Karma

by Sandrine Gasq-Dion

  As he left, Trent stepped into the room and Damon shot him a look. “What the hell, Trent?”

  “I had you tailed. I’m not stupid. They’re going to jail.”

  “For now.” Damon grinned.

  Officers took Melisa and her boyfriend to the police station and put them in separate interrogation rooms. A woman detective watched little Stefan as the police questioned the couple. Heath stood with Caleb as they questioned Melisa. She told them she had hired a private detective after she heard about little Stefan’s adoptive parents. She knew Heath had claimed custody. When she saw pictures of Heath and another man kissing, with little Stefan between them, she decided she didn’t want him raised by fags. So she changed her hair and eyes and got a job at the day care. She was going to have Julia taken out so she could get Stefan out, but it had worked in her favor when Heath had shown up late, Julia was at an appointment and Joann was busy elsewhere.

  Charlie had arrived with Michael and little Stefan’s face lit up when he saw her.

  “Lee!” He put his arms out.

  Charlie smiled and hugged him close. She looked in both interrogation rooms; Melisa was in one, crying. The other held her sorry boyfriend. Charlie stiffened and moved closer to the glass. She pointed to the speaker and the cop outside the door nodded. She hit the button so she could hear the conversation in the room. He was talking about how they had come up with the plan to take Stefan. Charlie’s blood ran cold. She grabbed Michael’s shirt and tugged.

  “What? What is it Charlie?”

  Charlie pointed to the room and managed to say, “Him!”

  “What? That’s the guy?” Michael looked in the room. Son of a bitch.

  The same woman detective took Stefan away as she figured things were about to get ugly.

  Michael flew into the room and snatched the guy out of the chair. He slid his hands around his neck and choked him as he banged his head into the wall. The cops were on him instantly, trying to pull him away. Jordan and Stefan rushed in and grabbed Michael.

  “Michael? What the fuck?” Jordan shouted.

  “This is the guy! The guy who attacked Charlie!”

  “Oh fuck ... OFFICERS!” Trent shouted. This was going to be bad. It was going to be so bad. There weren’t enough officers in the building to stop what was going to happen.

  Jordan’s fist hit the man and he slammed back into the wall, the three of them were on him in a flash and it took eight officers to pull Stefan, Jordan and Michael off.

  “I want you DEAD! You fucking hear me?” Two officers restrained Jordan.

  Charlie walked over to the guy, crouched down to his level and pulled his bloody face up. His eyes widened and she smiled as she ran a finger across her neck.

  Trent and the other officers picked him up and took him to a cell. Charlie faced her fathers. “Mine.”

  “Whatever you want, honey.” Stefan nodded.

  “He has to be transferred at some point,” Jordan added.

  Melisa had cracked and given up her boyfriend. She knew he had attacked Charlie in the garage. The plan had been to get the whole family to the hospital. They were trying to get Stefan alone with someone they could overpower. They hadn’t counted on Heath taking Stefan to the hospital with him. Heath wanted to strangle her.

  Charlie walked into the interrogation room and sat across from the now-frightened woman. She took a pad of paper out and wrote on it, and then she slid it over to Melisa.

  “I didn’t tell him to rape you. I just wanted him to hurt you so that Heath would go see you. I swear.”

  Charlie scribbled again and handed it back. Melisa’s eyes went wide.

  “You can’t! The police have us in custody.”

  “Watch.” Charlie smiled and left.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Mark woke up with a massive migraine. He pried open his eyes and found himself wrapped in Tanner’s arms. He had his hands on Tanner’s bare chest, his head tucked into Tanner’s neck. He inhaled slowly and caught Tanner’s scent. He closed his eyes again and hid further in his neck. The events from last night rushed back and Mark felt his pain return. Paul had been with Kyle at the school. He had lied to Mark — although he had been at work late. Mark had broken his own rule and followed Paul from work. Between the secret meeting and the numerous phone calls, Mark was putting two and two together. His head was still pounding maliciously and his whole body was sore.

  Tanner’s arms pulled him closer and he kissed Tanner’s neck.

  Mark moaned and pulled Tanner into his hips. Tanner’s hands were all over him and it felt so good, he never wanted it to stop. This was familiar; their tongues danced a tango and Mark wanted more. He pulled Tanner harder and ground his hips into him. His hands slid up Tanner’s chest and Tanner deepened the kiss. Mark moaned and tried to get his boxers off.

  “Mark — we can’t do this!” Tanner got off of him and went to the other side of the bed.

  “Why?” Mark sat up quickly. Oh God, his head hurt.

  “Because — because I can’t.”

  Mark started crying and Tanner moved over to hold him.

  “Oh God, I want you! I want you so much.”

  “I want you, too.” Tanner pulled away and palmed his face. “Do you remember anything from last night?”

  “I … I don’t know.”

  Tanner hugged him. “Go get in the shower, okay?”

  “Okay. Thanks for being here for me, Tanner.”

  Mark finally got dressed and turned his cell phone on. He had 28 missed calls and tons of voicemails. He checked the first one and heard Paul’s voice; his heart ached and he hung up.

  He drove to the apartment and saw Josh’s car in the parking lot. He ran up the stairs and unlocked the door. He turned around and the keys fell from his fingers. Paul and Josh, were on the couch wrapped in each other’s arms and slightly covered by a blanket.

  “Oh my God,” Mark whispered.

  Paul stirred at the sound of Mark’s voice and looked up. “Mark?”

  Paul thought about the situation and sat up. It woke Josh and he noticed Mark standing there. He threw the blankets off and grabbed his pants.

  “What the fuck is going on?” Mark looked from Paul to Josh.

  Paul got up and threw on his pants. He faced Mark. “You tell me. Did you and Tanner have a good time?”

  “Did you and Kyle?” Mark shot back.

  “What?”

  “I saw you last night, Paul. I saw you and Kyle together at the school!”

  “He wanted to talk to me about Matt. Jesus, nothing happened!”

  “Why did you lie to me then and say you had to work late? Why is his phone number all over our cell phone bill?”

  “I did work late. Kyle called me as I was leaving and I said I would talk to him before I went home! He’s been having a hard time coming to terms with being gay and handling his feelings for Matt. So he calls me to talk, that’s all!”

  “I saw him hug you. He touched you.”

  “Did he kiss me? No, he didn’t and I didn’t fuck him either! But you! At the first sign of trouble, you run to Tanner and fuck him!”

  “I didn’t fuck Tanner! We went to a frat party and I had too much to drink. I was upset and he didn’t want me to be alone. He took me back to his house and I fell asleep!”

  “And that’s why you two were naked in bed, huh?”

  “I wasn’t naked; I had pants on.”

  “Well you could have fooled me!”

  “What the fuck are you doing? I come home to find you all snuggled up with Josh?” Mark looked at the two of them. The looks on their faces made his stomach turn. “Oh God, you two …”

  “You didn’t trust me. You thought I was fucking Kyle.”

  “You thought I fucked Tanner! But you — you went through with it with Josh, didn’t you?”

  Josh chose that moment to speak up. “Mark …”

  “SHUT UP!” Mark pointed at Josh. “Don’t you DARE say a word to me! You fucked my husband, did
n’t you?”

  “I didn’t fuck him, Mark,” Paul answered.

  Mark looked from Paul to Josh. “But something happened. I can see it all over your faces!”

  “I should go.” Josh grabbed his jacket.

  “Yes, you should. Tanner is at home.”

  Josh left and Mark eyed Paul. “What did you two do? You kissed him, didn’t you?”

  “Yes,” Paul admitted.

  “And then what?” Mark looked around the apartment. He took in the hole in the wall and the dishes broken all over the floor. “What the fuck happened?”

  “I was angry!”

  “You don’t say.” Mark looked around the place.

  “So nothing happened with you and Tanner, is that what you’re saying?” Paul looked at Mark’s face. “Something did happen.”

  “You haven’t answered my question, Paul. What else happened?”

  “We didn’t have sex.”

  Mark looked at Paul’s face. “Oh my God, but you wanted him, didn’t you?”

  Paul ran his hand through his hair and sat down on the couch.

  “I, fuck. I don’t know.”

  “You have feelings for Josh. I can see it all over your face, Paul! How long? How long have you wanted Josh?”

  “I don’t … I …shit, I don’t know what the fuck to think right now! You should have called me. You should have come to me and asked me about Kyle!”

  “Well, you shouldn’t have just stood there and thought the worst of me with Tanner!” Mark grabbed his jacket and keys.

  “Oh my God! Are you serious? Kyle and I were in a public place, talking! Yeah, Kyle touched me. We all touch each other all the time! But you were in fucking bed with fucking Tanner McKinley! BIG difference in scenarios, Mark!”

  “I’m going to my parents’ house. I can’t talk to you right now.”

  “Mark, wait — please?’ Paul ran after him.

  “No, something is wrong with us, Paul. If we can’t trust each other, and I’m not saying it’s all you, we need time to figure this out. You need to think about how you really feel about Josh.”

  Paul went back into the apartment and collapsed onto the couch. He kicked the coffee table over and sat back, resting his head on the back of the couch. He had to be honest with himself. He had wanted Josh last night. If he were really honest, he had feelings for him. But he was in love with Mark. Mark was his life. He closed his eyes.

  “Fuck.”

  Josh drove to Tanner’s house. He had no idea what he was going to say. Tanner hadn’t slept with Mark, but Josh had done some things he shouldn’t have with Paul. He pulled into the driveway and sat in the car. Oh God, what was he going to say?

  He went inside and found Tanner at the kitchen table. When he saw Josh, Tanner got up and ran into his arms.

  “I missed you.” Tanner hugged him hard. It took a second to realize Josh wasn’t hugging him back. “What is it?”

  “I — shit, Tanner. I fucked up last night. Paul and I came by here to find Mark, and we saw the two of you in bed together.”

  “Yeah, and? You thought we had sex?”

  “Well, that’s what we thought and … shit! I was so devastated and hurt. I took Paul home and, well …” Josh couldn’t finish, he couldn’t say the words.

  Tanner’s face went white. “You slept with Paul?”

  “No. We didn’t have sex.”

  “But something happened between the two of you, didn’t it?” Tanner sat down; he felt sick.

  Josh crouched down in front of him. “Yes something happened, and I’m so sorry. I love you, Tanner.”

  Tanner searched his eyes. “I believe you love me, but I think you have feelings for Paul.”

  “What?”

  “I can see it, you can’t. I always thought it was in my mind but the two of you — I don’t know. There’s something in the way you are with each other.”

  “Please, Tanner! I’m in love with you. What can I do to fix this? Please! I’ll do whatever you want.”

  “You need to go. I need to think.”

  “Tanner, please.” Josh dropped to his knees and put his head in Tanner’s lap.

  Tanner ran his hand through Josh’s hair. He loved him, but right now he wanted to be alone.

  “Please, Josh, just go.”

  Josh stood up and wiped his face. He couldn’t stop the tears from coming. “I’ll be here for you whenever you need me. I love you, Tanner. Believe that.”

  Josh left and Tanner broke down. He went to his room and hit the bed, sobs racking his body. He curled into a ball. He already missed Josh. This hurt; it hurt more than anything he’d been through. But somewhere deep inside he had known just by watching Paul and Josh — he had known. And he couldn’t say anything; he hadn’t been so innocent either.

  ~*~

  Paul hadn’t heard anything from Mark in two days. He had called and left messages, but got no answer. He didn’t know what to do or where to go. The one person he always went to was in the same boat with him. Now he rang the doorbell and hoped to God someone was home.

  “Paul, what is it?” Stefan searched Paul’s face. He looked awful.

  “I messed up.” Paul broke down and Stefan gathered him into his arms.

  “Come in.” Stefan seated him at the kitchen counter and poured him a cup of coffee. “Now, tell me what happened.”

  Paul told him about what had happened with Mark, the misunderstanding about Kyle, then the misunderstanding with Tanner, and finally, what happened with Josh.

  “I don’t know what to do.” Paul put his face in his hands.

  “Do you have feelings for Josh?” Stefan asked.

  “I’ve always had feelings for Josh. I was just afraid of losing him as a friend if we ever got romantic. Josh is my lifeline; he’s been there for me through everything. I can’t bear to lose him, not for anything”

  “Does he feel the same way?”

  “I don’t know. When we kissed, I thought maybe he felt something for me.”

  “I’d say you need to find out, Paul.”

  “What?”

  “It’s not fair to Mark if you don’t resolve this. If you stay with Mark and you have feelings for Josh, you’re only giving Mark a part of you — the rest of you belongs to Josh.”

  “So, I should talk to him? What if this changes things?”

  Stefan took his hand. “Things changed the minute you kissed each other.”

  “I don’t understand this.”

  “Look, it’s not that complicated if you think about it. You and Josh have been together since you were kids, always there for each other. It doesn’t surprise me that you have feelings for him. Somewhere along the way you pushed those feelings deep down inside. This event with Mark and Tanner — it pushed your feelings for Josh out. Do you love him?”

  Paul looked down at the table. “Yes.”

  “Go. Go talk to him and find out if he cares for you, Paul.”

  “Thanks, Mr. Youngblood.”

  “You’re another son to me, Paul. And I love Mark with all my heart. But if you love Josh, you have got to work it out — for all of you.”

  Paul went to Josh’s house, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door. Jay answered.

  “He’s in his room.” Jay gave him a smile.

  “Thanks, Jay.” Paul walked through the house to Josh’s room and knocked on the door.

  “What?”

  “It’s me, Josh.”

  Josh opened the door and let Paul in, then dropped back down on the bed and looked at the floor.

  “How are you, Paul?”

  “About the same as you are.” Paul sat down next to him. “We need to talk about what happened the other night.”

  “I know.”

  “Mark accused me of having feelings for you.”

  “Do you?”

  “Yeah, Josh, I do.”

  “How long?” he whispered.

  “I think from the first day we met. I just didn’t want to lose you. You’re m
y lifeline, Josh. I always run to you. What would I have done if we tried to be together and it didn’t work? Then I would have lost you forever.”

  Josh stood up and paced the floor, he ran a hand through his hair. “So all this time …”

  “The other night it hit me hard. I need to know, Josh — I need to know if you feel the same way.”

  “Why didn’t you say something to me earlier? I mean like months ago? Shit, YEARS ago? Jesus!”

  “Well, I didn’t know and then I met Mark. I don’t know how you feel about me — and you still haven’t answered me!”

  “Of course I have feelings for you! I always have, but I thought the same way you did. What if I said something and it ruined everything? And now we’ve gone and changed things, anyway!”

  “I can’t lose you, Josh. I can’t.”

  “Oh God, this just gets worse. You’re married, Paul.” Josh was pacing.

  “Oh well great, Josh! Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “Why? I didn’t know you cared! So I put myself out there and then you reject me? Yeah, I don’t think so. God this is what I was afraid of. We’re already changing! Look at us!”

  “Oh Christ.” Paul ran his hand through his hair. “I should never have kissed you.”

  Josh felt as if a hot poker went through his heart. “I can’t believe you just said that,” he whispered.

  “Josh.”

  Josh grabbed his keys and ran from the room. Paul followed him out, but the door slammed in his face.

  “Dammit!” Paul kicked the door. He heard a sound, whirled and found Greg and Jay had come into the room. “What?”

  Jay walked over to Paul. “Go find him.”

  “You heard?”

  “Paul, I had to sit and hold Josh every time he saw you with Kyle. I already knew. Tell him, Paul. It’s time.”

  Paul studied Jay before he turned and walked out the door. He knew where Josh would go. He went to the warehouse and saw his car in the parking lot. He made a phone call and then walked inside.

  Josh was at the bar with Jason when he heard Buckcherry’s “Sorry.” He turned to see Paul standing on the dance floor with his hand out.

  Jason pushed him forward. “Go, Josh.”

  Josh walked out to the dance floor and took Paul’s hand. Paul pulled him in close.