Saving Alexander (16 page)

“Am I in heaven?” His voice was throaty from the tube they’d used in surgery. “With those eyes you sure belong there.”

Alex grinned at him, reaching a warm hand to hold Miles’s cold one. “No. You’re in the hospital. Sage is here, he just went to get coffee. I’m Alex.”

Miles tried to nod his head and winced in pain. “You’re Sage’s fellow,” he said.

A warm feeling spread from Alex’s head to his toes at the fact that Sage had told his godfather about him in some form or another. He smiled. “Well, perhaps not quite, but I wouldn’t mind being. You did a good job with him, Miles. He’s a wonderful man. You should be proud of him.”

Miles smiled as he closed his eyes. “He is at that. A good man.”

Alex heard a noise behind him as Sage came in bearing two cups of something steaming in polystyrene cups. He smiled widely, seeing Miles lying there with open eyes. He put the cups down on the side table and hurried over to his side.

“Miles. Jesus, you old bastard, you scared me to death. How do you feel?”

“Like I fell off a horse and got dragged down a hill feet first. What the hell happened to me?”

Sage sat down in the chair, taking Mile’s hands in his. “You had a confrontation with a car and the car won. The doctors say you’ll be fine. You just need a lot of rest and time to heal. I’ll be coming home to do that for you so don’t worry.”

Miles frowned, trying to sit up. He gave a gasp of pain. “Christ, I can hardly move. How fast was that bloody car going?”

Sage grinned. “Fast enough to break and arm, your leg in a couple of places, and to make sure you got that noggin of yours reconfigured. You’re now the proud owner of a couple of dents.”

Miles brow furrowed. “I don’t remember much.”

Sage frowned. “It’ll come back you in time. Anyway, the important thing is you’re okay. I really thought I might have lost you.” His voice broke slightly.

Miles reached out a hand to take his godson’s. “You don’t get rid of me that easily, son. I’m here for the long haul.”

Sage grinned, leaning forward to kiss his godfather’s forehead. Alex marvelled at the fact he could show emotion so easily and be so comfortable with it. He supposed the fact Sage was an actor helped as emotions were part of his trade. Alex had made it his life’s mission to suppress his.

Miles gestured toward Alex. “I’ve met your boyfriend. He seems a nice enough chap. You’ll want to hold onto him.”

Alex held his breath, wondering what Sage’s response would be.

“It’s a work in progress,” Sage said softly, looking at Alex. “But I have every intention of doing just that.”

Miles closed his eyes in fatigue and Sage pulled the blanket around him. “I don’t want you overdoing it. I need to get home and make sure everything’s all right and bring some clothes and stuff back for you. Tell me you’ll do as you’re told and you won’t go getting all macho with the nurses trying to get out of bed too soon. I’ll have a word with the doctors as well and find out how long you need to be here so I can get the time off to come home.”

Miles frowned. “Sage, you have a filming schedule to meet. You can’t be taking care of me.”

“The filming schedule can wait.” Sage’s face was unyielding. “You’re more important.”

Miles reached out, grabbing his hand. “Son, listen to me. This TV series is important to you. I’ll get Lanie to come in and look in on me. She’ll do it, I know.”

Sage looked at Miles quizzically. “Lanie? I thought the two of you couldn’t stand the sight of each other. Since when have you and Lanie been talking?”

Miles looked very uncomfortable. “We’ve sort of ironed out our differences and actually she’s quite a nice woman. We’ve had dinner together a couple of times…” His voice tailed as he saw Sage’s wide grin.

“I don’t believe it. You dog! Lanie is the woman you’ve been—”

“Sage, there’s someone else present. Don’t embarrass him.” Miles raised pleading eyes at the younger man who chuckled and shook his head.

“You mean embarrass
you
, you lecher. Fine. We’ll leave it there. But I still think I should be there—”

“Jesus! Do as you’re bloody told for once instead of giving me chapter and verse. Lanie can keep an eye on me. Alex, please tell your man that he has a career to think of and leaving it now won’t do him any good.”

He looked pleadingly at Alex, who didn’t quite know which side to take. He glanced at Sage, who was regarding him with an air of anticipation.

“Um, I suppose if you think that’s what should happen then Sage should listen to you. You know what’s best for you after all.”

Sage sighed and shook his head. “Betrayed by one of my own troops. I never thought I’d see the day.” But his voice was amused. He looked at Miles. “OK then. I’ll speak to Lanie when I get home and ask her to be your nurse.” He smiled nastily. “Though from what I’ve heard, you two might have done—”

“Sage!” Miles voice was a warning despite his weakened condition.

Sage laughed loudly. “Keep your pants on, old man.” He snorted in laughter, causing Miles to scowl. “I’ll be very genteel and the soul of discretion.”

He looked at Alex. “Do you want to come home with me, back to the cottage? Or do you have somewhere else you need to be?”

Alex looked at Sage sharply at his words but Sage’s face was simply enquiring. “I’ll come with you and give you a hand if you like. I’ve nothing else planned.”

Sage nodded. “Fine. Miles, remember what I said. Behave. I’ll be back later to see you.”

He made his way out into the corridor. Alex followed him as he once again ordered a taxi. The man must spend a fortune on taxis, he thought. Alex didn’t even know whether Sage owned a car. He smiled to himself.

It looked like he might get the time to find out, though, and perhaps find out more about the uber-sexy Christopher Sage, his very own dream come true.

* * *

Outside in the car park, DS Doyle’s face was dark and threatening as he spoke on his mobile. “Sir, I hear what you’re saying. But I assure you, my taking this case on is nothing personal.”

Detective Inspector Barry Fenwick’s voice was dry. “But this is a little out of your jurisdiction, isn’t it, Reg? I know you have permission from the Met to pursue this case and you know I’m in agreement with it, but why do you care about it so much?” His boss’s voice was quiet but Reg sensed the reprimand in it. His hackles rose.

“I know what everyone thinks, Barry. I’ve heard the water-cooler scuttlebutt. But I can assure you this has nothing to do with my son. I’m invested in this case because this is a young woman who was viciously attacked and a pensioner who got run down in a cowardly attack. The fact Christopher Sage is involved and he looks like my dead son has nothing to do with it, and I resent the implication.”

Reg’s son Luke had died at age thirty of leukaemia. Reg could not deny that the resemblance between Sage and Luke was substantial. Both also had the same spirit and tenacity too. He felt a little guilty disavowing it. He knew that it was in some part true but he wasn’t about to let his boss know that. He wanted this case.

He stalked the corridors, his feet making small slaps against the shiny linoleum as he did so. “Something very strange is going on here. This is not an isolated incident. And to be told I’m getting emotionally invested when I’m not is an insult. So just let me do my bloody job and find out what’s going on before something else happens. If you want me to pass this across to the team in London and butt out, I’ll do it gladly.”

He stood stock still, his frown receding as Barry spoke. He and Barry had a long-standing relationship—they’d come up through the police ranks together. There was no better man or friend than Barry Fenwick.

Barry sighed. “Reg, you know I think you’re one of the best policemen we have. I’m sorry if you feel that was a criticism. I just don’t want to see you get sidetracked.”

“There’ll be no detours, I assure you. I’ll stay on this one then and give you a briefing tomorrow when I’m back in the office. I’ll interview everyone again, get my team turning over every bloody stone. Something strange is going on here and it smells rancid. I’m on top of this one, you have my assurance on that one.”

Reg rang off and strode off to the hospital exit, ignoring the clamour of press and photographers as they surged toward him like a line of battle troops.

Chapter 16

It was close to nine A.M. when the taxi finally arrived at Sage’s home. The trip home had been a quiet one. Occasionally Sage had glanced over at Alex, smiling, reaching out and stroking Alex’s hand absentmindedly as he gazed out the window at the fields beyond. Sage had dozed on and off, his head nodding down in sleep. Alex watched in amusement as Sage’s curly head dropped then jerked awake again. As they reached the picturesque village of Finchingfield Alex could see why Sage liked it. But it was Sage’s cottage that took his breath away. It looked like something out of a fairy tale, all white walls and thatch, with a fairly overgrown garden filled with large trees. Alex heard the steady hum of bees as they busied themselves in the blossoms.

The taxi deposited them in front and Sage paid the driver, who drove off with a cheery wave. Sage unlocked the front door, heaving a sigh of relief as he walked into the cool, dark entrance hall that smelt of oranges.

He turned to Alex. “The kitchen’s through there if you want to put the kettle on.”

He waved vaguely to his left as he disappeared. Alex walked into a huge open-plan kitchen, kitted out with oak units and a huge centre island table with stools randomly placed around it. He found the kettle, filling it and switching it on, then hunted for coffee cups. As the kettle boiled he gazed out of the kitchen window onto a field, with stables about forty feet away. There was a sense of peace here that he’d never felt in London. Ten minutes later, Sage walked into the kitchen with a grin.

“Well, Lanie’s happy to look after the old sod. She says just to let her know when he gets home and she’ll come over. She’s most put out that she didn’t know about the accident yet. I tried to explain that he’d been bloody unconscious and I didn’t know about their relationship but she was having none of it. He’s got some explaining to do to her when he gets home.”

“Your home is lovely.” Alex walked around the island and stood beside him. “It’s a real retreat, isn’t it?”

Sage looked around his house with fondness. “It’s been a haven for me. I had the opportunity to move to London and live with Dan permanently but I love it here too much. Good memories here, plus of course I have the horses. Talking of which, they probably need feeding and they’ll certainly need exercising.” He grinned. “Hopefully my little helper will be around soon. She has ears like a bat and eyes that can spot movement a mile away and by now she’ll probably know I’m home.”

Sage opened the back door, walking down toward the stables. Alex followed him, enjoying the early morning sunshine on his face. Sage disappeared into one of the stalls and Alex peered in nervously to see him standing beside a huge grey horse that nuzzled his neck as he spoke softly to it.

Sage looked up, grinning. “Alex, meet Tallulah. This is the favourite woman in my life.” He murmured to the horse. “No apples at the moment, old girl, but I’ll bring you some later.”

Reaching over a short fence on the other side of the stable, he hauled out a huge sack. He picked some sort of implement off the wall of the stable and deftly slit the sack open before lifting it effortlessly to his shoulder and pouring the contents of the feed into a trough in the stable. Alex watched open mouthed and more than a little turned on. Sage made the whole thing look so sexy and Alex wanted nothing more than to do him right there in the stable.

He watched the play of muscles in Sage’s back and arms under his cotton tee shirt, saw the taut backside in the jeans he wore tense and move under the fabric. Alex had a sudden vision of ripping the clothes off Sage’s body, pushing him down onto the straw in the corner and mounting him like a cowboy on a horse. Sage was unaware of Alex’s scrutiny and lascivious thoughts as he whistled softly, moving around the animal as she munched on her feed.

Sage heaved a sigh of satisfaction. “That looks good, Lulah. It’s healing nicely. Now for the other bloody animal. I hope he’s in a better mood than last time.”

He winked at Alex, making his way out of the grey’s stall and into the one next door. Alex took the opportunity to try and adjust his growing erection to a more comfortable level. He’d never quite had this kind of visceral reaction just by watching someone do a mundane chore.

There was a loud snort. Alex heard Sage shout loudly. “Jesus, Jack. Take it easy!”

Alex hurried to the other stall, glancing inside in trepidation. Sage was trying to calm an even bigger beast, one who was jet black, had rolling eyes and at the moment was generally cavorting around the stall in frenzy. Sage held onto his reins, pulling them as he tried to calm the horse down. Alex watched nervously, but Sage knew what he was doing. The horse finally quietened down as Sage spoke to him gently, rubbing his flanks and stroking his nose. After a while the horse stood still, snorting and whickering.

Sage looked at Alex with an amused expression. “You can come in now. He won’t bite, I promise. Just stay in front where he can see you.”

Alex sidled in, still nervous. Horses had never been something he’d had much exposure to. He reached out a hand to stroke the horse’s nose and smiled when he whinnied softly.

“He seems to like you,” Sage said softly. “This one is the bane of my life. I’ve been thrown and bitten by him more times than I care to remember.” Sage looked at the horse fondly. “But I haven’t made the decision to turn him into glue yet. You’re lucky, Mixed Jack. I’m too bloody soft with you.” He looked at Alex. “Jack was my dad’s horse. Lulah was my mum’s. We’ve all grown up together—haven’t we, old boy?”

He moved away to the corner of the stall and again opened a large sack, lifted it to his shoulder and poured it into Jack’s feeding trough. As he did so, there was a loud call from the entrance to the stable.

“Sage! You’re back! Can I take the horses for a ride now?” A young girl who looked about thirteen ran past, launching herself at Sage.