Over and Back, page 9
“How about a picture of you and Grant?” Zach said, holding out his hand until Hank forked over his phone. He sat on the edge of the fountain basin next to Grant, smiling. “Take off your sunglasses.” He did, and the light nearly blinded him, but he smiled anyway, putting an arm around Grant. “That’s great.” Zach handed him back his phone and then took some pictures of him and Grant with his own phone before letting them up.
“We’re coming back here, aren’t we?” Hank asked Zach.
“Yeah. But that walking tour is in the morning, and the guidebook says that they often clean the fountain to remove the coins then, so sometimes it isn’t running. Since we’re here, it’s best to get pictures while we can.”
They all turned for one last look before making their way out of the crush and down one of the nearby streets lined with shops.
Grant wandered into a small hole-in-the-wall to look around. Hank went across the street to check out a gelato place. He expected Grant to join him, but when he didn’t, Hank retraced his steps.
Jarrod stood next to the shop, leaning against the wall, looking casual, one arm around Grant, pinning him in place.
“What do you want from me?” Grant asked as Hank charged across the street, narrowly missing three ladies in his rush.
“Leave him alone,” Hank growled. “Whatever game you’re playing, stop it now.”
Jarrod turned to him slowly. “If I want to play games, there’s nothing you can do about it.” His eyes were dark blue and damned unsettlingly cold. His air of confidence had Hank wondering about this guy, and a chill ran up his spine.
“I can do plenty. Including flagging over a policeman. So I think you need to leave him alone and go back to where you came from.”
Jarrod took a step back, and Grant hurried away, practically leaping to stand as close to Hank as possible. Jarrod folded his arms over his chest. “I see how things are.” His gaze narrowed. “Is this what you’re into now? Tim told me you had no idea what was good for you. Maybe I can help with that.” He curled his lips slightly.
“What does this have to do with Grant’s ex?” Hank glanced at Grant, who was chewing a nail and shifting nervously from foot to foot. There was definitely something he didn’t know, and it kind of pissed him off.
“Oh….” Jarrod’s eyes sparkled with malice, and his evil grin chilled Hank. Then he shrugged, turned, and strolled away as though he didn’t have a care in the world.
“Well, screw you and fuck off,” Grant called, stepping forward, shaking. People on the street turned to stare at him, but Jarrod stopped and also turned to face him. “Things are over with Timothy, and have been for a while. Is that why you’ve been following me? Because of him?” Grant seemed to go off like a Roman candle, which was somehow appropriate. “I don’t owe him anything. And as for you, I’m not interested in whatever snake oil you’re selling. So go away and leave me alone.”
Jarrod took a step toward him, while foot traffic flossed around him like a rock in the river. He reached out and touched Grant’s chin, looking deeply into his eyes. “You have no idea what I want.” The steel in his words curled around Hank’s spine and left him cold in the otherwise sweltering heat. “You know I can give you exactly what you need.” He shook his hand slightly. “I get what I want. Remember that.” He held Grant that way for a few seconds, and then that sly, sickening grin was back as Grant’s shoulders slumped and the fight seemed to flow out of him. “That goes for your friends too.” Jarrod’s hand slipped away and he turned once more to walk down the street without looking back.
Part of Hank was fucking impressed with the way Jarrod acted. He was so confident and sure of himself. It was also fucking annoying at the same time, especially with the way he seemed to hold Grant under some kind of spell for a few seconds. What was going on there? Hank wondered if it had something to do with the lifestyle Grant had lived with Timothy. Maybe there was some sort of programming or training that Timothy had done with Grant to make him so docile, when just seconds before he’d been enraged.
Hank guided Grant away from the flow of traffic. “I think you’re going to have to enlighten the group.”
Grant paled and nodded.
Unfortunately, out here on the street was not the place. “Did you get the T-shirts you wanted?” It seemed like a weird thing to ask, but Hank figured Grant needed something normal to do.
“I….” He ducked his face and leaned against the side of the stucco building. “No, he stopped me before I was able to look at much. But I don’t want to….”
“It’s okay,” Hank heard himself saying. “Go ahead and get what you want. I’ll be right out here. I’ll make sure he doesn’t come back.” His gut told him that Grant needed understanding, not demands. Those would come later, because there was definitely something else going on with Jarrod that had nothing to do with Bull’s past.
Grant went into the store, and Hank watched the entrance, his mind running in multiple directions. Grant standing up for himself had been hot. Really hot. He was normally more quiet and a little pliable… maybe influenceable. That was it. Seeing him strong and confident was glorious, but then it had fallen apart.
“Are you about ready?” Zach asked as he, Bull, and Jeremy approached from where they’d been standing at the fountain. “I made Bull throw in a coin so he and I can come back here someday.” Zach leaned against Bull’s arm. “I think I’d really like that.” He practically floated on air.
Bull leaned close and whispered something into Zach’s ear that had him blushing, big-time. Hank turned away, letting Zach have his moment with whatever dirty thing Bull had said to him. Part of him wanted what they had, desperately.
“I’m all set,” Grant said as he joined them, and Hank repressed a sigh, putting romantic happiness out of his mind.
“Then let’s go back to the station,” Zach offered. “It’s really hot, and the pool is sounding better and better right now.”
BULL MOTIONED Spook to the back of the rumbling subway car. The others in the area moved away when he flashed them a stern look. Inwardly he smiled—he hadn’t lost his tough-guy touch. It came in handy sometimes.
“Jarrod approached Grant outside a shop while we were throwing coins in the fountain.” He kept his voice low and his tone level.
“Shit…,” Spook swore just loud enough for Bull to hear.
“Yeah. I had hoped that he would back off when he realized he wasn’t going to get what he wanted.” Bull groaned.
Spook rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Dude, Zach has changed your life in a lot of ways, but sometimes you can be a real ass, you know that?” He smiled slightly. “Maybe this guy isn’t here because of you… or only because of you. He obviously has some sort of obsession with Grant. And it’s escalating. He’s pretty much kept his distance up until now.”
Bull nodded. He couldn’t argue with Spook on the ass part. That was a given. Zach would confirm that. “Yes. And we need to get some eyes on him somehow. Rome is a big city, and it’s going to be impossible to find him here… unless we get lucky. I say we stay close, watch one another’s backs, and keep an eye out to see if he follows us to Florence. It’s a smaller city. If he makes an appearance, we should be able to track him down.”
“Do you want me to scare him?” Spook asked.
“You can try. Jarrod isn’t the kind to scare easily.” Bull sighed. “Though I thought the guy was reasonable and made decent decisions. Maybe things have changed.” He hated second-guessing himself. It wasn’t in his nature—ever forward and all that. “Regardless, we have to protect the guys, and Grant in particular.” Bull wondered just how far Jarrod would go to get what he wanted. He saw the same questions in Spook’s eyes.
“Bull,” Zach said as he came over and slipped an arm around his waist. “The stop is getting close.”
Bull put an arm around Zach, and Spook moved back to sit next to Jeremy. This trip was supposed to be fun, until his damned past got in the way. Worse, it seemed that his past and Grant’s had somehow intersected. He wondered just how far they were all going to have to go to stay safe.
“YOU WERE quiet the entire ride back,” Grant said once they reached the hotel room and he flopped down on the bed.
Hank nodded, unable to argue. The subway car had been hot and crowded, so Hank had stood most of the way, holding a pole for balance and letting his head run in circles. Hank wanted to pepper Grant with questions about his ex and what this had to do with Jarrod, but he had his own ex issues to deal with, and it wasn’t likely that they were much prettier than Grant’s. “I guess.”
Grant sat on the edge of his bed. “I owe you an explanation. But I want you to know that I never knew who this guy was until Spook told us his name. And I don’t know all that much about him. My ex, Timothy, is Timothy Belton. He told me about a cousin that he was super close to at one time, although I didn’t think they were so much anymore. But maybe they’re talking now. He certainly seemed to have spoken with him.” Grant shivered. “I just want them to leave me alone.”
“And you think this is him?” Hank asked. It made sense somehow. From his comments, the guy definitely knew Grant’s ex.
“Yeah. But that still doesn’t explain why he’s so interested in me. I never met him until I first saw him at the club.”
Hank nodded slowly. “Maybe it’s some sort of sick game. He wants what was or is his cousin’s.” He spoke without really thinking.
“Or maybe the whole family is just really off-their-rockers crazy,” Grant spat, and stood to pace the small room. “Maybe Jarrod is just as possessive and ridiculous as Timothy was.” He continued walking, hands gesticulating all over the place.
Hank kicked off his shoes and sat on the bed in order to get out of the way. “I take it things didn’t end as well as you told me.” He tried not to glower. Hank hated being deceived. Danny had done plenty of that during their relationship.
“Yeah, well… I didn’t lie, but I didn’t exactly tell you the truth either.” Grant dropped down on the bed. “What I said was true—I didn’t want things the way they were with Timothy. I wanted something he wasn’t able to give, I know that.” Grant swallowed hard and wiped his eyes. “Timothy had changed too. He wanted things that were too much and went too far. It’s so embarrassing.”
“He was your Dom. You should have been able to trust him. Those kinds of relationships only work if there’s deep trust. And it sounds like that was gone.”
Grant nodded. “He got more and more demanding and controlling, which was exactly what I didn’t want. The rest of it, well, that was true. I didn’t know how to tell Timothy no. The sub is supposed to be the one with the real control in a relationship like that, but I didn’t feel like I had any.” He sighed.
“Yes. You should have had the ultimate power to say no.”
“Except that’s the hardest thing for me. You saw. Jarrod the jerk came on to me, and I froze. I didn’t know what to say to him. He was a customer, and I wanted to be nice. You know you get better tips and stuff if you flirt with the guys sometimes. But I didn’t do that with him. Still, he had such power and charisma inside… it was like a magnet, and I just stood there like an idiot. I should have left, even smacked him if he went too far, but I don’t know if I could have done any of that. I was with Timothy for years, and I never told him no, not once.” Grant sniffed and lay back on the bed. “I wanted him to be happy, and I wanted to be the one to make him that way, so I thought if I went along….” Grant kicked the bed. “I was so stupid!” He grabbed a pillow and pulled it over his head.
“Grant,” Hanks said, and waited until he lowered the pillow. “I’ve never been in that kind of relationship, but I know that what you’re telling me isn’t how things are supposed to work. You were being taken advantage of—at least, it sounds like that to me. He should have been talking to you and making sure that communication was open, that your feelings were being expressed.” Hank tried to keep down the anger that welled up inside him at this Timothy. If he were here right now, he’d probably punch the guy’s lights out.
“I know all that. But I thought that he loved me and that he would take care of me. Then when I didn’t need so much care, I thought that maybe he would be happy and that we could have a slightly different kind of relationship. There were certain things I liked when I was with him.”
Hank knew he should keep his mouth shut, but he engaged his lips before his brain. “What sort of things?” Shit, he really didn’t need to know this stuff.
“Well, I liked that Timothy was strong and forceful, but gentle. At least, that’s how things were at the beginning. Not so much later. Maybe I was just someone he could control and have at his beck and call.” Grant chuckled, but there was no mirth in it. “I guess at the end, that’s all he wanted me for. To be there when he wanted something.”
Hank really wanted to understand. “Were things 24-7 between you, or only in the bedroom?”
Grant colored a little. “They were pretty much 24-7, except when I was at work. Though sometimes he’d call and want me to do things while I was there too.” Now his cheeks blazed. “I did them, but it made me really uncomfortable. I asked him not to do that again because I didn’t want to get in trouble. I needed the job.”
“Did he respect your wishes?” Hank asked, and Grant nodded. “But that was early on when things were going well?” Hank added.
“Yeah. He never did that again, but I bet if I hadn’t said something, he probably would have gotten me fired.” Grant ran his hands down his face. “I left him months ago, and I thought I was done with him. I want to get on with my life, just like you do… right?”
Hank nodded. “Jesus Christ, yes. But things are rarely that simple.” That phrase, probably uttered so innocently, reminded Hank of the reasons why he couldn’t allow himself to fall into Grant’s huge eyes, as blue and clear as the pool outside. Just like Grant, things with his ex were messed up and he couldn’t go back there ever again. He had worked hard to rebuild his life, and he needed to keep it that way.
“So, what about Jarrod? If you think, knowing what you know about Timothy….” Hank was grasping at straws and going over ground they’d already covered.
“I honestly don’t know, except maybe he wants what Timothy had. Maybe they’re in some sick competition or something.” Grant threw that out there as though it was impossible, but Hank wasn’t so sure. “Timothy did love his games, and he adored winning. It was like a compulsion with him. I never played anything with him after the first few months. Have you ever seen anyone play cutthroat, in-your-face, mash-you-down-until-you-don’t-care Monopoly? I sure have, and it isn’t pretty.”
“Okay.” Hank stood and went to the window. “The pool looks amazing down there. Why don’t we go cool off? And then before dinner, we can tell Bull. We can give him all the information, and then he can decide what to do with it.”
Grant nodded but bit his lower lip. “Isn’t he going to be mad?”
“If we keep this from him, yes. Bull hates secrets, though he keeps plenty of them himself, which is ironic.” Hank rolled his eyes as he turned away from the window. “But… no. I think he’s going to welcome the information and use it for whatever else he thinks is going on. He and Spook will know what needs to be done—we don’t. Let’s put this in his hands so you can enjoy the vacation.”
And besides, if they went swimming, Hank would get to see Grant in his suit again. That made him smile, even if he had to keep his hands to himself.
Chapter Five—Trouble in the Eternal City
HANK WAS right. Bull had listened as Grant had explained everything.
“Give me as much basic information as you can about Timothy,” Bull had asked, and Grant had provided what he could. “I’ll call in a few favors and see what I can find out about him.”
“Do you think he has anything to do with whatever Jarrod wants from you? Could I be involved somehow?” That’s what scared him. Had Grant somehow stepped into something dangerous?
“No. What’s going on between Jarrod and me is from a long time ago. Before I had the club, in another life.” They’d gone to sit at a table alone, away from everyone else by the pool. “You know that some people are like animals. I’m a bull—I know that. It’s who I am. Spook is like a snake, in the best way. He slithers in and out, getting what he wants, and only bites when he has to. Jarrod is a cat. He’s sleek, powerful, and likes to play with his food before eating it. That’s what he’s doing. He likes to unnerve his opponent and wear them down.”
“But what does he want?” Grant fidgeted under the table as Bull sat back, cool as a cucumber.
“He’ll tell us in his own time. And then I can deal with it. I wish I’d turned him over to the police and let national security deal with him, instead of throwing him out of the club. But he knows things, a lot of things… so who knows what would have happened in the end.”
Grant swallowed hard. “Will you have to hurt him?” He could barely whisper the words.
“If it comes to that. But I don’t have any cover here. My connections are in the States. Here, I’d have to deal with police, who wouldn’t understand. So for now we’ll do our best to avoid him. Spook is keeping an eye on him. He knows where he’s staying, and if we have to, we can cause trouble for him.” Bull leaned over the table. “I think Jarrod came into the club to try to get to me, and he met you. It’s likely a coincidence, but being a cat, he probably saw you as prey.”
“So if he’s a cat, then what am I? A bunny?” Grant had almost said mouse, but the thought made him shudder.
“No. You’re a bird, a beautiful one. One that flies and is beautiful to watch. You’re quick, and you can dart and dodge with the best of them. All you need to do is stay away from him and you’ll be just fine.” Bull nodded to reinforce his point as Zach came over to ask them to join the rest of the group.
