Authors: G.A. Hauser
Mark
swung
open the door to a stunned Jack and Adam, and vanished.
Steve slid down the wall to crouch against it, staring at nothing. “Oh my God.” Steve’s eyes filled. “Oh, my fucking, God.”
Adam knelt near Steve. “Are you okay?”
Jack had rushed after Mark.
“No.” Steve shook his head, tears running down his cheeks. “I’m not.”
Jack tried to hold onto Mark
,
who was getting dressed. “What are you doin
g? It’s the middle of the night.
”
“Get away from me.” Mark put his slacks on and sat to put on his shoes.
“Don’t pull that shit with me, Richfield.” Jack grabbed Mark’s hair in his fist.
Mark whacked his arm. “
Let me go! The whole lot of you.
You think you can control me as if I am some kind of puppet
.
”
Jack looked up, seeing Adam standing beside a devastated Steve.
“Someone gonna tell me what happened?” Jack asked
,
“Was it that phone call?”
“No.” Steve shook his head.
Adam said in a quiet voice, “Steve found out Mark had to fuck Randy to get him to allow Alex to keep the job.”
Jack instantly felt rage and puffed up. “No!
Mark, tell me it isn’t true
.
”
Mark sneered at Adam. “Why don’t you sell it to the celebrity rags, you idiot?”
“Mark,” Adam said, shaking his head. “Calm down.”
Mark began packing his kit.
Jack tried to stop him. “It’s four in the fucking morning. Where
are you going? There is no car.
”
Mark looked at Steve. “You two want to exchange everything you’ve done with Alexander over the years? I’m sure you and Jack have many stories to share.”
“What?” Adam appeared shocked. “You guys are fucking Alex?”
In harmony Jack and Steve yelled, “No!”
Mark threw his shoulder bag over his arm and made sure he had his phone.
The three men ran after him. “Mark!” Jack grabbed at him to stop him. “You can’t leave. Let’s wait. We’ll all head back together.”
“Get the fuck away from me.” Mark put the phone to his ear as he walked down the hall. “Yes, hello, I need transport to Sacramento airport
;
can you tell me how soon you can get
a car
here?”
Jack looked at Steve in exasperation. “What the fuck?”
Steve wiped at his eyes. “I can’t deal with this.”
“You can’t?” Adam threw up his hands. “Randy fucked Mark? The guy is straight!”
Jack looked for his jeans and tugged them on, rushing after Mark.
Mark was already outside the mansion, standing in the lit drive. “Yes. Correct. It’s only a few miles down that highway. It really is the only street to turn on.” Mark looked back at Jack as he spoke on the phone. “Good. Thank you.” Mark hung up and said with his back to Jack, “Get away from me, He-man.”
“I never touched Alex.”
Mark waved his hand at him dismissively. “You, Steve, the whole lot of you have done nothing but leer at him sinc
e he
showed up at my door. Don’t deny it.”
“Years ago.
Come on, Mark. He is you at twenty-four. But we’re all over that.”
Mark spun around like a tiger and approached Jack menacingly. “Are we? Or do you hate Billy because he has the prize?”
Jack shook his head, but Mark knew. Mark knew it all.
“Baby,” Jack said, trying to touch Mark, but Mark jerked away, looking down the long drive for his hired car. “We all love you the most. Alex is a pale reflection of you.”
“Shut up!” Mark covered his ears. “You’ve all been lying to me for years. Shut up!” He walked down the dark lane.
In bare feet without a jacket, Jack tried to follow. “You know that’s a lie
.
You know nothing compares to you!”
Mark flipped him off, British style, with two fingers up, and kept walking.
Jack shivered
in the icy air
and couldn’t believe it had come to this.
Was Mark right? Had they all been lusting Alexander?
Jack heard men’s voices. Obviously
,
the row had awakened many of their friends. He walked back to the house and the warmth inside.
Keith and Carl were there, in their briefs. None of them were dressed since they were dead asleep
when the fight hit
.
“What the hell happened?” Carl asked
,
“Has this house finally gotten to him?”
Jack noticed Josh and Tanner hurrying down the stairs, both wearing pajama bottoms.
Finally Ewan and Jason appeared, completely confused. “Is the bloody house on fire?” Ewan asked.
Jack looked over the group of men to see Adam and Steve. Adam was in just his pants, but Steve was dressed.
Blake asked, “Are you leaving? Now? Steve, it’s not even four a.m.”
Hunter asked, “Where’s Mark?”
Jack looked outside. “He’s called for a car. He’s going back to LA.”
Steve bolted towards the door and Jack blocked him. Jack grabbed Steve by his leather jacket. “I know what you’re thinking, Miller
.
” Jack shook his head. “It won’t work. The more we go after him now, the worse it will be.”
“Go after him?” Josh raced to the door. “Mark left?”
Danny and Donny came down the curved staircase, yawning and rubbing their heads. “Is something wrong? Should we wake Pete and Bruno?”
Adam said, “No. Go back to bed.”
“Great party, Ewan,” Jason said in annoyance.
“Don’t have a go at me, yeah? No one told me to expect all this bollocks
.
”
Steve, looking crazed, lunged for the door.
Jack blocked him
again
. “You think I don’t want to go too, Miller?”
Jack choked up as he spoke. “You think I don’t want to go out there and fucking hogtie him and drag him back?”
Steve began punching the door.
“Oy!” Ewan yelled. “Will someone tell us what the bleedin’ ‘ell is going on?”
Jack stopped Steve, seeing blood smearing all over the painted wood. Blake came close and shook his head. “Jesus Christ.”
“Mark!” Steve yelled, though Jack knew Mark could not hear it. “I’m sorry! Mark!”
Josh asked, “What did you do to Mark?”
Adam waved at them. “Please. Can you all just go to bed? This isn’t helping. Everyone’s upset.”
Hunter gripped Steve by
one arm and Blake held his other
. “You need to stop beating yourself up, Steve.” Hunter tilted his head. “Let’s get your hands cleaned up.”
Jack looked at the blood on the door. “I’ll take care of that.”
“I got it.” Jason left the room.
Jack and Adam were the last ones left in the foyer.
“We fucked up.” Jack touched the blood
on the door
with the tip of his finger.
“I get why Mark is pissed at Steve and Billy for Randy’s bullshit. But what did you do? You two were fucking a few hours ago
in the stable
.”
Jack stared into Adam’s dark eyes. He knew how smart Adam was. But he couldn’t say it. Couldn’t.
“Nothing.” Jack shook his head and walked back to the room they were sharing. “
Nothing,
”
he repeated quietly.
~
Jeff and Mickey were cruising their district, trying to look busy, not hide, not stop for coffee unless it was a drive through
shop
, and keep the hell out of Captain Sharpe’s way.
Before and after shift,
Mickey kept checking Jeff’s internal mail
slot
for him. Jeff was terrified he’d be the one to go, since he was the lateral transfer from Seattle. So far, no transfer papers
had hit
, but that didn’t mean shit.
In the police, you could get moved in hours.
“I want to work
out in the gym, but what if Billy comes in?” Jeff said, sitting beside Mickey, since it was his turn to write reports.
“You believe how paranoid he has us?” Mickey shook his head as he sat in traffic. “You know, it doesn’t make a difference how hard we work, right? That’s never been the issue.”
Jeff slouched in the seat. “True.”
“And I thought having a gay captain was a dream come true.”
“It would have been if he didn’t know us personally.” Jeff shifted his vest and gun belt
to get comfortable
.
Mickey knew wearing both all day was painful after the long hours.
“Wanna log out to the range? Quals are coming.”
“Hate qualifying.”
“Why? You shoot well, for a fucking weak bottom-boy.”
Jeff just laughed, putting his hand on Mickey’s leg.
Mickey held his hand over it, squeezing it tight. “It’s hell not molesting you on duty.”
“The thrill is gone.” Jeff sighed.
“I used to like Billy. Now I think he’s a prick. I mean, how many times did we let him know Alex was in trouble?”
“A lot. Remember when Alex’s car got towed on the boulevard, and Billy was looking for him? He never would have found Alex if it wasn’t for us calling him.”
“Wish we had dirt on the fucker.” Mickey stopped for a traffic signal. When a marked patrol car was around, everyone was on their best behavior. Cars used turn signals, slowed down, allowed pedestrians to cross at designated walks,
and
kept their phones hidden.
“Wonder if Mark does.”
Mickey looked over at Jeff. “You think that’s why we’re still here? I mean,
does
Mark
have
something on Sharpe?”
Jeff shrugged, rubbing between Mickey’s legs over his soft cock and balls. “Don’t know. No one knows Billy better than Mark and Alex.”
“You think Alex tells his dad stuff?” Mickey drove through the intersection, looking for a good car to stop to write a ticket, keep the captain happy.
“I guess. How much do you tell your dad?” Jeff laughed.
“Ha. Ha.”
Mickey knew both his and Jeff’s parents were not close to them, although they had come to the wedding.
Jeff chuckled. “Aura knows a little about us.”
“She knows to stay the hell away when we fuck or fight.”
“Love your sister.” Jeff was making Mickey hard with his gentle caress between his legs.
“You know she met a guy?”
“Yeah?” Jeff sat up. “Have you met him?”
“She won’t let me. She thinks I’ll beat him up.” Mickey laughed.
“We should check him out. Got any intel?”
Mickey spun around to look at Jeff.
“What?” Jef
f grabbed his chest in surprise since Mickey had a very weird expression on his face
.
“That’s it!” Mickey pulled off of the road into a parking lot at a market. He turned to face Jeff. “Billy used us to get Randy Dawson
’s home address.
”
Jeff’s face lit up. “Yes! Yes, he did. I do believe that’s against LAPD policy.”
“I do believe it is
.
” Mickey tapped the steering wheel
impatiently
as the dispatcher called them for service.
“Eight-Adam-One.”
Jeff picked up the microphone to answer her. “Eight-Adam-One.”
“Ten-thirty-three. Address on your screen.”
“Ten-four, code-one.” Jeff hung up the microphone. “An alarm sounding
…
ooh, be still my heart.”
“Beats a bank robbery.” Mickey headed to the location of the audible alarm.
Jeff held Mickey’s leg tightly, showing he knew Mickey was serious
since the shooting
.
“So?” Mickey asked, “We got Sharpe
in a stalemate
?”
“I’d hate to threaten him, but
…
well, a captain? Asking for information on a private citizen to check him out
…
for his husband?” Jeff grinned. “We got him.”
Mickey laughed and stuck Jeff’s hand on his balls. “Yeeha!” He put the lights and sirens on, even though they had no reason to fly to the scene
of an audible alarm
.
~
Mark stood with his credit card at the desk of one of the airline
counter
s. He had called for his private jet, but sadly they thought they weren’t needed until Sunday and were not available.
“Any flight to LA.” Mark looked over the counter. “I’m not bothered.
But sooner the better. You know.
”
The young woman in a dark uniform tapped computer keys. “We have one flight that leaves in two hours. Non-stop.”
Mark rolled his eyes. A stop between two towns six hours away?
“It’s not first class I’m afraid.”
“I said, it’s fine.” Mark put his credit card and
pa
s
sport
ID on the counter.
The woman picked it up and then paused, looking at Mark.
Mark looked at her. “Is there something the matter?”
“No.” She tapped keys and kept glancing at him.
He sighed. “Yes. I am that Mark Richfield.”
“I knew it!” She clapped excitedly. “Can I have your autograph?” She handed him a blank boarding pass.
“Shall I just sign it?”
“To Edith.” She kept smiling. “I can’t believe you don’t have some private jet to shuttle you around, Mark. Antonious. Richfield
,
”
she said, as if announcing his presence.
Mark glanced over his shoulder in paranoia. “It’s otherwise occupied.” He signed the card, ‘
To Edith, Love, Mark
.’ “And love, keep it down, as a favor? I’m shattered and don’t need the grief. All right?” He gave her the card with his name on it.
She looked down at it. “Oh, can you sign your last name? No one will believe me if it just says Mark.”
Mark added his last name and she printed up his boarding pass.
“Any luggage to check, Mr Richfield?”
“Mark, please.
And no.
” He glanced over his shoulder and could see a few curious gazes.
“Oh!” She blushed and fanned herself with the pass. “Mark.” She gave him the ticket and said, “Just go right up that escalator and through security.
That’s where all the gates are located.
”
“Thank you, love.” Mark took his ID and the boarding pass.
“So nice to meet you.
”
“You
,
too.” He slung his bag over his shoulder and the moment he spun around to head to the gate, everyone was taking photos of him with their phones.
Mark kept walking, moving to the escalator trying to avoid the gazes. Then he realized his billboards were everywhere
on the walls of the airport
.
And he knew
h
is winter cologne and automobile ads
were in every magazine all through the holiday season
.
“Bloody hell.” Mark put his sunglasses on, tugged his hair over his face and his collar up on his leather jacket. When he arrived at the secured area, the jig was up, he had to take everything off
. He put his leather carryon on the conveyor belt and then hopped on one foot to remove his boots, then belt, then jacket, then sunglasses, patting his pockets for
his
cell phone and wallet.
“I think everyone is waiting for you to strip to your skivvies.” A young woman standing behind him giggled.
“I’m not wearing them, so that’s out.” Mark stood at the ready and waited. He was waved through,
stopped,
held up his hands and
was
scanned,
and
then he continued through t
o reclaim his items.
H
e heard one obviously gay security guard say, “The one guy I want to pat
down and I don’t
.”
Mark gathered his items and sat on a bench, getting dressed, seeing the same woman who had been behind him, sit near. She whispered, “Commando. Mark Richfield. You bad boy.”
“Well, I’ve been called worse.” He glanced at her. “Do I know you?”
“No. But I wish you did.” She handed him a business card. “
Goodbye, Mark.
”
“
Ta
, love.” Mark pocketed the card without reading it,
and
then once he was
put
together, he again tried to hide behind his dark glasses
. He located his gate, checked the time and sat down in a corner where he could be left alone. He took out his phone to make arrangements for a limo on the other end of his journey, when the card fell out of his pocket. He picked it up. It was from the woman
he had just met
. He read the information.
G. A. Hauser, author o
f
gay male erotica.
Mark shook his head and thought
J
ust what I need, more sex in my life in the form of books!
He
stuffed the card into his carryon and
l
ooked through his phone apps,
call
ing
his limousine service. “Yes, this is Mark Richfield.”
“Hello, Mark. We have you scheduled for pick up tomorrow at—”
“No, love. I’m going to be at LAX in three hours. All right? Have someone holding a card with my name at luggage claim in terminal A.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Thank you.” Mark hung up and checked his voicemail. He had one from his son. He listened.
‘Dad, thanks for being there. I can’t seem to get through to Billy and I’m worried. I know the time zone is killing our communication and he is on shift while I’m off and I am working night shoots. But
…
I need him! Love you
.’
Mark held the phone in his hand and looked around the bustling terminal. His son was married. Married to Captain William P. Sharpe.
What am I thinking?
Mark knew what he was ‘thinking’, but he didn’t have to act on it. Yes, he’d go to see the SWAT team play cops and robbers, get a nice fantasy and go home and stick a dildo in his ass.
Nothing wrong with that.
Mark scrolled through his phone numbers, seeing Billy’s. If his son could not contact him, how could he? Mark checked the local California time. It was five in the morning. Billy would be asleep.
Normal people slept at this hour.
He kept scrolling and noticed he’d received a text message. It was from Jeff. Mark read it.
‘If Sharpe thinks he’s going to separate us, he’s sadly mistaken. Next time you see our captain, tell him, if he does, we tell admin he used our computers to get intel on Dawson.’
“Bloody hell. When did I become the monkey in the bloody middle for you lot with Billy?
”
Mark slouched in the seat, his bag on the floor between his feet, and stared at the planes coming and going outside the huge windows.
Someone was taking his photo, so he picked up the ends of his hair and covered his mouth and
chin
with it.
Leave me alone. Can’t a man simply be left alone?
Mark propped his jaw in his hand and sighed, trying to hide in plain sight.
But it was simply impossible.