by DJ Monroe
Not seeing David’s truck, he ran back into Paddy’s where Slick was still sitting with the two officers.
“Slick, do you know where David is right now,” Lincoln demanded, his voice trembling with rage and fright and a whole list of other emotions he could not have named had he tried.
All three men looked up, concern clouding their features.
Slick shook his head. “No.”
“Was he coming here tonight?” Lincoln all but shouted.
Several heads turned in their direction at Lincoln’s outburst and both police officers were on their feet immediately.
Slick looked terrified. “I don’t know.”
“What’s happened?” Officer Anders asked quietly.
“I saw someone in here. Someone I know. They left. I followed them out to talk to them but they’re nowhere in sight,” Lincoln fought down panic that threatened to spiral out of control. If something happened to Colton...
“And you think this guy did what? Grabbed him right off the street?” Officer Milton asked.
Once the words were out, Lincoln realized how silly it sounded. No matter how surprised Colton would be, he would not go quietly.
“That’s not his MO,” the other officer said.
Lincoln calmed down somewhat. “I know. I just panicked there for a moment.”
“Okay, there’s not much more we can do here tonight,” Officer Milton said. “Can I get both of you to come down to the station in the morning and pick this guy out of a lineup?”
Both Lincoln and Slick nodded.
“And if you feel like you’re in danger tonight...”
“He won’t be,” Lincoln said quickly, the words coming out of his mouth surprised him. “He’s coming home with me tonight.”
Chapter Fifteen
Colton hated the idea of going to Paddy’s. He was supposed to be having dinner someplace nice and quiet with Lincoln. He had been looking forward to it all day, longing to get to know this man better in hopes that it might grow into, the very least, a new friendship. He promised himself he would deliver the ring and get out of there as quickly as he could.
Lincoln might be looking for him at his apartment that very moment.
Initially, Colton was shocked to see Richard and Grant sitting together there in that noisy bar. He shouldn’t have been surprised, though. Richard was friends with both of them and Paddy’s was one of Richard’s favorite places to hang out. It was only natural that he and Grant meet up there every once in a while.
Evidently this was one of those evenings.
But seeing them there together triggered some thoughts that Colton didn’t even want to entertain. They told himthat they’d just accidentally run into each other and Richard had asked him to stay for a while. But the explanation didn’t ring true. It sounded hollow somehow.
“I can’t stay,” Colton told them even after Richard ordered him a beer. “I have plans.”
“Oh,” Grant said, eyebrows raised in a question.
Colton ignored that. “I just wanted to make sure to give you the ring. I know how much it means to you,” he said, sliding the small box across the table.
Grant opened it and covered his face with one hand, taking a little shaky breath. “I knew I’d left it, but I was afraid if I told you, you might do something with it,” he confessed.
“No,” Colton said, alarmed that Grant would even think that. “No, I would never do anything to destroy something that was this precious to you.”
He stood, as did Richard and Grant. For an awkward moment, Colton thought Grant was going to hug him. He wasn’t sure if he could keep himself under control if that happened, so he extended his hand and they shook.
Just like strangers.
“So, Richard, I guess I’ll see you around,” Colton said.
“Sure, bro, I’ll give you a call tomorrow,” Richard said.
Colton was pretty sure he wouldn’t hear from Richard for a while.
Both he and Grant returned to their seats and Colton turned to leave feeling more alone than he had in weeks.
That’s when he spotted Lincoln sitting at a table with three men.
Lincoln, who promised he wouldn’t come back down here and pick up guys. Lincoln who knew, first hand, just how dangerous this could be. And still, there he sat.
More disappointed than he had a right to be, Colton headed for the door, slammed through it and hurried out into the night. He spotted a cab on the corner, hailed it and told the driver to just drive, anywhere. He didn’t care where.
While Colton sulked in the back seat, he went back over what he had seen. Richard and Grant sitting together at that table had been one surprise but seeing Colton there when they had made plans to have dinner together was another.
One of the men sitting with Colton at the table looked particularly rough, like he’d been in a fight. The other two were clean cut and distinctly out of place. So that’s why Lincoln hadn’t answered his door. He wasn’t even at home. He was here in this, this dive, a place he knew was dangerous.
And evidently he’d forgotten all about their dinner date.
Maybe Lincoln wasn’t the trustworthy friend he had imagined him to be.
Disappointment and loneliness flooded through him and he was content to just ride in silence, in the dark in the back seat of a cab while tears flowed silently down his face.
BOTH POLICE OFFICERS gave Slick questioning looks.
Slick looked as surprised as Lincoln felt after making the offer, but finally nodded. “If you’re sure. I don’t want to be any trouble.”
“No trouble,” Lincoln said, wondering if he’d made a mistake. What if David came looking for Slick?
He’d promised himself that he would never bring anyone home from this place again, but this was a different situation. In the back of his mind, all he could really think about was locating Colton who was probably safe at home wondering why Lincoln was down at Paddy’s instead of dinner with him.
There would be some explaining to do, but he hoped this wouldn’t ruin their friendship.
“And you’ll both come to the station first thing in the morning,” Officer Anders reminded them.
Both men nodded.
Lincoln and Slick followed the two officers out of the bar who went to separate vehicles and drove away.
“I don’t live far,” Lincoln told him. “We can walk.”
“The friend you were looking for means a lot to you, doesn’t he?” Slick asked as they walked along the darkened sidewalk. Traffic was light.
“He does,” Lincoln said. He hadn’t realized just how much until the moment he thought something had happened to Colton. “More than I realized.”
They reached the apartment building and climbed the stairs to the third floor. Lincoln unlocked his door and showed Slick inside. “Welcome to my humble abode,” he said.
“Hey, it’s better than my place,” Slick said looking around.
“If you want to shower, everything is in the bathroom and I probably have some sweats you can wear,” Lincoln said, knowing that he still had some clothing of Jon’s. They would probably just about fit.
“Thanks,” Slick said.
“The man I was looking for lives across the hall. While you shower, I’m going to go see if he’s home,” Lincoln said.
Slick nodded, understanding showing in his eyes. “Take your time.”
After making sure Slick had everything he needed, he crossed the hall and knocked on Colton’s door. The note he’d left there was gone, so he was sure Colton had seen it.
There was no answer, which didn’t make him feel any better.
He knocked again, louder and even called out Colton’s name.
No response.
Disappointed and still worried about Colton’s whereabouts, Lincoln returned to his apartment. Slick was still in the shower. He stood there in the kitchen, heart thudding in his chest wondering what to do next. He wouldn’t be able to rest until he made sure Colton was safe.
Then he heard the familiar rumble of the elevator.
“Colton,” he said aloud and rushed back out into the hall.
It was a woman walking away from him toward the other end of the building.
He had not had dinner and thought Slick might be hungry as well, so he made grilled cheese sandwiches for both of them and opened a couple of cans of soup. They sat at the table across from each other chatting while they ate. Listening for the familiar rumble of the elevator, all Lincoln could think about was Colton and making sure he was safe.
Slick yawned and stretched. “That shower and the good food made me sleepy,” he confessed. His voice dropped an octave and he reached for Lincoln’s hand. “Is your bed big enough for both of us?”
Almost embarrassed at the question, Lincoln shook his head. “No,” he said, gently pulling his hand away. “I’ll fix a place for you on the sofa.”
“Okay, if that’s the way you want it,” Slick said, looking surprised.
“That’s the way I want it,” Lincoln said, absolutely sure of this decision.
Once Slick was settled, Lincoln went into his room, closed the door and lay down across the bed. He promised himself he wouldn’t sleep until he spoke with Colton but he must have dozed off. He woke up to the sound of snoring coming from the living room, which startled him until he remembered that Slick was in there asleep. He rolled over onto his back, hands behind his head, and gazed at the ceiling.
And then he heard the elevator again or at least he thought that’s what he heard. Jumping out of bed, he hurried through the dark apartment and opened the front door. The hall was empty but this time he saw something he hadn’t seen before. The green sticky note he’d left on Colton’s door was lying face down smashed up against the edge of the wall. It was a miracle he’d spotted it at all.
“It must have come unstuck from his door,” he said to himself as he stepped out into the hall and picked it up. That’s when he saw another note on his side of the hall, face down in almost the same position. This one written on what looked like notebook paper with a red pen and it had a single piece of scotch tape that looked like it had been collecting fuzz all evening.
“What the hell?” he muttered as he stooped to pick it up. As he read it, he began to smile. This note was from Colton and explained why he’d been at Paddy’s. At the end Colton had written that he was looking forward to their dinner plans, which made Lincoln smile.
If Lincoln’s note had fallen off the door before Colton got home, maybe he hadn’t even seen it at all and had no idea where he was. That explained Colton’s reaction to seeing him at Paddy’s.
God, had Colton thought he just stood him up and went down to Paddy’s for a good time?
Had he managed to wreck their friendship even before it began?
Now, a different kind of panic hit Lincoln. A glance at his watch, told him it was late, really too late to be bothering Colton, but he wouldn’t feel good until he laid eyes on the man and explained why he had been at Paddy’s. He held the proof of his good intentions in his hands. Whether Colton was mad at him or not, he had to make sure he was safe.
He knocked softly at Colton’s door.
No answer.
He knocked again, a little bit louder and listened intently. If Colton was asleep, he didn’t want to frighten him.
No answer. No sound from within.
Lincoln returned to his apartment, moved silently back to his room so as not to disturb Slick and lay down across the bed, nearly sick with worry. If he had caused Colton to get hurt in any way, he would never forgive himself.
FINALLY, COLTON REALIZED the cab was just driving around in circles, the fare rising with each trip. He equated that to his real life, just going around in circles, trying to fix everyone else, thinking he and Grant were solid. He needed to go home and think this through. He instructed the driver to take him home and gave the address. Out of habit now, he checked the mail and then pushed the UP button on the elevator. It rumbled somewhere in the building but didn’t move.
He stood there waiting, wondering why Lincoln had stood him up just to go down to Paddy’s. He needed someone in his life he could trust, someone stable and secure. If he couldn’t trust Lincoln any more than this, he was glad they had never gotten any closer. But the man was beautiful and, even though nothing had happened between them, sharing his bed with Lincoln had felt so right, so good.
The elevator made a strained, cranking rumbling sound again but didn’t sound like it was any closer.
With a sigh, he gave up and headed toward the stairwell. Stairs were scary enough but now it was dark, too. His shoes made little shuffling sounds as he took the first flight of concrete steps. Then, he suddenly had the distinct feeling that someone was following him. Or they were going to reach out of the darkness and grab him any moment. His imagination sent him flying up the steps, taking them two at a time. When he burst onto the third floor, he was out of breath and trembling from head to toe.
At his apartment, he panicked for just a moment, afraid he had forgotten his keys. Then he heard the familiar jingle and found them in his pocket. He let himself in and locked the door securely behind him. Peeling off his clothes, which felt dirty and stinky, he took a quick shower and crawled into bed naked. He loved sleeping naked, loved the way the cool sheets felt against his bare skin. Then he caught a whiff of Lincoln’s exotic, spicy scent and on the pillow felt more alone than ever.
By morning, Colton had made up his mind that he was going to give Lincoln a chance to explain himself. Maybe there had been extenuating circumstances he hadn’t thought of. He couldn’t imagine what they might be, but the man deserved a chance. Who was he to judge? After another quick shower and a cup of coffee, he crossed the hall and knocked on Lincoln’s door.
No answer.
He knocked again, harder this time but there was still no answer.
So, if Lincoln was out running an errand, it had taken all night. There was only one kind of situation that took all night and Colton sighed as he returned to his apartment.
Chapter Sixteen
After a night of fitful sleep, Lincoln got up and showered. He felt somewhat better after rousing Slick and getting him moving. Wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that Jon had left behind, Slick’s eye and lip looked better, but it was still pretty obvious David had really roughed him up. Lincoln told him to keep the clothes and then, with little hesitation, gathered up all the clothes Jon had left behind, placed them in a bag and gave them to Slick.
“Are you having second thoughts about going to the police station with me this morning?” Lincoln asked while they stood face to face at the breakfast bar drinking coffee.
“No,” Slick answered. “The faster we get him put away, the less people he can rob.”
“And you won’t have to hide out from him,” Lincoln reminded him.
Slick gave him a level look. “I’ll always have to hide from someone. It comes with the lifestyle.”
Lincoln had no idea what he meant, but a knock at the door interrupted his next question. God, how he hoped it was Colton. He opened it and a smile lit up his face when he saw the group of boys.
“Mr. Lincoln, can you come out to play with us today?”
“Sorry, guys, not this morning. I have to be somewhere first thing. Maybe I’ll catch up with you later.”
Groaning and protesting and voicing their disappointment, the group made their way toward the stairwell. When he heard them pounding down the stairs, he closed the door.
Slick gave him a questioning look.
Lincoln shrugged. “Just some kids in the neighborhood. We have a game of basketball every Saturday morning. I coach and talk to them and then take them to lunch generally.”
“Sounds like fun,” Slick said, giving Lincoln a different look this time. “You’re a strange cat, Mr. Lincoln.”
“Let’s go,” Lincoln said, brushing the statement aside.
Lincoln thought the police station seemed awfully busy
for a Saturday morning. Or maybe it was always busy on Saturdays. Either way, people were coming and going, phones ringing and half a dozen conversations going on all at the same time.
The officer at the front desk looked surprised to see Lincoln and Slick entering the station.
“We’re here to see Officer Anders,” Lincoln told him.
Before the officer could respond, Anders approached them. He looked more relaxed than Lincoln had seen him the night before even though today he was in uniform.
“Come on back, guys.”
Walking beside him, Lincoln could sense Slick’s nervousness, his footsteps faltering as if, now that he was here, he was reluctant to make his way to the back of the station.
“It’s going to be okay,” Lincoln said, pausing to let Slick catch up with him.
Slick didn’t look any happier about the situation but he entered the interview room.
“One at a time,” Officer Milton said, blocking Lincoln’s path.
Slick looked downright terrified.
Lincoln nodded his assurance and the door closed.
Just moments later, the door opened and Slick stepped out with Anders right behind him.
“Wait here,” Anders told Slick.
In the interview room, Lincoln sat in the same chair he’d used when he was there to report the theft. He began to feel as nervous as Slick had looked. What if he picked the wrong guy? What if David wasn’t in the lineup?
“This is a photo lineup,” Anders explained and began placing pictures, mug shots, of men in front of him.
There were two rows, three in each row.
“Take your time and make sure,” Anders said. “And if you don’t recognize anyone, just tell us that, too.”
Lincoln spotted David right away. He would never forget that face, those eyes. Still, he studied the pictures carefully, going over each one several times. Then he pointed to the picture of David.