Herald the Night

Chapter Seventeen

Fear paralyzed Connor as he watched the video for a third time. Anger drove him into action as the comments on the recording started adding up. In the half hour since it had been originally broadcasted live on a burner YouTube channel, it had slowly gained traction and brought out the worst of people on the Internet. He’d already called the Metropolitan Police Department, Carl Moore at the Secret Service, Abriella, and Luke. After that, he managed to make it clear across town in half the time it would take someone abiding traffic laws.

He made it to the soccer field in time to see the motorcade of Secret Service cars peel out onto the road. There were lights flashing everywhere. Cops desperately worked to keep order. It was a tricky job he did not envy them for. Bypassing the law enforcement checkpoints and the officers directing people away from the parking lot, he flew down side streets and smaller roads until he could merge with the traffic three car lengths behind the black SUV he recognized as Secret Service issued. He blew through a traffic light just as it turned red in his desperation to keep the vehicle in sight.

The adrenaline kept him sharp, even as tears began burning in his eyes. He was so scared. So unbelievably scared. The memory of the video was burned into his mind. The sound of the gun on the recording had sucked him back in time and morphed into the memories of James Locke holding Theo at gunpoint. He pressed down on the accelerator a little harder as they neared the residential neighborhood. Thank God the agents were aware of the make and model of his truck, because he was driving like a madman and would have looked like a threat if they didn”t know.

His breathing grew faster as they pulled into their street. It was reassuring to find patrol cars and half a dozen agents already swarming the house. As much as his trust issues were a work in progress, there was strength in numbers. His tears overflowed as his truck screeched to a halt, shuddered, and died with one wheel up on the curb. He didn”t care. He had one goal and that was to get to Theo. Nothing else mattered outside of that.

He was out of the driver”s seat in seconds. He was beside the SUV in even less time. It took two agents to hold him back from the door. Every ounce of self control he possessed was channeled into showing restraint when all he wanted to do was tackle the men to the ground and get into the car so he could see for himself that his Theo was safe.

“Easy, O’Brien!” The taller of the two agents grabbed handfuls of Connor’s shirt and hauled him around the front of the car. “Just give me a Goddamn second!”

The fight bled out of him as a choked sob escaped his throat. The wild fear in his eyes must have been enough for the agent to understand how close he was to losing it completely. He directed Connor to the opposite side of the car and knocked twice on the window. The door lock disengaging filled him with another tidal wave of emotions and he sobbed again as it opened. The agent shoved him inside and slammed the door closed behind him.

“Oh my God, Connor!” Theo crawled across the seat and slammed into Connor so hard, his shoulder blades hit the window and the air rushed from his lungs.

“Baby, oh hell, thank God!” Connor hauled Theo into his arms and cinched them tight. They were a tangle of long limbs and stifled cries as Theo clambered into Connor’s lap and broke down. Connor held him even tighter as sobs wracked Theo’s body and seized his chest.

Flicking his gaze to the third row seating, Connor did a visual check on the kids and relaxed even more. They were both fine. Maybe not mentally or emotionally, but they were there and they were unharmed. His voice came out choked and shaky as he spoke.

“Y’all good, guys?”

“Y-yeah.” Toby nodded. He had his arms looped around his little sister and didn”t look like he was about to let go any time soon.

“M’okay,” Anna sniffled and burrowed into her brother’s side. “I wanna go inside.”

Connor shifted his attention to the front of the car and the stoic driver still sitting tense behind the steering wheel. “ETA on getting these guys inside?”

“Another fifteen. We’re doing a full security sweep of the interior.”

Theo’s sobbing became a softer hiccupping, but his body still trembled enough to have Connor alarmed. He”d likely be in a heightened state for a while over this. All of them would be. Just having Theo’s body in his arms was enough to ease the sharpest edges of his terror though. He was here. He was alive. And Connor was with him.

They didn”t speak. Words weren”t enough. Presence was the only thing they could manage, and the only thing they needed. Connor closed his eyes and inhaled Theo’s riotous curls, bringing the scent deep into his lungs to hold it there. Shampoo and deodorant. Sweat and fear. The aroma of Theo undercutting it all. The latter was burned into his core memories, never to be excised. Time froze and he wanted it to stay that way forever. With Theo’s weight on his lap, nothing else mattered.

The agent in the front seat turned around and cleared his throat. “We got the all-clear, but we”re initiating a forty-eight hour lockdown. No one in, no one out. Agents are going to hot rack in the garage. We’ll get you inside in five.”

Connor’s heart stopped in his chest, skipped a beat, and then hammered so hard, he could feel the pressure in his eardrums. No one in, no one out. The terror seized his lungs and flooded his system with another rush of adrenaline. Screw waiting. Screw leaving the ball in Theo’s court. Screw this tiptoe dance. He’d die if he had to spend another night without the reassuring beat of Theo’s heart close by.

“Teddy,” Connor whispered, beseeching, begging, desperate. “Please? I can’t do it. I can”t let you go. Not again. Not after this. I swear, baby… I swear I”m gonna do it all different. Just please, please let me come back. Please?!”

“Connie… Con…” Theo pulled back and brought his clammy cool palms to Connor’s cheeks. “Babe! Stop.”

He barely managed to temper his hysterics as fresh tears burgeoned in his eyes. “Please?”

“I was going to ask you to stay.” Theo pressed their foreheads together and let his hand slide to cradle the nape of Connor’s neck. “Just breathe. I”m right here. We’re here. And you aren”t going anywhere.”

A feeble giggle from the backseat stole their attention from one another. Glancing over Theo’s shoulder, Connor was met with two crooked smiles and two exaggerated eye rolls.

“Y’all are ridiculous.” Anna murmured through her grin, wiping her cheeks with her free hand.

“It”s about time,” Toby added with a little jerk of his chin. “I was getting tired of Theo’s moping.”

Theo laughed with a soft, breathless sound and awkwardly moved to disentangle his lanky frame from Connor”s. The tenuous return of emotions other than fear buoyed Connor’s spirits as he tried to rein in his lingering feelings. The extreme highs and plummeting lows of the last hour were like emotional whiplash. He had a strong feeling that he”d need more than a few days for everything to level out.

With well-practiced precision, the Secret Service agents ushered them from the car and into the house in tight formation. The street was still chaos all around and more than a few neighbors had gathered around to gawp at the spectacle. It wasn”t every day that numerous different law enforcement agencies swarmed the typically quiet residential neighborhood. He was relieved when they were finally inside and could lock the door behind them, shutting out the noise and activity.

The click of the lock and the beeping of the security system as Connor armed it had them all exhaling a collective sigh. They looked exhausted. He figured he looked about the same. The minutes stretched into moments as they stood awkwardly in the front hall absorbing everything that had happened up until this point.

“Okay… uh, I… I”ll figure out dinner and…” Theo rubbed at the center of his chest with a strain creeping in at the corners of his mouth and eyes.

“Actually, I reckon you might need a hot shower and some medicine. I”m fixing to start dinner and then we’ll watch a movie, eh?” Connor closed the distance and smoothed his hand in an upward sweep over Theo’s back. “Go. I”ll take care of the rascals.”

Theo’s eyes met his, the hazel coloring glittering under a layer of unshed tears. His color had gone greyish and Connor didn”t like the nearly translucent white line around his mouth. His pulse picked up again with worry and he kicked himself for not seeing the signs of an asthma attack earlier.

“Thank you,” Theo whispered, pressing his fingers to Connor’s chest.

“G’on, get.” Connor kissed Theo’s brow and turned him toward the bedroom. “I”ll set a kettle to boilin”.”

Gradually, although reluctant to move, everyone dispersed. Connor kept a keen ear to the sounds of the house, sounds that he hadn’t realized he missed so much. The shower turning on in the farthest bathroom. Anna’s music in her room. Toby”s heavy footfalls as he moved around in his room. The faint, barely there hum of a nebulizer. Connor’s lips twisted into a frown at the last sound. It was rare that Theo pulled out the machine for one of his breathing treatments. This attack must have been a bad one.

Alone with his thoughts in the kitchen, Connor searched through the cabinets and fridge until inspiration struck. A block of cheddar from the fridge, some milk, a box of elbow noodles, butter, flour, and a bunch of seasonings would become the perfect dinner. He set a pot of water to boil next to the kettle on the stove and pulled out his phone to touch base with everyone he had called in a panic earlier.

Luke, Abriella, and Carl were all understandably busy, but it was good to hear their voices as he moved through the kitchen with heart-mending familiarity. Their updates were vague and tense, but each conversation brought added relief to them all. Promises to get together soon and quiet reassurances that everyone was all right for now settled his heart rate into a calmer pulse. His own promise to keep a close eye on Theo carried the unspoken message that he was there with him and had no plans of leaving any time soon.

Twenty minutes later, with a baking dish of macaroni and cheese tucked in the oven, Connor cast his gaze over the kitchen and realized just how right Abriella and his mother had been all these years. Connor was a slob. It was no wonder Theo had been so frustrated with him these last few months. He removed his button-down shirt and got to work with the cleaning supplies from under the sink. Theo had never once nagged about the mess. He had a feeling that this was one thing they”d be covering in couples counseling, so he got a head start on putting in the extra effort.

Quiet footfalls pulled his attention from the counter he was scrubbing. Theo looked a thousand times better than he did earlier where he stood in the doorway, flushed from his shower with a halo of dark curls leaving wet patches on his t-shirt. A t-shirt that had once been Connor’s. The USMC shirt paired with baggy flannel pants stirred a smoldering heat low in Connor’s stomach as he marveled at the gorgeous, lanky body in front of him.

“Something smells good,” Theo murmured, stepping further into the kitchen. “And you”re cleaning…?”

“A-yup. Kinda realized I”m a bit of a mess, I reckon.” Connor turned his gaze back to the cleaning before his wild thoughts turned into visible evidence of his latent desire. “Kettle’s hot. Want me to pour you tea?”

“I can get it.” Theo sidestepped toward the oven and paused. Connor watched from the corner of his eye as Theo battled with his curiosity before pressing the light button and bending low to peek into the oven. He gasped softly and immediately stood upright. “You made mac and cheese?”

A grin blossomed over Connor’s face as he glanced sidelong toward Theo’s wide-eyed expression. “I did. Mama’s recipe. She taught me right, I just never put it to good use.”

“Stop, I”ve already cried enough.” Theo exhaled a quiet laugh as he invaded Connor’s space and opened the cabinet in front of them. “I”m really glad you”re here, Connie.”

Connor batted Theo’s hand away with a soft tch. His hands were jittery and shaky from the medications. Plus, Connor had an intense urge to take care of his man now that he had a second chance to do it right.

“I”m glad I”m here too, Teddy. Now sit your fine ass down. I”ll fix your tea.”

He turned toward the stove but was instantly blocked from moving by a firm hand to the chest. With a cleaning rag in one hand and an empty mug in the other, he was at Theo’s whim, and the man took full advantage of it. It was like being hit by a tsunami as their mouths crashed together. Theo’s hands were everywhere all at once. Under his shirt, scratching down his back, grasping at the short hair on the back of his head, grabbing a handful of his ass through his trousers. It was chaos and intensity and pure need that left Connor struggling to catch his breath once Theo stepped back.

“Yeah, really glad you”re here.” Theo wiped the back of his hand over his spit-slick lips. “I missed you.”

“Well, shit.” Connor shook his head with a low laugh. “Missed you too, baby.”

“Good. Yeah. Okay.” Theo also shook his head with a laugh. “Right, tea. And food. Sorry.”

“Ain”t nothin’ you need to apologize for. And just so you know,” Connor murmured, leaning close to lower his voice to a whisper. “We”re picking up where we left off with that kiss after dinner, y’hear me?”

Theo’s cheeks flushed brighter as his eyes crinkled with a smile. “I”m holding you to that, cowboy.”

“Save a horse…” Connor winked and returned to the stove to continue with his task. Theo’s laugh echoed off the tile for how unrestrained and glorious it was.

“You’re ridiculous,” he mumbled, pushing his hair back from his face to wrangle it into a messy bun. “I love you.”

“Love you too, baby.” Connor waved his rag toward the door. “Now get. You”re distracting me.”

His laugh followed him into the hall. It was so, so good to hear him laugh again. Somehow, the worst day had been salvaged into something good despite the chaos and fear and worry. Something that felt a lot like coming home.