Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
WYL
We returned the rental car to San Angelo.
And with fingers laced together, we headed for Kerrville.
“I don’t deserve you.” My grip on Rod’s hand tightened, needing contact with Rod to stay with me.
“Dusty’s betrayal years ago left a mark on my emotions like a Sterling brand on cattle.
I guess I never recovered. When he stood at our table in Kerrville, I experienced his betrayal all over again.
Especially when he spewed his hate at us. I’m sorry I ran.”
“My biggest fear is losing you,” Rod said. “And I need to do everything I can to assure you.”
“When I felt the bed dip, you pulled me into your arms and said I’ve got you, all my fears vanished. Thanks for coming after me and telling me you loved me. I needed to hear those words, especially after this day from hell.”
Rod pulled our joined hands to his lips and kissed mine.
“I remember someone else coming and getting his man and dragging him kicking and screaming back to the ranch.” Rod glanced at me.
“And for the record, you could have any man or woman you wanted. I’m not sure why you latched onto me, but I’m glad you did. ”
“Okay…so I don’t hold a patent on doing stupid stuff. But today, I figured out how much you mean to me.” I brought Rod’s hand to my lips and kissed each knuckle. “Thank you for being mine.”
“To quote my favorite Marine rancher, Boy howdy!”
* * *
At 11:00, we pulled into the curved driveway. The headlights lit the garage door as it rose. The spray-painted word FAGGOTS moved up with the garage door and disappeared.
“Oh, my God!” Rod pressed the remote, and the garage door closed again.
We both sat staring at the slur in disbelief. My stomach hurt, and my heart pounded. Guilt washed through me. I caused this, and Rod became a victim of my troubled past, returning to haunt us. “Rod, I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”
“What do you mean, your fault?” Rod punched my shoulder. “This is not your fault.”
I looked at Rod. “Dusty hates gays. And he knows your name. Finding your address online is easy. If it weren’t for me, this wouldn’t have happened.”
Rod grabbed my hand. “Do not take this burden on yourself. We’re soulmates, remember? When one of us loses his way, the other one finds him. We don’t do things apart anymore. Any troubles one faces, we face together. Got it?”
Rod made a point. Dusty's target now included both of us. I didn’t expect him to make good on the threats he made to Rod, at least not the same day. Vandalism is against the law, and this act pointed at the most logical lawbreaker, Dusty. “Yeah, babe,” I nodded.
A tap on the glass jerked our attention to the driver’s side window. Maybe the villains waited to ambush us. I glanced at the window on Rod’s side. A woman? Dusty's wife?
Rod rolled down the window. “Hi, Cindy.”
Oh yes…Cindy, the next-door neighbor Rod mentioned.
“I hoped you guys would come home. A couple of artists paid you a visit and sprayed an indication of their IQ on your garage door,” Cindy said. “They left in a big hurry.”
Rod glanced back at the crudely painted slur. “Did you or Randy get vehicle information or a description of the perps?”
“The kids alerted us, and we came out as the vandals ran back to their truck. I don’t think anyone but me and Randy
saw anything. They sped away before we realized what had happened.”
“Where are my manners?” Rod said. “Cindy, this is my partner, Wyl.”
I leaned forward. “Hi, Cindy. It’s good to meet you.”
“Same,” Cindy said. “I hope this guy is treating you well.” She thumbed toward Rod.
“He’s okay, I guess.” I grinned.
I waved my thumb toward the garage door. “Tell Randy we’ll take care of this artwork tomorrow.”
“Call us if you need help. Goodnight, you two.” Cindy turned to leave.
“Thanks, Cindy,” Rod said. “Goodnight.”
He let out a breath. “Well, this was the day from hell.” He pressed the remote to open the garage door again and pulled into the garage. “Remind me we do not go out to eat in this town.”
“I don’t want Dusty’s actions to force us into hiding.
” I grabbed Rod’s hand. “I’ve lived with this long enough.
I should have fought back years ago, and it’s about time I did.
My reputation goes pretty high up in the ranks of the Corps, so when I call my commander, Dusty will be in big trouble. He’ll regret messing with us.”
Rod laughed. “Whoa…monster appearing!”
“Your relationship with me is more important than anything.
Rod leaned over for a kiss. “Let’s go in. How about a martini? After this day, a drink would hit the spot.”
“I vote yes.” We got out of the truck and went inside.
Rod filled the shaker with ice and handed it to me. While I mixed the martinis, he carved two twists from a lemon and rubbed the rims of the martini glasses. I poured and handed Rod a glass.
“Deck?” He took the offered martini.
“You bet!” I grabbed my glass, and we went out and strolled to the deck rail.
A quick kiss later, Rod backed into my arms while we sipped our drinks.
In the cool, clear evening, the crickets provided star-gazing music.
I reflected on the day and the weeks leading up to this point.
Since the day we met, standing here together had been our destiny.
The road was bumpy sometimes, but how I felt about Rod meant a bright future.
* * *
The following day, we inspected the garage door in the daylight. Cindy popped out, coffee in hand. “Good morning, guys.”
“Mornin’, Cindy.” We spoke in unison.
“Did you call the sheriff?” She asked. “If you suspect someone, you should file a report. Property damage is property damage. No sense letting the asshole get away with it.”
Rod glanced at me. “I never thought about it, but she’s right. What do you think?”
I glanced at the garage door again and back at Rod. “It's not a bad idea. Dusty is a loose cannon. While the sheriff can’t do much without solid evidence, at least I need to report Dusty as a suspect.”
“We don’t have much crime in this neighborhood. It’s pretty quiet here. There is no through street, and this street is a dead end.” Cindy sipped her coffee. “Most crimes are committed by relatives with a grudge or so-called friends. You might get more traction than you think.”
After breakfast, we called the sheriff. Within 30 minutes, a deputy came and inspected the damage.
“Do you have any idea who might have done this?” He said.
“Yes. An old Marine buddy of mine threatened us while we ate lunch at Wild Grapevine yesterday,” I said. “We think he's the responsible party.”
The deputy pulled out a pad and pencil. “Can you give me his name?”
“Dusty Armitage,” I said. “He mentioned he lives in Bandera.”
The deputy nodded. “I’ll contact the Bandera County Sheriff. Since the crime occurred in Kerr County, but the suspect lives in Bandera County, we’ll work together. Do you want to file a restraining order against this…um…Dusty?”
I looked at Rod.
“That’s not a bad idea,” Rod said. “Now he knows where we live, so not much is stopping him from doing more damage.”
The deputy nodded. “You’ll file the restraining order at the county courthouse. After I enter this information into the system, I’ll notify you of the case number. You can use it to complete the paperwork.”
“Thanks, deputy,” I said. “We appreciate your help.”
The deputy put the notebook and pencil in his pocket and nodded. “You guys take care.” He strode to his cruiser and left.
I helped Rod clean the offending slur from the garage door. While we scrubbed, Rod asked, “Dusty’s comment about Italy taking care of you. Is it possible he alerted the gang in Italy?”
“At the time, the MPs considered it an effort by the guys who took me hostage to help them access the Italian government databases. Why?”
“The way he said it made it sound like he expected them to kill you or something. His utter hatred toward me at Wild Grapevine leads me to believe he may have attempted something before.”
Rod made a good point. I don’t think anyone checked into how those subversives found out about my computer programming skills. The Italian police captured the two remaining gang members. And after my shoulder healed, I was again transferred.
“Will you mention this to your commander when you call? If Dusty released sensitive information, it's some sort of armed services crime, right?”
I nodded. “Definitely.”
“Can Dusty be prosecuted for something from years ago?”
“I don’t know, but an investigation, plus a county sheriff asking questions, would take the wind out of his sails. When I speak to the commander, I’ll determine my options.”
“We have plenty of witnesses, including Wild Grapevine's wait staff and managers. In fact, before I left, the managers escorted Dusty and his wife out and asked them not to come back,” Rod said.
No wonder Dusty acted fast. He blamed us for being permanently kicked out of the restaurant. It’s a good thing we called the sheriff’s office. Dusty is more of a loose cannon than I realized.
We finished cleaning the garage door before retreating inside to relax.
The rest of the long weekend flew by. Trees hid the deck from neighbors, so I wrapped my arms around Rod as we stood on Saturday and Sunday mornings watching the sunrise.
When we put on a movie, he lays his head on my lap.
I loved running my fingers through his silky hair, enjoying the sensations flowing into my hands from him.
Fixing meals became a joint effort. For years, I avoided friendship, so I missed out on the back-and-forth banter we now found easy.
The teasing we shared gave my life a sense of completeness.
With our strong bond, I treasured every minute together.
Sex with him nourished my soul. I wondered how I survived without experiencing the pleasures he gave me.
As for the Dustys of the world, we would deal with them together, one asshole at a time.