by Sierra Riley
“Of course,” Calder murmured as he pulled aside the sheets. He put aside Justin’s computer and crawled under the sheets, inviting Justin in against him.
“I’m afraid that he’s really going to hurt you,” Justin admitted as he crawled in after Calder.
“Hey, don’t you worry about me.”
“I have to worry about you. Before, it was all about me but now he’s dragging you into this. Again, because of me. If you weren’t with me, you wouldn’t be in any kind of danger.”
“But you would still be. Justin, I’m not backing down. We’re going to nail this guy.”
Justin sighed and rested his head down against Calder’s chest. “We have nothing over him. If I could only have proof of his insider work, then I’d have leverage.”
“And you can’t, like, hack his computer?”
“I’ve tried to access it remotely but haven’t been able to find anything. Not even a partitioned hard drive. I’m thinking whatever work he does is on an external hard drive.”
“That’d probably be at his house, wouldn’t it?”
“Could be, although he’s cocky enough that he probably uses it at work. Our cubicles are somewhat private and no one really looks at our hardware too closely.”
Justin nibbled his bottom lip as he gazed off in thought. If he had accepted Pat’s offer, or even gone into Sybil Industries to discuss it, he might have been able to look for that alleged second hard drive. Yet, if Wallace was there, he’d instantly be wary. Justin wasn’t sure how many people were in on the whole thing either, so anyone could have been ready to foil him.
At times like this, he wished that he’d been able to make friends more easily at work. If he’d had some friends, they might have been able to work with him to get dirt on Wallace. Even with that thought, Justin was reminded of how much he talked or thought about himself. It was a vicious cycle.
Wallace was also known for intruding, so what if he took the battle to Justin’s house? What would he do once he was inside Justin’s home? Justin had no doubt that Wallace already knew where he lived. The information wasn’t difficult to find.
“Try to get some sleep,” Calder insisted as he ran his fingers through Justin’s hair. Justin closed his eyes and relaxed beneath the touch, although he was still worried sick about everything. It was spiraling out of control. It was amazing how much hell one person could cause in their own way.
Justin’s mind was racing too much. He felt like he’d never get to sleep. At least the long night would be made bearable by the fact that he was in Calder’s arms.
28
Calder
While Justin slept solidly against him, Calder had a restless night with thoughts of Wallace on his mind.
He was fuming. He felt so helpless. As a bodyguard, this was not something he wanted to feel. He was prepared for anything and everything, but Wallace was just out of reach.
As much as he tried to avoid it, he was almost tempted to deploy some brute force or scare tactics against Wallace to get him to back off. This was going too far now.
And the fact that this guy was also being creepily sexual pissed Calder off as well. What kind of things did he say or think about Justin? He had a feeling they were much more detailed than what Wallace had said about him. Fuck no, that bastard would never get his hands on him.
The times that Justin had mentioned the guy touching him before... While Calder had always been wary of it, it was all the more serious now. In any incident, Wallace could have taken it too far.
What was wrong with this guy? Calder had met types like him before, and they were always hard to manage, but this guy was taking the cake.
The next morning, Calder awoke and was still as groggy as hell. He turned his head and gazed at Justin, who was rested against his side. It wasn’t fair that Justin had to live his life in fear because of some asshole’s jealousy and resentment.
Calder carefully drew away from Justin, making sure to tuck the blankets around him to leave him still feeling safe and warm. Quietly, he got dressed and took his laptop with him as he left the room.
He padded to the office and checked on surveillance. Again, nothing was out of the ordinary. He half-expected to see Wallace at any moment.
This guy was seriously getting to him, too.
He moved downstairs and put the coffee on. As he waited for the coffee, he took out his phone to look for any messages and saw one from his brother, Vince.
Calder’s heart squeezed as he was overwhelmed with need for the reassurance of his big brother. He checked the time and decided it was late enough to call Vince. The message had been sent last night but he had missed it.
After a few rings, Vince answered. “Good morning!”
“Good morning,” Calder chuckled. “You messaged?”
“Yeah, I just wanted to check in with you. You’ve been quiet since going out and staying with Justin.”
“Yeah, sorry about that. Was caught up in work, and all. I just got back from Seattle last night.”
“What were you doing in Seattle?”
“Justin had a convention he wanted to go to. I think he learned a lot of stuff for starting up his business. Most of it still went over my head but I feel like I learned something, too.”
“That’s great.”
Calder shifted, moving the phone to his other ear. “So, things went well enough except that Justin has a stalker.”
There was silence on the other end for a few seconds. “Oh?”
“Yeah, and he was there at the convention, too. I mean, the guy’s part of the industry, so it wasn’t that extraordinary to meet him there. But the guy messaged Justin later with things that had happened after the convention, too.”
“Fuck. Are you guys all right?”
“Yeah, we’re fine but it’s frustrating as hell. This guy is causing a whole lot more problems I can’t discuss right now. I just can’t shake him.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“Firstly, as soon as Justin wakes up, we’re going to go get a restraining order, for what good that will do,” Calder muttered. “Secondly, my contract with Justin is technically up now that we’re back from the convention but I want to stay here with him longer. I need to make sure he’s safe. I don’t think it’d hurt him to keep me as his PA a little longer either,” Calder added with a chuckle.
“You do whatever you gotta do, bro. Just be careful.”
As protective as Calder was, Vince was just as protective, although he was not a bodyguard himself. The bond between big brother and little brother was special.
“I will,” Calder promised.
“And what’s it like living with him?” Vince followed up after a few moments of silence. Was this his way of lightening the mood? That and fulfilling his nosiness.
“It’s different,” Calder admitted. “We’re figuring out how to be friends all over again in person. It’s not as bad as I thought it’d be, though, and we’re not driving each other nuts.”
“Give it time,” Vince teased.
“Thanks,” Calder laughed while rolling his eyes.
“Are you two...?” Vince suddenly hedged.
Calder straightened up, pressing the phone closer to his ear. “Are we what?”
“The way you talk about him all the time makes it sound like you guys got something special.”
“We do have something special.”
“I mean, are you guys dating each other?”
Calder laughed sharper than he’d intended to. He tried to think up of a million excuses in that moment but it seemed like a crime to say any of them. “Actually, we might be seeing each other. I don’t know. Things are already a bit complicated with the stalker and all, so we haven’t been addressing this much.”
“Wow. Well, congrats, man, if that’s what’s happening.”
“You’re not freaked out?”
“Harsh. Why would I be freaked out? Everyone’s been saying you two should’ve gotten together for ages.”
“Even though we haven’t even seen each other in years?”
“You haven’t stopped talking about him. Every time we connect, you tell me of something or another that’s going on with Justin. He’s got a new game, he’s made this new video, and so on.”
Calder paused. “Huh, I guess that’s true.” It was a little embarrassing, now that Calder thought about it. It was so easy for Justin to come up in conversation. No wonder everyone figured they were together or should have been together. It wasn’t like family hadn’t asked if he was gay before. “I don’t like other men, though. Just Justin.”
“That’s cool with me. You know I’m going to support you no matter who you love. Unless they’re an axe-wielding killer, or something—then we’ll talk. Anyway, I gotta run. You caught me before an eye appointment.”
“Oh, sorry.”
“Not a problem. Anyway, take care of yourself. Stay safe, all right? We’re always worrying about you when you’re working security. Maybe after all this is done, you can just be a PA instead, huh?”
“I’ll consider it,” Calder chuckled, although his heart hurt with the concern that his brother showed for him. Although much of his family admired the work he did, his parents and brother had always been nervous. They knew of the dangers and Calder had been in hairy situations in the past.
Maybe it was time to move onto something different.
When Calder pocketed the phone, there were soft footsteps behind him. “Ah, good morning, Justin. How’d you sleep?”
“Pretty good, considering,” Justin murmured as he rubbed his face. “How are you?”
“I was catching up with Vince since he left a message last night asking how things were going.”
“Oh, I hope things are going well for him, too.”
“I’m assuming so, although I didn’t have the chance to ask. Coffee?”
“Sure.”
Calder poured up two cups of coffee, bringing one to Justin and keeping one for himself. While Justin poured in the creamer, Calder preferred to keep his black.
“I was thinking of adopting a cat,” Justin said out of the blue.
Calder laughed as he blew gently across his coffee. “Where did that come from?”
“Now and again, I visit this cat café. There’s this old tabby named Tiger there that’s really cute. She’s been there awhile. Everyone seems to overlook her. I’ve never had a cat before but she might be a nice addition to the house.”
Calder watched Justin with curiosity. Him frolicking amongst a bunch of cats was an adorable thought, but why was it coming up now?
Shit, is he thinking about what will happen after I leave? Is he already worried he’ll be lonely, or something?
“If you really want a cat, I say go for it,” Calder insisted.
Justin gazed over. “Yeah?”
“Nothing wrong with some companionship. They’re good for lowering stress. Well, aside from when they’re causing trouble.”
Justin laughed. “I think she’s too old and fat to cause a whole lot of trouble.”
Calder’s heart fluttered as he caught himself gazing to Justin. This was really too sweet. This was an amazing guy that so very few people got the chance to know. It was their loss that they didn’t give Justin the chance to flourish.
The two didn’t say much of anything else as they lost themselves in their own little worlds. Yet, the conversation with Vince weighed heavily on Calder’s mind. When would be a good time to talk to Justin about being potentially more? Did they need to label what they had or were they good to just keep going?
Well, bringing up the cat made it sound like Justin was lonely, so...
“Justin—”
Calder didn’t get a chance to utter another syllable before the front door came crashing down.
29
Justin
Justin dropped his empty coffee mug as the sound of the front door being smashed down shook the house. He gasped and jumped up, grabbing onto Calder as his heart pounded wildly. The adrenalin shot through him and his instinct was to flee.
“Police! Get down on the floor!” The voice was loud and fierce, followed by the rushing of feet.
Justin immediately threw himself onto the floor with his face down and his arms over his head. Calder was right there beside him, their sides touching. Calder had probably meant for the proximity to be soothing but there was no way to calm Justin down now.
He was scared shitless, the air being sucked out of his lungs.
A police raid?! What the fuck was going on? All of the horror stories of police raids gone wrong zipped through Justin’s mind. It wasn’t unheard of for people to be injured during these raids. He had even heard stories of people being killed as well. He remembered one in particular of an elderly woman's head being blown off after a gun accidentally discharged.
He didn’t want to end up on the news in the same way.
Within seconds, uniformed men converged on the kitchen. Justin glanced up and nearly had a heart attack when he caught sight of them with their guns out. He had no idea what kind of guns they were but he didn’t need to know—any one of them could have easily killed. The cops were all wearing heavy vests as well as though they had been prepared for a shootout. Some were wearing helmets that made them even more intimidating. Their expressions were focused and deadly.
All around him, police officers were yelling, “Clear!” from various rooms.
“What’s going on?” Calder demanded as officers swarmed over them, patted them down, and hauled them to their feet.
“We got report of an armed gunman in here taking the homeowner hostage,” the nearest officer relayed.
“I’m the homeowner and no such thing is happening!” Justin exclaimed but didn’t dare look the man in the eyes. “This is my friend. We were just having a cup of coffee.”
“Who called you?” Calder demanded.
“A concerned neighbor.”
“Well, they got it wrong.”
Justin’s heart was pounding hard and he was lightheaded. The voices were starting to drone and sound very far away. His vision was spotting and his knees were feeling weak. “I’m going to faint.”
Calder hurried forward and caught Justin, although the cops instinctively raised their weapons. Having those guns pointed right at him was horrifying. Suddenly, the appeal of first-person shooter games went straight down the drain. He didn’t want to touch another one in his life.
“It’s okay, Justin. I’ve got you. Come over here and sit down,” Calder insisted as he moved Justin to the table and had him sit back.
Justin was numb as he did so, afraid that he was going to fall right off the chair.
“This is insane,” Calder exclaimed as he wheeled on the officers.
“We were responding to the 9-1-1 call. Do you have any reason why a neighbor would call in a prank?”
“I don’t think it was a neighbor,” Justin uttered, still in a daze. “I think it was a coworker of mine using programs to disguise his address.”
The lead officer stared, then growled and shook his head. “More and more people are doing that these days, if that’s the case. Do you have any evidence to back that up?”
“No,” Justin murmured, wrapping his arms around himself to try and stop shaking. He reached out and grabbed a spoonful of sugar to keep his blood-sugar level up. He had been close enough to fainting that he didn’t want to risk it again.
“I’ll need you two to make statements.”
“Yeah, sure,” Calder responded. As cool as he was being, Justin heard the edge to his voice.
Justin numbly nodded as he remained seated. When the officer asked them questions, he tried his best to remain focused. Everything sounded so far away and surreal, especially with officers still lingering in the background.
What a nightmare this had become.
30
Calder
Calder was livid, although he tried his best to keep it together when it was his turn to answer questi
ons. They had no evidence that it was Wallace but still gave his name since it was the only suspicion they had.
Justin wasn’t looking well the whole time. The poor guy was probably scarred for life, and for what? What the hell was wrong with this Wallace? He’d love to say that it was out of the ordinary but Calder knew better.
People were twisted.
After the police were satisfied, they took their leave. They’d lined up someone to repair the door while they waited, at least, but even then the scene had to be cleared. Fortunately the door would be on by the end of the day.
With the cops gone, Justin was silent and dazed. He had completely retreated inside himself and Calder hated seeing it. Over the past week, it had seemed like he had been coming out of his shell.
Calder hated Wallace more than anyone else in the world right now. That was the last straw. Something had to be done.
Whether legal or not.
“Hey, how are you doing?” he murmured.
“I can’t believe he did that,” Justin uttered, gazing up at Calder.
“What the hell was that?”
“It’s call swatting,” Justin murmured as he raised a hand to his face and rubbed it. “It’s when someone calls 9-1-1 and files a false report about something happening. It’s a very real threat for anyone that has a presence online. It’s a way for people to get revenge for any number of reasons—most of them stupid.”
Calder frowned as he drew up a chair and sat beside Justin. “I’ve heard about that before, actually, but didn’t know the term for it.”
“Most of the time, it’s accompanied by doxxing, which is when people find out your personal details and then send in the troops. I doubt Wallace had to try very hard to find my details, though, since he knows me and all. It isn’t that hard to mask your location either. He could’ve easily made that call look like it was from another country if he wanted to.”