Chapter Five
“And we’re just going to stay in the corpse pose a little longer,” Hope said, her voice soft and melodic.
“Feel your body where it connects with the mat. Let’s close our eyes and do a wellness scan.
Keep your inhales and exhales nice and natural.
If you find discomfort, try to direct your breath there to ease the tension.
This was a tough session, and you all did amazing.
Let’s do three deep cleansing breaths and start the scan. ”
Rueben’s legs still shook even after the extended cooldown session.
He’d pushed himself extra hard, leaning into every pose like his life depended on it.
Considering the rigorous sex he planned to have with Seth later, it just might.
There was no telling how long it would be before they could sneak off again, so he wanted to leave lasting impressions they could both enjoy.
Anticipation hummed through Rueben’s skin, canceling out the calming side effects he achieved through yoga.
His hands shook as he rolled his mat and tucked it away in his tote.
Rueben still had twelve hours until their rendezvous, and he’d be a hot mess if he didn’t get himself under control.
“You okay, Rue?” Keegan asked.
He offered his best assuring smile. “Just low blood sugar, I think.”
“You didn’t eat much at breakfast and were quieter than usual.”
“Are you calling me a big mouth?” Rueben teased.
Keegan rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Go ahead and deflect, but I know something is off.” He slung his tote over his shoulder. “Are you upset about seeing Burke at dinner with his ex last night?”
A correction rose swiftly to his tongue, but Rueben blocked it before it could roll off.
Seth didn’t meet Oliver for dinner. He’d come for the chance to see Rueben, and Oliver invited himself to sit down.
Rueben had leaped to a similar conclusion as Keegan’s until he’d studied Seth’s body language and Sven filled them in on the couple’s history.
Seth had stated unequivocally during their conversation that Rueben had nothing to worry about on that front, but he couldn’t stop viewing Oliver’s visits to Last Chance Creek as a double threat.
Maybe Seth didn’t have lingering feelings for his ex, but could the same thing be said for Oliver?
Rueben saw the way Oliver watched Seth when he went to the bar to talk to Kerry.
From his vantage point, he’d only seen the man’s profile, but the smile and softening around the eyes told Rueben everything he needed to know.
“It definitely put a damper on trivia night,” Rueben admitted. But the hours that followed afterward were incredible, and he was hours away from touching and tasting Seth again. There his hands went to shaking again.
Keegan slung an arm around his shoulders, and Rueben silently implored him not to offer trivial platitudes.
He wouldn’t meet someone better. Things didn’t have a way of working themselves out.
Rueben didn’t believe this was the universe’s way of saying he wasn’t meant to be with Seth.
He didn’t want to hear about shitty timing, and luckily, his friend didn’t say any of those things.
“Let’s hit the diner and drown our frustrations in carbohydrates. ”
Rueben chuckled. “I need to take a detour over to the wellness shop to restock my supplies for my second favorite way to relieve tension.” He leaned closer. “Zero calories, carbs, or guilt.”
Keegan blushed and dropped his arm. “I’ll chat with Hope while you shop.”
Even after nine months of therapy, Kee still repressed a majority of his natural instincts and urges.
Rueben looked forward to the day Keegan fully embraced everything beautiful about himself and would happily push him in Kerry Hart’s direction if it sped the process along.
Keegan wasn’t ready to date, and Kerry sounded allergic to the idea, but the attraction between them was off the charts.
Thinking of ways to help his friend got Rueben’s mind off his own problems and steadied his hands as he looked at the lubricants and massage oils for sale.
The shopping led to flashbacks of the previous weekend he’d spent with Seth and the many ways they’d shared their bodies.
A wave of heat and longing hit Rueben hard enough to make him stagger back a step.
Pull yourself together, Sanchez.
He grabbed two types of lubricants and a scented massage lotion.
Oils were too slick and messy for his taste.
Rueben glanced over at Keegan as the young lady at the register rang up his purchases.
His friend had stepped away from Hope to stare out the large window at the front of her studio.
Something was really off with Keegan’s body language, and Hope darted a concerned glance in Rueben’s direction.
“That’ll be twenty-nine ninety-seven,” the clerk said. “Cash or charge?”
Rueben kept his eyes on Keegan as he handed his debit card to her.
He had to look away to return his card to his wallet and stuff his purchases in his tote, but then he made a beeline for his friend.
Keegan was as still and stiff as a statue as he stared unblinkingly out the window.
Rueben eased up beside him and settled a hand on his friend’s shoulder.
Keegan’s muscles twitched under his fingers, but that was the only acknowledgment of Rueben’s touch or presence.
His mind had swept Kee someplace scary, judging by the looks of it.
Rueben scanned the sidewalk in front of the shop, looking for the cause.
He hadn’t seen this catatonic-like response from Keegan in six months or more.
“What’s wrong, Kee?” Rueben kept his voice soft and calm, trying to ease his friend out of his fugue.
Keegan blinked rapidly, then trembled like a frightened animal. He turned wide, wet eyes toward Rueben and reached out with both hands. A wave of helplessness buckled his knees as fat tears dripped down Keegan’s face.
“Sweetheart,” Hope said, stepping up to bracket Keegan’s other side. “What’s wrong?”
Keegan blinked a few more times, sending more tears streaking down his face. “I thought I saw him.”
“Who?” Reuben and Hope asked at the same time.
“Brother Cain.”
It took Rueben a minute to understand the reference to one of the Salvation Anew members.
Most of the cult had remained at the compound after Mick and Quinton Carson fled.
They’d been brainwashed to only do what they were told.
No one had given them permission to leave, so they’d stayed behind even when food became scarce.
Law enforcement interviewed those members thoroughly after their rescue and reunited them with their worried families.
That was when Seth and the feds learned that two high-ranking cult members, who went by Brother Cain and Brother Abel, had also fled in the days after Mick and Quinton left.
Keegan named Brother Cain his chief tormentor, and the potential sighting had triggered all his past trauma.
Rueben tensed and scanned the streets again, looking for a man with an overlong beard and an unkept appearance who dressed in simply constructed clothes, but no one fit the bill.
Then he realized the guys could’ve easily altered their appearance by shaving, styling their hair different, and wearing normal clothes. “Where, Kee?”
“Across the street.” He blinked and shook his head. “I don’t think it was really him. Something about the guy’s posture just reminded me of that bastard.” He shivered hard again.
“Do you need something warm to put on?” Hope asked.
Keegan shook his head and smiled pitifully at her.
“I’ll be fine, but thank you.” Then he turned his wounded eyes back to Rueben.
“The guy had white-blond hair like Cain and had a similar build. But he wore regular clothes and didn’t have a beard.
If I could’ve seen his eyes, I would’ve known for sure.
They’re the coldest blue you’ll ever see.
It’s like he’s dead inside. But this guy wore a ball cap low on his forehead. ”
Rueben shivered from the description, and fear for his friend gripped his heart. “Kee, do you think we should call Sheriff Burke?”
Keegan swiped the tears from his face. “There’s nothing to tell. I zoned out and didn’t even see where he went.” Embarrassment lingered in his expression before he averted his gaze.
Hope rubbed small circles on Keegan’s back. “Do you want me to get security camera footage? If mine didn’t pick him up, others along the street would have.”
Keegan shook his head. “No. I feel so silly. There’s no way Cain would risk coming back here.”
Rueben wasn’t nearly as certain, and law enforcement would definitely like to talk to anyone that remotely resembled either man. But he didn’t want to push the issue and make things worse for Keegan. They’d just need to be vigilant.
“Brendan taught me how to deal with triggers in therapy.” Keegan closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and exhaled slowly.
When he met Rueben’s gaze again, he looked calmer.
“I used to see them everywhere I looked, but I haven’t had one in a few months.
This just caught me off guard. Please don’t make a fuss. I’m okay.”
Rueben nodded, but he wasn’t taking chances. “Let’s head back to the ranch.” Keegan would feel safer there and could work through the aftereffects in private.
“What about getting something to eat?” Keegan frowned.
“We both know there are plenty of leftovers at the ranch. I call first dibs on the spaghetti and meatballs.”
Keegan smiled at that. “You’re going to turn into a meatball.” He reached for Rueben’s hand. “You’re not going to hover all day long, are you?”
Reuben snorted. “Of course not.”