by Alexa Land
“I know. I didn’t make it up, my manager did. Now I’m stuck with it.” I held the door for him, then followed him outside.
“It doesn’t make any sense. ‘Hunter Storm.’ What’s that supposed to mean? If it was reversed, it’d at least refer to one of those idiots that armors up his car and goes chasing after tornadoes.”
I chuckled at that and said, “Because those guys are a big draw in the porn industry.”
“Well, sure. They’re studs.”
“How did you search for me without a last name?”
“I searched ‘Hunter, gay porn, San Francisco.’ You’re all over the internet, by the way.”
“I know,” I said. “And it was that easy to find my real last name, huh?”
“Yup. Took me about ninety seconds.”
“Figures. There’s no such thing as privacy anymore.”
“Apparently not.”
Something occurred to me then, and I stopped short. A few people on the sidewalk had to quickly adjust their trajectory to avoid crashing into me. “While you were Googling me, did you…you know?”
“Watch any of your films?”
“Yeah, that.”
“Hell no. I wasn’t even drunk at that point, so how could I? As if a total homophobe like me would be able to watch a bunch of nekkid guys humping.” He faked a massive shudder, then took off down the sidewalk, a big grin on his face.
“That wasn’t a real answer. Did you or didn’t you?” I called after him. He just kept going. “Damn it, Brian!”
I jogged after him, and when I caught up, he said, “You know, if you’re worried about people actually watching your films, you’re in the wrong line of work.”
“I’m not worried about people watching them, I’m worried about you watching them.” He started to protest, but I cut him off by saying, “It doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that you may or may not have a problem with gay people. And you didn’t have to get all snippy this morning when I was trying to say this to you.”
“So, what is it then?”
“I guess I like the fact that there’s one guy in my life that hasn’t watched me getting fucked,” I told him. “You said I’m the only person you know that doesn’t treat you differently just because you’re in a wheelchair, and maybe it’s kind of similar. If you’d ever seen me in action, maybe you’d treat me differently.”
“I wouldn’t.”
“Maybe, maybe not. Still though, I like the fact that you only know Hunter Jacobs, and not Hunter Storm.”
He grinned at me. “Is there a special effect that goes with that name? Does lightning flash and thunder rattle whenever you appear on screen?” He simulated the sound of thunder – badly – and waved his hands all around.
I laughed at that and said, “Oh my God! Shut up about the name already!”
My phone rang and I pulled it out of my pocket, putting it on speaker and answering with a cheerful, “Hunter Storm here.” I then made the sound of thunder, doing an even worse job than Brian had. He burst out laughing.
Christopher said, “Well, thank goodness you’re alright, I’ve been worried. I heard what happened with Cole, and sent you a million texts.”
“Sorry. I haven’t checked my messages.”
“It sounds like you’re having fun, I’m glad. I was worried that the run-in with your ex might have upset you. Who’s that laughing in the background?”
“Brian.”
“Man that’s weird, you two palling around.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s like hanging out with a grizzly bear. Only a grizzly is less furry.” I winked at Brian, and he pretended to try to bite me, which made me laugh.
“It’s as if you know a different Brian, one from an alternate dimension.”
“Maybe that explains it. You’re on speaker, by the way. You know, just in case you’re about to call him a visitor from the Planet Douchebag, or something.”
Christopher laughed at that. “I’ll leave you and Invasion of the Body Snatchers Brian to your fun. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Kieran and I will be home in about an hour, by the way, if you still want to stay with us.”
“Actually, I think I’m going to return to my apartment after all. Thank you for the invitation, though.”
“Oh! Well, good. I’m glad you’re feeling better about that.”
“Only because I won’t be alone. Brian’s agreed to guard my body.” I wiggled my eyebrows at my companion, and he chuckled and rolled his eyes.
All Christopher said to that was, “Ah.”
“That was kind of a loaded syllable. I take it you don’t approve?”
“I never said that. Text me later, okay?”
“I will. Love you, honey.” I made kissing sounds into the phone.
“Love you, too, Hunter.”
When we disconnected, Brian asked, “Are you having an affair with my brother’s boyfriend?”
“Of course not. He’s my best friend, nothing more.”
“That’s too bad. If you were going to try your hand at being a home-wrecker, that’d be a good place to start.”
“Don’t be an ass. Kieran’s so damn lucky to have Christopher, and they’re completely, madly in love. You should be thrilled that your brother found such a sweet, beautiful, wonderful person.”
“Wow. Did they give you a t-shirt when you became president of the Christopher fan club?”
“He’s just a great guy. If you could stop being jealous for five minutes and get to know him, you’d see that for yourself.”
“I’m not jealous, exactly. Just resentful.”
“Well, at least you can admit that much.” My phone rang in my hand, and I answered it by punching the speaker button again. “Hello?”
“Hi there, babydoll.” The voice on the other end of the line was odd, distorted. It sounded mechanical, as if it was coming through a voice synthesizer.
“Who is this?”
“Good news, sweetheart. We’re going to be together really soon. I’ve been making plans, everything’s almost ready.”
Fear trickled down my spine, my mouth suddenly going dry. “Is this the person that’s been sending me those letters?”
Instead of answering, the stranger said, “You’ve been such a dirty little whore, letting all those men inside you, night after night. I’m going to have to punish you severely for that, you know. But then we can be together, just you and me, and no one will get to fuck my beautiful little babydoll ever again. No one but me.”
“Who are you?”
“See you soon, Hunter.”
The line went dead.
Chapter Six
I just stood there after the caller disconnected, staring at the phone in my hand, my heart racing. “Oh God,” I whispered.
“Breathe, Hunter,” Brian said. He took the phone from me, then held both my hands in one of his.
“Oh God,” I whispered again. “He’s coming for me.”
“Look at me.” I tried to focus on Brian, staring into his eyes, and he said, “Take a deep breath.” I did as he said, and it sounded ragged. “Again.” I pulled more air into my lungs, and he said, “Good. That’s good, Hunter. You’re okay.”
“I’m scared, Brian. I’m so scared.”
“I know, but I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I promise.” He let go of my hands for a moment and picked up the bag on his lap, then looped the handles over the arm of his wheelchair. “Come here,” he said, holding his arms out to me.
I climbed onto his lap and buried my face in his shoulder, and he held me tightly. I was shaking all over. “We should get off the street,” he said. “Where do you want me to take you?”
“I don’t know.”
“How about Christopher’s apartment? Do you want to go there?”
I nodded, then said, “But they’re not home yet.”
He kept his right arm, the one with the injured wrist, around me as he pulled out his phone and dialed with his left hand. When someone answered, he said, “Kier,
we have a bit of a situation. Hunter’s stalker just called and threatened him, and he’s really rattled. Can you and Christopher meet us at your apartment as soon as possible?” Kieran must have agreed, because Brian said, “Thanks,” and ended the call.
It only took a few minutes to hail a taxi and travel to their apartment. My friends were already there when we pulled up, standing on the sidewalk waiting for us, and Christopher grabbed me in a huge hug as soon as I got out of the cab. The four of us went into the gallery on the main floor of their building, and once we were inside with the door locked behind us, I climbed back on Brian’s lap as he repeated what the caller had said.
“Have you reported this yet?” Kieran wanted to know.
Brian shook his head. “We came straight here, Hunter’s really upset. We’ll call the police after he’s had a chance to calm down a bit.”
Christopher rubbed my back and said, “Let’s go upstairs and get you nice and comfortable on the couch.”
I nodded, but then remembered something and said, “There’s no elevator to your apartment. Brian can’t make it up there.”
“Don’t worry about me,” he said. “Just go upstairs with your friends, they’ll take care of you. I can wait down here.”
“No. I want you with me.”
“You do?” When I nodded, he said, “Okay, then I’ll climb the stairs on my hands and knees. Well, elbows and knees,” he amended, indicating his injured wrist.
“You can’t. What if you fall again? You already have a concussion.”
Kieran exclaimed, “Wait, what? Are you hurt, Brian?”
“I’m fine. Let’s just worry about Hunter.”
Kieran knit his brows and stared at his brother, who stared back levelly. Then he told me, “I can help Brian up the stairs. Go on up with Christopher, we’ll be there in a minute.”
“Just act as a spotter,” Brian told Kieran, as Christopher took my hand and led me to the back of the building. “And if I start to fall, for God’s sake, don’t catch me. Your back’s bad enough as it is.”
When we were all finally in the apartment and his chair had been carried up the stairs, Brian rolled up to me and smiled a little, taking my hand. “Where do you want me?”
“What do you mean?”
“Assuming you want to keep sitting on my lap, would you be most comfortable if I was in my chair, or on the couch?”
“Couch. But you don’t have to keep letting me do that. I know I’m being ridiculously needy, and—”
“Does it make you feel good? More secure?”
“Well, yes, but—”
“But nothing. And here’s a newsflash: I like it, too. If I didn’t, I really wouldn’t be offering you my lap. I’m not nearly that self-sacrificing.”
I grinned a little, and let him lead me to the couch. He executed a really graceful pivot, going down on one knee before swinging around onto the sofa, and I climbed on top of him. When he arms encircled me, I exhaled and relaxed.
Kieran didn’t quite know what to make of this, and asked, “So, um, are you two…dating?”
“No. We’re cuddling,” Brian said, traces of a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.
Kieran clearly had a million more questions, but decided to let it go for now. He and his fiancé settled on the loveseat, and he offered to call the police officer assigned to my case for me. When I agreed, he dialed the station.
After a short cop-to-cop discussion involving various call numbers and jargon, he hung up and said, “Detective Sanchez is going to access your phone records and find out where the call originated. And he’s pulled a couple officers to review the footage from your apartment building’s surveillance cameras. He’ll let us know what they find.”
“Thanks, Kieran.”
“You’re welcome.”
We were quiet for a few moments, and then I said, “I hate that I freeze up so badly whenever this guy does something. I’d always hoped I’d do okay in a crisis, but I’m just completely useless.”
Brian held me a little more securely as he asked, “Have you ever taken self-defense classes?” When I shook my head, he said, “You should look into that. It might make you feel a little more confident.”
“Plus, I’ll need those skills when this psycho comes after me. And it is when, not if,” I murmured, adding what he’d surely been thinking.
“If he does come after you, I’m going to do everything in my power to stop him,” Brian said. “I want you to know that. You aren’t in this alone.”
Christopher chimed in, “I know someone who teaches self-defense classes, she works with the homeless women at the community center where I volunteer. Want me to get in touch with her, Hunter?”
“Sure,” I said, and he immediately pulled out his phone and started texting, obviously glad to be doing something to help.
“If she’s not available, I can teach you a few moves,” Kieran said. “I learned a lot of self-defense during my police training.”
“Thanks, Kier. Only when your back’s better though,” I said.
He shrugged, “It’s not so bad.”
“Let’s see if Christopher’s person is available first.”
“Yeah, okay,” Kieran said. Then he added, “So, the fact that this person disguised his voice makes me wonder if it’s someone you know. Has Sanchez already asked for a list of people that might hold a grudge against you?”
“Like Cole,” Brian chimed in, and Kieran nodded.
“Detective Sanchez did ask, but I couldn’t think of any names to give him. Because like I said, no way is Cole capable of something like this.”
“Just today, he called you a slut in front of a bunch of people, and almost beat you up for talking to his date,” Brian said. “I think the police should at least ask him a few questions, find out if he has an alibi for the time that call was placed.”
I shook my head. “I can’t do that to Cole.”
“But you’re not a hundred percent certain of his innocence,” Brian reminded me. “You told me that some doubts were creeping in.”
“That’s just because this whole thing is making me paranoid,” I said. “I’d feel terrible sending the police to question him, he’d be so humiliated.”
“What if I talk to him? I’ll forego the uniform and just make it really low key,” Kieran suggested.
I mulled that over for a while, then said, “Well, I guess that would be alright. Just please be nice to him.”
“I will, I promise.”
“Thanks, Kier.” I settled back down on Brian’s chest, and he began slowly stroking my hair.
“I might as well go talk to him now.” Kieran got up and stretched.
“You don’t have to go right this minute, or even today,” I said. “Your back’s still bothering you.”
“It’s going to hurt whether I’m sitting here or having a conversation with your ex. I’ll get his address from Jamie, and I’ll take a cab over to his apartment since I’m taking muscle relaxants and shouldn’t drive. It won’t be strenuous. You’ll feel better if we can eliminate Cole as a suspect.”
I glanced up at Brian. “What’s with you Nolans acting like you’re fine, even when you’re injured? You’re tooling around with a concussion, and your brother’s hopped up on painkillers and acting like he could swim to Alcatraz.”
“It’s a mild concussion,” Brian said with a grin, “And swimming the bay would probably be good for Kier’s back, it’d loosen it right up.”
“It must be a macho cop family thing,” I said.
“Alright, I’m off to talk to Cole, I won’t be long.” Kieran kissed his fiancé goodbye, then left the apartment.
Christopher indicated his phone and told me, “Kaia is free in a couple hours, I asked her to meet us here. She’s going to do an intensive version of her introductory self-defense class, just for starters. If you like it, she said we can do a series of private lessons.”
“We?”
“Yeah. I thought I’d do them with you, if
that’s okay,” Christopher said.
“I’d like that.”
Kaia Anderssen looked like any other thirty-something Yoga babe at first glance. She was short and compact, dressed in cropped sweats, a purple tank top and hoodie, her light brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. When she effortlessly flung me over her shoulder and then pantomimed driving her heel into my throat, during the ‘advanced techniques’ demonstration that I’d been dumb enough to ask for, I revised my opinion of her. The woman was a total badass.
“You okay?” she asked, hoisting me up onto my feet. “That exercise mat’s not very well padded.”
“Fine,” I lied, shaking off the impact. “Can we take a short break? I need some water.” And an ambulance.
“Sure thing.”
“I’ve never worked out that hard,” Christopher said as he led us to the kitchen and grabbed some drinks from the fridge. Kaia’s teaching method was all about muscle memory. She’d show us a basic defense move, then have us do rep after rep after rep. It also functioned as strength training, which was another goal of her classes.
“Thank you so much for doing this on short notice, Kaia,” I said as we settled in around the kitchen table. “It’s exactly what I needed today.”
“You’re welcome. I’m just glad I was able to shift my schedule around. When Christopher told me what you’ve been going through, I wanted to get started as soon as possible. I figured it’d be valuable for you to take a proactive approach like this.”
“That’s exactly why this feels so good,” I said. “I feel like I’m replacing helplessness with action.”
She smiled and toasted me with her bottle. “That’s what I like to hear.”
Kaia left after another half hour of training, setting a time to meet the next day and assigning homework before she took off. Once she left, my friend fell onto the couch. “Man, was that strenuous. Am I totally ripped now? I feel like I should have the body of a Greek God after that.” Christopher flashed me a smile.
“You totally do. I’m going to start calling you Zeus,” I said with a wink, then began doing my homework. This particular move combined driving a heel into the top of an assailant’s foot, bringing a knee up into the groin, and striking the nose with the fleshy part of the palm, all in rapid succession. I did it over and over again, trying to ingrain it so deeply that it would come to me automatically when I needed it.