sucks

right now, but I suppose I’ll be glad of my youthful
appearance when I’m fifty. You know, I was at a bar
once and the bouncer told me that I could call the cops
if my license was real.”

“Did you?”

“Of course. My uncle—”

Kyle stopped suddenly, clamming up. He turned

his head and stared out of the side window.

“Your uncle what?” Del probed, hoping to get

Kyle talking again.

Kyle shrugged and cleared his throat. When he

turned back to face Del, Kyle’s expressive eyes were
blank. “How far is Richmond?”

Del studied Kyle for a moment. He wanted to

press the issue because he had a suspicion that
whatever was forcing Kyle to run had to do with this
uncle. But sanity returned, reminding Del that he didn’t
know Kyle and at Richmond the two of them would be
parting ways. Did he really want to get involved with
some type of family dispute?

No.

So Del started his truck, leaving Kyle to his

secrets.

“Just under three hours,” Del answered.

“Great,” Kyle replied. “Just super.”

Del shifted into gear and after a look in his mirrors,

rolled out of the truck stop.

“Do you like music?” he asked.

Kyle shrugged. “Most all, I suppose. Whatever

you want is fine.”

Del turned on the stereo and flipped through the

CDs until he found what he wanted.

“Muse?” Kyle asked.

“Surprised?”

“Yeah,” Kyle admitted with a chuckle. “I guess I

thought all truckers listened to country or, you know,
Lynyrd Skynyrd.”

“Nothing wrong with Skynyrd.”

“I agree. Come on, ‘Free Bird’ and ‘Sweet Home

Alabama’? Pure musical genius.”

Del shot him a quick, appraising look. “True, but

man, that was one unlucky band.”

“One tragedy after another, but you know,

sometimes tragedy brings out the creativity. Look at
Rick Allen.”

It took Del a moment to place the name. “The

drummer from Def Leppard?”

Kyle nodded. “Adversity. But genius.”

“Haven’t met many twenty-four-year-olds who

could talk knowledgeably about old rock bands.”

They fell into an easy silence. The road thrummed

along, vibrating the cab in a peaceful way. The lights
from the road were calm. Kyle snuggled deeper into the
chair.

“I see why people want to become truckers,” he

murmured while yawning at the same time, which
caused his words to slur together.

“Why’s that?”

“There’s something soothing about this.”

Del shifted as he came behind another truck.

“Soothing about what? Driving?”

“Not just driving. The lights reflecting back at you.

The vibration of the cab. The glitter of stars looking
down on you. It’s like…like being in your own world.”

“It’s sitting on your ass all day, trying not to get

bored silly.”

Kyle laughed. “Yeah, I suppose it’s that too.

Better than me, I guess. All I do is ring up CDs and
books and stock shelves.”

“Is that where you got your knowledge of music?”

“Guilty. Sometimes working nights is so boring all

you do is Google the info on bands.”

“Are you in college?” Del asked as he flipped on

his signal to go around the truck in front of him.

“I graduated with an associate’s in business.”

“You want to go into business?”

“Hell no. I want to take pictures.”

Del shot him a surprised look. “A photographer?”

“I got this great idea. It’s called Oddities in

Nature.”

“What sort of oddities?”

“You know, batteries in grass. A soda can in a

tree. That type of stuff.”

“A pictorial book?”

“Yeah, something for the coffee table.”

“Sounds interesting.”

Kyle shrugged.

“You got a camera?” Del asked.

“Yeah,” Kyle replied and pulled out his digital

camera and stared at it.

Del shot a quick glance at him and saw the kid’s

face bleed of all color, twisting his handsome features
into something fearful and haunted. It was like seeing
him turn into a ghost before his eyes.

“Kyle? You okay?”

Kyle licked his lips. Del watched as he carefully

slid the camera back into his pocket and rubbed his
temple. “Yeah. Just a little headache. My, ah, camera is
nothing expensive, but it’s small and handy and I can
capture some great shots. Nowadays the pixel
resolution is so high that I don’t mind going to auto
instead of using manual. Plus, it’s easy to retouch with
Photoshop if I need to.”

“I have no idea what you said.”

“Seriously?”

“I admit I’m not tech savvy. I even still have a cell

phone that has buttons to push.”

“That’s okay. A lot of older folks find

smartphones a bit too much for them.”

“Who are you calling old?” Del said with a growl

in his voice. “I’ll have you know I’m only thirty-seven.”

Kyle chuckled, and for a moment, he took Del’s

breath away. His pale features lit up, draining away the
pinched, scared look and transforming him into a very
handsome man with dimples. Del’s mouth went dry,
and he shifted in his seat.

What the hell?

Kyle Smith was a kid! Well, technically, he wasn’t

jailbait, but still…way too young for him. But his body
didn’t seem to be listening to his rational thinking,
because his hard-on refused to go away.

Great. Just fucking great.

“Got any aspirin?”

“Sure,” Del said and flicked a hand at the console

between them. “In there somewhere.

Kyle rooted around and came up with a bottle. He

shook out two tablets and popped them in his mouth,
chewing.

“Where are you headed after Richmond?” the kid

asked after he swallowed.

“I’m picking up a load and heading off to

California.”

“Do you ever get lonely?”

“Most people ask if I ever get bored.”

“Boredom can be fixed. Loneliness is like

depression; it lingers too long and sucks the soul out of
you.”

“Is that bit of wisdom from firsthand knowledge or

a fortune cookie?”

Kyle grunted and yawned again. “Think I can get

a job in writing them?”

“You do that often, I noticed.”

“Do what?”

“Answer a question with a question, at least to the

questions you don’t want to answer.”

Kyle shrugged, then leaned his head back. His

eyes drooped, then opened, then drooped again. “Have
no idea what you’re talking about,” he murmured
drowsily, and a second later he said no more.

Del sighed but kept his mouth shut. He heard

Kyle’s deep, even breathing. Why was he bothering to
talk to him? He didn’t need distraction, especially from
a gorgeous kid.

Del shook his head.

Shut up! he told himself.

Chapter Three

Everything was dark.

He was running.

He was running in the dark, but he could still hear

it.

The drip, drip, drip of blood.

It echoed all around him, and no matter where he

went or where he turned, it followed him.

In the dark.

Then suddenly he was there, in the room, staring

at the girl. All the furniture had been taken away; the
room stripped bare. Empty except for the naked girl
standing in front of him.

She was pretty, in a girl-next-door kind of way.

Her hair was long, dishwater-blonde with green streaks
running through the strands. She had hazel eyes outlined
in heavy black liner. She stared at him strangely,
pleading for something.

He wished he didn’t have to look at her.

But he couldn’t turn away.

Because he was responsible.

She was dead, and he was responsible.

And now she was pleading with her eyes because

she couldn’t talk.

Because her throat was slit.

The blood ran down her chest, over her breasts,

and off her nipples.

To drip on the floor.

The lights went out, the room faded to black.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

He screamed.

* * * *

Kyle jerked awake and blinked rapidly, rubbing

his palms into his eyes and hoping to scrub away the
image.

He almost gagged at the metallic taste of blood in

his mouth, realizing he must have bitten the inside of his
cheek to keep from screaming aloud. He took a deep
breath and ran a hand over his face as he tried to steady
his racing heart. Then he thought about the girl, or at
least he tried to think about her. As last night rumbled
through his mind, a hazy fog moved with it, obscuring
the sharper details of memory.

It was so hard to think. All he needed was some

time, some space, to put all the pieces together. As he
rubbed his temples trying to ward off another headache,
he noticed that the truck was stopped. He looked out
the window and saw that they were parked at some
type of construction plant with many loading docks
attached. Several other rigs were parked in various
docks. It was dark outside, but the lights from the plant
lit the area up well enough that he could see men
hustling around. He opened the cab and stepped out,
shivering as the cold air hit him. He immediately missed
the warm softness of the passenger seat but knew they
had to be in Richmond.

His free ride was over.

“That’s it, Del.”

Kyle peeked around the side of the truck and saw

an attendant talking to Del, holding out some papers.

“How’s your sleep log?”

“I’m gonna get some food and then crash.”

“So it’s…eleven now. I’ll see you at nine

tomorrow for your pickup?”

Del gave a salute. “You got it, John.”

Kyle watched as Del jumped off the dock and

headed toward him. The night air was moist with a hint
of coming rain. Kyle hunched his shoulders and jammed
his hands in his jeans pockets.

“You okay?”

“Yeah.”

“You look pale. Would you like to grab a bite to

eat? There’s a diner right down the road that has some
great vegetable soup.”

“I don’t know. What if you’re an ax-wielding

murderer?”

Del smiled. “I wouldn’t hurt you. I wouldn’t hurt

anyone.”

In an instant everything shifted, and Kyle felt

himself caught by the humor in Del’s dark eyes. It was
sensual, seductive, and it drew him in, closer to
something he had never experienced before but now
wanted. Hot, burning, his heart thundered as desire ran
though his blood. It made him feel he was drowning, but
in a very good way.

And he saw that Del sensed it too, this tangible

pull between them. The allurement was minute, but Kyle
saw Del’s body become taut. He leaned, and Kyle
leaned in as well. He wanted to badly to taste those
lips, to taste his skin, and suck him deep. He had never
felt this way before, toward any man, and it surprised
him. Hell, it almost terrified him.

A horn sounded, the backing-up beeping of a van

came from far away, and he heard two people talking
as they walked closer to them. Del blinked and pulled
back.

“Come on, get in,” Del said gruffly. “Let’s get

something to eat. I come through here at least once a

month and I know this diner that has great soup.”

Del drove them to the diner and hopped out of the

cab. A large neon sign boasted twenty-four hour
service, seven days a week, plus a gift shop selling
authentic Civil War bullets. Rigs littered the parking lot,
some with cargo, some not, along with numerous cars
with license plates from all over. Kyle burrowed farther
into his jacket and hurried into the warmth inside the
silver-paneled restaurant. Del led the way past tables to
a booth in the back corner.

The menus were already on the tables. Kyle

picked one up to peruse before laying it back down. He
pulled out his wallet to double-check how much money
he had and sighed when he counted sixty dollars. His
gaze flashed to the ATM. He wondered if he dared use
it. If he used it, he could be traced. But could he be
picked up without a warrant? He just didn’t know. He
didn’t know all that much about laws and state lines, or
if his cousin had even told his uncle about what
happened that night. Of course, it would mean his
cousin admitting to the type of life he’d been living, but

the way his uncle doted on his only son, Kyle had no
doubt the lengths he would go to protect the family’s
reputation.

Then again, he didn’t plan on staying too long in

Richmond, so what would the harm be in securing a
couple hundred dollars to tide him over until he made
up his mind?

“Are you ready to order?” Del asked him.

Kyle blinked and turned, seeing the waitress

waiting with her pen and pad at the ready.

“Uh, sure,” he said. “I’ll have the scrambled egg

platter.”

“Bacon or sausage?”

“Sausage.”

“Drink?”

“Chocolate milk.”

The waitress smiled at them and hurried away.

“You got enough money?” Del asked quietly.

Kyle shrugged. “For this, yeah. In the future I can

always eat cheaply at Mickey D’s.”

The waitress came back to place their drinks

down, then hurried off. Del took his time making his
decaf coffee exactly how he wanted with one sugar and
lots of cream while Kyle just mixed the chocolate syrup
through his milk.

“What are your plans now?” Del asked in

between sips of coffee. “That is, now that you’re in
Virginia?”

“I don’t know,” Kyle replied. “I just want… I

haven’t had enough time to think.”

They fell quiet as their waitress came back with

their plates.

“Wow, that was fast.”

“Fast food is one thing you can always count on at

truck-stop diners,” Del murmured. “Along with being
greasy and good.”

They spent the next few minutes eating, and when

both plates were wiped clean, Del sat back and looked
at him.

“What are you running from?”

The question surprised Kyle because he had

gotten the impression Del wasn’t into serious twenty
questions. But the real issue, of course, was if he could
trust this man, and the answer had to be no. Because
even though Del made his blood course with fire and his
dick harder than steel, when all was said and done,
Kyle realized he was on his own.

“How long you been trucking?” he asked instead.

But this time Del didn’t answer right away. He just

looked steadily at Kyle, as if trying to figure him out,
deconstruct him. It made Kyle just a little bit nervous
and a lot aroused to have those intense dark eyes
staring at him again.

“Almost two years. Why won’t you answer my

question?”

“What did you do before driving a rig?”

“Military. Are you in some type of trouble?

Drugs?”

“What branch?”

“Army Rangers. Is it drugs, Kyle? Are you a

runner?”

The questions were wearing on Kyle’s nerves.

“Why do you want to know?”

“Hell if I know,” Del admitted. “But I’m going to

offer you a place to crash tonight as long as you tell me
what you’re running from.”

Kyle pushed his plate away, the food settling in his

stomach like lead weight. He was angry and wanted to
walk away, wanted to get up and storm out, away from
the questions and away from the memories.

But the kiss that never was kept playing through

his mind, messing up his thought process.

So instead of rising and walking away, he pulled

out his camera and laid it on the table.

“Because of that,” he whispered. A shudder of

revulsion flashed through him. For a second he had the
wildest urge to throw the camera to the ground and
smash it under his foot.

His hand shook, and the vibration reverberated up

his arm into his chest. His heart stuttered; he felt like he

was going to either vomit or faint, and he wasn’t sure
which would be better.

Del glanced at it with a frown, as if trying to

understand the answer.

“I…I, ah, took a picture,” Kyle explained. “And

now, I don’t know what to do with it.”

After another minute he picked the camera up and

put it back into this pocket.

“I take it that it’s a bad picture.”

Kyle nodded.

“That’s why you need to think?”

“The picture can hurt a lot of people,” Kyle

explained wearily, slouching back in the booth. He
reached up to rub his temples. “I keep trying to think
things through, but there’s this…fog that blankets
everything.”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s a picture and I know…it’s going to show

something real bad…but it’s like a movie I watched a
long time ago and now I’m having trouble remembering

the ending. Does that make sense?”

“It sounds like you’re in shock, actually. Because

if you took the picture, then you saw what happened.”

“Yeah. I guess I did. God, I need some aspirin.”

Del signaled for the check. A second later the

waitress laid it down, picked up some dishes, and left
just as quickly as she had appeared. Kyle pulled his
wallet out again and was grabbing some bills when Del
placed his hand on top of his and halted his action.

For a second Kyle just stared at Del’s callused

fingers on top of his. He was a man who had the hands
of a worker, strong and tanned. Against his own fair
skin, the contrast was startling.

“Del?”

He glanced up through his lashes at him, waiting.

Del jerked his hand away. “Um,” he said and

licked his lips. Kyle couldn’t help but follow the path of
that tongue. “I’ll get this one.”

Kyle raised his brows. “Why?”

“Because you don’t have that much money.

Because I invited you for a meal. Because I want to.”

Kyle nodded and put his wallet away. “Yeah,

okay.”

“Kyle,” Del said with small sigh. “You are…

Damn it. Are you ready to go?”

Kyle knew that wasn’t what Del had been going

to ask, but he let it go. “Sure. Thanks. You know. For
the food. For letting me crash in your pad.”

Del muttered something low under his breath that

sounded a lot like “it’s going to be a long night.” Kyle
wholeheartedly agreed.

Chapter Four

The rain started about an hour after he and Del

had gone to sleep. Or, had gone to bed is the more
accurate, since sleep was proving to be very elusive. It
would have been bad enough had he only to think about
what to do with the picture, but knowing that Del slept
only a few feet from him, half-naked, was almost
torture.

Del had driven them back to the loading docks

and parked in a special area in the back reserved for
truckers needing to sleep. He had explained there was a
log he had to keep, recording his driving time and
resting time, making sure there were ten hours a day
reserved for slumber. It was mandatory for all truckers.

So Del had parked the rig, turned on the heating

generator, showered, and gone to bed, letting Kyle
make up the kitchen table and benches into a bed. It
worked like those in campers, where the tabletop could
be lowered and the seat cushions laid flat for someone
to sleep on. It wasn’t the most comfortable, but it was

warm and free. He had pretended to be asleep as Del
did the usual nightly ritual of showering and brushing his
teeth. He only got glimpses of wet, tanned skin, but it
sent his pulse soaring, and his dick twitching in his
pants. Kyle had peeked as Del climbed up into his bed,
wearing only low-riding flannel pants and showing Kyle
a heavy, muscled chest and arms. A smattering of hair
tapered down and disappeared into the waistband.

Kyle wanted nothing more than to take his dick in

his hand and ease the pressure. The more time he spent
around Del, the more aroused he became. Well, he
maybe wanted one thing more, and that would be to
engulf Del’s cock in his mouth and suck him dry.

So there he lay, staring into the dark, more

aroused than he’d ever been before. Del lay only a few
feet away, but damned if Kyle had the courage to act
upon the lust raging through his blood. He turned onto
his side and curled up, deliberately emptying his mind of
all things Del related.

But the problem with that strategy was if he

abandoned Del, all that was left was the picture, and the

girl captured within. Guilt shot through him, twisting his
gut. She needed him, and here he was fixated on Del.
His headache returned immediately, and he lost the
image of what had happened the night before.

It was frustrating not being able to focus. Of

course, focusing had always been a little hard for him,
especially when he had big tests to take. What he
wouldn’t give now to have some of his mother’s special
comfort food. Though she had never been the touchy-
feely type of mother, giving out random hugs or kisses,
she had no comparison when it came to baking sweets.

Christ! His mother. Shit. The woman was sure to

be calling everyone as she searched for him, even his
uncle. He could just picture his frail, birdlike mother
wringing her hands and pacing their house. She had
never been a strong woman, and he could just imagine
what pills she would be popping to calm her nerves.
The last thing he wanted her to do was break down like
she did when his father had been killed.

First chance he got he had to call her.

He wished the night would last forever, even with

the sweet ache between his legs. He could hide here,
forget the outside world. Forget his family. Forget the
picture in his camera. He sent a silent curse to his cousin
for placing him in the situation in the first place. Had he
known what Dan was up to that night he never would
have tagged along. Of course, had he known what was
going to happen, he would never have snapped the
picture.

But he had and he did.

So what could he do now? What should he do?

He could never go to the police in Baltimore; he

could never trust the police in Baltimore, which was the
reason he had to get out of Maryland. But if he went to
the police in Richmond, would they have jurisdiction?

Did murder trump state lines?

His uncle…God. His uncle would never believe

him, and fat chance Dan would admit to anything. A girl
had been murdered, that much he remembered, though
some of the finer details were missing. He couldn’t
seem to focus on her features. It was as if someone had
drawn her face with charcoal and then rubbed it until it

was all blurry.

He had…he had…Jesus Christ! Why couldn’t he

think straight?

Once again pain lanced through his head, and he

winced. He deliberately forced his mind away from the
event, and the pain started easing up. The rain fell
steadily, drumming on the cab’s roof, soothing him. It
was peaceful, the drops falling in a lulling melody that
eased the tension in his shoulders and let his mind finally
settle. He was in the first stage of twilight, on the verge
of succumbing, when he heard a soft groan.

Instantly, Kyle snapped awake, his heart pounding

as he wondered if Del was pleasuring himself. The
image of Del holding his rock-hard cock, stroking it up
and down, velvet skin over steel, circling the tip and
catching the salty fluid— He gave his own little murmur
of pleasure as his dormant lust flared up again, sharper
and stronger. But the next rumble that came from the
top bed did not sound very sexy. In fact it didn’t sound
conscious at all.

The bed squeaked. Covers rustled. Kyle sat up

and waited, not quite sure exactly what was wrong, but
his instincts were telling him that the warble wasn’t due
to pleasure. On the heels of that thought, Del moaned
again, this time the sound verging on pain filled.
Immediately Kyle got out of bed to look at Del’s supine
body, twisted within the blankets and sweat-glazed. Del
twitched, his hands clasping and unclasping in his sleep,
trapped in whatever nightmare gripped him. He let out a
little whimper, and before it died away, Kyle had
jumped up onto the bed with Del, reaching out to grasp
the older, bigger man.

“Shh,” he said soothingly, running his hands over

Del’s face. “You’re safe. You’re okay.”

Tears trickled down Del’s cheeks. Tenderly Kyle

wiped them away.

“You’re safe,” he said again, softly. Caressingly.

Del’s eyes opened and looked at him, but for a

second it was obvious he was still locked within
whatever hell he was dreaming about. Slowly,
awareness seeped back into his dark eyes. He blinked
and cupped Kyle’s face.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, not

unkindly. His voice was husky, demanding.

“You were moaning, having a nightmare,” Kyle

answered, keeping his tone even and low.

Del stared at him a second longer and then

squeezed his eyes tightly. “Oh God,” he said with a
groan, and he crushed Kyle into his body. “Goddamn
fucking dream!”

Kyle hugged him back. His body responded,

hardened. “Sorry,” he murmured when his erection
became noticeable.

“I’m not,” Del responded just before he brought

his mouth down onto Kyle’s lips.

The kiss was not gentle. It was rough, raw. Del’s

lips pressed his open, and his tongue slipped, seeking
his, twisting with it, dancing. Any protest that Kyle
might have made evaporated. He pressed his body
more firmly into Del’s, needing to feel every inch of him.
Del’s hard cock pressed back, pulsing.

Kyle explored Del’s hard body, over the tightly

defined shoulders and down a corded back slicked with

sweat. Del pushed his shirt up, breaking off the kiss
long enough to pull it over Kyle’s head. Then he was
back ravaging his mouth, milking it, licking his way
down his neck to suck on his hardened nipples. Kyle
was moaning this time, loving the almost too intense
way Del devoured him as the older man kissed and
nipped his way down his body.

Del attacked his jeans, unbuttoning them and

pushing them down. In the blink of an eye, Del flipped
him until he had full access to Kyle’s hole. Kyle heard a
drawer open then felt the cold drip of lube as it slid
between his cheeks. His breath came out in a harsh rush
when he felt Del’s fingers ease inside him, working his
sphincter loose, using one, then two fingers to open him
up. Kyle relaxed his muscle, little by little. At this point
Kyle was panting, his hard-on almost painful.

Del pulled him onto his knees, and Kyle heard the

rip of a condom wrapper, and then Del was pushing
into him. It was heaven. The slight burning sensation
eased with each small jab of Del’s cock. In and out he
pistoned. Each thrust going deeper, spreading him

wider. Only when Kyle pushed back did Del impale
himself fully, filling him up.

“Kyle,” Del said with a moan. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, don’t stop.”

“Never,” Del vowed.

Over and over he pumped, grabbing hold of

Kyle’s cock and jerking it in time with his own hips.
The bed squeaked; the blankets fell over the side, but
neither of them cared.

“More,” Kyle said with a gasp. “Harder!”

Deeper Del moved, pushing on the center of

Kyle’s back to make him bend, allowing Del’s cock to
sink farther. There! Touching the spot that drove him
crazy. Kyle released a cry of pleasure, pushing back
into Del’s pelvis.

“Yes! So good, so good!” Kyle writhed as the

pressure built. “Del!”

It was too much. Kyle exploded in a kaleidoscope

of colors as Del milked his cock for every drop of cum.
Seconds later a cry echoed through the cab as Del

climaxed, shuddering uncontrollably as he collapsed on
top of Kyle.

Both their bodies shook as they tried to catch their

breaths. Del’s body was heavy, but Kyle welcomed it,
liking the feeling of being covered. He could easily fall
asleep now, but Del’s tender kiss on his shoulder had
him glancing behind him.

“Did I hurt you?” Del asked softly.

“No. It was amazing.”

He felt Del’s smile against his skin.

“I…thank you,” he finally said. He moved his hips

and slid out of him. Kyle heard the sounds of him
removing the condom but didn’t know where he put it.
When he lay back down, he moved Kyle’s body until
they were both on their sides and Del could spoon him.

“You’re not about to tell me to fuck off, are you?”

Kyle asked, half-teasingly and half-afraid.

“No,” Del answered, no trace of humor in his

tone. “No chance of that now. Sleep, Kyle. We can
talk tomorrow.”

“All right,” Kyle said and closed his eyes. He felt

Del sigh, felt the light trail of Del’s fingers over his arm,
and then knew no more.

Chapter Five

Kyle opened his eyes slowly, and he blinked a few

times to clear his blurry vision. He glanced at the clock
over where the television was mounted, and it read ten
minutes to six. God, no wonder he was so tired. He’d
had only about four hours’ sleep.

And with that thought came the memory of why

he’d had so little rest. He shifted his hips and felt not
only tender soreness but Del’s hard body pressed
against his. Warmth surged through Kyle, and in the
darkened cab he smiled.

A second later, however, reality crashed through

him as he remembered the reason why he was with Del.
Slowly, Kyle eased his body away, and he got out of
the bed. For a second he stared at Del in the dim light,
trying to memorize his face. He reached up and out, his
fingertips brushing lightly over the bristles on Del’s chin.
He would have liked staying with Del, traveling with
him, taking pictures along the way. He’d never been
past the East Coast and wondered what the rest of the

country actually looked like.

He drew his hand back. How foolish; he was

almost sounding like a girl with a crush. Well, maybe he
did have a crush, but that couldn’t be helped now. Del
had taken care of him when he needed it and maybe,
just maybe, Kyle had returned the favor last night,
holding him when Del needed a warm body. Slowly,
carefully, he picked up his clothes and dressed, being as
quiet as possible. He decided not to make his bed back
into the table because it would be too noisy, so he left
it. He checked to make sure he had his wallet and
jacket, and with one last look at Del’s handsome face,
he exited the cab.

* * * *

He walked the mile to the diner, and by the time

he entered its warm interior, he was almost frozen solid.
He bought a bar of soap and went into the bathroom,
using the sink to wash off as much grime as possible.

He dried off with multiple paper towels. With a

grimace, he realized he had to dress back in the same
clothes. He walked back into the diner and sat at the

bar. He ordered coffee and breakfast, only then
allowing himself a moment to think about his next move.
He still had no idea what to do about the picture, but he
couldn’t afford to stay out here much longer. His cash
was low. On television they always found the good guy
seconds after he swiped his credit card, but was that
real? And what if he called his mother? Could they
immediately trace a call? He knew his mother would be
freaking and didn’t want her to worry. Perhaps he
could borrow a cell phone.

He looked around the almost empty diner, trying

to see if anyone was using a cell, and his eyes clashed
with Del’s dark gaze. Surprise flared through him. He’d
thought Del would be out longer.

He watched Del make his way to the bar, signaling

for some coffee as he sat next to him. Kyle saw that his
hair was damp from a recent shower, and he could
smell a hint of pine drifting toward him.

“You could’ve used my shower,” Del murmured

as he fixed his coffee. He glanced at Kyle out of the
corner of his eye.

“I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“Me?” Del asked with an astonished lilt in his tone.

“I was the one that practically forced you.”

“Oh please,” Kyle grumbled. “We both know that

was not the case. I’ve been panting over you since I
first saw you.”

There was a beat of silence and then, “Really?”

Kyle rolled his eyes, though he couldn’t help but

smile. “Do you get nightmares often?”

All humor left Del’s face as he nodded. “Leftover

souvenirs.”

“From the military?”

“Yeah. I took an early retirement, partly based on

the fact I was a complete mental case for a time.
Doctors diagnosed me as having PTSD, but I think I
just couldn’t stomach being in war anymore. The
government gave me a nice severance check, which I
used to finance the rig.”

“How long were you in the army?”

“Fifteen years. Well, thirteen years active and two

years institutionalized.” He gave a mocking snort. “Does
that make me seem less manly? Shit. I shouldn’t be
bothering you about this.”

“No,” Kyle said quickly. “It’s cool. I mean, you

listened to my shit.”

“Actually, you never really got around to telling me

about it, so I guess we both have shit we haven’t really
talked about: what’s in that camera, and why I was a
nut job for two years.”

Del ran his hand over his face and drank his

coffee. They sat in silence for a bit. Kyle liked that he
didn’t feel uncomfortable or skittish around Del, even
though he’d just had the best sex of his life with the
man. Who, for all intents and purposes, was a stranger.
And yet, Kyle felt he knew Del very well.

“Last night,” Del said, “was the best sleep I’ve

had in years.”

“Yeah? Cool.”

“I think…I think it was you.”

“Me?”

Del nodded. “I’ve mostly gotten past the

nightmare stage, so last night was rare. I think it was the
rain; it always did unsettle me. But it wasn’t just the sex,
though I assure you that was pretty great, but
afterward, I just… It was the first time in years where
my dreams were…nice.”

Kyle looked at him, not sure what to say.

“I’ve not had nice in a long time,” Del finished

quietly.

“What happened when you got of the hospital?”

Kyle asked.

“I stayed with my mom. She was still grieving my

dad, so I think helping to take care of me got her out of
her depression.” He took a deep breath. “Listen, I’m
headed to California, Kyle.” He stared at him, one
eyebrow raised in question. “Do you want to come
along?”

Surprise rendered Kyle mute for maybe a second.

That was the last thing he thought Del would ask. “I
thought you didn’t do hitchhikers.”

Del’s lips quirked upward on one side. “A little

late for that sentiment, don’t you think? Anyway, I’m
going to be honest here. I really liked the sex.”

Kyle grinned, then gave a nonchalant nod. “I liked

the sex too. And I could really use more thinking time.”

“Good,” Del replied just as nonchalantly, finishing

off his coffee. He stood and threw enough money on
the counter to pay for Kyle’s breakfast too.

“You don’t need to keep paying my way, Del.

You’ll give me a complex.”

Del just rolled his eyes and started walking out of

the diner. “Come on, it’s close enough to nine for me to
start hitching up the cargo load.”

“All right. Hey, you got a cell, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Can I make a quick call? I really need to call my

mom so she’s not freaking out.”

“Sure that’s wise?”

“I thought of that. But cell phone numbers don’t

show up on caller ID, so I think it would be safe. Plus,
if I don’t call, then she sends the National Guard after

me, and that would really suck.”

“Sure. It’s in the cab.”

“Cool.”

Chapter Six

Del had half an ear on Kyle’s one-sided

conversation and one ear on the dock master’s inane
jabbering. Usually he found talking with John interesting,
hearing all the stories of fellow truckers, but this time all
he wanted to do was try to find out more information on
Kyle.

Events of last night briefly rolled through his head.

He remembered Kyle’s heat and tight body driving him
crazy, and he had to forcefully shove the thoughts aside
because the last thing he wanted John to see was his
hard-on and think it had to do with him.

“No, Mom, I can’t come home right now,” Kyle

was saying. “I wanted to let you know that I’m okay
and that I won’t be home for a bit. I don’t know. Mom,
stop it. No, don’t tell Uncle Peter. Please. I gotta go
now. I’ll call again when I can.”

Del watched him end the call, and then he stared

at the phone for a second. “Everything okay?”

Kyle glanced at him and nodded. “Are we

ready?”

“Yep.” He held up a book. “Manifest destiny all

set.”

“Wagons ho!”

Del laughed, and they both settled into the cab.

They didn’t speak as Del concentrated on maneuvering
his rig out of the shipping yard and weaving his way
through traffic until they hit I-85, which would take them
down to North Carolina to meet up with I-40.

“Was your mother all right?” Del asked some time

later, as his tractor-trailer eased smoothly down the
road.

“Yeah,” Kyle said with a sigh. “She freaks if I’m

not there.”

“Control issues?”

“Nah. Well, some. But it’s not her fault. My father

was a cop who died when I was eight, but she didn’t
find out till two days after. It was all this where-is-he
time in her life. So now she gets nervous if I don’t
check in.”

“You’re all she has?”

“Mm. For a while she disappeared into Valium

and vodka. It was like losing both parents at the same
time. There’d be days when I’d scavenge for food or
beg the lunch lady for seconds ’cause I knew I
wouldn’t be getting dinner. When social services were
called, my uncle finally stepped in, my father’s brother,
and straightened her out somewhat. She was never the
same, though.”

“Your uncle became your dad?”

“God, no,” Kyle answered emphatically. “No, he

had his own family. He has one son, Daniel, who, well
let’s just say Uncle Peter thinks the world revolves
around Dan.”

“Bad seed?”

Kyle snorted. “There’s only a year difference

between us. This one time when we were kids we
found this cat in an alley and I coaxed it out with a
hamburger. It took about an hour, but I kept throwing
little bits of burger until the mangy thing came out. I felt
so sorry for it. Well, Dan picks up this broken brick,

and before I realize it, he throws it and hits the cat.
Cracks its head wide open.”

“Jesus.”

“He thought it was hilarious. Just laughed and

laughed. Of course, that night he told my uncle I killed
the cat, so my uncle came over to give me lecture on
decorum. He said, ‘Boys having fun is one thing, but a
reputation is everything.’ You see, with my uncle it’s all
about family image, maintaining the family name.”

Del thought it might be a good moment to ask

what that family name was, but one glance at Kyle’s
clenched jaw had him revising that opinion. “It’s just me
and mom too,” he said instead, deciding to ease back
on whatever was causing Kyle to be upset.

“Yeah?” Kyle asked instantly, his relief at having

something else to focus on apparent.

“I came late to my parents,” Del went on. “They

were poor, and I was unexpected. When I turned
eighteen, I joined the army to give myself an education
and to help them out as much as I could.”

“Your dad died?”

Del was silent for a moment, trying to formulate

the right words. “Yeah. About three years ago.”

“Was that when… Never mind.”

“When what?” Del prompted. “Come on, don’t

be shy now.”

“When it happened? You know, your…break?”

Del didn’t answer right away. What could he say?

He’d seen things people should never see. War was
never pretty, no matter what was at stake. But he had
always been a good soldier, or at least he had thought
he was. But things piled upon one another so quickly
that the avalanche had buried him alive.

“I…I went to a watering hole to wash off the

traveling grime,” he finally started, his voice hesitant as
he tried to find his way through the story. “One thing
about being in the desert is that you’re always dirty. I
hated that dry, caking sand that crept into every pore
and crevice. The squad used to make fun of me that no
matter where I was, I would find the watering hole just
to get clean for a minute. But it saved my life.”

“How?” Kyle asked, his voice a whisper.

Del licked his lips. “Because I wasn’t there when

the bombs went off.”

He heard Kyle let out a soft gasp.

“Maybe we can talk about this some other time?”

he asked. “I don’t think I can think about that time and
drive carefully.”

“Oh,” Kyle said. “Yes, of course. You don’t have

to tell me anything, Del, if you don’t want to.”

“No, no, that’s not it.” He flashed the younger

man a quick, tight smile. “I think I might need a beer or
two, though, to get through it.”

“That’s cool,” Kyle agreed. “Hell, I might need

one as well.”

“Your family that bad?”

The kid gave a humorless laugh. “Ah, I always

thought my family would be the byproduct if the
Sopranos fucked the Kardashians.”

Del couldn’t help it, he laughed out loud. “Wow.

That’s an image I didn’t need in my brain.”

Just like that, the tension was defused, though the

thing between them hadn’t ever been tension exactly.
There was something growing, though Del wasn’t quite
sure just what that something was. But he was starting
to imagine it was him and Kyle against the world, or at
least, against a picture and a memory. He didn’t know
what was on Kyle’s picture but it must be to be life
altering, otherwise he wouldn’t be sitting next to Del in
the rig, running. They were both running, and their
journeys had brought them together. Cosmic, or some
shit like it.

Del snorted to himself.

Foolish thinking, right? What was he doing,

thinking of hearts and candies? He couldn’t afford to
think of the future when he was always dreaming of the
past. But life, he was learning, wasn’t black and white.
He shot a quick glance over at Kyle. His blood heated,
his cock stiffened, but under the immediate attraction
was something slower. Deeper.

It scared the shit out of him.

Chapter Seven

“Well,” Del said with a wave of his hands. “This is

the life of a trucker. Not much time for sightseeing, I’m
afraid.”

They stood in the middle of a parking lot, much

like all the other truck-stop parking lots they had been
in before. There were rigs parked for the night, side-by-
side monoliths in the moonlight. The truck stop was a
large cement building with windows still decorated for
Christmas, though the spray-on white snow was peeling
and flaking in places. Someone had scratched a heart
and initials inside a snowman.

His first day on the road had been fascinating as

he stared at the changing landscape around him. The
Great Smoky Mountains were breathtaking, especially
with the heavy January clouds sitting on top of the high
peaks, obscuring much but giving a mysterious quality
to the towering slopes.

They had stopped for the night on the west side of

Knoxville, Tennessee. He considered trying to capture

the beauty of the peaks with photos, but couldn’t bring
himself to reach into his pocket to grab his camera. Just
thinking about it felt like a rock hitting his belly,
knocking the breath from him. Sweat popped out on his
forehead, despite the cold night air, and he had the
crazy urge to upchuck.

“You okay?” Del asked.

Kyle nodded quickly. “Just hungry.”

Del led them into the building, and they had to

walk through the souvenir shop to get to the dining area.
Kyle saw a rack boasting a sale on T-shirts.

“Go ahead. I’ll be right there,” he said to Del.

Del nodded and walked on as Kyle went to check

out the shirts. Most of them had slogans for beer or
whiskey and some had suggestive sayings like Pull My
Finger with an arrow pointing down to the crotch area.
But they were five bucks each, so he grabbed two
nondescript ones before heading over to the toiletries.
He found an overpriced deodorant, toothpaste, and
toothbrush, and sighed when his purchase took half his
money.

Del lounged in a booth near the kitchen area. Kyle

threw his bag onto the opposite seat and slid in.

“Can I borrow your superawesome shower this

evening? I’m starting to offend myself.”

Del smirked. “Yeah, I was wondering when you

were gonna notice.”

“Shut it,” Kyle said smoothly as he grabbed the

menu.

When the waitress came around, he ordered

water and soup. Del raised his brows and ordered pork
chops, baked potato, and mixed vegetables. Kyle sent
him a glare. But the soup was surprisingly good and
filling, so Kyle wasn’t too disappointed, even when Del
ordered dessert and made blissful sounds of pleasure as
he ate the apple pie.

“Real mature,” Kyle muttered.

“Listen,” Del said as he pushed his empty pie plate

away, “I don’t mind paying for the dinners. If you want,
you can keep track and pay me back when everything
is settled.”

“Hmm,” Kyle replied. “I suppose those terms are

acceptable. Otherwise, it makes me feel funny, letting
you buy me stuff since we, you know, got closer.”

“That’s an interesting phrase.”

Kyle shrugged. “Appropriate.”

“Well, then, deal. Now, shower. And laundry.

Seriously.”

Kyle stuck his tongue out.

* * * *

The shower was heavenly.

The water pressure wasn’t all that high, but the

water was hot. Kyle scrubbed his hair and his body
clean, then brushed his teeth. Just being clean again
restored him somewhat.

After the shower, Kyle slipped on a pair of Del’s

sweatpants, tying the drawstring tight around his narrow
hips, and one of his new T-shirts. Del had left him alone
to go do laundry at the courtesy area for truckers
behind the truck stop.

Kyle looked in the small fridge and saw a couple

of bottles of beers. He took one and screwed off the
top before settling down at the table. The camera
waited there, the covered lens an eye that seemed to
mock him.

He was having difficulty touching it, never mind

trying to take a picture with it. All he had to do was
pick it up and delete the fucking picture. Problem
solved. But he couldn’t. His conscience wouldn’t let
him.

Instead he concentrated, trying hard to remember

all the details of that night. He closed his eyes, but all
that came to him were flashes; even the girl was nothing
but a hazy outline. Pain rolled through his head as he
pushed harder to remember. It had been Dan, Dan and
the girl…but all that came forth was what had
happened, what had caused him to fly into the night,
leaving him stranded at a truck stop preparing to be a
stowaway.

When the headache became too much to bear, he

put the camera back in his jacket pocket and put the
jacket out of sight.

Chapter Eight

When Del got back to the rig, Kyle was rubbing

his temples.

“Another headache?” Del asked.

“Yeah.”

“You take anything?”

“Couple of aspirin. I used to never get headaches,

and then suddenly I’m getting them all the time.”

“That so?” Del asked as he put the few clothes

items away. Then he slid into the table bench opposite
Kyle. “I used to get headaches a lot and learned a few
things to help control them.”

“Oh yeah? Like what?”

“First is deep breathing. Most of us don’t breathe

properly. Use your diaphragm; push out with your belly
instead of through your chest and shoulders.”

Kyle sat up straight and began to breathe as Del

instructed.

“Kind of makes you light-headed,” Kyle

observed.

“That’s because we usually breathe shallowly.

Okay, next alternate tensing a muscle group and then
relaxing it. Go ahead; start with your leg muscles.”

Kyle concentrated on following Del’s instructions.

“This feels good,” Kyle admitted.

“Stress can produce all kinds of wicked problems

on our bodies.”

“You sound like a shrink.”

Del shrugged. “I was in therapy for while. You

tend to learn their tricks.” He grabbed one of Kyle’s
hands and squeezed. “You look good all cleaned up.”

“Har-de-har,” Kyle replied, but his smile took the

bite out of the words.

“Feel better?”

Kyle nodded and finished the beer before rising.

He put the empty bottle in the sink and then turned to
face him.

“I want you.”

Those three little words excited Del beyond

anything he’d experienced before.

He pulled Kyle into him, melding his lips against

the younger man’s gently, starting slowly, letting the
magic build. Already his heart pounded heavily, and his
hands were a little unsteady as he pulled Kyle’s hips
into his. Hard against hard, Del ran a hand upward,
grabbing Kyle’s shirt and easing it up. Del’s knuckles
glided over Kyle’s stomach, and he felt the muscles
contract against the light caress.

Their tongues met, danced, learning the feel and

texture of each other. Before, it had all been a little too
rushed, too overpowering. Del intended to take things
nice and slow this time. To learn his lover, what he
liked, and what drove him crazy. Kyle’s hands clutched
his shoulders as if clinging to Del for dear life, and Del
liked it. Dear Lord, did he ever like it.

Slowly Del undressed him, first easing off his shirt

and then untying the drawstring. Del slid his hands inside
the pants to grab Kyle’s ass. He pulled Kyle more
firmly into him, into his groin, moaning as he felt Kyle’s
hardness against his own.

Wild need surged through him, and for a second

he was tempted to rip off all clothing, his and Kyle’s,
turn him around, and sink his cock deep inside the
younger man. The image was so sharp and clear in his
mind that lust temporarily blinded him. He grabbed at
his own clothing, yanking and tugging until he was
naked. But as his hand settled on Kyle’s arm to spin
him, he looked into Kyle’s deep blue eyes and saw
happiness. It made the frantic fervor cool enough for
him to get a handle on his animal instinct.

“Come on,” he murmured and turned to get onto

the loft bed. Once there, he held out his hand and
grasped Kyle’s as the young man joined him. Their lips
met again, softly, silkily. Their arms and legs came
together, meshing, wrapping around one another. Del
moaned again at the incredible feel of Kyle’s lithe body
straining against his, and Kyle answered back the same.

Their breathing constricted, and though Del was in

heaven, he wanted more. He craved more. So he broke
the kiss and turned until he was staring at Kyle’s hard
cock. The blood-engorged member stood proud from a

dusting of fair curls. It was shorter than his own, not
quite as thick, but it curved beautifully toward Kyle’s
stomach. It twitched as if knowing that it was being
admired, bobbing slightly above a full sac. Del couldn’t
help himself; he licked the sac, feeling each individual
ball, weighing and playing with them as he palmed
Kyle’s dick. He ran a finger over the top, catching the
moisture leaking from the tip and using it to coat the
head. He rubbed it over and over, back and forth as he
kissed the hot skin at the base of the shaft, then moved
up, taking his sweet time to enjoy it.

The skin on the head was smooth but swollen as

precum leaked steadily from the tip. Del sucked it into
his mouth, using the flat top of his tongue to massage up
and down. He held on to Kyle’s hips as he started his
momentum, in and out on mouth and tongue.

But Kyle wasn’t just taking without giving. His

mouth had settled over Del’s cock in a hot vise. Teeth
tenderly and teasingly bit the crown while his tongue
soothed any pain inflicted. It just about drove Del crazy.

Together they worked their magic on each other,

sucking and licking, tugging and jerking, until they were
both worked up. Del pulled back reluctantly from
Kyle’s delicious taste because as much as he would
have loved to finish here and now, he needed to be
inside Kyle when he came.

Kyle let out a groan of loss and tried to grab his

hips, but Del turned around and faced him. He looked
into luminous blue eyes, awash in passion, and felt his
heart stutter with something different than desire.
Something warm, deeper, the same something that had
come over him earlier when he had been driving. It had
scared him then, but now, faced with Kyle’s beautiful
face flushed with want and need, all it did was make
Del’s heart burst.

He leaned down and captured Kyle’s lips, kissing

him almost ferociously. He tasted himself on the man’s
lips, a mixture of musk and salt, and wondered if Kyle
was thinking the same, tasting himself as well. He
loomed over the smaller man, and Kyle fell back. This
time Del would take him chest to chest, face-to-face,
see what Del’s claiming looked like.

He explored Kyle’s chest, rolling his nipples

between his fingers. Kyle arched his back as if wanting
more but also pushing himself more into Del’s hardness.

“Please,” Kyle begged between gasps of air.

“Fuck me. Please fuck me!”

Del could no longer stand it either. He reached for

the side drawer and pulled out a condom and a bottle
of lube, and Kyle took the condom out of his shaky
hands to sheathe him. Del hissed in pleasure and pain at
feeling Kyle’s hands on his cock, simply because he
needed to be buried inside Kyle so badly.

As quick as possible, Del squirted lube onto his

fingers and bent to find Kyle’s tight hole.

“Fuck!” Kyle moaned, closing his eyes. “That

feels good.”

Del agreed was but was beyond speech as he

concentrated on widening Kyle’s asshole. When he
inserted another finger, he felt the muscled ring relax
completely, and knew it was time. He withdrew his
fingers and used more lube on his covered cock before
angling his hips. Del leaned down, kissed Kyle, and

entered him. There was no resistance as he slid into
deep heat.

It was Del who moaned this time, taking a moment

to steady his breathing and control his shaking limbs. He
flushed with mind-tingling pleasure all over, and he was
on the verge of losing control. He couldn’t, not yet. Not
until he made Kyle come so hard he passed out.

So he began to move slowly, withdrawing only to

plunge back in, taking a moment between each thrust to
let them both really feel the bliss of being joined. Little
by little, Del increased the tempo until he had a smooth
motion going. Kyle’s fingers plunged into his hair,
gripping tight with each surge. The rapturous little mewls
coming from Kyle urged him on.

Their bodies were tight against each other, but Del

wiggled one hand between them to grasp Kyle’s cock,
using the steadily leaking fluid to lubricate him as he
pumped up and down in time with his hips.

And all thought, rhyme, and reason fled as control

evaporated. Del could feel himself letting go, swelling.

“I’m going to come,” he managed to say in Kyle’s

ear. “Oh shit! Oh fuck!”

“Yes!” Kyle moaned, his hips undulating wildly

under him. Del pumped him faster and faster until he
erupted with a splash of hot juice coating his hand. And
with the feel of Kyle climaxing, Del finally let his own
go.

With a shout he surged once, twice, and

exploded. Boneless, he collapsed upon Kyle’s sweaty
body, breathing heavily as his heart pounded in his
chest. Kyle’s arms sneaked around him, holding him
tightly.

And, for a long moment, Del hugged him back.

Chapter Nine

He was in an alley, throwing pieces of hamburger

to the girl. She sat on the ground waiting for the next
bite, watching him. Her dark eyes pleaded with him, so
he threw another piece of meat.

And then Dan was beside him. He looked up at

his cousin, confused. In Dan’s hand was a brick. What
was he doing with that?

He opened his mouth to ask, but before he could

utter a single word, Dan threw the brick. He heard a
gurgle, a gasp.

* * * *

Kyle’s eyes snapped open, and he knew he was

alone in the bed. It would have been hard to miss, given
the fact that the bed barely held both of them and he
missed Del’s warmth. He leaned over the edge and
looked down, seeing Del sitting in the dim cab lighting,
holding a beer. Kyle sat up and climbed down, heedless
of his nudity. He saw Del give his body an up-and-
down appraisal, and his blood heated from the look.

But he turned away and went to the bathroom to relieve
his immediate need and used the shower to wash
himself again.

He draped a towel around his hips and stepped

back into the living area, grabbed a beer, and sat down
opposite Del at the table.

“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked.

“Yeah, I slept. Not one nightmare. Not quite used

to such quality sleep.”

“I’m sure I can find a way to tire you out if you

want to catch a few more z’s.”

Del smiled at the implication and clinked his beer

against Kyle’s. They fell into an easy silence, drinking
beer in the dim light.

“You want to talk about it?” Del asked.

Kyle blinked at him and raised an eyebrow in

question. “Talk about what?”

“You know, earlier.”

“Earlier?”

Del sighed. “You know, when you’re ready, I’m

here.”

Kyle only gave him a blank look but then

shrugged. “How far we getting tomorrow, er, I guess
today seeing how it’s just after midnight.”

“Little Rock, probably,” Del answered.

“Hey, what did Arkansas? The same as

Tennessee. Delaware a brand New Jersey.”

Del’s brow furrowed. “Come again?”

Kyle shrugged. “Something my dad used to say to

me. Always thought it was stupid, but somehow it
seems very appropriate right now.”

Del laughed, a full-bellied guffaw that sounded

nice. Kyle had to laugh along with him. After a few
minutes the laughter died down to a chuckle and Del
wiped his eyes. But the pinched look was gone, which
Kyle was thankful for.

“Were you close to your dad?” Del asked him.

Kyle nodded. “Yeah, but I only remember bits

and pieces of him now. I remember how he used to say
my name. I remember every Sunday he would take me

out and play ball. What I don’t remember is how tall he
was, or the color of his eyes.”

“My dad had light brown eyes,” Del said softly.

“Kind of washed out ’cause of his age. He was eighty-
two when he died.”

“You were an oops, right?”

Del nodded and took a sip of his beer. “He was

forty-eight when I was born, but he was a great dad.
His death hit me hard. A week later I was in
Afghanistan leading a squad when we came across
what we thought was a deserted town, except there
was this orphanage of kids happy to see us. I left my
men to wash up, like I said, and about fifteen minutes
later I heard explosions. Unfortunately it was something
I’d heard enough to know what it was. I thought maybe
IEDs but…”

He trailed off and took a deep breath. Kyle

reached out and took one of his hands in his own. Del
looked at him, his eyes full of pain.

“You don’t have to talk about it,” Kyle murmured.

“It’s okay. You see, the children were the bombs,

and when they ran up to hug each member of my
squad, they detonated. They were so happy because
their mission was about to be fulfilled.”

“Oh my God,” Kyle whispered. He tightened his

grip on Del’s hand.

“Everything was coated in blood and body parts.

The walls, the floor, the desks. From my men, from the
kids. And it was my job to check each of them for
survivors but I only found one alive, a private. I had to
stuff his guts back into his stomach and patch him up
best as I could. I called for an emergency medevac, but
after that I don’t remember anything. I just…fell apart,
so I’m told. They found me curled up in a ball, unable
to talk.”

He took another sip of beer.

“I woke up two years later in a hospital,” he said

matter-of-factly. “How pathetic, eh?”

“What are you talking about? Your friends were

blown apart, Del! And children, God! No one could
have gotten through that and stayed sane! You think
that makes you a weak man?”

Del shrugged and chugged down the rest of his

beer.

“What happened to the private?”

“He’s still in the army.”

“So you saved his life!”

“One man, Kyle! Out of twelve!”

“Two.”

“What?”

“Two men. Don’t forget yourself.”

“I was washing my face! And they died!”

“And you would have died with them, Del. Along

with the private, and no one would have survived.”

Del opened his mouth, but he had nothing to say.

Kyle could see several emotions going through his dark
eyes: denial, anger, resentment, sadness. All the stages
of grief except acceptance.

His shoulders slumped. “You’re not the first

person to tell me that. Did I tell you I spent a lot of time
in therapy?”

“Why can’t you believe it?”

“They call it survivor’s guilt.”

“Oh,” Kyle replied. “I know about guilt. Listen,

this is what you have to do. You have to picture your
guilt as bad guys, like the entire cast of The Godfather,
and then make them strip naked and dance at a geriatric
convention.”

“What?” Del asked with a strangled laugh in his

throat.

“Every time my cousin did something and blamed

it on me, my uncle would come around and give his
lecture and berate my mother for raising a terrible kid.
She’d get so worked up, I’d end up feeling guilty for
something I didn’t even do! So I started picturing Dan
naked dancing in front of old ladies.”

“And that worked?”

Kyle nodded. “Yeah. It’ll work for you too.”

He watched Del close his eyes, saw them move

under the thin eyelid skin, back and forth, until a smile
came to his lips. A moment later he opened his eyes

and shook his head.

“That was…some of the best advice I’ve ever

gotten. Are you sure you’re not a shrink?”

“Not even close.” Kyle sighed. He let go of Del’s

hand to stand, first retrieving his jacket and then
grabbing another bottle of beer. As he sat back down,
he twisted off the beer cap and placed it in front of Del
before pulling the camera out of the pocket to set it in
the middle of the table. “Because I’m scared of this.”

“The camera?”

“The picture has tainted it. I break out in a cold

sweat whenever I think about using it.”

Del took a drink of his fresh beer, then pointed

with it. “I’ve bared my soul tonight. Ready to bare
yours?”

In response, Kyle picked up the camera and

turned it on. He hit the button for Albums and then
handed it to Del when the picture came up. He watched
Del’s face going from puzzlement to comprehension.

“Is this what I think it is?”

“It’s real, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Del took a deep breath. “Who’s the girl?”

“I don’t know.”

“Tell me from the beginning.”

“I’ll do my best,” he said, hedging. “Things are

really…hazy. Let me start at the beginning. My cousin
Dan is the guy in the photo. He’s always done the
worst, most awful things you can think of. I’m talking
underage drinking, drugs, guns; you name it, he’s done
it. Basically, he does whatever he can to flaunt the fact
that he’s almost untouchable.”

“I don’t understand,” Del said.

“When he was eighteen, Dan beat this kid up real

bad. The kid lost an eye. In the investigation, the
evidence was lost, so my cousin walked away ’cause
by then it was all based on a he-did-this-to-me thing.
So I asked him why. Why did you do this to a fifteen-
year-old boy?”

“What did he say?”

“He said why not.”

“Jesus.”

“By then I didn’t want anything more to do with

him. I kept wondering how my uncle, this ultimate
authority figure, could be so blind when it came to his
son. So I left Baltimore, went to college in Annapolis.
And when I was there, I got away from all that bullshit.
But the minute I came home, I got sucked back into the
family politics. Then I found out one of Dan’s little side
jobs is porn films, as the star, only he never shows his
face.”

“A faceless dick?”

“Pretty much. He invited me one night to go out,

and my mother pressured me to hang out with him. My
uncle’s obsession has always been maintaining image,
showing himself as a man devoted to the family unit, so
when my mother begged me to attend a concert with
Dan, I went.”

“Let me guess. Instead of a concert he took you

to a porn shoot?”

“Yeah. Dan thought it I would enjoy watching him

fuck a girl, for some reason.”

“He doesn’t know about you?”

“That I prefer men? No, no one in my family does,

but that’s because they’re all dipshits. Even my mother,
God love her.”

“Ouch.”

Kyle waved it away. “This is where it kind of gets

a little blurred around the edges. I can’t seem to
remember all the details, but at some point I know I
took out my camera because I thought I could use a
shot of my cousin if I ever needed to blackmail him. I
thought it was a perfect solution to get the hell away
from him at last. A shot of his face doing a porn film.
Only I snapped it at the wrong moment.”

Del looked at the picture again. “He slit her

throat.”

“Yes. That part I do remember, somewhat. Even

that’s a little hazy.”

“You gotta turn him in, Kyle. He murdered a girl.”

“That’s why I had to run.”

“Listen, no family is worth hiding a murderer. Even

your uncle has to realize—”

“He’s the Baltimore deputy police commissioner.

My real name is Kyle Hardigan, Del. My uncle is Peter
Hardigan, and he’s up for promotion since his boss is
retiring.”

“Oh shit.”

“Yeah.”

Chapter Ten

Del placed a hand over Kyle’s. “Then go to the

mayor or…Christ, who does the investigation into bad
cops?”

“You don’t understand. I can’t trust anyone to not

lose the camera or delete the picture. Remember the
boy my cousin beat up? All the evidence went poof.
How the hell does that happen in a police investigation
unless on purpose?”

“You think everyone would conspire to hide it?

Your uncle would hide it?”

“My uncle has always looked the other way when

it comes to Dan. DUIs…erased. Drug charges…
dropped. My cousin has always gotten away with
murder. Jesus, I just wish it could all go away!”

“You’re avoiding the issue. He will literally get

away with murder if you don’t turn him in.”

“I’m avoiding issues? You want to fuck so you’ll

have pleasant dreams! If that’s not avoidance, I don’t
know what is.”

“Me getting over the bombing of my entire

company isn’t the same as you avoiding this girl’s death,
Kyle. She needs you.”

“I’m scared,” Kyle admitted, his voice barely

above a whisper. “I’m scared of my cousin and of my
uncle.”

Del opened his mouth to say something, but

nothing came out. What could he say? That everything
would be all right? Both of them had been through too
much to believe that crap.

“Shit, Kyle,” Del finally muttered and hunched his

shoulders as he pulled the label off his beer bottle.

* * * *

They got on the road early the next morning after a

quiet breakfast. Kyle spent the morning staring out the
window without really seeing the landscape, the camera
clutched in his hand.

He knew that Del was upset with him; after all

murder was cut-and-dried wrong. No ifs, ands, or buts.
And it was a hateful conundrum he found himself in,

trying to reconcile the good and bad that made up his
uncle choices. His uncle had saved his mother’s life
when she had fallen apart, and he had saved Kyle from
being turned over to the state. Then again, his uncle had
political ambition and had done those things primarily to
make sure the family name was untarnished, but still, his
mother had been pulled from the brink to take care of
her son. And as much as a basket case as his mom
was, Kyle was still thankful for that. Yet, if…when…
Dan got arrested, it could mean the end of his uncle’s
career. What a way to say thanks.

For a moment his mind flashed to the night his

father’s body had been found. He had been shot and
weighted down into the harbor. The body had
somehow gotten free and floated up, found by some
fishermen, and Peter Hardigan had been the one to
positively identify his brother’s corpse.

He had come to see Kyle and his mother, had told

them in a passionless, toneless voice that Paul Hardigan
would never return home again. Peter had remained
stoic as his sister-in-law lost it, being the policeman he

had been trained to be, even though he had to be
hurting too. There had been a hundred years of
Hardigan men on the Baltimore Police and now all that
was left was Peter. Even eight-year-old Kyle had
noticed the momentary slump to his uncle’s shoulders
before his training had kicked back in and he’d
straightened his spine.

Kyle didn’t want to be the one that destroyed the

Hardigan name; he didn’t want to be the one who
broke his mother’s heart again. She relied so much on
Peter that Kyle really didn’t know what she’d do
without him.

He had to call her again, make sure she was doing

okay.

As the memories flooded him, he tried thinking

back to that night. Tried sorting through the muck. He
didn’t really want to face thinking about it at all, but
knew he had to sooner or later. And he really didn’t
like Del being angry with him.

At lunch they stopped at a diner and gas station.

While Del gassed up the rig, Kyle grabbed Del’s cell

phone and made a call to his mother.

“I want you to come home,” Josephine Hardigan

ordered.

“Mom, stop. I’m not a kid anymore. Besides, I

can’t come home right now.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I know. I just wanted…I’m just on a little

vacation, Mom. No big deal.”

“A vacation? You left in the middle of the night,

Kyle!” Her tone immediately softened, and her next
words were spoken in a whisper. “Have you been
kidnapped?”

“What? Mom, no,” he answered with a smothered

laugh. He coughed to hide his amusement. “I’m with a
friend, Mom. I assure you, I have not been kidnapped.”

“Well, it just seems so strange, Kyle. Are you at

least in Maryland? Did you go to the beach?”

“I’m…nearby.”

“Hm,” she muttered. “If I wanted to get away, I’d

go shopping in Delaware. No sales tax. If you’re in

Delaware, could you pick me up some Italian meat
from Ciuffetelli’s Deli? It’s in Newark.”

“Mom, I’m not picking you up some deli meat.

Listen, I just wanted to check in and let you know I’m
okay. I love you, okay?”

“I love you too, sweetheart. Come home soon.

Uncle Peter’s been asking about you.”

Tension suddenly gripped him tight in his lower

belly. “What did Uncle Peter say?”

“Well, he’s been real busy on this murdered girl

who was discovered downtown in some warehouse,
but he wanted to know if I’d heard from you, of course.
I told him you must have been using a different cell
phone because I don’t recognize the number.”

“The cell phone number came up on your caller

ID?”

“Yes. Uncle Peter set up this new modem for me

because I had been getting some prank calls late at
night. Thankfully they stopped.”

All of a sudden, horror washed over him as the

knowledge that Peter now knew about Del, probably
knew everything about him by this point. He looked up,
searching for the cell tower.

His mom continued talking, and he could hear her

from the earpiece. “Did you lose your phone? Really,
Kyle, I knew you shouldn’t have bought such an
expensive phone. Did you really need a 4G?”

“Mom, I’ve got to go now.”

“Wait, you haven’t told me where you are!”

“Bye, Mom. Love you.”

He hung up on her and immediately scrolled

through the settings.

“Shit!” he cried and took the battery out of the

phone. Then he marched quickly back to Del.

“We’ve got to go,” he said, glancing around.

“Why?” Del asked, tensing immediately.

Kyle held up the phone. “He was able to trace

your number.”

“What?”

“Cell phone numbers usually don’t show up on

caller ID. They come up as saying wireless because the
receiving number has nothing ported through the
telephone company. But my uncle put in a trace modem
on her phone!” Kyle said, a little irritated at having to
explain further. “Peter got your number, so he knows
who you are. He knows I’m with you. The phone pings
off cell towers as it enters a new area—”

“So they can track the phone,” Del interrupted.

“Right.”

“You’re talking about CSI bullshit. I’ve watched

the TV show.”

“No, it’s called using a location tracker, and since

he knows who you are, he can find out who you’re
working for now. He can track this rig.”

Del stared at him, hard, and Kyle held his breath,

waiting. Would Del tell him to get lost, that he had had
enough? Their eyes met, locked, and for a moment
Kyle was so scared his mind went blank. It wasn’t the
fact that if Del left him behind he had no ride, stranded
somewhere in fucking Arkansas. No, it was the thought
of losing Del that had ice stealing over his skin.

“Please don’t leave me,” he whispered.

The remoteness in Del’s eyes disappeared as he

grabbed hold of Kyle’s arms and pulled him into his
body, heedless of anyone watching. Kyle put his arms
around him, hugging him back tightly, fiercely. He
closed his eyes and breathed in Del’s scent.

“Of course I wouldn’t leave you behind,” Del told

him.

But Kyle shook his head. Suddenly, it was very

important that Del knew exactly what he felt. He pulled
back to stare Del in the eye. “I mean it, Del, don’t leave
me. My God, this is going to sound fucked up, but
my…heart hurts when I think of you not with me.”

He saw Del swallow, saw his Adam’s apple go up

and down, and saw his eyebrows lift slightly. Kyle
braced himself, waiting for Del’s dismissive remark or
maybe a flip of the bird. He hoped Del didn’t laugh.
Right now he didn’t think he could handle being laughed
at.

But Del did none of those things. Instead he

opened up the cab door and gave Kyle a shove. “Get in

the back.”

“What?”

“Go on, let me finish with the gas.”

“But—”

“Kyle! We don’t have much time if they’re

tracking us.”

Kyle nodded and turned to enter the cab, but

embarrassment flooded through him. There he went,
declaring his feelings, and he was ignored, which was
worse than being laughed at or ridiculed. Being ignored
was just so…low.

He moved into the back and flopped on down on

a table seat and ran a hand through his hair. He didn’t
even move or flinch when Del got into the cab and
started it up, pulling out of the truck stop and heading
back down the road. In fact they stayed in that position
for several hours, and by that time Kyle didn’t care
where exactly they were. He rearranged the table and
seat cushions into the lumpy bed and lay on it to take a
nap. He hadn’t gotten much sleep last night with all that
was weighing on his mind, and now, combined with the

heartsick misery coursing through him, all he wanted to
do was get lost in sleep.

He awoke when Del shook him.

Kyle blinked and sat up, rubbing the sleep from

his eyes as he looked groggily around, slightly
disoriented.

“We’ve gotten to Little Rock already?”

“No, I made a detour.”

That immediately woke him up. Kyle swung his

feet to the floor but Del sat quickly next to him and
stayed him from rising with a hand on his shoulder.

“I doubled back, took the 65 to Louisville,

Kentucky, and then the 64 to St. Louis.”

“We’re in Missouri?”

“Actually, we’re just outside of Tulsa.”

“I don’t understand.”

“If your uncle is smart enough to track cell phone

signals, then he can calculate how far this rig can go and
where we’ll probably be. But I figured a detour would
throw him off.”

Kyle stared at him, speechless. He sorted out his

own calculation of how far Del had gone out of his way
to help him, how much time he lost by backtracking. He
shook his head in wonderment.

“Del, I never meant for you to lose a whole day

driving—”

Del put a finger on Kyle’s lips. “It’s okay. The

cargo is just construction material; it’ll hold. Besides,
it’s just a day. Tomorrow we’ll be back on the 40 and
we’ll continue on, hopefully make it to Albuquerque,
though it’ll be a long driving day. Good thing this part of
the US is mostly flat.”

“But Del—”

Again Del silenced him with a finger to his lips.

Kyle fell silent as Del’s fingers brushed over his face.
Del stared at him intently, a hint of surprise shining from
his deep dark eyes.

“When did it happen?” he whispered, almost as if

talking to himself.

“When did what happen?” Kyle whispered back.

“When did I fall for you?”

And then he was kissing him, and Kyle rejoiced as

he felt a shudder go through his body at feeling Del’s
lips on his. Though his feelings had happened so fast, it
felt as if he’d known Del forever. Yet if he were to
break it down, he had only known Del for a few days.
But even when he first saw the bigger man walking
across the parking lot, Kyle knew that his body had
recognized Del immediately. The attraction was
instantaneous, growing with every second and every
mile. The more he had learned about Del, the more he
had fallen.

He had hoped Del had felt the same. How could

he not? Kyle hadn’t believed it all one-sided. Something
this tangible, this vibrant, couldn’t have been so strong
with one person but weak with the other.

His thoughts scattered, however, as Del’s tongue

caught his. Slow, sensual, seductive. Del’s hands
roamed over Kyle’s body in languid caresses, pushing
the shirt up and over his head, giving Del access to his
chest and pearled nipples. Everywhere Del touched,

Kyle’s body went up in flames, his blood turning to
heated slush, which made his brain go all fuzzy.

Del’s lips left his to travel over his cheek, down his

jaw, and to his neck. This new angle pushed Kyle back
until his shoulders rested upon the lumpy cushions, but
he didn’t care. All he felt was Del’s rock-hard body on
his, worshipping it with little kisses and nips. Del gently
sucked a nipple inside his mouth, the swirling caress
made his dick swell uncomfortably under his jeans and
he bucked a little under Del.

Kyle tried unbuttoning Del’s shirt, but his hands

were shaking with pent-up desire, making it difficult to
push tiny round things through tiny oblong holes. So Del
took his hands away to do the job himself, and Kyle
watched with narrowed eyes, licking his lips as each
inch of skin was bared little by little.

Chest to chest, their jean clad legs slid between

each other, letting Kyle feel Del’s hardness on his thigh
as they started to hump one another. Kyle moaned,
loving the friction whirling him even higher in ecstasy.
He could come right now, and it would be good, so

good.

But Del must have read his mind, because he

pulled back, albeit a little reluctantly, to stand. Kyle
went to reach for him, to bring him back into his arms,
but Del unsnapped the top of his jeans, and the sound
echoed in the cab like a bottle of champagne popping.
The zipper came down, teasingly, and then Del was
wiggling his hips as he pulled the jeans down, grabbing
his shorts and letting both pool at his feet. The striptease
only lasted for maybe half a minute but it seemed like an
eternity. Kyle stared at him in wonder, especially at the
thick cock standing proudly, bobbing as if demanding
attention. Kyle reached for it, rubbing the drop of white
fluid that dripped from the hole.

Kyle bent down and licked the tip, loving the salty

essence on his tongue. Del moaned and reached for
Kyle’s head, guiding him back to the velvety shaft. Kyle
happily complied, slipping his mouth around the large
head, tracing each curve with his tongue. Easing his
mouth over, then down, going slowly. Kyle encircled
the base with his right hand, allowing him to control the

thrusts. Del reached up to grab the hanging bed’s rail
and gave himself over to Kyle’s tender ministrations.

Almost lovingly, Kyle began the blowjob with

short, shallow bobs with his mouth. Each time,
however, allowing Del’s cock to go farther, deeper. In
short time he was deep throating Del, making the bigger
man moan and shake with pleasure.

Slowly, Kyle increased the tempo, speeding up,

his right hand moving to Del’s heavy sac and squeezing
it, playing with it, rolling the balls through the thin skin.
Del gave a heavy gasp, his hips starting to twitch under
the restraint he was holding on to.

“God! Kyle!” he breathed. “I can’t hold on…

Fuck! Fuck!”

With one more slide of his mouth, Del exploded,

shouting a set of unintelligible sounds. Kyle sucked him
down, milking him with his tongue, loving Del’s wild
taste.

After a few moments, Del slumped and Kyle

pulled off, using his shirt to wipe his mouth. Del pulled
him into his arms and hugged him. Kyle could feel Del’s

heart pounding.

“Wow,”

Del

finally

said.

“That

was

unfuckingbelievable.”

“You’re welcome.”

He felt Del smile.

“I don’t do that often,” Kyle told him.

“Better not do it to anyone else.”

Kyle pulled back to look at Del questioningly.

“Did you think I was lying when I said I fell for

you?” Del continued.

“No, I didn’t think you were lying,” Kyle replied.

“But that sounded possessive.”

Del sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I may

have started out fucking you to get some nice dreams,
but—”

“It’s okay, Del. I didn’t mean to yell at you.”

“Yelling is acceptable in a relationship.”

“Relationship?”

“I’m not the most socially outgoing man there is,

Kyle. I hide. I like to hide. I’m perfectly happy with my
life.”

“But?”

“But I want you. I get a hard-on every time I see

you.”

Kyle couldn’t help it; he glanced down and saw

Del’s cock grow semihard. With wide eyes he glanced
back up and raised his brows.

“And I want you to stay as long as you want.”

“I’d like that,” Kyle said, as evenly as he could.

“Then why don’t you get your ass up in bed, and

we’ll see how I can please you this time around,” Del
murmured in a low, sexy voice.

* * * *

The night was quiet, peaceful. Kyle lay wrapped

up in Del’s arms, snuggled in warmth against his solid
frame. The bed was small, which didn’t allow much
wiggle room, but Kyle liked it this way.

“You have to do the right thing,” Del said, in a

quiet, almost whispering tone.

“I know,” Kyle replied softly.

Chapter Eleven

Kyle stared out the windows, soaking up the

prairie fields of Oklahoma. Cattle littered the land as
well as swaying grass. The Texas Panhandle was much
of the same, though segueing into more dry, dusty soil.
Kyle sat with his camera in hand, idly stroking it.

Del talked with him, making comments about the

countryside, talking about his other trips across the
states. Kyle only half listened to him. Mainly his mind
was on the end of the trip and what he had to face.

The question he had ended up asking himself was

what type of man was he. Was he one that wanted the
easy road, the one who would delete the photo? Sure,
everyone wanted to take the easy path, the one that
didn’t offer one iota of grief but provided all the
benefits, kind of like trying to be a doctor without going
through the schooling. It would be so easy to just go
back to being the kid out of college who bitched and
moaned about his controlling uncle, his dopey mother,
and his psychopathic cousin. The person who always

said “one day” and waited forever for that one day to
show up. It would be so easy to just go back to how he
was before.

Except he was no longer that guy. He couldn’t

bury his head in the sand and forget, because he had
watched a girl die at the hands of his cousin. Finally, as
if a great wind blew across his mind, the fog started to
lift, and the questions he had held at bay had finally
started to filter in.

Was she somebody’s mother? Sister?

Was somebody out there trying to find her, or find

out what had happened to her?

What was her name?

The girl wasn’t just a nameless body in a picture.

She had lived, breathed, had hopes and dreams. And
he had watched her lifeless body slide to a heap as his
cousin had stared at her and laughed.

Kyle frowned. He hadn’t remembered that till just

now. He focused, thought, and suddenly that night
rolled sharply and clearly through his mind…

* * * *

“You are gonna shit yourself!” Dan laughed as he

parked his Mustang.

Kyle looked around the dark parking lot, noticing

only one other car there. Dan had driven them to the
train station, near the harbor, where warehouses littered
the lengths of the parked cargo trains.

“What are we doing here?” Kyle asked warily.

“Listen, dude, I don’t want to be around your shit—”

“Oh, lay off, Cry Boy,” Dan said with a sneer.

“For once, just try to have fun. I swear to God you are
gonna love this.”

“Love what?”

“Just trust that you’re gonna love tonight. So, just

guess what I’ve been doing all summer?” Dan asked,
practically giddy.

Kyle sighed and shrugged. “Writing greeting

cards?”

“Porn! I’ve been making porn! It’s fucking

fantastic! All the sex I could possibly want, and the girls

willing to go bareback!”

“Jesus Christ, Dan! Are you fucking nuts? If Uncle

Peter finds out—”

“Dude, you tell him and you’re dead. I make sure

my face is never seen in the film, so he’d never believe
you anyway.”

Kyle shut up. He didn’t like the expression on

Dan’s face. “I really don’t want to see you fucking
someone.”

“Lay off, loser. You should be honored. How

many guys would get off watching a live porn show?
And now, I got the perfect porn shoot. The guys are
planning to do a fake snuff film, only I got a surprise.”

“A snuff film? What the hell are you into, Dan?

What type of surprise? Dan—”

But his cousin had given him the finger and taken

off toward the building right in front of them, and Kyle
had no choice but to follow. Dan hadn’t taken them into
the safest of neighborhoods.

Inside was dark, with towers of tarp-covered

items resting against the walls. The warehouse wasn’t
full, which gave the three men and one woman in the
center plenty of room to shoot their video.

Disbelieving, he watched a naked girl getting

banged by two men. Another man with a handheld
camera was angling to get the best shot of the goods.
The girl was moaning as if she loved it, holding on to the
man in front and half bending over to allow the man
access to her rear. And even though the two men were
not bad-looking with nicely developed pecs and bubble
butts, the sex left him cold.

Then he noticed his cousin undressing.

“Oh hell no,” he whispered to Dan. “Go undress

somewhere else!”

“Shh,” Dan held up a finger to his lips. He just

smiled, and the dim lighting demonized his face, turning
it all shadows and deep smudges.

“What the hell are you involved in? What’s your

surprise?”

Dan only brought a finger up to his lips, shushing

him silently.

Kyle watched unhappily as Dan, dressed only in

jeans, made his way over to the cameraman and waited
for his cue.

And then, just as both men banging the girl

climaxed with groans of ecstasy, Dan yelled out.

“What the hell are you doing, slut!” his cousin

screamed.

The two men who had just finished fucking looked

at him nervously and backed off. One held up a hand.

“Who the fuck are you?”

“She’s my girl,” Dan told him.

“Hey, man, we didn’t know she was your girl,”

one said, and they melted into the background.

Kyle frowned as he saw them pick up their clothes

and run, the warehouse door banging behind them. He
had the oddest feeling those men hadn’t any clue that
Dan was going to be there.

But then the girl, with cum dripping out of her

lower orifices, laughed coquettishly, and beckoned with
one finger. When Dan moved closer, she lowered his

zipper and brought his dick out, sucking with gusto. She
proceeded to give him a blowjob that made Kyle very
uncomfortable to watch.

When it was over, with Dan’s cum leaking from

her mouth, he circled around her. Kyle thought this
would be a great picture since his cousin never showed
his face in these movies. Perhaps he could use it to
make sure he wouldn’t have to see another one of these
things again.

He reached into his pants pocket and brought up

his camera. He turned it on and placed it at his eye,
taking all of it in frame. Just when he hit the Shutter
button, Dan brought the knife around to the girl’s throat
and sliced.

It took a moment for Kyle’s breath to come back

into his lungs. He watched the picture on the screen,
seeing the girl grab her neck as the blood spurted out.
She fell back, gurgling.

Everything went out of focus. He heard yelling

between the cameraman and Dan, but couldn’t make
out a thing that was being said. He couldn’t blink; he

couldn’t move; he was frozen.

It was Dan’s laugh that shook him free. He was

still fighting with the cameraman, so Kyle turned his
camera off and slipped it in his pocket, moving forward
in a daze, his gaze never wavering from the dying girl.
Dan stood there, holding the knife, laughing down at her
as she tried to gasp. In the moving light he noticed her
eyes were blue. He could see them fading, staring…
transfixed into nothingness.

Then he turned to his cousin, unable to form

words.

“Fuck, man!” the cameraman kept screaming over

and over. “What the hell did you do?”

Dan only smirked at him. “That’s gonna be worth

something.”

“She’s dead,” Kyle whispered.

Dan shrugged. “There’s more sluts just like her…”

* * * *

And then he’d run. He’d run out of the warehouse

and disappeared into the night. All he could see was her

blood, dripping out of her body. He’d known nothing
except the desire to run, to hide.

Kyle blinked, coming out of the memory.

“Hey, you all right?” Del asked.

“Yeah,” Kyle said, his voice a little scratchy. “I

just remembered that night.”

“Just remembered?”

“Oh my God!” Tears suddenly welled up in his

eyes. “Oh my God! Del! There was blood everywhere!
And she was making this gurgling sound and…and…it
was horrible…she…I didn’t even know her name.”

“Listen to me, Kyle, you’re okay. Shit! I have to

pull over. Hold on, there’s a rest area right up ahead.”

Ten minutes later, Del pulled the rig into the rest

area, put it in Park, and turned off the engine. Then he
pulled Kyle out of his seat, shivering and crying, into the
back. He sat down on the floor and cradled Kyle in his
arms.

“You’re experiencing an anxiety attack. Just

breathe, Kyle, breathe like I taught you. Breathe

through it. The memory can’t hurt you.”

How long he cried, Kyle did not know. But when

the session was over, he was drained, and his head
pounded. He knew his eyes had to be red and puffy,
because they felt like he’d been socked with a baseball
bat.

“I was wondering why you were always so calm

and collected about the picture,” Del murmured. “I
should have recognized the signs earlier.”

“What signs?” Kyle asked, his throat feeling like

raw meat.

“Traumatic stress. The headaches were a clear

sign, your detachment from it all. When you showed the
picture to me, I couldn’t believe you could be so calm
over something so horrible.”

“Are you saying we need to have the same

therapist?”

“If you’re making jokes, then you’ll be okay.”

Kyle pulled out of Del’s arms to turn and look at

him. “You had a very nicely structured life before I

came and messed it up, huh? How much time have you
lost this time around?”

Del shook his head. “Forget the driving time,

Kyle. And I wouldn’t exactly call my life before you
nicely structured. I’d say it was, at best, kind of
neutral.”

“And now?”

Del put his hand around Kyle’s neck and pulled

him forward until they rested forehead to forehead.
“Now I’m alive again.”

His lips landed on Kyle’s softly, exerting no

pressure. Kiss after kiss was just a light brushing,
teasing. Kyle relaxed into Del’s hard body, wanting his
warmth, needing his heat. And little by little, his insides
thawed out. The panic receded. His mind was clear.

Kyle pulled back and stared into Del’s dark eyes.

He traced the small lines fanning from them. “Me too.”

Chapter Twelve

They didn’t quite make it to Albuquerque.

Del pulled over for the night in a nondescript little

town called Edgewood that provided the usual truck
stop, several hotels, and various other small-town
businesses. Kyle noted that the local pizza joint was
crowded.

Before going for dinner, Del called the foreman he

was supposed to meet later and lied that the rig had
been having problems. Much to his relief, he and Del
didn’t talk about his little meltdown. It was bad enough
that he’d broken down like a little girl. There was no
need to keep hashing over it. Tomorrow they would
make their destination, Barstow, California. He planned
to take his camera to the police, give his story, and see
what they wanted to do to handle the situation.
Whatever the case, he knew his life was going to
change big-time tomorrow.

And when all was said and done, when the shit

was over, he planned to find Del again. There were

some things in life too good to pass up.

“Come on, then,” Del said as he hung up. “Greasy

dinner awaits.”

“Let me get my jacket,” Kyle said.

He walked into the back and grabbed his jacket.

The camera came sliding out of the pocket to land on
the floor. Kyle realized that perhaps it wasn’t the safest
place to keep it, so he looked around. Del’s built in
nightstand caught his eye, and he hopped onto the bed
to tuck it safely away.

“Hey, I put my camera in your nightstand,” he told

Del when he joined him outside.

“Oh?”

“Won’t get lost that way.”

Despite Del’s dour prediction on the food, their

meals were actually pretty good. Del had the chicken
fried steak and potatoes while Kyle settled for pasta.
They headed back to the rig, took turns washing up,
then retired

He and Del came together in a clash of

excitement. Del grasped Kyle’s hardened cock,
encircling it to gently tug up and down, massaging the
underside of the mushroom head, squeezing and pulling.
It drove Kyle wild, so he reciprocated, each man
exploring the other thoroughly.

Kyle melted into Del, needing his warmth to

banish the cold inside. He felt Del’s heart thudding
beneath his hands and took comfort in the steady
rhythm. Their mouths came together and Kyle lost
himself to the luxurious silk of Del’s kiss. Soon, jerking
one another off wasn’t good enough. Kyle needed to
feel Del inside him, pounding him into the sweet oblivion
of release.

“Please,” Kyle managed to gasp. “Fuck me, Del.

Fast. Hard.”

“God, I love it when you talk like that.”

Kyle leaned over to whisper into Del’s ear. “Oh

yeah? How about I tell you I want you to pound my ass
so hard that when you come, you see heaven.”

“Jesus!”

Del grabbed a condom and some lube from the

nightstand, then positioned him, bringing Kyle’s legs up
to his shoulders and giving him access to stretch Kyle
first. First one finger and then another, loosening the ring
of muscle. A moment later, Del’s cock was sliding in,
sliding deep. Sliding home. Chest to chest, heart to
heart. Kyle explored every valley and ridge of muscle,

They moved as one, stroking, kissing. Moaning

their rapture as they spiraled higher and higher. Del fell
first, flinging back his head with a shout. The sight of
him, head back, chest out, made Kyle’s breath catch.
Then Del looked down at him with sexy eyes, pulled
out of him and moved until he had sucked Kyle’s hard
cock deep into his mouth, maintaining eye contact.

It didn’t take long. The hot mouth, the need in

Del’s eyes. Kyle climaxed so hard he saw stars.

They fell asleep in each other’s arms.

Chapter Thirteen

They arrived in Barstow, California, the next night,

driving right to the construction site to deliver the
material. According to Del, a large corporation with
multiple jobs being worked in several states had hired
him.

The construction site was large, with several miles

of land being developed for commercial use. Del drove
toward several buildings set up as temporary stations
for work crews and the bosses, but everything was
dark and eerily quiet.

“Are you sure this is where you were told to

come?” Kyle questioned.

“Yeah. Maybe the foreman fell asleep?”

“I don’t know, Del. This doesn’t feel right.”

“Stay here. Let me at least knock on the office

buildings. More than likely the foreman forgot.”

“Sure,” Kyle replied.

He watched Del check the two visible buildings

first, with no success, and then leave behind them to
check others. One minute stretched into two, which
stretched into three. Del did not return.

What if something had happened? There were all

types of hidden dangers on a construction site,
especially at night. Kyle opened his door and jumped
down.

“Del?” he called as he closed the door behind him.

“Del!”

There was no sound, only a light breeze that

ruffled his hair. Kyle zipped up his jacket, glad of the
warmer temperature in Southern California. He walked
to where he’d seen Del last, and saw him sprawled on
the ground.

“Del!” he called, panicked, and ran to him. Del lay

facedown, and as Kyle examined him, his fingers came
away from Del’s scalp with blood on them.

“Stand up, Kyle.” His uncle’s voice sounded

behind him.

Kyle felt his blood turn cold. He stood slowly and

turned to face his uncle, who pointed a gun on him.

“I’ve come to arrest you,” his uncle said quietly,

sadly.

“For what?” Kyle asked. He wished his voice was

a little louder, a little stronger.

“The murder of Trina Nichols.”

So, he had a name at last. She had a name.

“I didn’t do it,” Kyle said.

“Get your hands up. Now.”

Kyle raised them. “I didn’t do it!” he stressed

again with a touch more force behind the words.

“You ran, Kyle.”

“I was scared! I saw it happen!”

His uncle sighed. “There are witnesses.”

“What? Who?”

From the side of a building, his cousin, Dan,

stepped into the moonlight. “Me. I saw you slit her
throat. Both of us did.”

“Both?”

“The cameraman in your little porno movie.”

“My porno movie? You fucking liar!” Kyle

screamed and launched himself at Dan. His fist caught
his cousin’s jaw, knocking him back but not off his feet.
A second later, Dan returned the punch with an
uppercut that sent Kyle flying back. Blood poured out
of Kyle’s nose as he moaned, clutching his face.

“Enough!” Peter Hardigan yelled. He pulled Kyle

up by the arm, holding tightly and shaking him slightly.
“I’m taking you back to Maryland, Kyle, where you’ll
stand trial for murder.”

“I didn’t do it!” Kyle insisted, his voice now

sounding stuffy since his nose had swelled up. He felt
blood sliding into his throat, and he spit it out.

“Dan told me about your porn movies, Kyle,”

Peter said. “How you deliberately kept your face from
being filmed to protect your dirty little secret. The only
thing I can breathe easier about is the fact you tried
keeping the Hardigan name out of it.”

Kyle pulled, trying to free his arm, but his uncle’s

grip was like a vise. He let out a snort. “That’s not me
in the films. I wouldn’t be in a porn film like that since I

don’t like girls.”

“What?” Peter asked surprised.

“What?” Dan asked at the same time. “Dude, do

you like…dudes? That’s so gross!”

“You fucking kill a girl and you think me being gay

is gross? You fucking moron!” He tried to go after his
cousin again, but his uncle’s hand held him back.

“Is this true, Kyle?”

He looked up at his uncle. “Every bit. I’m gay,

and he’s a moron.”

“And the girl?”

Kyle raised his eyebrows. “Didn’t you hear what I

said? Dan did it. Think about it, Uncle Peter! Who have
you always bailed out of trouble? Whose record have
you always wiped clean? It sure wasn’t me!”

“Dad! He’s lying! He’s a fag, and he’s lying!”

“Shut up, Daniel!” Peter yelled back. He let go of

Kyle’s arm to run the hand through his iron-gray hair
since the other one still held his gun. “Goddamn it!”

“Dad!”

“I can’t believe this!” Peter Hardigan took a deep

breath, raised the gun again, and pointed it at Kyle.

“Uncle Peter—”

“I’m sorry, Kyle. I’ve worked too hard to let my

son fuck up the Hardigan name. If I arrest you, my own
nephew for murder, I can gather sympathy. People will
know I will do anything to protect them, even arresting
my own family members.”

“You’ll be arresting the wrong man! He’s your

killer!” Kyle said, pointing at Dan. “If you exhume the
body, you’ll find his DNA evidence in her mouth.”

“The body was burned,” Peter told him. “She was

identified by dental records.”

“The cameraman—”

“Never got the face.”

It was on the tip of Kyle’s tongue to blurt about

his own camera and the picture, but as he opened his
mouth to say something, he realized that his uncle would
never allow the picture to exist. If he was willing to go
to the extreme of selling his soul to protect his son, then

he’d smash the camera, delete the photo, and Kyle
would go away for life for a crime he didn’t commit.

“Come on, Kyle. Let me put the handcuffs on

you.”

“How can you do this, Uncle Peter? You’re a

cop; you know right from wrong!”

Peter Hardigan gave him a hard, measured look.

“And I won’t let my son ruin all I’ve achieved. If Daniel
is bad, then that reflects on me. But if you’re the bad
seed, then all I’ve failed are my dead brother and crazy
sister-in-law. I’ll make sure the press knows I tried
everything to make you turn out all right. I can turn the
media to my side.”

“So you’ll let a murderer go free to protect your

promotion?”

“Shut up, faggot,” Dan said with a sneer. “You’re

the fucking murderer now.”

Kyle looked between them and shook his head.

“You’ll have to kill me now, because I’ll never go along
with this. I’ll tell everyone: reporters, other cops,
lawyers, judges. Someone will think my story is

interesting enough to investigate. What other skeletons
do you have, Uncle Peter?”

Peter stared at him, and Kyle maintained eye

contact, making sure he conveyed to his uncle that he
wasn’t bluffing. Then Peter walked away from him and
trained his gun at the unconscious Del.

Kyle’s mouth opened in shock and he took a

small step forward.

“You ran to him,” Peter said, his hand steady.

“I’m thinking he’s more than just someone who picked
you up hitchhiking.”

There was no way Kyle could hide his feelings for

Del, not when his emotions had been bubbling to the
surface for the past few minutes.

“Don’t hurt him,” Kyle whispered. Beside him

Dan made a gagging sound, but he ignored it.

“I’ll shoot him right now, in the head, and by the

time anyone finds him we’ll be long gone, and no one
will be the wiser on how Delaney Vance ended up with
a bullet in his brain.”

“No, no. God, no. Please—”

“It was easy to trace the number, just as it was

easy to intercept a call and arrange this private meeting.
You think I don’t take advantage of every asset I have
as deputy police commissioner?”

“Don’t be stupid. They can trace the bullet to your

gun.”

“This isn’t my assigned gun, Kyle. Its ballistic

fingerprinting hasn’t been taken.”

“You would commit murder for him?” Kyle

whispered.

He saw his uncle take a deep breath, saw the gun

waver slightly. Kyle thought he might have him, might
have convinced his uncle to do the right thing, but then
Peter Hardigan straightened his spine and Kyle knew he
had lost. He had a burning sensation deep inside. His
heart fluttered as he looked down at Del. “Please don’t
hurt him.”

“You come along peaceably. At the arraignment

you’ll plead guilty. No need for a trial.”

“I’ll plead no contest,” Kyle halfheartedly argued

back, knowing regardless, he was admitting to the
crime.

“Still works the same,” Peter replied and pulled his

gun off Del’s prone body. “You say anything, to
anyone, I make one phone call and Mr. Vance loses his
Class A license. On top of that, your mother will suffer
as well. Don’t forget my name is on the deed to her
house as well as trustee of my brother’s estate,
including your mother’s finances. I don’t think your
mother would fare very well being homeless, do you?
Well, Kyle?”

Kyle wanted to hurt his uncle, to strike out with his

fists until he took back all the threats against the two
people that meant more to him than his own life.
Whether or not Peter Hardigan would actually carry out
all his threats was a moot point, because the gun was
still hanging too close to Del’s body.

“Kyle?”

He nodded, acquiescing. He heard Dan snicker

behind him, but all the fight had gone out of him. He

wanted to collapse to his knees, but managed to hold it
together as his uncle finally holstered his gun.

“Kyle Andrew Hardigan,” his uncle said in a

monotone voice, taking out handcuffs and walking
toward him, “you have the right to remain silent…”

Chapter Fourteen

Kyle sat on his narrow cot, knees drawn up with

his arms around them, staring out the small window with
Plexiglas covering the hole. It didn’t allow any air to
circulate, and it also didn’t provide an opportunity for
people to make the choice of ending things instead of
letting them drag on and on.

The flight back to Maryland had been uneventful,

and as he promised, he had not given his uncle any
problem. But the media had found out about his capture
and had camped out at the courthouse as he had gone
in for his arraignment. His picture must have been taken
a thousand times. When the prosecutor offered a lesser
charge if he plead guilty, Kyle whispered his no-contest
statement. In the span of a few minutes he had been
sentenced to twenty years in the state penitentiary,
eligible for parole in ten.

Do not pass go. Do not collect a hundred dollars.

It was straight to the orange jumpsuit and chained up
like an animal.

Just before Kyle plead no contest, the lawyer told

him what rights he’d be giving up, but Kyle had tuned
him out. He already knew everything he was giving up,
or at least what he was giving up temporarily. His one
chance left was the picture. He hoped like hell that Del
didn’t bring the picture to Baltimore to get him released.

Go anywhere but here, or get any other authority

involved that doesn’t include Baltimore, he silently
urged.

Maybe the Feds would be impartial. Were they in

cases like this? Kyle could hardly think anymore.

Once he had gotten his uncle and cousin safely

away from Del he should have…he should have…shit,
he didn’t know what he should have done. But he
should have done something!

“Hardigan, Kyle!” came the shout from a guard.

“Your lawyers are here to meet with you!”

Kyle blinked. His lawyers? He’d had a court-

appointed attorney at his uncle’s insistence since he was
basically pleading guilty. Why would that guy, whom
Kyle couldn’t even remember, show up here? He stood

and moved to the cell door, waiting as it opened to
allow him out. The guards put chains on his wrists,
linking them to a chain around his waist. Ankle chains
allowed him only stumbling steps as they escorted him
out. Kyle shuffled along, the chains making it difficult to
walk.

When he finally made it into an interrogation room,

three men were waiting for him, and he was positive
he’d never seen them before. Two were dressed in
formal suits and ties, and the other was dressed in a
military uniform. At the sight of the military uniform, his
heart started thundering.

The two men in suits were seated at the rectangle

table. They didn’t rise to greet him. He shuffled over
and sat down in the chair opposite them. The guard
came over and took off his wrist chains.

“Mr. Hardigan,” said the man wearing a black suit

and tie over a white shirt. “I’m Agent Trevor Grandstill
with the FBI, and this is Detective Michael Parkland
with the Baltimore Internal Affairs Civilian Review
Board.”

“Hello,” Kyle nodded to each man, but his

attention strayed to the man in the military uniform. “I’m
afraid I don’t quite understand.”

“We’re here to inform you that as of tomorrow

you will be a free man, exonerated of all charges,”
Agent Grandstill said softly.

Kyle blinked. His mouth opened, but no sound

came out.

“Kyle,” said the uniformed man. “My name is

Corporal Seth Miller with the Army JAG Corps. I was
a private first class in the Ranger division five years ago,
and I knew Staff Sergeant Delaney Vance.”

“Oh” was all Kyle could manage. “You’re the

soldier he saved?”

“Because of my wound, I requested to be

transferred into the Army JAG program. I’m only a
paralegal now but I’m going to law school. When Staff
Sergeant Vance called me about your situation, saying
how he had photographic evidence, I put him in touch
with the right contacts since technically I cannot be of
any service to nonactive or nonmilitary personnel.”

Kyle looked at the two other men.

“When we received the photo and after talking

with Mr. Vance, we wanted to act quickly. So
yesterday afternoon,” said Detective Parkland, “with
the cooperation of the Baltimore police commissioner,
Peter Hardigan was detained and questioned. He
confessed almost immediately and was arrested, along
with his son, Daniel.”

The heavy weight that had settled on his chest

from the moment he had seen his uncle in California
cracked apart and slid away. He actually felt like he
could breathe easier. “Thank you,” he whispered.

“Just doing our job,” Agent Grandstill said without

a hint of emotion. “You’ll need to testify, of course,
since you are a material witness to the murder of Trina
Nichols. Daniel Hardigan pled not guilty at his
arraignment, so it will be going to trial. He is currently
being held without bail.”

“Yes, of course I’ll testify,” Kyle murmured.

“Since Peter Hardigan made a full confession to

the cover-up for his son, you’ll be spared that,”

Detective Parkland added. “But I must say, if it wasn’t
for that picture, Mr. Hardigan, well, I wouldn’t like to
think about how this would have ended.”

Kyle nodded, silently agreeing.

The three men rose, signaling an end to the

meeting. Kyle rose as well, and the guard came forward
to put his chains back on and secure them back on the
one around his waist. He was so happy he felt like
crying but held back. No way was he going to lose it
while still wearing the orange jumpsuit.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to wear the chains one

more day,” Agent Grandstill said.

“I assure you, knowing they’ll be off tomorrow

makes all the difference in the world,” Kyle told him,
smiling widely.

Agent Grandstill and Detective Parkland gave him

a nod and left, leaving Corporal Miller behind.

“Have you seen Del?” Kyle asked him softly.

“I have, which is why I’m here,” Corporal Miller

said. “He wanted me to tell you he’ll be waiting, when

this is all over. I never knew Staff Sergeant Vance
was…”

His voice faded and he looked like he couldn’t

find the right word to say.

“Into men?” Kyle offered.

Corporal Milled nodded with a small smile. “I’m

not passing judgment. I owe him too much. I owe him
my life.”

“Yes, he told me what happened.”

“He told you everything?”

Kyle nodded. “I know about his PTSD, about his

guilt at what happened to the rest of the team. About
the bombs, and how he had to wade through the
destruction.”

“I saw him once, when he was in the psychiatric

hospital. He didn’t even know who I was,” Corporal
Miller said in a sad, faraway voice. “When he contacted
my office, he was so alive, so vibrant. He was the man I
used to know, before his father died, before the
bombing. When Agent Grandstill told me they were

coming to meet you today, to give you the good news, I
had to come to give you my personal thanks.”

Kyle swallowed down the lump in his throat.

“Thank you for coming here today.”

Corporal Miller gave a small smile and a nod then

turned and left the room.

Chapter Fifteen

Kyle stood in front of the tractor-trailer’s huge

front wheel and studied the tiny, fragile dandelion
struggling to survive in the pebble-encrusted parking lot.
It was the only flower, or weed as the case may be,
around. To see it resting so innocently, so trustingly in
front of the massive tire that might, and probably would,
crush it invoked a deep level of pity.

Kyle shifted to allow the light to fall onto the

yellow petals. He brought his camera up and clicked,
capturing the strength and determination of the little
flower. It was a cool picture, one that would work well
in his book.

Then he shut down his camera and pocketed it

before turning to enter the diner. He bypassed the line
of people waiting for a table or booth and walked to the
counter and sat on the bar stool at the far end.

“Hey, Sally,” he mumbled.

“Hi, Kyle,” Sally said back, setting a glass of

chocolate milk in front of him.

She was the same waitress that had served him

and Del before, the first time Kyle had been in
Richmond. After the trial, he had come to the one place
he knew Del passed through often, the place that
offered great soup. The press had had a field day with
his family. If there was one thing the media loved, it was
when someone good went bad. The press had loved
taking the history of the Hardigan name and trailing it
through all types of mud. Not that Kyle could blame
them. There’d been moments when all he wanted to do
was change his name and forget where he had come
from. The man had threatened to kill Del and for that
Kyle would never forgive him. But there was a very
small part that reminded him that his uncle had once
helped him and his mother, and though he loathed to
admit it, that knowledge prevented him from believing
that his uncle was totally evil. Peter Hardigan had had to
choose between his badge and his son. Of course his
son would always win out.

But Daniel was now behind bars, serving a life

sentence due in part to Kyle’s testimony, as well as the
testimony of the other two men in the porn film, who

had finally been found. Dan had threatened them, of
course, to keep them silent. But it had been the picture
that told a thousand words. The Hardigan name had
fallen, and Kyle was sorry he had to be the one who
toppled it.

But it was over, finally. He had bought a new

camera, one that provided a little more oomph for his
pictures. After all, he had a book to create. He had
forced his mother to move to Florida, mainly due to the
gossip and negativity in Baltimore.

The truth had not been good for Josephine, with

her delicate constitution and her penchant for hiding in
drink and pills. When she had learned of Peter’s
betrayal, of Dan’s immoral ways, she had fallen into a
hard depression. But this time, instead of babying her,
Kyle had admitted her to a place that helped her deal
with it all, and when she was well enough to talk, Kyle
had told her everything. Including how he had fallen in
love with a man.

She actually took that news rather well, lamenting

only a little that she’d never have grandchildren.

So he’d moved her to Florida, into a lovely adult-

living community that had bingo every Friday night and
a social dance the first Saturday of every month. And
she was happy. It was all Kyle had wished for his mom.

Then he’d headed to Richmond to wait.

He and Del talked every day on the phone, but he

had refused Del putting his life on hold until he had
cleared things up. Now that the trial was over and he
was a free man, in more ways than one, he felt almost
scared to let Del know he was waiting for him. In fact,
he had been waiting for two weeks. He and Sally, the
waitress, had become friends, and she listened to him
talk about Del every chance he got.

Kyle pulled out his camera and snapped a quick

picture of her.

“I hope that doesn’t go into your Oddities in

Nature book,” she grumbled. “I can assure you I’m
perfectly normal. It’s this place that’s abnormally
bizarre.”

Kyle grinned toothily at her. “I bet you have lots of

stories, Sally.”

She winked at him as she went to take another

order.

“Mind if I sit down?” a deep voice asked beside

him.

Kyle lost the grin and shrugged. “It’s not taken.”

The man lowered his tall frame and picked up the

menu, looking it over. Kyle glanced at him out of the
corner of his eye.

“So, what’s good here?”

“I hear the vegetable soup is pretty good.”

“For breakfast? I was thinking pancakes.”

“Oh,” Kyle murmured. “Well, if you’re into

pancakes, I suppose they’re fine. Ask Sally for the
special hotcakes, though.”

“What’s special about them?”

“The cook puts a little vanilla flavoring into the

batter. I swear you don’t need syrup on them.”

“Hm,” said the man thoughtfully. “Sold.”

Sally came over and poured the man a cup of

coffee and took his order. She sent Kyle a smirk as the

man ordered the special hotcakes, then hurried off to
place the order. Kyle watched the man add one sugar
and lots of cream to his coffee.

“Been here long? There’s a long line at the door.”

Kyle shook his head. “Nah, I’ve been coming in

here regular for a while so the hostess pretty much
ignores me.”

“What’s a while?”

“Two weeks. I’m waiting for someone.”

“Really? Who are you waiting for?”

“The man who saved my life,” Kyle replied softly.

He gave the man another glance out of the corner of his
eye. “Really, no joke. I was in trouble, and he was able
to bail me out.”

“Sounds like a hero.”

“Yeah, my hero.”

Sally came back and placed the man’s dish in

front of him. She smiled at Kyle and disappeared again.

“I think she likes you.”

Kyle shook his head. “She’s just a friend. She

knows my heart is taken.”

“By this hero?”

“Yep,” Kyle said and turned his bar stool so that

he faced the man. “By you.”

Del swallowed his bite of food, then wiped his

mouth. “You’re right; these are the best pancakes I’ve
ever tasted. No syrup needed.”

“I’ve been waiting for you to show up,” Kyle said.

“I thought you’d be done with your latest haul last
week.”

“I was,” Del told him. “But I went and saw my

mom.”

“Oh,” Kyle murmured. “I’m glad. How is she?”

“Doing well. She wants to meet you.”

“Really? You told her about…us?”

“Yeah. Wasn’t I supposed to?”

Kyle shrugged. “I didn’t know if you wanted us to

have a low profile.”

“Why would I want that?”

“Well, let’s see. My family found out and called

me a faggot, then tried to kill you and had me thrown in
jail.”

Del frowned. “I see what you mean. No, my

mother is not that type of woman. She’s just happy I
found someone. She invited us to Thanksgiving.”

“Oh? Cool. Christmas too?”

“Don’t you want to be with your mom at

Christmas?”

Kyle gave him a long-suffering stare. “Really? My

mother? I want to enjoy the holidays, not gag down a
turkey that’s so dry and well-done it disintegrates when
touched.”

Del’s lips twitched at the mental picture. He

resumed eating, and they sat in comfortable silence until
he pushed his plate away.

“I haven’t been sleeping all that well,” Del

admitted softly. “I’ve missed you.”

“The nightmares have returned?”

“Actually, no. Nightmare-free. I just don’t like

sleeping alone.”

“Really? Then no more using sex to cover up your

PTSD?”

“Well, the fantastic sex pretty much cured it, but

I’d hate for a relapse.” Del waggled his eyebrows.
“Who knows? I might need mouth to mouth.”

Kyle chuckled. “How’s the concussion my uncle

gave you?”

Del reached up to rub the back of his head.

“Healed. Man, tiny little scratch and a helluva lot of
blood.”

“That’s a head wound for you. Next time try to

get the bad guy to hit your face. Heals faster and
better.”

“Thanks,” Del replied drily. “I’ll keep that in mind.

“Anything else I can get you boys?” Sally asked as

she walked over.

“Just the check, thanks,” Del mumbled.

She laid the slip of paper down. She looked Del

over, then turned to Kyle and winked. Without another

word she left.

“I think she just figured out I’m your boyfriend,”

Del said.

Kyle eyes widened in surprise as he stared at Del.

“What?” Del asked.

Kyle blinked and shook his head quickly. “Um,

nothing.”

“Was it too early for me to use the b word?”

“No, no. I quite…like it.”

Del smiled at him. He took out his wallet, threw

down some cash, then grabbed Kyle’s hand. “Come
on.”

They walked out of the diner together, and Kyle

was conscious of several people turning to watch them.
Two men holding hands in a truck stop was definitely a
surprise. But Kyle felt so happy that it was hard for him
to be self-conscious about anything.

Del held his hand all the way back to the truck,

which had no trailer attached. Kyle figured he must
have delivered his load.

“What’s your turnaround time?” Kyle asked.

“I’ll pick up tomorrow at seven in the morning.”

“So we have all night?”

Del sent him a mischievous smile. “Where have

you been staying?”

“The hotel down the street. It’s no Four Seasons,

but the rent is really cheap, and it’s clean.”

“We’ll pick up your stuff later.”

“Later, huh? So we’re gonna be busy for a while?

Are we gonna play canasta? I’ve always wanted to
learn how to play canasta.”

“I think you’ve been in Florida too long visiting old

people.”

“You were visiting your mom. She’s older than

mine.”

“My mom does not play canasta.”

“Come on, she’s gotta play something. Parcheesi?

Checkers?”

“She likes Sudoku.”

“Aha.”

Once Del unlocked the cab, he stepped back for

Kyle to enter. He swung up behind him, locked the
door, and pulled the privacy screen for the front.

Kyle looked around the cab. It looked exactly the

same. He breathed a sigh of relief and turned around to
face Del.

“Thank you,” he said.

Del reached up and took Kyle’s face between his

hands. “Why are you thanking me?”

“For deciding to take a chance on a hitchhiker and

allowing me to ride with you to Richmond.”

“I thought there was something amazing about you

when I first saw you,” Del said softly. “When I came to
in Barstow, I panicked. You were gone, my head was
bleeding, and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure
out what had happened. I didn’t know, of course, the
extent of what went down, but the first thing I did was
make sure your camera was still in the cab.”

Kyle listened raptly. They had talked some about

that night and Kyle’s motivation for going along with his
uncle’s not-so-well-thought-out plan, but he had never
seen the emotions in Del’s face before, and it held him
spellbound.

“I never want to wake up again and not have you

there, Kyle.”

Then Del leaned down and kissed him gently on

the lips. As kisses went, it was the most chaste he had
ever received in his life, but it was also one of the most
potent.

“I love you, Delaney Vance,” Kyle whispered.

“And I love you, Kyle Hardigan.”

And then the chaste kisses were gone, and Del

was kissing him as if he were a man dying of thirst who
had just found an oasis. He grabbed Kyle’s hips and
pulled him into his body, into the erection straining to be
free.

As far as reunions go, this is turning out to be a

great one, Kyle thought. Then, as Del’s hand traveled
to Kyle’s backside to give his ass a gentle squeeze, all
coherent thought simply ceased.

For a long time.

Loose Id Titles by Beth D. Carter

A Man After Midnight

A Silver Lining

Kismet

Spirals

You Can Run

Beth D. Carter

I hate washing dishes but I love cooking. I hate

washing clothes but I love wearing them. I try to write
characters who aren't cookie cutters, ones who are full
of angst but where love redeems them. I push myself to
write complicated situations that I have no idea how to
resolve, forcing me to think outside the box. I hate
people who don't pick up their dog's crap in public
places and I really hate people who are rude and
condescending. I especially hate discrimination in all and
every form. The perfect birthday presents are gift
certificates to bookstores. And I love to hear from
readers. I’m really easy to find on Facebook and at

http://bethdcarter.com

.

Table of Contents

Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Loose Id Titles by Beth D. Carter
Beth D. Carter