A Hunted Man (The Men of Halfway House)

by Reese, Jaime

  "I did learn a thing or two from your mom. You sit and eat," his father said, pointing at the plate full of food.

  Hunter pushed the breakfast around on his plate. He wanted to go to Cam, be with him, and let him know he was there to support him.

  He'd give his dad five minutes before he broke into the room. He owed his dad the respect of staying put, but he was not about to leave Cam when he needed support.

  * * * *

  Cam stood by the window and looked out into the yard.

  "Cameron?" he heard Hunter's father say as he knocked on the slightly open door.

  Cam looked over his shoulder and half smiled. Hunter's dad was so different from his own father. "Sorry. I didn't mean to disrespect you by leaving the table."

  "You didn't, Son, don't worry about that." He walked over to Cam and stood next to him.

  Cam would cringe at the sound of his father calling him son, but coming from Thomas, it sounded so natural.

  Thomas placed a gentle hand on Cam's shoulder. "Hunter won't force you to talk to your sperm donor if you don't want to."

  Cam chuckled and looked over to him. "I've never called him that, but it fits."

  Thomas shrugged. "Some men can be pretty stupid. Luckily that part isn't hereditary."

  "I'm glad. Hunter does seem to take a lot after you."

  "Well then, I'll take that as one hell of a compliment considering how much you love him."

  Cam stilled. Speaking openly about his feelings with his boyfriend's father was definitely new to him.

  "Um, we haven't talked about that." He looked away, not really sure what the hell else he was supposed to say.

  "Well, it's obvious to anyone who's in the room with you guys for a few seconds. If he's too much of a wuss to tell you then I'm going to have to smack him. He knows we're not on this earth long enough and should enjoy every chance we have with the one we love."

  Cam winced. "He's not the wuss, I am."

  Thomas slid his arm over Cam's shoulder. He mirrored Cam's stance, staring out the window. "Something tells me you haven't had much luck with people who care about you."

  Cam shook his head. He looked down and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Everything changed after my mom died when I was ten. My father hated raising two kids on his own. He worked two jobs and drank every chance he had in between. I was the one who took care of things at home. I was too young to work but I made damn sure he didn't drink away the money he made. We fought a lot. He told me being gay wasn't natural and I needed to work on changing my mind."

  "Well, he was an idiot. You took care of him and your sister whether he wants to believe that or not." Thomas shook his head. "You know what the best part of having a gay son is?"

  Cam looked over to Thomas and cocked his head. "What's that?"

  "I inherit a second son," he said earnestly.

  Cam inhaled a shaky breath as emotions tightened his chest. Thomas pulled him into an embrace. "If that asshole father of yours didn't appreciate you, then he doesn't deserve to see you."

  "Thank you," Cam whispered. He raised his arms and embraced Thomas's frail body. "Hunter was right."

  "That's a shocker. What was he right about?" Thomas asked, releasing Cam.

  "He said you were worse than him."

  Thomas smacked Cam behind his head. "And you're just as stubborn as he is. You guys are perfect for each other."

  They both laughed as Hunter entered the room.

  "You good?" Hunter asked cautiously, the worry evident in his expression.

  Cam nodded with a half smile hoping to calm the concern in Hunter's voice. He looked over to Thomas then back to Hunter. "More than good."

  Hunter sighed with obvious relief. "We need to go to the station to give our statements."

  Cam nodded and walked toward the door to follow Hunter out of the room. He looked back at Thomas who shook his head and grinned.

  "Few seconds, that's all it takes," Thomas said before finally walking over and joining Cam at the door before exiting.

  Hunter reached over and rubbed the back of Cam's neck, hoping to ease some of the tension in the muscles.

  "That wasn't too bad," Cam commented after Aidan left the room.

  Cameron's father had been detained and was due to arrive at the station at any moment. Hunter didn't have a clue how Cam would react but knew his fidgeting and constant biting of his lower lip were a telltale sign of his nerves.

  "That feels so fucking good." Cam groaned and lowered his head, encouraging Hunter's touch. "What happens now?"

  Hunter continued to stroke Cam's neck. "Aidan's getting our statements typed up, then he'll be back and we'll sign off on them. Once that's done, we're free to leave."

  Cam looked up, his face more relaxed. "We still have some weekend time left," he teased with that half smile that shot a bolt of lust through Hunter's body every time.

  "Would be a shame to let it go to waste."

  Cam sucked in his lower lip and nodded.

  Hunter groaned and pulled Cam in for a kiss. Cam tugged him closer, wanting more.

  "You guys should get a room," Aidan said when he returned.

  "We did have one. Go away." Cam laughed.

  Aidan just shook his head. "I need the room. You want to sit in?" he asked Hunter.

  Hunter exhaled and looked over at Cam.

  The smile slid off Cam's face. "He's here already?" he said weakly.

  "I've got him a few doors down in holding. Hunter said you didn't want to talk to him so I figured I'd give you a heads up."

  "You want to sit in while they question him?" Cam asked Hunter.

  Hunter reached over and grabbed Cam's hand. "Aidan will be doing most of the questioning, but yes, I want to sit in."

  "Okay."

  "We can put you in the observation room. He won't know you're there," Aidan offered.

  Cam nodded and worried his lower lip again.

  When they stood, ready to exit, Cam slid his hand into Hunter's.

  Hunter immediately looked over and saw Cameron looking down. Hunter squeezed his hand and gave him a quick peck. "You're stronger than you know," he whispered in his ear.

  "I'm not as strong as you think I am." Hunter's chest tightened at the crack in Cam's voice.

  "You've already surprised me a time or two. Just take it one day at a time, okay?"

  Cameron finally looked up and made eye contact. A rare innocence that twisted Hunter's gut made an appearance in his expression.

  He inched closer to Hunter. "Please…just don't…don't give up on me."

  Hunter smiled and brushed the hair out of Cam's worried face. "Never." He gave Cam a chaste kiss before they exited the room.

  "Cameron, is that you?" Jasmine's voice carried across the room. She sat in a chair, talking to an officer a few desks down. She finally stood and approached them with a smile.

  Cam's grip tightened so hard Hunter thought his bones were going to snap. He could see the muscles flexing in Cam's jaw and his nostrils flare with each breath.

  "You look really good." She stood in front of Cam, looking up at her big brother. She was petite next to him, thin and barely reached his chin. "You got taller."

  Cam forced a smile but didn't say a word.

  "Hello again," she said, extending her hand to Hunter. "I didn't catch your name the first time we met."

  "Hunter," he said as he extended his hand, his other still holding Cam's in a vise grip. "Are they taking your statement?"

  Jasmine nodded. "I came over as soon as they called." She looked over to Cam again. "Did he give you my message?"

  Cam nodded.

  Before Cam had a chance to react, Jasmine threw her arms around his neck. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there and for the things I said."

  Cam refused to release the grip on Hunter's hand or wrap his arms around his sister to reciprocate the embrace. He stood there, arms down at this side and his face void of any emotion while his sister hung on.

  Jasmine slowly retreated
and looked at Cam. Tears began to fill her eyes. "You can't find it in your heart to forgive me?" she asked, her voice shaky.

  Cam visibly swallowed. "I'll forgive you, because that's what brothers are supposed to do," he said in a level tone.

  "Thank you," she said then deeply exhaled. The tears vanished from her eyes before a single drop fell.

  Cam began to shift his weight from one foot to the other.

  "Well, I need to finish answering a few questions before I head back home. It was good seeing you again, Cam," she said. She brushed something off her dress, then turned and walked back to the cubicle of the waiting officer.

  Hunter felt a sudden coldness to his core. He had hoped, for Cam's sake, that she would at least push harder, try to make amends. Instead, she had managed to turn and depart just as quickly as she had greeted him once she got the forgiveness she sought. She didn't even bother to ask Cam if he was okay considering the bruising on his face and the bandage on the side of his temple.

  "Over here," Aidan said, guiding them to the neighboring room.

  The space was small, dark, and narrow enough for a few standing people but nowhere near the size of the interrogation room now viewable through the glass.

  "He won't be able to see me?" Cam asked.

  "No. But you'll be able to see him."

  As if on cue, the door opened in the other room and a thin, tall, older man was escorted by another detective. Cam inhaled sharply and stilled.

  "I need to get in there. Come on in when you're ready," Aidan said before exiting.

  Hunter cupped Cam's face and forced eye contact. "Just hang in there. We're almost out of here."

  "Try to be quick," was all Cam managed to force out.

  Hunter's chest tightened when he saw the pain in Cameron's expression. He nodded, gave Cam a quick kiss then exited the room to join Aidan. He entered the interrogation room and stood silently in the corner as Aidan began to fire off questions.

  John Pierce sat in his chair and glanced everywhere but at Aidan or Hunter. He straightened his shirt and exhaled heavily with each question Aidan asked.

  "Answer my question, Mr. Pierce," Aidan said.

  "You still haven't told me why the hell you brought me back to this godforsaken place."

  "You are being questioned about what happened ten years ago and your relationship with Mr. Mackler," Aidan clarified.

  John slowly turned to Aidan with a grin. "I don't have a relationship with Mackler. I'm not a queer like my boy."

  Hunter pushed off from his place in the corner and stood planted, his feet wide and arms crossed. His jaw muscle ticked and the vein at his temple pulsed. "I swear, if you don't start talking, I'm going to rip that smirk off your face."

  John looked over to Hunter and sneered.

  In a flash, Hunter pushed forward, grabbed Cameron's father and pressed him up against the wall. John's eyes filled with horror. His face began to darken from the pressure grip of Hunter's arm across his neck. He could feel the old man begin to shake before deciding to release him.

  John leaned on the back of the chair and rubbed his throat. He looked at Aidan, his eyes bulging. "He can't do that to me," John said on a gasp. "That's like harassment or something. He can't threaten me."

  Aidan pulled his pen out of his jacket and thumbed through the sheets in the folder. "I haven't seen or heard anything. So I don't know what you're talking about."

  Hunter smiled wickedly. "Start talking."

  "Back off and I'll talk."

  Hunter stepped away. Aidan looked over to Hunter with a scowl. Hunter didn't care. He could barely control the rage thrumming through his body at the thought of this man starting the chain of events in Cam's life for the last decade.

  Aidan turned to John again. "Talk."

  John straightened his clothes and returned to his seat, cautiously watching Hunter who retreated to his spot in the corner. "Is this how you guys do things over here? He's obviously not a cop by the look of all that bruising on his face. What is he, your muscle?"

  "He's the guy who can put your ass away for the rest of your miserable life so I suggest you shut up about everything other than what happened ten years ago."

  Cameron's father straightened in his chair. "Mackler told me my boy and his were together. Since my boy shot his, he thought it was fair for Cammy to do some time."

  "And you thought that was his decision to make?" Aidan said.

  John shrugged. "When I resisted, he offered up some money. I realized really quick that the quieter I was, the higher the offer got. I was quiet for a long time," he finished with a laugh, which he immediately stifled once Hunter straightened.

  "So you got some money. What was the deal?" Aidan asked.

  "If I talk, what do I get?"

  Hunter inched forward.

  John rose from his seat and stepped back against the wall. "Keep him the hell away from me," John yelled and pointed toward Hunter. "I don't mind dishing the dirt on Mackler. He's a son of a bitch who screwed me over."

  "What were the terms of your arrangement?" Aidan asked again. He glared at Hunter and signaled him to return to his corner spot.

  "I was supposed to sign off on the papers, take the money, and disappear. So I did."

  "Were you aware of the charges?" Aidan asked after jotting down a few notes.

  "What the hell did I care? That son of a bitch fucked me over and he owes me."

  "How so?" Hunter asked.

  John remained quiet. Hunter wasn't sure if he opted for silence simply because Hunter was asking the question. He had had enough of this bullshit. He pushed off the wall and neared John.

  "Get away from me," the old man said, cautiously watching Hunter as he took a step closer. "Keep him away and I'll talk."

  "Hunter, down boy," Aidan said then raised his hand to Hunter before he could protest the reprimand.

  John chuckled and sat.

  Aidan leaned over the table. "If you don't start talking, I'm going to let him loose and walk away. Believe me, you do not want to give him free rein. So if you want to get out of this room, you will start fucking talking now," he finished with an uncharacteristic yell.

  John was visibly shaken, his focus ping-ponged between Aidan and Hunter. "I don't know what the charges were and I didn't care. He was supposed to go to juvie for a few months and that was it. I found out he served ten years so Mackler owes me at least ten times more money for keeping him inside so long."

  "You son of a bitch," Hunter said with disgust. He couldn't stand being in the same room any longer with this man. He walked out and, with quick strides, was at the neighboring observation room within seconds. He hesitated for a moment, holding the door handle. He needed to compose himself before joining Cam.

  He took another deep breath and finally opened the door.

  The light shone through the two-way glass and cast a faint glow against Cam's features, enough to see his stern expression. Even in profile, Hunter could easily see he was making every effort to maintain his composure.

  "He fucking owes me more money," John's tinny voice echoed through the speaker.

  Hunter immediately reached for the switch to turn off the audio.

  Cam had heard everything.

  Hunter closed his eyes and exhaled as he replayed the prior exchange in his head.

  He looked over to Cam again. He remained motionless and took slow deep breaths as he focused on the exchange in the room. Aidan was now standing, hovering over Cameron's father and talking with a sneer.

  "Cam?"

  He watched as Cam stood, stock-still, fixated on his father through the glass.

  "Do you want me to stay or give you some time alone?" he asked, hoping for some cue to keep the worry at bay.

  Cam continued to stare without saying a word.

  It was unbearable to stand on the sideline but he needed to let Cam process everything that had happened at his own pace. Otherwise, he'd simply lock it away until a panic attack surfaced.

  His in
stincts told him to wait.

  Hunter leaned back against the door and grabbed the door handle behind him. He needed something to ground him to the opposite side of the room when all he wanted to do was race over to Cam.

  He can handle this. He's stronger than he thinks he is. He chanted, hoping to convince his stubborn mind that if Cam needed him, he would call for him—even though Cam had never asked for anything.

  So he waited.

  * * * *

  Cam was terrified to move. He was in a tailspin and the slightest movement would result in his crash and burn. His protective iron wall wobbled. Everyone had decided to appear from his past, all at once, to remind him of how worthless he was to those who were supposed to love him. His father had abandoned him long ago and simply confirmed it with his words today. His sister felt guilty—a prison of her own doing. She was in search of forgiveness, nothing more.

  He fought to gather the little bit of dignity he'd barely managed to hold on to.

  Flashbacks of his mother and their special times held him together all these years but his memories grew fainter with each passing year. He didn't even have a photograph to remind him of the lines that shaped her face. How could he expect anyone to love him if he had difficultly remembering the face of the one person who did?

  He inhaled a slow, shaky breath and closed his eyes, trying to keep himself together. A tingle in his head waited to take over.

  Cam opened his eyes and looked at the frail figure through the glass. His father's life of drinking had obviously caught up with him. He had aged, quite ungracefully. The hands, which had landed too often on him in anger during a drunken state, were now deformed. Karma was a bitch and she had shown no mercy on the man.

  He swallowed hard, trying to rebuild his defenses as he replayed everything he had heard. Every word echoed in his mind and the underlying disgust in his father's tone.

  Cam took another slow deep breath, hoping to control the panic attack he knew would come crashing in if he allowed it to take over.

  He watched as Aidan cuffed his father then exited the room. He swallowed, trying to fight the tightness in his throat and the pain in his chest.