“Size queen,” I said, and put my arm around his shoulder for a minute. “It’s not a full-size lighthouse, but it does have a working light and I’m sure a photographer can get a nice view of the city from the walkway around the top of it.”

  Instead of heading to the lighthouse, we walked to the dock at the end of the park and looked out over the water. Despite the fact we weren’t alone, it was very quiet.

  “This is nice,” I said in Alex’s ear. “We can almost pretend we’re all alone in the world.”

  “But, we’re not,” Alex said. “You’re fixing to go up against a dangerous man and there are a lot of innocent people who can get hurt.”

  “True enough,” I said. “And when I said we could pretend we’re alone, pangs of guilt crept up my spine.”

  “It brought Forrest to mind, huh?” Alex said.

  “Y’up,” I said. “What do we do about that situation?”

  “I thought we’d already decided to give the three of us a shot.”

  “That’s right,” I said.

  “Your mind’s wandering again, Layton.”

  “I’m thinking about the blue cure thing and how it’ll affect us,” I said.

  “You didn’t seem to think it would effect us very much.”

  We started walking again.

  “Let’s go back to our room, Alex. What I want most right now in this world is you.”

  ONCE WE WERE back in our room at the inn, I quickly undressed, got into bed naked, and watched Alex undress.

  “Go slow,” I said.

  He went teasingly slow and let me take in his smooth sexy body little by little. When he got into bed beside me I pulled him close and we kissed. I found myself needing him tonight and I wasn’t used to the feeling of ‘needing’ someone to that extent. Alex moaned low as I sucked on his neck lightly, so I sucked harder—not caring if I left a mark. He was mine and I didn’t care who knew it. After rolling him onto his back I chewed and sucked on his nipples. Reaching over to the night table, I took the lube out of the drawer and put a generous amount on my finger. Alex moaned and closed his eyes as I applied the lube to his warm asshole. It didn’t take long for him to be ready and I hoisted his legs over my shoulders and entered him. While fucking him I leaned in, wanting our bodies to be closer than ever. I shot my load, and in an almost zombie-like state, I went and took a shower. After I dried off, I got back in bed and held Alex tighter than ever.

  The next morning, I woke up in the best way ever—with my beautiful Alex giving me one helluva blow job. When he’d made me cum, he moved upward and kissed me letting me taste some of my cum that was left in his mouth. He smiled and I held him.

  “Good morning, sunshine,” I said.

  “Good morning,” Alex said. “Layton, are you alright? Last night you seemed bothered… or something. Not that I didn’t enjoy what you were doing, but you usually don’t just go to sleep like that afterward. Is this case getting to you?”

  “Probably. At least more than I thought it was originally. I realized how much I needed you last night and first it bothered me, but this morning everything became clear.”

  “What did?”

  “How much we’ve become a true family, you and me,” I said.

  “We knew that already.”

  “Yeah, but seeing what’s happening here made me appreciate it more.”

  “There are some pretty bad things going on,” Alex said.

  “The good things that are going on are what help me be appreciative. I told you about Natasha and her husband. The way she’s there for him is wonderful and it made me realize that you and I… and Forrest too, would be there for each other in the same way. And one day we’ll have a kid who’ll hopefully believe in us the same way Brandon believes in Callum.”

  Alex sat up and looked at me while his finger traced around my nipple. “At Carson Court we talked about building a new family there… but, it’s all still hitting you, isn’t it?”

  “Maybe,” I said. “The extent of what it all means is still hitting me. I never thought I’d be a father, Alex. But I’m glad about it and the fact we’ll be fathers together. Not that I’m anxious to dwell on it or anything.”

  “But seeing Brandon brought it to mind—that’s normal I think.” Alex bent over and sucked on my nipple, pulling on it with his teeth before letting go. “You always taste so damn good to me, Layton.”

  “Ditto,” I said.

  My cell phone rang and I reached for it.

  IT WAS GOING to be one of those days. Leticia Carter had called to say she’d be coming by to speak to us… and to deal with several things—some of which would be very unpleasant.

  Chapter 17

  The Blues

  WHEN WE’D DRESSED in shorts, T-shirts, and flip-flops, Alex and I went downstairs and across to the inn’s main building to take advantage of the free breakfast buffet that was included in our package deal. I looked around, but saw no sign of Chef Brogna. When I asked one of the workers about Chef’s whereabouts, he informed me the Chef would be there for the dinner hour.

  “You’re not very hungry this morning,“ Alex said, as I looked around the smallish, nondescript breakfast room. “They only use this room for breakfast and small meetings. The main dining room is slightly more impressive.

  I looked at Alex, smiled, then leaned back in my chair. There were so many thoughts in my mind, but damn it all if the only thing I could focus on was Alex, especially when he was smiling at me. I slipped my foot out of my flip-flop and ran it down the side of his leg. He couldn’t help but giggle and I laughed.

  “You’re bad, Layton Shayne,” Alex said.

  “I can be… sometimes.” My attention turned to the scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast on my plate.

  “Have we figured out why the big boss is coming to bring us the blue cure and not just sending someone else?” Alex said.

  “Nope. Maybe she wants to bring us a house warming gift.” I grinned and made a funny face. “She’s got something to talk about and feels the need to say whatever it is in person.”

  “Meaning it must be something big.”

  “Probably, but we’ll know what it is when she wants us to know and not any sooner. The wood floors in here are nice.”

  “When I checked us into the inn I was given a tour of this room and the main dining room,” Alex said. “I was told the wood floors are original.” He saw me looking at the pastel floral curtains and chuckled. “Those are not original.”

  We walked outside after we finished breakfast and I sat in the nearest available rocking chair on the porch. Alex sat in the one next to mine. As I rocked, I let my hand brush against Alex’s. There were several other guests sitting in rockers and they were all listening to someone singing while a street musician played a rickety guitar. The black woman singing had on a long-sleeved blouse, colorful vest, and an ankle-length skirt made out of what looked like patchwork fabric. She wore a wide glittery head scarf which held back her long dreadlocks. Oversize shiny gold sunglasses hid her face. The woman’s dark skin was dusty as if she’d been walking around a while. I leaned back, closed my eyes, and paid her no mind until it sounded like she was singing right below me.

  “Oh, I got the blues.

  Yes since my white boy stuffed his belly full of crispy bacon

  “And didn’t bring momma none

  I got the blues”

  Shit, she’d done it to me again—the mistress of disguise… Miss Lucy. I opened my eyes just a little, glanced down, and saw her clean wedge shoes. When I tried to close my eyes again, she sang at me.

  “My boy’s actin’ like he don’t know me

  and hurtin’ me real bad

  “He needs to get on outta that chair

  and bring me and Vargas here some bacon

  real fast.”

  Damn right I had to get it real fast before her singing made me rip my ears off. I went back inside, handed one of the workers some cash, and he brought me a takeout container filled with bacon. On my way out I walked past Melinda who gave me a hard stare. Her eyes were still on me as Alex, Miss Lucy, Vargas, and I walked across the parking lot toward the grass. Miss Lucy patted my head when I handed her the takeout container.

  “Nice disguise,” I whispered in her ear. “The singing—not so great.”

  “The Good Book just talks about making a joyful noise,” Vargas said. His hair was in dreadlocks too but it was blond. He was also lightly tan, and too healthy-looking and well-built to be a street musician like I’d originally thought.

  “So Miss Lucy was singing to Heaven asking for bacon, huh,” I said.

  Everyone laughed.

  “It worked, didn’t it?” Miss Lucy said. “That’s all that matters. And who knows, maybe my boy would’ve brought me some bacon on his own if he’d known I was waiting outside for him.” She put her arm around my shoulder. That’s when I noticed she was limping a little and using Vargas and me for support.

  “Heck, he may have invited you to join us inside,” Alex said. “Maybe.”

  “Well, look who has gotten all sassy nowadays,” Miss Lucy said. “And there my cousin in Shelby was telling me on the phone just last night how much she missed her sweet baby boy Alex. But, that’s neither here nor there. Let’s get our butts over to that table under the tree where my cards are waiting.” She pointed to a table in the park-like setting past the pool and street.

  “The cards?” I said. “What’s the occasion?”

  “The boss told me to bring them today,” Miss Lucy said.

  “Why?” I said.

  “You don’t need to be asking why when it come to the cards, boy,” Miss Lucy said.

  “She doesn’t know why herself,” Vargas said.

  “Don’t go telling my business, preacher man,” Miss Lucy said.

  “I’m a Jesuit brother, not a preacher,” Vargas said.

  “Say, what?” I said, genuinely shocked.

  “That bacon sure does smell good,” Vargas said.

  “If it smells so good then why are we moving our asses so slow,” Miss Lucy said, then limped quickly to the tree, where a boy was watching over a picnic table and benches. There was a colorful fabric over the table and Miss Lucy’s cards were spread out on it, faces down, and in rows.

  “I watched over the cards like you told me to,” the skinny boy with short black hair said. He looked about eight and was dressed in denim shorts, a short-sleeved shirt, and sneakers.

  “Good,” Miss Lucy said, then reached into her vest pocket, took out her change purse, removed a five dollar bill from it and handed it to the boy. “Now get outta here and buy yourself an ice cream.”

  “Hey, I smell bacon,” the boy said.

  “Don’t even look at my bacon, boy,” Miss Lucy said. “Do as I said and get on outta here.”

  “Yes, Ma’am,” the boy said, then waved good-bye to all of us and ran up toward the main building.

  “Don’t worry, Norris Porter’s mother is waiting for him up there,” Vargas said to me and Alex.

  I watched Norris make his way to his mother who was keeping a close eye on her son and us. It wouldn’t do to get on her bad side. Something about her—probably the stern-looking way she stood with her arms crossed, told me she was not somebody who would put up with much from anyone.

  Miss Lucy sat on the bench in front of her cards, opened the container of bacon and put it on the table. “Help yourself, Vargas, just make sure to leave a couple slices for the boy—the one who just left.” She looked at me. “Not you, boy.”

  Vargas sat next to Miss Lucy, closed his eyes as if in prayer, then ate a piece of bacon.

  “Since when do you work with a partner… or two?” I said, then sat down across from Miss Lucy. Alex sat next to me.

  “That’s what I’d like to know myself,” Miss Lucy said. “I can’t say I’ve been enjoying myself too much lately since I just recently came back from retraining that damn fool Buck. Why the hell do you think I’m limping?”

  “I have no idea,” I said.

  “Because of working with that numbskull and his cohorts!” Miss Lucy said. “I was lucky to have survived it.”

  “Buck didn’t mention any major problems when he told us he’d passed the retraining session with you and was working with Sassy and her Dad,” Alex said.

  “Well, Buck’s not the one who got his toe run over by an electric car, either,” Miss Lucy said. “And let me tell you about my good friend Sassy….” She stopped when Vargas handed her a piece of bacon.

  I watched her savor the bacon, then turned my attention to Vargas. “Why are you here, Mr…?”

  “I usually go by Brother Thomas. Vargas is my family name.”

  When I looked closely at his face, I noticed he was younger than I’d thought. The dirt that had been artfully applied to his face had made him look older. He was definitely under thirty. He smiled when he caught me looking at him and his hazel eyes shone. His eyebrows were black which meant his dreads were probably a wig.

  “You’ll have to excuse my appearance, Mr. Shayne, I’m in disguise,” Vargas said.

  “I go by Layton and this is Alex.” I nodded to Alex. “What’s a holy man doing with Miss Lucy… not that she doesn’t need one by her at times?” I chuckled.

  “Oh, aren’t you the funny one,” Miss Lucy said, then took another piece of bacon and popped it in her mouth.

  “I’m here on a joint assignment for the organization and for my church,” Vargas said. “A secret one, I’m afraid.”

  “That’s OK,” Alex said. “We won’t tell anyone.”

  Vargas chuckled. “No, you won’t.” He took a piece of bacon and ate some of it.

  “There’s no getting anything out of him,” Miss Lucy said. “And Leticia says we’re not to try.”

  “Understood,” I said.

  “See, now that’s why I like working with military men and not fools like you know who,” Miss Lucy said.

  “You knew General Keene,” I said to Miss Lucy, making an abrupt change of subject.

  “Not very well,” Miss Lucy said. “But before we go there, I’ve got something to ask you and I expect an answer, boy.”

  Chapter 18

  Triple Surprise

  “FIRE AWAY,” I said. “Ask your question, Miss Lucy.”

  “You got somethin’ against black folks? What is it about this Carson Court place?” Miss Lucy said. “General Keene never invited me to visit those hallowed halls, then I hear Buck and his new man, Sassy’s crazy ass brother, have an invite for dinner or whatever. So, what is it? No black folks allowed?”

  I laughed loudly. “Hell, Miss Lucy, there’s a black female writer in the guesthouse as we speak, and an older black woman who stops by all the time.”

  “And what?” Miss Lucy said. “Do I smell or something? Did my invite get lost in the mail?”

  “The older black woman and the former owner Mrs. Carson-Keene sent Layton homemade cookies when he was an active Marine,” Alex said.

  “I’ll be damned if I’m slaving in the kitchen to make the boy cookies,” Miss Lucy said. “I don’t have time to act like your momma and bake cookies, Layton Shayne.”

  That was it, thinking of Miss Lucy baking cracked me up and I laughed so hard I slapped the table with my hand. Everyone else looked at me and laughed as well. It took us a minute to stop.

  “As if you need an invitation to stop by Carson Court, Miss Lucy,” I said. “I didn’t think you needed my permission to do anything.”

  “I’m not the type to go barging into someone’s home or grand estate,” Miss Lucy said. “That General Keene always did keep an eye on you and his boys.”

  “Yeah,” I said.

  “And he was strange about who he had over to the court,” Alex said. “He believed people had their appointed time to visit and Layton had to be last so he could solve the court’s mysteries.”

  “I’m assuming you solved them and got the house,” Miss Lucy said.

  “I solved the mysteries, but Alex traded two homes he inherited for the place. One of his houses was in Hawaii and the other in Telluride,” I said.

  “You solved the mystery and still had to shell out something for the house, huh?” Miss Lucy said. “Ain’t that some shit.”

  “Things happened as they were supposed to,” I said. “And if I have to, I will send you and yours a formal, engraved invitation to the court when this is over.”

  “Why thank you, your lordship,” Miss Lucy said and we laughed.

  “Alex and I are going to be dads,” I said.

  “Congratulations,” Miss Lucy said.

  “Children can be a blessing,” Vargas said.

  “Telling people the news helps me keep in mind that it’s really happening,” I said.

  “Oh, you’ll know it’s real the first time you change a shitty diaper,” Miss Lucy said. “Those little blessings can smell to high Heaven.”

  “Hello, everyone.”

  Alex and I turned to see Leticia headed our way. Instead of being dressed in her usual black, she wore soft, wide legged, blue and white striped pants, and a white sleeveless top with a white, wide brimmed hat. Her streaked blonde hair was worn down and she wore sunglasses.

  “I barely recognized you, Brother Thomas,” Leticia said, then looked at Alex and me. “It’s nice to see the two of you. And I believe congratulations are in order regarding the new house and the little one on the way.”

  “Thanks,” Alex said.

  “Thank you,” I said. “Now that we’re all here, let’s get this party started.”

  “Brother Thomas, you’re not looking enough like yourself today,” Leticia said, then handed Vargas a container of wet wipes she took out of her large, white, canvas bag. “Clean yourself up and take off that wig. Layton will never be able to recognize you again, should he need to.”

  “And why would I need to?” I said.

  Leticia smiled toward me, then spoke while still standing. “Brother Thomas is here looking into something for us and the church. While I don’t expect him to have a problem, it would be nice to know you were on hand to help… should anything occur.”

 

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