by L. Michael
“It’s about Henry, we…” Jakob started, but then Sam put his cup down so quickly that he spilled some coffee over the table.
“I didn’t mean to snoop. I was just curious after I met Henry, and after what Des told us about him. I only wanted to know what had happened to him to see if there was anything we could help him with. Then I found…nothing. I mean nothing. Literally. Twelve years ago, Henry Reed didn’t exist.”
“Wait…what?” Confused, I looked between them. Jakob sighed and put his hand on Sam's leg, trying to calm him down. “Jakob?”
“We all saw how scared Henry was, and we wondered about the reason. Then Des told us what he knew, and Sam decided to do a little research on Henry.”
“I wasn’t snooping. I promise.”
“Shhh, it’s okay, Baby.” Jakob kept rubbing his back, and I watched him trying to calm his Boy down. Sam was an IT specialist. It had been his job to do all sorts of background checks and research during his time with the police. I would never have pegged him as the snooping guy. Still, I wondered why he had been digging into Henry’s life.
“Calm down, Sam, no one is accusing you of snooping. But you did a little research on Henry and you…found something?”
“Yes. I mean, um no.” Sam wailed. He cleaned his nose and looked at Jakob before he looked at me with a sigh. “I found nothing. Until twelve years ago, there was no record of Henry Reed. Henry Reed suddenly appeared.”
Twelve years ago. Henry was twenty-six now, which meant that he had been fourteen at the time. He was fourteen when he lost his hearing. It was the incident Henry never spoke about. Before I could ask any questions, Sam continued, “I looked into the paperwork at the hospital.”
My eyebrows raised at that, and I looked to Jakob, who groaned.
“Don’t ask. Let me just assure you that Sam won’t get into trouble for it. Well, we hope.”
If that was supposed to calm me down, it didn’t work. “You hacked into the hospital’s records?” Sam’s blush was all the answer I needed. “Are we having this talk because you need a lawyer?”
“No. We’re having this talk because Henry is…” Jakob stopped himself, took a deep breath, and then leaned forward to look me straight in the eye. “It’s bad, Caden, like really bad, and I’m sorry. But I think you need to know the details.”
“Know what?” What the hell is going on here? I knew Sam was crazy skilled, and whatever it was, it had him in tears and utterly devastated.
“Tell him, Baby.” Jakob encouraged Sam with a gentle nudge to his side. “Tell him from the beginning.”
“I like Henry, and I was curious. Des told us that Henry lost his hearing in some sort of accident and that Ava got custody when he was fourteen,” Sam finally said quietly. “He seemed so scared when he came into the Rainbow Room. Des told us that Henry pretty much lives the life of a hermit. I was wondering what had happened to him and if there was anything we could do to help him. You know to make him feel safe with us. So, I did some research, and as I said, I found nothing until he was fourteen.”
“Okay.” Now I could follow where Sam was going. “So, you hacked into the hospital server to find any records of Henry and his accident?”
“Yeah. According to the paperwork on file, Henry was in a car accident, and his parents died.” I watched Sam exchange a look with Jakob, who nodded at him. “Um, it’s just. There wasn’t any car accident documented anywhere in the tri-state area.”
“And that raised red flags, and had you dig deeper?” His nod was so small if I weren’t looking at him, I would have missed it. Suddenly I couldn’t breathe properly, so I loosened the knot of my tie. After all my years as a victim’s rights lawyer, I heard stories like this before. People would disappear after dangerous accidents, or some victims staged their deaths to get away from their abusers. My mouth opened, but I couldn’t make words come out. I cleared my throat and tried again. “What did you find?”
“I didn’t find a car accident, but…” Sam stopped and looked at Jakob before he kept on talking. “The same day Henry was admitted to the hospital here in New York, a fourteen-year-old died in Kentucky from identical injuries. Identical.”
“Ok. Then I am assuming you found a connection.” They had to have found a connection. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be here and telling me all this. “What about Ava? She got custody, right?”
“She did, yes. But Ava isn’t Ava either,” Jakob answered, and if I had any doubts that we were talking about something serious, I would believe it now. “Thirty years ago, Ava or Andrew Reed didn’t exist either.”
“But she’s his aunt?”
“According to Des, she is, yes. And Des told us that Ava, well she went by Andrew back then, came to New York and changed his name. He ran away from home when he was twenty.” Jakob exchanged a look with Sam, who’d started to cry again. “Andrews's real name is Peter Altmann. The young kid who died in Kentucky was Michael Altmann, his nephew.”
“So what? You think that Henry is Michael Altmann?” Suddenly I wished I had asked Olivia to bring something stronger to drink. This conversation called for a more potent drink.
“We know that he is Michael Altmann, Caden.” Jakob pulled Sam onto his lap and just held him until his sobbing quieted down. “When Sam told me what he found out, I knew he would dig in deeper and do something stupid. Like hacking the FBI.”
“He hacked the FBI?”
“Well kind of, yeah. The FBI investigated the case of the murder of Michael Altmann.”
“Murder?” I had a hard time following what they were telling me. Henry wasn’t Henry. The involvement of the FBI. His…fake death. Because Henry was well and alive, not exactly well, but he was alive. “What the hell, Jakob?”
“I called a guy I know in Quantico. All he could tell me was that it was all hush, hush. But he knew the FBI decided to let Michael Altmann die that night. They got him out of Kentucky and faked his death. That was all he could say because everything else is classified,” Jakob said. Then Sam sat up and looked at me.
“But that was enough information for me to work with. It wasn’t hard to find the trial records. Robert Altmann was charged with first-degree murder but pled guilty to manslaughter and got twenty years. Robert…he’s…he’s Henry’s brother.” More tears spilled over, then Sam sobbed out, “His brother tried to beat him to death because he’s gay.”
“Shh, Sam. Remember that Michael is not dead, Baby.” Jakob tried to calm him down again. “He’s okay and alive. Henry is okay and alive.”
“I know, but…his brother.”
“That’s how he lost his hearing.” That was probably why he never talked about how he got his injuries. He was horrified that his brother had beaten him almost to death. Henry had only shared with me that he nearly died that night. God. I rubbed my face, took a deep breath.
“That’s not everything,” Jakob said quietly, getting my attention again.
“There’s more? Isn’t a faked death and new identity enough?”
“I’m sorry, Caden,” Jakob said with a sigh. “But I think you need to know everything.”
“Okay.” As far as I was concerned, I knew enough already. But I knew Jakob wouldn’t put me through this if it weren't necessary.
“Michael Altmann was…is the son of Richard Altmann. Ava’s older brother.” Jakob took a deep breath before he continued, “Richard Altmann is some sort of…leader.”
“Leader? Are we talking about some sort of cult?” Of course. That would make perfect sense and explain why both Henry and Ava had to escape.
“Worse. It’s a cult, yes, but not a religious one. We’re talking about a white supremacy cult. That’s why the FBI marked the file classified,” Jakob explained, and all I could do was stare at him. My mind was having a hard time comprehending what he was saying. “The compound is in Northern Kentucky, and the cult had been on the FBI’s watchlist for years, but they never had enough to shut it down. They’ve been gathering evidence for years. Henry’s assault was
not simply homophobic, Caden. It was a real hate crime because he’s gay. They’re Nazis, Caden. They’ve built their world on this compound with only white, straight people living there.”
“And…Henry grew up there?”
“Yes. Henry did not attend a public school either. The compound has it’s own school to teach their ways.”
“Is he…safe?” Suddenly all the security systems Henry had installed made much more sense.
“According to my contact within the FBI, he is, yes. No one ever looked into his death, and it was twelve years ago.” Jakob nodded and tried a reassuring smile. “I didn’t tell you that because I’m worried about Henry Caden. I told you because I think you need to know, and more than likely, Henry won’t tell you.”
“No, you’re right.” Henry had already said that he never talked about how he lost his hearing. He would never tell me any of this. “Thank you.” I dropped my head into my hands.
“Are you okay?”
“No. No, I’m not okay.” How could someone be okay after hearing any of this? “I’m ok with you, Sam. I’m not mad at you.” I looked up and saw Sam still cuddled up on his Daddy’s lap. “I need to see Henry.”
“Of course. We’ll leave.” Jakob nudged Sam to get up. “If you need anything, let us know.”
“Thank you.” The shock prevented me from saying more than that. After what Jakob and Sam just told me it was…well, it was…there weren’t words for it. I got out of my chair to at least say a proper goodbye. Sam caught me off guard when he threw himself at me and hugged me tightly. Man, I’d heard about Sam’s killer hugs.
“I’m so sorry, Caden.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Sam, and it was right to come and tell me. Thank you for coming here and telling me,” I assured him and forced a smile when he let go. Then I turned to Jakob and nodded. “Thank you for coming personally and letting me know.”
“Of course. And remember, Henry’s alive and safe.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. But you know as well as I do, I need to see it for myself.” After I led Jakob and Sam out of my office, I went back to my desk.
Caden: Hey, my sweet Boy. Do you have any plans for the rest of the day?
Henry: Hi, Daddy! Just tidying up and grooming Charlie, so he looks pretty for tomorrow.
Caden: How would you like to start our weekend a little earlier?
Henry: For real? Like now?
Caden: Yes, like now.
Henry: YES! Hurry! But don’t drive too fast. I need you to get here in one piece!
Caden: I promise. I’ll drive safely. I’ll see you in about an hour, Little Boy.
As a response, I got a dancing Lama gif that made me smile. That was what I needed right now. Not only to make sure that he was alive and well but because my Daddy mode kicked into high gear. Just caring for Henry would drive out the images I had conjured of Henry growing up on a white supremacy compound. Not to mention the pictures my mind created hearing that Henry had gotten beaten almost to death. My first instinct was to wrap him in bubble wrap and hide him away, but that was not feasible. Wrapping him up in a huge hug would have to do.
Chapter 7
Henry
At first, I was surprised that Caden wanted to come over today instead of tomorrow morning. But the more I thought about it, the more excited I got. It meant we got to spend even more time together. Time couldn’t move fast enough. For the next hour, I sat with my nose pressed against my nursery window, waiting for my Daddy to arrive. After what seemed like forever, his black SUV pulled into the small parking lot.
Daddy is here. Scampering off my bench, I was internally squealing. Happily, I skipped through my apartment. The alarm system got shut off, and I rushed out the door. When I got out of the building, Daddy was pulling two big travel bags out of his trunk.
“Daddy.” Caden whirled around. “You’re here.”
“I told you I’d be here within an hour.”
Nodding, I threw myself at him and hugged him tightly. Caden must have dropped his bags because I felt his arms around me, hugging me back. After a moment, he pulled back so I could see his lips.
“Why are you down here? You shouldn’t unlock the alarm without knowing that I was here?”
“I watched the street from the window in my playroom. I saw your car,” I responded with a frown.
“Right, yes.” Caden closed his eyes and hugged me again before he stepped back. “I’m sorry.” I watched as he took a deep breath, and then a smile appeared on his worried face. “I just want you to be safe.”
“I am safe.” I switched to signing again after he released me. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes, my sweet Boy.”
Frowning, I looked up at him. Something seemed to be off with Caden. “You said that you had to work late today, but now you’re here and worrying about me.”
“You know, sometimes Daddies are needy, too.”
“And you needed me?”
“Yes.” Caden swallowed hard, then reached out and gently stroked my cheek. “Yes, I needed you, so I took some time off to spend it with you.”
Oh. Daddy missed me. It probably made me the most selfish person on the planet, but I was happy that he wanted to spend time with me instead of working late. I smiled at him, then looked at the bags.
“Do you want me to help you with these? What is all this anyway?” With my question, Caden visibly relaxed and grinned at me.
“Food, clothes, and a couple of surprises for my Boy.”
“Surprises? What kind of surprises? Fun ones? Will I like them?” I asked out loud because my hands were busy, reaching for the bags. But that only earned me a slap to my hand, and I couldn’t help the grin spreading over my face.
“If you think slaps are funny, I should start spanking your cute bottom instead.”
Oh, yes, please. But I said, “Owen was here yesterday and slapped my hand, too. And I told him that only my Daddy could do that.”
“Is that so. Who’s Owen?”
“My agent. We met in college and became great friends. He was the editor for my first book and then became my agent.”
“Ok. No, let Daddy take those, sweetie. You can take the shopping bag and open the door for us,” Caden said when I reached out for one of the bags.
I shrugged and took the paper bag out of the trunk, peeking inside. “Fruit Loops. Can I have some when we get upstairs?” My answer was all over Caden's face. There was no smile, just a raised eyebrow. “Or maybe I can have them for breakfast? What about a cupcake? Can I have one of those?”
“I knew it was a bad idea to buy all this sweet stuff.” But then Caden leaned down and kissed my nose. “Come on, Cupcake. Let’s go upstairs.”
Nodding, I beamed at Daddy and mentally jumped up and down and did a happy dance. He brought me sweets and called me Cupcake. Now I officially had a cute nickname along with Little Boy. Yes!!! Caden must have really missed me.
While I carried the grocery bag into the kitchen, Caden walked into my bedroom. I got distracted by all the goodies he bought. There were cupcakes, fruit loops, chicken nuggets shaped like dinosaurs, and smiley shaped fries. But there were also fruits and vegetables. I scrunched up my nose when I saw the broccoli. I put everything away but left the cupcakes out. They were my favorite: white chocolate with a raspberry filling. I turned around to ask Daddy if I could have one but stopped dead in my tracks.
Caden had taken off his jacket, loosened his tie, and he rolled his sleeves up to his elbow. Man, no wonder people had arm fetishes. Hottest Daddy ever. While I watched him, he had something that looked like a stuffed fish in his hand. Looking around the apartment, he shook it a couple of times, and I could see his lips calling out for Charlie. After a few seconds, Charlie came strolling over from behind the couch and sniffed the air…and went bonkers. Laughing, Caden threw the fish, and Charlie immediately jumped in the air and caught it. He landed, bit into the toy, and shoved it around the floor. Charlie had never acted like that before, and wh
en I looked back to Caden, he grinned and shrugged.
“Catnip. Cats love it.”
“I see that.”
My Daddy brought Charlie a gift, a catnip fish. For me he brought dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets and cupcakes. Then he showed up early because he missed me. How did I get so lucky to find someone like Caden? Logically I knew that it was because Ava had pushed me to go to the Rainbow Room. But emotionally, I had a hard time figuring it out. Caden must have sensed that something was on my mind because he walked over to me and gently touched my chin.
“What’s wrong, Cupcake?”
“I just…I just realized that you are here. I mean, you are really here.”
“I am, and I intend to stay the weekend unless you’ve changed your mind?”
“No.” Caden flinched. My voice was probably too loud, so I switched to sign language. “I want you to stay for the whole weekend.”
“Good. Because I want to stay, too.” Caden leaned down and kissed me. It was a sweet kiss, yet it had me wiggling until Caden pulled back and smiled at me. “Do you want to spend some adult time together, or are you ready to be Little?”
“Your Little Boy, please, Daddy.”
“You have your safeword in case you change your mind.” I nodded, and that earned me another of those nose kisses I had already loved. “Then how about this, Cupcake. Daddy is going to dress you in some cute jammies, and then we cuddle a while before it’s time for dinner.”
Instead of answering, I clapped my hands and turned to run to the bedroom to get changed. But Daddy held me back and carefully pulled at my arm, so I faced him again. Confused, I looked up at Daddy, but he only smiled.
“Slow down, Cupcake. We have all weekend.” He walked me into the bedroom and pointed to a bag on the floor by my closet. “Why don’t you have a look in that black duffel bag? I brought some cute jammies for you.”
“Okay, Daddy.” Caden let go, and I rushed over to his bags. Instinctively I knew Caden was probably telling me to slow down, but I ignored it and dropped to my knees beside the bag. I opened the zipper and pulled out…a fuzzy blanket? Then another, and another. Confused, I dug in deeper and pulled out one blanket after another. Sitting in the middle of a pile of soft cotton, I turned around to look at Daddy and signed, “There are no jammies in here, Daddy.”