“Thank you,” he whispered. With a kiss on his mother’s cheek and a hand on his father’s shoulder, he left and returned to the library.
Hernán hadn’t moved from the chair where Colin deposited him. Colin filled him in about the security precautions his father would begin to put in place right away.
Hernán moaned. “I’m so sorry, Colin. I hoped I’d never put you in danger this way.”
Colin dropped to his haunches and took one of Hernán’s cold and trembling hands. “We don’t know for sure we’re in danger, mi ángel. We’re just being smart and taking precautions. It’s one of the hazards of being wealthy. When I was a kid we actually had drills on what to do if one of us was kidnapped.” He kissed Hernán’s fingers. “My parents have always been overprotective and right now that’s a good thing. They have resources you wouldn’t believe.” He forced a chuckle and almost made it convincing. “Since you and I are together now, you get the full Felton treatment as well.”
His phone rang again. When David’s name appeared on the display, he answered on speaker.
“Okay,” David began. “I came down to meet Sofia. We’re here together in my office. I’ve made the request about pulling the article but it will take some time yet to hear back. Even if it’s pulled, we’re all over social media.”
Sofia spoke up. “Between the mention of Colin’s father and Hernán in running shorts, the story is going viral. What I’m seeing is everything from comments on Hernán’s looks, to Colin’s looks, to comparisons to Prince William marrying Kate Middleton. There’s some ugly homophobic and racist stuff too, though not much. Is there a risk people who know your family will comment and leak word out where you are?”
Colin sighed. “I don’t think so. The staff have all been around a long time, I think. I’d say they’re pretty loyal.”
“Staff?” David asked.
“I mean people who work for my dad. At his company,” Colin rushed to cover his error, but realized the barn door flapped in the wind, horses long gone, since he’d been so publicly identified as Jim Felton’s son. He sighed.
“Anyway, my brother Griffin has had a few run-ins with the paps before. I don’t recall that any leak was ever traced back to staff. My father is lining up security for the whole family right now. He even suggested Hernán and I hide out at their place in Nantucket. I don’t think that makes sense, though. Too easy to link me to the house, and a lot of people know me there.”
David snapped his fingers. “Nantucket is out, but what about Provincetown? You could stay in my house. Did you fly your plane up to New Jersey?”
Colin looked at Hernán, who had turned ashen and whispered, “Provincetown. I didn’t even think about it. Rudy might be in danger.”
Colin said, “Why don’t you step into our bedroom and give him a call, just to warn him?” Hernán pulled out his phone and closed the door to the library behind himself.
Continuing his own call, he said, “P-town does seem like a good choice. I don’t have obvious connections there. It’s reasonably remote. The weather tomorrow is supposed to be clear so I could get there VFR.”
Sofia asked, “What does that mean?”
“It means I’d be flying under visual flight rules, so I don’t have to file a flight plan. If anyone knows the tail number of my plane and I have a plan on file, they can do a simple internet search and see where I’m heading.”
“So Provincetown it is,” David said. “I’ll ask Jane or Sara to meet you at the airport tomorrow when you have a sense of when you’ll be landing, and one of them can give you a key.”
Hernán returned to the room and said, “Rudy is in Boston overnight but he knows to be careful.”
Colin gestured for Hernán to join him again, and pulled him close. “Good. We’ll see him soon in Provincetown.”
Sofia spoke up. “I think we’ll have a draft of your immigration papers ready for you to review by tomorrow evening, Hernán.”
“I leave a laptop and basic office equipment in the P-town house,” David added. “Jane can give you the password and what you need to access and print the documents.”
There didn’t seem to be anything else they could address together, so they ended the call with commitments to text at any significant development.
Colin escorted a nervous Hernán back to the first floor to tell his parents about the plan to head to Provincetown in the morning. They were still in the sitting room; Dad hung up just as Colin brought Hernán in.
“Okay,” Dad said, sounding tense but in control. “The security firm is sending a team to watch the house right away, one to Katherine’s and Griff’s places, and another to your condo in DC. They know to be unobtrusive and they’ll give me a call as soon as they’re in position. Watkins will get you to the airport tomorrow. I’ve texted you the detail head’s cell number so you can talk to him about arranging security on the Cape.”
Hernán said, “Mr. and Mrs. Felton, I want to apologize for the trouble I’ve caused, as well as for my rudeness at dinner.”
Mom stood and folded her hands. “Please, no apology is necessary. All you did was support my son when you felt we were being unfair.” She glanced at her husband and back as she said, “I actually must thank you, for pointing out blunt truths. Sometimes a newcomer sees dynamics that we’ve always taken for granted. You’ve given us a lot to consider.”
Mom’s gaze took in Colin as well. Her comments weren’t exactly warm, but Colin felt her sincerity. Only time would tell if his outburst and Hernán’s comments had gotten through to his parents.
Chapter 29
Later, back in Colin’s bedroom, Hernán paced around like a jungle cat in a cage. His eyes flickered from surface to surface and he couldn’t seem to figure out where to rest his hands. When he saw Colin watching him, he winced.
“I don’t know what to do, Colin,” he confessed. “I’ve brought this evil to your door, and I can’t make it better.”
“You didn’t cause this. Ethan did, when he sent that picture to the paper.” The urge to scream at Ethan nearly overwhelmed Colin, but it would only tell Ethan he’d scored a blow. “Look, I’ll call the security guy about P-town, and then there’s really nothing more for us to do tonight. Why don’t you change and get comfortable? I’ll do the same in a minute. We’ll watch some TV, have a snack sent up if you want, and get to bed. Okay?”
Hernán chewed his lip but finally gave a sharp nod. Twenty minutes later, after Colin had talked to a man from the security company, they settled onto the sofa in Colin’s room together.
Television wasn’t working to distract Hernán, and fooling around didn’t seem likely. His restlessness began to weigh, and it frustrated Colin that he couldn’t help him relax.
Colin used his iPad to check the weather for the following morning and prepare for an early flight. When that was done, and with nothing further to distract him, his anger at Ethan began to grow. How could someone who ever called himself Colin’s friend do something like that? Even if Ethan didn’t know the magnitude of what he’d put at risk, there was no question he’d been aiming to hurt.
Was the nastiness directed more at Colin or at Hernán? That was difficult to say. Colin had no reason to believe Ethan carried a torch for him, after their one abortive date something like a year and a half earlier. Maybe it was intended to induce Colin’s family to step in and break them up, as a way to free Hernán for a pass from Ethan? That was equally absurd. He turned it over and over in his mind, his rage mounting, but he could find no reason for Ethan’s action beyond spite.
In the quiet house, he also began to wonder how much of their panic was legitimate. He and the others had jumped to address Hernán’s fear, but was it spiraling out of control? For fuck’s sake, they had security watching his condo.
That was probably why, when Hernán said, “I’m going crazy in this room,” Colin snapped back.
“Nán, we’re all doing the best we can.” He heard the frustration in his own voice.
; So did Hernán. His eyes narrowed. “I know that, Colin. But all your father’s men can’t protect every possible person Cuernos could go after.”
Colin threw up his hands as his frustration found a new target. “Despite the name, they aren’t really devils. They’re just hoodlums. Yes, there’s a lot of them. Yes, they can be dangerous like a rabid dog. But they aren’t some vast underground army, Hernán. You’re one person that a few gangbangers attacked in El Salvador. Why are you so sure they would want to hunt you down in the States?”
A wounded look appeared in Hernán’s eyes. “They killed that police officer after I identified two of them, and they said they were coming after me. How can I know how far they’ll go? Wait,” Hernán added heatedly. “You don’t believe me. You say you want to help me, but that’s because you don’t think there’s any real danger.”
Colin wondered abstractedly if he were right. Was he only going along to play on Hernán’s insecurities?
He rejected the idea. He might suspect Hernán’s fears were slightly irrational, but no way was he trying to manipulate Hernán. He barked back, “That isn’t true. I’ve done everything I possibly can to help you work toward getting asylum.”
Hernán’s voice rose, and a flush came to his cheeks. “Why, if you don’t believe me? Why go through all of this shit?”
“Because I want you, Hernán. I want you in my life and I want you to be safe from deportation.”
Hernán sneered. “You want to own me, you mean. Maybe you’re more like Gerald Nimble than you can admit. House me, clothe me, give me an allowance, give me a job to do. It sounds just like what Gerald did with Rudy, until he got tired of him and kicked him out.”
Colin sucked in a strained breath. “That isn’t fair. And it isn’t true. I’ve done everything I know how to give you independence. I don’t ever want you to feel like you have to stay with me, or to feel trapped.”
“Yet here I am, in a fancy cage in New Jersey because of your friend and your rich father and—”
“Stop it, Hernán,” Colin pleaded. “Yes, Ethan did this, but leave my father out of it. He’s only trying to help us.”
Hernán lapsed into Spanish as he stalked around the room. <
Colin’s anger collapsed into stunned pain. “What?” he stammered. “Do you really believe all that?”
Hernán stopped his pacing and whirled. His mouth was open to speak until he looked in Colin’s face. The color in his cheeks drained away, leaving him chalky. He dropped to his knees before Colin. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I just lashed out. I know none of this is your fault.”
Colin blinked at him. He finally croaked out, “I understand your fears. If I’ve done something to make you feel trapped, please talk to me about it. I swear I don’t mean to do that. But it hurt, what you said.”
Hernán dropped his forehead on Colin’s knees. “I don’t really think that you’re controlling me. I’m just so scared.”
Tentatively, Colin lifted a hand to stroke Hernán’s black hair. Part of him wanted to brush away the fight and the ugly words as spurred by stress.
Part of him worried that was what Hernán truly believed, deep down.
And if it was, what kind of future could they have together?
The night was long. Hernán was too tense over the argument with Colin, too fearful his new life was about to crash around him, to rest. Where had all that ugliness come from? Of course Colin and his family were doing everything they could. And maybe he was overreacting. Maybe it was just his ego that made him believe Cuernos would come after him, thousands of miles away from El Salvador.
The things he’d blurted out in anger, though… Those were things he wasn’t consciously aware he still feared. He thought he’d overcome his concerns that Colin was like Gerald and would throw him away if things got messy.
Apparently not.
He could tell from Colin’s stillness that he was awake too, but he didn’t know what to do about it. He wanted to be held, but not after the way he’d lashed out. He wanted to wrap Colin in his arms to keep him safe, yet send him away before Cuernos tracked him down. No harm could come to his sweet, naïve man.
Eventually he must have fallen into a doze, because he woke with a start when Colin’s cell chirped. Confused and still half-asleep, he registered light showing around the edges of the drawn curtains in the bedroom. The clock on the nightstand read six-fifteen.
“Hello?” Colin said into his phone. He sat up in bed. When he caught Hernán’s eye, he mouthed, “It’s security.”
Colin listened intently for a few moments, eyebrows furrowing. In a strained voice, he said, “I understand. Thanks. We’re set to leave around seven this morning. The driver will take us to Teterboro to get my plane.”
When Colin disconnected, he turned to Hernán, the concern in his face alarming. “That was the detail chief. He heard from the people who are watching the DC condo. They reported two other men also watching the building. At one point these men used the intercom but apparently got no answer. Then, early this morning, they tried to follow a couple into the building. The front desk receptionist made a scene and they backed off. They didn’t leave the area though. One of the security guys walked around the block as an excuse to get a closer look.”
Colin paused. “He said the men both had a tattoo on their faces. Horns.”
Hernán’s blood ran cold. “Cuernos del Diablo,” he said, and Colin nodded.
He pushed himself up in bed to rest his back against the headboard, aware he’d broken out in a cold sweat. His knees seemed to be trembling. He didn’t know if the room had gotten loud or if he was deafened by the rush of blood in his ears. Cuernos. They really had come looking for him.
Colin shifted closer to take Hernán’s trembling hands. “I think you were right, Hernán. I’m sorry if I didn’t take your concerns seriously.”
Hernán shook his head slowly. “No, what I said last night wasn’t true. It’s just…” The despair creeping through his bones echoed in his voice. But he couldn’t give in to it. His fears had already made him hurt the very man trying to help him. He had to be stronger, for both their sakes.
Colin started to get up from the bed, but he put a hand out to stop him. “Cariño, I’m not sure anymore going to Provincetown together is a good idea. You should get away from me. I’ll go somewhere far so Cuernos comes after me and leaves you alone.”
Colin dropped back down and pulled Hernán to him. Chin on the top of Hernán’s head, he said fiercely, “I’m not going anywhere without you. What brought this on?”
Hernán wanted to let Colin hold him forever. He felt loved in Colin’s arms. All the selfish things he’d ever wanted were right there. Instead, he pulled away. Brushing his eyes, fighting the tightness in his throat that threatened to become a sob, he said intently, “They came to your fucking home, Colin. I did that to you. I put you in danger. If someone hurt you, I couldn’t live with myself. It’s better if you get away from me now.”
Colin shook his head slowly. “Oh Nán. That just isn’t going to happen.” He peered into Hernán’s eyes and gave a small, rueful smile. “You’d have to make me believe that you don’t love me before I’d leave, and you aren’t that good an actor.”
“I want you to go because I do love you,” Hernán pleaded.
“I get that. The answer is no. So now what?”
Hernán stared at Colin, his frustration and fear battling in his gut. He wanted to say terrible things to drive Colin away, even if it would break both of their hearts. He wanted to put Colin in a box and lock him away where Cuernos could never find him. He wanted Colin to save himself.
But none of that would work. Colin was right—Hernán couldn’t intentionally hurt him.
The minutes ticked by before he surrend
ered. He tried to sound resolved. “Okay, we stick to the plan. There’s no indication anyone has tracked us to New Jersey, right? Let’s get up, get dressed, and fly to P-town. We’ll lie low there and figure out the next move while we wrap up my asylum application.”
Colin rose from the bed and tugged until Hernán stood as well. “Good. I know we haven’t solved anything yet, but we’re taking steps. Right?”
Hernán nodded and said, “We should let everyone know, about the Cuernos members in DC. I’ll call Rudy while you call David. And then let’s get cleaned up and out of here.” Hernán said it brazenly, his determination to pretend to be a warrior becoming easier with each word. A steely glint echoed in Colin’s eye, easing more of Hernán’s worries.
As scared as he was, it wasn’t like San Marcos. He wasn’t alone.
Colin phoned his security contact when they were ready to leave. “Got it,” he said, and then turned to Hernán. “Apparently there are press folks milling around Teterboro. Maybe it’s for us, maybe someone famous. Security wants me to have Watkins load the bags plane-side, and us to stay inside the limo until we’re ready to go. Then we’ll climb into the plane quickly before anyone takes note.”
Hernán felt a shiver down his spine. How had his life brought him to such desperation he needed a security guard? The reality of the situation shook his fleeting bravery.
Breathing out his fears and anxieties on a sigh, Hernán picked up his bag and took Colin’s hand. With a lightness he didn’t feel, he asked, “Does this flight to Provincetown serve breakfast?”
Colin managed a grin for him. “As a matter of fact, it does. Watkins will have coffee and bagels for us to take on the plane.”
The escape from New Jersey went smoothly. Just twenty minutes after Colin hugged his mother and father goodbye—and they in turn hugged Hernán—he watched from the back of the car as Watkins loaded their bags into Colin’s plane.
On the cell, the detail head was saying to Colin, “My colleagues are on their way out from Boston. They should arrive in Provincetown not long after you get in. I’ll text you their contact information so you can get in touch directly.”
Asylum (Pride and Joy Book 2) Page 33