Chasing the Story

by Shira Anthony

  “Zach?” Brand’s throat constricted. “Thanks, Jesse.” He hung up the phone without waiting for Jesse’s response.

  He’d walked the mile and a half to work that morning—it’d be faster to go on foot than to sign out one of the station’s SUVs.

  Brand ran the mile or so to the river in less ten minutes. By the time he arrived on the scene, his shirt was plastered to his skin, and he’d shoved his tie in his pants pocket.

  He glanced quickly over the scene, where several police cruisers were positioned to block traffic and three EMS techs stood around an ambulance. Brand jogged over to where Jesse was speaking with another deputy.

  Jesse waved Brand over. “Where’s your cameraman?”

  Shit. In his rush to get to the scene, Brand had forgotten he was supposed to be covering a story. “Didn’t bring one.”

  Jesse raised a quizzical eyebrow but said nothing.

  “How is he?” Brand’s heart beat so hard against his ribs it hurt.

  “He? You mean Zach?”

  Who else would he be talking about? “Yes, Zach. How is he?” If something had happened to Zach….

  “He’s fine. Landed pretty hard on the ground. His attacker’s worse off,” Jesse explained. “He dislocated his shoulder when he tried to get away from Zach.”

  “Tried to get away from Zach?” Brand tried to imagine wiry Zach holding an attacker at bay.

  “Turns out Zach’s a black belt in tae kwon do. Who knew? I’m sure the mugger didn’t know what hit him. We’ve taken him into custody, but he hasn’t said anything except he’s wantin’ a lawyer.”

  “But Zach’s okay?”

  “Yes.” Jesse eyed Brand with obvious curiosity. “You two dating and forget to tell me and Kendra?”

  “I need to see him.” Later, he’d apologize for ignoring Jesse’s question. By then maybe he’d figure out how to answer it.

  “Sure, he’s—”

  Brand trotted over to the EMS, where Zach was sitting on the back of the truck, holding an ice pack to his shoulder. “Are you okay?”

  “You know this guy?” one of the EMS techs asked Zach.

  “I do. It’s fine.” Zach offered Brand a weary smile. “Hey, Brand. Good to see you.”

  “Good to see me, my ass. What the hell happened?”

  The EMS tech frowned, but Zach waved her away with a mouthed, It’s okay.

  “I got a call that there’d been a mugging, and—”

  “Whoa,” Zach said. “Relax. I’ll have a lovely bruise on my shoulder, but I’m fine. Really.”

  “Sorry.” He’d overreacted and he felt like an idiot.

  “I don’t mind.” Zach smiled again. “You’re kind of cute when you’re worried.”

  “Cute?” Brand’s cheeks heated. Why did he always react like an overgrown kid when it came to Zach?

  “I’m getting used to the way everything you do is a bit over-the-top.”

  Brand sighed. “You done making fun of me?”

  “Probably not.” Zach chuckled, then winced and put the ice pack back on his shoulder.

  “What happened?”

  “Idiot jumped me as I rounded that corner.” Zach nodded toward the Riverwalk. “I took his knife away.”

  “You took…? Shit, Zach. What the hell were you doing trying to fight with a guy with a knife?” Brand demanded.

  “The way he lunged at me, it wasn’t like I had much choice.” Zach seemed entirely unfazed. “Can we go now?” he asked the EMS tech. “I’m starving.”

  “All right. But if you have a bad headache or you feel disoriented or start to vomit, you’ll get yourself to the ER, okay?” she said.

  “I’ll make sure he does,” Brand put in.

  “He will too. Probably pick me up and carry me over his shoulder.” Zach winked.

  She chuckled and shook her head. “Okay.”

  Brand offered Zach his arm.

  “My knight in shining armor.” Zach waved him off. “I’m fine. Really. I didn’t hit my head.”

  “No, you just wrestled a guy with a knife.” Thinking about it made Brand feel ill.

  Zach grinned as Jesse walked over to them. “He okay to leave?” he asked Brand.

  “I’m fine.” Zach waved him away, but Jesse didn’t back down.

  “I’ll walk him home,” Brand said. “We live in the same building. And if he has any problems, he’s promised to go to the emergency room.”

  “I did?” Zach raised a questioning eyebrow.

  “He did,” Brand told Jesse.

  “I love it when you talk about me like I’m not even here.” Zach smirked but seemed genuinely pleased Brand was concerned.

  “I’ll be in touch,” Jesse said. “We’ll need you to come in and sign a statement, but that can wait until tomorrow.”

  “No problem. I’m just glad he didn’t hurt anyone.” Zach looked at Brand and frowned. “I’m hungry. Can we get going?”

  “Yes, sir.” Brand turned to Jesse. “I’ll text you about drinks.”

  “Works for me.” Jesse waved as they headed down the Riverwalk.

  “What was that about?” Zach asked after they’d walked for a few minutes in silence.

  “What was what about?”

  “Drinks.”

  Brand glanced at Zach, who was frowning again. “Nothing. Jesse and I were supposed to meet a colleague from work for drinks tonight.” Was Zach jealous?

  “Oh.”

  Definitely jealous. “You’re welcome to come if you’re feeling up to it.”

  Zach ran a hand through his messy hair, then winced. “I’m staring down a deadline, and the paper isn’t going to write itself.”

  “You really should take it easy.”

  “I’m fine.” Zach pressed his lips together and shook his head.

  He had no intention of leaving Zach alone. “How about I cook us some breakfast? My place?”

  “Brand….”

  “I know I’m irritating, but you said I was cute, right? And how often does someone as amazing as myself offer to cook for you?” Brand flashed Zach his best ready-for-primetime smile. “Besides—” He tugged at where his shirt stuck to his skin. “—I’m going to need a shower before I head back to the office.”

  Zach laughed. “Okay, okay. But there’s something I need to do at my place first. And I need a shower too.”

  “No problem. We’ll stop at your place first.” Brand was curious to see it.

  “Good. Now will you stop worrying about me, please?”

  “Not gonna happen.” Zach needed someone to worry about him. And Brand was the perfect man to do it.

  Chapter Fourteen

  ZACH TOUCHED his fob to the lock and opened the door to his apartment. “You’re hovering.” He’d never admit it, but he was enjoying Brand’s mothering, however irritating it was.

  “Sorry.” Brand didn’t look at all apologetic.

  “I’ve got a cat,” Zach couldn’t think of anything else to say.

  “You mentioned him the other day. I love cats.”

  Of course you do. “Arlo’s the best, but he’s not great around people.”

  “No problem.” Brand followed him inside, and Zach closed the door behind them.

  Arlo meowed and walked over to them, rubbing Zach’s legs and allowing Zach to pet him before moving on to Brand.

  “Hey there, dude.” Brand bent down. Zach waited for Arlo to ignore him and walk away, but instead Arlo sniffed Brand and began to purr loudly.

  Everyone loves Brand. Zach smiled in spite of himself. Who wouldn’t love the man, as sweet as he was? Maybe even Jesse. He pushed away the thought. He wasn’t the jealous type, and even if he was, there was nothing between them to get jealous about. If Jesse and Brand got together, it was no skin off his back. “I’ll get Arlo some food.”

  “Need any help?”

  “Nah. I’m fine. Really.” He’d gotten knocked around playing soccer as a kid, and he really did know what a concussion felt like. This wasn’t it.

&
nbsp; He rinsed Arlo’s water bowl and refilled it, then opened a can and plopped the wet food into Arlo’s bowl. Arlo was still letting Brand scratch behind his ears.

  Traitor.

  “Hey, little man,” Brand said. “Your dad’s got something good for you.” He walked over to Zach, and Arlo followed. A moment later Arlo was happily eating his food. “Nice place. Love the mid-century modern pieces.”

  “Thanks.” He’d inherited a few of them from his grandparents, and he’d collected the others when he’d been in New York. “Collecting fifties and sixties stuff’s a hobby of mine.”

  “When I was working in Florida, there was this house for sale. Reminded me of The Brady Bunch.” He sighed. “It needed more work than I had time or money.”

  “Probably worth a fortune now.”

  “Probably.”

  Brand’s cell phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his jacket pocket and frowned.

  “Need to answer that?” Zach asked.

  “Nah. I’ll deal with it later.” Brand shoved the phone in his pocket.

  “How about I meet you downstairs in, say, fifteen? I’ll get cleaned up first.”

  “Sure. I’ll get started on breakfast.” Brand bent down. “See you later, my man.” He petted Arlo, who had just finished eating. The cat was purring again.

  Brand let himself out, and Zach pulled off his clothes and was in the shower a minute later, sighing as the hot water hit his tense shoulders. He was going to be hella sore tomorrow. It had been years since he’d used his tae kwon do for anything but exercise. Like riding a bicycle and your ass hurts first time back in the saddle.

  “THIS IS delicious.” Zach added cooking to the increasing list of Brand’s talents. The omelet was fluffy, and the goat cheese and veggie filling was a perfect complement to the eggs.

  “Thanks.” Brand grinned. “I wrote copy for a cooking show at my first job. I didn’t know how to make anything I couldn’t heat up in the microwave, but my editor didn’t give me a choice.”

  “How did that go?”

  Brand laughed. “Chef Cherie took me under her wing. We cooked together in the studio three nights a week until I knew the difference between a Hollandaise and a Béchamel sauce. I realized I liked to cook. Even after I’d moved on, she and I would spend time once a month exploring different styles of cooking: Indian, Thai, French, German, Italian. I left before we got to Vietnamese.”

  “I’m impressed. Thanks for the food. And thanks again for today.”

  “How’re you feeling?” Brand asked.

  “I’ll be sore tomorrow, but I’m fine. Just a little shaken up. Nothing I can’t handle.” He felt a hundred times better having showered and changed his clothes.

  “Good.”

  “Brand?”

  “Hmm?”

  “There’s something that just doesn’t add up.” It had been bugging him for the past hour, like an earworm repeating the same tune.

  “You mean about this morning and the mugger?”

  “That’s exactly it. Who targets a runner? Runners don’t usually have their wallets on them.”

  Brand shrugged. “Maybe he was after your phone or your watch.”

  “Maybe.” His phone was worth about six hundred, give or take. “But it doesn’t make sense. He didn’t even ask for it before he came at me.”

  “What?” Brand set down his fork.

  “Just what I said. He didn’t say ‘give me your money’—he just came at me with a knife. What kind of mugger does that?”

  “A mugger who doesn’t care if his victim survives?”

  “I guess.”

  “Your gut’s telling you something else.” Brand took a sip of coffee, then asked, “He didn’t say anything?”

  “Nothing. He just knocked me off my feet and pulled a knife on me.”

  “It’s certainly odd, I’ll give you that.”

  More than odd, now that Zach thought about it with a bit of distance. He hadn’t been thinking all that clearly back then.

  “You thinking it might be related to a story?”

  Zach nodded.

  “What’re you working on? Other than the builder case.”

  “Nothing anyone’d be all that interested in. Hurricane cleanup. Lack of housing after the storm. That sort of thing.”

  Brand stabbed at his omelet with a bit too much force. “You think our little visit to Mr. Haynes might’ve stirred something up?”

  “Thought has crossed my mind. He’s the first person we’ve spoken to who has a direct line to the people behind the scam.” He’d meant to push Haynes, but he’d underestimated the blowback.

  “Do you run every day? Same time?”

  Zach swore under his breath. “I’ve been in this business long enough that I should have known poking the hornet’s nest would be risky. Might as well have stuck a bull’s-eye on my T-shirt when I went out this morning.” Half the city knew he ran on the Riverwalk. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Like clockwork.

  “It’s harder when you’re this close. I ended up with a black eye on one of my first investigations. Didn’t stop it from happening again last year. We do what we do regardless.”

  “Yes.” Zach appreciated the sympathy. So much for morning runs on the Riverwalk. He’d stick to the treadmill for the time being, or he’d run when there were a lot of people by the river.

  Brand picked up their empty plates and set them in the sink. “So let’s say we’re right and the mugging wasn’t a mugging. That pretty much confirms there’s a story here, doesn’t it?”

  “Crooks really can be stupid when they panic.” Zach picked up a towel and began to dry the dishes as Brand washed.

  “If you’re right and this is about the home collapse story, you aren’t the only one they’ll set their sights on.” Brand handed Zach a plate. “Let’s talk to Jesse, see if he knows anything about the guy who jumped you.”

  “Sure.” Zach swallowed hard, then glanced at Brand, who was busy soaping up some flatware. “Brand?”

  “Yes?”

  “Were you and Jesse…? I mean…. Never mind.” Way too obvious.

  Brand’s smile didn’t judge, and he didn’t gloat. “Jesse and I are friends. When I first got to town, I thought maybe we could be more. Nothing ever happened. I get the feeling he’s stuck on someone.” Brand shrugged.

  “I see.” Why the hell was he relieved? No, that question was disingenuous. He knew why.

  Brand handed him a glass and shut off the faucet. “I know you said you’re not interested in a relationship.”

  “I did say that.” But things with Brand felt comfortable. Warm. The last time he’d felt like that was before all the bullshit at work, with Greg. The memory made his shoulders and neck feel suddenly tight. He hated the hurt.

  “Having second thoughts?” Brand gently pressed.

  “I’m flattered. Really. But….”

  Brand took the towel from Zach’s hands, and their fingers touched. Zach didn’t even realize he was leaning in, wanting more, until he brushed Brand’s lips with his own and they were kissing.

  At first Brand held him tentatively, almost too gently. But as Zach wreathed his arms around Brand’s waist, Brand closed the distance until there was no space between their bodies. Brand’s cock pushed against Zach’s hip, and he moaned as their tongues tangled. Brand worked his hands up Zach’s back beneath his shirt as the kiss intensified.

  Shit. Zach hadn’t intended this, but he didn’t want to stop. Last time he’d slept alone in Brand’s bed. This time he wanted—

  Pain lanced through Zach’s shoulder to his chest. “Shit.” He pulled away.

  “Zach, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Brand’s eyes grew wide with worry, and he pressed his lips tight together.

  “Since when is this your fault?” The words came out far more harshly than Zach meant them. He was angry with himself for letting things get out of hand. Again. The fact that his shoulder hurt like a beast was a reminder of whose fault this really w
as.

  “I forgot about your shoulder.”

  “So did I.” Zach offered Brand what he hoped was a reassuring smile. Brand, however, didn’t look at all reassured. The mother-hen expression was back.

  “Brand, I—”

  Brand’s cell phone buzzed against the countertop, but he made no move to answer it.

  “Shouldn’t you get that?” When Brand didn’t immediately react, Zach pointed to the phone.

  “I….” Brand blinked and nodded. He grabbed the phone from the counter. “Kendra, I’m kind of in the middle of something right now. Can I—?” Brand listened for a moment, then mouthed the words I’m sorry. After a few interjected “uh-huhs,” he said, “I’ll be there as soon as I can,” and set the phone down again.

  “Zach, I’m really sorry. I totally forgot about a meeting I was supposed to go to. My director rescheduled it, but I need to change this sweaty shirt and get going or I’m going—”

  “No worries.” Zach smiled again. “I need to get to the office myself.” Brand opened his mouth to respond, but Zach preempted him by saying, “I know, I know. I won’t overdo it, and I’ll let you know if I start to feel dizzy.”

  Zach was out the door a moment later, relief and regret mingling as he called the elevator. He hadn’t meant to kiss Brand, but the encounter left him wanting more. He had a million other things to do than focus on Brand, but as the doors opened, he saw Brand waving at him from just inside his apartment door. And damn if that didn’t make him feel good.

  Chapter Fifteen

  BRAND TAPPED his foot against his desk and glanced out the window again. He couldn’t focus on anything but how good it felt to kiss Zach. Why was he always so impulsive?

  Not surprisingly, Zach had turned down the offer to join him for drinks with Jesse and Kendra the night before. He said he was feeling fine but that he’d be working late. Still, Brand couldn’t help but wonder if he’d scared Zach off.

  “How’s it going?” Kendra peered into his office.

  “It’s going.”

  “Hmm.” She sat in front of his desk and crossed her legs. “Doesn’t look like anything’s happening around here.”