“Is he hardheaded? That’s something I haven’t seen yet.” Mitch laughed.
“Oh my god, Cody. He doesn’t know that when you get something in your head, it’s impossible to remove?” Sheila feigned a look of horror.
“Shut up, Sheila,” Cody shot back, giving her a very clear I can’t believe you right now look. “I’m going home.”
“Back to our house,” his mom confirmed, gathering the few belongings his family had brought to him.
“Not if she doesn’t shut up,” Cody said, and that had everyone but Cody laughing. He struggled to get out of bed, to stand on his own two feet, but Mitch was right there to hold him in place. Cody was determined though—he’d walk out of the place if he had too. He wasn’t staying another second. Between his family and the constant hospital staff interruptions, he needed to go home to get some sleep.
“What about all these flowers?” his mom asked, looking through the drawers, making sure she got everything.
“Give them to the nurses or other patients. I don’t care.” Cody started taking small steps toward the door.
“I’m gonna get you situated at your parents.” Mitch supported his weight by holding his good arm and waist as he walked. “You know, they’re bringing you a wheelchair.”
“I’m fine. Just get the car.” Cody tried breathing deeply through his nose, hoping to manage the pain in his shoulder.
“They have a back way for you to leave. There are a lot of media people out front,” his mom said from behind him.
“Why’s the media here?” Cody stopped, completely confused with why reporters would be interested in him.
“Because you’re a local hero,” Sheila explained.
“You stay away from them. Don’t talk to them at all,” Cody warned his sister. She’d make this into a production and opportunity to push every single product and belief system she had.
“Too bad for you, the family voted me a spokesperson for you. I talked to them last night.” She smiled brightly.
“I think I’ve changed my mind. We might need to go to your house.” Cody looked over at Mitch and his father who stood right beside him ready to catch him if he fell.
“You have an open invitation,” Dr. Knox said from behind Cody. The wheelchair was pushed through the door, and Mitch helped him over to the seat. The team of security was there by the door and that confused Cody. What had he missed over the last twenty-four hours?
“I thought you made an arrest,” Cody asked as he sat down.
“We did, I’m just covering my bases,” Mitch said, helping to adjust him until he sat comfortably. “I’m not taking any more chances where you’re concerned.”
“Ah…” He heard a collective sigh from his sister and mom behind him.
“I like Mitch,” his mom said in a soft voice.
“Me too,” Sheila actually agreed, which was just very weird all in itself. When he turned in Mitch’s direction, Mitch’s eyes were on his family. He was smiling broadly, making his dimples stand out more than usual.
God, he was in trouble.
~~~
Three black Tahoes sat in an underground garage. Mitch understood this was overkill and a waste of taxpayers’ dollars, but he didn’t care. Cody was too important a package to not arrive in one piece. As far as Mitch was concerned, he’d have Cody under lock and key for eternity to make sure this never happened to him again.
Once Cody realized this was his transportation, he jerked a panicked gaze up to Mitch. As a matter of fact, every eye looked at him as though wondering what he had planned, but he ignored them all and moved forward, giving everyone their riding assignment.
“Your dad and I are hoping for a bait and switch. Mr. and Mrs. Turner, Sheila, and my father are in the front SUV. The driver’s a deputy marshal friend of mine based out of Dallas. Y’all are going to take the long way home. The two SUVs behind you are blacked out for show. If the media takes the bait, they’ll follow your parents,” Mitch explained.
“We’re going home by way of Round Rock before we cut back and take Dr. Knox to the airport,” his father added. Round Rock had to be at least an hour north of where the Turner’s lived.
“I thought you said you got the guy,” Cody questioned again, concern entering his voice.
Mitch leaned in. “We did. Shhh, you’re giving me a complex.”
“Oh, that’ll throw them off, for sure. How are you two getting home?” Sheila questioned.
“Once I know they followed, we’ll go to the farm in my rental,” Mitch detailed. “If it all works out right, we’ll be at your parent’s house about the time you hit Round Rock. I’ll call you, Mr. Turner,” Mitch continued, pushing Cody with him to the truck to open the door and help the others inside. His good friend Brody Masters was the driver of this truck, and he hopped out, helping everyone inside.
“Dr. Knox, I’ve known your son a long time, sir. He’s had my back more times than I can count.” Brody extended a hand to his father who’d gotten in on Mitch’s side. Mitch had called in all those favors Brody owed and got him down here to make this run.
“He’s a good son,” Dr. Knox said, taking Brody’s hand. His father smiled brightly at the compliment. That had Mitch narrowing his brow and listening closer. Something wasn’t right, but he’d slept about a minute the last few days, and it didn’t connect right away.
“I bet he is. Sir, I’ve got a son that I adore…” Brody started, giving Mitch the eye and everything connected then. Colt’s autograph.
“You’re such a douche.” Mitch chuckled and immediately glanced around at every one. “I’m sorry for the language. Don’t bother my pop about that, Masters. I’ll get the autograph next week.”
“What did I miss?” his dad asked, humor in his eyes.
“Mitch’s is my son’s god-uncle,” Brody started with laughter in his voice.
“I’m not, Dad. Don’t listen to anything he has to say. I’ve seen his son once, and that was years ago. Get your ass in the car and shut up, Masters.” Mitch shut the door on his side and motioned for his dad to roll down the window. “Call me when you get to the airport.”
Dr. Knox nodded and patted his arm. “Cody, it was a pleasure, son. I want you two to come to New York as soon as you can travel.”
“Thank you, sir,” Cody’s voice sounded off, and Mitch turned back to look at him. Mitch smiled, when he discovered his tired cowboy had been in the middle of a yawn.
“Get going. I’ve got to get him home. Call me to confirm they followed you guys, Mr. Turner,” Mitch said, going back to Cody, not waiting for an answer.
Mitch loaded Cody into his SUV. He got him settled, adjusted the seat back some, and Cody closed his eyes. He waited as he listened to the reports coming his way. When Mr. Turner finally called, his heart was relieved. Most of the media followed along behind the decoy caravan.
Mitch put the rental in drive and slowly pulled out of the parking garage. He took the back way that Mr. Turner had told him about, and as they hit the highway, he felt home-free. He could get Cody home without drama. Mitch looked over, and Cody was awake, staring at him.
“Are you really feeling all right?”
Cody nodded. “It’s more my chest where the phone embedded in my skin. I’m just sore and bruised. I wanna know everything that went down.”
“I’ll tell you everything tonight. I promise. Your parents invited me to spend the night.” Mitch smiled.
“If you’re gonna be there, I could just go home,” Cody tried again.
“No, everyone knows where you live now. You need to be away from everything. We should really go to my family’s house,” Mitch tried again to get Cody to agree.
“I don’t want this to be the first way I meet them,” Cody said, lifting his bandaged arm. “Your dad came all this way.”
“You’re a hardheaded man, Cody Turner. Good thing I’m so head over heels or I might have to question this.” His teasing worked, and Cody gave him a smile. Mitch reached over and patted
Cody’s thigh. “Sleep. The medicine makes you tired. We can talk later.”
“Are you staying in town for a while?” Cody asked.
“Yeah. I’ll have to give my final reports and probably fly back to DC at least once, but I’m taking vacation after that. I already told Skinner. I have about a million hours, so I can stick around and help get you solidly back on your feet.”
“Thank you.” Cody let out another yawn.
“You don’t have to thank me. I want to. You’re my cowboy. I love you,” Mitch whispered. Cody was sleeping before he ended the sentence.
~~~
Later that evening, Mitch sat on the front porch swing of the Turner’s home, enjoying the cool country breeze. Cody rested on the lounger next to the swing and one of his little nieces—there were too many, and Mitch couldn’t remember her name—sat close by. Out of all of them, this little girl loved her Uncle Cody the most. She couldn’t have been older than five, but she sat on the floor of the front porch and held Cody’s hand, working the iPad in her lap.
She never said a word as she let Cody rest. She just wanted to be with him. Quiet nieces and nephews were something completely foreign to Mitch. Even though he didn’t get to see his own nieces and nephews as much as he should, he always heard them in the background whenever one of his siblings called.
He played a game on his cell phone, keeping a constant swing going back and forth when Connors interrupted with a phone call. He answered on the first ring, even though he was pretty certain that allowed the zombies time to eat his character. He hated that shit. Zombies were ruthless killers in the video game world.
“Knox,” he answered.
“I’ve got a pretty big update. We got a full confession and statement that Langley worked completely alone. He met with his attorney and the guy came back with Langley’s written and signed account of each death and accident. He gave enough information to undoubtedly tie him to the scene of each crime. He admitted he planned to go after your friend Montgomery, not Michaels. He also admitted he changed the video feed in the back of the coffee shop,” Connors said, clearly very relieved, maybe even happy they had finally solved this case. “The only discrepancy is that DeGeorge admitted giving Langley access to the security system.”
As Mitch listened, he got up off the swing and took the steps down so he could hear better and have a little more privacy. Something felt off. “Why the abrupt change?”
“I guess he figured he was busted after going off on you,” Connors replied, and that earned him a solid, Huh, from Mitch.
“What’s gonna happen to DeGeorge?”
“Kreed had already caused him to slip up. The guy knew the video feed had been changed. He’s being charged as an accomplice to the crime right now. Hey, hold on. Brown just walked in,” Connors said. He could hear someone in the background talking. An intense conversation going on.
“Shit, Knox, I’m putting you on speaker,” Connors said. Seconds later, he heard Paul Brown talking.
“They found Langley dead in his cell,” Brown said loud enough for Mitch to hear.
“Who confirmed that?” Connors asked.
“Anne just called me when she couldn’t get you to pick up the phone. Young just got the news,” Brown informed them.
“I thought they had him on suicide watch?” Mitch asked.
“They did. He asphyxiated himself with his pant leg,” Brown explained.
“You’re kidding me?” Connors replied. “So we got the confession and he killed himself? That’s convenient.”
Connors tone was off and Mitch got it. He stood there thinking things over as he kicked at the grass with his boot. “Where’s Kreed?”
“He’s on his way to verify all this himself. You know how he is. He doesn’t take any information blindly, but he was there with me when Anne called,” Brown said.
“Okay, I’ll call him later. Connors keep me posted on what they need from me,” Mitch said.
“How’s Cody?” Brown asked. Mitch looked up and Cody was watching him. The minute their eyes connected, Cody leaned in and whispered something to his niece. She jumped up and scurried off.
“He’s doing good, I think. He needs me. I gotta go.” Mitch was already taking the steps back up to Cody as he disconnected the call.
“Need some help?” Mitch asked and took over for Cody to help raise the lounger. He’d had trouble getting the lever to hold.
“I heard a little bit. What happened?” Cody questioned, his eyes on Mitch.
“He confessed to every case then killed himself.” Mitch sat back down in his same spot on the porch swing because it was the closest to Cody. He just stared at his cowboy, letting the news of Langley’s suicide sink in.
“So you’re done. You solved the case?” Cody asked and Mitch leaned in to kiss him.
“I think you solved the case, but we’ll see what happens. You never know when you’re dealing with all this political shit.” There was silence for several long moments between them.
“You’re gonna go stir crazy if you hang out here every day with me. You know that, right? You’re used to traveling free,” Cody said randomly as he glanced apprehensively at Mitch. Cody could change a subject in a heartbeat and usually did when he decided to talk, which wasn’t all that often.
“No, I’m not, Cody. I keep telling you, this is where I want to be. I’m a changed man. You changed me.” Mitch held Cody’s gaze as he leaned in, lifted his hand, and ran his palm down Cody’s cheek. “Almost losing you scared the shit out of me. I’m here for as long as you want me.”
Cody raised a hand to hold Mitch’s against his cheek. Cody visibly swallowed, another sign Mitch was learning that the words about to be said were impactful, so he listened closely. “I don’t think I’ll ever want you to leave. You’re the part of me that’s been missing. I’m off when you’re not around.”
“Those are the words I wanted to hear.” Mitch leaned in and kissed Cody. When Cody opened for him, he deepened the kiss, letting all the love he felt remove the lingering doubt he had about this case for the moment.
“I love you,” he whispered. He couldn’t seem to say the words enough.
“I love you, too. Forever.” And that earned Cody another kiss.
Epilogue
“As sexy as you look in my childhood bed, you need to get up. The crew’s gonna be here in about an hour,” Mitch whispered, sliding his palm up and down Cody’s back. He heard the words and agreed he needed to move, so he turned over, but instead of getting up , he snuggled deeper inside the warm bed.
“Is it still snowing?” Cody drew the covers up and over his head. Mitch tempted him, but not as much as the comfort of the down mattress.
“Yes, just special for you.” Mitch tugged the blankets down, exposing Cody’s face. He snaked a hand out from under the covers and ran his palm across Mitch’s thigh. “Come lay down with me and keep me warm.”
“You’re a tease. You won’t sleep with me because my family and the Montgomery-Michaels duo are right down the hall, which sucks for me, so get your ass out of bed.” Mitch yanked the covers back down and the blanket ripped completely off his body. When the cool air hit his warm skin, Cody’s eyes popped opened. Shit! Mitch wasn’t going to give up, so he might as well get moving.
“It’s Christmas Eve. You could be nicer,” Cody complained, sitting on the side of the bed, rolling the stiffness from his shoulder. He felt more than heard the quick kiss Mitch placed on the top of his head.
“I love you. Shower and come downstairs. Mom’s got breakfast cooked.” Cody looked up, yawned again, and that earned him a kiss on the lips even with his morning breath.
“I’ll be down in fifteen,” Cody mumbled, rising and doing a full body stretch, his sweatpants dipping low. He laughed when he heard Mitch’s grumble as he slammed the door behind him.
~~~
Mitch sat at the end of the sofa, his arm stretched across the back, hugging Cody’s shoulders. He kept him right there pressed against h
im. A raging snowstorm churned outside the windows. The curtains were pushed wide, giving them a front row view of the winter wonderland surrounding them. His mother made sure all the drapes in the house were open, so Cody could get his first taste of what a white Christmas truly meant. This year Mother Nature really put on a show.
All of his older brothers and sisters, with their children, were there visiting. Everyone had grown so much. His oldest brother, Matt, had become an old man since he’d seen him last, but he supposed that was what happened when you were nearing fifty. Matt’s oldest child was close to graduating high school. Mitch had actually kept her at about twelve years old for the last five years, and he was shocked to find out how much she’d actually grown. She looked very much like a young woman. That was just too weird for him.
Currently the family sat gathered around the brightly lit Christmas tree in the living room, passing out presents to all the grandkids that wouldn’t be able to stay for Christmas day.
“I told you they were loud,” he leaned his head, whispering into Cody’s ear.
“You’ve experienced more than enough of the Turner hospitality. You know this ain’t got nothing on them.” Cody looked over at Mitch, grinning from ear to ear. “How’s the tattoo?”
“Hurts like hell. Why’d you let me do that?” he asked, smiling back at Cody who bumped him in the shoulder.
“Ah, young love.” Mitch cut his eyes up as Colt came to stand behind them.
“Leave them alone,” Jace said as he took a seat on the floor in front of Mitch and Cody.
“No, he can keep going this time. I am young,” Mitch teased, nodding firmly. “It’s why I love coming home. I’m the baby.”
“You have a niece almost your boyfriend’s age,” Colt snickered, and that earned a frown from Jace. Mitch laughed and pointed down to Jace.
“You’re in trouble for messing with me so much. You better sit down before he makes you leave the room.”
“Hey, Dr. Knox, did you know that Mitch got a new tattoo a couple of days ago?” Colt hollered.
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