A Tangled Truth (Stonewall Investigations Book 3)

by Max Walker

  Mark’s body slammed into her side as he launched up from the ground. She let out a yelp and fell hard on the table, so hard the wood splintered where her body hit. From the floor, I couldn’t see her head smack against the table, but I could sure hear it. Mark got up and she didn’t.

  “She’s knocked out,” Mark said, hurrying down to my side. “Shit, Liam, shit. You’re gonna be okay, all right? It’s just a scratch, you’re okay.” Mark’s calm demeanor was cracking. We both knew damn well this was no scratch. He was tearing off his shirt and wrapping it up so he could tie it around my shoulder. I glanced down, fighting the stars in my vision away. All I saw was my shoulder soaked in red, and I had to look away.

  “One hell of a scratch, huh?”

  “I told you to stay home,” Mark said. I could see through my fading vision that his eyes were wet. That got me scared for the first time, which was odd. I wasn’t really scared when my muscles and tendons were being split apart, but now, looking into Mark’s eyes, seeing what I could lose if I let go and dropped into the darkness? “No, no, no, no, no.” There was panic in my voice.

  “Shh, shh,” Mark said, and then he did a remarkable thing. He kissed my forehead. Now, that obviously isn’t so remarkable when taken by itself, but what was remarkable was the effect the kiss had on me. It wiped away all the fear. Not the pain, which was slowly getting worse and worse as the adrenaline started to wear off, but the fear was vanquished. Mark was here—he had always been—and he wasn’t going to let anything happen. We finally made it through all the bullshit, and we were on the greener pastures now. I just had to survive this shit so we could enjoy it.

  “Hear that?” Mark said, and I did. Sirens. “Help is on its way.” Mark was applying pressure to the wound now with the shirt. I ground my teeth against the pain and closed my eyes, opening them instantly when I found Mark’s blue and brown eyes to be much more comforting than the dark behind my eyelids.

  “You gave the Uber driver a good tip, right?”

  Mark looked down at me, a little astonished, and laughed, kissing me again, easing me again. “Yes, of course.”

  And then:

  “What in the actual fuck!”

  Even in my shocked, blood-losing state, I recognized that voice and cringed.

  Johnny was home early.

  “What… the fuck!”

  He was standing in front of us now, looking down at the mess of bodies in his third dining room. “Are you kidding me? I come home expecting to get a threesome and this? What the fuck!”

  I was leaning against the wall. I couldn’t stand, not without help. But Mark could stand, and he did. He stood and met Johnny right in the eye. Johnny looked like an overfed lab rat, busting out of his white button-up shirt and tacky light-blue slacks, his eyes beady and wide and looking up at Mark even though I knew he wanted to look away.

  I hissed as another wave of searing hot pain shot through my nerves, originating at my shoulder and radiating out down to my goddamn toes.

  Johnny finally broke eye contact. He looked down at me and seemed to find a more appealing target. “And why the fuck is there a gay man bleeding on my fucking newly cleaned floors?! If I catch something from this, I swear—”

  I saw Mark’s fist balling up, but I somehow missed the actual punch. I did see Johnny’s head spin to the side, a glob of blood and a handful of teeth flying out and falling onto the table like some kind of after-dinner treat. Johnny slumped down to the floor, his eyes rolling back in his head, his hand holding his bloody mouth, stunned and—

  Ah shit, that hurt. Mark must have seen my face twist before I could hide the pain. He ducked back to my side, his hand coming to mine. It was only a few moments later and the people we actually wanted to walk through that door, walked through that door. A smiley and reassuring EMT guy helped get me into an ambulance, where they allowed Mark to hop in and ride with to the hospital. He held my hand the entire time. We talked to the EMTs, who were giving us date ideas for after it was all over. It helped me forget that there was an oxygen mask strapped to my face and an open, bleeding wound in my shoulder. But even if we had all been deathly quiet on the way to the hospital, so long as Mark’s hand was in mind, I’d be fine.

  Even as kids, Mark had had that effect on me. He’d calm me with a glancing touch or a powerful look. Except back then we were always too scared to explore it in any real depth. It was a shame. A fear. With time, though, we fought the fear, pushed it away, and revealed the light underneath.

  Together, we were strong enough to put an end to that fear once and for all.

  In the end, there was no fear, only happiness. Pure, uncomplicated happiness. The kind of happiness children hold on to for as long as possible before they lose it to adulthood.

  I was just lucky enough to find it again.

  Epilogue

  Three Months Later

  MARK

  The air in the room was electric. There was a buzz I couldn’t quite place, and the energy was clearly contagious. We were inside of beautiful open-air space dedicated to Griffin Bank’s big gallery grand opening. He had put together a series of photographs he was revealing tonight to a close group of friends and relatives along with some press people and celebrity faces I recognized but was too scared to say anything to. Liam had invited me to his friend’s opening, and I of course said yes. Not only because Griffin had become a close friend of mine as well, and so I wanted to support him, but also because I just couldn’t get enough time with Liam. Over the past months together, we had spent every minute we could together, and every minute was better than the last, which I didn’t even think was possible. But somehow, Liam kept proving me wrong. We were always laughing and chatting and joking and just having a good time. We were so clearly compatible, it didn’t take me long to start leaving my toothbrush in Liam’s place, which led to my clothes and then ultimately the rest of my belongings.

  And we didn’t regret it for a second. Living with Liam was everything I expected and more. We worked like a well-oiled machine, even though there were a few growing pains to get through at first. Liam’s tendency to leave the bathroom soaking wet after just brushing his teeth was something I had to sort out quick, and he would point out things that bothered him about me and we would both adapt. That’s what made us great. We made each other better; we built each other up to the nth-degree.

  “Mark!” I heard a familiar voice behind me. I turned, seeing Zane smiling, hand in hand with an equally beaming Enzo.

  “Ciao,” Enzo said, his eyes beaming as bright as his smile. They were definitely a handsome pairing, with Zane’s dark five-o’clock shadow complementing Enzo’s freshly shaven, well-sculpted face. A literal yin and yang. Zane looked sharp in a navy sports jacket and a white shirt, with a pair of gray jeans that made his brown wingtips pop. Enzo dressed just as smart, with a thin-striped button-up, open at the collar, with a pair of black slacks held up by a Prada belt. They both walked with a clear confidence and easily commanded the room. There was also zero question in anyone’s mind that those two wouldn’t do absolutely anything for each other.

  “Hey, guys,” I said, a little surprised to see them. Then I remembered Enzo was Griffin’s attorney and close friend, I guessed.

  “Liam invited us,” Zane said, surprising me again.

  “Oh, great! Yeah, this is really exciting, huh?” We were standing in a big white room with the framed photos hanging all around us, except none of them were visible just yet. They were all covered by thick black curtains that rippled whenever someone would walk by, trying to get a peek through the corners no doubt but finding nothing. There was only one photo we could all see, and that was on a pedestal in the center of the room. The frame was a simple tan wood, but the photo inside was everything but simple. It was a black-and-white shot of a lithe male body, nude, but angled so that none of the private bits were shown, and then the more you stared at the photo, the more details would appear. The wallpaper behind the man appeared to be a pattern of penises lin
ked together, and the stool the model was leaning on was actually a cardboard cutout printed and placed to look like a three-dimensional stool.

  “Griffin’s been talking about this for years,” Enzo said, his Italian accent cutting in and coloring his words. “I’m glad he’s finally gotten around to doing it.”

  I looked to Zane, who was looking much more rested compared to how he looked earlier in the week. I knew he’d been working nonstop, and it showed, but I also knew Zane was getting the closest anyone had ever gotten to naming the Unicorn, and that gave me some hope.

  “What’s up, you guys!” The voice was excited and also familiar. I turned to see Andrew, his face beaming, his hair freshly cut. He looked good in a bright, multicolored, billowy shirt, buttons left open, his black pants tight around his legs. Next to him was Leo, clipping his sunglasses to the collar of his green shirt. Behind him stood Wanda, still wearing what she was wearing today at the office. She also must have been working hard on a case.

  “Hey, guys,” I said. “Leo, I didn’t realize you knew Griffin.”

  “Oh I don’t, not really.” He shook his head, smiling. “Liam invited us.”

  “What? Why is Liam taking over the guest list for Griffin’s event?” I asked, but no one answered. Andrew just shrugged, and they broke off into conversations.

  I looked around, the big open space feeling more and more packed. Liam had told me he was helping Griffin set something up but didn’t really elaborate much on that and then disappeared. He’d been gone for the last thirty minutes. As I was scanning the crowd, another familiar face swam out and toward me.

  It was Alex, Griffin’s partner. He looked like a proud dad, smile reaching from ear to ear. I’d been working with him at Stonewall for years and couldn’t recall ever seeing him smile this big. It was nice to see. He came over my way and clapped me on my shoulder. “Mark! Excited for the big reveal?” He motioned toward the covered photos hanging on the wall.

  “Hell yeah,” I said. “Tell me the truth, do you know what’s under the curtains?”

  Alex zipped his lips and threw away the key. “He’d have my head on a stick if I told.”

  “Okay, fine, you don’t have to tell me.” I arched a brow. “But do you want to maybe say it to yourself and I’ll just innocently overhear?”

  Alex laughed at that. “Is that how you try to get sensitive information when you’re working a case?”

  “Hey, hey, hey,” I said, putting my hands up, “I’m not going to give you all my trade secrets.”

  We both laughed as the lights around the space started to dim. Since there wasn’t a ceiling above us, we could look up and see the orange-purple splash of a setting sun on the sky. The conversations started to simmer down until finally everyone was quiet. Somehow, we all figured out to face a door that was next to a row of the biggest covered frames. There were five photos hidden from us as we waited.

  The door opened and out walked Griffin to a round of roaring applause. He waved and smiled and dropped his head as the cheers washed over him. He slipped his hands into the pockets of his tailored white pants. I thought he was about to say something, but then someone walked out behind him. Liam was standing next to him as the crowd’s applause continued. I noticed his cheeks were pink, and he looked a little flustered. Nothing other people would notice, but I knew Liam like the back (and front for that matter) of my hand. He gave a few tugs of his earlobe, another tell that his nerves were racked up. He was looking like the star of the show, though, in a designer graphic T-shirt and pants that were made specifically for his body. His hair was short on the sides and slightly tousled on the top, his eyes glittering, his smile breathtaking.

  And he was all mine. That was the absolute best part of it all.

  “Thank you all so much for being here!” Griffin said. He was miked, so his voice was projected through expertly hidden speakers around the space. “I honestly can’t believe this moment is here. It’s something I dreamed about since I was a kid, running around the city with my dad and a camera.” A tangle of emotion entered his voice. “He’s not here with us, but I do know he’s looking down watching us. Tonight’s for you, Dad.” Griffin looked up at the sky, a heavy moment falling on the entire crowd.

  “Tonight’s special for a couple of different reasons,” Griffin said, his hand coming up to wipe at his cheek. “I’ve got one of my closest friends here”—he put an arm on Liam and moved him forward a bit—“and I’ve also got a confession to make.”

  There was a little murmur that ran through the crowd. Griffin looked to the five covered frames hanging to his right. “So these photos here, they actually weren’t shot by me.” Griffin looked out to the crowd. “I know, I know, you can all gasp for dramatic effect now.”

  A gasp-laugh hybrid sound rose up from the crowd.

  “Thank you,” Griffin said, “I do love the drama.” He clapped his hands. “But no, seriously, these shots here were taken by my good friend Liam.” Griffin’s eyes landed on mine then. I was standing pretty much front and center to the photos, which I had no idea Liam had a part in. I looked to him, but he wasn’t meeting my gaze. I knew he could see me, but he still wouldn’t look at me.

  Wow… I have no idea what’s going on.

  LIAM

  My heart felt like it was beating in my throat. I never got stage fright; I was always a natural when the spotlight was turned to me. I could handle myself in front of a camera as well as behind it. Something about performing always felt so natural to me.

  But now? Right now I was feeling like a sixth grader at their first ever school play who was playing the lead corn husk or whatever the fuck kids do in plays nowadays, and I was ready to throw up all over the front row.

  Which would have been very unfortunate seeing as how the love of my life was standing right there, staring at me with a “what the fuck is going on” face. It was so damn cute. He looked good. Dreamy. It made me even more nervous. I had to look away. If I kept looking at his perfectly groomed face and his hypnotizing eyes, I would have just melted right there. And then there was the way his chest filled up the the navy collared shirt he was wearing. It looked like some kind of art piece on him for some reason. He was just perfect, I had to look away.

  I let my eyes drift around the rest of the crowd. Lucy was there, looking only slightly different than her normally flour-covered self, smiling so that her warm eyes were crinkling in the corners. That reminded me she had catered the dessert for the evening, and my sweet tooth rang out. I spotted Mark’s coworkers in the crowd, who I had made sure to invite, along with Marah, who was looking radiant in a yellow dress, her hair done in fresh curls that perfectly framed her bright face. She was doing so well, and I was really happy to see her there. She was standing with the rest of the cast of Bloom, the movie I had been hired to direct and one in which she was cast as one of the leads. It was a huge project, and I was crazy excited to see it come to life. I was also happy to see Marah thriving. We’d both been through an experience that shook us, to say the least, so it felt really good to help her out when the opportunity for the role opened up.

  There was one person I wish could have been there, but my sweet mother passed two months ago. She had gotten to see Mark before she passed, and that was a moment that moved me so profoundly, seeing Mark hold her frail hand in his. She looked at him, and for a glimmer of a moment, I thought I could see something like recognition. A smile flickered on her face, and one bloomed wide on Mark’s. It was beautiful and something I would never forget. Tonight, I had her memory held tight, the leather bracelet she gave me on my wrist, her message always close to me.

  “So,” Griffin said, clapping his hands and stepping aside. “I think you should take it from here, Liam.”

  Was I going to throw up? Was that what was happening? No, no. I took a few deep breaths, smiling out at the crowd even though my intestines were twisting. This was crazy. So crazy.

  And then I looked to Mark again, and I saw the Mark I had met all those
years ago standing there, looking back at me, and I was comforted. The butterflies were blown away with a leaf blower.

  “Hi, all,” I said, “I’m really happy Griffin let me take over a piece of his night tonight.” I dropped my voice to a stage whisper, looking around the crowd again. “But, I’ve gotta say, aren’t these photos a little anticlimactic?” I motioned to all the black sheets and got a laugh from the crowd.

  “No, but seriously, I’m really excited to see what’s under all of these. Griffin’s an insane talent, and I’m honored to be here seeing it.” The crowd cheered at that. Griffin put his hands together and bowed, his cheeks red. Alex was standing next to him, his arm around Griffin, a clear expression of adoration on his face.

  “There’s something else I’m honored about tonight,” I said as the applause died down. My eyes settled on Mark. “I’m honored to be sharing this night with my childhood best friend and love of my life, Mark Masters. Standing right there—yep, him.” Mark laughed and dropped his head into a hand as people cheered. “We were best friends through some of the most formative years of our lives, and then we drifted. Life took us in separate directions. But it wasn’t too long until those directions turned back toward each other. We collided when I walked into your office, and my life has been complete again ever since then.” I think some people awed, but I was so focused on Mark, everyone else was fading away. “Mark, you helped me in so many different ways. Not only did you save my career from tanking, but you saved me from thinking a life without love was okay.” I took a breath, smiling, knowing what was coming next but also not knowing anything at all. “And sure, I saved you from getting stabbed in the chest, but hey, who’s keeping track of these things?” That got some roaring laughter from the crowd. “Plus, I have that badass scar on my shoulder now, so thank you for that.”