Murder in the Woods - 1. Chapter 1

Murder in the Woods

Caleb sat by the window, smoking a cigarette and looking out at the city lights strewn beneath him, artificial stars on the incandescent blanket of pseudo night.

He blew out a stream of smoke.

The night was cold outside the window and the room was cool as well. He was looking forward to crawling back into the sheets and curling up against his lover. But he needed a few minutes first, with the nicotine and the cold and the quiet to soothe his mind, to shake off the dregs of disturbed sleep. It was lonely at night, and made him easy prey to the demons of his past. He took another drag on his cigarette and crushed it out in the ashtray before getting to his feet. He expelled the last lungful of smoke, staring out the window again.

This was the city that never sleeps, but would occasionally roll over to expose its ugly underbelly. Noah and himself, they wouldn't see it from up here: the realm of the privileged, among their security systems and steel protection. They only saw the beauty, the lights, the buildings, the hustle and glamour. The seedy side of the city, the dark recesses of the broken, the crazy and the cruel was far below them, down on the streets and the dark back alleys and the projects. His old home and a place few ever escaped. But Caleb had done that, had found Noah, who lifted him up and brought him here, in the surreal world of luxury and physical comforts that wouldn't disappear the next day.

He heard his lover rise up from the bed and cross the floor to stand near him.

"What's wrong baby?" Noah asked, his voice thick and sleep roughened. He slid an arm around Caleb's waist, pressing his warm chest against Caleb's body. "You're so cold."

"Couldn't sleep."

Noah kissed his shoulder. "Come back to bed. You're freezing." He ran his hands up and down Caleb's arms briskly, trying to warm them. "I'll help you sleep."

Caleb finally turned, trying to release his dark thoughts. He didn't want them right now, when he turned to meet Noah's soft caramel eyes and loving smile. He slid his arms around Noah and kissed him. Noah kissed him back and took his hand to take him back over to the bed. Caleb’s boyfriend slept in nothing but his briefs, showing off the shift and flex of his muscles as he moved. He had a beautiful body, perfectly toned bulk that sloped and swelled in perfect shapes, made strong by weight machines and hours in the gym. Caleb, who slept nude, was slender with wiry ropey muscle, scrappy and scarred. His muscles had been built by running in the streets, climbing up fire escapes and pulling himself through windows and lowering himself through manhole covers; fitness training in the inner city didn't come from cable machines or repetitions in the gym, it came from survival.

Survival of the fittest. Failure would leave you either dead, or an empty husk with a junkie’s hopeless eyes.

Noah obviously didn't mind Caleb being battered and scarred, stroking a large hand over his chest and stomach, then down.

As Noah reached for his cock, Caleb caught his hands and diverted them, drawing them down into Noah's lap.

"I'm just going out for a quick walk," Caleb said. "I'm too restless to sleep and I don't want to keep you up. You have that big presentation tomorrow."

That was true. Noah had been working on a new project for the advertising firm where he worked for the better part of the month, sacrificing meals and sometimes sleep to complete it. Still, Noah frowned as he watched Caleb pull on his sweatpants and sneakers before donning a T-shirt and jacket.

Caleb approached the bed and gave Noah a light, perfunctory kiss. "I'll be back soon," Caleb reassured him before leaving.

Noah lay back down, and turned away from the window, staring at the wall. Caleb was a restless sleeper, much like Noah himself, and it wasn't all that uncommon for Caleb to go out at night, for a quick walk or run, but there was a difference between a run at 9 or 11 P.M. compared to one at 2:12 in the morning. And Caleb had that look about him--what Noah thought of as the "shuttered" look--that distant, far off look that Caleb got sometimes, that showed the other man was in a place that Noah wasn't allowed. Noah had seen that look a time or two, when they had first started dating, but it would only last a moment, and Noah found he could erase it with a well timed joke or kiss.

But Noah saw it more and more often and it seemed that it was harder and harder to draw Caleb out of that bleak empty mood. Noah more often found himself wrapped in Caleb's arms, or walking down the street with him, hand and hand and missing Caleb so bad it hurt. Caleb's body would be there but his mind would be thousands of miles away.

Maybe it was a mistake to move in together, Noah mused. Maybe it was too soon? Did Caleb regret moving in with him? He was drawing away from him, slow but surely. Was he having an affair?

The thought was alarming, but ridiculous. Caleb showed no signs of cheating and aside from the strange moods, didn't seem unhappy. Caleb moved in without hesitation once Noah had brought the subject up. He even seemed to enjoy adding his own little knickknacks and belongings to the space and would often demonstrate sweet gestures for Noah, like having a delicious dinner waiting for him after work, or giving him a glass of wine and a foot massage to help him unwind after a stressful day.

He turned it around and around in his mind, composing logical explanations and comparing them again Caleb's actions and attitude. Nothing seemed to add up in a way that made any sense. Noah sighed and finally decided to give up. He would just have to talk to Caleb and get this figured out. This weekend, perhaps, after his latest project was out of the way.

Noah turned over, satisfied now that he had a plan of action. Still, he spent a lot of time staring at the empty side of the bed where Caleb usually slept before closing his eyes.

***

Caleb's walk quickly turned into a run. He was tired, but he wanted to be more than that. He wanted to be exhausted, drained, so he could go home and sleep. Home. It was a strange word and Caleb still felt a swell of surreal happiness when he found himself using it. A place that was his; a place where he belonged. A place he had carved out and built up with Noah.

Noah.

It was him that kept Caleb awake, tumbling thoughts about him, about them and their future. Moving in together had changed things. Caleb knew from previous relationships that such a course of action could strengthen a relationship or send it into early ruin.

He thought he had prepared for either eventuality. But he hadn't expected what had come to pass.

He had fallen in love. Hard, and head over heels. What he saw in Noah that had first attracted him, the smile, the eyes, the body--that sinuous fluid grace that spoke of solidness and strength under his finely tailored suits--those had all been physical things. The sex, the wild animal passion that erupted between them, hot and explosive, had been an obvious bonus. But Caleb found himself wanting more of Noah, rather than getting tired of him or annoyed by their increased proximity. He was falling, and while Caleb wasn't sure he would mind, he wanted to make certain that when he landed, he was sure of where he stood. He didn't want to crash and burn.

He could only see three choices:

He could leave. Now, before things got any more complicated. It would hurt, hurt like hell and leave a wound that Caleb knew would never heal, but he could do it and live with it. If he waited too long though, it would get messy. He wouldn't be able to leave without destroying his own fragile heart, or Noah's, if things got deeper.

Stay and leave things unsaid was another option. An attractive option, and the one that Caleb had followed so far. But this choice, which was so comfortable now, held risk for the future. He had to decide whether it was worth it or not.

Or he could stay. And tell Noah the truth. About everything. It would be the best thing to do. The right thing to do.

If Noah could handle the truth. If he could hear what Caleb had done, and still accept him. Still love him, despite the sin. If not--well Caleb's old life would be there, waiting to devour him, to draw him back down into the darkness he had worked so hard to escape from.

He felt the slow burn creeping up his calf and knew he was moments away from feeling the dull teeth of a muscle spasm clamping down on him. He slowed slightly, trying to let his muscles unlock. It was dark in the park and he was alone, but it would take a lot more than darkness and solitude to chase him away. But with the unsettling thoughts, choices he didn't want to make, laced with feelings of panic, dread and guilt, made him long for their bedroom, the soft sheets and Noah's body in his arms, breathing in his scent as he fell asleep.

Sticky with sweat, swamped with unhappiness and chilled from the night air against his damp skin, Caleb turned and headed home.

The choices he had to make could wait for one more night.

Noah didn't wake up when Caleb slipped back in bed but he did roll towards Caleb, his body seeking his warmth, even in sleep. Caleb wrapped his arms around Noah, the warm weight of Noah's head on his shoulder helping carry him to sleep at last.

* * *

Noah woke up at 5:45, switching off his alarm before it would wake Caleb and slipping out of bed. The pale flickers of city light that filtered through the curtains gave just enough light to get dressed by. He was wrestling with his tie when Caleb came up behind him, slowly and silently, wrapping an arm around his hips and pressing a kiss against his neck, right above his collar. He silently helped Noah with his tie, and thought that Noah looked sexy as hell in his dark blue suit, his golden hair combed back and his eyes blazing out of his handsome face. Caleb patted the tie into place, then leaned forward and drew Noah into a slow deep kiss.

"Good luck," Caleb whispered, then headed to the kitchen for coffee. Noah followed him, pouring coffee into a travel mug. Noah never ate before an important presentation, believing that hunger and caffeine kept him sharp, but as he watched Caleb's eyes marking him from beyond the rim of his mug, he lingered, remembering his plan from the previous night.

"I know it's been crazy these last several weeks. Why don't we take the night off?"

"Tonight?" Caleb asked. Noah's groin tightened slightly at the sound of Caleb's voice, rough from sleep. With the stubble and the uneasy dark smudges underneath his lids, he looked weary and dangerous, leaving Noah feeling aroused and concerned at the same time. He wanted, strongly, to take Caleb back to bed and erase that look from his face.

"Yeah." Noah said. "We can have dinner somewhere and I'll book us a room in a B&B for the night. Give us a chance to relax and unwind." And talk, Noah thought.

It seemed that Caleb had followed his silent thought process anyhow, because he paused before answering, rinsing out his mug. Noah was almost certain that Caleb was about to refuse when Caleb slowly nodded his head. "Sure." Caleb glanced over at Noah before refilling his mug with fresh coffee. "Sounds good."

It was lie and both knew it, but it went unquestioned in the bustle of morning routine. Caleb helped Noah get everything he needed packed up, then stood on the sidewalk in the same grungy clothes he went running in last night, watching the taillights of Noah's car slink away in the crawling mass of early morning commuters.

* * *

Caleb wiped down the long mahogany of the bar, then made a round of the few customers sitting on the tall stools. It was mostly blurry-eyed businessmen nursing their bloody Marys. The busy time would come later, after the workweek ended and the businessmen would come in to unwind with their girlfriends and wives as the singles showed up looking for a good time and a quick hookup. But that shift, the late one, was saved for the part timers, usually college students who had classes during the day and were only available for the 6-2 shifts. Working the day shift was good for Caleb. It meant his evenings were free for Noah and there was enough to do around the lunch rush and afternoon hours to keep him from getting too bored. It was quiet now, though, as he cleaned the bar and the instruments of his trade, strainers, bottle openers and spoons, refilling bins of limes and lemon and olives, making sure everything was ready for the lunch crowd later on.

He felt both anticipation and apprehension about the weekend plans that Noah had proposed. He knew that Noah usually went out with his coworkers for drinks after the completion of a big project so missing that to get a head start on a weekend fling told Caleb that something was up. And Noah wanted to "talk". Well, that narrowed Caleb's time-table considerably. Maybe he should have made the choice of what to do during his run last night. He sure as hell would have to this evening.

He glanced around again and his heart gave a nervous stutter in his chest when he saw the woman sitting near the window. She had been haunting the little corner of his bar for the last week or so. It had been her unwelcome and unexpected arrival that had prompted his recent worries about revealing his past to Noah to the forefront of his mind. She was wearing sunglasses and a wide brimmed black hat. They were meant to look expensive, but they were knock-offs--after dating Noah and meeting many of his friends, Caleb could tell what was genuine and what was not. But it was her. She wasn't trying to hide. She wanted to intimidate. She wanted him to know she was here. Watching him.

And he watched her too. An attentive server came over when she beckoned, and they shared an animated and somewhat lengthy exchange. The server, looking amused, approached Caleb at the bar.

"The lady near the window is wanting a drink she calls ‘Murder in the City’. Garnished with a cherry mind you. I think she means ‘Murder in the Woods’." The server rolled his eyes and grinned. Caleb didn’t return his smile, he knew exactly what she meant. He looked up the drink and scowled. "We don't serve Murder here," Caleb answered back shortly. "We don't have the necessary liquor."

The server shrugged. "I tried to tell her." He lifted a small bottle of Pisang Ambon onto the counter. "She's very insistent."

Annoyed, Caleb went ahead and used it to make the drink. Murder in the Woods was not a well known drink, a mix of Pisang Ambon, which his bar did not carry, along with pina colada, vodka, orange juice and grenadine which were all readily available. He added a straw and a cherry, as requested and handed the pink concoction back to the server, who took it with a wink before sauntering back to the lady's table. Caleb watched as she took the drink, gave him a brief salute and took a sip. He turned away as she lifted the cherry from the drink and brought it towards her mouth. The back of his neck was uncomfortably warm, and he was suffused with anger: at her, himself, the situation and his own goddamn helplessness. He couldn't storm over there and demand her out of a public hotel lobby like he wanted to, but her stalking was ridiculous and unsettling. He furiously ignored her, unable to care less if she enjoyed her drink or choked on it.

But she was not willing settle for that. After draining her glass, she approached the counter and set the glass down on the polished wood.

"Thank you Caleb," she purred, just loud enough for him to hear. He glared in her direction and saw her, glancing up at him above the dark rims of her sunglasses. She smiled, her cold eyes giving no respite, then turned and walked away.

He picked up the glass and saw the napkin underneath. Her initials, L A R, were stenciled in the corner. In the middle of the napkin, written in thick red ink that bled through the surrounding fibers like blood on a bandage, was written a simple message.

I'm watching you.

***

Caleb was determined not to let the incident that morning cast a pall on the evening. When he got off his shift that afternoon, he picked up a bottle of champagne then went home to shower and pack on overnight bag for the two of them. Noah had texted him the name of the restaurant and was waiting there for him. Noah had changed, probably at the office, into a more formal suit and Caleb couldn't help but kiss him, running his hands over the finely tailored lines of his shirt.

Nights out with Noah always had a charmed, almost magical quality. The restaurant was expensive and romantic and Noah was flying high and ready to celebrate. His presentation had gone off smoothly, almost guaranteeing a new account for the company. Caleb was so proud of him and seeing his lover in high, and definitely flirty, spirits almost wiped the previous day from his mind. As the wine in his glass kept refilling, Caleb found himself relaxing as well.

Having grown up with tasteless food and never knowing where his next meal would come from, or if he would even have one, it took some time for Caleb to adjust to the extravagant dinners that Noah would indulge in for special occasions. Now, however, he thoroughly enjoyed the French cuisine that Noah ordered and laughed freely as Noah flirted, joked and did an amazingly accurate imitation of their snooty waiter.

They were both too tipsy to drive once they left the restaurant, so Caleb picked up the overnight bag from the car and they walked to the B&B down the street. This room, decorated with vintage furniture, rich fabrics and a small fireplace was smaller and cozier than their spacious apartment bedroom, but Caleb didn't mind. Their window overlooked a dark, quiet pool surrounded by a lush garden instead of the tableau of city finery, which was a welcome change. He wanted the privacy.

He poured them both another glass of champagne and they privately toasted Noah's victory.

"Have I told you how goddamn proud of you I am?" Caleb growled in Noah's ear, wrapping his arms around Noah's waist.

"Is this the third time or the fourth?" Noah asked teasingly.

"Does it matter?" Caleb asked and kissed him thoroughly.

"Nope." Noah draped his heavy arms over Caleb's shoulders, muscles loose from alcohol, but his returning kiss was as strong and passionate as ever.

"I think you deserve a reward," Caleb said. "Shall I tell you what I have in mind?"

Noah's eyes glowed with champagne. "Show me."

***

Their lovemaking was as passionate as ever, with Caleb using his mouth and tongue to bring Noah to a gasping, shuddering orgasm, then rubbing him down with a full body massage while he recovered. Then Caleb stroked and sucked his lover into another erection and rode him until they both came, crying out in the enveloping night air. Noah had fallen asleep shortly afterwards, as Caleb had hoped, leaving him free to slip out of bed for a cigarette. Caleb stood at the window, looking out, and cracked it open, letting a whisper of night sound and garden fragrance in the room. Insects chirped and in the far off distance, a bird gave a hollow, trilling song.

Caleb lit his cigarette, letting the stream of smoke drift out the open window. He sighed. His head felt like it was made of spun glass and his body felt heavy with exhaustion. Now, with the wine, champagne and sexy energy drained away, he couldn't help but ruminate on the previous day, Lucia showing up in his bar where she wasn't wanted and didn't belong. Dredging up all those old rotted memories, cloying him, suffocating him.

It brought up the sound of her cries when he had found her, the echo of an animal, broken. Monster maniacal laughter and a twisted smile. The smell of blood, sex, fear and rage.

He closed his eyes and drew deeply on his cigarette, hoping the darkness and nicotine would chase them away, but instead it just infused those old memories with new life. When Noah gently touched his shoulder, Caleb nearly screamed and couldn't hide the jump of his muscles as his body instinctively tried to move away from his lover's touch.

"Baby?" Noah's voice was cautious, hesitant, and when Caleb opened his eyes, he saw what he must look like reflected in Noah's expression. An animal--crazy, wild and dangerous.

Caleb shook his head against the silent questions in Noah's eyes. "Couldn't sleep," he said, but knew his standard excuse wasn't enough cover for the raw emotion in his voice or the desperation of Noah's grip on his shoulder.

"No," Noah said quietly. "It's more than that. Something is keeping you up."

Caleb sighed and sat down at the table near the window. There was a crystal ashtray sitting there and he drew it to him, crushing out his cigarette and lighting another one. He knew Noah loathed his nicotine habit and he tried to keep it to a minimum when possible, but it just wasn't an option tonight.

"Can you open the window a little more, then come sit here by me?"

Noah opened the window as far as it would go, then slipped on a robe before sitting next to Caleb. He placed his hand over Caleb's free one, felt the trembling in his fingers and the clamminess of his skin.

Caleb glanced at him, then looked back out the window.

"I love you," Caleb said. "So damn much."

Noah tried to keep his expression neutral, but could feel the cold blossom of dread opening in his stomach. There was a “but” in there, a big one and he prayed that Caleb wasn't going to break up with him.

"I know," Noah said. "I love you too baby."

Caleb tilted his head back, exhaled a stream of smoke through his nose. The familiar ritual was always calming--the slow crawl of nicotine through his system and the taste of tobacco on his tongue, the smell of charred paper and smoke in his nose. It helped him think, to put words to the demons crawling inside his memory.

"I know you love the man I am now," Caleb continued. "But will you love the man who will be sitting here twenty minutes from now? Once you know what I've done? Once you have seen the blood on my hands?"

"I love you," Noah said bluntly. "And that includes the man in the past, who has grown into the person I love now. And nothing you tell me will change that."

Caleb pulled his hand away from Noah's. He needed space for this.

"I've been wrestling with this decision for a long time. And once I tell you what I have to say, you'll have to decide if your love can overcome the sins of my past. If it's not...that is...well, just tell me. And I'll leave you in peace." Caleb took a long drag on his cigarette. He held the smoke in his lungs for a long moment, savoring the burn, the slow tickle climbing up his throat before exhaling. He looked at Noah, pensive and concerned in the twilight shadows of the room.

"The man that you've been living with is a criminal, baby. A murderer."

Something, surprise or shock maybe, flickered in Noah's eyes and then it was gone. Noah had a good poker face, but the eyes gave him away every time. "Who did you kill?"

"Someone you don't know," Caleb said. He crushed out his cigarette, considered another one and decided not to bother. He would make himself sick and Noah hated the smell of them. "I know that you are aware that I didn't grow up in the safest neighborhood."

Noah nodded.

"I lived in the projects. My mom was an addict and my dad took off when I came along. I had a few close friends, other kids in the neighborhood. We would watch out for each other. One of my friends was a girl. Her name was Teresa, but we all called her Taffy. She was a few years older than the rest of us. She was a safe haven, a place to go to when things were bad at home. She was always, I don't know--optimistic, I guess? It was nice. She was special. We never dated, I knew my preferences ran to men pretty damn early, but still...”

He took a deep breath.

"Some of the people in the neighborhood were bad news. We basically knew who was okay, and who was not, and if someone was trouble, you stayed out of their way. The Rios family was like that. Daisy Rios had two kids and a husband that beat all of them on a fairly regular basis. Carlos was a year old than me and grew up to be just like his dad, big and mean. He was a bully, and dangerous; he put a couple of kids in the hospital when we were growing up."

"And he hurt your Taffy," Noah said gently.

Caleb nodded. "Yeah," he said hoarsely. "One day, he approached her, wanting to hook up and she refused him. So he raped her. Beat her. Urinated on her. She wasn't a beautiful girl, but she was pretty. Not after what happened. I found her and took her to the hospital, but she lost her sight and hearing on her right side and her face was scarred. Her optimism died, that spark inside of her had gone out. The day she was released from the hospital, she committed suicide." Caleb cleared his throat roughly. "I confronted Carlos afterwards about what he did. He didn't deny it. In fact, he laughed about it. He laughed. Called her a whole host of terrible names that I'm not going to repeat and said that she had it coming.

“Now, everyone in the neighborhood had firearms, even us. My mom would have men over, exchange sex for drugs to feed her habit, so I had a gun to chase them away if they got rough with her or tried to rob us. I had it with me when I confronted Carlos. I shot him right in his laughing face."

Now, Caleb lit up another cigarette. "I was arrested, but never went to trial. I pleaded self-defense and there wasn't enough evidence to convict me. And frankly, the police in the area couldn't be bothered to put away the guy who killed Carlos any more than they could to put away the guy who raped my best friend." Caleb shrugged. He thought briefly about sharing Lucia's visits with Noah, than decided that he had more than enough to deal with in one night. Lucia didn't matter. Just an old dredge from his past that wouldn't let go. "Anyone who knew different wasn’t going to say anything. So that's it. I could plead self-defense in court, but it's a lie. I wasn't scared of the guy. I just hated him. For what he did to Taffy. For hurting someone I loved. And he didn't even care. It was hate that made me pull the trigger. And I don't feel a bit of regret. If he was standing here, right now, in front of me, I'd kill him again.”

“I wouldn’t blame you,” Noah said. “He did a horrible thing to a person you loved.”

“Have you ever killed?” Caleb asked.

“Not like what you are talking about,” Noah said. “I went hunting with my Dad a few times. But I’ve never killed a person, no.”

“Can you handle that? Can you stay with a person who has taken a life? I can’t go back. I can’t undo it. And it’s a part of who I am. And you need to make a choice now too. You have to decide if you can love a killer. If you can lie beside one at night and have him touch you. If you can have a life with me. Because if you can’t, I need to know.”

“I already love you. Lie beside you and share my life with you.”

“But you didn’t know-“

“I know now,” Noah said. “And I still love you. Like I said, I love you and that includes who you used to be, as well. Because the old Caleb helped build the current Caleb.”

“The current Caleb is a killer.”

Noah put a finger over Caleb’s lips. “The Caleb sitting here with me is my boyfriend and lover. And he killed a monster who did a horrible thing to a person he loved. He is courageous. And loving. And compassionate. And I can’t blame you for doing what you did. It is not something I would be able to do. But I know you and I know that you did what you had to do in a bad situation. And there is no way I would stop loving you for it.”

“What I did was wrong. A sin,” Caleb said hoarsely.

“What he did to that girl was a far greater one. He took something that was precious and destroyed it. And you made sure he paid for it. You can argue right and wrong all you want. But I don’t think what you did is wrong.”

Caleb dropped his head. He had been so worried, so scared that Noah would be disgusted, would be horrified, would be frightened of him. He had been prepared for that, he thought. But this uncomplicated acceptance, and Noah’s quiet, simple understanding, overwhelmed him. He heard the shift and rustle of Noah’s body moving and then his face was pressed against the soft terrycloth of his robe as Noah embraced him, cradling Caleb’s head against his abdomen. Caleb’s arms went around his waist and he clutched at him, fingers gripping the material and pressing his face deeper into the rough material and the warmth of Noah’s body underneath. The anxiety he had been carrying, a heavy chain around his chest, unlinked and fell at his feet.

Noah pulled him up and led him to the bed, disrobed and laid down with him, kissing him. Caleb moved in closer, pressing into Noah’s body heat and deepening the kiss, sliding his tongue into Noah’s mouth to taste his lover, explore his mouth, drinking him in, like a dying man thirsty for water, despite getting his fill of his lover’s body only a few hours prior. And this time, when Noah reached for his cock, Caleb didn’t withdraw.

Noah moved over him, against him, a warm presence that fanned his desire and had Caleb rising up to meet his arousal with his own. They moved together, a sensual thrust and slide, with Noah mapping Caleb’s mouth with his tongue, devouring him. As the sweet friction rose to an unbearable crescendo, Caleb arched and came, spilling cum over his stomach, with Noah following suit a few seconds later. They lay together, throbbing together, coming off an orgasmic high, hip to hip and face to face, not willing to move, to separate, existing together until sleep reclaimed them.

***

Caleb woke up the next morning, wrapped in sheets and Noah’s scent, his lover’s leg draped reassuringly over his own. He felt amazingly light and content with the weight of his secret no longer pressing heavy on him. He was going to put the past behind him, 100% once and for all, now that he had confessed to Noah. He would confront Lucia when he went back to work and get a restraining order if he had to.

Caleb called downstairs to see if they could have breakfast brought up to the room. They could, and when he opened the door to the landlady wearing nothing but a towel, he laughed at the blush that sped up her cheeks and the way she covered her eyes and hurried away. He and Noah ate near the window, bathed in morning sunshine, stuffing themselves with warm pancakes and waffles, feeding each other strawberries and blueberries and drinking mimosas. They bathed together in the large Jacuzzi, washing each other’s hair and relaxing in the water, with no sexual charge, just the lazy contentment of a Saturday morning. They checked out at noon, and walked out holding hands. After they had passed through the gate of the B&B and turned right to head back to the restaurant where they had left the car, Caleb had turned to press a kiss against Noah’s temple, which was why he didn’t see her at first.

Lucia stood across the street. Watching. Caleb caught sight of her as he drew away from Noah and narrowed his eyes. He decided he would confront her now, instead of waiting for her to show up at work again. This was going to far.

Before he could head towards her, he saw her change her stance, lift her arms. His eyes knew and his brain knew, but his body was too slow. Always too slow. Too late for Taffy. Too late for himself.

He stared down the barrel of her gun, and figured it was at least fitting. Revenge was a dish best served cold and hers had at least 10 years to cool.

Caleb was prepared to die.

But Lucia paused, and looked past him. And he knew, seconds too late, seconds after she shifted her aim and his clumsy hands went to push Noah out of the way.

Too late, too late, endless seconds too late.

Daisy Rios had two children. Carlos. And Lucia.

He had taken away part of Lucia’s family.

And as the crack of the gun rang throughout the still day, he knew that she meant to take away part of his.

And Noah fell to the ground.