Page 63 of Flash and Bang
Jarrett noticed the hammer he held in a gloved hand. Special Agent Jennifer Long was following right behind him. “Is that the murder weapon?” Jarrett asked.
“It looks like it might be,” Meyers said. “Look here.” He pointed to what appeared to be dried blood on the flat round surface of the hammer’s head.
“She killed her own husband?” Snow asked.
“It appears so, if this is Greg Mason’s blood,” Meyers replied.
“But why?” Thayne asked.
“Maybe he stopped bein’ loyal to her father?” Jarrett ventured.
Thayne nodded. “Hell, anything is possible.”
“I’m gonna look around and see if I can find another picture of this Reverend James Elroy character,” Jarrett said.
“I’m going to go have Captain Brown put out an APB for Mary Mason and Reverend James Elroy.”
“And I’m gonna have Sarah see if she can get us a more recent photo of the good Reverend,” Thayne said, pulling out his phone as Snow walked out of the room.
“You might want to have her check records for Wichita Falls. We know they lived there at some time in the past,” Jarrett added.
“Yeah. I will,” Thayne said, giving Jarrett a smile.
Jarrett smiled back and began searching for additional photos of Mary’s father as Thayne made his call. They spent the rest of the day going through the house, bagging up all the evidence they could find for the FBI to take back with them to be analyzed. Hopefully, by morning they’d have some idea where Reverend James Elroy, Mary Mason, the Freedom Brigade, and the rest of the groups across the country were planning their next attack. The FBI promised to work on it all night and Snow suggested that Thayne and Jarrett go home and get some rest. Jarrett agreed. If the attacks were going to happen, they’d happen tomorrow night when thousands of people would be gathered for fireworks celebrations across the country. The militia had spent a lot of timeplanning all of this so it would only follow that they’d want to cause the biggest number of casualties they could.
All in all, it had been a successful day but he knew he wouldn’t sleep soundly until they had Reverend James, Mary Mason, and the rest of the conspirators across the nation under arrest. He and Thayne climbed into the Crown Victoria and then drove home, ready for what would hopefully be a huge arrest and a big adventure the next day. Snow had their cell numbers and promised them both that they’d get a call as soon as their cyber division had picked the computer apart and as soon as they knew anything.
****
Thayne tossed the car keys in the basket on a table inside the front door of his apartment as soon as they walked in. He shucked out of his suit jacket, still feeling his ribs protest. One look at Jarrett told him that his lover was as exhausted and sore as he was, if not even more. “I’ll order a pizza, Jarrett. That okay with you? What I really want is a salad but we’re out of lettuce, I just don’t feel like cooking and you have to eat if you’re gonna take pain pills. We skipped lunch again.”
Jarrett turned and walked over to him, reaching for him and drawing him close. “What makes you think I’m gonna take pain pills?” he asked against Thayne’s lips.
Thayne smirked at him as he wrapped his arms around his lover. “Because you’re hurting, Jarrett. You hide a lot from me but you can’t hide that and I don’t want you to.” He sighed deeply and reached up to Jarrett’s short white hair, gently running his fingers through it as he held him against his body with the other hand. “Stop hiding, Jarrett.” He pinned him with a serious gaze and leaned in, kissing Jarrett gently. When he pulled back, Jarrett’s expression was open and relaxed.
“I can’t hide from you, Thayne. The effort it takes is exhausting.”
“But you do it nonetheless.” He kissed him again. “You’re safe with me. Everything you think you need to hide… well, just… you’re safe with me.”
Jarrett frowned for a minute and then without a word, pulled Thayne even closer, answering with his lips. He kissed Thayne languidly, until Thayne was weak in the knees. He loved this man. He loved how strong Jarrett tried to be with him when Thayne knew he was hurting, both physically and emotionally. He’d seen the look in Jarrett’s eyes whenhe’d picked up the phone to call his father. He’d seen Jarrett’s face when he’d woken in the hospital from being pushed down the mountain. And he’d seen the look in his eyes when Jarrett had tried not to show how worried he was for Thayne’s safety. Thayne loved this man and he was pretty sure that Jarrett loved him too. That was not in Jarrett’s plans… Thayne didn’t even have to ask to know that, so they would have to continue the way they were until they both were ready to admit their feelings. For now, they had this and this would have to be enough.
“Let me order that pizza, Jarrett, because if I don’t do it now, we’re not going to eat. I’m going to take you into that bedroom and lose myself in you.”
“I could always lose myself in you,” Jarrett said with a chuckle.
Thayne barked a laugh and let Jarrett go. “I’ll order pizza. You take a shower. We should clean up while we can. God knows what’s gonna happen tomorrow.”
Jarrett sobered. “Yeah.” He stepped back and shucked his own suit jacket. He started to walk toward the bedroom but stopped and looked back at Thayne, hesitating for just a second. When he finally spoke, his ice-blue eyes were twinkling. “I need mushrooms.”
Thayne smiled. “Yeah. I got you.” He shook his head as Jarrett winked and disappeared into the bedroom.
****
Thayne was smiling as Jarrett backed him toward the large king-size bed in his bedroom. Jarrett wondered if Thayne realized how his bright blue eyes sparkled when he smiled like that. He really was a stunning man, two inches shorter than his own six foot four frame, Thayne was just as broad and just as cut as Jarrett was. He was in love with Thayne’s body. His long legs were dusted with the same black hair as he had on the top of his head, and though his torso was covered with scars the same as his was, Jarrett had never asked about each and every one. Thayne’s most obvious scar was the long white line that ran down the center of his chest. His sparse chest hair didn’t grow there anymore but Jarrett couldn’t care less.
He had a lot of his own scars, too many to count. The most prominent one was from a bullet he took in the neck when a drunken Frenchman had shot him in a fit of anger when Jarrett had gotten up to leave him after fucking him. Who knew a simple gay bar hookup would nearly end him. He’d vowednever to take anyone home after that. Until meeting Thayne, Jarrett had satisfied himself with backroom and bathroom encounters and left it at that. Coming home to a lover each night was different—a good different—because it felt a lot like a relationship, something Jarrett had never imagined he’d want, but something he had no desire to live without now.
He pushed Thayne back on the bed, following his naked body down and crawling until he was over him. His mouth was on Thayne’s in seconds, their bodies lined up, and their hard cocks perfectly positioned to grind against each other. If Jarrett had to choose one thing he loved about fucking his lover, it would be this. He adored the way they seemed to fit together. His heart sped up as Thayne circled his back with strong arms and groaned against his mouth, finding Jarrett’s tongue with his own and kissing him passionately. Thayne was every bit as good a lover as Jarrett had ever had, even the ones he’d wanted more than once. Adael had been one of those, but when he’d come to Jarrett down in San Diego and told him he’d fight for them to renew their relationship, Jarrett hadn’t even hesitated when he’d turned him down. The Israeli might be gorgeous and good in bed but he wasn’t Thayne. Jarrett didn’t think he’d ever find another man like Thayne and he didn’t want to.