The Hunt - Ch. 5 (Love, Again Side Story, Patreon Exclusive) (Patreon)

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Chapter Five – He Put A What In Your What?!

Robert found Billy funny, but his ghost story had been pretty lame. He was starting to suspect that the guy knew about his past, and that was his endearing, yet clumsy way, to be considerate of his feelings.

At least, one part of that story was true. Mr. X had made a mistake, and that put them in the excellent position of being able to track the beast down. He stared at the brown-roofed house in the distance, and a sensation of foreboding pooled in his gut. From that distance, the windows appeared tiny, like flat, malevolent eyes. If he had the slightest suspicion that Florence was kept there, he would take the place by storm, but he trusted Billy on what he had said about the girl being held prisoner elsewhere.

Maybe there was solace in how Janice didn’t haunt him. That could mean that she was still alive somewhere. It was a crazy thing even to think that, but Robert wanted to believe it. She didn’t come in his dreams, even if he had pleaded, in his soul and during his lonely hours for that to happen. He called for her willingly, and she never answered.

At times, he had the strangest sensation, that Janice had remained nothing but a concept in his mind. She was more than a memory, an image of a smiling face, or the touch of a hand caressing his cheek. She existed in a way that couldn’t be defined by anyone else but him. She was a constant, not a ghost.

Billy was too young to understand such things, as smart as he was. People had to grow old and live with loss to become wise enough to accept it. Robert wasn’t that old, but he did feel like decades of longing had passed since he had last seen her face.

They were silent, each caught in a separate thread of thoughts. Robert wondered briefly why Billy was so quiet. He bet on the young private eye’s exceptional smarts being involved with the plan ahead, which Robert knew more about now. Yet, there was something more to that silence that irked him a little. It was as if Billy was miffed about not having made his ghost story believable enough.

“We’re here,” Billy announced.

They stopped by the paved road and looked around.

“So, are you going to hang the sensor by a tree or something like that?”

“Good thinking, dear Ned. But I’ll make sure to secure it in place. While the technology is pretty wicked, I must climb one of the trees around and tie it up in a place that wouldn’t look too enticing to animals and birds.”

“I suppose we wouldn’t like some woodpecker to mess up your sensor.”

“Ours, dear, ours. Everything I own is yours, as well.”

“I’m glad we’re back to banter and good feels. For a moment, I thought you were pissed at me.”

“Pissed? At you? Why?”

“Because I didn’t buy your ghost story.”

“Ah, I’m not pissed. Just a bit disappointed.”

Disappointed? Of course, his storytelling abilities needed some honing.

“Help me a little, please,” Billy said as he stood close to a tall tree and appeared to examine the possibility of climbing it. The first branches were at a fair distance and couldn’t be reached easily from the ground.

“Did you forget your flying cape at home?”

Billy turned toward him with a huge grin on his face. “Did you just call me a superhero?”

Robert shrugged. “Anything to make my partner forget about small disappointments. They come and go in life.”

“I guess that’s a wise thing to say. A very Ned-like thing to say if I may add.”

“I’m starting to think you like Ned more than me.”

“I like you both the same.”

“Which is not much since I don’t believe in ghost stories, right?”

Billy returned to his examining of the tree. “Come on, Ned, let’s see if you’re strong enough to lift me up.”

“I accept the provocation.”

Robert moved behind Billy and put his hands on his waist. He gathered momentum for a second and then lifted his partner. Billy deftly caught the first branch and then began climbing up the tree with the agility of a monkey.

With keen eyes, Robert observed him. He had rarely seen someone as nimble as that. It wasn’t something obvious about Billy when seeing him for the first time, or the second, or the third. Robert felt intrigued by him. One had to watch the young man for a while to see him, really see him.

But the biggest question of all was, did Billy want to be seen?

The short moments when he had kept his hands on his waist, Robert had felt filled with a distinct sense of apprehension, not as anxiety or anything of the kind, but as something he deemed pleasant. It could be Billy’s shampoo or hair product like he had noticed before, but it was more like a short burst of intimacy that other things or sensations couldn’t live up to.

It lasted less than a second to hear the sound, the roaring of a car engine in the distance. He didn’t waste a moment. “Billy, get down now!”

He got to the ground, hiding quickly behind a larger bush. It was still summer, which made the greenery thick enough to hide him, and he was thankful for packing only dark clothes.

Maybe it was an overreaction, but Billy had mentioned that the road wasn't traveled much. If Mr. X leisurely passed by in his car, some guys climbing trees could appear at least a tad suspicious.

To his despair, Billy climbed higher and higher. He followed him with his eyes as the sound of the car approaching drew nearer. From behind the bush, he examined the road. A black SUV passed by at high speed. The windows were tinted, so even if he had wanted to see the driver, it would have been impossible.

He waited, keeping his breath, as the echo of the vehicle engine faded. Only the natural sounds of the forest remained.

He cursed when Billy landed on the ground. “What the hell, man?” he exploded. “He could have seen you! I doubt you can make yourself invisible at will!”

Billy grinned, much to his annoyance. “I was too high for him to see me, and the foliage is thick enough. The sensor works!” He pointed at his wrist, at the fake heart monitor, and then at the tree.

Robert was still pissed. “And it will just tell us about any car that comes and goes through here.”

Billy pointed in the direction of Mr. X’s house. “This road narrows down and leads only to his house.”

Robert sighed. “You know what? You really get on my nerves sometime.”

“Good. It means that I keep things interesting in our marriage.” Billy winked at him, and Robert wanted to shake him a little and tell him to stop scaring him.

“We could have an army watching him,” Robert said in frustration. “We could pick him up from his den, shake him up. We could follow him to the girl, right now!”

“I’m not risking Florence’s life!” Billy replied in kind. The smile and the nice person behind it were gone. “I know who I’m dealing with! My question is: do you?”

“You’re reckless!” Robert put one finger in Billy’s face. “If you jeopardize this mission, I’m going to kick your ass so hard! And I’m in charge!”

“Who told you so?”

For a moment, Robert imagined how it would feel to wrap his hands around Billy’s neck but decided to chill. He exhaled one time and half-turned from Billy. “Let’s hope that he didn’t see you,” he said in a cold voice.

“He didn’t,” Billy replied in the same tone. “I know how to do my job, detective.”

***

They hadn’t spoken a word on their way back, and their lack of communication stretched. Billy knew Robert was well-intended, but he had been so surprised with the detective’s visceral reaction that he had lost his calm, as well. Now, he had every reason to regret it but saying sorry felt like the kind of thing that wouldn’t cut it, given the circumstances.

The sensor was silent, which meant that wherever Mr. X had gone to, he wasn’t bound back home tonight. The feed from the cameras had shown the scumbag stopping at a convenience store. Most probably, he didn’t intend to starve his prisoner.

Billy studied the maps, searching for clues close to the convenience store. The area was secluded as the road advanced to the north, as it seemed to be the path followed by Mr. X. He studied the images of the guy getting in and out of the store. He had bought ice cream, which meant that the place where he held Florence had to be near.

Treating his prisoner to ice cream. That was a strange thing, but it could be that Florence didn’t want to eat anything, and that could be a problem for the asshole keeping her captive. Florence was thirteen, the energetic kind, and, as far as Billy knew from her parents’ recounts, quite stubborn.

If Mr. X wanted to milk the Clarks for ransom money, he needed to keep the girl in good health. Sooner or later, he had to know that he would be asked for proof of life. Billy hoped Florence’s stubbornness wouldn’t act against her. Even if she could be thinking that refusing to eat anything from her captor counted as a form of self-defense, she needed her strength until he and the detective would save her.

It was hard to tell what the detective was thinking. Billy stole glances in his direction but didn’t want to be the first to strike a conversation. Things were going well, so why was Robert so pissed? So Billy might have – with emphasis on ‘might’ – taken a bit of a risk when Mr. X had passed by, but getting down from the tree would have drawn a lot more attention anyway. In the end, he had taken the correct decision, and Robert had absolutely no reason to be so upset.

At one point, Robert went to take a shower, and Billy listened to the water running. One of the things he had always taken pride in was his ability to tune out everything while working on a case, but this time, it didn’t work.

Robert came out of the shower with only a towel wrapped around his waist. Billy caught himself staring at the detective’s body. He was on the lean side, but not skinny. That muscle definition had to come from hard work, not one for the sake of aesthetics.

“Go shower,” the detective said curtly.

Billy realized only then that he was chewing on the end of a pencil, and he grimaced. “I’ll take it later.”

Robert stared at him with an unreadable look on his face. “Aren’t you forgetting something, Matt?”

“Like what? Not being ready to spend my honeymoon with a drill sergeant?”

He didn’t want to bristle like that at the first words Robert had spoken to him in several hours, but his usual pleasant self didn’t care about pleasantries at this point.

“We need to meet Andy and Tyler at the hot tub. All that tree climbing must have made you sweat. I’d say it’s common courtesy that you take a shower. Now.”

Andy and Tyler. And the hot tub. Right. It had entirely gone from his mind, as preoccupied as he had been with the case, and also with the detective.

Robert was right, but Billy still was pissed at him. He got up from the chair with a brusque move and went straight to the bathroom without saying another word. What was about this guy that made him lose his cool like that? If he had been anyone else, Billy would have brushed it off without a hint of regret by now.

***

“We were starting to think that you stood us up,” Andy chided them as soon as they made an appearance.

Robert dropped the robe with some apprehension, not because he was naked, save for a pair of swimming trunks, but because he was in such close proximity to Billy. They had obvious trouble communicating after his outburst from earlier.

Also, Billy’s surprisingly tiny swimwear had made him move his eyes away more than one time. He put on a smile and got into the hot tub. “Matt reminded me that we promised.”

Andy winked at him. “I thought you would feel tempted to forget. But what have you done to poor Matt all day long? He looks a little worse for wear.”

Robert didn’t look at Billy to check what the hell Andy was talking about. “We went for a hike, and someone, albeit young, appears to have less stamina than an old dog like me.”

Andy snorted and exchanged a look with his better half. “Old dog. Just listen to him. You know, Ned, you’re quite surprising.”

“Why is that?”

Billy dropped into the hot tub, splashing him. Robert continued to smile and pretended to ignore the hostile attitude.

“Do you really have to ask?” Andy laughed, and Tyler joined him. “Under those plain clothes, we thought you were hiding a bit of a pooch belly. And now, seriously, when we look at you, there’s no flab anywhere.”

“Thank you,” Robert replied politely.

“Ah, but is there something wrong in paradise?” Andy asked. “Matt hasn’t said a word since you two got here.”

Robert turned toward his partner. He knew Billy’s eyes were naturally brown, and the blue contacts were part of his disguise, but now they were shooting ice daggers. “What is it, honey?”

Billy rolled his eyes. “Seriously? I mean, we just got into our first fight.”

Oh, two could play that game. Robert smiled sweetly. “You’re wrong, honey bun. It wasn’t our first fight. It was the second.”

“And you two are about to get into the third if you keep it like this,” Andy intervened. “And what do you mean, your first fight?”

“The second,” Robert corrected him.

“Seriously? How long have you two known each other before tying the knot?”

Robert tried to recall if they had talked about that particular detail.

Finally, Billy came to the rescue. “Only for two months, but we knew we were made for one another.”

Tyler hooted. “Wow, talking about fast love. Andy, we dated for how long before getting married?”

“Three years.” Andy emphasized his reply by raising three fingers. “For real, guys, I think you’re so crazy for rushing into marriage like this! Oh, no, that came out wrong. You’re both beautiful people, and I think you’re awesome. But don’t let small and petty fights get in the way of your happiness. On the other hand, now you really made us curious. How did you two meet?”

Robert was instantly happy. He got this one. He didn’t even blink as he said, “Matt put a dick in my coffee.”

The soonest the words flew from his mouth, he knew something was wrong with that statement. Both Andy and Tyler opened their mouths, and their eyes widened.

“He put a what in your what?!” To his surprise, that was Tyler and not Andy who appeared to enjoy being the mouthpiece in their relationship.

Billy began laughing out loud. Taken aback by his reaction, after seeing him so pissed, Robert turned brusquely toward him. Billy’s eyes were twinkling now.

“Ned enjoys shortcuts, as a general rule,” he said as he wrapped his hand around Robert’s arm. “That’s the short version. The thing is it was love at first sight for me.”

Andy and Tyler nodded enthusiastically. “We want to hear the long version now!”

“Well,” Billy started, “I work as a barista close to where Ned works. He came in every day, like clockwork, so I noticed him right away.”

“Just for the record,” Andy asked, “did he wear the same plain clothes we saw him wearing today, or do you have X-ray vision?”

Billy laughed coquettishly. Robert was fully aware of their bodies being close, of Billy’s hand on his arm.

“He wears even plainer clothes for work. For this trip, he really went crazy with his wardrobe.”

Andy looked stricken with that confession. “Ned, you’re ruining our reputation as people with amazing fashion sense. Matt, I hope you’re going to remedy this problem, okay?”

Billy continued and pulled himself closer to Robert. “I wouldn’t change a thing about my Ned. Anyways, do you guys want to hear the story through?”

“Sure thing. We really want to hear what could have happened to lead to a dick in Ned’s coffee,” Andy confirmed.

“I have a thing for mature, serious guys, so I talked to my co-workers to let me be the one to prepare his coffee. And, to have my feelings known, I started making a little bit of special coffee art, only for my crush.”

“A dick?” Andy asked, without hiding his excitement.

“Not at first. I was trying to be romantic, you know, drawing little hearts and flowers … But Ned didn’t seem to get the message. So, one day, fed up with being ignored, I drew a giant dick in his coffee. I mean, as giant as it could fit in there.”

Andy and Tyler began laughing uncontrollably. “Damn, this is so good, it’s worthy of being on some weird TV show! Go on, Matt!”

“Finally, Ned realized that his art coffee was pretty strange. He demanded to see the person who was in charge of making his coffee, and that was me.”

“Oh, it’s getting juicy. Ned, what did you do?”

Ah, damn it. Billy was handling it well, and now he had to improvise.

“I asked him what a dick was doing in my coffee,” he said in a deadpan voice.

“And I replied that it was just trying to get his attention,” Billy added.

Andy and Tyler moved their eyes from Billy to Robert, waiting for the next move, like at a tennis match.

“And I asked,” Robert continued, now resigned with his fate, “about the reason why.”

“At which,” Billy took the cue from him, “I told him to his face that he was an absolute ox, incapable of telling when someone had a crush on him.”

“Realizing my mistake, I apologized for not noticing,” Robert said.

Andy and Tyler seemed somewhat disappointed in that turn of events.

Realizing that he needed to up the ante, Robert continued, “And I proposed on the spot.”

At least now, Andy and Tyler had to gather their jaws off the floor. “You proposed?! But you hadn’t noticed Matt before, right?”

Robert scratched his head. He had dug a mighty hole for himself. “I just knew an apology wasn’t enough. And, I mean,” he said and wrapped one arm around Billy’s shoulders, “look at him. He’s just too cute to ignore.”

Andy and Tyler let out an endearing ‘aww’. “We were a bit worried about you two after barely meeting,” Andy confessed. “First, we thought that you, Ned, were a jealous beast, and then we noticed that you didn’t hold hands or kiss, like the rest of us during breakfast.”

Kiss? Robert froze in place. Did he really have to do that? He turned his head toward Billy, and his eyes dropped to the other’s lips.

***

Billy was all for doing what was needed for their disguise to work, but he could tell from the detective’s stricken face that kissing in front of strangers wasn’t in the cards. He rushed in to save the situation.

He looked at Andy and Tyler, making eye contact. “My Ned is not that big on PDA --”

He swallowed his words as his chin was tipped gently, and warm lips touched his. Frozen in place, he couldn’t move or close his eyes. Unlike the detective whose eyelids dropped. Were they kissing? For real?

Billy could feel his own eyelids getting heavy as if loaded with dark honey. Suddenly, he was overly conscious of everything, the warm water around him, Robert’s hand wrapped around his shoulders, but most of all, the firm lips on his, brushing slowly and teasingly.

At least, there was no tongue. That would have been incredibly embarrassing. Still, he couldn’t just stand there without reacting. He angled his head, and their lips connected more.

Andy’s and Tyler’s happy hoots made them pull away from each other. For a brief moment, Billy looked into the detective’s eyes, half hoping, half dreading, of what they showed.

There was no irony, as expected. And there was no fake tenderness, either. Robert’s eyes were hooded, secretive, and Billy wondered what that meant.

“Well, I think we don’t have to worry about you anymore, guys,” Andy commented. “That was so romantic. I can tell you two have feelings for each other. Right, love?”

Tyler confirmed. “You two look gorgeous together. We definitely have no more doubts. It’s funny how we couldn’t see you two together before.”

“Why?” Billy asked.

Tyler shrugged. “I don’t know. It was just a feeling. Please, don’t listen to me.”

“No, no, I would like to hear it. And don’t worry. I’m not easily offended.”

Tyler exchanged a brief look with his husband. It looked like he got the confirmation he was seeking because he began to talk right away. “You feel free to call me crazy, but it was like this difference in rhythm between you two. Like you didn’t quite work together. As a couple, I mean. Oh, damn, does this make any sense?”

Billy nodded, lost in thought for a moment. “More than you imagine.”

He turned, wanting to see Robert’s face again, but the detective had closed his eyes, leaned back, and seemed to enjoy his visit to the hot tub.

“You guys worry too much,” Robert said, without opening his eyes. “There are small glitches in any relationship. As long as the two people involved are willing to work them out, it will be fine.”

Then it was simple, Billy thought. He wasn’t surprised when Robert reached for him and pulled him close. He rested his head against the detective’s strong shoulder and let out a sigh. Maybe he was getting worked up over nothing. After all, they were in it together, and they would be, until the end.

Which meant that they would return Florence Clark to her family, safe and sound, and catch the bastard behind her kidnapping.

***

Keeping his cool had become a second nature during his years spent alone. Robert had lost it once today, so a second time would have been considered an unforgivable blunder. But the blood ran in his veins at a different speed now, and there was a pulse, loud and strong, where it had barely been one, surprising as it sounded.

He had kissed Billy to save their disguise. If he repeated that enough times, he would eventually believe it.

In bed, with the lights off and Billy’s steady breathing filling the silence, he could say it to himself, though.

He had enjoyed kissing his partner a lot more than he was willing to admit in broad daylight.

TBC

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