FORGE MADE coffee and sat in the kitchen as Gage went about his tasks, letting him do what he needed to. Dark clouds settled around Forge, and he let them gather. He needed to deal with the loss, as well as the ultimate change to his life. He knew it wasn’t as simple as thinking about it and working through everything in a few hours. He sat at the table where he and Granger had eaten a lot of meals together before things between them had completely fallen apart.
“You know, it’s okay to mourn for him, for what the two of you had,” Gage said gently.
Forge looked up. “How do you know what I’m thinking?”
“It isn’t rocket science, and I’ve seen a lot of grief and confusion. Shit happens to all of us, and sometimes what we get is manure, piled on crap, wrapped in shit. You deal with it as best you can and move on.” Gage refilled his mug, and Forge followed his movements.
Gage was dressed all in black and looked completely badass and sexy as all hell. Suddenly the clouds around him parted a little and some light shone through. “What are you doing?”
“Some reconnaissance with Harv. I need you to stay here in the house with everything locked up. Don’t open any of the outside doors or the first-floor windows while I’m gone unless you need me or something happens. I have them temporarily sensored, and I’ll get a message on my cell phone and come right back.”
“Is Harv still out there?”
“Yes.” Gage peered out the side curtain briefly and let it slide back. He pulled out his phone, scanning through what Forge thought was a text. He answered it with a grin and slid the phone back into his pocket. “Please just stay here and keep the doors closed and locked.”
Forge tried to keep the concern out of his expression, but Gage must have seen it. He paused at the door, looking at him before returning to where Forge sat. “I know you know what you’re doing,” Forge said.
“Yes.” Gage leaned closer, his face inches from Forge’s. “If you need anything, open an outside window and then run and hide. I’ll get a notification and come right back. But don’t open the door for anyone other than me, no matter who they say they are or what they want.” Gage didn’t move, his lips so close, their eyes boring into each other.
Forge was scared to move in case the spell between them broke. Gage inched closer and paused once again. Forge tilted his head, parting his lips, but a scrape outside the kitchen patio door startled him. He pulled back, instantly on alert and berating himself for not taking advantage of the opportunity.
“That’s Harv.” Gage took his hand. “Remember what I said.” He swallowed, and Forge tried to make his mind work. He managed to nod once, and then Gage was gone out the door, closing it, and Forge locked it right behind him, letting the curtains fall closed.
Forge went into the family room and sat in his favorite chair. He thought of trying to watch television, but he was too nerved up, wondering what Gage was up to. He figured Gage had purposely not told him what the plan was. Still, Forge had an idea that it involved his neighbor’s house.
In a way he wished Gage had asked him to come along. Forge had military training and he could defend himself, though his skills were nearly decades old and he hadn’t kept them honed the way Gage had. Forge shook his head and picked up his phone, holding it in his hand just so it would be ready in case he needed it.
Silence reigned around him, and Forge needed something to do. Sitting in the house, waiting for whatever could happen, was driving him crazy. He intended to do what Gage had asked, but instead stood and went to one of the windows in the rear spare bedroom, where he could see the house behind his. He turned off the inside lights and peered outside. The lights in the back lit the yard, but he could see past that to the other house, which loomed large in the darkness, only a backdoor light as a clear beacon giving away its location. Other than that, he saw nothing. Hell, what did he expect, people running hither and yon across the yard in fear as Gage chased them all down? Forge chuckled as he let the curtains fall back into place and returned to the family room.
After another ten minutes, a soft knock sounded on the back door. He went and checked who it was before letting a grinning Gage inside. “Did you find what you expected?”
“Yes. It seems your neighbors are going to come home to a mess. But they’re gone. Someone had been staying there, probably to watch over this house. From the looks of it, they’d been there for a few days and left about the time of Granger’s shooting.”
“So they were watching us?” Forge shivered.
Another knock, and Gage let in a small, wiry man who seemed about a hundred twenty pounds. A good, stiff breeze could probably blow him away. Like Gage, he was dressed all in black. As he pulled away the outer layer of clothes, his handsomeness emerged, along with a head of black hair plastered to his scalp and a T-shirt completely soaked through.
“I think so. But it seems like a lot to go through just to kill someone.” Gage turned to the other man. “Forge, this is Harv.”
“I’ll be going in a few minutes.” He shook Forge’s hand, then stepped away.
“Do you need somewhere to clean up?” Forge asked.
“No. I just need to go. I’ve been out there in the humidity for a good part of the day. Thank you, though.” Harv turned to Gage. “I checked the house for any signals that might indicate a bug and found none. You might want to check for any record and return devices, but other than that, you’re clean.” He paused. “Oh, and once I leave, I’ll make an anonymous report to the police about the house in back.”
“All right. I appreciate the help.” Gage let Harv out the door once again, and he disappeared into the night. Gage relocked the door.
“Did you break into my neighbor’s house? What is going on here?” Forge asked, confused.
“We didn’t break anything, and no one will know we were there. But we needed to check things out,” Gage told him. “A small group of people, probably two or three, set up shop in your neighbor’s house in the rooms where they could look into your house, probably with telescopes and other equipment. It also wouldn’t surprise me if they used parabolic listening equipment to find out what was being said over here. But like I said, if they’d wanted Granger dead, they’d just have killed him.”
Forge shivered at the thought that he and Granger had been watched. Their lives, such as they were, had been exposed to strangers, people watching them. A chill ran up his spine that hung there. “Does this help figure out what in the hell they want?” Someone had killed Granger, and if he thought finding out who’d done it was going to be a walk in the park, he’d just had his eyes opened.
“No. They were probably trying to get it from Granger before they killed him, and he told them to take a hike.” Gage sat at the table, and Forge stood to make them each a sandwich because he had to have something to do. “All this is only a theory. Unlike in the movies, I didn’t find any papers or some clue that will lead to an explanation of everything that’s happening.”
“So let’s say Granger was doing something at work or had a client who was outside the law…. Like a gangster?”
“It’s possible. They have lawyers, lots of them, and they pay very well and reward loyalty. But what if Granger betrayed them?” Gage shook his head. “We’re going off on a tangent. We don’t know very much about what’s behind this. The best way to find out is to try to locate whatever these files are.”
“If I had to guess, I’d still say they’re something on his computer. But we’ll never know. The police will keep his computer until they’ve gone through everything on it.”
“Then tomorrow we’ll check out the safe-deposit box, and we can check with the police on the disposition of Granger’s body. Hopefully they’ll know something more.”
Without really hearing any more of what Gage said, Forge stood and walked to the basement door. He went down the stairs to the safe and opened it, then pulled everything out and transferred it to a box, which he brought back upstairs and placed on the table before sitting back down.
Gage gave him an odd look. “Just eat your sandwich and we can go through all this.” Gage sounded slightly like Forge’s dad when he tried to soothe him.
Forge nodded but didn’t touch his food. The clouds were back, darker and more oppressive than before. “I have to find it,” he said, pulling out each item and looking it over before setting it aside again.
“But you don’t know what to look for.”
“Not really.” God, he wished this was all over and he could return to his life. Forge reached for an envelope and stopped, tears welling. Things were never going to be the same, no matter what he did.
Gage gently touched his hand, and he let the envelope fall to the table. “Eat something.”
Forge nodded and picked up the sandwich with his other hand, turning the one Gage was holding and wrapping his fingers with Gage’s. This probably wasn’t a good idea, but instantly his mind went back to happier times when he’d sat next to Gage’s bed, celebrating the return of movement to the very hand he was holding.
A bang from the lawn made him jump, and Forge squeezed Gage’s hand harder. He closed his eyes and prayed that if the people who murdered Granger had come back, they got it over with quickly.
Gage let go and stood to go to the window. He peered around the edge of the curtains and then turned back inside. “A family of deer have decided to spend the evening, and they’ve knocked over one of the metal planters.” He returned and sat back down, pulling out the phone. He finished what he was doing and then took Forge’s hand once again.
“I remember doing this under your blankets so no one in the hospital would see us.” Forge had been so young and stupid. They’d have been kicked out of the service if they’d been caught. “But that was a long time ago.”
“And sometimes it seems like yesterday.” Gage leaned a little closer, and this time Forge didn’t hesitate to close the gap between them. Forge closed his eyes and for a second was transported back to their first kiss, which had been sweet and tentative. Now Forge pressed closer, heat rising fast, and Gage slid his fingers through Forge’s hair, pulling him closer. The table was in the way, and Forge wished he could push it from them. But Gage gentled the kiss, caressing his lips ever so slightly with his tongue before backing away, tugging on Forge’s lower lip. “I waited seventeen years to do that again.”
“Me too,” Forge whispered. “Sometimes I used to think… no, wonder what would happen if things had turned out differently between us. Would we have gotten married the way Granger and I did, and would we have grown apart? In my memories you were always twenty-one and so damned beautiful.”
Gage smiled gently. “But you remember me in the bed, crippled.”
Forge shook his head. “No. What I remember is your eyes and the way you made me laugh. Even when you could move only your head, you still brought me joy.” He took Gage’s hand and kissed it. “I remember one night, I’d been reading to you for a few weeks, and you fell asleep. Your hand was outside of the covers, so I took it and gently placed it underneath so you wouldn’t get cold, and you squeezed it. Not much, but you did. It was the first time your hand moved, and it was because of my touch.”
Gage’s eyes widened and then his expression softened. For a second Forge saw some of what they used to share in the hospital. “How come you never told me?”
“Because the next day, you could move your hand, then the other one, and the whole hospital was excited. I couldn’t tell anyone that I’d been holding your hand, so I kept that memory to myself. It was mine, and after you got sent home and my letters went unanswered, I held that memory tighter.”
Gage sat still, and Forge let the spell that had settled hang in the air for a bit, then turned his attention to his sandwich. Gage got up to make some herbal tea, then brought him a mug. Forge finished eating, his attention focused on the papers from the safe. He’d already gotten the will, but as he went through things, he found other documents he was going to need, like powers of attorney and the title to Granger’s car.
“What are all these?” Gage held up a blue box.
“Oh.” Forge smiled, set the papers to the side, and pulled out what looked like small jewelry boxes. “They’re coins. Granger used to buy them for me when we first got together. They aren’t real tender, at least not in this country, but they are silver. They commemorated some of the initial milestones in our relationship.” He opened one and handed it to Gage. “They were something he used to do. At the time, we were both trying to figure things out, and Granger said they were an investment of sorts. The silver would always be worth something.” He closed the case and picked up another. The coin rattled inside, and Forge opened the case to put it back on its slot. When he did, a small black item tumbled out onto the floor. Forge reached down to pick it up. “What’s this?” He set what looked like a piece of plastic back on the table.
“It’s a drive.” Gage lifted it, looking it over. It was tiny and plain black, maybe an inch in length. “Could this be what you’re looking for?” he asked with excitement. He pushed back his chair and returned with a small laptop. Gage started it up and inserted the drive. He turned the screen and sat next to Forge as they both waited for the computer to recognize the drive and bring up the list of contents.
“I don’t think this is what we’re looking for,” Forge said as he glanced over the file names. “It seems to be the electronic version of the wills and other documents.” That was Granger being thorough. Forge continued looking through the contents of the safe and found the envelope the drive had originally been in. It had come open, but God knows how it had gotten into the case. “I don’t see anything else.” Forge packed everything up again, then carried it all downstairs and placed it back in the safe, locked it up, and covered it once more.
When he came back upstairs, Gage was going through the files. “Just double-checking. It’s getting late. In the morning we’ll go to the bank to see about the safe-deposit box. Things are getting away from me a little….”
“It’s all right. Tomorrow is fine.” He was tired and wound up tight as a drum. Forge hadn’t slept well last night, and he wasn’t sure how well he was going to sleep tonight either. All he wanted was this whole thing to be over so he could pick up the pieces of his life and move forward.
Forge finished the last of his sandwich and drank his tea, then put the dishes in the dishwasher and got it running. He figured Gage would make himself comfortable where he needed to. “If you need anything—”
“Look at this,” Gage said, still at the computer. “The last file is empty. Or rather, it opens to a blank page.”
Forge went to peer over Gage’s shoulder at the screen.
Gage closed the file and reopened it to be sure, but it was blank. “It was called Granger&Forge. I thought it might have contained something he wanted to remember, but there’s nothing here.” He closed the file and removed the drive to hand it back.
Forge took it, wondering where he was going to put it. He wasn’t interested in going back down to the safe, so he went into the living room and grabbed Granger’s most complex puzzle box and put it inside. “Bedding is in the linen closet upstairs if you need anything.”
“I’ll figure it out.”
Forge hesitated at the bottom of the stairs, turning toward where Gage sat at the table. He wanted to go back and kiss Gage good night. Hell, he wanted to kiss him hello, good night, and where the hell have you been for the last seventeen years… all at the same time. But he didn’t dare, and Gage seemed to have slipped back into professional mode, so he wasn’t sure if the act would be welcomed, no matter how steamy the earlier one had been.
He climbed the stairs and went to his room, where he undressed, cleaned up, and used the toilet in the master bathroom before climbing under the covers and trying to sleep. He heard Gage move through the house for a few minutes, and then everything grew quiet. Forge calmed down, feeling safe knowing that Gage was downstairs looking out for him. Still, sleep didn’t come. He was too far away, and after an hour, Forge got out of bed and opened the door. He could barely hear the television downstairs. He grabbed the light blanket off the bed, wrapped himself in it, and went down the stairs.
Gage sat in the chair, a mug of coffee next to him, watching an action movie. He looked up at Forge’s arrival. “Are you okay?”
“Can’t sleep.” Forge sat on the sofa, intending to curl up, but he was too warm, so he lay down with the blanket over his legs, turned toward the television.
“Jesus,” Gage said under his breath.
Forge ignored it because he wasn’t sure if he was meant to hear it or not. A house exploded on the television, and he closed his eyes, trying to relax. He wasn’t really interested in the movie as much as he didn’t want to be alone. He turned away from the TV and met Gage’s heated gaze. The temperature rose higher, and Forge pushed the blanket farther off his legs.
He sat still as Gage stood and crossed the room in a few strides to stand over him. He didn’t take his eyes off him for a split second, afraid to blink in case this was his imagination. Gage sat on the edge of the cushion near his hips, an arm resting on the back of the sofa.
“You know, you’re like temptation personified.” Gage stayed where he was. “I….” He swallowed visibly. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing to me? Your husband was killed, and no matter what happened in the past, or the fact that you did send letters years ago, I can’t….” He kept halting and ran his hand through his hair. Forge was quickly realizing that was how Gage released his nervous energy.
He reached up and took Gage’s hand. “Stop that or you’ll rub yourself bald, and I like your hair.”
Gage rolled his eyes. “Okay. But it doesn’t change anything.”
“My marriage has been over, except for the yelling, for months.” Forge tugged at Gage’s hand, bringing him closer. “Granger was the one who stepped out of the marriage. I never did. I was loyal until the end, and….”
“How long has it been?” Gage whispered, coming ever closer, the energy between them increasing with each inch Gage narrowed between them until Forge was afraid he was going to fly to pieces if Gage didn’t touch him.
“Since Granger had someone else, I refused to be with him. If he was getting it somewhere else, then he wasn’t going to be with me. Who knows what he could bring home.” Forge had trusted him, but look what the hell happened. After that, he’d been tested for everything imaginable and stayed the hell away. A cheater will cheat no matter what.
“I’d never do that,” Gage told him. “I haven’t had the kind of relationship you had. This job and my life were never conducive to one. But when I was with someone, it was only him.” He inched still closer, and Forge wrapped his arms around his neck, pulling them together, unable to take any more.
Forge devoured Gage with pent-up passion, banked on hold for seventeen years, combined with the want and need of eight or nine months of abstinence. When Gage worked his arms under him, holding him tightly, Forge’s skin came alive. He hadn’t realized just how starved he’d been for the touch of someone he cared about until he had it. Now he didn’t want it to end.
“Gage,” Forge breathed when they pulled apart.
“Is this really okay? I don’t want to push or rush you.”
Forge closed his eyes and shook his head. “I’ve waited a long time for this. I know you were waiting to hear from me, but I was doing the same, near the front lines in a field hospital, hoping to hear from you. I thought you didn’t care for me. Now that I know that wasn’t the truth, I want to make up for the years we lost.” He slammed his lips to Gage’s, throwing all those years of wishing into the kiss, which Gage returned. The fire between them was all-consuming, a conflagration burning away time and distance until it was just them right here, right now. Nothing else mattered, and Forge was determined to make everything he could of the opportunity while Gage was in his arms.
“Oh, Jesus,” Gage murmured, pulling away and heaving for air as Forge did the same, then took his lips once again. He tugged at the hem of Gage’s shirt, needing to feel his powerful chest against his body. His memories had mellowed and softened into a warm sepia, but he needed full-on technicolor, with all its bright vividness and intensity. Forge needed to feel alive and unrejected. To be wanted and cared for with the depth and enthusiasm only youth could bring. And regardless of the time that had passed, Gage gave that to him, in nearly overwhelming waves of heat.
Forge pulled at the fabric, yanking it upward, but instead of Gage’s shirt giving way, the crisp sound of a tear filled the room as the fabric ripped. Gage didn’t pause his kisses, and soon Forge held the remnants of Gage’s shirt, which he tossed away as he arched up against him. That was what he needed.
Gage tightened his hold, stroking his back. This time, when Gage broke the kiss, Forge lolled his head back, so Gage licked down his throat to the base of his neck, then worried a spot at the base of his shoulder until Forge nearly went to pieces.
“Dammit.” He clung to Gage, hoping he didn’t explode.
Gage pulled away, standing back, and Forge blinked up at him, wondering if he’d done something wrong. He blinked again as Gage stood over him, his gaze traveling up Gage’s flat, heaving stomach to his chiseled chest. “Come on. You have about ten seconds to get off the sofa and up to your bed, or I’m going to flip you over and take you right here.” Gage’s voice was deep as hell and getting lower with each and every word. He heaved for breath and took one single step back, pointing. Forge thought about just how much he cared where they were together and realized a bed would be much better. He stood, the blanket falling away, his dick tenting his boxers, and Gage growled.
Forge hurried out of the room and reached the base of the stairs before heavy footsteps sounded behind him. He took off and got to the bedroom before Gage tackled him onto the mattress. Somehow Forge rolled over, his boxers making it off his legs and onto the floor. Then Gage swallowed him. Forge could have sworn he hovered over the bed in complete, passionate bliss as wet, molten heat surrounded him, gripping and tugging at him. He clutched at Gage, pressing his hips upward, needing all that Gage could give, getting so much more than he ever expected. “Holy hell!”
“You can say that again.” Gage pulled off and gripped Forge’s cock, stroking hard. “I don’t remember you being this big.”
Some smart comment about the bigger, the better or something had worked up in his mind, but it flew from his head as Gage took him once more. Nothing else mattered. Forge lay back on the bed, his arms over his head, giving himself to whatever delightful deviltry Gage had in mind. Instinct from deep in his brain said Gage knew what he needed and would give him the greatest joy he could remember. Second by second, each touch and lick only added to that impression. “Gage.” Forge brought the heel of his hand to his teeth and bit down, trying to keep hold of himself. His control cracked, then broke a minute later, and his release surged into Gage with an unstoppable force that left him panting and seeing stars that outnumbered those in the night sky. And in those moments of complete clarity, he realized just how much had been missing from his life and what he wanted going forward forever.
“Are you still with me?” Gage asked quietly.
“Oh God.” Forge stretched to tug Gage to where he could kiss him, tasting himself on Gage’s tongue.
“You are so amazingly hot like this. Laid out on the bed for me.” Gage straightened, stepping back, and Forge stared with rapt attention as Gage toed off his shoes and shucked his pants and boxers. Once he stood very proudly naked in front of him, Forge licked his lips. Gage was as stunning as Forge remembered, maybe more so. When they were together then, Gage hadn’t been at his best, but he certainly was now.
Forge guided Gage closer to the bed, then rolled over and shifted until he lay on his belly right in front of Gage. He lifted his head, at perfect cock level, and slid his lips around Gage.
Gage shook as Forge took him deeper, cupping his balls gently as he bobbed his head. Forge loved cock sucking and adored the feel of Gage’s cockhead across his tongue. Gage rocked back and forth slightly, and Forge closed his eyes, letting the sensation roll over him. This was amazing and something he’d waited a long time for.
When Gage pulled away, Forge opened his eyes, wondering what was happening. Gage climbed onto the bed, guiding Forge to the pillow and settling between his legs. “Are you ready for me?”
“I’ve been ready for a long time.” Forge swallowed hard and pointed to the bedside table, hoping the supplies were still there. At first Granger had begged to come back, so Forge had gotten condoms in case things progressed down that path. But they never did, and thankfully the supplies were still there.
Gage pulled out the strip of condoms and a bottle of lube, setting them near the bed before turning his pulse-racing gaze on Forge, who had no idea how he was going to survive what was coming. He hated to admit it, even to himself, but he’d wondered in his heart of hearts what it would be like to have Gage back in his life, and now it was happening. Gage lifted Forge’s legs and leaned over him, kissing hard as he slicked his fingers and breached him for the first time. Forge’s hiss turned to a sigh as his body got used to the invasion, then slowly morphed into craving it. He needed more, and Gage seemed all too happy to oblige.
“I’m ready.”
“You sure?” Gage’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
“I’ve been ready since I met you again, and before that… I think I’ve missed you more than I can put into words.” He braced himself as Gage slid on a condom and then back into position. He pushed into Forge’s body with a stretch and burn that left Forge speechless and made his head spin.
“Damn, you’re tight around me.” Gage continued slowly pressing forward, and Forge placed his hand on Gage’s hip to stop him. He needed a second to breathe and get used to what was happening. Soon he was aching for more, so he nodded, and Gage sank deeper.
“So big,” Forge groaned, gripping the bedding He needed something to keep him grounded, because each second his head grew lighter and he was sure he was going to fly away at any minute. Instead, Gage held him, kissing him deeply and stroking his chest and down his belly before gripping his now-reawakened cock. Forge had no idea how much more he was going to be able to take as Gage slowly rocked back and forth, dragging his cock over that electric spot inside him that sent shocks running from head to toe.
“I’ve been missing you for so long, I think it’s become part of my very being,” Gage admitted, and Forge nodded. He’d lost track of the other half of his soul and now it was back, right here with him.
“I… know… just… how… you… feel….” Words were too hard, and forming coherent thoughts became harder and harder, so he completely gave up and rode wave upon wave of Gage’s passion. Forge had no choice but to give himself over to what Gage wanted. Somehow he knew it was what he wanted as well.
“Not going to last….” Gage moaned, and Forge nodded once again, digging his fingers into the bedding to hold on for dear life.
“I don’t want you to,” Forge said, and he moved right along with Gage. “Just let go and let me watch you.” He needed to see Gage release and watch his face as passion consumed him. Forge managed to hold off his own excitement long enough for Gage to still, his mouth falling open and his eyes widening as he throbbed inside him, coming hard and heaving for breath. He pulled Gage down onto him, holding him tightly, letting him float through the release. “Damn, that was gorgeous.”
“So are you.”
Forge closed his eyes and let the adrenaline pump through him. Gage kissed him, gently this time, and he closed his eyes, listening to Gage breathe quietly. He wanted to rest and probably fall asleep, but the hair on his arms stood on end and he strained to hear.
“What is it?” Gage asked.
“There’s someone in the house….”
At that moment Gage’s cell phone dinged, and he fished it out of his pants, took a glance at it, and yanked on his jeans. “Go to the bathroom, lock the door, and stay there.” Gage opened the bedroom door and quietly slipped out.
Forge found his boxers and pulled them on, then did exactly as Gage told him. He hunkered down in the bathroom and listened for any signs of distress even as his nerves ramped up even more.
A thud vibrated through the house, and Forge stood and had his hand on the knob, ready to leave and find out what was going on. All he could imagine was Gage hurt on the floor. The waiting around was driving him crazy. He cracked the door and listened. He heard a slam and then everything grew quiet once again.
“Forge,” Gage called.
Forge left the bathroom and slowly went down the stairs. “What happened?”
“He didn’t get far,” Gage said, though he stayed by the door, not meeting Forge’s eye. “Picked the lock. The guy was sloppy, and you heard him. My alarm went off when he opened the door, and I met him just as he’d taken a few steps inside.”
“What did you do?” Forge stayed close to the stairs, ready to run if necessary.
“Kicked him in the gut, and he took off.” Gage locked the door and reset the alarm. Then he made a call to Coleridge, and Forge listened as he explained what had happened. “Yes, we’re both safe, and I have the house secured. … I see. … Well, thank you. … No, I didn’t see anything. The house was dark and I got a good kick in. I may have cracked some of his ribs before he took off, heading west. … All right….” Gage hung up and finally looked up to where Forge stood. “They’re going to be right over.”
“Crap,” Forge groaned. He’d had enough of the police and everyone else. “I wish I could find whatever it is these guys want. I’d give it to them just so they’d leave me the hell alone.” He lowered his gaze and turned to go back up the stairs. “Do you think I should put on jeans… or maybe I could slip into a tuxedo to be questioned by the police again.”
Gage shrugged. “I think anything other than just your boxers will do.” He followed him up, and they dressed quickly. “Coleridge said it’s been a busy night in our neighborhood and asked if I’d made any forays. It seems your neighbor’s house was being used as a lookout post.” Gage winked, and Forge wondered how he could be so cheerful. Gage gave a rueful smile and shrugged again. “Make the best of a bad situation.”
By the time they returned downstairs, the police had arrived. Forge let Coleridge in, gesturing to the living room, and explained what had happened. Then Gage, who had stayed on the other side of the room, answered questions, both about the break-in, and, of course, Coleridge wondered if Gage had anything to do with an anonymous tip they’d received regarding the house behind Forge’s.
“Gage didn’t make any phone calls to you as far as I know,” Forge said honestly, without breaking a smile. “Have you made any progress figuring out who shot Granger?” He figured it was time to turn the tables. He was getting tired of answering everyone else’s questions.
“We’re running down some leads right now. But it’s looking as though multiple people are involved, and we’re centering around his work. But the law firm isn’t providing any information on his clients, and unless we can get more information, we can’t go to a judge to get a search warrant for his office files.” Coleridge was clearly tired, the case taking its toll. Or it could have been that it was nearly midnight and he looked like he’d been working for the entire day and wasn’t done yet.
“We kept searching here for possible locations for those files they referred to, but haven’t found anything. And I’m guessing they haven’t either if they came back,” Forge said as the rush began to wear off and he yawned broadly. “I found the keys to the safe-deposit box.”
“Okay. I’ll be over in the morning, and we can go see if there’s anything inside.” There was a hint of passionate expectation in Coleridge’s voice. “I’ll be here at a little before nine.”
“Just meet us at the bank downtown,” Gage offered. “We’ll bring the keys and see if the account is still open, and if it is, find out what’s inside. Honestly, what we’re afraid of is, if the account is still open and Forge isn’t on the account.”
“That’s why I’m there. I can call to get a warrant to open it. Legally, since Granger is dead and you’re his beneficiary, what’s inside belongs to you, so your cooperation will mean we can get a warrant quickly.” Now Detective Coleridge sounded excited. The man certainly could go from down to up in a few seconds. “We’ll meet you at the bank at nine.”
“Perfect,” Forge said. He was willing to do anything necessary to wrap this up. Maybe then he could have his life back. Forge turned to Gage and wondered if, when this was all over, he’d stick around or if Gage would be off on another case, and if it was going to be another seventeen years before he saw him again.
“All right. Call if anything else happens, and I’ll see you in the morning.” Detective Coleridge left, and Forge leaned back in his chair, his eyes already falling closed.
“Go on up to bed,” Gage told him. “I’m going to stay down here.” He left the room, and Forge shivered in the air-conditioning. At some point he’d expected to feel alone. After all, Granger had been killed, and even though they’d been in the midst of separating, they’d still been together for over ten years. Up until that moment when Gage walked away, Forge hadn’t been alone—Gage had been there. But his leaving the room left Forge very much alone, like the physical distance between them mirrored the mental distance Forge had seen widening in Gage’s eyes when Forge first reached the bottom of the stairs.
Forge yawned and went to his room. He was exhausted and needed some sleep. But once he was in bed, Gage’s scent surrounded him and the tang of sex lingered in the room. There was no way Forge was going to be able to sleep. He rolled over and closed his eyes, trying like hell not to fall apart and failing. Everything from the last two days caught up to him, and he couldn’t hold it inside no matter how hard he tried.