They lay in bed afterwards, just looking into each other’s eyes, touching skin softly. He couldn’t get enough of Conner’s silky skin. He didn’t think he was ready for sex with Conner doing the driving just yet; part of him was still a little scared of that.
“Don’t worry, Wayne,” Conner mumbled, half asleep. “When you’re ready is when it will happen. I’m here, forever.”
Wayne smiled.
~~
The next three days flew by in a blur and before he knew it, Conner was getting ready to board the plane for Ireland. Paul had called and they would be meeting in Greystones after all. It had been years since he’d been there and Paul said their old friend, Angus, still ran the town pub for him.
Wayne still had business to attend to but would be joining Conner later. They stood together at the terminal and Wayne held Conner close to him. It already felt wrong for them to be apart, but even more upsetting to Wayne was that he swore he caught the scent of something off in the terminal. He couldn’t place it - maybe it was nerves? He didn’t want Conner to leave.
“I’ll miss you, too,” Conner whispered. “I’ll be right behind you, no more than a day or two, all right?” Wayne kissed Conner softly.
“I know. I’ll call when I land, okay?” “Okay.” Wayne held Conner’s hand until he couldn’t anymore. His eyes followed him out to the plane and Conner turned right before he got on and waved shyly before stepping in.
Conner put his briefcase down and stowed his luggage. He turned to see Mitch coming out of the galley.
“Mitch?”
Mitch smiled. “Hey. Sloan said you’d need me at the meeting.”
Conner opened his mouth, only to hear the captain come over the speaker telling them to strap in. He sat down across from Mitch and tried to smile. The plane moved slowly towards the runway and Conner looked out the window. Wayne was still there, waving at the plane. He couldn’t be sure if Wayne could see him, but he waved back anyway.
“So, boss. What’s the plan?”
Conner started at Sloan’s voice. “What are you doing here?”
Sloan grinned. “Seriously? Ireland? You think I’d miss this?”
Conner exhaled, relaxing into the seat. “I’m going to sleep now.”
When he opened his eyes, the plane was in descent into Dublin. Conner stretched in the seat and smiled at Mitch, who was still sleeping. Sloan was busy looking out the window, tapping her fingers on the armrest.
“Sleep at all?” Conner asked.
She turned to look at him. “No, too many thoughts going on.”
Conner felt the air chill. Something in Sloan’s eyes was making him uncomfortable. Before he could ask any questions, the captain’s voice filled the small cabin letting them know they would be landing any minute. Conner stretched, cracking his neck from side to side.
“Well, we should wake Mitch,” Conner said.
“Let him rest, he’s had a rough few days,” Sloan said.
“What happened?”
“He went out on Friday night, trying to forget about you. Seems he got roughed up a bit.”
“What?” Conner’s eyes widened.
“He hit on the wrong guy.” Sloan looked over at Mitch.
“Is he…okay? He doesn’t look hurt.”
“Bruised ribs.” Sloan shrugged her shoulders. “He called me, I picked him up. He was drunk. I’m sure he feels it more now than he did then.”
“Jesus,” Conner whispered. “Poor guy.”
“Well if you had pulled your head out of your ass and dated him, this wouldn’t have happened,” Sloan arched a brow at him.
Conner scowled. “I’ve already told him I have feelings for someone else. It’s not that I don’t find him attractive; I just don’t feel that way about him. Not to mention that it’s certainly none of your business,” Conner added firmly.
“Would you two please shut up?” Mitch moaned. “I’ve already got a headache.”
The plane jolted as they hit the runway, then came to a smooth stop. Conner stood up, grabbing his bag and briefcase. The cold of Ireland hit them as they left the plane heading for the front of the airport. A limo awaited them in front and Conner slid inside, the warmth seeping into his body instantly.
Pulling away from the airport, Conner relaxed into the seat and watched the scenery fly by. It seemed like ages since he’d been back. It wasn’t home anymore; Alaska was. He wondered if his parents still lived in the same house. Did they care about him anymore at all? God knows he hadn’t spoken to them in years.
“So where are we going again?” Mitch asked.
“Greystones, my friend Paul owns a pub out there,” Conner said.
“Is he single?” Sloan waggled her eyebrows.
“Nope, married and gay,” Conner chuckled at Sloan’s exasperated sigh. “He’ll put us up there in the cottages. You’ll love it, right next to the ocean.”
The rest of the ride was quiet; it seemed that they were all in their own thoughts. Conner was thinking about Wayne, he missed him already.
“I miss you too,” Wayne said.
Conner smiled to himself. “Stop listening in.”
“Can’t help it. I’ll see you soon.”
~~ Greystones pub was nestled in between older buildings and stood out with its neon blue light in the window. Conner smiled. Paul always did have flair. The limo made its way down the narrow road and pulled up in front of a group of cottages. Conner stepped out, smelled the sea air and took a deep breath. He’d missed Ireland. Angus stood with a smile on his face.
“Well lookie here! Conner O’Rourke!” Angus exclaimed.
“Hey Angus,” Conner stepped forward,
extending his hand. “How are you?”
“I’m still here,” Angus grinned. “I’ve got
your cottage ready, but it seems I’ll be needin’ to
get two more, eh?” Angus fished in his pocket for
keys. “The extra cottages should be made up, but
if you need anything we’ll get it for you. Come
on down to the pub later, we’ll have a drink, eh?” “You bet,” Conner winked. “These are
my associates, Mitch Devan and Sloan Gabarou.” “Nice to meet you all,” Angus said, shaking both their hands. “Paul should be down by
supper, I’ll make sure I put out the lamb stew for
ya.”
Conner’s stomach growled. “That sounds
good.”
“Yup, see ya in a few,” Angus called out
as he left.
Conner handed the other sets of keys to
Sloan and Mitch. “We can meet right here in
about an hour?”
Mitch nodded. “Okay.”
Conner walked to the cottage closest to
him and unlocked it. Once inside, the smell of
vanilla wafted through the cottage. Conner put
his bag down in the small living area and looked
around. A small kitchenette sat off to the side
along with a table. The back bedroom had a
queen-sized bed with a heavy walnut headboard.
Conner grabbed some clothes and headed for the
shower. The soothing warm water flowed down
his back and Conner tipped his face up, letting it
warm him. His body was sore. Even though
werewolves healed quickly, he swore he could
still feel Wayne. Conner smiled at the thought. He dressed quickly, checking the time. He
still had a good fifteen minutes until he had to
meet Sloan and Mitch. Conner grabbed his cell phone and popped it into his jeans back pocket. He sat down on the end of the bed and closed his
eyes.
“Wayne?”
“I’m here. How was the flight?” “I don’t know. I slept through it. Where
are you?”
“On my way, I should be there by early
morning. I’m stopping in at the Kerry enclosure
>
first.”
“Okay, I’m meeting Paul for dinner with
Mitch and Sloan.”
“Mitch and Sloan?”
“Yes,” Conner sighed. “Somehow Sloan
made her way onto the plane and Mitch was
there as well. Don’t worry, Wayne. I know who I
belong to.”
“Oh, I’m not worried,” Wayne snickered. “I miss you.”
“I miss you, too. I’ll be there as soon as I
can.”
“Okay, bye.” “Bye.”
The pub hadn’t changed much; Paul liked to keep things the way they were for nostalgic reasons. His mother had run the pub for many years before she passed away and Paul wanted things to stay the same. It was warm with a comfortable atmosphere. Booths lined both sides, with single tables down the middle. Conner slid into a booth and relaxed on the soft cushioned bench. He really didn’t need a menu, he knew what he wanted. Mitch sat across from him, nose buried in the menu. Sloan sat beside Mitch tapping her nails on the wooden table.
“Are you not hungry?” Conner asked her. Sloan shrugged her shoulders. “I need a drink.”
Conner placed their orders and headed for the restroom. He hadn’t been standing at the urinal for five seconds when Mitch stood next to him, relieving himself. Conner looked towards the ceiling.
“So, you brought the spreadsheets, right?” Conner zipped his pants up and headed over to the sink.
“Yep.” Mitch finished up and walked to the sinks. “Look, you don’t need to be uncomfortable around me, okay? I got what you said the other day. I saw the way you looked at the boss.”
“What?” Conner stammered.
Mitch smiled. “Oh come on, the way you two look at each other? It’s so obvious, Conner, even Sloan said so.”
Conner moaned. That’s all he needed, Sloan spreading gossip.
“Could you keep it quiet, please? Wayne and I aren’t ready to be public.”
“Yeah, sure.” Mitch tilted his head in thought. “I get it now, no wonder you said no to me. I mean come on,” Mitch laughed. “I can’t compete with that guy.”
Conner turned to smile at Mitch. “Don’t sell yourself short, if I wasn’t with Wayne I would be with you.”
“Yeah?” Mitch grinned.
“Yeah. Now come on,” Conner smiled, pulling Mitch out of the bathroom.
They’d been sitting for a good half hour, eating and laughing when Paul walked in Greystones. Most of the pub yelled cheers and whistled at the hometown boy coming home. Conner stood up and put his hands on his hips.
“Well shite, Paul.”
Paul grinned, walking briskly to Conner. “Conner!” Conner felt Paul’s massive arms close around him and hugged back. “Hey you! You haven’t aged a day!”
Paul pulled away and ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah? No grey hairs?”
Conner stepped back and studied Paul. “Nope.”
“Thank God,” Paul exhaled with a smile. “So, who are these two?”
“Ah, Paul Greystone, Mitch Devan and Sloan Gabarou. Mitch will give you the paperwork so you can look it over. You look good.” Conner sat back down, patting the bench seat. “Sit on down.”
“Angus!” Paul sing-songed. “Guinness, please!”
“Coming right up!” Angus replied.
“I’ll be in town a couple days, we should hang out. I’ve missed you.” Paul put his arm around Conner.
“Missed you, too.” Conner leaned against Paul. It was comfortable; they’d been friends a long time and he missed it. Paul was the only tie to Ireland he had left. “How’s the husband and kids?”
“Great! Colin’s in his sophomore year at U-dub and Conner’s Phoebe’s doing well; Youngblood.”
Conner’s mouth dropped open. “As in the Youngbloods?”
in his freshman year. she’s married to Luke
Paul laughed loud. “Yep, one in the same. Long story, remind me to tell you all about how that came about.”
Mitch furrowed his brows. “Who are the Youngbloods?”
“Let’s just say they have some shady ties,” Paul winked. “But they are good people.”
“So, Luke is a direct line to the Santornos or Youngbloods?” Conner asked.
“Santorno, Stefan’s grandson,” Paul said. “Trust me, I know these people like the back of my hand, they are a protective group.”
Conner sat back in thought. “So wait, you know Vince Markov then?”
Paul laughed and turned to look at Conner. “Yeah, I do. Met him a few times. Why?”
“He’s married to a friend of mine,” Conner grinned.
“No shit? Keegan’s your friend?” Paul shook his head, smiling. “Seems we have the same friends.”
“You know Vince Markov?” Sloan asked.
Conner almost pissed his pants at the look on Sloan’s face. She looked even whiter than normal. “Yeah, I do.”
Paul sat back in the booth, regarding Conner. “Wait a minute…then you know Esposito?”
“I know them all,” Conner laughed. “I guess we have a lot more friends in common than we thought.”
Paul smiled wickedly. “If you know them, then I think we are on the same page.”
Conner tipped his head. “Yes, I believe we are.”
“Well holy shit, Conner. I never thought you’d go that route.”
Sloan looked from Conner to Paul. “What are you two talking about?”
“Let’s just say our friends bend the law for good,” Paul said after a pause.
“They crack it in half,” Conner laughed loudly.
After two more hours, they called it a night. Paul would meet them for breakfast in the morning. Conner stood at the front of the pub, smiling at Paul.
“I’m happy for you, Paul. I’m glad you found someone to love,” Conner said.
“It seems to me you have someone as well.” Paul narrowed his eyes. “Wayne Maccon?”
Conner smiled shyly. “Yes, we’re together now.”
“You did very well for yourself. You deserve that and more, Conner. I know how your parents treated you; my mom always said that you were treated unfairly. They cut off all contact with your parents after you came out and they were so cruel.”
“They did?” Conner stumbled back in shock.
Paul caught Conner’s arm, steadying him. “Yes, they did. My mom pretty much ripped yours a new one. They loved you like a son, Conner.”
Conner wiped at his eyes. Phoebe and Colin Greystone had been nothing but nice to him. “I miss them,” Conner whispered.
“Me too.” Paul hugged Conner. “Let’s not lose touch this time okay?”
“You bet. Drive safe.” Conner watched as Paul left.
Conner went back into the pub; Sloan was still sitting at the table nursing her beer. He couldn’t blame her; Guinness was a meal in itself. Sliding in the booth, he regarded Sloan closely. She seemed tense, a little nervous.
“What’s wrong?” Conner asked.
Sloan looked up from her beer. “Nothing, why?”
“I don’t know. You look a little pale?”
“I’m always pale,” Sloan grinned.
Conner slid down lower in the booth, the beers were really hitting him hard. Maybe he hadn’t eaten enough? “Well I’m off to bed. See you in the morning.”
“Yes, night,” Sloan said.
Conner made his way back into the cottage and looked around. It was comfortable coming back to Greystones. It had been more of a home to him than his own. Conner collapsed on the bed staring at the ceiling. The room was spinning and Conner sat up, he’d had more than a few pints. He hauled himself up and then sat back down; his feet felt heavy. Conner lie back on the bed and closed his eyes, his last thoughts were of Wayne.
~~
The sun was just rising on the horizon as Wayne turned onto the property. It was as if he’d never left; the memories came back with a vengeance. A small house sat on the edge of the large property. The Maccons owned most
of the land in Kerry and it had been fenced in for years. Now, however, more modernized fencing had been put in place so that the enclosure looked like something out of ‘Jurassic Park.’ Only trusted friends were allowed near the property and Wayne had hired women to not only patrol it, but to feed the females. They had their own living spaces; small but gracious little cottages were peppered throughout the enclosure. Wayne checked on the house and then made his way out to the ten foot gate that kept the females in. He stopped in his tracks when he realized the gate was wide open.
Sheep were roaming around free and Wayne stepped closer to the gate. One of the females was lying on the ground, a bullet to her chest. Wayne ran and knelt beside her. She was cold, at least a few days dead.
“She came, and then she shot Anna to show she knew how to kill us.”
Wayne looked up. “Josephine? Who did this?”
“A woman, she didn’t give her name.” Josephine approached carefully. “She told us to run and be free. We didn’t dare leave, Wayne, you gave us a good life here and we know it. We can’t be trusted not to kill anyone.” Josephine knelt by Anna. “She just opened the gate and shot the first of us to approach her.”
“What did she look like?” Wayne asked.
“Evil looking one,” Josephine shivered. “Full of hate. Red nails and long black hair.” Josephine looked at Wayne. “She wanted me to give you a message.”
Wayne’s skin broke out in goose bumps. “What did she say?”
“She said she’s going to hurt you like you did her. Take away the one thing you love.”
Wayne stood up and backed away. “What?”
Josephine nodded. “She wants you to suffer. She killed all the handlers, too.”
“Oh my, God…” Wayne stumbled again, falling to the ground. “Conner…” Wayne closed his eyes. “Conner…”
Wayne waited but no reply came. The bile rose in his throat; this crazy woman had Conner, he could feel it.
Josephine knelt by Wayne. “What is it? What does she have?”
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