Page 43 of All Twisted Up
“I trust you, though, I’d prefer it if you’d let us do errands for you until this is all over. That includes groceries or whatever, but if you absolutely must take him somewhere, I trust you to be diligent about his protection. I just wanted you to know I wouldn’t have suggested this arrangement if I didn’t think you could handle it. I have faith in you.”
A warm feeling washed over me. The captain was a father figure to me, even though he wasn’t that much older than me. My own father had turned his back on me, so the praise really meant something. It meant a lot to all the guys, perhaps because he didn’t give it all that often. I wondered if he knew how we all felt about him. “Thanks, boss. That means a lot to me. See you later then.”
“Take care, Hampstead.”
The line went dead as the call disconnected and I stood up, tucking the phone back into my pocket. When I walked back into the living room, Joshua looked up from his book. The soft gray eyes that met mine gave me butterflies, but I pushed those unwelcome thoughts aside and flashed him a grin.
“I guess you’d better put on some workout clothes because we’re going to the gym.”
He grinned, jumping up from the couch, tossing his book on the table, and running over to me. I was surprised when he threw his arms around my middle.
“Thank you!”
I hugged him back, noting how good it felt to hold his smaller body against mine. He looked up at me and for just a second, his gaze dropped to my mouth, holding it just long enough to make me wonder where he wanted this to go. The spell was broken as he was the one to let go, stepping back.
“I’m so excited to get out of the house.” He flicked a glance over to the couch and Marvin. “That book is pretty boring.”
I chuckled, thankful for the change of topic as he headed down the hallway to the bedroom. I sat on the sofa next to Marvin, stroking his back and loving the feel of his silky hair. He opened big, green eyes and glanced up at me as he started to purr. “You like our houseguest,huh?”
He rolled over, exposing his white belly. I scratched it as he stretched his front paws over his head, contorting his round body so I could get full access to his fat underbelly. I had no idea how much Marvin weighed, but I hadn’t nicknamed him Garfield for nothing. He was a big tomcat, so large that the shelter in Houston had a hard time getting him adopted. My vet told me he was at least a year old when I’d taken him for his first check-up after bringing him home. He’d settled into our new digs in California nicely.
I glanced up when I heard Joshua coming back into the room. He was wearing a Laker’s basketball jersey and shorts. I glanced at the number eight on his chest and grinned.
“Kobe Bryant fan,huh?”
He glanced down and grabbed the hem of the jersey, holding it out on both sides to look at it. “Hell, yeah, I am.”
“You were just a kid when he retired ten years ago,” I said, standing.
“Yeah, but I’m a native Angelino, man. My grandfather was a rabid sports fan. I was raised on the Angels, the Dodgers, and the Lakers.” He grinned. “Sitting in the house with him to catch a game on TV are some of my best childhood memories.”
I nodded. It was a childhood love my dad and I had shared before he’d discovered I was gay. I forced the memories of thatday away, returning to the present. “For me, it was the Oakland A’s.”
“You’re from the Bay Area?”
I nodded. “I was born and raised in Silicon Valley.”
He whistled. “Nice area to be from.”
Shit. I hadn’t expected to get into personal territory with him. That wasn’t how this assignment was supposed to go. The captain was the only person who knew the whole story and I sure as hell didn’t want to elaborate about my past or tell him about my shitty family. If I’d told Joshua my father made millions by investing in tech early on, he’d only ask why I’d joined the military and then I’d have to open up. I wasn’t ready to open that lockbox, so I ignored his comment.
“Anyway…just gonna go change,” I muttered, hooking a thumb at the hallway.
“Sure.” He turned and walked into the kitchen as I made my escape.
In the bedroom, I was safe, away from his knowing gaze. I stripped out of my T-shirt, glimpsing the brand on my left shoulder in the bathroom mirror. It was reflected in the mirrored closet door behind me. I cringed, promising myself to replace those doors so I wouldn’t constantly be reminded of what had been done to me at the lowest point in my life. I quickly pulled on a sleeveless tee which would hide the mark on my shoulder blade, cursing the bastard who’d taken away my dignity for the thousandth time.
After pulling on shorts and running shoes, I grabbed a shaving kit big enough to store my gun, checked my appearance in the mirror one last time, and headed back to the living room. Joshua was sitting on the couch petting Marvin who was soakingup the attention. Two sweating bottles of Gatorade sat on the coffee table coasters and the minute I walked into the room, Joshua smiled. He stood up, grabbed the bottles, and joined me at the front door, holding a backpack.
“I packed a couple of towels for us. I hope you don’t mind that I took some Gatorade for us.” At my nod, he unzipped the backpack and shoved the bottles inside.
I smiled at him. “Thank you.” His gaze dropped to the shaving kit I was holding. I held it up. “I have to bring my weapon,” I explained, wishing I had enough space to hide a fully loaded TEC-9. “I don’t expect problems, but it never hurts to be cautious.”
His brows drew together. “Oh…yeah, well that makes sense.”
“Let’s go.” I picked up my gym bag—always at the ready near my front door—and locked up the house. I led him to the courtyard, keeping a close eye on our surroundings, just to make sure no one was lurking in the shadows near the buildings that circled the garden. A few of my neighbors were working in the communal vegetable patch. I was a little surprised because at this time of day, the sun was hot. Most everyone did their gardening in the morning before it got too uncomfortable. It was nearly two in the afternoon.
I led Joshua around the building to a back parking lot, walking toward my Jeep which sat in a back corner, completely covered with a white car cover. I relied on my senses, waiting for the sensation of eyes on us, and felt better when I didn’t perceive anything out of the ordinary. Thank God for Marine Corps training and experience out in the field.
