DWAYNE SHOVED his phone in his pocket and raced for Aaron’s office. “They’re at my apartment!”
“What?” Aaron got to his feet.
Not wasting any time, Dwayne raced to the door, and he heard Aaron issuing orders behind him. Chairs scraped against the floor, and Aaron caught up to him. “I don’t know why. All Robin said was that Stan had showed up at the apartment.”
“You drive, and I’ll ride with you. The others will be right behind us.”
Dwayne was already halfway to his patrol car and barely waited for Aaron to close his door before peeling out of the lot and flipping on the siren. Aaron called in to dispatch to let them know what was going on, and other officers called in as well. It seemed half the force was converging on his apartment. Not that Dwayne cared, as long as they got there in time. He tried not to imagine exactly what would happen if Stan got to Robin. He needed to keep his head clear.
“Let me and the boys take the lead,” Aaron was saying, and Dwayne nodded. “I mean it. You’re too involved. Just let us handle it.”
Dwayne agreed and pulled up in front of his building. He pointed to the door, and they got out as additional sirens drew closer. Aaron climbed the stairs, with Dwayne right behind him, listening for any indication of what was happening.
“You sorry excuse for a human being!” That was Robin’s voice, followed by a deep grunt and a thud.
“Robin!” That must have been Robin’s mother.
“It’s too late, Mother. You made your choice… again, and now you’re going to have to live with it. All of it.”
“Police! Stay right where you are!” Aaron yelled as he hurried to the bedroom, gun drawn and ready, Dwayne positioned as backup. Aaron reached the room first. “Get down on the floor, right now!”
There wasn’t enough room for Dwayne to see what was happening, but a few seconds later, Robin emerged with Charlie in his arms. The little boy looked scared half to death. Dwayne pulled them to the other side of the apartment as more officers streamed in.
“We have them,” Aaron called, and Dwayne relaxed and holstered his gun.
“It’s all right,” he told Charlie, who lifted his head and held out his arms. Dwayne took him and did his best to comfort him. “The police have the bad people, so you’re safe now.” Charlie wrapped his arms around Dwayne’s neck, and he held on so tight, he practically choked him. “I promise.” Dwayne looked over his shoulder and held out one hand to Robin, feeling better as soon as it was in his. “What happened?”
Robin answered with a question of his own. “They showed up, determined to take Charlie, and Stan said something about just taking the money and getting out of town. What the heck is all that about?”
“I….” Dwayne groaned. “Well, Harvey was just the muscle, if you will. The one who did the dirty work. The real power behind the rental scam was Stan and your mother. They devised it and kept it running. When Harvey was arrested, he called them for help, and they started liquidating, packing up, and were going to run.”
“But my mother wanted Charlie,” Robin supplied.
“I believe that’s true. It’s the only explanation as to why they came here.”
Robin visibly crumpled. “How could I have missed that?”
“They’ve been doing this for years and building up a lot of money in the process. I checked out Stan, but what I didn’t do was check out your mother. If I had, I would have seen the same kind of transactions.”
“I thought my mom was being abused by Stan, but she really was going along with him the entire time.” The pain in Robin’s eyes grew as Dwayne watched the hope he’d been holding on to regarding his mother die away completely. “She really did kick me out the same as Stan did.” He leaned against him and buried his face against Dwayne’s shoulder. So help him, Dwayne wanted to beat the living shit out of the woman.
“Robin, I—” Robin’s piece-of-crap mother said from behind him as Red led her in handcuffs toward the stairs.
“Forget it, Mother.” Robin lifted his head, glaring at her with such disdain. “I fell for your little act once, I won’t do it again. I hope you rot in prison, and I’ll help the police make sure you stay there for a good long time. You’ve hurt a lot of people who couldn’t afford to be taken advantage of.” Robin wiped his eyes and turned away. “Get rid of her.”
Dwayne slipped his free arm around Robin’s waist as Charlie turned to watch what was happening.
“Is he the bad man?” Charlie asked as a still-groaning Stan was led out of the room.
“Yes.”
“I’m going to press charges,” Stan growled as Aaron moved him along.
“What for?” Aaron asked.
“He kicked me.” Stan was still walking funny, and Dwayne got a very good idea of exactly where he’d been kicked.
“Yeah, and you probably have a concussion since the only brains you have are in your dick,” Robin retorted. “You were in my home trying to attack me, dumbass. I have every right to defend myself, and that extends to obliterating your masculinity, what little there is, if I can.” He moved away and turned to Aaron. “Can I have another shot at him? Just turn away for a few seconds.”
“No. Though I can’t say I’m sorry. This one deserves as much hurt as possible.”
“Hey…,” Stan said, and Aaron pushed him toward the stairs.
“Get going.”
“Look, everything was her idea. I only went along with it because of the money. She was the one who cooked up this entire scheme because she wanted to quit working.”
“Bullshit, Stan!” Robin yelled. “You never worked at anything other than picking your ass. Be a man for once and accept what you’ve done.” He walked up to him, and Aaron held the cuffs to keep Stan still.
Stan turned to Aaron. “I have nothing to say. Now let’s get this over with so I can call my lawyer.” They continued to the stairs, and Robin stood at the top as they descended.
“I hope you end up as someone’s prison bitch!” Robin turned and walked back to where Dwayne waited.
“I need to get your statement,” Red said as he intercepted Robin, then held up his hands. “But I better give you a few minutes to calm down.” Red stood to the side.
Dwayne set Charlie on his feet, hugged Robin, and felt Charlie hugging his legs. “It will be all right.”
“That gutless jerk. Blaming….” Robin rested his head on Dwayne’s shoulder and whimpered softly. “I was about to defend my mother, when she was just as involved in all this as he was.”
“We’ll sort everything out. I can promise you that. Just talk to Red and tell him what happened.” Dwayne didn’t want to let Robin go. His guts were still tied in knots over what could have happened.
“What do you want to know?” Robin said, not moving away but turning to look at Red. Robin told them about his mother’s visit and Stan’s arrival. “I kneed Stan in the nuts before kicking the shit out of him. Then you got here.” Robin paused just a second. “I swear on all that’s holy that the only thing that kept me from kicking his head in was Aaron’s arrival. No one is going to hurt Charlie, and they were going to have to go over my dead body to try to get him.”
Robin roared like a lion, at least to Dwayne’s mind.
“You didn’t know they ran the rental scam?” Red asked.
Robin shook his head. “All I knew was that they were trying to take Charlie, and I wasn’t going to have that.” He lifted Charlie and cradled him to his chest. “No way was that happening, so it was either fight or lose him. I fought.”
“Yes, you did.” Dwayne leaned close enough to get a whiff of the scent he slept next to every night. “I’m so proud of you. Not only did you fight for Charlie, but you stood up to Stan and even your mother. It hurts that she was part of this, but now you know where you stand and there isn’t any way she can manipulate you.”
“You did great,” Red told Robin with a wry smile. “He’s going to be walking funny for a while, but don’t worry about anything. It was self-defense.” Red read back his notes to make sure he had everything. “I’m sure Aaron is going to want you to come down to press further charges and review and sign your new statement, but maybe this whole thing is over now.”
Robin nodded, but Dwayne was worried about him and hated the fact that he had to go back to the station. “I don’t want to leave you alone.”
“Let me call Donald and see if he’s home.” Red stepped away to make his call.
“It’s going to be okay.” Dwayne wasn’t sure what else to tell Robin. He knew he should try to say something, but what do you tell someone who just saw their mother led away in handcuffs? They sure as hell didn’t make a Hallmark card for that.
“I don’t see how it can be. My mother is going to prison.” Robin carried Charlie to the sofa and sat down. “Do you know how long she and Stan have been doing this?”
“At least four years. Things really came together this afternoon.”
“Did you know when you saw me before? Is that why you looked like you’d been kicked?” Robin asked him, and Dwayne wished he’d been able to school his expression better.
“Yes and no. We were following the trails, and it looked like this case was lining up with the background information I’d dug up on Stan, but I didn’t know for sure and I wasn’t at liberty to talk about an ongoing investigation. That was why I told you to lock all the doors and stay here. I didn’t know about your mother for sure until we actually got here. There was the possibility that Stan had put the accounts in her name to hide the money.” He sat down next to him, the leather of his belt creaking as he did so. “I’m not glad this happened, but I am so relieved that you’re both safe. When I got your message, I nearly panicked.” He needed to hold Robin, so he put his arms around him. “All I kept seeing in my mind on the way over was you and Charlie hurt… or worse.” He took a deep breath and released it slowly.
“I wish I hadn’t let her in at all.” Robin released Charlie when he squirmed, and he hurried to his blocks in the corner of the room and began to play, keeping an eye on both of them. The excitement was over and things were somewhat back to normal as far as he was concerned.
Red joined them from the kitchen, where he’d been talking on the phone. “Donald is at the store. He said he’d be home in fifteen minutes. We’ll take the both of you over so you aren’t alone, and Dwayne can pick you up after we wrap everything up at the station. Hopefully it won’t be too late, but there’s going to be a lot to do.” He perched himself on the arm of the sofa. “Robin, you were a victim of a crime. You didn’t do anything to deserve it. Your mother and Stan came here with a specific objective, and they weren’t likely to back down from it. It’s likely Stan would have broken in somehow if the trick with your mother hadn’t worked. Besides, up until now, you hadn’t had any reason to suspect your mother would try to take Charlie.”
“Yeah… but—”
“No, Robin. This isn’t your fault. You fought like a tiger to protect him. That’s what’s really important. Because you learned some things today.”
Robin turned to Red, and Dwayne did the same, curious as to what he had to say.
“You learned that you’re a parent, without a doubt. You’ll fight for Charlie the way any mother or father would, and you also know that Dwayne is going to move heaven and earth to try to protect both of you. I’d say that’s a pretty winning deal.” Red smiled and hugged Robin gently. “I know you’ve been through hell with everything that’s happened with your family, but that’s all their fault, not yours. Know that, because it’s a fact. Your mother used her position to try to hurt you, and Stan, well, that guy is a shit pile.” He patted Robin on the shoulder as his phone dinged. “Gather what you’ll need for a few hours, and we’ll take you to Donald and Carter’s. Apparently Alex is anxious for Charlie to come visit.”
“I’ll get some things together, and we can go in a few minutes.” Robin hurried to the other room, and Dwayne followed, then helped him put Charlie’s dresser upright. It seemed to have weathered the storm pretty well. He also checked the room and figured he’d call the landlord to see about insurance for fixing the door and frame.
“Are you going to be okay? I can call in and….”
Robin stopped. “I’ll be okay. You need to help see this through for me, and there’s nothing anyone can do to make this ordeal any easier. My mother and stepfather are criminals, and I lived with them for years and never knew.” He got a change of clothes for Charlie before leaving the room and marching to the kitchen, where he got a few snacks. “Charlie, pick out a few toys. We’re going to see Alex.”
“Yay!” Charlie dropped what he was doing and raced over. “Now?”
“Yes. Get what you want, and we’ll go with Uncle Dwayne and Mr. Red.” Robin turned to Dwayne. “I don’t think your cruiser has a car seat.”
“We’ll walk you over,” Red said. “Let’s go. Donald should be home, and we need to get back and finish this up.”
“You take the car over to Donald and Carter’s. I’ll walk with Robin and Charlie, and then we can go on to work from there.” Dwayne took the bag and Charlie’s hand as he happily descended the stairs. Once they were outside, Dwayne locked the door, and they started the short walk.
Robin was quiet for a while, except for talking softly to Charlie and reminding him to hold their hands. “What am I going to do now?” Robin asked.
“About what?”
“Mom, and the house, and…. It wasn’t Stan’s house, but my mom and dad’s.”
“I don’t know. At this point my guess is that it would be sold to help pay restitution to some of the victims, along with any money we can recover. But all that is up to the courts. I’ll see if I can arrange with the Mechanicsburg Police for you to go in and get anything that might be yours. Other than that, it’s out of my hands.” Dwayne wished he could do more to help Robin.
“What did I do to deserve this?” Robin asked as they stopped to check for traffic before crossing the street.
“We don’t do anything to deserve whatever our parents do. Your mother made her choices. If it makes you feel better, I believe that she did feel bad for letting Stan throw you out and that she was sincere when she tried to reconnect with you. But her crimes caught up with her, and that had nothing at all to do with you. It was all her, and she made her own decisions and now she has to pay for them.” Dwayne lifted Charlie up and carried him across the street. “Think about it. Your mother is going to pay a high price. She isn’t going to get to see this one grow up.” Dwayne tickled Charlie’s belly, and he laughed loudly, a joyous sound that rang out as clear and bright as anything. “Or see the man you’ve become, strong and sure of yourself.”
Robin looked down. “Me?”
“Yes, you. I was attracted to your face and the way you looked, and as I got to know you, I grew to love the kind and gentle man you are. But seeing the fierceness and determination that lies inside….” Dwayne leaned close to whisper in Robin’s ear. “That’s sexy beyond anything I could imagine.” His heart raced, and damn it all, he’d never been more attracted to Robin than he was right now. “You stood up to Stan, and if you could do that, then there isn’t anything you can’t do if you try.”
Robin smiled.
A few houses away, the door opened and Alex raced out. Dwayne set Charlie down, and he ran to Alex and hugged him. There wasn’t time at the moment to say what he needed to, so Dwayne held his words in his mind and kissed Robin goodbye.
“I’ll see you here as soon as I’m finished.”
Robin nodded, and Dwayne backed away, thanking Donald for his help before getting into the waiting squad car and riding back to the station with Red. He hated having to leave, but duty called.
“We’ll knock out what we need to do so you can get back here as soon as possible.” Red sped away, and Dwayne forced his mind on the tasks ahead and tried not to let Robin take over all his thoughts. But damn, it was hard.
THREE HOURS later Dwayne left the station. He had written more reports, organized witness statements, and met with the district attorney’s office. He’d also sat in on calls with all the other local departments, and they’d agreed to contact the state’s attorney general’s office, since many of the charges crossed jurisdictional lines. All of Stan and Martha’s assets had been frozen since it was assumed that many of them were the fruits of criminal activity, so the money they might have had for bail was inaccessible. They were also deemed a flight risk, so thankfully it looked like both of them would be sitting in jail while they waited for the formal arraignment and trial. That, at least, Dwayne hoped would be welcome news to Robin.
“Is there anything else?” Dwayne asked Aaron before getting ready to go home.
“No. You did a great job today and were a huge help. Our case is excellent, and the state is going to prosecute both of them.”
“That’s wonderful.”
“It is.” Aaron smiled and waved him off. “I’ll see you later. Go on home and make sure your family is all right.”
It took a few seconds for what Aaron had said to sink in. His family. Robin and Charlie were his family, and the thought made him smile. “I will.”
Dwayne smiled all the way to Donald and Carter’s. Charlie greeted him with a running leap, and Dwayne caught him and lifted him high into the air, to peals of laughter. Robin looked up from the sofa, smiling nervously, and Dwayne could tell he’d been worrying his bottom lip with his teeth. It was red and a little swollen.
“Thanks for everything, Donald. Carter should be on his way home too.”
“He just called.” Donald turned to Alex. “Go on upstairs and get ready for bed. You can have a snack with Papa and then go to sleep.”
Dwayne put Charlie down, and he hurried over to hug his friend and then turned back. “Can you say thank you?” Dwayne prompted.
“Thank you, Mr. Donald.” Charlie hugged Donald and then yawned.
“We better get him home,” Robin said, then hugged Donald, saying his own thank-yous.
“Don’t worry about anything. Us cop husbands need to stick together.” Donald flashed a smile, and Dwayne carried Charlie out to the car and got him strapped into his seat for the short ride, which couldn’t happen fast enough.
At home Robin put Charlie to bed, and Dwayne read him a story, as was his new habit on every single night he possibly could. Once Charlie was asleep, Dwayne joined Robin on the sofa, sitting down next to him and taking his hand.
“What has you so worried?” Dwayne rubbed Robin’s tortured lower lip with his thumb.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen now,” Robin answered in barely a whisper.
“What do you want to happen?”
Robin shrugged. “What I want has very little to do with anything.”
“Not with me. What you want is what I want. So you have to tell me. I know your stepfather was a jackass, and he brought your mother along that path with him.”
“But I have no family. I thought I was going to maybe get my mother back, but that isn’t happening.”
Dwayne realized just how deep that hope had gone for Robin. And it was terrible when it was stripped away for good. “I know that you held a lot of hope, but….” He stood, took Robin by the hand, and led him quietly to Charlie’s door. Inside, Charlie was asleep on his side, facing them, his blond head on the pillow, as quiet and peaceful as they could ever want. “He’s your hope now… yours and mine. He’s our family and our future.”
“Ours?”
“Yes. Yours and mine. Together.” Dwayne turned Robin to face him. “A family of our own.”
Robin glanced at Charlie and then looked back to Dwayne. “Do you want me because of Charlie? I know you love him, but is that why you want us?”
Dwayne shook his head. “I want both of you because I love both of you.” He put his arms around Robin’s neck and drew him closer. “I want you here with me, as a family, because I can’t see myself without you both. I tried to when I rushed over here after your message, and I didn’t know what I’d do without either of you.” Dwayne slid the ring of his arms down until they encircled Robin’s waist, and he held him as close as he could. Then, inch by inch, he guided him to the bedroom—their bedroom—and only broke his hold to close the door behind them. “Now this is more like it….” Dwayne pressed Robin back against the door.
He wasn’t as gentle as he wanted or as Robin deserved, but nearly losing him and the last two hours thinking of nothing but him had Dwayne’s blood pumping and his mind on one goal. He plundered Robin’s mouth, knowing that lower lip was going to be even more swollen and puffy in the morning, but he couldn’t help teasing and sucking on it.
Dwayne tugged Robin’s shirt out of his pants and only parted their lips for long enough to get it over his head. He dropped it to the floor, but didn’t see or care where it went. All that mattered was that more of Robin’s smooth pale skin was available to him.
It seemed Robin felt the same way. His fingers trembled as he unfastened the buttons on Dwayne’s uniform shirt and slid the fabric over his shoulders. Dwayne stepped away and got the shirt off, then turned Robin around, pressed his chest to Robin’s back, and held him close, stroking Robin’s chest. Robin leaned back against him, head resting on his shoulder, and Dwayne feasted on his neck, inhaling his scent, licking his skin while his hands roamed Robin’s chest and belly.
Dwayne unfastened Robin’s pants, and the moans that had started out soft and gentle grew more urgent. He lowered the zipper, parted the fabric, and ran his hand over Robin’s cotton-cloaked erection.
“Dwayne…,” he whimpered.
“I know.” Dwayne sucked on Robin’s ear and teased his fingers over the elastic waistband. Robin tensed in his arms and moaned softly. “You feel amazing.” He tweaked each of Robin’s nipples, then worried the buds until Robin groaned with each additional touch. Robin quivered in his arms as Dwayne ran his hands down Robin’s chest, muscles trembling beneath his touch. This time he didn’t stop, slipped his hand under the waistband, and closed his fingers around Robin’s perfect cock. He held him still, squeezing but not stroking, and Robin moaned, thrusting his hips forward.
“You’re so damn mean.” Robin turned slightly, and Dwayne kissed him, pushing the fabric downward until his pants fell to the floor.
“I am?” Dwayne smirked, stroking lightly as Robin leaned harder against him. Dwayne slowly stepped them back to the bed and pressed Robin down onto the mattress. He wasted no time in removing the last of Robin’s clothes.
Robin was beautiful as always, all lithe limbs and pale skin against the dark green duvet. The sight made Dwayne ache deeply, and he toed off his shoes and then undid his zipper, knowing Robin was watching each move. He dropped his pants, and Robin’s breath hitched as Dwayne’s cock sprang free.
Naked, Dwayne climbed onto the bed, and Robin slid over to him. Without a word, Robin closed his lips around Dwayne’s cock and stole his ability to think and breathe at the same time.
“You’re so good at that.”
Robin pushed him back against the pillows and took him deep. His mouth was magic, and Dwayne’s head spun almost immediately. He had to stop Robin, or he was going to come way too soon. After all, he had plans for tonight, and they involved Robin writhing under him, pleading and moaning softly. He’d been thinking of that sight and those sounds for hours.
Dwayne guided Robin to the pillows, wanting him comfortable, and then he rolled him over and watched as Robin stretched out on the bed. Dwayne licked his way down Robin’s back, running his hands up his thighs until hands and mouth met. He buried his face between Robin’s cheeks, inhaling his lover’s musk and tasting all of him.
Robin groaned, pushed back against him, and moaned softly as Dwayne thrust his tongue into him, opening him up. “Dwayne….”
“That’s the sound I’ve been dreaming of for hours now.” Dwayne sucked and sucked at the tender skin, feeling his excitement as Robin came unwound.
“I want you now!” Robin slid away and rolled over.
Dwayne reached to the side table and got the lube and a condom. His hand shook as he rolled on the latex, and it took all his willpower to make sure Robin was prepared before entering his body.
The pressure and heat blew him away like they always did, but this time there was something special. Robin was his, and he belonged to Robin. They were a family, and joining with Robin made that seem more real and complete.
“I can feel your heart beating.” Dwayne took Robin’s hand and pressed it over his heart.
“I feel yours too.”
Dwayne leaned forward to kiss Robin deeply. “That’s good, because you have my heart.” He slowly moved his hips while cradling Robin in his arms, holding him in every way he could think of. This was his partner and lover. “I want you always.” Dwayne’s breath mixed with Robin’s as he drew him closer.
“I love you.” Robin sighed and held him tight. “Now make me feel it.”
Dwayne withdrew and thrust forward, snapping his hips.
Robin moaned and held him tighter. “Yeah. That’s what I want. You make me feel alive and wanted… so very wanted.”
That was perfection, and Dwayne made Robin feel as wanted as possible until Robin came to pieces around him, and Dwayne couldn’t hold back any longer and let his passion free.
He had no idea how long he held still, pleasure washing over him. He hoped he hadn’t hurt Robin, but judging by the way Robin clung to him and the smile on his swollen lips, that wasn’t an issue.
“I love you, Dwayne. You make me feel safe.” Robin kissed him. “And yes. I want you to be my family. I want to go to sleep at night next to you and wake up with you hogging the bed.”
“I don’t do that,” Dwayne said, grinning. “Okay, maybe I do a little.” He got out of bed, took care of the condom, and got a cloth from the bathroom to clean them up. He also threw their dirty clothes in the hamper before rejoining Robin in bed. Dwayne settled under the covers and rolled onto his side.
“See? You just hogged the bed.” Robin rolled over to face him. “I’ve got this little bit of room over here, and half the bed is behind you.”
“That’s because you’re right here and I’m drawn to you.” Dwayne tugged Robin to him and held him close. “See.”
“Okay.” Robin settled close and snuggled right in. “I can live with that as long as I have you for a pillow.” He rested his head on Dwayne’s arm and scooched around until he was comfortable. Then Robin sighed and stilled.
“I’ll be your pillow for as long as you want me.”
Robin chuckled and rolled over to face him. “I’m going to hold you to that.” He closed his eyes, and Dwayne kissed Robin good night.
“Me too.” Dwayne let his eyes close as well.