asphaltcowgrrl (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
asphaltcowgrrl) wrote2017-04-16 09:18 am
asphaltcowgrrl) wrote2017-04-16 09:18 am
Entry tags:
Preying Eyes Chapter 8
Title: Preying Eyes Chapter 8
Fandom: Bueller?
Pairing: Adrien Lupei/Elliot Deacon
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 3,117
Summary: Adrien convinces Elliot to stay the night.
Author’s Note: Sorry this has taken me so long to finish. But… it’s done now, for better or for worse. Happy Easter if you celebrate. If not, enjoy your Sunday!
Continued from here.
He latched his blue eyes onto Elliot’s, watching. “So, I remember you saying something about not leaving me alone tonight?”
Elliot gave a nervous chuckle. “Well,” he coughed, “maybe I was being a bit presumptuous when I said that. What I meant was –”
“That you were going to stay with me and keep me safe?” Adrien lifted an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth turning up into a big grin. “I accept your generous offer of personal protection.”
Shaking his head, Elliot admitted defeat. “Is that what you really want? I mean, it doesn’t have to be me, I could always call the station, explain the situation and –”
“No,” Adrien reassured him. “I don’t want some random uniform sitting outside my house or driving by twice an hour. It’s much more enjoyable having someone I know and trust – someone like you – here with me.”
Glancing up at Adrien, Elliot relaxed. “I don’t have anything to sleep in.”
The grin broke into a full-blown Cheshire cat smile. “Who said you were going to need pajamas?”
**
Elliot kissed Adrien, a soft press of lips to lips. He slid his fingers up Adrien’s face until they cupped his cheeks. Adrien opened his mouth, welcoming Elliot to deepen the kiss, praying that this wasn’t the same mistake he’d made over and over with Jackson. Sighing into Adrien’s mouth, Elliot melted against his body. Yeah, he’s totally not Jackson.
God, it had been so long since he’d felt like this. Anxious, eager, even excited to be in Elliot’s presence. It made being away from home so much harder, but gave him a million reasons to come home as soon as he was able. Wrapping his arms around Elliot’s neck, Adrien pulled him as close as possible, bodies pressed together like two halves of the same whole. A soft sound escaped Elliot, desperate and enthusiastic, making Adrien’s heart flutter. Elliot’s fingers slipped away from Adrien’s face, falling to the waistband of Adrien’s jeans. Their tips toyed with the cotton of Adrien’s t-shirt.
Breaking the kiss, Elliot looked up into Adrien’s eyes. “Are you sure this is what you want?”
His tongue swept across his bottom lip. As much as getting into another relationship terrified him, he wanted this. Wanted Elliot. “Yes,” he said, brushing a hand across Elliot’s hair. “You have no idea how much I want you to stay. Need you to stay even.”
“I had to make sure,” he said, leaning in and placing a soft kiss on Adrien’s cheek. “You understand, right?”
Relief flooded trough Adrien. “Yes,” he said, thankful that Elliot wasn’t trying to back out. “But I’m crazy about you, El, you have to know that.”
A giant smile lit Elliot’s face. “I do know it, baby, and the feeling’s mutual.”
“Good,” Adrien grinned.
He led Elliot down the hall towards his bedroom, heart pounding in his chest. Jackson had been his only true boyfriend and they hadn’t been together in some time. Although he’d thought about dating sometimes, Adrien hadn’t really believed he’d ever feel comfortable enough with anyone to bring them home like this. Scared didn’t even begin to cover what he was feeling.
Elliot must’ve felt his unease. They entered the bedroom and Elliot closed the door quietly behind him. He took Adrien’s face in his hands again and kissed him, long and deep, before releasing his hold. “You can change your mind anytime.”
“What,” Adrien chuckled, his nerves evident in every word. “Now that I have you in my clutches? No way.”
“How did I live my life without you,” Elliot sighed, reaching for Adrien and pulling him into another kiss.
Adrien often asked himself the same thing, never getting much of an answer in return. He pulled at Elliot’s shirt, releasing it from his jeans. Sliding his hands under the button up, Adrien reveled in the feel of warm skin over hard muscle. Elliot wasn’t ripped, not like some of the musicians he’d toured with recently, but damn, he was fit. He felt a frantic, mewling sound rising in his throat and he pushed it down. Don’t scare him off yet, you idiot, he chastised himself. “I’m not sure,” he said, fingers tracing the lines of Elliot’s abs, “but we’re here, together, now, right? Let’s call it good.”
“I can live with that,” Elliot said, reaching for Adrien’s shirt.
Piece by piece, their clothes were discarded, creating a pile on the floor. Adrien lay back on the bed, head turned to the side. Elliot straddled his waist, face buried in the crook of Adrien’s neck. His fingers dug into Elliot’s back, going crazy from the touch of his body, the intensity of their kisses. Adrien wondered if he’d lose his mind the minute Elliot entered him and decided it was worth the risk.
Bodies crushed together, Elliot buried himself inside Adrien, eliciting a sharp cry of encouragement. Not that either of them needed any such thing, not after so long. It felt like he’d waited a millennium to even find Elliot, another before they’d first kissed. This, this was everything he needed in this moment. When they were together, there was no Jackson, no expectations or past failures. There sure as hell wasn’t any stalker.
Adrien tangled his fingers in Elliot’s hair, tugging and pulling. Elliot accepted the hint and thrust harder, chest sliding against Adrien’s, mouths clashing as they kissed. It was absolute heaven, more than he’d dreamed of having, more than he could have even hoped for between them. “Elliot,” Adrien gasped. “God, so close.”
“Yeah,” he growled, biting Adrien’s shoulder and causing the younger man to buck his hips upwards. “Just what I want to hear.”
Elliot bore down on Adrien, pumping into him with short, fast strokes. The tips of Adrien’s fingers gripped Elliot’s muscles tightly, there would be bruises later, but Adrien didn’t give a damn. He’d mark every inch of his man’s skin if he needed to, just to prove that Elliot was his.
“God,” he cried, his orgasm rushing through him, sending hot spunk shooting between their bodies.
“Fuck,” Elliot agreed, muscles tightening as he came hard, filling Adrien with his orgasm.
“Yeah,” Adrien laughed, swiping a drop of sweat from the tip of Elliot’s nose. “That.”
Laughing, Elliot kissed Adrien’s forehead and rolled off of him. “I’ll be right back.”
“Don’t be long,” Adrien teased, watching Elliot’s beautiful, naked body disappear into the bathroom. He stretched, feeling that familiar ache settle happily into his body. Damn, but he was going to be sore in the morning. Eh, it was more than worth it though. So worth it that he was already wondering if he could talk Elliot into trying it again. Soon. “I need someone to cuddle me to sleep now.”
Elliot stopped, halfway to the bathroom and grinned over his shoulder. “I think I might know of someone who can help you with that.”
**
Something stirred at the edge of his consciousness, ticking his brain into wakefulness. Blinking, Elliot looked around the room, momentarily not knowing where he was. A body shifted beside him, bringing the events of the evening into a clearer focus. Adrien, he thought. He’d fallen asleep in Adrien’s bed. A satisfied grin spread across his face at that. He rested his hand against the back of Adrien’s sleeping head, silky strands of dark hair caressing his fingers.
“Why am I awake,” he muttered in the darkness.
It wasn’t unusual for this to happen to him. Bits and pieces of a case would come together in ways that actually made sense while he slept. The trouble was keeping those pieces in place after he woke. Out of habit, he looked towards the nightstand expecting to see his ever present notebook. Remembering that he wasn’t at home, Elliot shook his head.
“Think,” he scolded himself.
He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, trying to calm his racing thoughts. The soft feel of Adrien’s hair helped to center him, shaking loose whatever had stirred his brain enough to wake him. His head shot up, ear tilted towards the door. Yeah, that was definitely something, but where was it coming from? Elliot reached for Adrien, prepared to wake him needlessly when a shrill sound blared in the room.
Adrien sat upright in bed, panicked. Elliot rested a hand on his shoulder, startling Adrien for a moment. “Shit,” he breathed, a hand pressed to his chest. “You scared me.”
“Sorry,” Elliot said, giving Adrien’s arm a squeeze. “What the hell is this racket?”
“My alarm,” Adrien said, reaching for his phone as it started ringing. “Someone – or something – passed through the perimeter alarms. Probably another damn deer, that’s what usually sets them off.”
Or maybe not. Nothing would make Elliot happier than to have local law enforcement arrive and take a wandering doe into custody for trespassing. But his instincts told him it was something else. Grabbing his pants off the floor, he pulled them on and reached for his gun.
Which was in a lockbox in his car. “Damnit,” he snarled.
Adrien put the phone down and looked at Elliot, concerned. “What’s the matter? The alarm company is calling the police. I asked them to manually disarm the alarm as well.”
“I am the police, Adrien,” he said, feeling stupid. “But my freaking gun is in my car.”
“It’s nothing,” Adrien assured him. “It never is. When I left Nashville, I made sure I went somewhere no one could find me. Despite all the incidents over the years, nothing has ever happened to me here.”
“Maybe not, but there is still a threat out there, waiting for an opportunity to find you vulnerable.” Elliot rubbed the back of his neck with a hand, getting an eyeful of Adrien’s naked body. You don’t get any more vulnerable than that. “I’d feel better if I could walk the grounds and make sure.”
Adrien gave him one of those sad, grateful smiles he was so good at. “I have a handgun you can use,” Adrien said, staring at his hands. “Kelley insisted I got it after the first scare. I don’t like it and I don’t carry it with me, but it is here in the house.”
“That’s probably the smartest place to keep it,” Elliot said, following Adrien into his large walk-in closet. “You have plenty of security on the road, but here at home, you need a little extra. Pray you don’t need it, but have it at hand if you ever do.”
Frowning, Adrien whirled through the combination on the gun safe and handed the gun and ammunition to Elliot. “I’ll be right back, I have to shut this alarm off before we both go deaf. The alarm company said they were going to do it but –”
“Wait,” Elliot said, grabbing hold of Adrien’s arm. “Wait. Let me get this loaded so I can go out first and make sure we don’t have a visitor in the house.”
“Okay,” Adrien said, watching Elliot load the gun.
“If this is your perimeter alarm, I’d hate to hear what your house alarm sounds like.” Elliot shook his head and glanced at the ceiling. “Damn.”
“I know,” Adrien agreed, jumping as a second, louder alarm sounded over the top of the first.
Elliot watched the color drain from Adrien’s face. “Shit, what’s that?”
“The house alarm,” Adrien said, eyes wide. “That deer? She just broke into the house.”
Fuck.
“Stay here,” Elliot said, as Adrien made his way towards his ringing phone. How he even heard it was a miracle. “Get dressed and lock yourself in the closet. Understand?”
“But…”
“But nothing,” Elliot said, staring hard at Adrien. “This might be nothing and I’ll feel stupid later, but I’d rather feel stupid later than hating myself for letting something happen to you. Now, get your clothes and get in the closet.”
“I will, I promise.” He grabbed his phone and looked for his pants. “I have to answer this though, it’s the alarm company.”
“Good,” Elliot said, understanding that backup was on the way. “Now hide your ass, please.”
Without waiting for a response, he exited the bedroom, closing the door behind him. The dual alarms were louder out here and it was beginning to give him a headache.
He held his borrowed gun at the ready, pointed towards the floor. Creeping down the hall, he checked left and right, looking for any moving shadows. Adrien had locked the kittens in their crates for the night, which helped a ton. The last thing he needed was to get startled by that little grey fluff monster and end up shooting one of his boyfriend’s pets.
Boyfriend? Shit, you just screwed him, Elliot. He’d better be your boyfriend.
Forcing all thoughts of anything but safety from his mind, Elliot entered the living room. The alarm finally shut off, leaving Elliot’s ears ringing in the silence. Spying the kittens’ crates, he knelt down and looked inside each. Both cats were crying from the noise.
“It’ll be okay,” he said, reaching in and scratching each under their chins. “That horrible noise is gone for now.”
Assured that the animals were okay, he rose to his feet and moved quietly towards the dining room. There was a large sliding glass door that let out onto the backyard. Most likely, that would be where the perp entered. As he got closer to the dining room, Elliot saw glass on the ground and a gaping hole in the slider. Lifting the gun into position, he cleared the dining room before entering the kitchen. No one.
“Shit,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. The son of a bitch had gotten away. Wait, no maybe he’d never come inside. A large rock with a note tied around it sat behind one of Adrien’s dining table chairs. It had been blocked from his view the first time he’d come by. He squatted to check it out when a pounding on the door scared him into standing upright.
“Tucker Police,” the voice shouted. “Open up.”
“Fuck me,” Elliot growled, heart thudding in his chest. Tucking the gun into the waistband of his jeans, he stormed over to the door, unlocked it and flung it open. “If there’d been someone in here, he’d have heard you and split, you idiot.”
The young officer blanched at Elliot’s harsh words. “I’m – I’m sorry,” he said. “But this is the first time any of us have ever responded to a call like this.”
Rolling his eyes, Elliot stepped back and allowed the officers in. “I can understand that, but don’t they teach you anything when you join the force here?” He looked towards the hallway and sighed. “The perp entered through the dining room. Do either of you have any experience in collecting evidence?”
The two young men looked at each other for a moment before nodding. “Yes, that is something that we know a lot about.”
He prayed it was true. “Good. Go start processing the area and I’ll be right back.”
“Okay, detective,” the younger of the two said.
Elliot attempted to rein in his frustration, but they were young and green. Heaven only knew that Tucker didn’t see much crime. What it did see was decidedly more clandestine than these kids were used to handling. He knew he should call Garces, if only to make sure this got handled properly but… was he really ready to bring Damon into this? He realized he was more worried about his relationship than the crime that had been committed and that bothered him. Deciding he’d go drag Adrien out of the closet first, he’d call Damon after.
Letting himself into the bedroom, he knocked on the closet door. “You can come out now, Adrien.”
The door creaked open and two blue eyes stared out at him. “Did you get him?”
Elliot shook his head. “There wasn’t anyone in the house but it’s apparent someone watches way too many old movies.”
“What do you mean,” Adrien asked, coming out of the closet and moving past Elliot.
Adrien had slipped back into those painted on jeans and it made his mouth water to see his ass move down the hallway. The soft grey t-shirt he’d obviously grabbed out of the closet gave him a down home look that was nearly impossible to resist. “Your alarm went off because someone threw a rock with a note tied to it through the glass door in your dining room.”
Adrien made a face and Elliot felt his heart skip a beat. “Why my glass door? That thing cost an arm and a leg and my mother will be heartbroken.”
“What?” Of all the reactions he thought Adrien would have, that wasn’t it.
Grimacing, he pointed at the shattered glass. “She ordered this glass from somewhere – I can’t even remember where right now – because it was supposed to be this new thing in design. It was hand blown or something bizarre like that. She loved it more than I did.”
“Can you replace it with something cheaper?” He felt like a fool for even suggesting it.
“Of course I can,” Adrien said, resting a hand on Elliot’s shoulder. “And I most likely will. I just feel bad.”
“Understandable,” Elliot said. “I checked on the fuzzy hellions, too. I think the alarm hurt their ears, but they seemed pretty calm, considering.”
Eyes wide, Adrien looked towards the living room. “Oh, the kittens! I forgot about them in all the commotion. I’m a bad kitty daddy.”
Elliot didn’t know what to say to that. “After seeing the belly on that grey one, I think you’re doing an excellent job caring for them.”
That did it, Adrien finally smiled. “Thanks,” he said. “They’ve been my companions on the road since I got freaked out in Denver. I wouldn’t forgive myself if someone came into my house and harmed them.”
“I know, it’s why I took a minute to make sure nothing had happened to them.” He wrapped Adrien in a hug, kissing his cheek before releasing him. “Now, I need to call my partner. I think he needs to know what’s going on here and with you. If anyone can find this asshole, it’s Damon.” Elliot reached for his phone and started dialing.
“Detective,” the young, blond officer said, coming out of the kitchen. “What are we supposed to do with the damn rock?”
“Leave it,” Elliot ordered, sliding his phone back into his pocket. “My partner is on his way. Keep bagging anything that you find, but leave the rock and it’s note for Garces, okay?”
The blond nodded and went back to work. It was going to be one long ass night.
Continues here.
Fandom: Bueller?
Pairing: Adrien Lupei/Elliot Deacon
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 3,117
Summary: Adrien convinces Elliot to stay the night.
Author’s Note: Sorry this has taken me so long to finish. But… it’s done now, for better or for worse. Happy Easter if you celebrate. If not, enjoy your Sunday!
Continued from here.
He latched his blue eyes onto Elliot’s, watching. “So, I remember you saying something about not leaving me alone tonight?”
Elliot gave a nervous chuckle. “Well,” he coughed, “maybe I was being a bit presumptuous when I said that. What I meant was –”
“That you were going to stay with me and keep me safe?” Adrien lifted an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth turning up into a big grin. “I accept your generous offer of personal protection.”
Shaking his head, Elliot admitted defeat. “Is that what you really want? I mean, it doesn’t have to be me, I could always call the station, explain the situation and –”
“No,” Adrien reassured him. “I don’t want some random uniform sitting outside my house or driving by twice an hour. It’s much more enjoyable having someone I know and trust – someone like you – here with me.”
Glancing up at Adrien, Elliot relaxed. “I don’t have anything to sleep in.”
The grin broke into a full-blown Cheshire cat smile. “Who said you were going to need pajamas?”
**
Elliot kissed Adrien, a soft press of lips to lips. He slid his fingers up Adrien’s face until they cupped his cheeks. Adrien opened his mouth, welcoming Elliot to deepen the kiss, praying that this wasn’t the same mistake he’d made over and over with Jackson. Sighing into Adrien’s mouth, Elliot melted against his body. Yeah, he’s totally not Jackson.
God, it had been so long since he’d felt like this. Anxious, eager, even excited to be in Elliot’s presence. It made being away from home so much harder, but gave him a million reasons to come home as soon as he was able. Wrapping his arms around Elliot’s neck, Adrien pulled him as close as possible, bodies pressed together like two halves of the same whole. A soft sound escaped Elliot, desperate and enthusiastic, making Adrien’s heart flutter. Elliot’s fingers slipped away from Adrien’s face, falling to the waistband of Adrien’s jeans. Their tips toyed with the cotton of Adrien’s t-shirt.
Breaking the kiss, Elliot looked up into Adrien’s eyes. “Are you sure this is what you want?”
His tongue swept across his bottom lip. As much as getting into another relationship terrified him, he wanted this. Wanted Elliot. “Yes,” he said, brushing a hand across Elliot’s hair. “You have no idea how much I want you to stay. Need you to stay even.”
“I had to make sure,” he said, leaning in and placing a soft kiss on Adrien’s cheek. “You understand, right?”
Relief flooded trough Adrien. “Yes,” he said, thankful that Elliot wasn’t trying to back out. “But I’m crazy about you, El, you have to know that.”
A giant smile lit Elliot’s face. “I do know it, baby, and the feeling’s mutual.”
“Good,” Adrien grinned.
He led Elliot down the hall towards his bedroom, heart pounding in his chest. Jackson had been his only true boyfriend and they hadn’t been together in some time. Although he’d thought about dating sometimes, Adrien hadn’t really believed he’d ever feel comfortable enough with anyone to bring them home like this. Scared didn’t even begin to cover what he was feeling.
Elliot must’ve felt his unease. They entered the bedroom and Elliot closed the door quietly behind him. He took Adrien’s face in his hands again and kissed him, long and deep, before releasing his hold. “You can change your mind anytime.”
“What,” Adrien chuckled, his nerves evident in every word. “Now that I have you in my clutches? No way.”
“How did I live my life without you,” Elliot sighed, reaching for Adrien and pulling him into another kiss.
Adrien often asked himself the same thing, never getting much of an answer in return. He pulled at Elliot’s shirt, releasing it from his jeans. Sliding his hands under the button up, Adrien reveled in the feel of warm skin over hard muscle. Elliot wasn’t ripped, not like some of the musicians he’d toured with recently, but damn, he was fit. He felt a frantic, mewling sound rising in his throat and he pushed it down. Don’t scare him off yet, you idiot, he chastised himself. “I’m not sure,” he said, fingers tracing the lines of Elliot’s abs, “but we’re here, together, now, right? Let’s call it good.”
“I can live with that,” Elliot said, reaching for Adrien’s shirt.
Piece by piece, their clothes were discarded, creating a pile on the floor. Adrien lay back on the bed, head turned to the side. Elliot straddled his waist, face buried in the crook of Adrien’s neck. His fingers dug into Elliot’s back, going crazy from the touch of his body, the intensity of their kisses. Adrien wondered if he’d lose his mind the minute Elliot entered him and decided it was worth the risk.
Bodies crushed together, Elliot buried himself inside Adrien, eliciting a sharp cry of encouragement. Not that either of them needed any such thing, not after so long. It felt like he’d waited a millennium to even find Elliot, another before they’d first kissed. This, this was everything he needed in this moment. When they were together, there was no Jackson, no expectations or past failures. There sure as hell wasn’t any stalker.
Adrien tangled his fingers in Elliot’s hair, tugging and pulling. Elliot accepted the hint and thrust harder, chest sliding against Adrien’s, mouths clashing as they kissed. It was absolute heaven, more than he’d dreamed of having, more than he could have even hoped for between them. “Elliot,” Adrien gasped. “God, so close.”
“Yeah,” he growled, biting Adrien’s shoulder and causing the younger man to buck his hips upwards. “Just what I want to hear.”
Elliot bore down on Adrien, pumping into him with short, fast strokes. The tips of Adrien’s fingers gripped Elliot’s muscles tightly, there would be bruises later, but Adrien didn’t give a damn. He’d mark every inch of his man’s skin if he needed to, just to prove that Elliot was his.
“God,” he cried, his orgasm rushing through him, sending hot spunk shooting between their bodies.
“Fuck,” Elliot agreed, muscles tightening as he came hard, filling Adrien with his orgasm.
“Yeah,” Adrien laughed, swiping a drop of sweat from the tip of Elliot’s nose. “That.”
Laughing, Elliot kissed Adrien’s forehead and rolled off of him. “I’ll be right back.”
“Don’t be long,” Adrien teased, watching Elliot’s beautiful, naked body disappear into the bathroom. He stretched, feeling that familiar ache settle happily into his body. Damn, but he was going to be sore in the morning. Eh, it was more than worth it though. So worth it that he was already wondering if he could talk Elliot into trying it again. Soon. “I need someone to cuddle me to sleep now.”
Elliot stopped, halfway to the bathroom and grinned over his shoulder. “I think I might know of someone who can help you with that.”
**
Something stirred at the edge of his consciousness, ticking his brain into wakefulness. Blinking, Elliot looked around the room, momentarily not knowing where he was. A body shifted beside him, bringing the events of the evening into a clearer focus. Adrien, he thought. He’d fallen asleep in Adrien’s bed. A satisfied grin spread across his face at that. He rested his hand against the back of Adrien’s sleeping head, silky strands of dark hair caressing his fingers.
“Why am I awake,” he muttered in the darkness.
It wasn’t unusual for this to happen to him. Bits and pieces of a case would come together in ways that actually made sense while he slept. The trouble was keeping those pieces in place after he woke. Out of habit, he looked towards the nightstand expecting to see his ever present notebook. Remembering that he wasn’t at home, Elliot shook his head.
“Think,” he scolded himself.
He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, trying to calm his racing thoughts. The soft feel of Adrien’s hair helped to center him, shaking loose whatever had stirred his brain enough to wake him. His head shot up, ear tilted towards the door. Yeah, that was definitely something, but where was it coming from? Elliot reached for Adrien, prepared to wake him needlessly when a shrill sound blared in the room.
Adrien sat upright in bed, panicked. Elliot rested a hand on his shoulder, startling Adrien for a moment. “Shit,” he breathed, a hand pressed to his chest. “You scared me.”
“Sorry,” Elliot said, giving Adrien’s arm a squeeze. “What the hell is this racket?”
“My alarm,” Adrien said, reaching for his phone as it started ringing. “Someone – or something – passed through the perimeter alarms. Probably another damn deer, that’s what usually sets them off.”
Or maybe not. Nothing would make Elliot happier than to have local law enforcement arrive and take a wandering doe into custody for trespassing. But his instincts told him it was something else. Grabbing his pants off the floor, he pulled them on and reached for his gun.
Which was in a lockbox in his car. “Damnit,” he snarled.
Adrien put the phone down and looked at Elliot, concerned. “What’s the matter? The alarm company is calling the police. I asked them to manually disarm the alarm as well.”
“I am the police, Adrien,” he said, feeling stupid. “But my freaking gun is in my car.”
“It’s nothing,” Adrien assured him. “It never is. When I left Nashville, I made sure I went somewhere no one could find me. Despite all the incidents over the years, nothing has ever happened to me here.”
“Maybe not, but there is still a threat out there, waiting for an opportunity to find you vulnerable.” Elliot rubbed the back of his neck with a hand, getting an eyeful of Adrien’s naked body. You don’t get any more vulnerable than that. “I’d feel better if I could walk the grounds and make sure.”
Adrien gave him one of those sad, grateful smiles he was so good at. “I have a handgun you can use,” Adrien said, staring at his hands. “Kelley insisted I got it after the first scare. I don’t like it and I don’t carry it with me, but it is here in the house.”
“That’s probably the smartest place to keep it,” Elliot said, following Adrien into his large walk-in closet. “You have plenty of security on the road, but here at home, you need a little extra. Pray you don’t need it, but have it at hand if you ever do.”
Frowning, Adrien whirled through the combination on the gun safe and handed the gun and ammunition to Elliot. “I’ll be right back, I have to shut this alarm off before we both go deaf. The alarm company said they were going to do it but –”
“Wait,” Elliot said, grabbing hold of Adrien’s arm. “Wait. Let me get this loaded so I can go out first and make sure we don’t have a visitor in the house.”
“Okay,” Adrien said, watching Elliot load the gun.
“If this is your perimeter alarm, I’d hate to hear what your house alarm sounds like.” Elliot shook his head and glanced at the ceiling. “Damn.”
“I know,” Adrien agreed, jumping as a second, louder alarm sounded over the top of the first.
Elliot watched the color drain from Adrien’s face. “Shit, what’s that?”
“The house alarm,” Adrien said, eyes wide. “That deer? She just broke into the house.”
Fuck.
“Stay here,” Elliot said, as Adrien made his way towards his ringing phone. How he even heard it was a miracle. “Get dressed and lock yourself in the closet. Understand?”
“But…”
“But nothing,” Elliot said, staring hard at Adrien. “This might be nothing and I’ll feel stupid later, but I’d rather feel stupid later than hating myself for letting something happen to you. Now, get your clothes and get in the closet.”
“I will, I promise.” He grabbed his phone and looked for his pants. “I have to answer this though, it’s the alarm company.”
“Good,” Elliot said, understanding that backup was on the way. “Now hide your ass, please.”
Without waiting for a response, he exited the bedroom, closing the door behind him. The dual alarms were louder out here and it was beginning to give him a headache.
He held his borrowed gun at the ready, pointed towards the floor. Creeping down the hall, he checked left and right, looking for any moving shadows. Adrien had locked the kittens in their crates for the night, which helped a ton. The last thing he needed was to get startled by that little grey fluff monster and end up shooting one of his boyfriend’s pets.
Boyfriend? Shit, you just screwed him, Elliot. He’d better be your boyfriend.
Forcing all thoughts of anything but safety from his mind, Elliot entered the living room. The alarm finally shut off, leaving Elliot’s ears ringing in the silence. Spying the kittens’ crates, he knelt down and looked inside each. Both cats were crying from the noise.
“It’ll be okay,” he said, reaching in and scratching each under their chins. “That horrible noise is gone for now.”
Assured that the animals were okay, he rose to his feet and moved quietly towards the dining room. There was a large sliding glass door that let out onto the backyard. Most likely, that would be where the perp entered. As he got closer to the dining room, Elliot saw glass on the ground and a gaping hole in the slider. Lifting the gun into position, he cleared the dining room before entering the kitchen. No one.
“Shit,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. The son of a bitch had gotten away. Wait, no maybe he’d never come inside. A large rock with a note tied around it sat behind one of Adrien’s dining table chairs. It had been blocked from his view the first time he’d come by. He squatted to check it out when a pounding on the door scared him into standing upright.
“Tucker Police,” the voice shouted. “Open up.”
“Fuck me,” Elliot growled, heart thudding in his chest. Tucking the gun into the waistband of his jeans, he stormed over to the door, unlocked it and flung it open. “If there’d been someone in here, he’d have heard you and split, you idiot.”
The young officer blanched at Elliot’s harsh words. “I’m – I’m sorry,” he said. “But this is the first time any of us have ever responded to a call like this.”
Rolling his eyes, Elliot stepped back and allowed the officers in. “I can understand that, but don’t they teach you anything when you join the force here?” He looked towards the hallway and sighed. “The perp entered through the dining room. Do either of you have any experience in collecting evidence?”
The two young men looked at each other for a moment before nodding. “Yes, that is something that we know a lot about.”
He prayed it was true. “Good. Go start processing the area and I’ll be right back.”
“Okay, detective,” the younger of the two said.
Elliot attempted to rein in his frustration, but they were young and green. Heaven only knew that Tucker didn’t see much crime. What it did see was decidedly more clandestine than these kids were used to handling. He knew he should call Garces, if only to make sure this got handled properly but… was he really ready to bring Damon into this? He realized he was more worried about his relationship than the crime that had been committed and that bothered him. Deciding he’d go drag Adrien out of the closet first, he’d call Damon after.
Letting himself into the bedroom, he knocked on the closet door. “You can come out now, Adrien.”
The door creaked open and two blue eyes stared out at him. “Did you get him?”
Elliot shook his head. “There wasn’t anyone in the house but it’s apparent someone watches way too many old movies.”
“What do you mean,” Adrien asked, coming out of the closet and moving past Elliot.
Adrien had slipped back into those painted on jeans and it made his mouth water to see his ass move down the hallway. The soft grey t-shirt he’d obviously grabbed out of the closet gave him a down home look that was nearly impossible to resist. “Your alarm went off because someone threw a rock with a note tied to it through the glass door in your dining room.”
Adrien made a face and Elliot felt his heart skip a beat. “Why my glass door? That thing cost an arm and a leg and my mother will be heartbroken.”
“What?” Of all the reactions he thought Adrien would have, that wasn’t it.
Grimacing, he pointed at the shattered glass. “She ordered this glass from somewhere – I can’t even remember where right now – because it was supposed to be this new thing in design. It was hand blown or something bizarre like that. She loved it more than I did.”
“Can you replace it with something cheaper?” He felt like a fool for even suggesting it.
“Of course I can,” Adrien said, resting a hand on Elliot’s shoulder. “And I most likely will. I just feel bad.”
“Understandable,” Elliot said. “I checked on the fuzzy hellions, too. I think the alarm hurt their ears, but they seemed pretty calm, considering.”
Eyes wide, Adrien looked towards the living room. “Oh, the kittens! I forgot about them in all the commotion. I’m a bad kitty daddy.”
Elliot didn’t know what to say to that. “After seeing the belly on that grey one, I think you’re doing an excellent job caring for them.”
That did it, Adrien finally smiled. “Thanks,” he said. “They’ve been my companions on the road since I got freaked out in Denver. I wouldn’t forgive myself if someone came into my house and harmed them.”
“I know, it’s why I took a minute to make sure nothing had happened to them.” He wrapped Adrien in a hug, kissing his cheek before releasing him. “Now, I need to call my partner. I think he needs to know what’s going on here and with you. If anyone can find this asshole, it’s Damon.” Elliot reached for his phone and started dialing.
“Detective,” the young, blond officer said, coming out of the kitchen. “What are we supposed to do with the damn rock?”
“Leave it,” Elliot ordered, sliding his phone back into his pocket. “My partner is on his way. Keep bagging anything that you find, but leave the rock and it’s note for Garces, okay?”
The blond nodded and went back to work. It was going to be one long ass night.
Continues here.
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I need to know what the note said.
At least, they got their thing on...lol
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All in due time, my dear!
Hee - yes, there is that. :D
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I know you are planning to be evil...lol
I take my porn where I can get it. ;)
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Well, duh... I have to get shit moving or this story won't ever end. Hahaha.
Heh. I know the feeling. Which is why I've suddenly put aside the mysteries and started reading so darn many romance novels lately. :D
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I'm so far behind, sorry, but YAY FOR YOU!
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Thanks! And I hope you like the next few chapters, too.
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And my vacation is only 10 days away!!!
I'm a bit excited.
Still - YAY YOU!
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WOOHOO! Going anywhere fun or staying and home and pretending that the world doesn't exist? And heck yeah, I'd be excited too!
Thanks! Finishing this one was harder than I thought it would be, considering I had been knocking the idea around for a couple years before I started writing it. YAY ME! :D
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But hopefully a lot of hanging out at the pool pretending reality doesn't exist.
You have done an excellent job with what I've read so far!
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Hah! My kind of day right there.
Thanks, I appreciate the encouragement. Starting new things with new characters is always stressful. :D