by Libby Drew
Reegan shook his head, wincing at the sharp movement. He struggled up onto his elbows and lifted a hand to the corner of his mouth. It came away with a spot of blood. “It wasn’t her. It was someone else I thought I recognized.”
There was just enough truth in Reegan’s tone that Saul couldn’t call him out on a lie. But, damn it, there was something important he wasn’t saying. Saul struggled to his knees, his own muscles protesting now. Reegan had made a nice buffer, but he hadn’t cushioned Saul’s fall entirely. Blood dripped down his arm, and his elbow felt raw beneath his jacket. When his head stopped spinning, he rose to his feet, holding tight to the sea of helpful hands.
“Hey, guys. Stay put. An ambulance is on the way.”
“We’re good.” Reegan waved the suggestion off and held a hand out. Saul took it, hauled him to his feet, and they leaned against the remnants of the Prius while the crowd swirled around them. Reegan squinted at Saul. “Do you need the ambulance?”
“I’m fine.” He peered over the crowd, but there was little to see. The police had arrived and were directing traffic, urging spectators away from the scene. Wild laughter bubbled up in his throat. “First you get shot. Then you give yourself a concussion in the shower. Now you almost get run over by a truck. What the hell is up with you? Did you walk under a ladder yesterday? Kick a black cat?”
Reegan barked something that might have been a laugh. It was hard to tell when he had his face buried in his hands on the hood of the car. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“You’re probably right.” Saul called out to a man who was trudging back up the hill. “Was anyone else hurt?”
The guy shook his head, incredulous. “No. It’s a fucking miracle. I thought your friend was going to buy it for a minute, the way he just walked into the street and stood there.”
Saul had thought the same. His patience broke, the dam no match for Reegan’s misdirection and half-truths. They were having a heart-to-heart. Right now. The Rover stood across the street, and Saul steered Reegan out of the growing crowd in the direction of the car. They both swayed as they went, looking like woozy drunks probably, but that was a stereotype Saul had some experience with, so the disproving looks and whispers were easy to ignore.
The scrape on his arm seeped blood. He had brush burn on his cheek and shoulder. Still, he’d fared better than Reegan, who’d started their adventure a few bumps and bruises ahead of him.
In addition to the bullet graze on his cheek and the bump on his head from his slip in the shower that morning, he’d added a cut lip, another oozing scrape above his left ear, and he was limping, favoring his left ankle again. Even more worrisome, he’d begun to laugh before they’d taken a dozen steps, leaning into Saul as he cackled.
“Something funny?”
“My life. It’s funny.”
Saul let the inane statement go for now. “Are you going to tell me who you were staring at across the street?” There hadn’t been a woman on the opposite curb. Only men. One in particular, in a dark suit, shoulder-length hair in a tight braid. He hadn’t been watching the truck either. His eyes had been on Reegan, but that didn’t mean much. Lots of people had been watching Reegan, considering he’d been a second away from being crushed to death.
They stumbled to a stop for a passing car, where Reegan made a point of examining his hat for damage. “I’m not really sure. I think I recognized him.”
“He’s a friend?”
Reegan shook his head. “No. I recognized him as someone who knew Silvia.” The hat must have passed muster because he set it back on his bruised head. “I didn’t expect to see him here. But everything happened so quickly. I might be mistaken.”
Judging by the look on Reegan’s face, he didn’t think he’d been mistaken. His jaw clenched and the tic had returned to pulse in the corner of his jaw. “We need to go get cleaned up. They won’t let us back into that place otherwise.”
The Rover stood unharmed, though it could have easily been hit. The truck could have veered either way. It hadn’t, though. It had come after Reegan.
Saul keyed the locks open as they approached, then loaded Reegan into the passenger seat. Caught up in his self-righteous tantrum, he startled when Reegan caught the door before he slammed it. “So much for our romantic afternoon on the town.”
“Yeah,” Saul said, voice gruff. “So much for that.”
Traffic was light, and the trip passed in silence. Eyes closed, forehead tipped against the window, Reegan said nothing more until they pulled into the alley parking spot near Saul’s office. “I’m reclaiming that cot, just so you know.”
“Fine.” Lying down for an hour, after a snack of Advil, sounded perfect.
“Feel like joining me?” He rolled his head toward Saul, his grin a disconcerting mix of lascivious and exhausted.
“I don’t know whether to be impressed or scared that you’re thinking about sex right now.”
Reegan extracted himself from the car in fits and starts. “Don’t be scared. I’m scared enough for the both of us.”
Chapter Ten
Reegan marked the runaway truck incident as near-death experience number three and put it behind him. Not completely. The fear still beat hot in his blood, along with an awareness that a fatal countdown had begun. But he was a scholar by nature, could compartmentalize when he needed to, and knew panicking wasn’t going to solve his problem. Studying it, discovering a workable solution. That was the answer.
Saul wasn’t going to let up on the issue of the man on the other side of the street, and strangely, Reegan hoped he didn’t. Seeing Pigtail standing there had frozen Reegan’s blood, made him immobile with shock. He’d went round and round with himself on the drive back to Saul’s office. Tried to talk himself out of the truth, but avoidance was a shitty coping mechanism. It had been Pigtail. Same monkey suit. Same monkey face.
How had he found Reegan? Was he alone, or were Emilio and Bluto with him? Even if one or more of D’arco’s men had used the portal on a second jaunt, they’d be several minutes behind Reegan. It took that long to warm up the collider. Trying to examine all the possibilities made his headache worse. On a lighter note, Saul was earning every penny of that retainer. He’d become Reegan’s bodyguard, in blatant ways and in others not so obvious.
The answer hit as Saul unlocked the office door, surprising him into speaking out loud. “He knew I was coming to see you. He’s been on me since last night.” The possibility chilled him. D’arco knew all about Reegan’s plan to hire Saul. Whether Maxie had given that information freely…Reegan didn’t want to dwell on that.
Saul paused, key halfway in the lock, but opened the door without commenting. He stalked in ahead of Reegan, anger obvious in his brisk stride and choppy movements.
Reegan followed cautiously. The two of them needed to talk. Soon. If he didn’t come clean about what was happening, he’d lose Saul’s trust. Trust he needed if he wanted to find Silvia. “Thank you.” He hovered just inside the door, rolling the brim of his hat in his hands. “Again. You’re making a habit of saving my life. It’s not what I hired you for.”
“I’m getting the feeling—” Saul leaned back against Cammie’s desk, hands braced on the edge, “—that all your so-called accidents and your missing girl are related.”
Reegan held up a finger. “I can assure you no one pushed me in the shower.”
“Maybe not.” Saul’s dark, flinty gaze said he thought some connection existed, though. “Still, it’s an awful lot of coincidences. I’m not a big believer in coincidences.”
The cot looked too tempting, and Reegan sank onto it, hurting everywhere. Keeping upright seemed a silly battle to fight, so he tipped over onto the fluffy pillow. Saul didn’t look any less pissed when viewed sideways, unfortunately. “May I have a doughnut?” he asked. Sugar cured so many ills. Maybe it had the power to postpone this conversation.
Saul slid the box forward and looked under the lid. “What are you doing here, Reegan? Why are
you involved in this thing? The truth. I’m done with the lies.”
So much for putting things off. “All right. I’ll tell you.” He met Saul’s raised eyebrow. “For a doughnut.”
Lips twitching, Saul picked out a raised sugar doughnut and walked over to place it in Reegan’s hand. “You’re a cheap date.”
“I thought I’d already demonstrated that.”
He bit into the doughnut, knowing it was time to confess. His choices had whittled themselves from bad, to worse, to downright deadly. Pigtail was here. He might not be the only one. The stakes were higher, the danger more pronounced. Reegan wouldn’t be able to live with himself, should he actually live, if his secrecy somehow cost Saul his life. Maybe sharing the truth would help ease the pressure Reegan was putting on the timeline. Unlikely, but since his situation couldn’t get much worse, he was willing to give it a try.
“I’ll tell you. You’re not going to believe it, though.”
“You’d be surprised how many conversations I have that start out like that.”
Sitting up became an epic battle, but Reegan eventually gained his feet and pointed at Saul’s arm. “Let’s get that cleaned up first.” The blood was in danger of dripping onto the tan area rug under Cammie’s desk.
Scowling, Saul cupped his hand under his elbow and followed a limping Reegan into the bathroom. “You could use some attention too. That cut above your eye needs cleaned.”
“You first.”
Saul acquiesced, but drilled Reegan with questions as he stripped out of his shirt. “Any double vision? Headache? Nausea?”
Yes to all, but except for the double vision, which had improved, none of it could be blamed on the fall. “I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?” He hissed as Reegan dabbed a wet washcloth over his skinned elbow. “How’s your ankle?”
“Sore. I’ll live.” Blood-tinged water trickled down Saul’s ribs despite Reegan’s efforts to keep the mess contained. Even scraped and bruised, he was gorgeous. It would’ve been easy to get distracted by the sculpted chest if not for the large patch of scraped skin on his arm. Bits of gravel were still lodged in the wound. Blood had clotted and crusted over in parts, but others still dripped.
Reegan rewet the washcloth and got back to work. “Bet this isn’t part of your normal job description.” He took Saul’s arm and turned it toward the light.
Saul craned his neck to look. “I’ve had worse.”
I’m sure you have. He remembered some of what Maxie had said. Ex-cop. Ex-special forces. No question about which of them would come out on top if pitted against one another. Reegan ground his teeth as he finished taping gauze over the wound. It was both a comforting and disconcerting thought and reminded him that having Saul on his side wasn’t an option. It was imperative.
And he was about to screw that up by giving the man what he wanted. The truth.
“Now you.” Saul stood, and they did a little dance in the small space until their positions were reversed. Reegan slouched against the sink while Saul worked on him.
“This routine is getting too familiar for my liking.”
Saul gave a quiet snort. Brow furrowed, he dabbed antiseptic on Reegan’s skin. “Which one?”
Good point. “The one where I’m sitting in your bathroom getting patched up by your rapidly dwindling first-aid supplies.”
“Ah.” Saul leaned back to meet his gaze. “I was hoping you didn’t mean the one where you were sitting half-naked between my legs.”
Not even a spark of interest from Reegan’s cock. Then Saul smiled, the shy, vulnerable smile Reegan had seen only rarely, and it perked up, twitching eagerly in his pants. He eased his hands behind Saul’s thighs and pulled him nearer. Two steps and they were as close as possible in the cramped space. Reegan brushed his lips over Saul’s stomach.
Saul laid the cotton swab on the edge of the sink and cradled Reegan’s head in his hands while Reegan pressed kisses to his torso. Usually when they touched each other the tension climbed with the speed and force of a rocket. This time, Reegan held it in check, turning to lay his cheek against Saul’s stomach. “Thank you.”
He’d said it before, just a few minutes ago, and he’d been sincere, but those words had been laced with bitterness and sarcasm. These contained something else altogether.
Saul’s hands, which had been sifting through Reegan’s hair, stilled then tightened for a moment, the grip painful, before going lax. “You almost got killed, you idiot.”
And it wouldn’t be the last time. Reegan heaved a sigh. “Sorry.”
“Yeah.” Saul gave an audible swallow. “Don’t do it again.”
Damn the man. Reegan had spent long, lonely nights wishing he’d hear that kind of emotion in a lover’s voice. Never once had that wish been granted. Until now.
When there was no hope it would last.
“We done here?” Reegan asked, voice gruff. Saul released him and stepped back, and Reegan turned away from his searching gaze. If he wanted to maintain any kind of control for the ensuing conversation, he’d need to get his heart in check.
“We’re done.” Saul retrieved a bottle of pills from the medicine cabinet and shook four into Reegan’s hand. “Ibuprofen. Just take them. You’ll be thanking me later.”
Reegan swallowed them dry, eyeing Saul as he did the same.
“Marty doesn’t get to work until six. I don’t want to be seen hanging around waiting for him. That gives us a few hours to kill.”
Reegan winced. “Please don’t use that expression.”
“Need to lie down?”
Like the desert needed rain. Reegan nodded. Yeah, he needed to lie down. Maybe they’d avoid that conversation after all.
He followed Saul out of the bathroom, but instead of leading Reegan back to the cot, Saul closed the door to his office and started lifting cushions off the couch. “Ready to talk?”
They were going to talk in bed. As if Reegan’s defenses weren’t compromised enough, he’d be naked with Saul while he confessed to being a time-traveler from the future. Perfect. How the hell was he going to separate his heart and head when Saul was pressed to him head-to-toe, staring at him with open affection? Affection Reegan returned wholeheartedly.
“Are you sure?”
“Am I sure we’re going to talk?” Saul unfolded the mattress to reveal a neatly made bed, complete with crisp sheets and blue velour blanket. “Or am I sure I want to be in bed while we do?”
“Both?”
Saul popped the button on his jeans. “I’m sure.”
He stripped off the rest of his clothes while Reegan silently panicked and did the same. Saul set the alarm on his cell phone, shut off the lights, and they slipped between the sheets at the same time.
Lack of artificial illumination didn’t give Reegan the masking darkness he’d been craving. The mini-blinds did little to hamper the bright sun. Stripes of light cut through the plastic strips, painting the walls around them, and Reegan couldn’t shake the feeling it made the room look like a prison cell. Saul moved close, but not near enough to touch, and propped himself up on his elbow. “Okay, Reegan. Let’s hear it. No bullshit.”
As if bullshit were possible with this kind of intimacy. Saul’s plan all along, probably, but Reegan couldn’t rouse any anger at the ploy. He was a lousy liar no matter the circumstances. A fact that might be his only saving grace in the next few minutes. Saul could smell lies, so Reegan wouldn’t tell any.
“Okay.” Reegan flipped onto his back and laced his fingers behind his head. “Here goes. Pretty much everything I’ve told you is true. I’ve just left some things out.”
Saul lowered his eyes and fiddled with the sheet. “What part wasn’t true?”
“The part about Silvia needing medicine. That wasn’t true.”
“Yeah, I figured.”
Reegan resisted the urge to fidget. “And the part about her not knowing the city. She knows it. So do I. We both grew up here. Live here. But that’s not going to make muc
h difference in how easily we find her.”
“In what possible way won’t that make a difference?”
At least Saul’s voice had remained somewhat calm up until now. Reegan hoped that counted for something. “Because…we’re from the future. One hundred and twenty-five years, to be exact.” He said the words fast, blurring them together, but the way Saul’s eyebrows shot into his hairline meant he’d heard and understood them just fine.
Reegan had expected disbelief. Anger. Laughter. Of course, Saul had to surprise him.
“I see.”
“You do?”
“Absolutely.”
But before Reegan could breathe a relieved sigh, Saul’s warm, comforting presence disappeared. Naked, he padded the few steps to his desk and yanked out the lower bottom drawer. Reegan sat up in alarm, worried his confession had awakened Saul’s desire for another hidden bottle of vodka. The sick rolling in his gut multiplied tenfold when Saul emerged not with a bottle, but a handful of cash. Reegan’s cash.
Saul tossed the loose roll on the bed, and it landed in Reegan’s lap. “That’s not all of it, obviously. But what’s been spent has been done so in relation to your case, so consider it payment for services rendered.”
“No. Please.” The money felt wrong in his hand. Reegan held it out, urging Saul to take it back.
He didn’t. “Get dressed and get out.”
“Saul—”
Saul cut him off with a sharp gesture. He’d kept his distance, remaining behind the desk, still gloriously naked. Even in the low light, Reegan caught the hurt in his gaze. “I told you once. I don’t play games.” He braced himself on the edge of the desk. “Not anymore.”
Clutching the cash in his hand, Reegan climbed from the bed. He had to salvage this. Even if Saul threw him out, abandoned him to continue on alone, Reegan couldn’t leave him with that look of betrayal in his eyes. “I’m telling you the truth.”
Saul did laugh then, a harsh, biting sound that held no humor.
“Look at me!” Reegan tossed the money onto the bed and spread his hands. “You know I can’t lie worth a damn. You wanted the truth, well you got it. I’m from the year 2145. My job is to lead tour groups into the past, and let me tell you, the business is a fucking goldmine. Silvia joined my jaunt last night but ran away once we got here. Why she ran? I can only guess. Her husband seems like a real prick.” He held up his wrist. “Look. I can prove it. This device is called a bio bracelet.”