Second Chances (20 page)

An uneventful and unenlightening flight had given way to a tropical island of white sand, turquoise water, and palm and coconut trees as pristine as any postcard, making him wonder how much of it was fake. Everything about Eidolon was calculated and fake, and he should know, as so was he. Takes one to know one, and all that jazz. But he hadn’t been able to crack the facade. He was outsmarted, outgunned, and any other out that was applicable. But if they thought he was going to give up, they obviously weren’t aware of that fifth grade incident with Mr. McKlusky, the bullfrog, and Lisa Smithers’s strawberry allergy.

At the end of the rickety wooden pier, Mindy waited, all happy cow eyes and uncomplicated smile, a warm breeze moving her flat brown hair like a flag. Flynn was instantly sweating in his stupid gray boiler suit, and the punishing sun just reminded him of how he hated the heat. Not that he was a fan of cold either; he seemed to like the middle, out of the extremes. Maybe that’s why his brief stays in Portland and Seattle were so enjoyable, in spite of the random crimes attached to them. “So where the hell have you people put me?” Flynn asked, determined to get some reaction out of her.

But Mindy just kept smiling, refusing to take this or any bait. Flynn was beginning to wonder if she was on 24/7 Prozac. “You have official quarters in the temporary building we’ve set up on the South beach, but I’ve been informed you may want to follow that path, straight as the crow flies.” She pointed towards a barely visible gap in a copse of trees, and he looked at her askance.

“Why?”

Her smile remained, unchanged. “You’ll see.”

“If this is another test, I’m breaking something,” he snapped, before heading into the trees. Eidolon and their damn stupid tests. He’d been told he couldn’t tell anyone of his training at Eidolon, but what was there to tell, and to whom? He still had no idea why he was with them, or what they thought they were doing. He didn’t belong with all their happy pod people college students; he felt like a cautionary tale in the flesh.
“Look what happens if you don’t be the best you can be, kids.”

He didn’t recognize most of the undergrowth, much of which was broken and storm tossed, enough that he could barely see a path at all. Eventually the path leveled out to a clearing, and what looked like a hut of some kind. Were they putting him in a hut? He was going to storm back to the plane and stay there then. No fucking way was he “roughing it” as some sort of Eidolon initiation. They could bite his rosy red ass.

Aiden thought he heard someone stomping through the bushes and wondered if it was Miles finally returning from… wherever he had been. Dante sat up, ears pricked and scented the air. His tongue came out along with a yelp and he took off towards the sound.

“Dante, come back!” Aiden stumbled off the uneven steps and ran after him to the other side of the small building.

Flynn broke through the tree stand to see a furry blur coming at him, and he was ready to punch it in the head, but then it barked, and he recognized it. “Dante?” Holy shit.

Dante jumped up and put his dirty paws on Flynn’s shirt, trying to reach and lick his face. Aiden reached out to grab him and pull him down, ready to apologize when he realized who stood before him.

“Flynn?”

“Aiden?” Was this a trick? Had to be. Those Eidolon bastards, pulling his strings. He didn’t know whether to be happy or furious.

“Oh God, it is you.” Aiden shoved Dante out of his way and threw his arms around Flynn’s neck, holding him tight. He didn’t really care if he choked the life out of him at that moment; he was just happy he was there.

“Are you okay?” Flynn asked, hugging him back. It felt good to feel him again, but there was that nagging voice in the back of his head, telling him this was just a reminder of Eidolon’s power over him. They had Aiden; they could take him away any time they wanted.

“Okay? Am I okay?” Aiden laughed sharply, a touch hysterical. He felt it bubble up and tried to suppress it. “How are you? Where have you been?”

“I -” How much could he say? Oh right – the test. Were they listening? He felt paranoid, and that pissed him off even more. “I’m fine. My life has been so fucking weird lately. What the fuck is this place?”

“Your life isn’t the only one.” Aiden glanced around at the trees and huts and shrugged. “Some island. I don’t really remember much… it hasn’t been a good past few days. I just know I agreed to come here because I’d be with you… but then they took you off somewhere else and wouldn’t tell me where you were or if you were even okay.” He reached up and touched a strand of Flynn’s hair, noting how it had grown and curled it around his finger. “You are okay, right? You’re sure?”

Flynn shrugged, aware he should be feeling something other than rage and fear. “As okay as a person can be who has no idea what’s going on. Captain Haircut – uh, this guy who works for Eidolon, told me this place is lot 242. We should probably come up with a better name. Any suggestions?”

“The Inferno feels appropriate. It’s hotter than hell and looks just like it. In fact, right before you showed up I was trying to figure out what level of hell this would be.”

“Is there one where corporate middle management kills you with paper cuts?”

“No. Dante didn’t really have that problem in his time.”

“Fine. Let’s just call this Craphole Island and be done with it.” Flynn ran a hand through Aiden’s hair. “Speaking of haircuts, where did you get yours?”

“I did it myself… a little while ago. I just couldn’t stand how hot it was. Like I said… not a good few days.” Aiden winced, nose wrinkling. “How bad is it? I just put it in a ponytail and cut it off.”

Flynn gave him a reassuring smile, smoothing down the hair on the back of Aiden’s head. “It’s cute. You can carry it off. On me, it’d make me look like an escaped mental patient. But then, I usually look that way.”

“No you don’t. But your hair
is
longer.”

Flynn felt his own head. He hadn’t been paying attention to his looks while trying in vain to figure out Eidolon. It didn’t help that plastic mirrors also kind of sucked. “I guess so. Now I have your haircut! Sorry, you can’t have it back.”

Aiden laughed softly. “It’s okay. Mine will grow again.” Dante had given up his barking and sat at their feet, panting. “I’m… really glad you’re back. I um… I brought some of your things.”

Flynn was torn. Part of him wanted to shake Aiden, tell him he was a tool of Eidolon and as trapped here as he was, maybe even more so. But he was glad to see him alive, relatively okay, and safe from Vale’s people. There was just no way to win here, was there? “I didn’t have much.”

“No, you didn’t. But I got some clothes, and the book that was on your table. The Proust.”

“Oh, that.”
Remembrance of Things Past
. Perhaps Aiden appreciated that joke. He was probably the only one who could. Flynn cupped his face, feeling the fine scuff of stubble on Aiden’s jawline. “I’m glad to see you again.” He then kissed him, wondering if this was a huge mistake.

Well, bigger than his usual mistake. Which was mountainous to begin with.

Aiden smiled into the kiss, tightening his hold on Flynn and returning it with a degree of forcefulness. He didn’t want to break the kiss to tell him how relieved he was, but he was sure his actions spoke volumes.

with mention of Carter (Gil) Gillespie and Aaron Lightfoot

___________________________________________________

Morning 26th January, Rapatoka Island

Miles got up as quietly as he could. His patient had been restless until midnight, muttering incomprehensible words every few minutes as if something was on her mind. In the end he’d given her something to help her sleep and tried to get some rest on a nearby hospital bed.

The sound of the seaplane’s engine had woken him. The other island was too far away to see details, but the plane had remained for some time before taking off again.
Who or what had it brought
, he wondered as he rubbed the back of his neck.

The smell of stale BO penetrated his morning fog.
Shit.
He’d been in the same clothes ever since leaving Haven Falls. Both he and them stank like billy-o.

A couple of spiders scurried away when he opened the door. The simple shower over a drain in the floor was primitive, but it would work. No classy marble and tile arrangement here, but at least it had hot and cold taps, so he shouldn’t complain.

After placing his filthy clothes on a chair in the corner where they’d stay more or less dry, he stepped under the warm spray. During the night, memories had played havoc with his mind again, preventing him from falling asleep. Funnily enough, now he was away from Mystery Island, visions of Darren had faded. Instead, an image of Gil, sprawled out naked on the bed had haunted his dreams.

Miles idly stroked his cock as the warm water trickled down his neck. At his age he wasn’t used to waking up with morning wood, so this morning’s boner had come as a surprise.

A noise at the door made him open his eyes.
Lucas.
The young man smiled when he realised Miles had noticed him.

Miles stared back, too stunned to move, his attention at first riveted by liquid brown eyes then drifting lower as, with a quick flurry of hands, the brightly patterned sulu the boy wore wrapped around his hips slipped to the floor.

A quick glimpse of a perfectly formed uncut cock was all Miles saw before the young man sank to his knees in front of him. Breathing became difficult as the boy gazed up at him through long black lashes, his pupils wide, then he licked his lips, seemingly appreciating Miles’ jutting cock, his own hand busy in his lap.

Lucas made a comment: quiet and soft. Whatever he said sounded gentle, almost submissive, and encouraging. A request maybe? Asking for permission?

Miles felt as if he’d been shot by a dart filled with curare. Couldn’t move. Couldn’t think.

A loud groan escaped when his cock was finally swallowed to the root. The boy’s mouth could barely cope with his width, but his tongue was working to make the best of it as he lapped and kept trying to keep the broad shaft in his mouth. All the time, he continued to look up at him, pleasure in his eyes.

“Fuck, no!” Miles shoved the boy backwards, staggering himself as his knees nearly gave way.

He turned the shower off and clutched his clothes in front of him.
Shit
. Now he was shaking like a leaf as he stared at the surprised boy. He managed to take one step, then another, eventually making it out the door and into the relative safety of the ward.

Lucas followed, not bothering to dress himself, just dragging the colourful skirt that passed for clothes on this island behind him. “Malahi nehu? Mi achine…moto luna” He sounded a bit…disappointed?

Miles collapsed on the bed and stared in horror as Caroline’s whole body shook with some emotion. Anger or laughter?

“What did he say?” The words came out an octave higher than usual.

Her shoulders kept shaking. “Do you really want to know?” It must have been laughter, as she wiped her eyes with the edge of the sheet.

“Yes, I do.” Miles draped his dirty T-shirt over his lap. Thankfully his erection had started to soften. Not that she wouldn’t have seen one and much more before. She was, after all, a nurse.

“He said he likes you, and that you have big balls.” She glanced at him appreciatively as if she agreed, then added softly, “And he wanted to know if you didn’t like men licking your cock.”

“Men?” Miles shuddered. In some places, the natives were definitely not accepting of gays; he might end up in that cooking pot, yet. The young man stood near the end of the bed, his tongue darting over his luscious bottom lip; his gaze flicking between him and Caroline. Nerves or anticipation? Miles groaned. The burnished bronze skin was unmarred by scars or tattoos, just sheer perfection. “He’s still a boy!”

Lucas flinched at Miles’ tone. He looked to Caroline in confusion and concern. “It’s alright Lucas,” she assured him. “Just get a towel and some clothes for Dr Sutherland, please.” This time she spoke English.

The boy refastened his sulu and ran out the door.

Miles glanced at Caroline, totally confused by the resignation and look of sadness on her face as she watched the young man disappear, presumably to carry out her instructions. “What was that all about?”

“I’m afraid my nephew spent some time at the resort when it was open and became used to the idea that some men there found him desirable.

A small gasp escaped Miles before he could stop himself. Desirable? That was the fucking understatement of the year.
Lucas was temptation personified.
“But I didn’t… I couldn’t… He’s just a boy, for Christ’s sake.”

“He’s sixteen.” Caroline added gently. “Although I admit he was younger when he started going over to the island, and …” She seemed to be searching for the right word. “Prostituting himself for all and sundry.” Her mouth turned up in distaste.

Miles tried to find words for a response, but they caught in his throat. The thought of that beautiful boy being used or even abused sickened him.
Why, then, was his body going hard again at the memory of having his cock in that glorious mouth?
It had taken all his willpower to break away when all he wanted to do was thread his fingers through the shaggy black hair and thrust into that warm moist heat. If he’d just been in there a few moments longer, he’d have come. No way could he have stopped himself. Lucas obviously had a lot of experience and / or natural talent. And here he was being horrified at the thought someone might use him for sex.
How hypocritical was that?
He really did need to check himself in with a shrink when he got out of here.
If he got out of here.