by Eleanor Dax
“I don't know. Can you just please help me? Please?” On the last word, her voice raised in pitch and volume before dissolving into sobs.
Frozen, Ethan stared. “Of course.” He didn't know what to do. He felt like his brain was rebooting. With a sudden jolt, he said, “I mean, yes. Of course. What's your name? I'm Ethan.” Wriggling out of his jacket, he held it out to her.
“Julia.” She eyed his outstretched hand for a moment before accepting the jacket. Sliding it on, she said in a small voice, “Thank you.”
“Julia, is there anyone else down here?” Ethan watched her carefully for a reaction. Sure she was upset. She'd been stuck down in this dark pit for who knew how long. Still, he read hesitation in her face. He jumped on it. “Please tell me. It's very important.”
“I want to go home.”
“Julie, so do I,” he said firmly. “Have you seen anyone else down here? Anyone recent.”
Miserably, She nodded.
Ethan's heart squeezed. “Wheres?”
Wrapping her arms around herself, she sniffled and said, “There's a door back that way. He told me not to open it.”
“Who told you?” Then her face crumpled and Ethan said hastily, “Nevermind! I'm sorry. Look.” Swinging the maglite around, he pointed it at the stairs. They loomed impossibly high. “Can you climb the steps? All the doors are open behind me and my friend is outside. His name is Ryan. He'll help you.”
She hesitated. “Aren't you coming?”
“I need to find my friend. I think he's down here. You've seen him, haven't you?”
Miserably, she nodded. Ethan's heart leaped into his throat. “Is he okay?”
Her shoulders climbed up around her ears. “I'm sorry,” she said. “I don't think so. Can't you go with me? Please, I'm scared.”
“I know you are, but you can do it. I have to find my friend. Ryan is at the top. He'll help you, he's a teacher. Just yell for him. He shouldn't be far.” He nudged her forward. “Now go. See? I'll light the way.” She moved impossibly slowly, finally making it to the steps and turning back toward him. Before she could say anything, he called, “You're doing great!”
She placed her foot on the first step and pulled away. “I'll fall!”
Cursing to himself, Ethan jogged to her and offered a shoulder, putting an arm around her. “All right,” he said through his teeth. “One step at a time. Come on.”
He got her outside and shouted for Ryan, then told her to wait and rushed back in. Soon he was back at the bottom of the stairs. He found the door she had mentioned and tried the handle. It was locked. Dismayed, he tried it again. Then he pounded on the wood with his fist and called, “Beau?”
No response. Taking a step back, Ethan raised the maglite over his head and brought it down hard on the doorknob. Light flickered. After a couple of heavy blows, wood splintered and the brass knob clattered to the floor. Ethan bodily shoved the door open and swept the light around.
A dirty mattress was pushed into the corner with a dark lump curled atop it. Ethan stared and soon a form appeared.
“Beau?” Quickly, he crossed the room, nearly tripping over a tangle of stripped wire. The closer he got, the more sure he became. He dropped to his knees. “Oh, my god.”
Beau didn't move and when Ethan touched him, his skin felt like ice. It reminded Ethan of another time, another place, but he firmly pushed those thoughts from his mind.
Setting the maglite on the floor beside them, carefully, Ethan turned Beau onto his back. In the stark white light, the side of Beau's face gleamed sticky and dark.
Blood.
Ethan's heart sank. Putting his head to Beau's chest, he listened over the pounding of his own heart. When his ear detected a steady thump, he cheered out loud with relief. Straightening, he saw that Beau's eyes had opened. Strangely, the development was not a comforting one. He looked confused - really confused.
Turning away from the light, Beau brought a shaking hand up over his eyes. Ethan pushed the maglite a little farther away.
“It's going to be okay,” Ethan assured him. “I'm going to get you out of here. Come on. Can you sit?” Ethan helped him. The next step was getting Beau to his feet. It wasn't looking very promising though and he wasn't sure what they would do once they got to those stairs.
Sitting up, Beau leaned heavily against Ethan and his head drooped. Ethan had never seen him weak like this.
“It's okay,” he said again over the lump in his throat. “It's okay, it's okay.” He prayed to the universe Ryan had gotten a signal and called the police. He prayed help was on the way. If it wasn't, he didn't know what he'd do.
Beau roused some. “Ethan?” His voice was a hoarse croak.
“I'm here.” Ethan leaned forward. Beau's jaw was dark with stubble and there were bags under his eyes. Resting a hand on his shoulder, Ethan assured him, “We're getting out of this place. Can you stand if I help you?”
Beau's eyes were damp and clouded with uncertainty, but he nodded.
Snaking an arm around him, Ethan helped him up. It was tricky not only supporting him, but maneuvering him over the trash strewn floor. The labored breaths in his ear worried him. “Almost to the stairs,” he assured.
Finally, they made it outside. It was a good thing, too, because Ethan wasn't sure how much farther he could carry Beau. The stairs had been especially tough. Leaning heavily against him, Beau's feet dragged, hardly leaving the ground.
Ryan spotted them immediately. He had his cell pressed to his ear and when he saw them, his face changed and he said, “Yes, we definitely need help! There's blood. Holy hell-Ethan?!”
Panting, Ethan was relieved as Ryan met them halfway, pulling Beau's other arm around his neck. Their gazes locked for an instant and Ryan's expression was one of amazement.
“Are they are their way? I'm pretty sure he has a head injury.”
Ryan nodded. Into the phone, he said, “Yes, we're at the top of Hicks Road. Please hurry.”
Their vehicles were clear around the other side of the building. After practically carrying Beau through the tower and up all those stairs, Ethan needed to rest.
“Here,” he said, jutting his chin toward the wall.
Between the two of them, they were able to ease Beau down to the packed earth. Ryan backed away, still on the phone with the operator, but Ethan leaned close, taking Beau's face in his hands.
“Beau?” he said.
Beau gave him a weak smile. His blue eyes were hazy and wet. “Tiger,” he said.
“You were down there all this time? What happened?”
“Just had to check something,” Beau said. “Got careless. Surprised me.”
“What did?”
Ethan would have to wait on that answer. Beau's eyelids drooped. A chilly wind swept over the hilltop. Pressing his body close to Beau's, Ethan wrapped his arms around him. He didn't know what else to do. The girl had his jacket. After a moment he realized they were being watched.
Quickly, Ryan averted his eyes. He jerked a thumb over his shoulder and backed away. “I think I have a blanket in the car.” He ran off.
Ethan acknowledged him with a nod. When they were alone he pressed his lips to Beau's bloodied forehead. The skin was icy under his lips. He blinked the damp from his eyes.
“I'm sorry,” he said. He couldn't believe he'd puttered around at home feeling sorry for himself while Beau was stuck in that hell hole. It had been three whole days. When Ethan realized that, emotion filled his throat. He hugged Beau tighter.
He felt Beau's hand pat his leg. “It's okay,” he said in a rough whisper. “We're okay.”
Ryan came back not only with a blanket, but water and a couple of energy bars.
“Thank you,” Ethan said, meeting his eyes.
Ryan looked grimly down at him, phone still pressed tightly to his ear. “They're almost here,” he assured.
Chapter 8
Ethan counted the doors down the long hospital corridor until he found 415. With a deep breath, h
e poked his head in, unsure what to expect.
He found Beau awake and smiling at a laughing nurse. The sight stopped Ethan short. He stood dumbly in the door for a moment until they noticed him. If possible, Beau's eyes brightened even further.
“Ethan!” he greeted. To the nurse, he said, “This is my rescuer.”
“Big hero man,” she answered, sparing Ethan an appraising look. To Beau, she said, “I'll be back later. Be good.”
After she left, Ethan went to the bedside. “How are you? You look...”
Beau grimaced, touching the white bandage on the side of his head. “Not my best, I know.”
“Actually, I was going to say you look a lot better.” A lot better. Ethan remembered all too clearly his first glimpse of Beau on that worn, dirty mattress, his face dark with blood. In that moment, it seemed all too possible that Ethan had lost him for good.
The memory was too fresh. Ethan hid his emotions by making a slow turn about the room. “Got the place to yourself, huh? That's kind of amazing.”
“Isn't it?” Gesturing to a chair near the bedside, Beau said, “Sit down.”
Ethan hesitated. “I don't want to bother you. You're probably supposed to be resting.”
Beau dismissed that idea with a wave of his hand. “Are you kidding? I've rested enough. Sit down. I want to talk to you. I'm glad you're here.”
Ethan sat. “You are?”
“Of course I am. Ethan, thank you. I don't know how you did it, but if it weren't for you, I'm pretty sure I'd still be stuck down there. I'd probably be, well...” He trailed off.
Now there was a pleasant thought. “What happened down there, anyway? What were you looking for?” And what had he found?
“You already know I came up here for work. A couple hired me to find their daughter. Wealthy family, tech money. The girl is a little wild, according to her folks-and her Instagram. Anyway. Tracked her here with no issue, then she dropped off the map. That tower, though.”
“What about it?”
“She and her friends like to explore. The tower just seemed too interesting for them to pass up.”
“Sorry, but a rich girl hanging out in a creepy place like that? I don't know.” Ethan was doubtful.
“Normally I'd agree, but there are extenuating circumstances. Her sobriety, for one, and a history of falling under the sway of charismatic men.”
Ethan remembered poor, frightened Julia. “Jeez.” A thought occurred to him. “She didn't-?”
Beau saw immediately where he was going. “Clock me over the head? No.” He looked wildly pleased that Ethan had thought of it. “That was her charming beau. Luckily, she had a change of heart toward him after that. He wasn't keen to see her go and shut her in without a light.” Beau paused, frowning, and impulsively Ethan squeezed his hand. Mustering some cheer, Beau finished, “If it weren't for you, who knows what would have happened to her.”
“Or you.”
Beau acknowledged that with a wry smile. “The good news,” he added, “is her dear old folks are so grateful that not only are they footing the bill for my stay here in this luxurious resort, but they're also kicking me a pretty sizable bonus.”
“They'd better.” Ethan remained solemn. “You could have died.”
“I think they realize that, Tiger.”
Glancing down, Ethan realized his knee was bouncing with nerves. He stopped it. “So you're just going to take the money and that's it?”
“You're not suggesting I don't take the money.”
With an impatient roll of his eyes, Ethan said, “No. It's just, I don't know, anticlimactic.”
Softening his gaze, Beau rested his head against the pillows. “Not to me,” he said simply.
Ethan took his point. In a change of subject, he asked, “So when are you out of here?”
“As soon as I can be. Tomorrow morning, I think.”
Ethan could feel Beau's eyes on him as he gazed over his shoulder out the window. Staring at the treeline, he asked neutrally, “Then it's back home?”
“That's the plan.”
A thought occurred to Ethan. “You're not driving, are you?”
“I probably shouldn't. I could take the train.”
“Come on, don't do that.” Sucking in a deep breath, Ethan offered seriously, “I'll drive you.”
A loud, surprised laugh kicked out of Beau before the back of one hand flew to his mouth.
“What's so funny?” Ethan challenged.
“Sorry. It's just, I know how much you hate driving. Or has that changed, too?”
Somewhat defensively, Ethan answered, “I drive to work every day.”
Beau's laugh was more relaxed this time and he didn't bother hiding it. “All right, that's fair. Don't think I didn't notice the car. So, 19th Avenue, here you come?”
Ethan hesitated. The truth was that Ansel's narrow, winding mountain roads slowed everything down. It was pretty much guaranteed that any two points were a hop, skip, and a long, hard turn down a single lane road away from each other. That was before accounting for critters and cyclists.
In short, driving in Ansel was a far cry from the bumper-to-bumper, white-knuckled, stop-short-and-go terror of the city.
On the other hand, he had surprised himself a lot over the last week. “I'm not saying we make it a regular thing, but I could do it this once,” he said carefully.
“Just this once?” Beau asked quietly, a faint smile curving his lips.
Ethan shrugged. He was pretty sure they weren't just talking about driving anymore. But something still nagged at him.
It must have shown in his eyes, because Beau murmured, “What is it?”
It was absurd now, in light of what actually happened, but he still couldn't shake the idea that had taken grip in the days since Beau missed his call.
“So you're not seeing anyone?” he asked slowly.
Beau seemed surprised he would ask. “Of course not.”
“So no anyone, no Preston.” Ethan watched him carefully.
Silence filled the room and Beau looked at him with a strange expression.
“Preston?” Beau echoed. “Why would you bring him up?”
Tersely, Ethan answered, “Just, you know, since he's texting you.”
“Texting me?”
“Is there an echo in here?” Ethan muttered.
Beau was firm. “I am not with Preston.”
“So what was with that text the other night?”
Beau's expression turned to one of mild surprise, but he answered readily. “We're not together. That doesn't mean he won't still contact me sometimes.”
“For sex,” Ethan bluntly returned, shocking himself with his own aggression.
What was his problem? They'd only been back in each other's lives for a week and they definitely hadn't made any promises to each other. He didn't have the right to this sort of interrogation. Taking his hand back, he rubbed the heels of his palms over his eyes. “Sorry,” he muttered.
“It's all right.” Beau's response was easy, but his eyes were searching. “You thought I blew you off, didn't you? When I didn't call.”
Caught, Ethan's face grew warm. “I wondered, yeah,” he admitted. “I'm sorry. Maybe if I hadn't been so busy feeling sorry for myself I would have figured out something was wrong sooner.”
“Let's not go there. All right?” Beau waited for Ethan to silently agree before moving on, explaining gently, “Preston has been in and out of my life for a long time. Yes, he still contacts me sometimes, but we are not-emphatically not-together.”
“Okay. I'm sorry. That wasn't fair of me.”
“And you know, as long as we're on the subject of exes...” Beau gave him a meaningful look.
Ethan stared back, wheels turning. “You mean Ryan?”
“Don't look so shocked.”
“I told you, he's not my boyfriend.”
“Does he know that?”
“If he didn't before, I'm pretty sure he does now.” Ethan remembered how Rya
n had looked at him once he'd gotten Beau out of the tower. He frowned. “I was scared, Beau.”
“At the tower?”
Ethan nodded, looking at him. “Really scared. You looked...” He remembered the blood and swallowed hard. “...bad.”
“It's all right. I'm all right. Thanks to you.” Beau considered that. “And Ryan. I definitely owe him a big thanks.”
“Trust me, I'll pass it on.”
Beau gave him an arch look and Ethan rolled his eyes.
“Not like that. Come on.”
Beau's smile was teasing-and not a little tired. Resting his head against the pillows, he asked quietly, “Now, do you really want to talk about exes?”
“No.”
“I didn't think so.”
Finding Beau's hand again, Ethan said fervently, “I'm glad you're okay.”
“Trust me, so am I.” Beau's eyes drifted shut.
Ethan watched over him, his thoughts a perfect storm of wanting to say something and not sure how to say it. Beau must have sensed his turmoil, because his eyes opened and he gazed at Ethan calmly.
Emboldened, Ethan said in a rush, “I always feel like I missed my chance with you. When I saw you last week-I don't know. Then the other night...” He lowered his voice. “Being with you like that again was amazing.” Searching Beau's face for any response. “I forgot how good it could be.”
Yeah, the sex. Definitely the sex. But all the other stuff, too, like laughing over dinner, feeling like he was talking to someone who really, actually heard him. Catching Beau's eyes on him again and again, that heightened sense of attraction. Then there were all Beau's hungry glances and that feeling in Ethan's gut that something incredible was going to happen.
And after, when Beau's arms came around him, their legs a companionable tangle under the sheets. A furred chest under his cheek and Beau's voice a comfortable rumble in his ear. It was too much and too good for Ethan to let go. “I don't want to lose you again. I just couldn't do it back then. My head was all screwed up. I'm sorry.”
Beau shook his head. “Don't apologize for that. It made sense at the time. I know the trial was hard on you. It was hard for me and I wasn't the one sharing intimate details with a bunch of strangers. You did what you had to, you took care of yourself. I can't exactly fault you for that, can I?”