by KC Burn
“Sounds awesome.”
HAYDEN GRINNED as he parked his car outside the house. He and a completely new and nontoxic group of firefighters had hit the bar after shift for wings and beer. Without the shroud of Jordan’s negativity, Hayden discovered his coworkers liked him, and he felt confident he’d be able to build a new circle of friends. The worst this group had done was dare him to order a hotter wing sauce than he normally ate. Mostly harmless fun, although he might change his mind about that next time he went to the bathroom.
After he’d eaten his fill of wings—his face was still burning—he and Kevin had gone shopping together, since they’d been heading to the same general area. Hayden had gotten Jez what he hoped was the perfect Christmas gift. He wasn’t sure how he was going to resist waiting a whole week to give it to Jez. This was also the first year since his gran died that he hadn’t volunteered to work Christmas Day. Miguel was going to come over, and the three of them were going to have a small family dinner with all the trimmings. And whatever vegans ate for holiday dinners. He sincerely hoped Tofurky was something comedians had made up for laughs.
Lost in his thoughts, he was on the porch before he noticed the enormous rainbow bouquet of gerbera daisies in a glass vase. Just like that, Jayson “secret admirer” Bain ruined another good mood. That dude had an impeccable sense of timing. It had been a few days since the last “gift,” and Hayden had just started to hope that maybe there wouldn’t be any more.
Bastard.
He brought the vase inside and set it on the kitchen counter before he called Marco.
“Dude. There’s another gift.”
“Is Jez there with you?”
“No, but I expect him home in an hour or so.”
“Okay, I’ll be by in about ninety minutes or thereabouts. It’ll be better if you’re both there.”
Hayden disconnected the call, then dashed upstairs to hide Jez’s gift, take a quick shower, and get Fang outside for a pee. He went back to the kitchen. He wanted have a diet Cuba libre ready to soothe the blow of getting another damned gift. Dinner would be delivery again—no way either of them would want to cook after Marco left, even if he said he could go and arrest Jayson.
Hayden had just finished pouring the Diet Coke over the dark rum when he heard Jez’s key in the lock. Hayden snatched up the glass and dashed to the door, standing next to Fang to greet Jez.
“Hello there.” Jez smiled at him. “This is a nice surprise.”
Hayden kissed him, took his bag and hung it up while Jez greeted Fang, then handed Jez the glass.
“I could definitely get used to this sort of treatment,” Jez teased.
Hayden grimaced and the smile fell off Jez’s face.
“Wait. This is booze to cushion a blow, isn’t it?” Jez wrinkled his nose, then sneezed. And sneezed again.
“Are you getting a cold?” Maybe the flu? They were smack in the middle of flu season, and firefighters saw a number of flu victims, primarily the elderly, who’d called 911 for emergency services.
Jez frowned. “I don’t know. Maybe. But never mind that. What happened? No, wait.” Jez waved a hand at him before taking a giant gulp of his Cuba libre.
“You missed your calling as a bartender.” Jez sucked in a deep breath. “Okay, I think I’m ready.”
Another sneeze prevented Hayden from speaking right away. “Another gift came today.” He checked his watch. “Marco should be here in about ten minutes or so.”
“Fucking hell.” Jez drew in a deep breath, then handed Hayden his glass before letting out an explosive series of sneezes, scaring Fang right upstairs. When he stopped convulsing, he straightened up. “I’m so sorry.” The s sounds had become th sounds, and tears streamed from reddened eyes.
“Holy shit. This cold came on fast.” Scary fast. What the hell kind of virus was that?
Jez shook his head. “Let me guess. That fucker sent flowers. Daisies?”
“Oh shit. Yeah. A giant bouquet of gerbera daisies.”
Jez bared his teeth in a snarl before he started sneezing again.
“Let me grab you something.”
“No, I’ll grab some toilet paper from the bathroom. You get rid of those fucking flowers.”
Hayden sped back to the kitchen and set Jez’s glass on the counter before getting out the garbage bags. Shit, he’d known certain flowers were terrible for Jez, but he’d never seen him around daisies. He should have thought of allergies first off.
The doorbell rang, and Hayden tossed the flowers in the mudroom before answering the door. “Hey, Marco.”
“Where’s the flowers?”
Hayden rolled his eyes. “Inside two garbage bags in the mudroom.” Double-knotted too, completely bypassing the drawstrings.
“Was that necessary?” Marco asked as he followed Hayden into the dining room and sat down.
Hayden gestured at Jez, who appeared in the room carrying a roll of toilet paper, eyes red and streaming, nose shiny and pink.
“Are you crying?” Marco half stood. “Have you been hurt?”
Jez rolled his eyes, sat down, and sneezed again. Hayden answered for him. “He’s allergic to the flowers that Jayson gifted.”
“Allegedly gifted.”
This time both he and Jez rolled their eyes. “Fine. Allegedly. But I should think this would help convince you that Jez didn’t buy these flowers himself.” As if the milk chocolate and mangoes hadn’t been convincing enough. “Jez was in the house all of two or three minutes before the sneezing started. Hence double-bagging the flowers. I left the card out in case you want it.”
“I do want it. But I’ve also got a bit of information for you.” Marco pulled out his notebook. “A credit card in the name of Jez Bouchet was used to purchase both chocolates and fruit basket via an online transaction. I assume the card was used for the flowers.”
Jez sat up straight and sputtered. “But I didn’t. I didn’t, I swear.”
“Calm down. I’m not done yet.”
“I thought you said you couldn’t get a subpoena for financial records.” That got Hayden an amused look, which Hayden took heart from. If Marco was amused, there was hope.
“Sometimes people will just cooperate with the police when they ask, you know. Despite what TV would have you think. And the name on a credit card slip isn’t on par with state secrets. Or financial records from a bank. I also requested copies of the supporting documentation used to initiate the protection order. There were also credit card slips. Obviously the full card number wasn’t visible, but the last four digits and expiry date were the same, so I think we can say the same card was used to buy all gifts, including the ones you’ve just received.”
“But I don’t understand. How is that even possible?”
Marco gave Jez a pitying look. “There are a number of ways someone could take out a credit card in your name. It remains to be seen if your alleged stalker is the one who did so, but since I can’t find any record of payments made to this card from the bank statements you gave me and the card number doesn’t match the credit card you have… I have enough to open up an official inquiry. If I can get a sympathetic judge, yeah, we should be able to requisition the appropriate records, but even if that happens, it’s going to take a while. Without a definite threat, this is going to be considered low priority.”
Jez’s shoulders dropped. “I understand.”
Marco gave them a few things to look out for in case the gift-giver—he would not admit it was Jayson—was watching them or following them, and then they said their goodbyes.
They sat together on the couch, taking comfort in the other’s presence. Hayden had no more words for Jez. Only time would see this through, but hopefully Christmas would lift his spirits.
Partway through the evening, a brilliant if terrifying idea struck Hayden in the midst of yet another onslaught of holiday-themed commercials.
“I have an idea. Why don’t we go out this weekend and get a Christmas tree, have dinner someplace nice, th
en come back and decorate it.”
Jez snorted and pulled out of Hayden’s arms to sit cross-legged on the couch, staring at the side of his face. “A Christmas tree? Really? I’m okay not having a tree. I haven’t for years. I never had room in my apartment for one anyway.”
“All the more reason to get one. I used to love putting up a tree with Gran, and I think I’d regret not having one for our first Christmas together.”
Quickly, Jez kissed his cheek. “Won’t dropping needles trigger your issues?”
Hayden laughed. “It won’t be a real tree. Those things are a fire hazard. We’ll get a nice, fake, fire-retardant tree from Target. Better for your allergies too.”
“Okay, that makes more sense. Do you have any decorations?”
In the mostly empty attic, he’d stored a single box of ornaments. But the thought of bringing them down, in all their mismatched ugliness, made him shudder. “We’ll buy some of those too. Maybe just one or two colors to start with.” Hayden thought about that for a moment and nodded. “Yes, that will be okay, I think.”
If it turned out to not be okay, they could donate the tree or pack it away in the attic to try again another year.
“It’s a plan. I’ll make reservations somewhere.” Jez bounced a couple of times before snuggling back against Hayden.
Just like that, the specter of Jayson Bain had been banished. Temporarily.
Chapter 13
JEZ HAD had the best day. Since it was the Saturday before Christmas, they’d had to scour four different Targets to get everything they needed—in only blue and silver—for their tree. And because it was in fact only three days before Christmas, all of the Targets were bustling. But everyone was filled with the best of the holiday spirit, and Jez hadn’t needed a Xanax or had to take a break. Then they’d gone to a place that offered steaks and vegan dishes. Hayden had worked the day after the flowers had arrived, and in his absence, Jez had put the finishing touches on the guest room. He wanted to show it to Hayden so bad, but he didn’t want to overwhelm him. The Christmas tree would be enough for today, and if that went well, he’d share the room with Hayden on Christmas Day.
He reached over and squeezed Hayden’s knee.
“Love you, baby.” Hayden shot him a quick grin before he turned onto their street.
“Love you too.” Then he got a look at the parking situation. “Whoo. Busy night in the hood. Someone must be having a party.”
Although they’d gone very minimalist with the decorations and fake tree, Jez suspected they’d need at least two trips to get everything in the house. Two trips would suck.
Hayden pulled into a spot three doors down, and they hopped out of the truck. “Bags first, then come back for the tree?”
Jez nodded. “Yeah. Let’s do that.”
Armed with their purchases, they started walking toward their place.
A grunting bark made Jez pause. “Did you hear Fang?”
Hayden stopped and listened. “I don’t know. We shouldn’t be able to hear him from here, should we?”
Jez couldn’t see the front of their house for the shrubbery that separated the property from the Johnsons’ on the east side. “I don’t think so. Could we have left a window open?”
Hayden shook his head. “Not hardly. It’s been too cool to open windows.”
Jez shrugged, took another step, then heard Fang’s silly bark before the fat puppy burst out of the bushes, tail wagging, fur covered in bits of dried grass, twigs, and leaves.
“What the hell?” He set his bags down and scooped up Fang. “What are you doing here?” Sweat broke out all over his body. Fang was so fucking eager. What if he’d bounded into the street? He could have been hit by a car and Jez might never have known what happened.
Hayden looked just as stricken and had dropped his bags so he could hold them both. “I don’t like this,” Hayden whispered.
“What do you mean?”
“We are both so careful. We didn’t leave a door or window open that Fang could have gotten out of. How did he get out here?”
Then fear beyond Jez’s concern for Fang’s safety sent his heart galloping.
Hayden peeked around the bushes. Holding Fang tight to his chest, Jez did the same. Nothing appeared out of place. No packages sat on the doorstep. Light from the lamp in the den they turned on when they left the house gave the front windows a golden glow.
Everything looked perfectly normal. They must have just had a lapse when they’d left the house. Fang had slipped out with them or something. He hated the thought of his baby on his own outside for so long, but they’d just have to be more careful. Jez’s breathing started to slow, and Hayden relaxed, standing up straight.
Then a shadow moved at the edge of that warming golden glow, but liquid nitrogen had frozen Jez’s blood.
“What the fuck?” he whispered.
Hayden yanked him back behind the shrubs, pulled out his phone, scrolled through his contact list. “Marco. Someone’s in our house,” Hayden said into the phone, barely louder than a whisper.
There was a pause. “We’re outside. We just parked down the street and we saw a shadow inside.”
Another pause. “Thanks.” He shoved his phone back in his pocket.
“They’re coming. Marco said go back to the truck and wait.”
Jez nodded. It wasn’t a bulletproof truck or anything, but he’d feel a lot safer there than out in the open.
They kept craning their heads around, and Hayden swore and started the truck.
“What are you doing?” Jez whispered, like the intruder could hear them three doors down and inside a truck.
“Turning the fuck around.” Hayden drove farther down the street, made a U-turn, then parked on the other side of the street. They could see their front door from here, and hopefully the intruder hadn’t heard anything suspicious.
“Why did you do that?”
Hayden snorted. “If I see whoever it is leaving before the cops get here, I’m going to fucking follow them.”
“What if the engine scared them away?”
“Someone on this street is having a party. Cars driving down this street shouldn’t concern him.”
Jez liked this better anyway. They’d be able to see what happened instead of trying to see out the back window.
Within moments, cop cars without sirens converged on the house. Officers got out and some went around the back. Then, suddenly, it was all over.
Two officers emerged from the house with a struggling man between them. Jez hopped down from the truck, Fang still in his arms. In the dark, and from this distance, he couldn’t tell if it was Jayson, and he fucking needed to know.
Marco caught up with him as he strode onto the front lawn. “Jez, you shouldn’t be here.”
The flashing red and blue lights brought neighbors out onto their lawns. Then the intruder and his captors moved closer to the ring of police cruisers with their bright headlights.
Jayson. It was definitely Jayson. Who caught sight of Jez at the same time.
“No. Arrest him,” Jayson screamed, staring at Jez. “I have a restraining order. He’s in violation. He’s too close. Arrest him.”
“It doesn’t work that way, dumbass. You broke into his house,” one of the officers beside Jayson said.
As soon as Jayson was secured in the cruiser, Jez went into the house, grabbed Fang’s leash, then attached leash to dog and the other end of the leash to belt. Wherever Jez went tonight, Fang was going to follow.
Marco accompanied Jayson to the station while Jez and Hayden stayed at the house and gave their statements to other officers. Hours later, Jez’s eyes burned from exhaustion, and he’d just made the fourth pot of coffee. The emergency locksmith who’d changed all their locks had drunk a cup. Cops and crime-scene techs had been in and out of his kitchen getting coffee. They’d taken possession of Jayson’s gifts, which Hayden—surprisingly—hadn’t tossed out yet, then assessed the rest of the house. They’d soon determined Jayson h
ad spent most of his time in their bedroom vandalizing their bed.
Jez had been afraid that piece of information would send Hayden over the edge, but he’d been a rock. Maybe he’d have a delayed reaction, or maybe the years had healed him some. Maybe Hayden’s quirks were more a symptom of grief rather than full-blown OCD. Either way, Jez had already sent their therapist a message while Hayden was in the bathroom, because whether or not this set Hayden off, Jez was pretty sure they’d be nervous sleeping in their bedroom for a while.
Yet another crime-scene tech came into the kitchen. “Can I take a look at the other rooms upstairs?” Jez asked. Because if Jayson had destroyed his hard work in the guest room, he might have to break into the jail and strangle the bastard.
“Sure. Just not the master bedroom.”
Good. Because they also needed a place to sleep, and he’d like to get fresh sheets on the bed in his old room so they could crash the second the house emptied. God. What would this be like if someone had been murdered?
“You okay?”
Hayden nodded and started pouring his own coffee.
“Okay, I’ll be back in a few.”
Brave going upstairs all by himself with all these cops around, but Jez suspected he’d be sticking close to Hayden and turning on a lot of lights over the next few days.
First he checked out the room he’d decorated just for Hayden. The door was still closed. Jez took a deep breath and turned the knob.
Then let out a gusty sigh of relief. Pristine. Absolutely pristine. He shut the door again, then quickly set up his old room so it would be basically habitable.
When he got downstairs, Marco had returned.
“Long night, you guys. But it’s almost over. They’re getting ready to head out.”
“Anything we should know?” Hayden asked. Jez almost wanted to shepherd them into the dining room, since that had sort of become the “debriefing” room, but Marco merely pulled a kitchen chair away from the table and sat down.
Marco gave them a stern look. “No spreading this around, got it? Because I shouldn’t be telling you this. Not until all the paperwork’s been signed off on.” Then he grinned at them. “It was incredible. He started talking as soon as we got him in the interrogation room. We’ll have to follow up on everything to get supporting documentation, but there’s no doubt in my mind he was behind all the gifts, both here and in New York.”