Fingerprints and Muddy Feet

by Carol Lynne

  Snake met Nate’s gaze for several heartbeats before turning his attention to Rio. He clapped Rio hard on the back and grinned. “Good to see you again.”

  Rio smiled back. He gestured to Nate. “Nate, this is Snake.”

  Nate barely kept his hand from shaking as he extended his arm in greeting. “Thanks for meeting us.”

  Snake shook Nate’s hand just as Ryan came back to the table with a pitcher of beer and four glasses. “Ryan,” Snake greeted in a wary voice.

  “Snake.” Ryan sat down. “Beer?”

  Snake shook his head. “Haven’t had a drop in almost four years.”

  “Good to hear.” Ryan poured three glasses.

  Nate took a sip of his drink as he watched Ryan and Snake over the rim of his glass. The two appeared to engage in an unspoken conversation for several moments before breaking eye contact. Damn. Nate glanced at Rio to see if he was the only one who had noticed the exchange. Nope. Rio’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Ryan.

  Ryan tipped his glass back and swallowed half his beer in a single gulp. “Let’s get to it,” he announced, refilling his glass.

  Snake produced a folded envelope from the inside pocket of his long, black leather trench coat and set it on the table. “I did some preliminary digging,” he began, taking a seat across from Nate. “I found a few things in Senator Gilloume’s financial records that caught my attention.”

  “You got into his bank account?” Nate asked. “Don’t you need a warrant for that?”

  “Snake doesn’t believe in following the rules,” Ryan replied.

  “Whatever,” Snake answered, brushing off Ryan’s dig. “Two things. Every Tuesday afternoon like clockwork, the Senator wires two thousand dollars to a woman in Philadelphia. What she does with the money, I have no idea, but it gave me a location to search.” He pointed to the envelope. “As I’m sure you’re aware, the Senator owns several small companies. One of them, Mermont Industries, purchased a house in Philadelphia and donated it to a charity Gilloume supports. I made a trip up there and drove by the house. It’s definitely being lived in, but by whom, I have no idea.”

  Nate shifted in his chair. “What kind of charity is it?”

  Snake opened the envelope and peeked inside. “Netherfield House.”

  “What’s that?” Nate asked before draining his beer.

  Snake looked at Rio and Ryan before answering. “It’s a home for men with Down syndrome. From what I’ve been able to find online, the house is the one cause the charity supports.”

  Knowing the darker side of his father, Nate had a feeling the Senator wasn’t donating a little over eight thousand dollars a month out of the goodness of his heart. “I want to know everything you can find out about Netherfield. Who lives there, who runs it, everything.”

  “It might take a few days,” Snake answered. “But I’ll take another trip up this evening and see if I can find a way into the house.”

  “Don’t do anything to put those residents in danger,” Ryan warned.

  Snake narrowed his eyes. “I’m good, not stupid.”

  * * * *

  Sprawled on the bed, Ryan brushed his fingers back and forth across Rio’s bare chest as Nate took a shower. “We should probably get dressed.”

  Rio stretched his arms over his head and groaned. “Why don’t we just order breakfast from room service?”

  “Because we promised Nate we’d visit that little diner he used to go to as a kid.” Ryan rolled on top of Rio. The hard muscles under him never ceased to turn him on and his body started to respond predictably.

  Rio stared up at Ryan. “What happened between you and Snake?”

  “I told you, I just don’t trust the guy,” Ryan said, grinding his hardened cock against Rio in an attempt to change the subject. “Where’s the lube? I’ll let you fuck me.”

  Rio reached down and stilled Ryan’s hips. “You slept with him, didn’t you?”

  Fuck! Ryan let out an exasperated huff of breath and climbed off Rio. He’d spent years watching Rio disappear into hotel rooms and tents in the middle of the fucking jungle with Ghost, so why the hell should he feel guilty about relieving sexual tension with Snake? “There wasn’t much sleeping between us, if you get my drift.” He swung his legs over the side of the bed. “The two of us ran hot for a month or so, but then just when we wound up in the same city. No feelings were ever exchanged.” At least on Snake’s part, he silently added.

  Rio sat up and pulled Ryan away from the edge of the bed and back into his arms. “You could’ve told me earlier. It’s not like I thought you were a monk before we got together.” He gave Ryan a tight squeeze. “And if I were single, I’d fuck around with Snake.”

  Ryan elbowed Rio in the ribs. The thought of Snake’s python of a dick sliding in and out of Rio’s ass bothered Ryan more than he could say. “Well, you’re not single, so don’t even think about it.”

  Rio captured Ryan’s mouth in a deep kiss.

  “What the hell? I thought we were going to DB’s?” Nate threw off his towel and propped his hands on his hips, drawing Ryan’s gaze to the flaccid cock that draped perfectly over Nate’s heavy balls. He made a show of turning around and shaking his ass. “If I don’t get to go to DB’s, neither of you will be allowed to get close to this tonight.”

  “Since when is breakfast more important than sex?” Rio asked.

  “I can get cock any day, but DB’s malted waffles are only here in DC, and since we leave in two days, I’m getting them while I can.” Nate marched to the hotel dresser and removed a pair of underwear. “Get up!”

  A loud, sharp knock sounded against the hotel room door.

  “Who is it?” Nate called, pulling up his underwear.

  “Snake,” came the reply.

  “Just a sec,” Nate hollered back.

  Rio and Ryan broke apart and climbed off the bed. Nate tossed them each some underwear. “You changing into your suit now or are we coming back here after breakfast?” Nate asked.

  Ryan settled his underwear in place and reached for the jeans he’d taken off the night before. “Later. I’d like to get a shower before I get ready for the memorial service.”

  “You could’ve showered with me,” Nate pouted.

  Ryan kissed Nate’s cheek on the way to the door. Rio had started to follow Nate into the bathroom, but Ryan had pulled him back because he felt giving Nate a few minutes alone was for the best. It would be a hard day. Despite Nate’s bravado, Ryan knew his partner was hurting at the loss of his brother. “We’ll have time after we eat for a quickie.”

  “Maybe,” Nate mumbled, zipping his jeans.

  Once Ryan made sure his men were covered, he opened the door. “Morning. I hope you have something for us.”

  The corner of Snake’s mouth tipped up in a roguish grin. “Maybe.”

  Rolling his eyes, Ryan stepped back, allowing Snake entrance.

  Snake raked his gaze over Ryan’s chest. “There’re a few new ones since I saw you last.”

  Ryan ran a hand over the tattoos on his chest and stomach. “Nate, toss me a T-shirt.”

  Snake chuckled as he made himself comfortable in one of the chairs by the window. He laid a large manila envelope on the unmade bed. “I got a few good pictures of the house and the people who live there, but it wasn’t at all what I was expecting.”

  Ryan pulled his T-shirt over his head before leaning over to pick up the pictures. The first photo was of a nice-looking two-storey house in what appeared to be an upscale neighbourhood. He handed it off to Nate before looking at the next. Two men getting out of the back of a minivan with a much older woman shutting the driver’s side door. “Do you know who they are?”

  Snake glanced at Nate before returning his attention to Ryan. “The one you’d care about goes by the name Buddy Carlyle.”

  “Carlyle?” Nate questioned. “That’s my mother’s maiden name.” His stomach turned over as a memory assaulted him.

  Snake nodded. “He was born July sixteenth
nineteen seventy, which I believe is almost two years before you were born.”

  Nate dropped to sit on the edge of the bed. “When I was seven my mother took me to meet my grandmother for the first time. I remember Grandmother Carlyle calling me Buddy. My mother quickly corrected her and refused to speak of it after we left.”

  “Can you get hold of Buddy’s birth certificate?” Rio asked.

  “Already did.” Snake removed a piece of paper from his coat pocket and stretched out to hand it to Nate. “I’m sorry,” he added before releasing the page.

  Nate unfolded the copy of the birth certificate. More than just the date caught his attention. “My parents were married in nineteen sixty-seven, but my father isn’t listed, and my mom’s using her maiden name.” He shook his head. “Why would the hospital let them get away with this?”

  Rio pointed to a line on the certificate. “Because according to this, Bertram Carlyle was delivered at home by a midwife.”

  “That was my Grandpa Carlyle’s name.” Nate tried to process the information. “I have an older brother.” He took the picture of Buddy away from Ryan and looked at it again. He tried to see himself in the man, desperate to find a connection between them.

  “Your colouring is the same,” Rio whispered in Nate’s ear. “And he has the same dimple.”

  Nate smiled up at his partner, grateful for Rio’s gift for reading his mind. “Yeah, he does.” He felt the sting of tears and blinked them away before they could fall. “I’d like to meet him.”

  “Of course,” Rio was quick to agree.

  “I think we should approach the woman in the picture first. You wouldn’t want to upset him.” Ryan kissed Nate’s forehead. “Come on, let’s go have some of those malt waffles you’ve been craving.”

  Nate continued to stare at the picture. His building anger definitely overshadowed his hunger. Except for the slip from his ageing grandmother, Nate had never heard Buddy’s name mentioned. He’d often wondered why it had been so easy for his parents to disown him. Now he knew. They’d done it once before.

  * * * *

  Rio warred with himself as Nate eased the fly down on his suit pants. He never tired of Nate’s hand wrapped around his cock, but they were minutes away from the Catholic Church where both funerals would take place. “I don’t think we have time for that.”

  “I hate funerals,” Nate replied, leaning over to kiss Rio’s neck.

  “I know.” Rio stilled Nate’s wandering hands. “And I promise, after we get through the next few hours, I’ll let you play all you want.” He gave Nate a soft kiss. Everyone dealt with stress differently, and Nate had always tried to retreat into a world of erotic pleasure when situations arose that he preferred not to deal with.

  Nate reached for Ryan. “What about you? Interested in a little pre-memorial fun?”

  Ryan kept his gaze on the traffic in front of him but grinned. “Baby, I’d love nothing more than to throw you in the backseat and fuck the hell out of you, but this isn’t the time or place.”

  Nate withdrew his hands and went quiet, too quiet.

  Rio wrapped his arm around Nate and pulled him closer. “Are you sure you’re ready for this? It could get messy.”

  “It’s their mess not mine,” Nate mumbled.

  “There’ll be a lot of press covering it. There’s no way your father would take the chance of you showing up with me and Rio in tow,” Ryan said as he stopped for a red light. “Lucky for us, we’ve never cared what society thought of our relationship. I just hope your plan works.”

  Nate reached over and squeezed Ryan’s thigh. “Trust me.” He pulled the phone from his pocket. “I’m going to call Mom.”

  Rio exchanged glances with Ryan. Although Nate rarely spoke of his mother, Collette, Rio knew she was every bit as uptight as Senator Gilloume. He also knew she’d done as much damage to Nate as her husband. “Don’t play your cards too early.”

  Nate eyed the manila envelope on the dashboard. “Not possible. I have a whole fucking deck that I have yet to play.” He returned his attention to his phone. “She’s not answering.”

  “She’s probably already at the church.” Ryan parallel-parked the rented Chevy Impala between an Audi and a Mercedes.

  “Hi, it’s Nate,” Nate spoke into the phone. “I just wanted you to know that we’re here at the memorial service, and I’ve decided I’m coming in. Now, you can try to have me stopped, but I’ve got Ryan and Rio with me.” He glanced over his shoulder at the front of the church. “And from the looks of it, you’ve got every network covering the service. I don’t think you’d want us talking to the media about why you and Dad won’t let me into my own brother’s memorial. If you leave us alone, I promise we won’t make a scene. You have exactly five minutes to call or text me back with your answer.” Nate hung up the phone. “Now we wait.”

  Chapter Two

  Nate sat between Ryan and Rio in the back of the church and studied those around him as the priest continued to speak. Although dressed in black, half the people were paying more attention to their phones than anything else.

  The service itself had been incredibly unmoving. Nate had never understood why families allowed a stranger to memorialize their loved ones. He’d hoped to gain a sense of who his brother, Robby, had become, but all he gleaned from the memorial was that he was a man who had taken his work as state legislator very seriously. Unbelievably, the priest had even praised Nate’s father and mother for the fine job they’d done in raising such an upstanding son. He wondered if the priest knew of the two sons William and Collette had thrown away.

  “Doing okay?” Rio asked.

  ”Yeah.” Nat had caught a brief glimpse of Hannah when they’d entered the sanctuary, but he believed he’d seen a spark of recognition in her big grey eyes. What he’d say if he was given the chance to speak to her still hadn’t come to him, but Nate hoped Hannah was more like her mother than her father.

  As the priest prattled on, Nate turned his thoughts to Buddy. With Christmas a few weeks away, he wondered if he could convince Buddy to come with him for the holidays. In all honesty, he’d like to have Buddy fall in love with Cattle Valley and beg to stay. Despite his present location, Nate felt lighter at the thought of having a brother who actually liked and approved of him and his partners.

  Nate tensed. Shit. What if he put himself out there and Buddy rejected him? He took a deep breath, suddenly wondering if the potential pain was worth it. “Have you talked to Buddy’s guardian?” he whispered to Ryan.

  Ryan shook his head. “I thought we’d call after the service.”

  “Maybe we shouldn’t,” Nate said.

  Nate felt Rio’s hand land on his knee. “Don’t,” Rio hissed, giving Nate’s knee a squeeze.

  Surprised at his partner’s reaction, Nate looked at Rio with a questioning expression.

  Rio gave a sharp shake of the head. “Later.” He held a finger to his lips.

  Taken aback by the exchange, Nate knocked Rio’s hand away. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes in an attempt to calm down before he made a scene. What the fuck?

  When he heard the priest introduce the Senator, Nate opened his eyes.

  Senator Gilloume cleared his throat before he began to eulogize Robby. “It is with great sadness that we gather today,” he began.

  Despite having seen his father on television over the years, Nate was surprised by how old the man looked in person. The steel-grey hair made the Senator look kinder than he was, like putting angel wings on a sociopath.

  The Senator spoke of throwing baseballs with his son, something Nate knew for a fact had never happened. Bullshit. Everything that came out of the man’s mouth was utter bullshit meant for soundbites on the eleven o’clock news.

  It struck Nate as odd that nearly the entire memorial had been devoted to Robby alone even though Laura was also lying in a casket beside her husband. He wondered about the relationship Laura had had with her famous in-laws as the Senator began to list all Robby’s
accomplishments. Regret filled him. What if Laura’s Christmas cards had been an attempt to communicate with him? Although he’d always returned the card’s sentiment by sending a bouquet of flowers, he’d never spoken to Laura directly.

  “Robert was the kind of son any father would be proud to have,” Senator Gilloume declared, catching Nate’s attention.

  Nate curled his hands into fists as he began to shake with rage. He needed to leave, to get far away from his father before he jumped to his feet and told the man and the entire sanctuary full of mourners just what he thought of the Senator. He nudged Ryan. “I need to get out of here, but it’ll be less conspicuous if I go alone.”

  Ryan stared at Nate for several moments before nodding. He handed Nate the car keys. “We’ll be out as soon as we can.”

  Nate got to his feet and looked straight at his father. It took a few seconds, but eventually, the Senator met Nate’s gaze before breaking eye contact. Satisfied, Nate excused himself as he made his way down and out of the pew, leaving his father behind for the second time in his life. He’d thought he’d worked through the pain of being rejected by his family, but the hurt coursing through him told a very different story.

  * * * *

  By the time the service ended, Rio’s stomach was churning. He knew Nate was angry with him, which didn’t help matters, but it had taken Ryan’s restraining grip on his arm to keep him in his seat after Nate left the church. “This was a bad idea,” he mumbled.

  “I disagree,” Ryan said.

  Rio waited until they were away from the reporters before turning to confront Ryan. “Did you see Nate in there? It was tearing him apart.”

  Ryan nodded. “What I saw was unhealed hurt.” He loosened his tie. “Nate was disowned when he was little more than a boy. He’s a man now, and it’s time he confront his father.”