“NO!” GAGE screamed from inside his car as he saw the black Mercedes pull out of the parking lot. He dialed Forge’s number even as he whipped around when they passed. He hoped he was jumping to the wrong conclusion, but when the call went to voicemail, he knew exactly what had happened. Somehow they had gotten to Forge.
Gage put in another call. “Detective Coleridge, please. It’s an emergency. I need him now. Someone is being kidnapped, and I need his help.” That seemed to bypass the chain of command, and Coleridge came on the line in seconds. “It’s Gage Livingston. Forge Reynolds has been taken. I’m following a black Mercedes down Brown Deer Road, heading toward the freeway.” He gave the license number. “It’s an Illinois plate.”
“I have it. I’m putting out an APB right now, and I’ll get squad cars. It’s best if you don’t follow.”
“They’ve already seen me and are trying to lose me, but that isn’t going to happen.” Gage took a turn at dangerous speed and floored it, not letting them out of his sight. “I’ll stay on the phone with you if you like.”
“I need to get to my car. I’m going to put you through to dispatch. They’ll stay with you. Explain to them what’s going on. Hang on.”
Gage got hold music through his car speakers as he made two more turns. These assholes were seriously reckless.
“This is dispatch,” a man said, and Gage told him what was happening.
“I’m on Green Bay Road right now, heading south. We’re going to pass Silver Spring at any second.” Gage made another turn. “We’re on Silver Spring now, heading toward the highway. God, I hope no one is in the way, because they’re traveling like a bat out of hell.”
“We have them at the freeway overpass. There are cars waiting for them there.”
Gage didn’t slow down when they turned onto a residential street before reaching the freeway. He relayed his position and was told that there were police cars up ahead. Gage certainly hoped so. He gripped the wheel as hard as he could and sped up, coming within a few feet of the back of the car. Sirens got closer, overlapping as they continued. Jesus, at this speed, if anyone was out and about, they were going to be in real trouble.
They came back onto Green Bay Road and took a turn, followed by yet another. “They’re on a dead-end street,” Gage relayed, and told them exactly where he was. Sirens converged and grew louder and louder.
The back passenger door opened, and Gage saw someone fall out and roll from the edge of the pavement onto the grass. He knew instantly it was Forge and screeched to a stop next to him, using the car to shield him from the other vehicle, which spun around with a loud squeal worthy of any action movie. Gage got down as the car sped past, expecting shots but hearing nothing except the roar of an engine as it zoomed by.
Sirens followed, and Gage gave his position as he grabbed his phone off the passenger seat and opened the door, transferring the call to the handset. “They’re heading back toward Green Bay Road. I need an ambulance. They threw Forge out of the back seat.” He reached Forge as Forge rolled over, groaning. “Don’t move. I have help on the way.” Gage kept talking. “We’re in front of the stone ranch house with gray trim.”
“We have an ambulance heading to your location, and Detective Coleridge is on his way as well. Other cars are pursuing the Mercedes.”
“Okay. I’m going to put you on speaker and try to help Forge.” He set the phone on the grass, put on the speaker, and bent over Forge. “Where does it hurt?”
“I knew it was you behind us, even though they didn’t let me see out.”
“Did you break anything?” Blood covered Forge’s forehead. Gage raced to the car, opened the trunk, and pulled out his first aid kit. Sirens converged on his location as he got some gauze and found where Forge was bleeding.
“I don’t think anything is broken. I rolled as soon as I hit the ground and tried not to stop myself.” His military training had to have kicked in, thankfully. Most people would try to stop themselves and get hurt even worse.
Police cars and an ambulance pulled to a halt as people came out of the houses, looking around. Uniformed police officers kept them back while the EMTs and Coleridge approached.
Gage stood and stepped back, not wanting to leave Forge for a second, but needing to give the EMTs a chance to work.
“What the hell happened?” Detective Coleridge asked.
“They were cornered and needed to get away. I guess they figured if they dumped Forge, I’d stop and they could get out of the pickle they were in.” Gage watched as the emergency personal transferred Forge to a backboard.
“I’m not injured that badly,” Forge protested.
“Let them make sure of that,” Gage said as gently as he could, kneeling down to take Forge’s hand. He stroked it gently and turned to Coleridge. “He hasn’t told me who took him. I was more concerned with making sure he was okay.”
“Stanley Lucci. He was in the front seat. The other men were the ones from the party at your dad’s,” Forge said as they worked on him. “They were arguing about what they were doing. Stanley thought this was a great idea, but the guy in the back with me wasn’t so happy and was sure Stanley’s father was going to have a fit. He was scared, and he was the one who dumped me out of the car.”
“You’re going to be all right, and Coleridge is going to make sure they don’t get away.” Gage turned to Coleridge, who was on the phone, smiling.
“Excellent. I want to talk to the arresting officer as soon as he’s available. We have some serious charges to level, including kidnapping. Yes, we have a credible witness, and he isn’t getting off. He may be able to pay his way out in Illinois, but he isn’t doing that here.” Coleridge hung up. “The state police have him in custody. They stopped him on the freeway, and they tried to talk their way out of the jam they’re in.”
“Where are they?”
“Being transported to county lockup. The charges will be presented downtown, and since we’re leveling kidnapping, it’s likely the state prosecutor will take them on. That’s good, because they’re less likely than some of the local folks to be in daddy Lucci’s pocket.” Coleridge seemed pleased, and Gage turned back to Forge, who was looking better now that the bleeding had stopped and he was cleaned up.
“Are you in any pain?” an EMT asked.
“My hands are sore from the scrapes, as are my knees, but other than that, I’m fine. Do I need stitches in my head?”
“I don’t believe so. The bleeding has stopped, and we’ve been able to clean you up. You’re also moving your head, legs, and feet without any issues.”
“Yes, and my back and neck don’t hurt. I was in the Army. They taught us how to roll and land, so that’s what I did.” Forge moved his arms and legs and then sat up once they removed him from the board. “I’m really fine.” He shook hands with both the EMTs. “But I want to thank you for your help.”
“You were very lucky,” the lead EMT said.
“I know.” Forge looked at Gage, and warmth spread through Gage. He knelt and leaned forward to hug Forge as hard as he dared.
“Don’t you dare do that again. I don’t think my heart stopped pounding for a second. I stayed behind them like glue because there was no way anyone was going to take you away from me again.” Gage clamped his eyes closed as relief and love raced through him. Tears ran down his cheeks, and he was man enough to let them fall. Forge held his heart, and Gage had felt fear like he’d never experienced before, not even when he wasn’t able to move his arms and legs.
“I didn’t mean to,” Forge said, holding him in return.
“How did they get you?”
“Harvey called and said the house was on fire,” Forge said, and Gage shook his head. “He said that you were on your way over to get me.”
“Harv would never have called you, and he certainly never would have said his name was Harvey. He hasn’t gone by that in years.” Gage breathed deeply, relieved at how narrowly they’d avoided disaster. “And the house is fine, or at least it was when I left it and Harv. I hurried back with what I went after and happened to see them pulling away, and I knew something was wrong.”
Forge held him tighter. “I knew I’d been set up as soon as they turned the corner.”
“At least you’re okay.” Gage released Forge and helped him stand.
Forge gasped and breathed deeply.
“Are you dizzy?” one EMT asked.
“No. I’m fine. Just relieved that I’m in one piece. I really thought I was gone. I’d seen the men who took me before, and I didn’t think they were going to let me go alive.” He turned to Coleridge. “They know I’ve seen them.”
Coleridge nodded and stepped closer. “When they pulled the car over, one of the men, the one in the back seat… he wasn’t doing so well. They think he was pistol-whipped, most likely by Stanley, and it’s likely that was for getting rid of you.”
Forge nodded. “He didn’t want to be part of it, and I think he panicked and pushed me out, hoping they could all get away, especially if Gage stayed behind to help me. It’s the only thing that makes sense.” He shook violently once from head to toe. “Can I go home now? Or do you need pictures of what happened to me for evidence?”
Detective Coleridge had one of the officers take photographs, and he got a statement from each of them before backing away.
“Detective,” Gage said. “Stop by the house tomorrow, and we’ll be able to answer any additional questions you have.” He had every intention of taking Forge back to his office so he could rest. He guided Forge to his car and helped him get inside.
“They knew where I was,” Forge said. “They faked a call from Harv to get me to come outside.”
“I know. It seems they were watching us a lot more closely than I realized. But you’re safe now, thank God.” Gage felt like an idiot. He should have taken Forge with him. At least then he could have kept him close. “I should have been—”
“Stop that,” Forge told him sharply. “I should have called you to verify where you were instead of getting upset and racing outside. They couldn’t have gotten in, so they had to lure me out, and they did it very easily.” He turned to watch out the side window. “In fact, I fell for it like a sucker. I should have stayed put. If there was something wrong, you would have called me, not had someone else do it. That I should have known. You didn’t put me in danger—I did that myself.”
“Hey. Stop it.” Gage pulled to the side of the road. “You’re safe, and beating ourselves or each other up for what could have happened isn’t going to get us anywhere.” Personally, Gage felt like a complete fool. He should have known how closely they were being observed. “I wonder how they found out about Harv?”
“All they had to do was listen to us talking at the house somehow. Harv did scare the shit out of those guys who were hanging around. I bet they figured out he was there and used that information when they needed to.” Forge continued watching out the windows, then lowered his mirror. “I don’t see anyone behind us.”
Gage stifled a groan. He sure as hell hoped this was over, at least for the moment. Stanley’s family had worse problems now than them. Stanley wasn’t going to tell anyone anything, Gage was sure of that, and though his lawyers might not be able to get him off, he wasn’t going to sell out the family business. Gage shook his head, trying to think of what their next move should be.
“I want to go back to my house. I need to sleep in my own bed. Besides, they know about your office, and while it’s safer there, it isn’t doing us any real good.” Forge drummed his fingers on the armrest. “I’m just so tired of running and being scared. It really sucks.”
“I know it does.” Gage continued on the same course and headed for the office anyway. “We’ll spend the night at the office because it’s safer and has more surveillance, and go to the house in the morning to meet Coleridge,” he said, hoping he was making the right decision. “The puzzle box with the drive in it is under your seat. I think I remembered the right one.”
“It should be the only one with something inside that would rattle.”
“Then I got the right one.” Gage smiled, and they finished the drive in silence. Once they pulled into the office garage, they got out and went upstairs together, Gage holding Forge’s hand. He checked that all the security was working, which it was, and then they went in to the living area and placed everything they had on the table.
Forge opened the box and handed Gage the drive they’d found in the safe. Gage inserted it into his computer and located the empty file. He opened it and highlighted the file to make any text appear. There was nothing.
“Dammit. I was so hopeful.”
Forge stared at the blank screen too. “So was I. There wasn’t anything in the safe. We’ve gone over it more than once. We even checked all the coin cases to make sure there wasn’t anything inside and turned everything else upside down.” He sat back and closed his eyes. “I’m so tired of all this.”
“I know you are. But you’re the only one who knew Granger well enough to figure this out. He loved puzzles, so how would he hide that password? He said it was there, and we have to assume, at least until we have nothing else to go on, that it’s still there and he didn’t remove it. Granger knew he was in danger or he wouldn’t have left the note in the jade box.” An idea popped into Gage’s head. “Do you know which cloud storage service Granger used?”
“I think it was the Microsoft one,” Forge said with a heavy sigh.
Gage had intended to bring up the interface, but what good was it going to do? “Let me make you something to eat and you can lie down for a while.” It was going on dinnertime, and they had had so much excitement. Gage was starving, and Forge had to be hungry as well.
“Okay,” Forge said, with no energy at all.
Gage put aside what he was thinking and scooted closer to Forge. The mystery would still be there in a few hours. Forge needed some comfort now, and that was so much more important. He gathered Forge to him, and they sat quietly with Gage holding him tightly. Forge trembled in his arms more than once.
“I honestly thought they were going to kill me. I saw who they were, and there was no going back from that. I can testify as to what they did.”
Gage knew just how lucky they were that the man in the back seat got scared and pushed Forge out of the car. Forge was lucky to be alive, and Gage quietly beat himself up for putting Forge in danger. He thought he’d done the right thing, that Forge would be safer here than with him. Plans should have been made to… he should have been better prepared. Instead, he’d made a mistake that had resulted in… he’d nearly lost Forge. Gage buried his face in Forge’s hair as his thoughts came in ragged spurts and fragments. Maybe he was too close to this job. Lord knows he was too close to Forge. Maybe it was impairing his judgment.
“It’s all right,” Forge said softly. “You can stop muttering under your breath. I know what you’re doing, and you need to stop.”
“But I almost lost you.” The fear he’d felt in the car reared up again, this time more severely, threatening to overwhelm him. Gage quivered and closed his eyes to try to regain his composure. “I lost you for seventeen years, and then I almost had you for less than a week because I wasn’t good enough to protect you.”
“I was the one who fell for their trick, not you. If anything I put myself in danger because I didn’t listen to you. I was safe here. Even with them out here, they couldn’t get inside to me, and you were on your way back already. I’d have been fine if I’d have stayed where I was. Instead, I let someone I didn’t know scare me.”
“You thought it was Harv.”
“But it wasn’t, and if I’d have been thinking clearly, I’d have known it wasn’t him and would have been just fine. So stop beating yourself up.” Forge held him closer, and slowly some of the tension and recrimination racing through his mind settled down. “None of us is superhuman.”
“No, we aren’t.” Gage sighed and wished to hell he had been superhuman. Then Forge wouldn’t have been kidnapped and they would have a clearer picture of what exactly was going on. He nodded and slowly stood to go make them something to eat.
Forge sat back and reached for his phone. “I need to talk to Granger’s parents.” He dialed the number, and Gage left the room to allow Forge to talk in peace.
In the kitchenette, he found Margie had made sure the refrigerator was stocked, and got out the things to make BLTs. Whenever he was stressed and needed comfort food, that was what he wanted. He used the microwave to cook the bacon, cut up a tomato, broke the lettuce leaves, and started making toast. Gage listened but didn’t hear any shouting or arguing, so he hoped things were going as well as could be expected with Granger’s parents.
“I don’t think so,” Forge said rather loudly, and Gage realized he’d jumped the gun. “I’m sorry about all that’s happened, but Granger’s will is still in effect and that’s all there is to it.”
Gage peered around the corner to where Forge stood in front of the sofa.
“He did what?” Forge glanced his way and then began pacing. “No. That isn’t going to happen, and I’m sorry to have to say this, but unless you have a newer will….”
Gage set the knife aside and took the finished bread out of the toaster, then put in some more before standing next to Forge.
“I see. So you were only assuming. But it seems Granger didn’t update his will, so everything will come to me, including his partnership in the law firm, which I have already spoken to Francis about. He’s well aware of my position.”
Gage put his hand on Forge’s shoulder just to let him know he was there to back him up.
“I understand what that meant to Granger. Francis is trying to get me to settle quickly, typical lawyer, so he can get the share in the partnership cheaply. But that isn’t what’s going to happen. We’ll see it through the end of the fiscal year and then go from there….” Forge began pacing again. “No. I intend to split the proceeds of the sale of Granger’s partnership with you. It was his life’s work and I won’t cut you out of that. But I’ll do what I think is best, and you’re going to have to leave it at that for now. I don’t want to make any quick decisions at this point.” Forge relaxed, and Gage assumed the tone of the conversation had eased. “Yes… I’ve instructed them to release the body directly to you. Tell me what arrangements you’ve made and I’ll come down.” Sweat broke out on Forge’s forehead. He listened for a few more minutes and then said a very quiet goodbye, ending the call with tears running down his cheeks.
“I take it the call didn’t go well.”
Forge shook his head. “Francis called them about Granger’s partnership. He seemed to think that since we were in the process of separating, Granger probably had a more up-to-date will, which he couldn’t find and they don’t have, or that they should put pressure on me to sell him Granger’s portion of the partnership. He didn’t say it outright, but they got the impression that Francis would make it worth their while to get me to sell right away.” Forge turned and fell into Gage’s embrace. “They used to be like my parents, and now I don’t know…. The last few months have been hard for them too. Believe it or not, I know they did their best to try not to take sides, and they gave Granger hell for his affair.” Forge held him tighter.
“You know, they’re Granger’s parents, and when push comes to shove, blood is thicker than water.”
“I know. It just seems like I’ve lost so much in a short period of time. A year ago my life was so good. Granger and I had a relatively happy life, his family was my family… we… damn….”
Gage held him and said nothing, letting Forge work through whatever he felt he needed to.
“It was all just a fucking illusion. I try to think back to happier times, and all I see now is the lead-up to the two of us falling apart and Granger’s affair. What I thought was solid was really just sand, with our lives built on it.”
“No, it wasn’t. Things change—people change. Would the Granger you fell in love with allow people like Stanley Lucci and his family into your lives? I somehow doubt it. Granger changed, and as the years passed, you did too. What you both wanted grew along different paths. It happens.”
“But what if that happens to us?” Forge asked. “Or am I jumping ahead?”
“It won’t happen to us. It can’t.” Gage took Forge’s hand and placed it on his chest. “I feel you right here, and I always have. I carried the young man who sat next to my hospital bed in my heart for years, and now he’s grown up… into you. That space inside… it’s all yours and it always has been. So as we get older and slow down, you’ll still be there. Maybe the passion will cool between us, but the heat will still burn. I expect things to change—maybe Granger expected you to stay the same. I don’t know. But you can’t beat yourself up over it.”
Forge lifted his head to meet Gage’s gaze. “It isn’t that. It’s like the life I thought I built was an illusion. How can I trust my judgment after that?”
“You want head answers to heart questions,” Gage said softly. “And you’ll never get anywhere like that. Stop trying to think your way through everything and let yourself feel it. Your heart will tell you what it wants. Mine has been speaking loud and clear for days, and it’s never wrong. I bet yours isn’t either.” Gage raised his eyebrows and continued holding Forge until their stomachs rumbled in near unison.
“Okay. I guess that’s enough wallowing in self-pity for today,” Forge pronounced. Gage rolled his eyes. “Okay, it’s enough for the year.”
“Now that’s the Forge I remember. Never let anything get you down for long.” Gage patted Forge’s leg and stood to return to the kitchen to finish dinner.
GAGE BROUGHT in a tray with two plates and a pile of sandwiches—he’d cooked the entire pound of bacon—glasses of iced tea, and tons of napkins, setting it on the coffee table.
“Are you feeding an army?” Forge teased as Gage set out plates and passed out the initial sandwiches, which didn’t last very long. They were obviously hungry and devoured two each before slowing down. “Okay, I take that back. You were feeding an army of two.” Forge drank some tea and set his glass down.
“Are you done?”
“Just resting,” Forge told him, then reached for a third BLT once Gage did. “You know, this is going to blow my diet for weeks.” Forge ate the sandwich with just as much gusto, although more slowly this time. “God, those are good. It’s been a long time since I had one. Granger—” Forge stopped midsentence. “They weren’t his thing.”
“He didn’t like BLT sandwiches? Why on earth did you ever date him? These are like the comfort food of the gods. There’s mayo and tomato, crispy lettuce, and bacon—lots of bacon—and I subscribe to the ‘everything feels better after bacon’ philosophy of life.” Gage waved his arms dramatically, and Forge leaned back in his seat, laughing deeply. “There must have been something wrong with him. It’s bacon.” Gage waved his hands to make his point, sending Forge into another fit of laughter.
“What about vegetarians?” Forge teased.
“I understand they have tofu bacon. I don’t know how it tastes. But let’s see. There’s turkey bacon and veggie bacon… why? Because everyone loves bacon. It’s one of the basic food groups: milk, meat, fruit and veg, grains, and bacon, lots and lots of bacon.” Gage couldn’t hold it in any longer, laughing right along with Forge. He liked that he could be ridiculously silly with Forge.
As the laughter wore down, Gage lay back, his head against the sofa cushions, staring up at the ceiling. “Jesus Christ!” He groaned and sat up straight, a light coming on. “Why in the hell didn’t I think of it before?”
“What?” Forge asked.
“The password. It was in front of our faces all along. We were looking inside the file, but what if it was simpler than that? What if the password was the name of the file?” He jumped to his feet and raced to his bag for his computer. Gage pulled it out and hurried back to the table. He opened the laptop and signed in. “Okay. Let’s try OneDrive and see if this works.” Gage brought up the sign-in page, and Forge told him the email address to use. Then he grabbed the jump drive and entered the name of the file, Granger&Forge, just the way Granger had saved it. He pressed enter and got a message that the account or password was incorrect or invalid. Gage tried again to no avail. “Maybe it’s iCloud.”
Forge shook his head. “Granger didn’t use Apple products. Not even an iPhone. He didn’t like them.” He help up his iPhone with a grin. “I thought he was crazy, but that was his opinion.”
“Then we could try Dropbox.” Gage brought up the application login and entered the email address and password. There weren’t many cloud options left. Gage crossed his fingers and pressed enter. The screen went white and then the computer indicated it was working. Then the Dropbox main screen came up with all the stored file systems listed, right there in front of him. “We’re in.”
“Holy cow,” Forge said.
“Yes. Holy cow is right.” There were a lot of files and directories. “It’s going to take a while to go through all of this.”
“What are you going to do?” Forge asked as the application asked if he wanted to install the agent on his computer. Gage clicked yes, and after a fast install, he began downloading the files. There were thousands of them. “Are these his client files? I don’t want to compromise anything.”
“No. These are all about the Lucci family. Look at how they’re organized. He must have gathered information on them for a long time.” Gage whistled. “God, if he were alive, they’d probably disbar him for breach of fiduciary duty, or as an agent of the court knowing about criminal activity and not reporting it. Where in the hell did he get all this?” Gage was just looking at the file names and organization, and the amount boggled the mind. He sat back as meg after meg of information came down to the computer, as file system after file system populated.
“Holy shit,” Forge said, pointing to a set of files. “Open those.”
Gage complied, and Forge lifted the computer onto his lap. “Don’t move or delete anything,” Gage warned.
“I won’t,” Forge said breathlessly as he opened and looked through document after document. “Son of a bitch! The Luccis weren’t Granger’s clients—they were Francis’s! He brought them into the firm.” Forge turned the screen so Gage could see it better, and sure enough, there were copies of client engagement files, signed by Stanley Lucci and Francis Peterborough. “That bastard.”
Gage let Forge look through the files, Forge getting redder and angrier by the second. “That bastard,” Forge repeated… again and again.
“What?”
“That bastard!” Forge nearly yelled. “I thought Granger had gotten mixed up with these people, but it was Francis. Granger was collecting data on them to try to protect himself. All these documents have Francis as the author.” Forge shook with rage. “This was all that asshole’s fault. Shit.”
“Okay.” Gage took the computer back. “Let’s not jump to any conclusions.”
“To hell with that! I’m going to jump to a bunch of conclusions here. Francis took on the Lucci family as clients, and Granger got wind of what they were doing. He gathered the information and saved it off. My guess is he wouldn’t go to the police because of his jurist ethics and beliefs, but he saved the information in case something happened to him.”
Gage sighed. “That’s one way of looking at it. But we don’t know yet. There’s a lot to go through.”
Forge nodded. “Then we’d better get started. Because I’m going to spit-roast Francis when I get my hands on him, and so not in the good way.” He stood, pacing, muttering under his breath, and occasionally throwing an air punch while Gage continued going through the information.
“We have to call Coleridge,” Gage said. “There’s too much here for us to keep this to ourselves. He needs to have this to turn over to federal authorities. It will bring down the entire family organization.”
“But what about Francis? Do you think he had Granger killed?” Forge asked. “I thought it was the Luccis because he knew too much, but I bet Francis had it done because he realized Granger might be gathering information. Which was stupid.”
Forge was on a tear, and Gage figured it was best to let him run himself out. He continued going through the files and had to admit, it didn’t look particularly good for Francis or the Luccis. Granger had a ton on all of them, and it was a sure bet that once all this got out, there would be investigations—and God knew what would come of it all.
“Look at this.” Gage turned the computer.
Forge stopped pacing and came over. “What am I looking at?”
“A confidential memo from Granger to Francis.” Gage gave Forge time to read it. “Looks like Granger wasn’t happy about the clients Francis was bringing in and was worried it would damage the firm.”
“Damage it? This is going to kill it. There will be no firm once this comes out.” Forge sat back as though he’d been beaten. “All of Granger’s hard work will evaporate like fog in the sun. He was trying to save the firm and pressure Francis to drop them as clients so they could move forward.”
“You don’t drop people like the Luccis. Once they’re in the door, they don’t leave the party willingly.” This was really bad. Gage grabbed his phone and sent a text to his father. He received an immediate answer that his father and his mother were having a fine time. Then, with a sigh, he phoned Coleridge. This couldn’t wait until morning. Gage had to go through a number of people to get to Coleridge, but he was persistent.
“I’m sorry to bother you this late, but Forge and I figured out how to access Granger’s files.”
“How?” Coleridge asked with avid interest. Gage gave him the passcode they’d used. “Okay. Hold on.” Coleridge put down the phone, and Gage heard him on a different call to someone else. Then he came back. “That seemed to be the phrase to decrypt the files on the laptop as well.”
“Then you have access to what we have,” Gage said with relief.
“It appears so. I’m on my way in to see what we have. I’ll meet you and Forge at the house tomorrow as planned so we can discuss next steps.”
“Very good. We’ll see you then.” Gage hung up and felt somewhat better. The police had the files and the information that Granger had collected. There was nothing else they could do now.
“What did he say?” Forge asked with a jittery tone in his voice.
“That he’ll see us in the morning. They decrypted the laptop, and he’s on his way in to examine the files.” Gage returned to his computer and verified that all the files had been downloaded. Then he paused the synching and separated from the application to make his copies of the files independent.
“What are you doing?”
“Just an insurance policy. I don’t know how far the reach of the Lucci family extends, but once they find out this information exists and the police have it, they are going to try their best to make it disappear. But this copy is separate now. They could delete the master files and these will still remain.”
“You don’t trust Coleridge?”
“I do. He’s a good man. But I don’t trust everyone in the department. It only takes one person with access to wipe out everything.” Gage felt better now that he had secure copies, but he went further and transferred the files to an encrypted jump drive, making sure Forge knew the passcode. “There isn’t anything more we can do tonight. The police have the information, and now we have to give them a chance to do their jobs.”
Forge nodded, sitting back once again. “This is never going to end. They’ll arrest people, and then there will be trials and God knows what. I’m never going to be safe and be able to go back to….” Forge leaned forward, his head in his hands. “I wasn’t expecting my life to be the way it’s been. Granger is always going to be dead and… well… I found you again.” Forge blindly reached out, and Gage took his hand. “My life was going to be different, but I’d hoped that it would settle down to where we could have a quiet life. Well, reasonably quiet anyway.”
“Is that what you really want?” Gage tugged Forge to his feet and into his embrace. “Do you want to go back to the same quiet life you had with Granger? Because life with me won’t be like that. You’ve seen the hours I work and what I do. I don’t go into an office, unless it’s this one, and I usually don’t spend a lot of time here.” Gage lifted Forge’s chin slightly. “I want you in my life. I want to go to sleep next to you, and wake up in the morning and make love to you, for the rest of my life. If you asked me to, I’d shut down the agency and try to find a different job.” Gage held his breath, waiting for Forge’s answer. This would tell a lot about whether they could have a practical life together.
“No,” Forge whispered. “I don’t want you to do that.”
“Then you have to know that if we’re together, then things will change, for both of us. My clients hire me to protect them from people who want to hurt them, and by extension they’ll want to get to me. The easiest way to do that is going to be through you.” A chill raced up Gage’s spine. “I don’t want that to happen.”
Forge rolled his eyes in that patented way he had whenever Gage said something he thought was stupid. “I can take care of myself. I’m not helpless and I’m not scared. I’m not going to live my life alone because I’m afraid of what might happen.” He put his forehead against Gage’s. “God, I want you in my life, and I’ll do anything to have you. If that means I have to be on guard and vigilant, then I will.” Forge blinked rapidly. “I can’t be without you. I was sitting in the back seat of that damn car today, wondering if I was going to live, and all I could think was that I wasn’t going to see you again, hold you, be able to roll over at night and curl up to you when things got cold or hard or frightening. And I was scared to death.” He shook, and Gage closed his eyes, unable to bear the fear he saw welling in Forge’s—fear that shouldn’t be there if he’d have been doing his job.
“Forge, I—”
“Stop feeling guilty. There will be plenty of time for me to be scared, and I’m sure I’ll relive what happened in my dreams.” Forge pulled him closer, and damned if Gage didn’t get hard in an instant when Forge’s gaze bored deeply into his. “I want to forget. I want you to make me feel alive and wanted… I want….”
Gage didn’t need to be told twice. He kissed Forge hard, holding him as tightly as he could. “I thought I was going to lose you forever.” He backed Forge away from the table and toward the bedroom. They fumbled together, both wanting the same thing and neither willing to let go long enough to make it to the other room. Gage bumped into the doorframe, but he didn’t care for an instant. All that mattered was Forge’s lips on his and the way Forge’s hands, those amazing hands, worked their way under his shirt.
They reached the bed, falling onto it. Gage ended up under Forge’s weight, and he loved it, holding him, continuing to kiss while trying his best to get rid of the clothes between them.
“Dammit,” Forge gasped, and Gage sat up. His shirt wasn’t going to survive if he didn’t help. Forge’s frustration was palpable, his hands shaking.
Gage rolled Forge onto his back and stood at the foot of the bed, shedding his clothes and divesting Forge of his. “You take my breath away.” Forge lay naked and exposed to Gage’s heated gaze. He swallowed and licked his lips to keep from drooling at the sight.
“I’m old….”
“You’re beautiful and you always will be.” Gage leaned over Forge to prowl up the bed until their lips were inches apart. “You will always be the man who sat next to me in the hospital all those days, and the one who came to me before we were separated and gave me the night of passion I’ve never been able to forget.” Gage circled one of Forge’s nipples with his thumb, loving the quiver that went through Forge with the simplest touch—his touch. A shiver went through him at the way Forge responded to him.
“I remember that night too.” Forge drew him closer. “I know you weren’t very strong at that point, but you were all the man I could ever want then, and you still are now.” He pulled Gage into a kiss and down on top of him, wrapping his legs around Gage’s waist. “I want you to repeat what you did that night. Make me feel that same way.”
Gage pulled Forge as tight to him as possible, cradling his back and head in his arms. “You were a dream come true when I saw you again.” He knew he sounded corny, but it was how he felt. Seventeen years of hoping and dreaming, living in the past, were over. He had the man he’d always wanted.
“Then make me yours.” Forge arched his back as Gage ran his hands down the silky smoothness of Forge’s sides and over his hips to his hard butt. He continued deeper, teasing Forge’s skin, running his fingers down the cleft as Forge shook under him.
“I waited for you for years, so I know you’re wound up, but I want to take my time.” Gage captured Forge’s lips. “I’m going to drive you crazy.” He skimmed his fingers over the tender flesh of Forge’s opening. “I’m going to drive you wild until your eyes roll back in your head, and once you can’t stand it anymore and you think you’re going to fly apart, then and only then am I going to slide inside you and take you all the way to heaven. I love you, Forge Reynolds, I have for years, but I love you even more now, because you’re right here. The memory of you was precious. The reality of you, with me right now, is completely divine, and I will do anything to make you happy.”
And Gage did just that, eliciting a chorus of groans, whines, and whimpers that filled the room and grew louder and more urgent as he used his tongue and mouth on continually more sensitive areas. Forge shook like a leaf, making the entire bed vibrate, and damned if that wasn’t as hot as the pleading for Gage to either stop or give him just a little more.
“Keeping me on the edge is mean….”
“No. It’s beautiful.” And it was. Forge’s eyes were dark blue, edging toward black. “Your skin flushed, eyes wide and dark, your mouth hanging open. And your hands—you don’t know what to do with your hands.” Damn, the man had amazing hands, and he’d been using them, desperately, to try to pull away Gage’s control. It hadn’t worked up until now. Gage’s own control was near the breaking point. He spread Forge’s saliva-slicked thighs, exposing him, wet skin glistening in the light spilling in from the other room. Forge damn near sparkled with sweat, and his rich musky aroma hung in the air like the world’s most amazingly intoxicating perfume. Gage hurriedly slicked himself and slid into Forge, slowly, steadily, to high-pitched calls for more.
When he reached bottom, Forge thumped him on the chest. “Don’t you dare fucking stop.”
“I wasn’t….”
Forge did it again. “I’m just saying, you stop now and so help me I’ll….” A groan, long, low, and toe-curling, sang through the room as Gage pulled out, then slammed back into Forge. “Yes… fuck me like you’ve been denied for seventeen years.”
Something snapped in Gage’s brain and he let go, giving in to passion, love, and everything else that made life worth living. Forge was his to love, to possess, and to make happy, just like he was Forge’s. Sweat beaded off Gage, running down his chest and his forehead into his eyes. “I’ll love on you forever.”
“Just don’t stop,” Forge gritted between breaths, stroking himself and tensing more and more with each movement. Gage couldn’t hold back for much longer but was determined to see Forge tumble before he allowed himself to come. Seconds later Forge arched his back, crying out loudly and deeply, coming as Gage lost his last bit of control, spilling deep inside Forge.
He didn’t dare move. Gage slowly came back to awareness and hoped to hell he hadn’t hurt Forge when he’d lost it. However, judging by the smile on his face, Forge was just as happy as Gage, and he tugged Gage down into a sweet kiss that soothed away his worries. “I know you’ll never hurt me.”
“But I was too rough—”
“Nope, you were perfect.” Forge gathered him into his arms, and Gage lay still, cradled in an embrace of love he’d never expected to find again, but would fight with everything he had to protect.