“You say that now, but can you really stand by that promise? You have a whole other life waiting for you back in Seattle. Is it so easy for you to just walk away from that and begin a new one here with me and Paxton? I can’t be the one to make another sacrifice, Jake. I’ve done it too many times already. This is our home. It’s where I raised Paxton from his first weeks of life.”
“I know that baby, and I would never ask you to give up what you have built here. Yes, I have the business, but no one is stopping me from doing what I do from here. I can have Mike run the day-to-day operations from Seattle, and I can work satellite from Boise. It can be done, Devan. I just need to know that you’re not going to get spooked every time we face a challenge, because that’s life, and it’s hard to live day in and day out in a perfect rhythm.”
The look in his eyes proved what I believed all along: he wanted to move us into a real partnership and make it work. I never loved him more.
Taking him in my arms to love on him for a while, I said, “So, you have room in your fancy James Bond office for another desk?”
“Absolutely, I do. If I didn’t, I would just build a room for you.”
“Nah, I want to be as close as I can to you. No more walls between us. From now on, it’s you and me in this together.”
“And Paxton too?”
“Three Musketeers, all the way.”
“I love the sound of that.”
“I do too, Devan. I promise you. We will be okay. Just trust and love me, and I’ll take care of the rest.”
He happily sighed into the base of my neck and drifted off once again. He was no longer going to feel alone and broken, not with me loving him. It was one promise I would forever keep and vow always to honor.
When I woke up the next morning, I felt like a new man, a man that was in love for the very first time in his life, and it was a damn good feeling. I did an early morning workout and then loaded my truck with the gift bags I ordered from the party store. So much changed for me since I arrived here in this town, and now I never wanted to leave it.
My life had a purpose and hope for a future spent loving Devan and building a family with him. I just never believed this would ever happen for a guy like me.
My brother is going to freak the hell out when I tell him, but maybe I’ll have him come out for a visit with his wife and my nephews once we could put the Harpers behind us. I want Devan to meet my family and grow to love them as much as I do. It’s been a while since I’ve talked or seen them, and that’s totally my fault. Work was my best friend and my team was the only connection I ever allowed myself to get close to, but I see things differently now that I have someone to share it with. After I say my goodbyes to the boys at camp today and the fake job that was my cover, I can start over with Devan and Paxton.
The field looked great. The center hired out to do the set up for the party, and all the coaches had to do was take care of the campers and show them a good time. I waved hello to a few members of the staff as I parked my truck and made my way inside.
The inside was dark with no one around but me. I found a note on my desk from Miles, asking me to meet him on the field and to bring out the extra supplies he kept in the storage area down in the basement.
I didn’t think much of it and assumed he was already out there. I should have been here sooner to help out, but I guess carrying up some boxes is the least I can do. I’ll be in a better mood once my guy gets here. My guy? You better fucking believe it! I love saying it, knowing how true it is. I made my way out of my office and across the gym floor when a few of the boys came rushing in toward me.
“Coach, coach, you’re here!”
“Good morning! You all ready to have some fun today?”
“We are,” said Sebastian. “But we need more basketballs.”
“I know. I was just going to get the extra sports equipment. You guys run ahead, and I’ll be out there soon.”
They all whooped and hollered in excitement, and I just smiled as I went to get the stuff they needed. I unlocked the heavy door and kept it open with a box as I scanned the shelves for what I needed to carry upstairs. Once I got everything I needed, I checked my phone one last time before joining the party. Come on, babe, you’re late.
Not paying attention to anything but my phone, I turned around to see Miles blocking my way.
“What the fuck, man! Make a freaking sound next time. What are you doing, coming up behind me like that?”
“This!” he hissed as he lunged at me, and then my world went black.
My head is fucking killing me. Where the hell am I? I thought as I slowly opened my eyes to take in all my surroundings. I was still in the supply closet. He hit me. Miles was here when I was walking out. It was beginning to come back to me, and then I realized my hands were secured, as well as my feet. Motherfucker! He actually got the jump on me and locked me down here. What the hell is going on? The ropes were so fucking tight, I couldn’t move an inch. I felt the blood on the side of my cheek from where he hit me.
I tried to move my body close to the door so I could use my feet to kick the door, but I was too dizzy, and my vision was a little blurred from the blow I took from whatever Miles used to knock me out. It happened so quickly, I didn’t even see what he was holding in his hand. Why did he do this to me?
I managed to sit up and take some calming breaths to get my breathing under control. I probably have a concussion, as my stomach was nauseous. He has to be connected to Harper somehow. Was Devan right? Did Harper have a backup plan in place? And that plan was Miles? I have to get the hell out of here and find Devan before Miles hurts him too!
I shouted for help as loud as I could, but no one came. He had to know that before locking me down here. He knew everyone would be outside enjoying the party, and no one would be able to hear me even if I got loose from my restraints. But the boys know I’m here and they’ll come looking for me and the extra equipment. I struggled against my restraints until my wrists began to bleed.
“Motherfucker! I’m going to kill you when I get out of here,” I shouted, and then the door swung open. It was Miles, holding a pistol.
“You’re not going anywhere, and by the time you are found, I’ll be long gone. And so will your precious Devan.”
“Don’t you touch him! I swear I will kill you if you do.”
“Not if I kill you first.” Shoving his gun near my mouth, he then whispered. “I would have loved to feel how you tasted before I ended you, but there’s no time. I have to go pick up Paxton and bring him home to his grandfather.”
“You spineless little fucker! You might as well shoot me because if I get out of here, there will be no place you can hide from me.”
He cocked his gun back and then heard Sebastian call out for him. He hissed at me, “Say one fucking word, and the kid is dead.” He shoved me back against the wall and hid his gun.
“There you are, coach. Where’s Coach Mercer? He said he was coming down here for the extra basketballs?”
“He had to run an errand, but here they are. Do you want to help me carry them out to the field?”
“Sure, no problem.”
“You take these, and I’ll grab the rest. I’ll be up in a few minutes.”
I heard Sebastian’s footsteps become further away, and I sighed in relief. Thank god, Miles didn’t hurt him. These kids are innocent, and his fight is with me, not them.
“Now, where were we?” he said, as he crouched down in front of me. “I guess killing you will have to wait now that I am late. Enjoy your nap,” he said and then hit me again on the side of my head. “By the time you wake up, coach, I’ll be long gone.”
The door closed and locked behind him. He didn’t knock me out as he thought he did. I’m going to kill him, and very slowly, once I free myself from these ropes. I began chewing my way through them, finding little success. I looked around for something sharp to use, but I didn’t see anything. I was stuck here until someone would find me. I just prayed it w
ouldn’t be too late. I have to get to Devan and Paxton before that madman does!
I kicked the door and shouted as loud as I could until my head was pounding to the point of pain.
“Somebody! Help me!” I continued to shout.
I kept trying to loosen the ropes, kick the door, and scream for help all at the same time. There was no way I was going to stay trapped in here when Devan needed me the most. I swore I would protect him and his son. I wouldn’t stop fighting to get back to him. I just needed to free my hands first, and then once my legs were free, I would break the door down if I had to.
“So, are you excited about the camp party today? All of your friends sure seem to be,” I asked Paxton as we sat at our usual table at the diner. “Finish your breakfast, son. You don’t want to be late on your last day of basketball camp.”
“I really loved camp, Daddy. Thank you for letting me do it.”
“You’re welcome, but I’m thinking you have something on your mind. You know you can tell me anything. What’s going on, buddy?”
I watched my son deeply sigh and then push his plate away. Not eating nearly enough, I knew something was weighing heavily on his mind.
“Paxton, I’m not going to ask you again. What’s wrong?”
“Daddy, do you love Coach Mercer?”
I was a little taken back with my son’s question and wondered why he was asking me this. He seemed fine when I brought Jake home to have dinner with him and my parents.
“Yes, I do. He’s a good man, and I care about him a lot.”
“Will he move in with us? Or do I have to leave Nonna and Grandpa to move to Portland?”
Portland? Why would he ever believe we would move there? And then dread hit my stomach like a punch, and my mind went back to Harper. But how would Paxton ever know to say Portland? I sat up straighter and tried to roll the tension off my shoulders. I took his hand in mine to calm his nerves and to reassure him that Boise was our home, and we would not be moving.
“Paxton, our home is here in Idaho, and I promise you, son, we are never leaving Nonna and Grandpa.”
“That’s a relief. I don’t want to leave them, and they would be really sad if I left them to go live with someone else.” He suddenly perked up and finished off his breakfast while I was left feeling really confused by this conversation.
“Paxton, what made you think that we would be moving to Portland?”
“From Coach Miles. Yesterday when I was helping to put the equipment away, I heard him on the phone.”
“And? What did he exactly say? Try to remember, son. This is important.”
“He said,” and then stammered over his words. “Everything was set to go, and soon Paxton would be sleeping in his new room in Portland. I didn’t know what he meant, maybe he knew another kid with my name. I didn’t want to get into trouble by listening in on someone else’s phone conversation. You always tell me, Daddy, to respect people’s privacy, so I left before the coach saw me.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose and silently counted to ten in my head. What the fuck! He has to be connected to Harper in some way, and like Jake, is using this summer job as a cover to get to my son, but that spineless fuck is no Jake. Once I tell Jake about this, he is going to fucking destroy him.
“Daddy, is everything okay? Am I in trouble?”
“No, of course not. He wasn’t talking about you son, and again, you are never going anywhere. Your home is with me and your grandparents.”
“And Jake too? Right, Daddy?”
“Yes, that’s right. Son, finish up here and do not leave this booth. I have to make a phone call, but I’ll be right back, okay?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“That’s my boy. I’ll be right back.”
After I left Jake’s home and the warm comforts of his bed, I went home to clear my mind of everything we had gone through the day before with the Harpers. We talked for hours, and I got to know the real man behind the invisible bulletproof vest that had protected him all these years until the day he met me. Jake admitted that all his walls had come crumbling down when we met, and he felt whole again as a man who was now in love.
I was engrossed with Jake and Harper to miss what was clearly right in front of me. All of Miles’ questions and shameless flirting was just a fucking ruse to get close and then take bits and pieces and feed it back to Harper. I had to get this info to Jake, who was probably busy getting everything set up for the party. I dialed his number, and the call went directly to his voicemail. I hung up and waited a minute before trying again. It rang a few times before it went to voicemail.
“Where are you, Jake? I need you.” I called him again and left him a message to call me as soon as he could. I pocketed my phone and went back for Paxton, now missing from the table.
I screamed, “Paxton! Paxton! Where are you?”
Valerie rushed over and asked me what was wrong.
“Where’s my son? I left him for two minutes to make a call.”
“Oh, hon, he’s fine. He just stepped outside with that handsome basketball coach of his.”
Relief swelled inside of my heart, knowing he was safe with Jake. I paid our bill and went outside to greet Jake and scold Paxton for not listening when I told him to wait for me. Even though it was Jake, Paxton still needed to follow my rules as his father.
I made my way outside and literally stopped where I was standing. It was not Jake with Paxton. It was Miles. His arm was around Paxton’s shoulder, holding my son in place.
“Hey, Daddy, Coach Miles says we are going to go to the center with him,” Paxton said excitedly, not knowing that the man he was standing next to was a threat. I tried to remain calm and walk over to Paxton, but his eyes stopped me. We were in the town square with lots of people around, but his hold on Paxton’s shoulder was alarming me. I tried to get closer to snatch my son away, but then Miles lifted his shirt and showed me the gun he was concealing underneath.
He released Paxton and walked over to step in front of me, and we were nose to nose. He said, “Now, don’t go off and try to be a hero. You, me, and your son are going to take a ride. If you try anything, your boy over there is going to get hurt. Understand?”
I was done running. I was done hiding. No one is going to take Paxton from me. I stood tall and said, “Fuck you. We both know you’re not going to do that, not when Harper is waiting for you to bring my son to him. Do you want my son? You’re going to have to kill me first because there is no way in hell you are leaving with him.”
“Okay, have it your way.” He went to reach for his weapon, but we were both distracted by my father arriving at the diner.
“Grandpa!” Paxton called out, as he began running over to my father, not knowing the danger we were all in.
Miles turned his head for a second, and that’s when I shouted to my father to grab Paxton. In an instant, he shielded our boy and got him away from what was about to happen. Paxton was scared and clearly confused by what was happening. Before Miles could move, I raised my knee up, hitting the fucker in his balls, making him drop to his knees, along with the gun he had his hand on. Before he could shoot me, I kicked it away and then delivered one hell of a kick to his ribs, keeping him where he was.
“Dad, get Paxton to a safe place. Now!”
He didn’t blink, immediately secured my son, and drove off. Valerie ran out from the diner. I told her everything was okay and to go back inside. The few bystanders that did stop didn’t look too convinced, and I saw a few on their cell phones, no doubt phoning the police.
I reached for the gun and placed it inside of my waistband. I pulled a groaning Miles up from the ground and hauled his ass in my car. I secured his wrists as best as I could and then hit the gas and took off to parts unknown. I didn’t know where Jake was, but something told me that Miles did. If he has hurt Jake, I swear I will put a fucking bullet in his head.
Once we were out from the town limit, I pulled over and demanded to know where Jake was.
; “Like I’ll tell you. Fuck you. Isn’t that what you said to me?”
“Miles, where is Jake? I will not ask again.” I pulled his gun from my waist and checked the chamber, which was loaded with at least one full round of bullets.
“He’s not dead, if that’s what you want to know. He’s just, let’s say…tied up at the moment.”
“Yeah? And where is that?” I asked and then jammed the gun into his ribs, making him shriek in pain. I knew I had to at least bruise a few of them with the kick I delivered to his miserable ass.
“He’s locked in a storage closet back at the Y.”
“Is he hurt?”
“I knocked him out, but he’ll probably live.”
“For your sake, he fucking better. Now, where the hell is Harper? He has to be here, right?”
When Miles didn’t answer me, I backhanded him with the handle of the gun. His brow split wide open with a burst of blood running down the side of his face. “Tell me dammit! Or I swear the next hit you take is going to hurt you so bad, you will spit blood.”
“He’s waiting in a motel down on Highway Six.”
“And? What time is he expecting you to bring my son to him?”
“Three o’clock.”
I looked down at my watch with it just closing in on ten. “Why so late? Why not now?”
“I don’t know. He said he had to take care of a few things and to meet him there at three. It’s all I know.”
“Yeah? So, you’ve been working for him this entire time? What made you believe you would ever get away with grabbing my son right from under me?”
“Easy. Harper has something you care about, and if I don’t bring the kid to him by the scheduled time, then you will never see her again.”
“Her? Who the hell are you talking about?”
“Figure it out, asshole!” he manically laughed until I hit him again, knocking him out this time.
I called my father, who immediately answered his cell. “Dad, is Paxton safe?”
“Yes, he’s fine. He’s a little scared and worried about you. He’s asking a lot of questions, but I think I have him calmed down enough. Devan, there’s something else you need to know.”
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