Ross tried not to cringe. He had to be patient. “I came back to help with the case. FBI does that with kidnapping cases. Ben—it was nice to see him again.”
“You two were serious in high school?” Marty asked.
Ross shrugged. “In high school, everything feels serious, but so much can change. I wanted to see more of the world. His parents weren’t big on the city or college. His dad really wasn’t big on Ben being gay or with me. He pulled a gun on me when I was barely sixteen.”
“Shit. And you kept coming back for Ben. Does the guy have a magic dick?” Marty asked.
Ross chuckled. “No. Love. Damn, that sounds mushy. But love isn’t about size or looks. It’s like me and the FBI—once I was in the academy, I knew I was home. I fit in, I cared and wanted that career. It belonged in my life. Ben always belonged in my life.”
“Hot guys always do,” Marty said.
“I know people judge, but not everyone is that shallow,” Ross said.
“Said the hot and glamorous FBI guy.” Marty pointed the gun.
Ross smiled. “Like I said, I grew up around here, then the FBI put the polish on. Love is blind, believe it or not. Ben in that deputy uniform is hot, I mean it. If Ben had been in some bad fire, scarred up, I wouldn’t care. His dad smoked like a damn chimney, so it could’ve happened. If he’d been in some accident and was in a wheelchair forever—wouldn’t care. Love is like being gay. You don’t choose it—it just is. If anyone tells you differently, they’re lying.”
“What if he doesn’t love you back?” Marty asked with a sniffle.
“Wrong guy. Lust, not love. Or you want love so bad you’re imagining it’s real. I could’ve told myself being a sheriff’s deputy would be enough for me….so I could stay with Ben.”
Marty nodded. “You left a hot guy.”
“But I’d have resented him in the end. I’d still love him, but I’d blame him for hating the career part of my life. Love isn’t the only thing in life that makes you happy or fulfilled. If someone else isn’t willing to compromise or coordinate with you, it’s not right. It’s not real even if it hurts. It killed me to leave, but Ben wasn’t ready to go. Old wounds hurt and bleed. Please tell me you haven’t hurt him,” Ross said.
“What for? He’s a decent gay guy. Out, good to his family, and I never asked him out. He got a rose because he was after me. I could feel you guys circling. I’ve been trying too hard for so long. I try too hard, but if I don’t, people say you have to put yourself out there.” Marty threw his hands up in the air. “People can only take so much rejection before they snap.”
“You’re stronger than that, Marty. You are. Road workers, in that heat. You’re a tough guy and it’s just going to take the right guy to appreciate it,” Ross countered.
“When will that happen? I’m terrible at small talk. I have no confidence.” Marty ate more of Ross’ fries from his dinner.
“That’s part of the issue. You need to like yourself. It only takes one right guy, and he might not be a male model either. But hurting other men isn’t going to bring the right one along like magic.” Ross suddenly hoped this wasn’t some creepy spell or dark ritual.
“I was trying to reeducate them. Thinking they can do better than me? I’ve got a great job with all the benefits. Tons of women would marry me for that alone.” Marty gestured with the gun.
“I’m sure. You’re confident with them because you’re not nervous around them. See how that works? City bars have a lot more options. Small towns—you’ve got a lot more limitations,” Ross suggested.
“Sure. Online is hot too. I don’t want hookups. I want real love. I like life out here. I tried the city and that drag crap. I did that for Violets are Blue. I never wanted to dress like a woman.”
“Trying something new isn’t bad. It shows you’re open.” Ross wanted to seem positive, but really he wanted to disarm and handcuff this guy.
“Exactly. The other men need to be open. I’m trying to make them understand,” he said.
“Why did you kill two of them?” Ross regretted the question, but it was too late.
Marty waved it off like a misunderstanding. “They were drug addicts. I’d hoped they’d cleaned up their act. But no…they can’t be educated if they can’t get clean. But I couldn’t let them go once they knew it was me. I did them a favor—the drugs had them.”
“Where are the others?” Ross asked.
“Not far. You want to see them?” Marty perked up.
“I would like to see that they’re okay,” Ross agreed.
“You have to agree to help me reeducate them. This talk with you helped. You should move back and be with Ben. You had your career time, and now it’s time for you to devote yourself to family.” Marty nodded.
“I swear I’ll never leave Ben if you let me go,” Ross said.
Marty frowned. “You just promised to help.”
“I will. Ben and I can help you. First, we need to help the guys, make sure they aren’t hurt or hungry. Then maybe some group meetings?” Ross suggested.
“You’re late. We’re already doing that, but you can join!” Marty opened the front door. “Let’s go.”
Just then, Ross’ phone rang.
Marty’s face softened. “Awww, it’s your Ben.”
“If I don’t answer, he’ll freak out and be here with the SWAT team in minutes. He has a spare key to this room,” Ross fibbed.
“You really got a good one. Fine, but no tricks. Tell him everything is fine. You’re eating dinner, watching TV and are going to bed early.”
Ross nodded. Marty brought over the phone so Ross could answer it. Marty put it on speaker.
There had to be a way to warn Ben and get help. The gun pressed to Ross’ temple was making it hard to focus, despite all his training. No tricks…
Chapter Thirteen
“Hey, man, everything okay?” Ross answered.
Ben frowned at the phone. “Sure. Everything okay there?”
Ross sounded nothing like himself.
“Sure, sure. Just eating dinner and watching a Hitler documentary on the history channel. Those always put me to sleep. I need to crash. All this stress…we’ll come at it fresh tomorrow. This kidnapper is clever.”
All the red flags went up for Ben. ‘Hitler’ was a code word they’d used for Ben’s dad when he was around or listening in. They’d made it sound like it was for history class, but it had always been about Dad.
Ben could also tell he was on speaker, so he couldn’t get more info.
“Yeah, this guy really has us stumped and challenged. I’m probably going to take one of my dad’s sleeping pills and crash. Just wanted to check in first. You know you’re welcome to crash here. Strength in numbers and all that,” Ben said.
“Cool, great. thanks. But no, I’m all settled here. Locked the doors. Driving while tired isn’t good, so I better just sleep here. I’ll grab the donuts in the morning.”
“Sounds good. Night.” Ben didn’t want to hang up, but the only chance he had to save Ross was the element of surprise.
“You too. Have a good night and look after your dad,” Ross said.
Ben stared at his phone in utter disbelief. That wasn’t his Ross. Something was wrong in his tone and his word choice.
Panicked, Ben threw on his uniform and called Irene. Then he called Sheriff Larry. Ben made sure the men guarding his house were awake, then drove like mad to the station. Ross had refused protection on him since he was at the motel, where other agents were staying, and was otherwise at the station or with other law enforcement. It made a certain sense to Ben, agents guarding agents—but they were a target. Still, Ben wanted those guys watching out for his dad.
The whole group, minus Ross, reconvened at the station.
“You’re sure something’s wrong?” Irene asked.
“Yes, he put me on speaker, and he never does that. He also worked in Hitler—that was our code word for things not being safe to talk,” Ben explained.
&
nbsp; Irene shared a look with Larry.
“Why wouldn’t you have been safe to talk before?” she asked.
“Gay boys in a small town. Ben’s daddy, I’m assuming,” Larry filled her in.
“Ah. You’re sure he wasn’t just watching TV and tired?” Irene asked.
Ben ran his fingers through his short hair. “I asked him to come over and spend the night with me. He said no. With Marty on the loose and knowing we’re after him, I can’t believe Ross would say no. He knows my dad is frail. Wanting space is one thing, but safety trumps it.”
“We’ve got a pair of agents on your house and these won’t sleep on the job.” Larry patted Ben on the shoulder.
“Good. We need to find Ross,” Ben insisted.
“We’re working on his phone and his car. Did it sound like the motel?” Irene asked.
Ben shrugged. “It did. TV was on in the background.”
“It’s partially under repair and construction. Marty might have them stashed somewhere close,” Larry said.
“Assemble SWAT?” Irene asked.
Larry nodded. “Get the heat sensors and we’ll find them in the motel. Smash and grab job.”
“Get the motel manager on the line. They need to give us access and keep other guests in their rooms. Let’s get all the manpower rounded up,” Irene agreed.
Ben went for his Kevlar vest.
“Not you,” Larry said.
“I’m going. You can’t stop me,” Ben insisted.
“Marty let Ross take that call. If Ben knocks on the door, it might be the most believable move—we don’t want to tip him off,” Irene argued.
“My deputies aren’t bait,” Larry shot back.
Irene balked. “You put him in charge of the case because the victims are gay.”
Ben got in between them. “I’m going. Ross and I will never be just friends or co-workers. I’ll risk anything to save him.”
Another FBI agent handed Irene a cell phone. “The manager says the only room rented to a non-FBI agent is rented by a VJ Cupid in cash. He’s had the same room for two weeks. No housekeeping. It’s even in a section that has construction going on. Very noisy.”
“Perfect setup,” Larry mumbled.
“They didn’t question that?” Irene asked.
The other FBI agent shrugged. “The guy said a tree fell on his house in a storm. He needs a place to stay, and he’ll wear earbuds or whatever. They have Wi-Fi and AC—that’s all he needs to work from home.”
“He’s not stupid,” Ben said.
“No, he knows the area, the people and the tricks to hide out. He wasn’t considered a threat by these men. It’s always the quiet ones,” Irene said.
“He’s sick and has to be stopped before he kills someone else.” Ben checked his firearm.
* * * *
His hands zip tied, Ross had to admit that Marty wasn’t dumb. He might’ve made a good law enforcement officer. Marty patted Ross down, removing his ankle firearm and handcuffs.
“You should’ve been a cop. You’re thorough,” Ross said.
Marty scoffed. “Thanks, but my mother was afraid I’d get hurt. It’s hard to honor your parents and be happy. I couldn’t deny my sexuality, but I couldn’t do a job that would have my mom worrying and praying all day. She’s gone now. Maybe I could try?”
“Never too late,” Ross lied.
The gun jabbed into his ribs told Ross this guy had gone too far to the bad place. Power probably would’ve shot to his head so much that he’d be a comic-book-level villain.
Marty walked Ross down toward the rooms under construction. Plenty of FBI agents had taken rooms near Ross and he kept an eye out for a friendly face to signal, but that didn’t happen. They were all still working while he’d been sent home to sleep off the stress of being one of the first agents on this insane case.
“You did this all on your own?” Ross asked.
“You say that like it’s hard. No one notices me. Certainly no one is afraid until they see the gun. Relax, I haven’t really shot anyone. I have a Tazer. I have everyone tied up securely. They think I have my cousin Hugo guarding from a truck in the parking lot. Ever met Hugo?” Marty asked.
“No, never heard of him,” Ross replied.
“Doesn’t exist. But they believe it. Told them he did time in juvey and went to prison, so they’d never have met him, but he came to stay with me when he got out on parole. He has a nasty pit bull and a love of carving knives as well as rifles.” Marty swiped his room key then shoved Ross inside.
The room was dark but as Ross’ eyes adjusted, there was nothing out of place. It was empty. A slight flutter in his heart started that the men might’ve escaped. But there would be zip ties and whatever had bound them left. There was nothing.
Behind him, Marty locked the door and flipped on lights. “What? You think I’m dumb enough to keep them here? Please, even if I say no housekeeping, they still have a key and nose around. Nope.”
“Where then?” Ross asked.
Marty waved the gun, and Ross moved to the back of the room. There was a door to an adjoining room. “No one is in there. Too close to the construction.” He opened the door and pushed Ross through.
The lights were on, the room stank and men moaned, making Ross feel he’d walked straight into hell on earth.
The men were all zip tied at the hands and feet, and those ties were tied to each other. Their mouths were secured with duct tape and each man was stripped down to their underwear and bare-chested. Some had marks on them.
Their eyes pleaded to be rescued.
“How can we help them like this?” Ross tried to keep up the ruse that he was here to assist Marty and not join the group.
The victims started mumbling through their tape and gesturing. Ross noticed one of the men was down.
“How long have they been without water?” Ross asked.
“They get water and a bathroom break. He’s probably just sleeping. Now it’s your turn, G-man. Strip down.” Marty grinned.
“Insulin,” one of the men shouted against his tape.
“Insulin?” Ross asked. “If that man is a diabetic, he could be dying.”
“Look at the floor, Special Agent Burns. You’ll all be dying soon enough. I just need to get your Ben and I’ll end on Valentine’s Day with a nice even dozen. Poetic, don’t you think?” Marty asked.
“I’d figured out the dozen part,” Ross agreed. Looking under the men, there were explosives wired among them, strapped to their thighs. “Construction probably made that easier to steal.”
“Please, I work for the DOT. We break stuff up and one of the guys does demolition of buildings on the side. It was easy to get.” Marty waved it off.
Ross took a deep breath. “But, Ben. You can’t hurt Ben.”
“It’s better if you go together. Don’t leave him to blame himself. If it’s true love, Romeo and Juliet did it right.” Marty nodded. “Strip.”
“My hands are tied,” Ross pointed out.
Marty picked up a red cylinder with a button. “I could blow them all now.”
“You could. You have all the power here, Marty. But I can’t take off my clothes with my hands tied. I can’t check on that man’s state of health like this either. I know you want revenge, but you don’t have to kill everyone. You’ve taught them a lesson about seeing you, I’m sure. That doesn’t mean any of these men are the right one for you. If you blow them up, you’ll go too,” Ross said.
“I have enough range on this thing to go into the parking lot, where I do have a truck with guns waiting for me. I can set it off there and watch the fireworks with enough time to get away before anyone calls nine-one-one.” Marty smiled.
“They know your name. You’ll be on the FBI’s most wanted. You’ll never find love unless it’s behind bars,” Ross warned.
Marty pulled out a pocketknife and flicked the zip tie so Ross’ hands were free. Just then, the lights went out.
Instinctively, Ross hit the ground bu
t made a grab for the bomb trigger first. Marty put up little fight in his confusion. The flashbang grenades filled the room with smoke, disorienting light and loud noises.
The lights came back on and Marty turned toward the door.
“The victims are wired with explosives and he has both my guns,” Ross called out.
Marty raised his gun. Ross kicked to try and throw Marty off balance. It was a crap shoot, but if he fired up in the air, it was better than him firing down and nicking an explosive.
“Drop the guns, Marty,” Ben warned.
Marty caught his balance and swung around to face Ben. The second Marty lifted the gun to fire, Ben took three quick shots. Marty fell like a sack of bricks.
Ross grabbed Marty’s other gun and slowly got back up. Someone from the bomb squad relieved Ross of the trigger, and finally he could breathe again.
The sudden engulfment of Ben hugging him pushed Ross to the edge of his self-control. There was no fear of who might be watching, just pure relief. Ross buried his face in Ben’s neck. “He was waiting for me.”
“We got here as fast as I could round them up.” Ben turned and shouted to the team. “We need paramedics back here.”
Irene stepped up to Ross. “We need you to tell us exactly what happened step by step before you forget.”
Ross nodded and watched the other men being set free. It was true what they said—serial killers or kidnappers—they were smart. Marty could’ve been so much more, but he’d gotten stuck.
“Why? Why the hell did he do this, Ross?” Ben asked.
“He was stuck in that mediocre feeling. Nothing was great, so everything was hell. I don’t know exactly how to explain it the right way. He wanted true love and it hadn’t found him. This was getting revenge on the guys who didn’t appreciate him. Who weren’t right for him or didn’t think he was good enough. So dumb.” Ross chuckled.
“Why is it dumb?” Larry asked.
“If one of these men were the right guy, Marty wouldn’t have been able to kill him. Even if the guy had rejected Marty, if Marty really loved that guy, he’d never be able to do this to them—treat him like any of the others. Marty hadn’t ever really been in love, so he went down a hate spiral. He was deliberate, careful and methodical about how he did this so he wasn’t caught.” Ross took a slow breath.
The Rose Man Page 11