Hunt and Pray (7 page)

So he continued on, hoping that someday something would come along to break him out of the hold his father had on him.

Apparently, Drew Edwards was that something.

He looked again at the man trying so desperately to stay awake as he leaned against the tree.

When his father assigned the task of watching Drew to him, he knew he was being tested. The colonel had put Chance in direct contact with the handsome, young gay man to see what would happen.

Apparently his father had suspected something Chance hadn’t admitted to himself yet, even though he knew it was true.

He was gay.

He’d known it since his sophomore year in high school. His father had been stationed in San Diego at Camp Pendleton, and Chance had been attending high school off base. That didn’t happen often, since his father preferred him to attend school on base as he thought the civilian population could be a bad influence on his son.

But this time he’d had no choice, and Chance had enjoyed the relative freedom it afforded him that year. Not that he participated in much or made a lot of friends. It wouldn’t have made sense when he knew he could be pulled out at any time to move to the next duty station

However, “Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell” didn’t exist off base, and California was always a little more open than the rest of the places he’d been.

The first time he came across two guys walking hand in hand on campus, he was shocked.

The first time he saw them kissing behind the school, he knew his automatic reaction should have been to turn away in revulsion… but it wasn’t.

He had stood there, hidden from their sight just around a corner, and watched, trying to figure out the low ache deep in his gut. It was mostly fear but it was tempered with something he hadn’t really expected… arousal.

The two boys weren’t going at it hot and heavy. They kissed lazily, wrapped around each other with one of them gently cradling the face of his partner in his hands like he was the most precious thing in the world.

That was the thing that jolted him the most. His father had always tried to tell him that sex between two men was nothing but hard, fast, and painful because there could never be true love for them.

But he’d been wrong.

The two men had looked at each other like their whole world was standing right there in front of them, and it was obvious they were in love.

The sight made Chance’s gut clench with another familiar feeling—jealousy. He knew there was no way he would ever have something like that. His father made it impossible for him to have anyone, man or woman. He couldn’t bring anyone home to be subjected to the hateful man who controlled his life, and he knew his father would never let him go. He was resigned to being alone.

He’d turned and quickly walked away from the school, trying hard to ignore the press of tears behind his eyes. His sixteen-year-old mind had told him he would never escape his father’s clutches.

Yet here he was, finally breaking free, though it might be the last thing he ever did. He wondered how he could feel even a little bit sad about it, but he did.

His father was the only family he had… and after this, if he survived, he would be alone forever.

He almost resented Drew a little for doing this to him. He knew it was irrational. If there was anyone who was innocent in this whole situation, it was the man in front of him; but Drew represented everything Chance had never had… love, acceptance… a home.

It somehow made Chance feel a little better though, knowing that kind of life existed out there somewhere. He’d never be able to experience it, but at least Drew had, and Chance was going to do everything in his power to get him back to it.

Chance sighed and relaxed a little. He was tempted to leave him alone until morning. It might be easier to convince Drew he wasn’t going to hurt him in the light of the day.

Unfortunately, he knew that he couldn’t wait that long. He’d give him a couple of hours to sleep and then go in and wake him up. They’d have to work together for either of them to survive, and that meant getting Drew to listen.

He didn’t know what to say to make him understand, and Chance wasn’t all that good with words. His father and the military were all he knew, and neither one encouraged open communication.

Chance scrubbed his hands over his face. He was so fucking tired of everything. His mind skirted around thoughts he wasn’t ready to deal with. Why he’d never told anyone about his mom… why he came back after his tour in the desert.

His father had been a larger-than-life figure for as long as Chance could remember, and he’d never had any reason to doubt him when he’d been told his duty was to his father first.

If he ever thought about disobeying that order… well, Chance knew his father wouldn’t stand for what he considered treason.

Chance wasn’t afraid of dying, but like he told Drew, there were worse things than being dead, and the colonel knew them all.

Chance had never been under his father’s command, thank God, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t heard the stories. Some were told with awe and respect, some with fear and disgust. Either way, the man knew how to get things done, no matter who he had to hurt or kill to do it.

He knew his father was going to come after him and try to kill him. He knew the only reason he was allowed to go first was because of his father’s unfaltering belief in himself as a commander. It didn’t occur to him that maybe this time Chance wouldn’t obey.

When Chance didn’t show up at the cabin tomorrow, the colonel was going to go insane with rage, and Ezra was going to be right there, egging him on.

He could only hope to use the skills he’d learned in the marines and his father’s own unbridled rage against him. Angry men made a lot of mistakes.

Chance smiled to himself. It was one of the reasons he’d elected to join that particular branch of service. He’d hoped it would help him find his way past the fear and out from under his father’s thumb.

He’d learned a hundred ways to kill a man with his bare hands, not to mention all the weapons he could make use of, but it still hadn’t freed him. Apparently, all he’d needed to break away from the hell he’d been living in was the right motivation.

And Drew Edwards was that motivation.

The man had to be terrified, but he had kept it masked, snarking at Chance every chance he got. He knew what Drew had been trying to do by telling him about his family, and it had worked. It had been the final straw for Chance. Anyone who loved his family that much and had been loved so much in return deserved the chance to go back to them.

It hadn’t escaped Chance’s notice that Drew was probably the most beautiful person he’d ever seen. He’d tried not to look when Drew had stripped down for his shower, but he couldn’t help peeking.

The way Drew’s muscles had bunched and pulled under the skin of his back had captivated Chance, and it had been impossible to turn away completely. His arms looked strong, and his hands had been surprisingly large for someone his size.

Chance blushed in the dark as he wondered if the old saying about the size of a man’s hand in relation to his dick was true.

Drew had legs that were covered in light golden hair that made Chance wonder if it was as soft as it looked, and a tight little ass that fueled Chance’s imagination.

He’d only ever let himself imagine a life with one other person before, in high school. Gabe….

He knew his dad had been furious when he’d come across them hugging out behind the school, but he’d had no idea the colonel had killed Gabe until today. The other boy had moved away with his family a couple of days later, and Chance had just assumed Gabe hadn’t really meant what he’d said about keeping in touch when he didn’t hear from him. Now that he knew the truth, it didn’t make him feel any better.

But dreaming about Drew was impossible. To him, Chance was nothing more than a man who’d helped terrorize him, and Drew would never see him any other way, even if Chance did manage to save his life.

And that was a big if.

Chance wasn’t stupid. He knew the odds of defeating his father were slim to none. If he left Drew there, just turned and crept away, he might find his way to the ranger station that was miles in the other direction.

He could get out, call the cops, and let the military know what one of their best and brightest was up to. He’d probably end up in jail for a while, but if he was lucky they would capture his father.

If he was really lucky, the bastard would end up dead in a hail of bullets trying to escape.

But while Chance was finding his way to freedom, his father and Ezra would be getting to Drew, and the deviant gleam in Ezra’s eyes when he looked at Drew left no doubt in Chance’s mind about the kind of torture the reporter would suffer before being killed.

That wasn’t something Chance could live with.

So here he was, in the wilds of Colorado, trying to figure out how to convince some poor guy he’d helped kidnap that he was turning against his father and was going to try and save his life.

Chance snorted quietly.
Good luck with that, Collins.

He sat still, drinking from a bottle of water he pulled from his pack. He didn’t dare eat one of his bars because the wrapper noise would undoubtedly alert Drew to his presence. He wanted Drew to be a little more rested before approaching him.

Chance wondered how Drew had told his parents he was gay. Had they accepted it right away? Or had they fought over it before coming to terms with their son’s lifestyle?

He thought about Drew’s family. What would
he
be like today if he’d had that kind of love? He’d often dreamed of a big family when he was smaller. But truthfully, he wouldn’t have a clue how to belong to a real family.

Real families that had birthday parties and campouts and laughter and tears… and fathers who didn’t murder mothers. It was something completely foreign to him.

Chance sighed again and rubbed his eyes before looking at his watch and was surprised to see almost two hours had gone by.

He couldn’t put it off any longer. He stood stealthily and gathered his things, took a deep breath as he tried to calm himself, and then tromped through the bushes noisily so Drew would have no doubt that he was coming.

It was time for them to go.

Chapter Seven

C
OLD
and scared, Drew sat in the dark, nearly falling asleep. It was a testament to how fucking exhausted he was.

He was a guy who liked to think he was in shape… mostly. He didn’t spend hours at the gym, but he did spend some time there. He didn’t smoke, tried to eat right most of the time, with an emphasis on
tried
, but he figured he did pretty good.

But none of that had prepared him for hiking through the forest in the mountains as fast as he could go, on the run for his life.

He snorted to himself.
Is there a way to prepare for that?

If there was, Chance had probably done it.

The thought of the former soldier being out there hunting for him quickly sobered his thoughts. He was probably prepared for everything… except for dealing with his father.

Not that Drew could blame him. How could you ever learn to deal with a father who not only hated what he suspected you were, but also set out to destroy it?

Drew couldn’t stop shivering. His light clothing wasn’t nearly enough to keep him warm in the cool mountain air, especially as he had been damp with sweat when he stopped. He thought again of a fire but knew it was impossible.

He’d never realized how noisy the woods got at night. The constant hum of insects and the calls of owls and other creatures were always just background noise when he was safe and sound in his tent on camping trips with his dad.

But like this, stuck out in the dark alone, the sounds were frightening, and Drew knew only part of the shivering he was doing was due to the cold.

A sound to his right caught his attention. As he turned his head to investigate, it got louder, making him scramble to his feet. His heart was in his throat, his muscles almost frozen in fear, but he managed to get them moving enough to draw the knife out of its sheath.

He was ready to run, but it was too late. He almost screamed as Chance burst out of the shrubbery beside him. He stood there, with his back to a tree and his knife held out in front of him, as Chance approached with his hands up in apparent surrender.

“I’m not here to kill you, Drew.”

Those weren’t the words Drew had been expecting to hear.

He snorted. “Yeah, like you’d tell me if you were.”

He watched in amazement as Chance grinned. It was hard to tell in the dark, but it looked like the other man was even more beat-up than the last time Drew saw him.

“No, you’re right, I wouldn’t. I guess you’re going to have to trust me.” There was a hint of humor in Chance’s voice.

Drew shook his head. “And I’d be stupid enough to do that, why?” He was sure Chance was just trying to lure him into a false sense of security, yet his natural curiosity was winning him over.

Chance stopped where he was and reached behind him, and Drew panicked, sure he was reaching for a gun. He lunged and slashed, catching Chance across the chest. The knife cut through the other man’s shirt and skin like butter, and the feel of it under his hand made Drew’s stomach turn.

Chance grunted in pain and jumped back before stumbling over a fallen log and landing on his ass. Drew took the opportunity to turn and run. He got about twenty feet, tripping and swearing the whole way, before the urge to look over his shoulder got to be too much.

What he saw was Chance, still sitting on the ground, holding his hand over the cut on his chest and obviously trying to catch his breath around the pain.

Drew stuttered to a stop and turned around for a better look, fully aware of the stupidity of his actions. Chance could be faking it… waiting for Drew to come back to check on him.

The man didn’t move, just sat there hanging his head, looking worse than Drew felt, and Drew felt like shit.

Taking a deep breath, Drew walked slowly back to his hiding spot.