by DJ Jamison
“I’ll just go grab a hotel room,” I said. “Maybe we can meet tomorrow to discuss preparing the home for the market? There’s a lot of work to do.”
Reid turned to me. “Better make it Monday. I’d like a couple of days to get settled in. I would invite you to stay—”
“But he won’t,” Lee cut in.
“Jesus, Lee, ease up,” Reid said with a bit of steel in his voice.
“It’s okay,” I said as the two engaged in some sort of staring contest. “You two don’t want to sleep with a stranger under your roof. I’d feel the same way.” I forced a bright smile. “I hope I didn’t startle you too much.”
Reid chuckled. “Likewise. At least I had clothes on for our first meeting.”
Lee elbowed him in the ribs. “Enough flirting before you make me jealous.”
I started to stammer and shake my head at the same time. “N-no, I-I would never…”
“Relax, Camden. Lee’s just kidding. He’s got a strange sense of humor.”
He shot his boyfriend a sharp look, and Lee smiled innocently.
There was something odd in the way Reid spoke to the man, as if he were giving orders using only his tone of voice. I hoped he wasn’t a controlling asshole. That would be a waste of a sexy man.
Before my mind could drag me any further down the rabbit hole, I grabbed my duffel and headed for the front door.
***
Reid
“Listen,” I said once the front door closed on Camden’s sad eyes, “it wouldn’t kill you to practice your happy face. You’re going to be working in customer service.”
Lee scoffed. “I’m going to be slapping together sandwiches for a living. I’m supposed to look disgruntled.”
I grimaced. “You’re going to be a real treat for the people of Fields.”
Lee smiled and it looked cracked, just as it had when he’d smiled at Camden. I’d seen a flicker of unease in Camden’s eyes as he watched Lee. Had it been the awkward situation or did he sense something about the man in the room with him? I worried it might be the latter.
“Lee, seriously, you better knock off the badass behavior. Our cover—”
“Is that I’m your boyfriend. No one said I had to be nice.”
I sighed. “You grew up in the suburbs. You know how to be normal. Try to get in touch with the guy who lived in a cookie cutter house and was on the Mathletes team in high school.”
Lee gave me the stink eye for the reminder of his nerdy high school existence.
“I’m tired,” he said dismissively. “Can we argue about this later? Go get my bags.”
Standing there, ordering me around, he looked like a little princeling. A spoiled rotten one who needed to be knocked down a peg or three. I’d had enough of spoiled brats in my body guarding gig with Moore Security. Now that I was safeguarding Lee’s life, I felt more purpose in the work, but hell if I was going to let him walk all over me.
“Get your own bags, brat. I’m not here to serve you.”
“What if there’s a bad guy out there?” he said, batting his eyes.
“That’s why I’ll be behind you—”
“Oh, so that’s why I have such a pain in my ass.”
I didn’t bother to correct him. My interlude with Camden had interrupted my clearing of the house. His presence had mostly reassured me that no one else would be there, but his mention of suspicious activity at the property had concerned me. If someone had learned our destination and arrived ahead of us, we were fucked. I couldn’t see how that would be the case; not even my boss had known where I was headed for my “vacation.” I wasn’t that chatty of a guy, so no one even knew I’d inherited the house outside of my family.
Most likely, it had been someone looking to take advantage of a vacant house. Still, caution was the word of the day. If someone already knew our location, there was nothing I could do. But it was security 101 to make sure the house was safe for the moment.
No doubt Lee would think me an even bigger pain when I made him follow while we cleared every room, every closet, every potential hiding space for intruders on both floors before we rolled out sleeping bags on top of a couple of beds and finally got to collapse.
We might be pretend boyfriends, but even I drew the line at sleeping in the same bed.
Chapter 5
Camden
“Camden, what the hell?”
Miguel’s astonished voice was the first thing I heard Saturday morning. Pain pinched my neck as I jerked upright in my office chair. I could still feel the imprint of the edge of the desk across my cheekbone.
“Wha— Ow! Oh,” I moaned. “I must have fallen asleep while working.”
“Really?”
Miguel’s skepticism rang clear in his tone. I avoided meeting his eye because I’d always been crappy at lying and Mig knew me too well. I had skated by for a day, carefully setting an alarm to make sure I woke up well before business hours. I’d taken care to clear my office so there would be no sign I was essentially living there (a stray toothbrush would be tough to explain).
But I’d hoped to crash over the weekend without taking such precautions. I should have known there’d be someone in or out to bust me.
“Yep. Working hard to make a sale,” I said lightly. “You know me.”
I busied myself clicking shut windows on the computer, while Miguel moved over to his own desk. We shared the office, part of a deal we’d struck with the broker to save on fees.
“So, that must be why there’s a duffel bag full of clothes and toiletries under your desk.”
I spun in my chair to look at Miguel. “You looked through my stuff? When?”
My best friend shrugged a shoulder, looking unrepentant. “While you were still asleep. So, what happened? You could have called if you needed a place to crash. If Jody catches wind of this …”
He didn’t need to say more. Our broker was a stickler for following the rules, and sleeping in your office like a vagabond was most assuredly not in the handbook.
“What are you doing here anyway?” I asked.
Miguel was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, hardly his clothes for meeting with clients. It was Saturday, so he wouldn’t be keeping office hours either.
“Eh, I forgot to put the lockbox with keys on my new listing on Elm yesterday. Bob over at Realty Hassle has a showing scheduled for later today, so I need to get it over there.”
I was still learning all the other real estate agents’ names because I was new to the business, but I’d heard of the agency. It was actually Realty Castle, but most of the other agents in town called them Realty Hassle because a few of their agents were a real pain. Case in point: Sherrilyn the crazy lady who’d dug through Miguel’s files the other day.
“So, stop stalling,” Miguel said. “Tell me what’s going on.”
I checked that no one else was in the outer office before filling Miguel in on the apartment ransacking and subsequent embarrassment with my client. Mig was appropriately mortified on my behalf.
“Camden!” he gasped. “Why would you even take such a risk? You should have called.”
I dropped my eyes, unable to look at Mig’s earnest face. In that moment, I missed the bond we used to have before he started dating Jeremy. We’d been confidantes then, and I wouldn’t have thought twice before crashing at Mig’s place. Heck, I wouldn’t have even called; I would have just shown up.
“You and Jeremy don’t have much space,” I mumbled.
“We would have made space,” Miguel argued. There was an uncomfortable pause, and he sighed. “Is this because of what happened last time you stayed with us?”
I shrugged. I’d landed on Miguel’s sofa briefly after my break-up with Austin six weeks ago, and it had been awkward at best. Jeremy was the jealous type, and it was obvious he didn’t want me in his house. A drunken Austin showing up and banging on the door at 2 a.m. hadn’t helped things. I’d moved out into the first apartment I could find, which is how I’d ended up in such a craphol
e.
Ever since, Jeremy had become increasingly unhappy when I and Miguel spent time together until we barely saw each other in passing. Gone were the nightly phone calls, the movie nights and the weekend trips to have fun at the gay club scene in Kansas City. I didn’t miss the clubbing so much as being on the same wavelength as another person.
“Camden, I know how he can get, but he’s not that much of a jerk. He would have been cool with it.”
I scoffed. “I had to become a real estate agent just to see you on a regular basis.”
“Don’t do that!” Miguel snapped, then glanced at the door to make sure it was closed and lowered his voice. “You needed a career path. Something that would lead to a future. This was a good opportunity!”
“Oh yeah? That must be why I’m homeless and squatting in my listing!”
Miguel huffed in frustration, and I couldn’t maintain a temper. I was taking out my bad luck on my friend, and that wasn’t fair. No one had twisted my arm and made me get licensed in real estate. And no one had forced me to leave Austin, the safety net I’d been relying on to get me through the first few months while I built up my client list. That was on me.
“I’m sorry. I’m just a wreck.” I glanced down at the time display in the corner of my computer. “I need to get over to my apartment and finish cleaning up. I started a bit yesterday, but I’m a little freaked to be there with no lock on the door.” I rolled my eyes. “I’m such a scaredy cat.”
“No, you’re smart. The thief could come back.”
“Yeah, I guess. I’m hoping I can get my landlord to fix the door before tonight, but it’s a long shot.”
Miguel smiled, but it was forced. “I’ll come with you. You shouldn’t have to do all that work on your own. And if your landlord doesn’t come through, you should stay with me and Jeremy tonight.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Shut up,” Mig said, then grabbed my shoulders and tugged me into a hug. He whispered in my ear forcefully. “I’m your friend. I’m sorry if I let Jeremy mess that up, but it stops now. Okay? I’ll always be here to help you.”
I gave him a squeeze in return and nodded to show I understood before grabbing my duffel.
“Thanks. I really appreciate it.”
Miguel waved off his thanks. “Let me know if you lose that listing, though. Maybe I can snag it.”
“You bitch!” I said, laughing. I knew he was trying to lighten the moment, and it worked. We always gave each other hell.
Some of the tension left me as he grinned.
***
Reid
“Wake up. I need coffee.”
Huy — no, Lee; he was Lee now — groaned and burrowed his head under the pillow. “So, get some.”
I nudged him with my foot. “Come on, get up. We need to hit the grocery store.”
Lee rolled over and glared up at me. “Are you kidding? Just hit a drive-through and leave me the hell alone.”
“No can do. Besides, I don’t know what you like to eat. Get up.”
I bent over and yanked the covers off the spoiled lazy bones. It really was a bit like having a teenager. I was too young to be parenting a rebellious kid.
“Fuck you!” he hissed as he hopped up, rubbing at his bare arms. “It’s cold in here!”
“Warm up in the shower.”
“You’re an asshole.”
Lee high-tailed it to the bathroom, and the water turned on a minute later.
By the time we got to the grocery store, his mood hadn’t improved much. He’d spent the drive to Larry’s IGA complaining at length that I wouldn’t let him stay home alone when he’d be starting a new job without a bodyguard.
I didn’t like letting Lee out of my sight, even though I technically didn’t need to guard him. We were in hiding; he should be safe. But I didn’t trust him, and until I did, I’d stick to his side except when he was working.
Now that we were in the small store, Lee had new gripes to make.
“Don’t they have organic? I don’t want this pesticide-riddled crap,” he said, gesturing to the small selection of fresh vegetables in the produce section.
I ripped off a plastic bag, and shoved in a head of lettuce, then dropped it in the cart. “Don’t be such a diva.”
“Wanting healthy food doesn’t make me a—”
“Diva,” I said firmly, interrupting. “Surely this isn’t how you talked to your brothers. It doesn’t exactly scream badass.”
“Hilarious.”
Lee’s lips pressed tight, and I realized I’d crossed the line. Fuck, you made a joke about his brothers. Who are dead.
“Jesus, I’m sorry,” I said. “That was a stupid thing to say.”
Lee shrugged, keeping his eyes fixed on the produce.
Hiding his sexuality all those years wouldn’t have been a cakewalk. He probably had to work extra hard to maintain a tough exterior. If Lee wanted to let that side of himself out now that he was free of the act, I couldn’t blame him.
I nudged him with my shoulder. “You like stir-fry, right? That’s kind of Asian food.”
“You’re kidding, right?” He scoffed at me. “First of all, I already told you I’m as American as you are. My mom was a Cali girl through and through. I grew up on grilled salmon and apple walnut salads more than pho.”
“Your mom was a health nut? You poor man.”
He rolled his eyes. “Funny. I’m just saying you shouldn’t make so many assumptions.”
“Apologies,” I said. “It’s been a while since my PC training.”
Lee snorted, pushing me aside to grab a selection of produce. He piled cabbage, onion and cilantro into the cart. “It’s okay, I forgive you. Especially because my dad made pho all the time, and I love it,” he said.
He shot me a grin that softened his features into something a bit less predatory. It was a good look on him. Much warmer and more approachable.
“You brat,” I said without any heat.
“I’ll have to improvise if I want to make any Vietnamese cuisine” he said. “The selection here isn’t great, but I’ll make it work somehow.”
We moved through the store, Lee humming as he added things to the cart. I let him take the lead, only occasionally adding staples we’d need, like milk and bread and eggs. I was enjoying the contentment emanating from Lee, imagining that this was the kind of guy he could become in the future if he played his cards right.
A lot of criminals in witness protection couldn’t live on the right side of the law. They weren’t wired that way, and a new identity didn’t change that.
I hoped that wouldn’t be the case for Lee. Spoiled or not, he was smart. He had all the tools to live a productive life. All he had to do was take the other fork in the road. Without his brothers’ influence, maybe he could turn over a new leaf. I hoped he did. Watching his own brothers brutally cut down in front of him was punishment enough for his poor choices. Not to mention nearly getting shot while in protective custody, thanks to the information leaked by the Marshals Service.
It was surprising that Lee wasn’t more afraid, actually. He kept up a brave front, but facing your own mortality that way would be enough to shake anyone.
By the time we headed for the cash register, the cart was jammed full and I wasn’t looking forward to paying for it. With this case off the record, so to speak, I wasn’t receiving a stipend for daily expenses. My vacation pay should cover the expenses, though, so I planned to grin and bear it. Or maybe wince and bear it, if I couldn’t manage a grin.
“Reid Bishop? It is you, isn’t it?”
I turned in surprise to see a woman about my mother’s age beaming at me. She held out her hand, and I shook it on autopilot.
“Yes, I’m Reid.”
I scanned her face, searching for something that would trigger a memory. Her dishwater blond hair, pulled up in a tumble of curls, and her brown eyes didn’t shake anything loose. I had only been to Fields twice in my life, and both times I was just a k
id.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t remember …”
She trilled a laugh. “Oh, you wouldn’t know me, I suppose. I was good friends with your mother back in school, and her cousin too.”
“You knew Aaron Winters?”
She looked down into her purse, digging around. “Mm-hmm. Now, where is it? Oh, here!” She pulled out a business card.
“Sherrilyn Davenport,” she announced, pointing at the name on the card. Below her name, I saw that she was a real estate agent with Realty Castle.
“Nice to meet you, Sherrilyn,” I said, shuffling forward as the line moved. Lee poked my ribs, and I gestured belatedly. “This is my boyfriend, Lee. We just moved here to sell my uncle’s house. Lee got a job, so he’s going to bring home the bacon while I work on cleaning out the house and getting it ready to sell.”
She nodded, smile fixed firmly in place but looking a bit like plastic. “Oh gosh, I know. Nothing stays secret in this small town.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. I needed a few things to stay secret.
“I did always love that old house,” she went on. “I wish I’d known sooner you were going to sell. I could have listed it for you.”
“Oh, yes. I have an agent—”
She tsked. “Yes, Camden Lewis. I heard. He’s not very experienced. I hope he didn’t mislead you.”
“Mr. Lewis was upfront and honest.”
He hadn’t really told me much about his experience, but to be fair, I hadn’t asked. I didn’t like the way Sherrilyn was maligning his character, though, so I instinctively stood up for him. I didn’t enjoy her implication I wasn’t smart enough to make my own decision, either.
“If you have any trouble at all, just know that you have choices,” she said, reaching out to squeeze my shoulder. “It’s so good to see Emily’s son.”
Her eyes flickered uncertainly to Lee. “And you, as well, dear. A boyfriend! Well, I hope Fields treats you right. It’s a small town, but we’re not all small-minded.”
We reached the front of the line, and I began piling groceries on the counter while Lee smiled too sharply, looking more loan shark than loving boyfriend. I grabbed his wrist and pulled him over to plant a kiss on his cheek.