by Trina Solet
It was going to be a good Thanksgiving. Even that jerk Thayer couldn't spoil this day, but Christie wasn't going to let Rob forget about what went down any time soon. "I can't believe you, Rob. And I thought small towns were supposed to be peaceful."
"It's all good," Rob told her, but inside, he was still pissed. For that guy to come all the way here to harass Julian... Rob wanted to kick the crap out of him, and he admired Julian for staying so calm, at least on the surface. Rob could only imagine how much self-control it took not to lash out at Thayer.
Going to Mrs. Del Rio's for Thanksgiving dinner was going to be a good diversion from all that. Once Julian came out to tell them he was ready, they could get on their way.
Outside Mrs. Del Rio's gate, dozens of cars turned the side of the road into a parking lot. At least they had a nice walk up the path to her front door. Mrs. Del Rio's garden was a riot of fall colors with orange and yellow lights strung up everywhere.
There was even more going on inside the house. Wreaths and boughs with leaves and berries in every color decorated the doorways. The place was lit up and guests were milling around with drinks in hand.
Seeing all the Thanksgiving decorations plus Mrs. Del Rio's flashy decorating style, Danny couldn't get enough as he kept pointing out things to Lenny. Of course Lenny was in his sniff everything mode.
"There is our hostess. Let's go say hello and thank her for having us," Julian said, addressing Danny.
They introduced Christie to her and Mrs. Del Rio greeted her warmly. "Of course Rob would have a pretty sister," Mrs. Del Rio said to her.
She was barely done complementing Christie before Lara swooped in and whisked her away. "Thanks for bringing her," Lara said, like Christie was there purely for her benefit.
Now Mrs. Del Rio turned her attention to Danny. "Look at this precious boy and this precious doggy. You ready to stuff your little faces?"
"Lenny can have Thanksgiving too," Danny said to her.
"He is such a good doggy, of course he can," Mrs. Del Rio said and she got down to show Lenny some love.
While they were greeting Mrs. Del Rio, Wyatt texted them to bring Danny and Lenny out back. That's where the kids and the dogs were playing in the leaves, under orange and yellow lanterns. Sam and Wyatt were out there with them, getting in on the fun.
As soon as they stepped out, Danny started bouncing on the back porch. He couldn't wait to go and play with the other kids, but first he looked up at Julian and Rob to see if it was OK. With their permission, he and Lenny were off. There was giggling and kicking up leaves, and Danny ran over and threw a handful of leaves up in the air.
Now it was just Julian and Rob on the porch and whoever chose to accost them. Bringing them some beers, Rico and Mitch came out there too.
"It certainly is festive here," Julian said to them with a smile.
"If her shindig doesn't give the festival a run for its money, Grandma isn't happy," Rico said then he wheeled on Julian. "And you! Why wasn't I the first to hear about this boyfriend thing?"
"The first?" Rob said. Actually Rob had found out about his official status as a boyfriend at the same time Rico did, but he wasn't about to tell him that.
"I promise to keep you apprised of any future developments in a timely and expeditious manner," Julian told Rico in a very businesslike way.
That only made Rico madder. "You are in so much trouble."
"Be good," Mitch told him. "Didn't you want your parents to see how serious and mature you are?"
"Ugh parents. Do you know what kind of pressure I'm under?" Rico complained to Julian and Rob.
Julian tried to match him. "Rob's sister is here."
Rico shook his head. "You can't compare a sister to parents."
"She and Rob are very close, and she disapproves of him taking this job and staying here," Julian told him.
Rob didn't realize he knew that. "Did she say something?"
Before Julian could answer, Rico jumped in with his own question. "How can she not approve of you? She should be glad Rob got his hands all over you." Rico mimed grabby hands.
"Is it going well with your parents?" Julian asked to divert him.
Rico went along with it. "Do you know what my dad said when he saw our place? 'I never thought I would see you living in a proper house like this.' If I would only go back to 'real' college, I would make all his fatherly dreams come true."
"Are you saying it's going well or it isn't? I can't tell," Rob told him.
"Not too bad, I guess." Rico still sounded like he was complaining. "Mom and Dad are both in love with Mitch, and Sammy is their new treasure. They try to buy her everything in sight. It could be worse I guess," Rico said with a shrug then he focused on Julian. "And don't you worry. Christie is going to love you."
Rob didn't think Julian needed the encouragement, but maybe he did. Rob was used to the way Christie was. But in Julian's life, family disapproval didn't come from well-meaning big sisters. It was unrelenting and cruel.
That's why Rob put his arm around Julian and told him, "She already likes you. She helped Danny buy us the boyfriend apple, didn't she?"
That made Rico want to question them, but Mitch changed the subject to all the work that needed to be done to clean up after the festival. "I'll get ready to roll up my sleeves again," Rob said.
Most of the party guests were inside where it was warm and booze was flowing, but the kids were happy to run around the yard. The guys didn't mind keeping them company until Mrs. Del Rio announced that dinner was being served. At first it took real work to get the kids to come in and eat, but then they were racing each other inside.
As they were being seated at two long dining tables, Rico introduced Rob and Julian to his parents. Neither his mother or father seemed like the kind of people who could be responsible for producing a son like Rico. Both of them were pleasant and perfectly normal.
The long tables were set up with impressive Thanksgiving centerpieces and loaded down with food. There was a separate table for the kids nearby. The guests had only just started eating when Julian got an alert.
"That's my car alarm. I'll go see what's going on," Julian said and got up from the table. Now that he said that, Rob could hear it faintly from way back where they were parked.
"Some critter probably jumped on it," Mrs. Del Rio predicted.
With Julian gone, Rob looked to see how Danny was doing. He had Lenny by his side, and Mitch was over there making sure the kids' plates were full. Wyatt was over there too, taking pictures of the kids as they tackled their food.
Now that he didn't have Julian to hold his full attention, Rob started to listen to the conversations around him.
"Grandma and her boyfriend, the judge, are off on a wine guzzling tour, and they leave tonight," Rico was saying. "Mitch and I are helping my mom and dad straighten this place out."
"Wyatt and I can stay and help," Sam told him.
"You're volunteering your man. That is such a married thing to do," Rico said with a shake of his head.
"You'll get to do married things too one of these days," Sam said to him.
"Right. One of these days," Rico said.
"If Mitch doesn't change his mind," Rob needled him.
At that Rico's brow furrowed and he looked down at his plate. Was he taking him seriously?
Trying to figure that out, Rob was leaning over for a better look when Sam called his name sharply. "Rob. You know I like you. Let's keep it that way," Sam hissed at him.
"I was just messing around," Rob said to both of them but Rico was still brooding. "Mitch loves you. I know because I asked him to make sure. For some reason he does. He really does."
"Let me do the pep talk," Sam told him then he took Rico by the shoulders and shook him. "Snap out of it. Mitch won't change his mind. He just wants to be able to pay for his own wedding."
"OK, OK," Rico said so Sam would stop shaking him. "I trust Mitch. I believe in him with my whole heart and soul. I just get spooked sometim
es."
"Weddings do that to people," Sam said and winked at him.
Rico now looked at Mitch over by the kids' table. He and Wyatt were embroiled in a debate with the kids about how many green beans each of them had to eat. This involved some kind of special kid math so the guys didn't stand a chance.
"There are easier guys to be married to than me," Rico said while gazing at Mitch with pained longing. Rico put up a good front, but even he had self-doubts.
"Mitch has already proved he's not into easy," Sam told him.
"You talking about Lara's sister?" Rico asked him archly.
Sam grinned at him. "There you go. That's my Rico."
"I just love Mitch so much. He's incredible," Rico said and he actually had a sweet smile on his face.
"You're incredible too," Sam told him. "And Mitch knows it. That's why he wants to marry you."
"I'm going to be the best husband," Rico vowed, getting some of his usual overconfidence back. "I'll show him he made the best decision of his life."
"I guess you're all better," Rob said.
"I just love Mitch so much, it drives me crazy," Rico said.
"Even I can see how much you guys love each other," Rob told him. "But I am sorry for what I said. I was just yanking your chain."
Rob was in the middle of apologizing when he started to think that Julian had been gone a little too long. Rico's drama had distracted him, but now he was worried. He texted Julian, but didn't wait for a reply. He turned to the guys. "Keep an eye on Danny for me. I want to see what's keeping Julian."
As he got up from the table and sent another text, he shot Danny a reassuring smile and made sure not to let on that he was worried. The last thing he wanted was to upset Danny.
That's why he walked to the door slowly, but once he was out of sight, he was off like a shot. It was probably all for nothing. Julian was fine. It didn't mean anything that he didn't reply to his texts. That's what he told himself as he ran and, at the same time, tried to push down the feeling of dread that was rising inside him.
Chapter 28
It happened right as Julian turned off the car alarm, like that was the thing his attacker was waiting for. Julian felt an arm go around his neck, choking him. It was cutting off his air, but he couldn't let himself pass out, couldn't let himself panic at the coming darkness.
Finding just enough room, he elbowed the man. He didn't feel a solid connection. He tried again but only felt the arm at his throat tighten. This was it. Feeling his legs growing weak, Julian shifted all his weight onto the man, unbalanced him and shoved him away.
With the choking grip gone, Julian staggered. Only a few feet from his attacker, Julian saw a flash of metal held in the man's gloved hand. The man took one step.
"Thayer! I know that's you!" Julian called, his voice hoarse from the chokehold but loud in the quiet of the night.
That made him stop. His attacker wore a windbreaker and an oversized flannel shirt over a hoodie that was pulled low over his eyes. Even in darkness, the clothes looked brand new as did the sneakers he wore. Covering his face was a black, knit cap with eyeholes roughly cut out.
Julian knew who had to be behind the disguise. The extra layers filled out his skeletal frame, but without a doubt, that was Pete Thayer.
The sound of his name spoken so loudly made Thayer hesitate and he looked around furtively. As he did that, Julian backed up, trying to put some distance between them. But with the way the cars were parked on the side of the road, he didn't have much room to maneuver.
"And I was trying to do this the easy way," a familiar voice said, and Julian knew he was right.
"You're going to jail for this," Julian told him. Unfortunately he had dropped his key fob in the scuffle and couldn't press the panic button. And he didn't dare reach for his phone when Thayer held a knife.
"You just had to make this hard for yourself," Thayer hissed, grinding his teeth in frustration. It was clear he was rattled by being recognized, but he wasn't ready to give up. "You and me are going to spend some quality time together. It's way overdue."
"You are delusional. Your life as a free man and your career are finished," Julian told him, trying to make him snap out of this insanity, cut his losses and leave.
It wasn't working. Thayer just kept ranting like he was trying to work himself up to doing something drastic. "Upton suggested I explore new opportunities, that there might be jobs I'm better suited for. That bullshit is all your fault," Thayer said and pointed the knife at Julian. "You and me are going to have some fun, and after I'm done with you, you won't say a word, not unless you want to be a porn star. I'm going to own you."
Julian ignored his words and focused on the knife, wondering when he would decide to use it. For now, Julian was just out of range of that blade, afraid to move and set off an attack. He was boxed in, trapped between two cars and a tangle of dry bushes that would slow him down too much if he tried to run in that direction.
"Let's go, Julian. I don't like playing with damaged goods, but I will cut you," Thayer threatened.
Julian didn't move an inch, just watched that knife and blocked out everything else including his own terror. A loud thump to his right was a shock to him. It was followed by the sight of Rob sliding over the hood of the car parked behind him. Breathless, Rob came to a stop just in front of Julian and stared down Thayer and the knife that was pointed at him now.
"Interesting outfit. And what are you supposed to be?" Rob taunted him, sounding both menacing and unconcerned.
But that knife in Thayer's hand wasn't something to take lightly, and Julian hoped Rob wasn't about to do anything rash. Faced with the two of them, Thayer might finally decide to drop this insanity and just leave.
He wasn't giving up yet though. On seeing Rob, Thayer gnashed his teeth and the gloved hand holding the knife started to shake. The disguise didn't let Julian see if he was shaking in fear or anger or a combination of both.
Breathing hard like he ran here, Rob didn't even have a jacket on. That reminded Julian that he did. Julian shrugged out if his jacket thinking to wrap it around his arm, use it as a shield, but Rob snatched it from him.
In the next instant Rob was charged at Thayer using the jacket to snag the knife in Thayer's hand while he landed a punch to his face. Julian was afraid that Thayer might still be able to use the knife. To keep that from happening, Julian wanted to grab Thayer's arm, but he couldn't get close as the two of them spun around.
Rob had the jacket wrapped around Thayer's hand and wrist but not for long. Watching as Thayer got loose, Julian went for the knife in his hand only to see him toss it away. It disappeared into the darkness, going somewhere into the bushes, and since he was wearing gloves his fingerprints wouldn't be on it.
But now Thayer was fumbling with something else he had in his pocket. No doubt fearing he might have a gun or something else lethal, Rob was on him. Rob landed a punch right to the center of his chest and knocked the wind out of him.
That's when Julian saw that Thayer had a phone in his hand and he was desperately holding on to it. Was he going to call the police and claim Rob attacked him?
While Julian was trying to figure out what Thayer was up to, Rob didn't hesitate to act. Rob kicked his legs out from under him, but Thayer didn't stay down. On his feet again, he scrambled away.
Instead of just running full out, Thayer was doing something with the phone he had in his hand. Only it looked like the gloves he wore were getting in his way.
Whatever he was doing was slowing him down. Rob caught up to him, tackled him, and slammed him to the ground. As he hit the ground, Thayer lost his grip on the phone.
Rob twisted Thayer's arm behind his back and shoved him down. Wisely, he made sure Thayer's face didn't slam into the ground too hard. Julian wouldn't have minded seeing Thayer get what he deserved, but he didn't want to see Rob get arrested for it.
Thayer's phone was lying a few feet away, and Julian picked it up. It was unlocked, and Julian made su
re it stayed that way. But first he got out his own phone to call the sheriff.
Kneeling on Thayer's back, Rob pinned both his arms behind him. "What do you want me to do with him?" Rob asked. "I'm up for anything."
"Just make sure he doesn't run. I'm calling the sheriff."
"He's not going anywhere." Rob ripped the knit cap off, exposing Thayer's face contorted with rage. While Julian spoke on the phone, he cursed nonstop.
"What's going on with his phone?" Rob asked once Julian was done taking to the sheriff's office.
"This isn't his phone. It's cheap," Julian said as he started looking at it again.
"A burner phone?" Rob said.
"I don't know. But it's unlocked. He was trying to delete something." Julian was looking at a dialog asking him to confirm that he wanted to delete a folder.
"That's not mine!" Thayer screamed while Julian clicked cancel and opened the folder.
"What's on there?" Rob asked.
After a long pause Julian gave him the shortest possible answer. "Me."
"You? What do you mean?" Rob asked and he pushed Thayer down angrily.
As Julian stared at the contents of the folder, he went numb inside and his answers came out too slow. He knew he was worrying Rob, but he couldn't make himself react any faster as the past replayed in front of his eyes. "Video. Photos," Julian finally said.
"He was stalking you? This creep took pictures of you?" Rob said and he twisted Thayer's arms a little more.
Julian shook his head. "These are from years ago, from school. They were taken by his brother and his friends."
"They're not mine!" Thayer yelled. At first Julian didn't understand why he was so desperate to deny it, then Rob made it all clear.
"Are you by any chance underage in those pictures?" Rob asked.
"Very much so," Julian said.