The Price of Revelation - 12. Chapter 12

The Price of Revelation
by Tiffani Chin

Chapter 12

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“Can’t the cops do something?” Sean demanded pacing the living room. He stared at his father, who looked uncomfortable and in pain.

“Sean, there were no witnesses. Storm can’t say for sure that it was Ethan…”

“It was Ethan!” Storm interrupted his brother, his face flushed with anger. “I know it! I heard his voice!”

“But the police don’t have anything on Ethan. There’s no proof that Ethan attacked your father, no proof that Ethan violated the restraining order,” Skyler said gently. “So, Sean, they have no reason to lock him up.”

“But, but,” Sean sputtered. “Fuck!” he shouted in frustration. Everyone in the room jumped at the volume of his voice. “So, what? What do we do now?”

No one answered Sean.

“We just have to wait and see,” Skyler said reluctantly.

“We’re just going to wait for him to come to us?” Sean asked incredulously.

“There’s not much else we can do,” Zeke reminded.

Sean’s nostrils flared. “Dad?”

Storm waved Sean over. Sean took a seat beside his father and they hugged awkwardly, due to Storm’s injuries. “Sean, calm down.” Storm kissed Sean’s temple. “We’ll figure this out. You just got home. Why don’t you unpack and rest for a little bit?”

“But Dad…”

“There’s nothing we can do. I’m glad you’re back though.” Storm’s eyes welled. “I missed you.”

“I missed you, too,” Sean whispered. “I’m sorry, Dad. I’m sorry for everything.”

“Nothing to be sorry for, baby boy. I love you.”

“I love you, too, Dad,” Sean sniffled clutching his father’s shirt tighter. Storm kissed the top of Sean’s head and looked up, finally noticing West.

“Hey, Sean. Introduce me to your friend,” Storm murmured, trying to calm his son down. “West, is it?” Storm asked eyeing the tall guy.

West nodded, shifting his weight between his feet.

“I heard you’ve been spending a lot of time with Sean,” Storm continued.

West nodded again, appearing nervous. Sean frowned at West, wondering why he was acting so shy.

“They really hit it off during a rough game of basketball,” Skyler said with a smile, in an effort to ease the tension.

“What?” Storm said in confusion.

Sean laughed his shoulders relaxing. “Yeah, West beat on me during that game.”

“I didn’t!” West protested turning red. Everyone looked at him. Skyler and Zeke grinned knowingly. “Okay, fine. Maybe a little,” West admitted. “But he was so annoying!”

“How was I annoying?” Sean asked laughing. He turned to his father. “Dad, he just had a huge crush on me and acted like a little kid by being mean to me.”

West blushed further. “Okay, okay!” he exclaimed.

Sean jumped up from the couch and wrapped his arms around West’s waist tightly. “I’m glad you’re here,” he said staring up into West’s eyes.

West gazed into those big hazel eyes that he had grown to love. He felt his chest tighten. “Me, too,” he said. He kissed Sean’s nose lightly.

Skyler and Zeke exchanged smiles.

******

Ethan stared hard at the three boys. He ground his teeth, the nerves in his gums tingling.

Laughing, they were laughing. Sean, his Sean, was being unfaithful. He couldn’t believe his eyes. Sean loved him. Sean would never betray him. Why the fuck were they laughing? What the fuck was so funny?

But right before his eyes, Sean was sitting close—a little too close—to a large man. Kessler sat across from them, laughing just as much.

“How could you do this to me, Sean?” Ethan whispered darkly, ducking his head. He clenched his fists. He watched. Anger boiled in his stomach as the large brunette wrapped his arm possessively around Sean’s shoulder. Sean’s grin was blinding.

Ethan’s vision blurred slightly and he realized he had been holding his breath. He exhaled loudly. “That smile belongs to me,” Ethan hissed. “Stop smiling! Stop it!”

Sean was supposed to come home, but not with another guy. Ethan’s plan was not unfolding like it should have.

When Sean kissed the guy beside him, Ethan felt as if he had been stabbed. He clutched his stomach, saliva falling out of his open mouth as he fought to control his breathing.

Now Ethan knew that Sean had intentionally broken up with him. Sean had wanted to get away from him. Sean had wanted to hurt him. Sean had never cared for his feelings at all.

Sean had betrayed him. Just like the others.

But it made no difference. Ethan still loved Sean. He would have Sean in the end. He knew it in his heart. In time, Sean would realize Ethan was the only one for him and return Ethan’s feelings.

“Sean, you’re mine. Baby, you’re all mine and only mine. You belong to me. I’m coming for you,” he murmured. He took one last look at the three boys. He adjusted his baseball cap and turned away.

“Kessler! Hey Kessler! What are you looking at?” Sean asked, his eyes sparkling. West intertwined their hands under the table, squeezing tightly.

Kessler frowned and blinked. Shaking his head, Kessler faced his friends. “I saw someone…” Kessler glanced at the spot where he thought he had spotted the familiar, unnerving figure.

Sean cocked his head. “Who?” He sipped his lemonade and peered at Kessler curiously.

West stared at Kessler, studying him.

Kessler shrugged. “No one. There was no one there.” He smiled, but West continued to stare at him, as if he could sense Kessler’s discomfort.

There was no one suspicious around them, but Kessler still couldn’t shake off his uneasy feeling.

******

“Are you crazy, Sean? You’re not serious, are you?” Kessler asked his eyes narrowing. “You can’t be, because I know you’re smarter than that, Sean.”

Sean rubbed his head in frustration. “It’s an idea. Fuck, I don’t know. I can’t keep living like this. We’re all afraid, walking on eggshells, just waiting for something to happen. Is that how it’s going to be for now on?” he asked. “That’s not right. I want my life back!”

“I don’t know, Sean. But don’t think for a second you’re going to confront Ethan! Are you fucking insane! He’s crazy. He’ll kill you the second he sees you!” Kessler exclaimed.

“He hurt my dad, Kess. He’s controlling my life and he isn’t even around. I can’t do this. I can’t let him win,” Sean said. “I’ll be going to school in a week and a half. How the hell am I going to survive college life knowing he’s out there, lurking, waiting to strike?”

“Sean, you can’t go after Ethan. He’s dangerous. Think, Sean,” Kessler advised. “Think.”

“I’m really scared, Kess,” Sean said sinking onto his bed, cradling his head in his hands. “West is leaving in two days. My uncles are heading home by this weekend. I feel so helpless, so vulnerable.” Tears came to his eyes. “How did I let this happen? How did I let myself get into this mess?”

Kessler sat beside Sean and rubbed his back soothingly. “You didn’t let anything happen. It just happened. That’s life. Unfortunately, you were unlucky. But we’ll get through this. Ethan will make a mistake and get his ass thrown in jail.”

“Ever seen the movie Speed?” Sean said looking up. “With Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock?”

“Yeah,” Kessler said frowning.

“Dennis Hopper is the psycho. He says ‘crazy, not stupid,’” Sean explains. “That’s Ethan, Kess. He’s crazy, but not stupid. I get the impression that he’s done this before. He gets obsessed with guys and when things don’t go his way, he does something terrible. Kessler,” he stared at his friend. “Ethan won’t make a mistake.”

They looked down at the floor, not saying anything. There was nothing left to say. They couldn’t make any predictions. This was something they would have to wait out, as much as it killed Sean to do so. A huge part of him wanted to find Ethan to get revenged for hurting his father.

“Sean,” Kessler said gently. “West leaves in two days. Why don’t you make the most of it?”

Sean smiled weakly at his friend. Kessler nudged him. “Come on, go. Don’t waste anymore time with me. Go do the nasty with your man.” He grinned and stood up to leave.

Sean blushed. “I’ll see you later, Kessler. Thanks for coming over.”

“No problem.”

Sean stretched on his bed, waiting for West to come out of the shower. Suddenly he sat up. Smiling, he walked into the bathroom, the steam, warmth, and the sweet scent of soap and shampoo hitting him.

West was tall enough where Sean could make out his head above the shower curtain. He bit back a chuckle when he saw the shampoo suds in West’s dark hair. Without taking his eyes off of West, he quickly locked the door.

Slowly and quietly, he took off his clothes, careful to lay them gently on the floor. He grabbed the curtain and in one swift motion pulled it aside, his eyes zoning in on West’s tan, muscular body.

West turned at the noise, and wiped the water from his eyes. “Sean!” he exclaimed in surprise. His eyes roamed over Sean’s naked form. “What are you doing?”

Sean smiled. “I need to release some tension. Get rid of some stress. I want to make the most of our time together.” He stepped inside the tub, instantly wrapping himself around West.

West grinned, sliding his hands around Sean’s ass, pulling him closer. “Sounds fun to me. And a little naughty, my naughty boy. And in your parents’ house, no less!” He feigned shock.

Sean laughed. “I guess your ways are rubbing off on me,” he teased reaching down and cupping West. His smile widened as West groaned and fell forward into Sean.

“Thank God for that,” West murmured closing his eyes, sighing as Sean’s hand moved faster. Sean kissed West’s chest, wanting to be with West as much as possible. He’d miss him, much more than he initially expected. West wasn’t someone to just fool around with; Sean genuinely enjoyed spending time with him. He wished their time together didn’t have to end so soon. He wanted more time with West. A lot more time.

“Sean…” West said in a shaky voice. His breathing had become shallow as his grip on Sean’s waist shook. Sean continued to slide his hand up and down rapidly, enjoying the heat and slickness of West’s member.

West groaned. Sean felt the cock in his hand expand. “Fuck,” West moaned loudly, bucking his hips as he shot into Sean’s hand, stomach, and crotch. Sean’s heart raced, watching West cum. It was the sexiest thing ever. He continued fondling the deflating penis, getting every last drop.

“Sean…” West murmured shivering. “Sensitive.”

Sean kissed West’s chest again and let go. Panting heavily, West hugged Sean, resting his chin on Sean’s head.

“West?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“I’m going to miss you. A lot,” Sean said in a small voice, breathing in the steam, and the smell of West’s soap.

West leaned back and tilted Sean’s chin up. He placed several gentle pecks on Sean’s lips. “I’m going to miss you, too. A lot,” he said quietly.

“Really?” Sean asked staring into West’s dark eyes.

“Yes,” West said seriously. “I’m going to miss you a lot. I wish our time together didn’t have to end. It’s too soon.”

Sean smiled, his whole face lighting up. “That’s what I was thinking! Just before! What a coincidence.”

West nuzzled Sean’s forehead. “Sean, do you think we’ll see each other again?”

“With my uncles living there, the chances are likely,” Sean said.

“So, we’ll stay friends?” West asked, although he wasn’t sure if he wanted to just be friends.

“Always,” Sean said feeling happy, but sad at the same time. “We’ll keep in touch. I’ll visit you. You can come visit me. Stuff like that.”

“Until you meet some smart ass Princeton guy, who probably wears glasses, the trendy kind. And reads poetry and listens to the opera,” West said unable to keep the bitterness out of his voice. “Then you’ll forget all about me.”

It was Sean’s turn to pull back and look up at West. He frowned. “I won’t forget about you. I couldn’t. And when have I ever talked about the opera or poetry?” He made a face. “Besides what about you?”

“What do you mean?” West asked a perplexed look on his face.

“You’re going to meet a girl and then live happily ever after with a billion babies since the woman won’t be able to keep her hands off you,” Sean said a sour taste in his mouth. “Or another guy,” he added.

“I don’t think that will happen,” West said.

“Which part? The girl or the guy?” Sean pressed.

West sighed. “I don’t know, Sean. I don’t know anything. But I’m pretty confident that I won’t look at another guy.”

“I wish things were different,” Sean murmured.

West seemed to understand what Sean was saying and didn’t ask for an explanation. “Me, too.” Before Sean could say anything else, West swiftly pushed Sean into a corner of the shower.

Sean felt the cold tiles against his back and made a face. “West, what are you doing?”

“Making the most of our time together,” West said falling to his knees, his eyes sparkling with mischief. He held Sean’s thighs, steadying Sean while maintaining his own balance.

In an instant, Sean was rock hard. His eyes began rolling the second he felt West’s hot, wet mouth engulf him. He bit back a cry as West’s tongue started caressing his shaft.

“God, you’ve gotten good at that,” Sean moaned, unable to hold off long on his release. Everything about West drove him crazy, not to mention how skilled and enthusiastic West had become when going down on him. “One thing is for sure, West,” he sighed, pumping his hips slightly. “Is that you’re an extremely fast learner…Oh, God!”

The vibrations of West’s laughter sent him over the edge.

******

“Sean, stop moping,” Rachel sighed as she pushed the cart at Target, with Sammy sitting in the larger compartment. “You’re constantly unhappy at home. It’s depressing.”

Sean smiled weakly. “I miss West.”

Rachel rubbed her forehead. “You know, kiddo, we can’t win with you. Really, we just can’t.”

Sean laughed. “But Mom, I really, really like him.”

“He’s a nice guy,” Rachel agreed, remembering how attentive West had been to Sean. “You guys are going to keep in touch, right?”

“That’s the plan,” Sean said in a faraway tone. “But you know things never go according to plan.” He shuffled his feet then shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. It wouldn’t work out anyway.”

“Why not?” Rachel asked. “Don’t give up so fast.”

“He lives in California. It’s not like I can move there. School starts in a week,” Sean said glumly.

“That doesn’t have to stop you. You can see him during winter break and the summer. Your uncles are out there,” Rachel reminded.

“But by then we’ll lose our magic or whatever it is that keeps us together. Distance will get in the way. We both might meet other people…” he trailed off.

“You can’t predict that,” Rachel said. “Don’t give up so easily, Sean. Just work at it. Relationships take work. Long distance happens to take more work.” She smiled brightly.

“That doesn’t really help,” Sean stated dryly.

Rachel laughed. “I tried. But keep in mind if it doesn’t work out now, it may in the future. You just never really know how these things will turn out.”

Sean snorted. He looked down at Sammy and rolled his eyes. “What does mom know? This lady,” he joked. Sammy giggled and mimicked Sean, rolling his eyes also.

“Hey, mommy knows a lot,” Rachel said rubbing Sammy’s head affectionately. “You know, I met your dad by chance. I was just about to graduate college and I was from out of state. I happened to be eating lunch at that little café on campus. Your dad was there on his lunch break. We literally bumped into each other and I spilled my coffee on him…” her voice was dreamy. “Your dad looked so good covered in coffee. His shirt stuck to his...”

Sean wrinkled his nose. “Eww, Mom! That is my dad you’re talking about. Spare me.”

She laughed loudly. “Oh come on, I love telling this story. Humor me, child!”

Sean shook his head, but remained silent, letting her continue her story.

“I spilled coffee all over his shirt. I felt so bad and apologized like crazy. Somehow, between my apologizing and his laughing at me, he ended up asking me out,” Rachel went on. “We did the long distance thing for about a year,” she finished.

Sean blinked. “I didn’t know that.”

She smiled and tapped Sean’s nose with her finger. “See, I do know some things. I lived in Washington. We emailed and called one another for an entire year as I worked a little, spent some time with family, and got to know him better. I moved in with him not too long after that and we still clicked.” She smiled fondly at Sean. “Then I met you, sweetheart, and the rest is history.”

“So, long distance can work out?” Sean asked hopefully.

“With hard work. There were times when we got frustrated with the distance and we were tempted by other people or jealous, but we managed. However, long distance can’t work forever. Eventually someone has to give,” she explained. “Otherwise there really is no future.”

“I know,” Sean said, his mind working, wondering if he and West would ever get together after he finished college.

“Now please stop moping,” Rachel begged. “How about we get some hot dogs and popcorn?” she suggested brightly. “Let’s enjoy your last week of summer.”

Sean smiled. “Okay.”

Sammy bounced excitedly in the cart at the prospect of eating hot dogs and popcorn. Sean laughed and scooped the small boy into his arms. “Are you excited to start the first grade?” he asked pressing his face close.

Sammy nodded. “Yeah!”

“Are you going to make a lot of friends?” Sean asked rubbing Sammy’s cheek with his own.

Sammy grinned. “Yeah!”

“Of course you are,” Sean cooed. “Who wouldn’t love you?” He kissed Sammy’s forehead. “So cute, so cute, so cute,” Sean murmured.

“So cute, so cute, so cute,” Sammy mumbled in response, staring up at Sean with a big toothy grin. Sean let out a laugh. They headed to the small food area. He continued to hold Sammy in his arms, happy to be with his family again. Sammy poked his face and in return, Sean pretended to bite Sammy’s fingers. Sammy squealed. “My fingers!”

As Rachel was ordering, Sean got the distinct feeling he was being watched. Sean whirled around quickly, causing Sammy to grip his arms in surprise. Sean didn’t see anyone that he knew and everyone around him wasn’t paying him any attention. He frowned, wondering if he was imagining things. Shrugging, he turned back around, bouncing Sammy gently.

When the feeling didn’t shake, he craned his neck. His eyes widening, he did a double take when he spotted a familiar tall figure with dark hair and piercing blue eyes. He swallowed hard and placed Sammy on the ground. “Sammy, stay with mommy.”

“Sean?” Rachel said as he started to run.

“Um, I have to go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back!” Sean called over his shoulder. The figure had disappeared, but Sean knew it was Ethan. He just knew it. Kessler had advised him not to confront Ethan, but they were in a public place. That madman had hurt his father. Sean had to do something. This was his chance.

He ran through the aisles, turning his head left and right, trying to catch another glimpse. He started to breathe hard. “Where are you?” Sean cried out. “I know you’re here! Come back!”

A few customers looked at him oddly. Others peered at him from various sections of the store. He glanced near the entrance and saw Ethan just as the man turned to leave.

Lunging forward quickly, Sean raced to catch Ethan. He had been scared in the past, but now he was angry. He wanted nothing more than to confront Ethan. Sean had no idea what he would even say to Ethan, but he wasn’t thinking that far ahead. He just needed to see the crazy bastard face to face. Maybe he could talk some sense into Ethan. Maybe he could get Ethan to back off his family.

Sean scanned the parking lot, the humidity contrasting sharply with the air condition inside the building. He instantly began sweating and wiped his brow. “Where did you go, asshole?” he murmured to himself, ignoring the customers stepping around him.

He caught a glimpse of a dark-haired man at the end of the parking lot disappearing behind a large SUV. With determination Sean ran, his muscles burning with anticipation, his heart pounding with adrenaline. Ethan was so close. Sean wanted to find him. He wanted to find Ethan so badly.

Sean made it to the SUV and walked completely around it, not seeing anyone there. He let out a groan of frustration and blinked, rubbing the sweat that had gathered in his eyes. “What the fuck?” he gasped, breathing hard. How was Ethan disappearing so easily? “I saw you, I know I did. You were right here,” he murmured.

“Fuck!” Sean hissed, kicking a tire. “Where the fuck are you?” he panted. He felt tired. He felt physically and emotionally drained. He placed his hands on his hips and took in several deep breaths. He grimaced at the sweat developing along his back and neck. He started to make his way toward the entrance of the store.

A cold feeling seeped into him. He tensed, standing straight up.

Before he had the chance to turn, he heard a chillingly sweet voice, a breathless whisper. “Hi, baby. I’ve missed you.”

Sean took one step forward, preparing to run, but a strong arm wrapped around his waist. Simultaneously a wet rag clamped over his mouth, stifling his shout for help.

“Where are you going, angel?” Ethan asked. “Didn’t you miss me?”

“No!” Sean screamed, but it came out muffled. Fear consumed him. He knew he needed to get away. He clawed at the hand near his mouth, and when that wouldn’t budge, he frantically tried the hand around his waist.

It was to no avail.

He felt a warm breath near his ear. “I wasn’t expecting you to follow me. I just wanted to see your beautiful face. I missed you so much. But here you are. Good thing I carried my supplies with me. Are you feeling sleepy, baby? It’s okay if you do.” The man chuckled.

Sean’s eyes fluttered as a heavy feeling overcame him. He could no longer think. His mind grew dark and murky. He shook his head, hoping to clear it. He didn’t want this to happen. The grip of his fingers loosened. He was quickly losing all the fight in him.

Sean grew limp, the bright blue sky fading from his vision. He was vaguely aware of being carried, but he couldn’t do anything about it. He whimpered, but wasn’t sure if anyone heard it or it was just in his mind.

“Just go to sleep, baby. When you wake up, we’ll make up for lost time. Oh, believe me, baby. We will make up for lost time.” Sean cringed at the rough handling of his body.

Sean registered the words and knew nothing good was in store for him. He didn’t have anymore time to think about it. He fell onto a hard surface and mentally groaned.

“It’s okay to be sleepy, Sean. Are you feeling tired? Go to sleep.”

Sean fought hard to keep his eyes open. It was an out-of- body experience, realizing what was happening, trying to stop the turn of events, but unable to do so. Sean desperately wanted to stay awake, to keep his eyes open, and to make his limbs work again.

“I love you.”

Those were the last words he heard before the car door slammed shut with finality.

Thanks to Frances for editing! And a special thanks to Pete and Mike for beta-reading and giving me feedback and encouragement.