Chartreuse (24 page)

     “Sure, why not?”  Rowan followed along
behind the bubbly blonde as his dark eyes scanned the crowd.  For Chartreuse to
be such a tiny town, there sure were
a lot
of people.  He didn’t
recognize some of them.  Maybe this was one of those events that brought in
neighboring townsfolk.

     “Doctor Kelly! Hello!”

     Rowan turned his head to see Mrs.
Birmingham approaching him with FiFi in tow.  That poor dog.

     “Hello, Mrs. Birmingham,” He nodded to
her, reaching out to pat FiFi on the head.  “It’s nice to see you again.”

     “Oh, it is!” She beamed, her eyes
sparkling as she gazed at him.  “Are you enjoying the festival so far?”

     “I haven’t had much of a chance to check
it out just yet, but it seems really wonderful,” He replied as Jessica
reappeared with two hamburgers, fries, and drinks on a tray.  He saw the look
of disappointment on Mrs. Birmingham’s face and he had to wonder if the lady
was really that dense.  Didn’t she know he was with Kasen?  The rest of the
town definitely knew by now.

     “Well, I hope you have a lovely time,
Dear.  Jessica,” She lifted a trimmed eyebrow in Jessica’s direction before
turning and walking off.

     “Oooh,” Jessica giggled.  “I almost missed
the nasty glare she gave me,” She held out the drink carrier towards Rowan. 
“You like root beer floats, right?” She asked.  “Because this is basically the
best root beer you will ever taste in your life.”

     “Then I look forward to enjoying it,”
Rowan smiled broadly, helping her carry their food to a nearby picnic table as
a gentle breeze blew through.  He couldn’t wait for Spring. 

     As the minutes passed by and Rowan relaxed
in the quaint little setting of a town celebrating a new year together, he
couldn’t ignore the flutter of butterflies going insane within his abdomen.  He
couldn’t wait to see Kasen.  Life was good, and having that gorgeous boy in his
arms again would be the perfect ending to a semi-perfect day.  He couldn’t ask
for anything more.

     “So, like I was saying, I think I really
want to dye my hair blue,” Jessica’s ramblings brought him out of his thoughts
as he gazed at her, both eyebrows lifting on his forehead.  “I know what you’re
thinking,” She smiled. “But I think I’d look good with blue hair.”

     “I don’t doubt it,” Rowan chuckled
lightly.  “But-”

     He was cut off by the sharp gasps and
faint cries of surprise sounding from around them.  Both he and Jessica turned
their heads to see the crowd of townspeople parting like the Red Sea, and
Rowan’s heart hit the pit of his stomach as Kasen’s limp body hit the concrete.

Chapter Twenty Five

     He was to his feet in an instant, running
as fast as his legs would carry him before he finally made it to Kasen’s side. 
He was beaten-badly, and as soon as Rowan spotted the bright streak of blood on
his temple, something inside of him snapped.

     “Oh my god, Kasen!” Jessica cried as she
fell to her knees beside Rowan.  “What the hell happened?”

     Kasen rolled onto his back, groaning as he
gazed up at them.  There was already an angry bruise forming on his cheek and
his lip was cut.  His blue hues moved from Jessica to Rowan, and the fear in
his eyes was evident.

     “You need…to get out of here,” Kasen
struggled to say through rapid breaths.  “They’re…going to hurt you.”

     “Who, Baby?” Rowan asked as his voice
cracked.  He pulled Kasen into his arms, cradling him against his chest as he
glanced at Jessica.

     Kasen didn’t have to answer that though,
because the five burly men stepping into the clearing made it obvious what had
happened-and what was about to happen again.

     “We don’t want your kind here,” The first
man stated, spitting tobacco juice on the ground.  Rowan recognized him.  It
was the police officer that had responded on the night the clinic was
vandalized.  What in the hell?

     “Yeah.  We ain’t startin’ our new year
with the likes of you infecting our young,” A second man spoke.  His arm was in
a cast, and Rowan
definitely
knew who he was.  He was one of the
assholes waiting outside for Kasen on the night of the attack.  He’d gotten a
few good hits on him it seemed.

     “You’ve done turned my wife against us,
and I’m tired of it.”

     Jessica gasped, “Toby?  What the hell are
you doing?!  Did you do this to Kasen?”

     “You’re damn right I did,” Toby snarled. 
“We don’t have room for these queers in our town, Jess.  I sure don’t
appreciate this little fairy putting thoughts in your head and ruining our
marriage.”

     “He didn’t put
anything
in my
head,” Jessica all but growled as she pushed herself up from the ground. 
“You’re an abusive asshole and it was my choice to leave you.”

     More gasps sounded from the ever growing
crowd surrounding them, but Rowan was too busy focusing on Kasen.  He held him
tightly in his arms, shaking his head slowly, “I’m so sorry, Baby,” He
whispered in a voice full of remorse.  “I’m going to take you out of here, do
you understand?  I won’t let them hurt you anymore.”

     “No…” Kasen whispered as he lifted a
bruised hand to touch the side of Rowan’s face.  “This isn’t your fault, Ro. 
They were bound to catch up to me eventually,” He blinked back the tears trying
to form in his eyes.  “This is the price a person has to pay to prove they’re
not afraid to stand up for what they believe in.  I didn’t want us to hide from
the world….it’s okay.”

     “No, it’s not,” Rowan argued in a
trembling voice.  “It’s not okay, Kase.  None of this is okay.  Look at you…” 
He touched the spot just beneath the cut on Kasen’s lip, blinking back his own
tears.  “I’m so sorry.”

     “You make me sick,” The young police
officer grunted. 

     Rowan lifted his head, his hard gaze
settling on the smug officer’s face as he balled his hands into fists.  He was
ready to fight.  If this is what it all boiled down to; he would fight.  He
would not allow these lowlife pieces of scum to hurt Kasen ever again.  The
line between rational and irrational blurred as Rowan slowly released Kasen and
stood.  The worries of losing his job, or being kicked out of town were the
furthest thoughts from his mind as he took a step towards the group of men
gazing at him with hate in their eyes.  He was finished with their antics.  He
would happily take Kasen and leave this God forsaken hellhole…but not until he
beat each and every last one of them into a puddle of mush.

     “You make
me
sick.”

     Rowan turned his head to see Jessica
standing in front of the taller males.  It was like watching a Chihuahua take
on a pack of mastiffs, but he admired her courage.  She had her arms crossed
over her chest, her hard gaze moving from one man to the next as Toby’s upper
lip curled back.  She didn’t even pay him any mind as she took another step
closer.

     “Shame on all of you for what you’re
doing,” She said.  And she said it in a way that made Rowan believe she was
addressing the entire town.  Was she?  “These two men have done
nothing
to any of you, yet you still find a reason to harass them; to hurt them.  Look
at what you’ve done,” She glanced at Kasen on the ground over her shoulder,
sadness in her eyes.  She shook her head slowly,  “You have known him since he
was a baby, and you think it’s okay to treat him this way?”

     Rowan helped Kasen to his feet, sliding an
arm around his waist as he tried to steady him.  Kasen winced, grabbing his
side, “What is she doing?” He asked in a softer voice.  “Giving an Independence
Day speech?  It’s only New Year’s,” He joked lightly.

     “I don’t know…” Rowan admitted honestly as
he held him close.  “I should get you to the hospital though.  You have to get
checked out, Kase.”

     “Nah,” Kasen rolled his eyes, grinning in
spite of his injuries as he caught Rowan’s gaze.  “I’ve never looked hotter,
right?”

     Rowan couldn’t help the smile sliding
across his lips as he leaned in to press a kiss against Kasen’s temple.

     “And Rowan,” The sound of his name pulled
him out of his momentary Kasen-filled thoughts.  He brought his attention back
to reality as he noticed Jessica was looking at him.

     “Rowan has been fixing the ailments of
your animals for months.  Sometimes he even does it for free.  He doesn’t have
to do that, but he’s a good man.  He has a good heart,” She waggled a finger at
Toby as if he were a small child.  “And you have to be a dick to him.  It’s not
okay.”

     “It’s not,” Mrs. Birmingham chimed in from
the front of the crowd.  “I think Doctor Kelly is a mighty nice man.”

     “I do, too,” Jessica agreed with a firm
nod.  “He saved my Diana a while back, and I couldn’t afford to pay him,” She
blinked back the moisture forming in her eyes.  “But he did it anyway because
he’s a good man…and good men shouldn’t be put through this hell,” She
emphasized on the word as her eyes snapped back to Toby.  “Over who they choose
to care about.”

     “That’s touchin’ and all, but I’m tired of
listening to you,” The police officer snorted, causing his buddies to echo his
laughter as they moved forward.  It was only then that Rowan realized one of
them had a baseball bat. 

     “Get outta the way, Jessica,” Toby
ordered.  “They’re leaving Chartreuse whether they want to or not; whether you
want ‘em to or not.  In fact, you’re welcome to go with ‘em if you want to, you
good fer nothin’ little whore.”

     “Stay close to me,” Rowan said lowly as he
pulled Kasen into his chest.  He reached out to grab Jessica’s arm when a
sudden gunshot caused several people to shriek in terror.  Rowan found the
source of the gunshot fairly quickly as his eyes connected with the chief of
police’s.  Stepping forward, seemingly eyeing his pistol as he clicked his
tongue against the roof of his mouth, he sighed.

     “Now, boys,” He tsked.  “This ain’t no way
to be behaving during one of our town’s finest events, now is it?”

     Rowan was sure the look of confusion on
his face mirrored the one he saw on the faces of the men who’d attacked Kasen. 
The young officer, especially.

     “Dad, I-” The officer started.

     “I know what you’re gonna say, Glenn, and
you might as well shut your damn mouth right now, Boy,” The chief uttered in a
strained voice.  “I’ve been investigating these here ‘hate crimes’ goin’ on,
and I’m mighty disappointed that my own flesh and blood was involved.”

     “But, Dad, I-”

     “You shut your trap!” The chief shouted,
his eyes moving to his son’s.  The pain and disappointment was evident in his
gaze as he frowned.  “Your mama would not like the way you’ve turned out,
Glenn.  She’s probably rollin’ ‘round in her grave right about now, wondering
where we went wrong with you.”

     Well, that seemed to shut Glenn up.  His
face fell as he took a step back, dropping his gaze to the pavement.  Toby
stepped in front of him, scoffing.

    “Come on, Chief,” He threw a hand up into
the air.  “You’re really going to guilt trip your son over
them?
”

     “You might wanna shut your mouth while
you’re ahead,” Mister Perkins stated as he appeared by Chief Brook’s side. 
“Did you hit my girl?”

     The color drained from Toby’s face as his
gaze locked with Mister Perkins’.  The tension in the air grew heavier by the
second as everyone awaited his answer.

     “Well, did ya?” Mister Perkins repeated as
his eye twitched.

     Toby’s jaw went slack as he glanced from
Mister Perkins, to Chief Brooks, and then to Jessica.  He swallowed hard, his
Adam’s apple bobbing up and down quickly, before he turned and ran through the
crowd.  He shoved a few people out of his way, causing one man to drop his tray
of food.  Excited shouts lifted into the air as Mister Perkins grumbled.

     “That’s what I thought, you damn coward,”
He scowled.  “That’s all right, Chief.  We’ll deal with him later.”

     “You’re damn right we will,” Chief Brooks
placed his pistol back into its holster upon his hip as he eyed the four boys
left standing.  Their demeanor had changed quite a bit now that Toby was gone. 
It made Rowan wonder if Toby had been the ringleader.

     “What are we going to do with ‘em?” The
fire chief questioned as he appeared out of nowhere.  Sosa was walking by his
side, wagging his tail happily as he trotted towards Rowan.

     Rowan hesitantly reached down to pat the
dog on the head, still keeping a firm grip on Kasen as he watched the two older
men converse for a moment.  What in the hell had just happened?

     “I say we take ‘em out back and beat the
hell out of ‘em!” One man shouted.  Various hoots and hollers of agreement
echoed off the buildings and Rowan was taken aback by the townspeople’s
response.

     “I say we neuter them,” Natasha offered up
as she pushed her way through the crowd and grinned at Rowan.  “Doctor K’s
pretty great with that sort of thing.” 

     A few laughs made themselves known as
Rowan bit back a smile.  God, it was a mess.  Even Kasen was laughing in spite
of his injuries, though he clutched his side again as obvious pain registered
on his face.

     “We need to get you to the hospital,”
Rowan repeated as he hoisted Kasen further up in his arms.  “Something might be
broken.”

     “I’m okay,” Kasen insisted as he gazed
around.  It was almost as if he was seeing his town for the first time in his
life.  A good hundred or so people were staring back at them, and not a single
one of them possessed hate in their eyes like the four boys cowering together
just a few inches away from Jessica.  “I think I’m better than okay, actually.”

     Rowan understood, or at least he thought
he did.  An entire town had just stood up for them.  Jessica had risked her own
safety-her own reputation-to ensure nobody else got hurt.  She’d done it to
protect Kasen
and
Rowan.  She was fighting a fight she didn’t even have
to be a part of….and so was the rest of Chartreuse.  Rowan couldn’t believe
what his eyes were seeing.

     “I say we throw them in a jail for a few
days,” Mrs. Birmingham suggested as FiFi barked excitedly.  “Let them think
about the consequences of their
very
stupid actions.”

     As Chief Brooks pulled a pair of handcuffs
from his side, Rowan felt a soft kiss against his jaw.  He turned his head to
catch Kasen gazing at him.

     “What was that for?” He asked quietly,
searching those beautiful blue orbs that could only belong to the man he loved.

     “For everything,” Kasen nodded, the left
corner of his lips twitching upwards.  “For wanting to be my knight in shining
armor.  I’m sorry I always seem to be a damsel in distress.”

     “Baby, it’s not your fault if ugly dragons
rear their nasty heads in the most unsuspecting of places,” Rowan replied,
nuzzling his nose against Kasen’s hair.  “But I’ll always be here to fight for
you, even if it means I have to fight an entire village.”

     “You know…” Jessica stated as she popped
up in front of them.  “Something tells me this village is on your side.”

     “Yeah,” Rowan nodded, watching as Chief
Brooks and a few of his officers began to take their assailants into
custody-including Glenn Brooks.  “I think you’re right about that.”