by A. M. Burns
A large, uniformed police officer met him at the stairs. “Put your hands where I can see them! Don’t move!”
Dillon lay flat on the walkway and thrust his hands out before him, hoping that he wasn’t about to die in a shootout between Kareem and the police. “Be careful!” Dillon gasped for air as his pulse pounded in his head. “He’s got a gun.”
“I’ve got one,” the officer said into the radio on his shoulder. He kept his gun trained on Dillon. “Okay, kid, get up nice and slowly. No sudden moves.”
All Dillon could do was nod and keep his hands out. It was awkward standing like that, but he moved slowly. The policeman kept the gun pointed at him the whole time.
When he made it to his feet, the officer walked over to him. “Put your hands on your head and turn around.”
Not sure if anything he could say would help his cause, Dillon did as instructed. When he turned, he spotted Kareem lying in a widening pool of blood in front of the door to the apartment he’d lived in for years. Police swarmed up the far stairs, their guns out and ready.
Seeing Kareem dead helped Dillon relax. “You have to help Scott and Robbie,” he said as the policeman handcuffed him. “They’re in our apartment. Kareem shot Robbie.”
“We’ve got injured in the apartment,” the policeman reported in his radio. “Are there any other weapons in there?”
Dillon shook his head.
“Okay, kid.” The officer walked him toward the stairs. “Let’s get you down to the car. You can call your folks from the station.”
Dillon wanted to run and make sure that Scott and Robbie were okay, but he didn’t want to be shot by the police officer either. He went along and hoped the Shanks would never come after him again, even if he was the son of their founder.
22
DILLON STARED at Detective Graham as the detective finished inputting Dillon’s statement. Uncle Bryan and his lawyer, Harvey Blankenship, had showed up more than an hour before and sat there in silence as Dillon answered Graham’s many questions. He’d felt like he had after the convenience store robbery. The main difference was that once Graham became involved, the handcuffs had come off and he was treated like the victim he was as opposed to a suspect. The general change in attitude helped him relax.
Detective Graham sighed as he gave his computer mouse a final click. “At least we have enough witnesses that we’re not going to have a lot of fallout over this one. No one’s going to be able to say Holmes was unarmed. Can’t officially say that I won’t be sorry to see him gone. Now to figure out where the rest of the Shanks have gone. Maybe him saying something about an airplane will help us figure it out.”
Uncle Bryan leaned forward and spoke for the first time in several minutes. “Wait a minute, the rest of the Shanks are missing? I’ve seen news reports about young American people going to the Middle East to join the fighting over there; could that have been what was going on?”
“Possible.” Graham shook his head. “We might never know. We’ve got pictures of all the known Shanks circulating, but with the amount of oil money that comes through Texas, it’s easy for those guys to move people back and forth across the borders. So many of them have major political connections.”
Dillon didn’t care about strife across the ocean. He’d lost so much recently, all he wanted to do was find a way to put his life back together. “So what about Scott and Robbie? Do we know how they are?”
“When we came back here, there wasn’t any word on them.” Graham studied his computer monitor and clicked on a couple of things. “Still nothing that’s been sent to me.”
“So are we done, Detective Graham?” Harvey Blankenship asked. “I also presume in light of these developments, there won’t be any more questions concerning Dillon and the incident the last day of school.”
“I’m not the DA, but I’d say that he’s in the clear. It’s obvious that Holmes was after him and trying to get him wrapped up with the Shanks. I’ve seen them use similar tactics before. You should hear something official from the DA in a couple of days. If he’s got more questions, I’m sure he’ll be in touch.”
Blankenship and Uncle Bryan stood before Dillon did. All of the excitement and stress of the day suddenly weighed heavily on Dillon. It was all he could do to get out of the chair. His arm still hurt from where Kareem grabbed him, and at some point, in the police car, bruises had formed there. His forehead also pounded under the bandage the paramedic applied after announcing he didn’t have a concussion from hitting his head on the walkway.
“Come on, Dillon.” Uncle Bryan held the door to the small office open. “Let’s go find Scott, Alex, and Paul and make sure everything’s okay.”
“Robbie too. I’m still worried that Kareem killed him.” Dillon made his way out of Graham’s office.
“Dillon!” Scott’s shout rolled down the marbled hallway.
Dillon turned toward him and nearly lost his balance as his head spun from the quick movement. Then Scott’s strong arms were around him. He found himself off the ground in a tight, affectionate hug. “Scott, you’re okay.”
Scott gave him a quick kiss. “Just a little bump on the head.” He touched the bandage on his temple. “I can’t believe I collapsed that easily.”
“More than just a little bump on the head.” Alex appeared behind Scott. “You’ve got a mild concussion, boy. You’re supposed to be taking it easy. The only way we got them to let you out of the hospital was by telling them that you’d be still and quiet for a couple of days. I don’t think picking up Dillon qualifies as still and quiet.”
“Sorry, Dad.” Scott looked a little cowed but kept hold of Dillon’s hand. “I’m just happy he’s okay.” He reached up and traced the bandage on Dillon’s forehead. “You know, if this was off to the side a bit we’d almost match.”
A soft smile formed on Dillon’s lips. “Almost.” He squeezed Scott’s hand.
Uncle Bryan turned from his lawyer as Blankenship walked away. “Okay, let’s go to the hospital and check on Robbie. Then we should probably go get some dinner, if everyone’s up for it.”
“Can it be closer to home?” Dillon asked. “I want to go see Robbie, make sure he’s okay, but I also want to get out of town. There’s too much….” He struggled to find the right word for what he was feeling.
“Everything?” Scott suggested.
“I understand.” Uncle Bryan pushed the button for the elevator. “Yeah, Alex, if you need to get back out to the house, I can get Scott home. I wish you’d brought Paul along, though. That way we could go get the spare car from the apartment.”
“Paul’s here,” Alex replied. “He just went to find some bottled water.” His phone beeped, and he pulled it out and looked at it. “In fact, he’s in the elevator now. If you give us the keys and the address, we can go take care of that while you and the boys go to the hospital.”
They got the details worked out during the elevator ride to the first floor, and after a round of reassuring hugs on the marble steps leading into the police station, they hurried off in their separate directions.
DILLON FOUGHT back the uneasy fear that bombarded him as they walked into the hospital, the same place he lost his mother less than a month before. As they walked to the information desk with Uncle Bryan in the lead, his heart pounded so hard it was louder in his ears than some of the hushed conversation around them.
Scott touched his arm. “If this is too much for you, let Bryan go check on Robbie.”
“No.” For a second Dillon thought about taking Scott’s hand for comfort but resisted. He didn’t want to have to deal with people’s looks and whispers. “Robbie got hurt trying to help me, just like you did. I have to go and see him, make sure he’s okay. Mom wouldn’t want me to abandon him just because this place reminds me of losing her.”
Uncle Bryan came back from the information desk. “Okay, I know where we’re going. Thankfully, he’s already in a regular room.”
Realizing that they weren’t going to have
to be in intensive care again let Dillon relax a little bit. When the elevator arrived, it was one he hadn’t been in before and they were the only ones in it. Dillon hugged Scott as tight as he could. “Thank you for coming with us. It really helps having you at my side right now.”
Scott kissed him quickly. “I’m here for you. My dads have shown me that one of the most important things a couple can do for each other is be there when they’re needed.”
“Your dads are good that way,” Uncle Bryan said.
The doors opened for their floor, and they hurried out of the elevator. As soon as they were a couple of steps from the elevator, Dillon’s feet dragged. Can I do this? Robbie was hurt because of me. If I hadn’t been there, he wouldn’t have been. And he confessed he’s interested in me. If he’d told me that two months ago, things would be different, but I don’t know how I would’ve reacted two months ago. He rubbed his suddenly sweaty hands on his jeans, which still had dust and dirt on them from the walkway in front of the apartment.
Uncle Bryan stopped at a room and glanced back at Dillon, only halfway there. “You going to be okay?”
Dillon managed a tight nod. “I think so.”
Scott patted his hand. “I’m right here. If this gets too hard, just say something and we’re out of here.”
The door to the room was open. Uncle Bryan knocked before he went on in. Robbie’s parents sat on either side of the bed. His mother was closest to the door. Robbie lay on the bed, pale, but his blue eyes were open.
“Dillon, how are you?” Robbie’s mother came and hugged him. It felt awkward since in all the times he’d been over to Robbie’s house, his mother had never touched him in any way.
“A little bumped up, but I’ll survive. How is Robbie?”
“Oh God.” Her voice cracked and sounded like she was near tears. “We were all so thankful that the bullet missed anything vital. A little lower and in his chest, it would’ve caught his right lung instead of just his arm.”
“Mom, don’t get upset again,” Robbie said. His voice was soft and shallow, like it took all of his energy to speak.
“Baby, you could’ve died at the hands of that monster.”
Robbie’s father came over and hugged his mother. “But he didn’t, did he, Delores? He’s going to be fine with a lot of rest. The doctors say he’ll be back on his feet in no time. I bet all the girls at the pool will be talking about his new scar when he gets back to work.”
For a second, Robbie met Dillon’s gaze and there was a pleading look in his eyes. Dillon nodded an understanding. He doesn’t want me to say anything that will let his folks know he doesn’t care what the girls say. But I bet a bunch of the guys will think the gunshot scar is cool.
“At least all the boys are going to be okay,” Uncle Bryan said. “By the way, I’m Bryan Smith, Dillon’s uncle and guardian.” Then he gestured to Scott. “And this is Scott Bradley. He lives down the block from us in Kerens. He was helping Dillon get things out of the apartment today.”
Scott raised his hand in greeting.
“Oh God,” Robbie’s mother sobbed. “It was so horrible what happened to poor Milly. I couldn’t believe it when I heard. I’m so sorry that I couldn’t make the funeral. It’s just good that Dillon has you to look after him for the next couple of years.”
Uncle Bryan grinned at Dillon. It was the first happy look that Dillon had seen on his face since he’d arrived at the police station. “He’s a good kid. Luckily, Milly did all the hard work on him. All I have to do is somehow keep him alive a little while, and he’ll be on his own.”
“If you need any help, feel free to call. Dillon and Robbie have been friends for years. I think I know a little bit about how he thinks.”
Dillon made himself not react to her words. Sure, they’d been friends, but she hadn’t had a ton of interaction with him, even all the times she’d driven him home in bad weather or the couple of times he’d slept over at their house before going on a field trip or something.
“I’ll remember that. Scott’s folks are also offering to help me out. Since I never had kids of my own, Dillon’s the closest thing I’ve ever had to a son, but I don’t know much about teen boys, other than my own personal accounts, and I’m not sure how my folks survived my teen years.”
“Mom,” Robbie said, interrupting Uncle Bryan’s monologue, “if you guys wouldn’t mind. I’d like to talk to Dillon just the two of us for a few minutes.”
“Sure, sweetie, not a problem, just don’t talk too much and wear yourself out. We want you to be able to go home tomorrow.” She walked to his bedside and kissed him on the forehead before gesturing for everyone to head out of the room.
“You going to be okay?” Scott whispered.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine. See you in a few.” Dillon wished they could’ve hugged before Scott walked out into the hall, leaving him alone with Robbie.
“Close the door,” Robbie said once everyone was clear.
Dillon did as he asked. When he made it back to the bedside, a heavy lump rested in his throat. “I’m sorry you got hurt. If it hadn’t been for me, you’d be fine and wouldn’t be missing any of your summer at the pool.”
Robbie started to move his hand, then winced and lay still. “Don’t worry about it. Did my folks tell me right? Is Kareem dead?”
“Yeah.” Dillon sat in the chair where Robbie’s mother had been when he entered the room. “The police took him out. If you ask me, I think they’re happy that he’s off the street.”
“I wonder who’ll take his place.” Robbie frowned. “There will always be another Kareem at school. If we’re all lucky, it’ll be someone we can easily deal with.”
“I won’t be there.” Dillon stared out the window. Even as high up as they were, he couldn’t see the edge of town. The buildings and roads seemed to go on forever.
“I know.” Robbie sounded sad. “I guess until I saw you with Scott today, I hoped you’d be back and maybe I’d find the courage to tell you I was interested in you.” He moved his head slightly as if to shake it, then winced again. “By the way, this bullet wound might not have hit anything vital, but it really hurts.”
“Thanks for taking a bullet for me.” Dillon didn’t know what else to say about the situation. It sounded cheap and cliché, but it was all he could force out of his mouth. “You know, I don’t know how I would’ve reacted if you’d told me you were gay and interested in me before my mom died. I’m just coming to terms with it myself. Uncle Bryan, Scott, and Scott’s dads are helping me understand. I guess you saw something in me that I didn’t even realize was there.”
“I wasn’t sure. I don’t think it’s really possible to look at someone and see that they’re gay. But there were little things, like some of the looks you gave when the girls would hug you.”
“What kind of looks?”
“The kind that said all you would ever be to them was friends. It gave me hope. But I guess I waited too long. You found Scott. He’s really hot, by the way. Good catch.”
A warm grin spread over Dillon’s face. “Thanks. You’re pretty hot yourself. Who knows, if things don’t work out with Scott, maybe I’ll come back to Dallas looking for you.”
“I’m not waiting around. There’s been a few guys at the pool who’ve been flirting… a lot. When I get back, maybe I’ll let them feel my scar.” Robbie took a deep breath. “I hope we can still be friends. Through everything, the gangs, the cheerleaders, hard tests… you’ve been there for me.”
“And I still am. We can still chat, call; if you don’t mind me bringing Scott along, we can go to the occasional movie and dinner. I still want to be your friend, Robbie. Hell, maybe we can double date from time to time.”
“I don’t know, you and Scott might make any guy along with us think that I’m not all that hot.”
“No way.”
“We’ll see.” He yawned. “At least Kareem’s gone. That alone makes this pain worth it. I think I want to go back to sleep for a bit. Are you going
to stay around?”
“I don’t think so. Uncle Bryan said something about getting some dinner on the way home. I’m working on hungry. But I can come back up and see you.”
“Not necessary. Mom said I should get out tomorrow. But you could stop by the house sometime and check on me. That would be nice.”
Impulsively, Dillon leaned over and kissed Robbie’s forehead like his mother had. “That would be nice. Chase me down in chat when you’re up to it. Now rest and get to feeling better.”
“Thanks. Dillon, you’re a great guy. I hope Scott makes you happy.”
“He does.” Dillon turned and walked out the door. He didn’t want to say good-bye, not in the hospital. Good-bye in a hospital sounded too permanent, and he didn’t want anything to happen to Robbie.
23
DILLON WALKED through the gate into the flight pen area. Alex said Scott was down feeding. He felt safe and secure as he strolled there. Something about not seeing other houses beyond the trees that surrounded the property made it feel better to him. He didn’t call out for Scott. He didn’t want to scare any of the birds. Instead he walked around, looking for him. At nearly every occupied flight pen, he stopped and looked at the birds. A lot of the time, he struggled to remember what they were, but when he reached the flight with the red-tailed hawks, he stood and studied them.
The bird he and Uncle Bryan rescued sat on a perch near the front of the flight. When he walked up, she positioned herself in a beam of sunlight perfect for preening. But right after he started looking at her, she stopped and returned his intense gaze in spades.
“You know….” Scott’s voice behind him startled Dillon and broke the visual connection between him and the hawk. “I think she likes you. When Alex and Paul are out here, she spends all her time in the back of the flight.”
“But she hangs out with me when I’m here.” For a moment Dillon wanted to ask Scott for a glove so he could see if she’d sit on his hand. After handling Mel, Scott’s hawk, several times and getting used to feeding her with Scott, he wondered if the hawk he’d carried to the center would be interested in being as close to him as Mel was to Scott. But he knew that she was still a wild bird and would probably freak out if he made advances to her.