Without Warning

by Reese Knightley

  Ryder chuckled and tousled hair on the heads of the smaller ones as they darted past them and flew after the older kids back to the porch.

  Ryder took Harrison’s hand and drew him to the bottom of the steps.

  Gazing up into his father’s face, he returned his smile and curious gaze. Roman Freeman was a man he’d looked up to his whole life. As tall as he and his brothers, his father was broad shouldered and had a quick smile, with shrewd brown eyes that were filled with kindness.

  Ryder’s happiest memories were filled with his Dad holding him when he’d skinned a knee and coached him at little league practice. Roman had been there for his first date and wiped the tears away the night Ryder came out. His father’s love was a constant in his life, and the only time he hadn’t had the man’s approval was the day he’d married Warren.

  “Dad. This is Harrison,” he said around a lump in his throat.

  Roman Freeman held his stare a moment longer before turning his brown eyes on Harrison.

  “Mr. Freeman.” Harrison’s smile was so wide, the sun shone from his bright blue eyes. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir. Ryder talks highly of you.”

  “He does, does he?” his dad drawled, squinting at Harrison.

  “Yes, sir.” Harrison threw him a quick look and turned back to his father.

  “Ryder hasn’t said a thing about you, son, before his phone call earlier. I think you better come inside and fill us in.” Lines crinkled around his father’s brown eyes when the man suddenly smiled, and Ryder felt an overwhelming relief when the rest of the porch erupted in laughter. Roman offered his hand, and Harrison shook it.

  The rest of his brothers stepped up, shaking hands and getting introduced. Ryder and all of his brothers had the same build, dark coloring and brown eyes as his father, with the exception of Reed. His youngest brother was blond like their mother, with bright green eyes.

  “Harrison, this is from left to right, Randy, short for Randall, Richard, Romero, and Reed.”

  “All Rs?” Harrison gaped.

  “Yep! Mom and Dad had a R, r, r, r, really good time!” Randy said, wobbling his neck like a chicken.

  Harrison laughed delightedly along with the group. “I bet it was hard to call you all for dinner!”

  “You bet, but it was harder when we were in trouble,” Romero said. “I was called Ran-Rich-Ree-Romero, stop that!” his brother said in a high pitched voice.

  The laughter continued.

  “Oh, you boys quit!” The soft lilting sound of his mother’s voice floated behind his father. Gina Freeman elbowed his dad out of her way and stepped down the stairs and into his arms.

  “Mom,” he whispered, hugging her tight. Not a small woman, her blonde head reached the bottom of his chin.

  “Welcome home, sweetie,” his mom whispered before turning to smile at Harrison.

  “Welcome to our home, Harrison.” Gina reached out and took Harrison’s hand and held it. She studied him for so long, Harrison flushed beneath her look. Apparently satisfied with what she saw, she hugged the younger man and then tucked his arm into hers.

  “This is my wife, Laura,” Randy said, sliding an arm around his sister-in-law’s shoulder. Laura waived at Harrison from her spot beneath his brother’s arm. “And these two hellions are mine,” Randy continued, pointing to two of the children. “The other three are Romero’s.”

  “Now, we don’t expect you to remember all the names yet,” his mom said to Harrison with a smile and turned toward the house, tugging the bemused man with her.

  “Be ready for the test later!” Reed called to him jokingly.

  “I hope you like Shepherd’s Pie, Harrison.” His mother ignored her youngest child and continued through the door.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  His father clapped him on the shoulder when he drew near and pulled him into a tight hug.

  “Talk before dinner?” Ryder murmured quietly near his father’s ear.

  Roman nodded and they turned and followed the noisy group into the house.

  He didn’t realize how hungry he was until he smelled his mother’s cooking. Hell, even if he wasn’t hungry, her cooking would tempt him to eat a second meal.

  “Have a seat here, Harrison. Would you like some ice tea?” he heard his mother ask.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “So, tell me all about you.”

  Ryder huffed and shook his head. His mother wouldn’t stop until she knew everything. While Harrison was occupied with his mom, Ryder followed his father into the massive game room.

  “Not right now.” His dad shut the door in Randy’s face.

  “Oh, all right, but don’t hog him for long,” Randy called through the closed door.

  Roman shook his head with a smile and headed to the bar and stepped behind it. Ryder followed and took a seat at one of the stools that lined the fully stocked bar.

  Silence settled over the room until Roman poured them both a few fingers of bourbon.

  “You got trouble following you, son?” His father, retired from the Colorado Springs police department, turned shrewd eyes on him.

  “Yeah.”

  “Tell me what happened,” Roman said with a brief nod.

  He filled his dad in on the attack at the cabin and with everything he knew so far about the arrests and threats.

  “Gunner is making sure the cabin is secure.”

  Roman nodded. “What’s your relationship with Harrison? You’ve never brought a client home before.”

  “He fired me, so technically, he’s not a client.” He toyed with his glass.

  “So, it’s like that is it?” Roman chuckled into his own glass and took a swallow.

  “Yeah. Every time things get close to normal, something like today happens.”

  “That won’t always be the case. Do you want a relationship with him?”

  “I do. Badly. But we’ve only known each other a little over a month, and like I said, it’s been under extreme circumstances,” he admitted.

  “Bah. I call bullshit.” Roman eyed him. “I met your mother when I responded to a 911 call. We were married four months later with you on the way.” Roman quirked an eyebrow.

  Ryder returned his father’s smirk. He’d heard the story a thousand times, and it still made him smile the way his dad looked when he talked about his mother. He knew he wore the same look when he talked about Harrison.

  “I’ve fallen in love with him. But I’m scared.” He swallowed another sip, gripping the glass hard.

  “Don’t let what happened with Warren sour you on love or the institution of marriage.”

  “I’m trying.”

  What had happened with Warren had been unfortunate. He could see his part in all of it. He’d married for the wrong reasons. He’d wanted something like his dad and mom had and he’d settled for a person who couldn’t emotionally commit because he hadn’t been emotionally ready himself.

  “Everything happens for a reason and on its own time.”

  God, his dad was smart. Ryder felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his chest and he could suddenly breathe.

  “Is he anything like Warren?”

  “What? Hell no,” he sputtered.

  “Then try harder,” Roman said bluntly.

  He laughed. “I will.”

  A repetitive knocking on the door began and soon picked up with a rapid beat. It became clear that it was several pairs of hands and knuckles.

  Roman snorted. “Better let them in.”

  Ryder stood and strode to the door. He flung it wide, and his four brothers practically spilled in on their faces.

  “Come in, you goof balls.”

  The noise was loud as his four rambunctious brothers entered the room. He noticed Harrison standing hesitantly in the hallway, and he reached out a hand.

  Harrison brightened and took his hand and Ryder drew him into his arms and held him tight.

  “Awww, ain’t that so stinkin’ cute,” Reed teased.

  Ryd
er spun Harrison with his back to the room so he could flip his brother off behind his back.

  His brothers roared with laughter. He pushed Harrison back and looked down into his beautiful face.

  “Welcome to my home.”

  “Yeah, Harrison. Welcome! Now get in here and tell us how you met,” Richard, the brother just beneath him in age, said.

  Harrison laughed and took a seat at the bar. “I’ll need a drink for that.”

  “Don’t let them pressure you, Harrison. Richard, Romero, and Dad are all cops. They’d give you the third degree to see if you measure up,” Randy chortled.

  “No we won’t!” Romero, the third oldest, argued. “We’ll only give him the second degree.”

  “I’ll side with Randy!” Reed, the youngest, piped up and took a seat near Harrison. “Randy is a lawyer, and I’m studying to be a photo journalist, much to the chagrin of my family,” Reed finished.

  “Not even. You know we’re proud of you, baby brother,” Romero said, ruffling Reed’s hair. Reed swiped at Romero, and the pair got into a boisterous wrestling match in the open portion of the den.

  His father set a drink in front of Harrison and winked. “Better have something to knock the edge off.”

  “Be careful, Dad’s drinks pack a wallop,” he whispered near Harrison’s ear and nuzzled his temple.

  Harrison’s laughter rang out loudly, and Ryder found himself smiling with a happiness he hadn’t felt in a long time.

  The whiffle ball almost hit him in the head and he lifted his hand just in time to send it flying back away from his morning coffee cup.

  “Sorry, Uncle Ryder,” little Josh yelled.

  “Take it out to the big yard,” Gina shouted after the kids. They were soon bouncing off to the other side of the house.

  “Are you happy, sweetie?” his mother asked from her spot beside him on the wide front porch.

  “So much, mom,” he said gruffly, turning in his seat toward his mother.

  “I like him very much. I can see how much he loves you.”

  “You can?” He wanted to believe that more than anything.

  “Of course, just as I can see you love him.” She reached over and cupped his cheek.

  “It hasn’t been very long.”

  “You have all the time in the world to get to know each other. Enjoy it.”

  “Thanks, mom.” He bent over the chair arm and kissed her cheek.

  “Romero is officially single,” she probed.

  “So am I.”

  “Good. I’m glad the divorce is final,” she said fiercely. “And that’s all I’m going to say about that.”

  He shared a smile with her. “How’s Romero holding up?”

  “Oh, you know, it comes and goes, but with the job and three children, it keeps him pretty busy. He’s moved back home for a while.”

  “And you and dad don’t mind that a bit, do you?” he chuckled.

  “Nope!”

  “Will you take a drive with me into town tomorrow? There’s something I want to buy,” he said with a smile.

  “Of course, sweetie. And on that note, I need to help Laura with the breakfast pies.” She laughed, reached a hand to brush his cheek, and then hopped up to return inside the house. He smiled after her; she could never sit still.

  He took a slow sip of his coffee. The screen door creaked and Ryder roamed his eyes hungrily over the sleep tousled man that pushed through the door barefoot wearing sweats and a t-shirt. When Harrison blew at the hot steaming liquid in his coffee cup, Ryder adjusted himself.

  Harrison blinked at him sleepily and pouted. Placing the cup he held on the small table between the chairs, he climbed into his lap.

  Fuck, he was smitten. He wanted this man in his life in whatever capacity Harrison wanted.

  “Did you miss me?” Harrison whispered, nestling his head beneath his chin. He squeezed and held him close so he’d know just how much he hated them sleeping apart this past week.

  His phone buzzed, and he reached and plucked it off the table, checking the number.

  “I’ll be right back.” He nuzzled into Harrison’s temple and trailed several kisses down the side of his face before lifting him completely.

  “I’ll keep your spot warm,” the cheeky man said and curled into his vacant chair.

  He smiled and headed down the stairs and into the driveway. Phone to one ear and coffee in the other hand, he answered the call.

  “Hey, Logan, what’s up?”

  “I have some good news and bad news. The bad news is, Hayden found an online article of you both at the cabin at Lake Isabel. It was in the tabloid news. The reporter followed you from Boulder to the cabin and took pictures. You’re both in the photos. The article was published two days before you were shot at and mentions your exact location.”

  “Shit.” He sighed heavily.

  “The good news is we know who Harrison’s stalker is.”

  “What? Who?” His gut tightened.

  “It’s Shelby Clark. A week ago, the detectives got a call that Shelby had sabotaged the video feed and delayed the security getting back up online.”

  “I thought it was a system crash?”

  “That’s what we were told, but the detectives discovered it was sabotage.”

  “Crap.”

  “When Carson went to Shelby’s office, he found the janitor, John Lister, knocked out, hit over the head.”

  “Is John all right?”

  “Yeah. Came from behind, didn’t see the guy. John has a slight concussion but he’s going to be okay.”

  “And they’re positive it’s Shelby?”

  “Yeah. During a search, they found letters with the writing ‘you’ll pay’ in Shelby’s desk.”

  “Don’t forget they found a letter in Sheila’s office too,” he reminded Logan.

  “That they now suspect was planted there by Shelby. Plus, with John knocked out in his office and the system sabotaged? Combine that with the man obsessively asking Harrison out for a year, and they have a good case. Anyway, the latest is that the detectives are searching Shelby’s apartment as we speak. They haven’t yet located him.”

  “What the hell do you mean they haven’t located him?”

  “He’s been gone for several days, Ryder. That means he was probably the one that shot at you and Harrison at the cabin.”

  “Fuck.”

  “We have an all-points bulletin out. I have Jaxon, Brick, Felix, and Hayden out searching.” Logan said.

  “Good.” He hung up the phone and stood staring at nothing.

  “Hey you,” Harrison called over the distance. He drew in a breath, mustered a smile, and turned back to the porch.

  Harrison smiled and Ryder’s heart thumped as he closed the distance between him and the man who meant more than the world to him.

  The next afternoon, Colorado Springs was hot and the city was bustling when they arrived.

  The Italian restaurant was busy and his family loud. He smiled at Harrison, who held his own against the razzing and joking group as they walked down the sidewalk.

  “Mr. Trudel?” someone called out and Ryder spun. Harrison paused.

  “Go,” he ordered and his dad hurriedly ushered Harrison and the women and children inside the restaurant. His brothers turned and flanked him.

  “Was that Harrison Trudel?” The man, out of breath, came running up. Obviously a reporter by the camera and microphone in his hand.

  “No, wrong person.”

  “It sure looked like him.” The reporter stood on his toes to see past him, but Ryder blocked the guy.

  “It wasn’t,” he growled.

  The guy hesitated, but being faced with five large men, he wisely turned away.

  “Think that’s the end of it?” Romero asked.

  “Probably not. Damn it,” he muttered and turned to step inside the restaurant.

  Assaulted by the smell of spices and sauces, his stomach growled.

  As a family, they’d been coming to Bia
nchi’s Italian Bistro since he was a kid. His whole family knew the owner, Mario Bianchi, and his family.

  The hefty restaurant owner stood about five feet eight inches tall, wore his salt and peppered hair short, and his mustache bushy. Mario carried a smile a mile wide and his voice was as loud as the robust man himself.

  “Ciao, amico!” Mario cried a vivid ‘hello friend’ at Roman leading the way into the place. The two men embraced before Mario led the way to the very back and the long table that stretched the length of the far wall.

  Ryder waited for the long train of adults and children to step ahead of him and then he casually cased the place. Staying near the hostess station, he lifted a menu and slanted a look out the windows of the restaurant.

  Instead of following the group, Romero stepped to the small waiting room that was cut off from the outside windows. From there he could see his brother, but the outside couldn’t.

  “Think he’s gone?” Romero whispered.

  Ryder slowly shook his head negative. “No, and where there’s one, they’ll surely be others,” he stated as he casually made his way into the small waiting room. “They found us in Boulder.” He told his brother about the article. “They printed our location in the fucking news.”

  “Okay, well, let’s eat, and you two can hit the road.”

  “That’s the plan.”

  After a little over a week with his parents, he and Harrison were heading out. He wasn’t sure where to yet, but they’d all come into town for a goodbye meal.

  When he didn’t see any sign of the reporter, he aimed one last covert glance out the front window before he headed down the aisle, approaching the long rear table.

  Harrison wasn’t at the table.

  “Where’s Harrison?”

  “He went to the restroom,” Laura told him.

  “Shit!” He turned and ran.

  “Dad’s with him!” Reed called out.

  Ryder didn’t stop.

  Harrison

  He stepped out of one of the five stalls in the restroom and over to the sink to wash his hands. A man came out of the far stall and walked up to the sink next to him.

  Harrison gave the stranger a quick smile and reached for the soap.