Fated (29 page)

S
OMETIME
DURING
the night, Hart woke up and went in search of blankets. He wrapped Isaac up and drew the mosquito net around him. Sleep would elude Hart now, but at least he’d gotten some rest. He didn’t want to leave Isaac out here by himself, so he grabbed a throw from the couch with a few cushions and settled on the bench at the other end of the deck, a cup of coffee and the laptop keeping him company. He started by making notes comparing his father’s findings about the suspicious deaths with his own. When he read over his father’s letter for the third time, he wished more than ever for a last chance to talk to him. How had a rational man, no matter how eccentric his ideas, come to believe in a creature that could heal through some sort of inexplicable magic? Had it been born out of desperation when Hart’s mother had fallen ill? The Predator myth was an old one. His father’s research cited mentions going centuries back.

And all myths stem from truth, my dear boy
.

He sighed and lifted his head, waiting for his eyes to adjust back to darkness away from the screen. Isaac slept the sleep of the innocent, deep and unmoving. If he could manage it without disturbing Isaac, he would’ve climbed back into the hammock and held him close until the night was over. Weary, he turned his attention back to the computer and began an aimless search through his father’s files, but he couldn’t find the answers his father seemed to think were hidden there.

When dawn touched Shadow Mountain, he went inside, his limbs stiff from sitting still for so long. He contacted a few real estate companies, and checked his work e-mail. He finally got around to listening to the message dispatch had left. The plate belonged to a Conrad Willis, local, no criminal record. Hart put the phone aside and went back out to wake Isaac. Before he so much as touched the mosquito net, Isaac’s eyes opened.

His smile was sleepy-soft and stretched into a big yawn. “Hey.”

“Hey. How are you feeling?”

“Mmm good. I slept surprisingly well in this thing. How long have you been up?”

“I—” Hart faltered, and Isaac’s mouth turned down a bit at the corners, his dimples falling away. Instead of saying anything, he held the blankets up, and Hart crawled in beside him. The warmth enveloped him like a hug.

“Did you watch over me like some kind of guardian?” Isaac asked.

Hart blinked. Something snagged at the back of his mind, but it wouldn’t take hold, so he laughed a little self-consciously. “Something like that.” He put an arm around Isaac’s warm chest and drew him closer.

“Can I kiss you?” Isaac sounded strangely hesitant, so Hart lifted up a little to look at him.

“Yes, of course. You don’t have to ask.”

“I just—” Isaac bit his lip.

Hart gave him a long look, eyes traveling over the lines on Isaac’s forehead. “Out with it.”

“I didn’t know if yesterday was just… a thing. Emotions running high, you know? I didn’t want to assume….”

“Is that what you want? A one-night stand?”

“No!” Isaac blushed and lowered his voice. “No, that’s not what I want at all. You
know
that.”

Hart couldn’t hold back his smile, and he shifted, bringing his face very close to Isaac’s. “Are you wondering if I still respect you this morning?”

Isaac slapped his shoulder halfheartedly. “Shut up.”

“Hm.” He grazed his mouth over Isaac’s, catching the little sigh. “Gladly.” They kissed, a little carefully at first, testing how they fit together in fresh daylight. Hart had already shaved, so Isaac’s scruffy cheeks scraped his sensitive skin, but it felt good.

The kiss deepened until they were breathing each other’s air, and all Hart’s thoughts about plans for the day fled the scene. Isaac’s arms slid around his neck, pulling gently, so he rolled on top of him, making Isaac gasp.

“I love the way that feels.” Hart nosed along Isaac’s cheek, down to his ear, kissing the soft skin beneath the lobe. “You beneath me like this.”

Isaac spread his knees to make the fit even better, his hardness pressing into Hart’s hip. He didn’t say anything but kissed Isaac again, slipping a hand underneath his T-shirt, rubbing fingertips where the goldfish swam. The hairs under and around Isaac’s navel tickled his palm as he moved against the grain, up over Isaac’s chest to caress a nipple.

“Hm. I could stay here all day,” Isaac murmured. “Or longer.”

Hart agreed with him there. “I wouldn’t want to do this on my own deck where your mother could show up any moment.”

“Oh man, don’t bring up my mother now.” Isaac shuddered, and Hart pinched his nipple a little harder. He groaned. “Hnn, we could just move here instead. You can transfer to Brightly’s police force, and I could… I don’t know. Become a ranger. Guard the wildlife.”

Hart laughed against Isaac’s mouth, and for a moment he let the daydream sweep him away. Sharing this place with Isaac, returning late at night, not to an empty house but to Isaac on the couch, in his bed, in his everyday life with this at the end of it. He kissed Isaac again, sucking lightly on his bottom lip, then his tongue. And then his eyes flew open.

“Guard the wildlife. Guardian of the Mountain.
Shit
.” He sat up so fast the hammock swung precariously, and he overbalanced. Isaac made a grab for him, but it was too late. He landed hard on the floorboards, clutching a heap of blankets, his side and wrist stinging where he’d jarred them. Isaac leaped out of the hammock as Hart scrambled to his feet.

“Are you all right?” he asked, trying not to laugh.

He rolled his eyes. “I’m fine, but I need to make a call. Get yourself some coffee or grab a shower if you like. I won’t be long.” Isaac blinked at him, perplexed. “Sorry,” he offered, squeezing Isaac’s side. “Life with a cop, I’m afraid.” He waited until he heard Isaac take the stairs two at a time and then called Freddie.

“Morning, Lieutenant.”

“Hey, Freddie, sorry to call this early on a Saturday.”

“That’s all right. How did it go yesterday?”

It took Hart a second to realize what she meant. “The burial went fine, but that’s not why I’m calling. The first day you drove me around, you waved at a ranger. Who was he?”

“A ranger? Where?”

“On Main Street. Guy in a green uniform, was about to get into a blue Jeep.”

“Oh, that must’ve been Mauro. Mauro Gutierrez. Why? What’s up?”

Hart paused and listened, hearing the pipes work as Isaac showered. “Remember what my dad’s letter said? Guardian of the Mountain?” He heard Freddie gasp.

“You think he meant one of the rangers. Yes, we can talk to Mauro, but is Monday all right with you? I—” Hart heard another voice in the background, saying what sounded suspiciously like
come back to bed, baby
.

“Wait a second, is that President Wu’s voice?”

“I’ll text you Mauro’s number,” Freddie quickly said. “Set up a meeting.” She hung up, and he stared at his phone.
Well, damn
. Before the light had a chance to go out, a text message arrived, and Hart wondered if it would be a bad idea to call the guy at eight in the morning. On the other hand, it might work in his favor if he unsettled Ranger Mauro’s routine a bit. He dialed.

“Gutierrez.” The voice sounded gruff but alert.

“Is this Mauro Gutierrez?”

“Speaking.”

“This is Lieutenant Hart from the Riverside police.” Hart waited, and after a hesitation, Mauro answered steadily.

“Yes? How can I help you?”

“My partner and I have a few questions for you regarding a crime that took place on Shadow Mountain. When would be a good time to meet?”

Silence met Hart, and for a second he wondered if he’d made a mistake by giving the guy a heads-up. But then he heard the sound of a door closing and the ranger finally spoke.

“I’m just about to start a shift that’ll take all week, Lieutenant. I’m at a cabin off Shadow Pass until tomorrow morning, but after that I’ll be deep in the Mountain without much cell phone range. If you need to see me urgently, you’ll have to come up here today.” He paused again, the silence so pure Hart didn’t even hear him breathe. “Unless you require me to come to the station, in which case I can be there in a few hours.”

“No, that won’t be necessary,” Hart said, his shoulders relaxing slightly. “If you’ll give me the address, I’ll come up.”

“There is no address.” Mauro sounded amused. “There’s only one cabin off Shadow Pass this high up. Keep following it until you see my Jeep. It’s blue.” Mauro rattled off a license plate.

“I’ll be there in a few hours,” Hart said and hung up.

T
HE
KITCHEN
didn’t have much to offer apart from toast and coffee, but Isaac hardly seemed to mind. He sat on the counter kicking his legs, hair drying in tangles against his face while he drank scalding coffee even Hart had trouble stomaching.

“So, what are your plans for today? Can I help?”

Hart set his mug down in the sink and walked over, putting his hands on either side of Isaac’s hips. Isaac was slightly taller than him like this, and he bent his head obligingly into a caffeine-flavored kiss.

“Actually, I have some work to do.”

“On a Saturday?”

“Bane of a cop’s life, remember?” Hart said ruefully. “I need to meet with a ranger, and he’s only available today. He’s up on Shadow Mountain, and—”

“Oh! Take me with you? I’ve never been up this side of that molehill. Please?” Before he could offer denial, Isaac pulled him in close, resting his hands on the back of his neck, thumbs stroking the soft skin behind his ears. It sent a hot shiver down his spine. “I won’t be any trouble. I’ll even stay in the car during the interrogation if I have to.”

“It’s not an interrogation,” Hart said, feeling his resolve already wavering. “I just need to ask him some questions. Isaac… I can’t go into much detail. There’s some strange shit going on here.”

“Why not?” Isaac’s voice had dropped to a whisper, and when Hart frowned and touched the unhappy corner of Isaac’s mouth, Isaac clarified, “Why can’t you tell me? You know you can trust me.”

“I know that.” He rubbed his fingertip over Isaac’s bottom lip so lightly he knew it must’ve tickled, but Isaac didn’t pull away. “I can’t take the chance that telling you could put you in danger. Especially after what’s already happened here.”

“You’re in danger all the time,” Isaac said, sounding really unhappy about that.

“Not all the time, but it’s always possible, yes. I’m trained for this, and you’re not. And if you got hurt, I’d never forgive myself.”

“Do you think this ranger is dangerous?”

Hart considered that for a moment. “No. Only… if I’m right, he has information he won’t happily part with.”

“Then shouldn’t you go up there with backup?”

Hart flinched, thinking of how the captain, Miller, and Freddie would react when they learned he’d been to see Gutierrez by himself. “Yes, and that still doesn’t mean I’m taking you.”

“Please. I’ll stay in the car. Don’t expect me to let you go by yourself now. I understand you can’t confide in me, just don’t go alone.” Isaac didn’t give Hart the chance to answer—he just leaned forward and kissed him with a taste of the urgency from the day before. Isaac pulled away abruptly. “I want to get in the shower with you.”

Hart blinked at the sudden change of topic and opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Isaac hopped off the counter and tugged him along.

“Which way?” Isaac stood on the top step, and he looked down at Hart on the step below him.

“I’ve been using my childhood bedroom,” he said, and when Isaac smiled, he led the way. As soon as they stepped inside, Isaac laughed at the posters.

“Who are—”

“Doesn’t matter.” Hart growled and tugged Isaac into the bathroom, already shedding his clothes. The bandage on his wrist came away completely dry, and Hart figured he could leave the wound bare, just like the one on his side.

H
E
’
D
NEVER
bothered to shower with his few-and-far-between lovers in the past, but running soap-slick hands all over Isaac’s lightly freckled skin was a special treat all right. When Isaac turned his back and Hart kneaded the muscles of his shoulders, Isaac let go of a low groan, head lolling forward. The water rained down on his head, but he didn’t seem to care, and Hart slowed his movements, rolling the wiry muscle between his thumb and fingertips.

“Why are you so tense, angel?”

“Angel?” Isaac’s head snapped up, and he caught Hart’s eye over his shoulder. He felt his cheeks heat but held Isaac’s gaze, waiting for an answer. The stare faltered, and Isaac’s head dropped down again. Hart resumed his massage. “I guess that hammock was less comfortable than I thought.”

Hart ran his palms down Isaac’s back, took a step closer, and slid his hands around and over Isaac’s stomach. “You can sleep in a normal bed tonight.” He pressed a kiss to Isaac’s wet shoulder as he rubbed soap over the goldfish tattoo on Isaac’s hip.

“Your bed?”

“If you like.”

“I’d like,” Isaac said, turning around and slipping his hands around Hart’s neck. “I’d like a lot. Now can we finish what we started before you face-planted off the hammock?”

“We don’t really have time, angel.” He slid his hand between the two of them and took Isaac’s cock in a loose fist. Isaac gasped, his open mouth catching a spray of water. Hart kissed him, tasting the bitter tang of soap, coffee, and the brightness of Isaac underneath.

“Then you should… stop… now.”

“Should I?” He tightened his fist and brought his other hand down to roll Isaac’s balls between his fingers.

“Don’t you fucking dare stop. Oh God.”

Hart pressed underneath Isaac’s sack, rubbing the taint, and the weight of Isaac around his neck doubled as Isaac’s knees gave a little.

“Good?”

“Hnn.” Isaac mouthed Hart’s jaw, his ear, down his neck, and Hart suppressed the urge to give in to this, to grab Isaac’s hand and put it on his own erection. When Isaac set his teeth against his shoulder and began to thrust into his fist, he turned his face into the spray to distract himself. It wouldn’t be long now. Isaac’s cock went hard as steel under the soft skin enveloping it, and Hart wrapped an arm around Isaac’s waist to hold him steady. He ducked his head again and stared between them, at the lovely cockhead slipping in and out of his fist, going red, then dark with blood. A sharp sting of teeth on his shoulder came first, then Isaac’s knees locked, the lovely muscles of his backside clenching. He moaned, his cock twitched, and then he spilled hotly over Hart’s knuckles. Isaac hung on until the aftershocks subsided, and Hart gently washed him clean.