Shadow Soldier

by Carol Lynne

  The fire had destroyed three buildings in downtown Cattle Valley. “Any idea yet what started it?”

  Sam shook his head. “They know it started at your place, but not why. I’m supposed to call Ryan as soon as Aaron’s well enough to be questioned.”

  Deacon sighed. It was one more reminder of how fast a person’s life could change. “Thanks.” He carried the ice back to the room just as Isaac was leaving. “He gonna be okay?”

  “Yeah. His lungs sound pretty good and his back’ll heal in no time. We’ll probably keep him here for another day just to be on the safe side.”

  “Thanks Doc.” Deacon entered the room to find Aaron’s eyes filled with tears. Whether it was the news of Shane’s condition or the shock of the entire situation, Deacon wasn’t sure, but he prayed Aaron wouldn’t come out of the ordeal feeling responsible. He shook some of the ice chips into the glass and loaded a few onto the spoon. “Here.”

  The oxygen mask gone, Aaron opened his mouth. It took three spoonfuls before he spoke. “I asked Dr Singer about Groucho but he didn’t know anything. Will you go look for him?”

  Finally, Deacon had something positive to share. “Luke found him at the scene and sent him home with Priest.”

  Another round of tears dripped down Aaron’s cheeks. “I was so worried something had happened to him and you’d never forgive me.”

  “If I had anything to be mad at you for, it would be you going into a burning building to play hero,” Deacon argued. “But then I realised I would’ve done the same thing in your position.” He fed Aaron more ice. “You can add five more positive check marks onto that list I made you start.”

  “I still don’t know what happened. I fell asleep on the couch with Groucho and he woke me a few hours later by scratching the hell out of my chest. When I woke up, the room was already filled with smoke.”

  “It’s hard to say. The entire first floor was nothing but a big campfire waiting to be ignited. You’re lucky the storage cabinet was shut or the place could’ve gone up a lot faster.”

  Aaron opened his mouth but paused before taking another spoonful. He pulled back, away from the spoon. “I remember shutting the cabinet.”

  “Sheriff Blackfeather will be here in a little while to ask you what you remember. Make sure you tell him that.”

  “Okay.” He shook his head when Deacon offered him more ice. “I’m done.” He brushed Deacon’s hand with his fingertips. “What’re you gonna do now that the shop is gone?”

  Deacon set the cup on the table. He stood high enough to lean over the side of the bed. With his face hovering about Aaron’s he gazed into the eyes of the man he’d grown to love. “Spend the rest of my life thanking God you made it out safely. Beyond that, nothing else matters to me. As long as I have you by my side, I can whittle a stick of wood with a pocket knife and be content.”

  * * * *

  Deacon opened the bedroom door to check on Aaron. He was happy to find him sound asleep with Groucho curled up at his side. Pulling the door closed, Deacon tried to make as little noise as possible as he left the house.

  He got into his truck and drove downtown for an appointment with George Manning to go over the scene of the fire. The parking spaces in front of the burned out buildings were still blocked off behind yellow crime scene tape, so Deacon performed a U-turn and parked across the street.

  Through a broken window Deacon caught sight of George wearing a bright yellow raincoat. “George,” he greeted, being careful to watch his step. The rubble would be tricky for anyone to manoeuvre around, but Deacon knew his cane could easily get caught on a piece of debris and he’d end up face first in the charred ruins.

  “Ryan told me Aaron was released.” George stood from his crouched position and wiped his hands on a bandana.

  “This morning. He’s home in bed, but Isaac said he should be okay to return to work in a week. His lungs are doing great, but the cut on his back needs more time to heal.” Deacon studied his surroundings. Other than a few odds and ends, there was nothing left of the shop except ash, charred machinery and the fireproof storage cabinet. He gestured towards the cabinet. “That’s where I store all the flammables.”

  George nodded. “I’ve already checked it out. However, I found this.” He led Deacon several feet away and pointed towards a small pile of melted plastic. “Any idea what that could’ve been?”

  Deacon rubbed his jaw. It had been two days since he’d taken the time to shower or shave and his five o’clock shadow was nearing eleven. He tried to remember what had been specific to the area. Then it dawned on him. Shit. “Aaron was building a cat tower for Groucho.” He gestured towards the melted plastic. “My guess is that’s the bottle that contained tung oil.” The realisation smacked him right between the eyes. “If he didn’t lay the rag out flat to dry, we could be looking at a case of spontaneous combustion.”

  George nodded in agreement. “I guess that answers my questions. I’ll get the report written up and have a copy to you by morning.”

  Deacon stuck his hand in his pocket. “Will you name Aaron as the cause?”

  George shook his head. “No way was it planned. I’ll write it up as accidental.”

  “Thank you. To tell you the truth, I’d rather Aaron didn’t find out how the fire started. He carries enough guilt for three men, I doubt he could handle more right now.”

  “I understand completely.”

  A sense of relief flooded Deacon. It was lucky George knew Aaron so well. “I can’t thank you enough.”

  Glancing around, George shook his head. “It’s a damn shame. Carol’s been bugging me for six months to buy that long farmhouse table you had in the showroom.”

  “Who knows, maybe I’ll build another one.” Deacon knew the loss of his furniture and personal belongings would eventually catch up with him, but he felt too grateful to have Aaron alive to spend time dwelling on what he’d lost.

  “I’ll give Nate a call as soon as I leave. You should drop by city hall and talk to him about filing the insurance papers.” George reached out and shook Deacon’s hand. “I’m sorry this happened, but with Shane waking up today at least it sounds like everyone made it out safely.”

  “That’s good to hear. Isaac didn’t have any updated information on him when we left the hospital earlier.”

  “He’ll be in the hospital a while longer, but his doctor thinks he’ll eventually make a full recovery,” George informed Deacon.

  “Aaron will be happy to hear it.”

  “That’s another thing. I’m nominating Aaron for an award for saving that boy’s life.”

  Deacon wasn’t sure how Aaron would react to such an award. “Do me another favour and let me talk to him about it before you go to all the trouble.”

  “You sure? It’s kind of a big deal. Nate’ll probably even give him a key to the city.”

  Deacon pointed to the clipboard tucked under George’s arm. “Depends on if I can convince him it was something else in the shop that started the fire.”

  George narrowed his eyes as his jaw jut outward in a disapproving expression. “You lie to him a lot?”

  “No, but we both know he didn’t start this fire on purpose. If he believes for even a moment it was his fault, he’ll never forgive himself. He’s come too far to let something like this push him backwards. Wouldn’t you do the same in my shoes?”

  George’s expression softened. “Yeah, I reckon I would.”

  “Tell the people you have to how it started, but keep it to unknown shop accident for every other busy-body in town.” It wasn’t an order, although Deacon knew it probably came out that way. He tried to soften the request. “Please.”

  “All right.

  * * * *

  Deacon had his nose buried in the morning paper when Aaron returned from the grocery store. “Something interesting?” Aaron set the bags on the counter before going over to give Deacon a quick kiss.

  Deacon handed the one page section to Aaron. “Looking at houses, bu
t the words they use to describe the properties leave me dizzy.”

  Laughing, Aaron dropped the paper and retrieved the laptop from his desk. “That’s why God created the internet.” He typed in the url for the local realtor and waited. Once the page was filled with local houses, he slid the computer towards Deacon. “There you go. You can even see pictures.”

  “Sounds like you’ve done this before.” Deacon clicked through several houses.

  “Just something I used to do when I got bored.” Aaron nipped Deacon’s neck before returning to the kitchen. “Isaac cleared me for work. I still have to call the station to get put back on the schedule, but I guess my vacation’s over.” He picked up the toothpaste and shampoo and carried them into the bathroom. “Oh shit. I forgot to get more Tylenol.”

  “I’ve got a travel-size bottle in my suitcase,” Deacon called from the kitchen.

  Although his back was healing nicely, Aaron still needed a slight pain reliever after doing too much. He knelt beside the bed and slid Deacon’s suitcase out. Since the fire, Deacon had purchased enough jeans and casual shirts to last him for a while and his two best suits had luckily been on the trip to DC with him.

  Aaron unzipped the suitcase and started digging in the side pocket. His gaze landed on an envelope from the Cattle Valley Fire Department. He sat back on his heels and continued to stare at the envelope. Don’t do it, he told himself. Aaron knew it was hard for Deacon to be in someone else’s space, the last thing he needed was a nosey boyfriend.

  After a short inner struggle, Aaron found the Tylenol and grabbed the letter before shoving the suitcase back under the bed. He popped the top on the pain relievers and swallowed three without the aid of water. “Deacon?” he called, carrying the envelope into the kitchen. “Please don’t think I’m rifling through your stuff, but this was right on top.”

  Deacon glanced up from the computer for a moment before continuing his search. “It’s nothing. Just the fire report. I had to send a copy to my insurance company.”

  “I thought since you had that long-term lease on the building, the city’s insurance had to pay for it.” Aaron sat beside Deacon at the table and slid the envelope towards him.

  “The city’s insurance will pay for the building, but I’ve got two separate policies, one on the store’s inventory and one on my personal belongings.” He grinned. “And you thought I’d never make money on my furniture.”

  “I never said that,” Aaron sputtered.

  “Might as well have, but I won’t hold it against you. I’ve got a nice size settlement coming, and I’m thinking about buying a house for the first time in my life.” He pointed at the laptop screen. “Take a look at this place. It has a three-car garage. Even looks like there’s enough room to build onto the back. I could put in one hell of a wood shop and do all my work from home.”

  “What about the store?” Aaron had just assumed Deacon would rebuild. He adjusted the laptop screen and looked at the house Deacon had his eye on. The house itself was nice, not too big at three bedrooms, but he knew why the garage had captured Deacon’s attention.

  “The store was what I thought I wanted when I gave up city life to live in Cattle Valley. I mean, who doesn’t dream of moving to a small town and opening up a shop. Unfortunately, the business simply isn’t here. People come in and buy stuff on occasion, but my pieces are more expensive than most people can afford. I don’t fault them for it, but I’m not going to lower my price just to sell them either.”

  “You did on the bed,” Aaron reminded him.

  “I did that for you, because I knew how much you loved it, and I wanted you to be able to afford it without knowing you were getting it as a favour.” Deacon leaned towards Aaron and gave him a kiss. “I love that you love my bed.”

  Aaron grinned. “I do love it, but if you move into a bigger place, you’ll probably wish you hadn’t sold it to me.”

  “Nope, because I plan on asking you to move it in along with the rest of your stuff. Your landlord was nice enough to let me and Groucho stay here, but only for two months until we found something else.” Deacon covered Aaron’s hand with his. “Groucho and I’ve gotten used to living with you, so we think you need to move in with us.” Deacon swung the computer around so he could see it again. “And I think this is the place we should do it.”

  There was a lot of information for Aaron to filter through but it seemed to all boil down to him moving in with Deacon. “Are you sure?”

  “Of course I’m sure.”

  “But don’t you think we should each work through our issues before combining them?” It wasn’t that Aaron wasn’t excited by the idea of living with Deacon, he simply needed Deacon to be sure, because he didn’t believe he could handle another setback.

  “Why? I understand yours, you understand mine, and we don’t resent each other for them, so why not try to work them out together? Makes perfect sense to me.”

  Aaron stood and eased himself between Deacon and the table. “Are you asking me to move in because you love me or because you’ve become accustomed to your middle-of-the-night blowjobs?”

  “The blowjobs,” Deacon said with a straight face. “I doubt there’s a man in this world who would turn down a blowjob every night.”

  “You’re soooo romantic.” Aaron draped his arms over Deacon’s shoulders and sat on his lap. He tried to put most of his weight on Deacon’s good leg. “That okay?”

  Deacon reached down and squeezed Aaron’s ass. “It would feel a lot better if you were naked and horizontal.”

  Aaron sucked Deacon’s bottom lip into his mouth before standing. “Then let’s go do that.” He didn’t wait for Deacon, instead Aaron stripped out of his clothes on the way to the bedroom. He thought briefly of all the years he’d had to hide who he was and rejoiced at the direction his life had taken. Deacon seemed to understand Aaron’s differing moods, and not only accept them, but also embrace them at times.

  Entering the bedroom, Aaron stared at the kitten stretched out in the middle of the mattress. “Sorry, Groucho, you’re gonna have to nap elsewhere. I’ve got plans.” He picked the cat up and gave him a gentle nuzzle before setting him on the floor. He still hoped to build Groucho another cat tower some day, but hopefully, with Deacon at his side, there’d be plenty of time for that.

  Aaron reached over and grabbed the bottle of lube and condoms as Deacon came into the room, partially undressed. “It’s not fair that you can move so damn fast all the time,” Deacon grumbled.

  “I’m like a wily cat.” Aaron stretched on the bed, making sure to draw Deacon’s attention to his ass. Once he was sure Deacon was zeroed in on his ass, Aaron moved it back and forth. “If only I had a tail.”

  Deacon made a face.

  “Too much?” Aaron asked.

  “Just a tad.” Deacon leaned his cane against the table and pushed his already unzipped jeans down and off.

  In the beginning, Aaron was afraid to look at the wounds on Deacon’s leg. Not because they necessarily bothered him, but because he knew it made Deacon feel self-conscious. Evidently Deacon no longer felt that way because he often paraded around the house in either his underwear or nothing at all. Aaron always made his preference perfectly clear.

  Aaron kicked the covers off the end of the bed before Deacon laid down. He’d become addicted to the heavy weight of Deacon’s cock, and immediately took it in his hand. “I was checking out the cucumbers at the grocery store, and, babe, they’ve got nothing on you.”

  Deacon chuckled and reached for the lube. “It’s good to hear I won’t be replaced by a perishable.”

  Aaron turned around and sucked the knob into his mouth. He tickled the underside of the head with his tongue while moving his ass closer to Deacon. Using his well-practiced techniques, Aaron set about giving Deacon a world-class blowjob, and received an expert rimming in return. Moaning, he pushed back against Deacon’s tongue.

  Taking the long shaft as far back as he could, Aaron tried to swallow, effectively squ
eezing Deacon’s cock with his throat muscles. The first few times Aaron had tried the trick, he’d ended up in a gagging, coughing fit, but he was getting better all the time.

  With a groan, Deacon slid a finger into Aaron’s ass. “Love this ass.”

  Aaron pulled back and took a deep breath. “More,” he begged over his shoulder.

  Deacon followed the plea with another finger. “How’s your back? You think you’re ready for missionary again?”

  “My back’s fine, but I’d like a few more seconds of that tongue first.”

  Deacon flicked his tongue against Aaron’s hole. “Like that?”

  “Mmmm, exactly like that.” Aaron rested his cheek on Deacon’s groin, lazily licked the base of Deacon’s cock. Teeth, scraping the sensitive skin made him jump. “Okay, that’s enough of that.” He turned around and dropped down beside Deacon. “Take me, you hungry beast.”

  “What, are we in some cheesy eighties porn movie now?” Deacon opened a condom and rolled it down his length.

  “How would I know, I was still wearing diapers in the eighties.” Aaron loved teasing Deacon about their age difference.

  “Ouch, that hurts.” Deacon rolled on top of Aaron and insinuated himself between Aaron’s legs. “Love you.”

  Staring up at Deacon, Aaron couldn’t imagine life without him. Together, they had gone through the pile of drawings Aaron had always referred to as his ‘stack of crazy’, and one by one, he’d let the pictures go. It wasn’t until Deacon pointed out how different the drawings at the bottom of the stack were from those at the top, that Aaron realised the progress he’d made. The fact that he no longer needed them said a lot about his trust in Deacon and his desire to get better. Although he still coloured from time to time, he did his best to keep the pictures positive. “I love you, too.”

  Deacon fit the head of his cock against Aaron’s stretched hole. With a determined and hungry expression on his face, Deacon eased inside.