then? Is he still in danger? I thought all that was over with.”
Mutt took a sip of his coffee. “It is.
That
is. But like he said, crazy people are everywhere.”
He set his cup down. “Maybe it’s you two I should be keeping an eye on now.”
Long Way Home
33
Chapter Five
After dropping Gev off at the theater to retrieve his car, they returned to their hotel. It
wasn’t soon enough for Lee. He was tired, achy, and it had been one hell of a night. Very strange
too, seeing Gev again after all these years.
“You sure you don’t want to talk?” Nick asked as they reached their separate rooms.
“No. I’m fine.”
Nick didn’t look convinced. “Okay, then. Call if you need anything.” He elbowed Lee. “I
gave Gev your cell phone number. Hope that was okay.”
“When did you do that?”
“When you went to the restroom at the restaurant. Thought he might like to give you a call
sometime, maybe when you’re back in town again.”
“It’ll be a long time before that happens.”
“Anyway, I’m glad we met up with him. He’s a nice kid and very interesting. He traveled a
lot with the ballet he was with before this one. He’s only been back here about a year.”
“What else did you talk about in the three minutes I was gone?”
“Oh, maybe about you a bit,” Nick said. “The elusive portrait of Lee Edward Nelson is
finally coming to light.”
Lee groaned. “My middle name’s not Edward. That was a joke.”
“Oh, I know.” Nick pushed open his door. “It’s really Fleetwood. ’Night, Lee!” Then he
escaped.
Lee slid the keycard into the slot and entered his room. He immediately knew something
was wrong—his suitcase wasn’t where he’d left it; his laptop had been moved; he didn’t see his
trainers, which he’d left by the bed. Cursing, he backed out and went down the hall to bang on
Mutt’s door.
“Mutt, open up.”
The bodyguard did so immediately. “Nick—”
Nick’s door opened. “What’s wrong?”
Lee looked back at his room. “Someone’s been in there.” He was more pissed off than
anything.
“Housekeeping?”
“Why would housekeeping open my luggage and move it? And my shoes are gone.”
Mutt had taken off his coat but still wore his gun, though he didn’t take it out—no reason
to be that dramatic. He followed Lee back to the room and looked in cautiously. The unit was
merely a bathroom and a living/bed area, no possible hiding place, but he checked behind the
bed, then behind the curtains.
34
Carolyn Gray
“You sure—”
“I’m sure.” Lee came in then and looked inside his suitcase, rummaged around. “Nothing
seems to be missing except my workout trainers.”
From the doorway, Nick said, “Maybe a fangirl cleaning lady?”
“They’d get fired for that. Too much to risk.”
Mutt said, “Give me your keycard. I’ll go get it changed out. You want a different room?”
Lee ran his hands through his hair. “No. I’m fine. I just want to go to sleep.”
Mutt left them but said to Nick on the way out, “Back into your room.”
Normally, Nick would’ve protested, but this time he simply acquiesced. “Want me to stay
in there with you tonight, Lee? Not that you need babysitting.”
“No, I’m fine. Go to bed. The plane leaves early.”
Nick yawned. “Too early. Like, we have to get up in less than six hours. It sucks.”
“Next time, don’t let Marisa make the flights,” Lee said.
“A definite mistake. See you in a few.”
Lee closed the door behind him, then kicked off his shoes and moved the suitcase back to
where it’d been. He turned on his computer—it was password protected, so no worries there—
and, as expected, all was fine. He shut it back down, too tired to mess with e-mails. Not that he
got many while on the road. The friends he had traveled with him, after all.
As he waited for Mutt to bring the new keycard, he brushed his teeth and considered a
shower before bed. He needed one, but he’d rather have one when he woke up. Easier to get
through the long flight. Though he supposed flying from Dallas wouldn’t take too long compared
to traveling internationally. He was a little reluctant to go back to Durango, even for a little
while, but he’d made a promise to himself not to leave Brandon out of his life. He’d done enough
harm already by cutting off Nick’s partner when he needed them all the most. Big regret, that.
He had no idea what he would do after visiting Durango. Dream would be on hiatus for
quite a while, since Nick wanted to write some new music and Brandon’s brother’s wedding
would be at the end of the month. Wherever Lee went, he’d have to come back for that. And for
when Tommy became a father—something he hardly believed was happening but for which he
was incredibly grateful, given the man should be dead.
There was a sound of a keycard entering the lock before the door opened and Mutt poked
his head in. “All set. I explained what happened, and they’ll question the staff. But there’s no
real way to know who it was unless the camera caught someone.”
“The shoes are replaceable. I’m not too torn up, long as that’s all it was.”
Mutt handed him the keycard. “Okay, then. Good night. But if you need anything, let me
know. We’ll talk on the plane tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Mutt. Good night.”
Lee latched the door lock once the bodyguard left. He turned on the TV and settled back on
the bed, looking for late news, but it was too late even for that. His arms folded behind his head,
he stared at the ceiling.
For the first time he could really remember, he’d been thinking nonstop about the past.
About the horrors of that weekend and the consequences not only to Stefan but to his brother, as
well.
Long Way Home
35
His own selfishness appalled him. Not once had he considered Gev’s pain.
Gevan had been a cute kid, and yeah, he’d tagged along incessantly. But Stefan was the
kind of kid who loved everyone, including his little brother. No one was a stranger, which was
probably why it’d been so easy for that man to snag him. The guy had seen that Stefan was a
friendly boy, loving and sweet. Too sweet, obviously, as he had confided not long before to Lee
that he thought he was gay.
And Lee had confided to Stefan he might be too.
That had started a short but amazing exploration of their sexuality. Together they’d
managed to find some gay magazines and hidden in Stefan’s closet with flashlights to look at the
pictures. While Stefan squealed happily at the pages—obviously already a long way to being
comfortable and at ease with who he was—all Lee could do was bravely hold Stefan’s hand.
That had led to the first kiss and the most wonderful night of Lee’s life.
Stefan’s parents had long gone to bed, and Gev had too. It was Lee and Stefan in a closet
with flashlights, shyly taking their clothes off, even though they’d run around naked together
since they were toddlers. He would never forget the first tentative touch of Stefan’s hand on his
chest, slowly moving down. He’d stood still, mesmerized and a little scared, not knowing what
to do.
Although it turned out Stefan didn’t know much either.
They’d spent that evening curled up together on the floor of the closet, kissing and
touching and relishing every moment. Over the next few months, they’d learned more, with
Stefan becoming more confident and Lee doing whatever made Stefan happy.
Lee, for his part, had been completely in love with Stefan. Looking back, he knew he’d
been too young to really know love, know what he was, but it didn’t matter now. The memories
he had of himself and Stefan were treasured and known by no other. No one ever suspected their
friendship was anything but, though Lee had thought in later years that if Stefan hadn’t
disappeared when he had, maybe he and Stefan would’ve let others know what they were to each
other, in time.
A bit of a fantasy, that, given the attitudes of Lee’s parents. His father’s open dislike of
anything not white, Baptist, straight, and middle-class American were well known. And his
mother, well, she’d had no single thought of her own except for her extensive knowledge of
vodkas from around the world.
Lee pulled the covers up over himself, his thoughts returning to happier times, when Stefan
was alive, when Lee practically lived at Stef’s house. Blissful years, when Lee’s mother was
only too happy for her child to disappear whenever he wanted to.
If
he
had died, she wouldn’t have cared at all. Would’ve been better. Better for them all.
* * * *
He’d kept thinking about Gev too, about how Stefan probably would’ve looked remarkably the
same as his brother. Interesting, though maybe Gev was a little taller than Stefan would’ve been,
his hair darker. Stef’s eyes had been blue, with pale, almost nonexistent lashes. Gev’s lashes
were dark, making his green eyes look bigger. Nice eyes, sharp and observant.
There was something about Gev that made Lee think he was more than he appeared. The
way he expressed himself, the places he’d been, his devotion to his art. Lee admired that. When
36
Carolyn Gray
Gev had told them about how he and his dancing partner had prepared for the battle dance, his
eyes had lit his entire face, his whole body becoming animated in that restaurant booth. Even
though Lee hadn’t been sitting close enough to touch Gev, he had felt the power in the dancer’s
body rippling through him as he described to Nick in detail how he had first learned to do the
various leaps. Nick had been enthralled.
So had Lee.
He forced the thoughts of Gev out of his mind. He and his companions would soon be on
their way to catching their flight, and he wouldn’t see Gevan again. He stared at his luggage
waiting by the door and made up his mind.
“Morning, Lee,” Mutt said as he joined them at the car a half hour later. Mutt frowned.
“Where’s your luggage?”
Nick came around the side of the car. “We need to hurry, Lee. Have you not checked out
yet?”
“No. I’m not going.”
He braced himself for the negative reaction, but to his mild annoyance, Nick didn’t look
surprised at all. “Told you,” he said to Mutt.
“Told him what?”
Mutt closed the trunk. “He figured you would want to stay awhile.”
Lee looked upward. The rising sun had started to lighten the sky. “Just been a while since
I’ve been here. Talking with Gev made me curious to see how things have changed.”
Nick walked up and gave him a spontaneous hug. “No problem. Still coming to Durango
after you’re done reminiscing?”
“Of course,” Lee said, surprised.
“Just making sure. Why don’t we take a taxi, then, Mutt? Leave Lee the car?”
“Good idea,” Mutt said. “I’ll go take care of getting one. Save us some time too.”
Lee took the keys and pocketed them. “Sure it won’t cause a problem?”
“Nah,” Nick said, waving the air with one hand. “Marisa will deal with it. She’ll gripe, but
that’s okay. Not like we don’t use the same company all the time. Don’t worry. Want her to fix
the flights for you?”
“Not yet. Guess this one can’t be canceled.”
“No big deal. Have fun, and maybe eat some Mexican food for me. Never got to.” He
pouted.
“I’ll bring back some tacos,” Lee said.
Nick brightened. “That would be…soggy, though. Don’t worry about it. Maybe some good
salsa. That would be incredible.”
“Done.”
Mutt emerged from the hotel at a trot. “Taxi’s around the corner. Open the trunk, will you,
Lee?”
“Oh. Sure.” Lee popped the trunk open, and Mutt took out his and Nick’s luggage, then
slammed the lid shut as the taxi arrived. He took their luggage over and helped the driver put the
luggage in the back of the car.
Long Way Home
37
“Well,” Nick said, turning back to Lee. “Seriously, have fun, relax. I’ll let everyone know
you’ll be back in a few days.”
“It might be a little longer,” Lee found himself saying.
“No problem. Be sure and be there by the seventeenth. Gotta measure for our tuxes then.”
Two weeks. “That’ll be enough. Probably be there before then.”
“Good.” Nick stuck out his hand.
Bemused, Lee shook it. “What’s up?”“
Nick released his hand. “For everything.”
Mutt called out, “Gotta go, Nick.”
“In a second.” He turned back to Lee. “For everything, for always being there, for being so
helpful in finding me.”
Lee appreciated Nick’s earnestness. “I’d do anything for you guys. You know that.”
Nick punched him in the chest. “And us for you, you dolt.” Lee felt a small stab of guilt.
But only a small one. Mostly he felt relief. It was good, he realized, that he no longer had to hide
that part of his life. “I know now that must’ve been hell on you, fucking difficult as hell,” Nick
added.
“It was. But it was worth it.”
“Yeah, definitely. I’m worth it.” Nick ducked away as Lee popped him on the arm. “Hey,