TAKE ME HOME (15 page)

“They probably have a TV and books.”

74

Sloan Parker

“I wanna see.” Rebecca pressed her nose to the window as if she could get closer and look inside the next cabin they passed. Her breath fogged the window, and she sat back to examine the effect. With her finger, she wrote a message in the condensation using slow deliberate swoops. Everyone was watching her, but she didn’t seem to notice, or care. It took her a minute to write out I luv u. With a quick swipe of her hand, she wiped away her message.

“Was that to your dad?” Evan asked.

She held a finger to her lips. “Shhh. It’s a secret. If anyone else reads it before I wipe it away, he won’t get the message.” She stared back out the window.

Kyle watched Rebecca for a moment more, then looked to Evan again. He was also staring out the window, his reflection visible in the glass, the expression on his face as miserable as he’d looked when Dickhead had first broken up with him.

What did Evan want? Something to do with sex? Was he into some kind of kink? Pain?

Multiple partners?

No, not Evan.

What did he want, then? He wanted his career to take off. That was happening, wasn’t it?

Or maybe the network was putting more pressure on Evan than he’d made it sound.

Kyle’s chest ached at that. There had to be a way for Evan to get everything he’d been dreaming of, to be happy again.

As happy and alive as he was in your arms last night.

Take Me Home

75

They walked from the dining car in silence, and Kyle had had enough. They were having a discussion when they got back to the room, and Evan was going to explain what he really wanted.

A large man stood in the hallway of their sleeper car, staring out the window, his arms crossed over his chest like he was guarding their room. He had a dominating presence, his body tense and on alert. His hair was short, buzzed so close to his scalp it was hard to tell it was gray.

He was good looking, younger than his hair implied with an intense gaze and snug jeans stretched over his ass, as well as the sizeable package up front. He turned and headed toward them, moving in a confident, sexy saunter that would’ve had Kyle seriously interested had it been six months earlier, had he not been so uneasy about the conversation with Evan in the dining room.

Had he not been falling for Evan.

The man coming their way wasn’t focused on Kyle, though. He didn’t take his eyes off Evan as he passed by them, the look on his face one of lust more than anything else. He gave a quick nod to Evan before he was gone. Nice to know they weren’t the only gay men on the train.

Or maybe not so nice, what with the way the guy had looked like he wanted to devour Evan.

Kyle couldn’t keep from asking. “You know him?”

“I talked to him about the snow earlier in the observation car.” No doubt the man had been just as focused on Evan then.

That was how it always was with him. Evan was definitely good-looking, but there was something else about him that drew most guys in. Hell, most women too. Only, Evan didn’t get it, didn’t know he had that power, that allure. He still thought of himself as the scrawny, geeky kid he’d been when he was a boy. The one everyone knew was gay before he did, the one kids made fun of, the one who didn’t have any close friends until Kyle had moved to town.

Evan slid open the door to their room and stopped suddenly in his tracks.

Kyle ran into the back of him. “Sorry.” He didn’t want to step away—his groin was smashed against the top of Evan’s ass—but something was wrong. Evan hadn’t moved. “What are you doing?”

“Someone was in here.”

Kyle looked around Evan. Their duffel bags were open. So was Evan’s backpack. Good thing Kyle had taken his pack with the computer inside with him when he went to find Evan in the observation car. “Was your laptop in here?”

“Yeah.” Evan stepped inside and went to his bag. “It’s still here.” Kyle searched through his stuff. “Nothing of mine was taken.” 76

Sloan Parker

“This is too weird. First the apartment. Now here.” Evan snapped his fingers. “Your grandpa’s journal. Where is it?”

“It was with me, in my backpack. What? You think they sent someone here to get it?”

“I called Hastings and told him you weren’t interested in his offer.”

“When?”

“Before you came to get me for dinner.”

“You think they had someone following us in case I said no?”

“I think they’ll do quite a lot to get their hands on it.” Well, fuck that. He wasn’t going to sit back and find out what. “I’m reporting this. They can’t get away with this shit.” Kyle punched at the call button, then dropped to the bench and pulled the journal from his bag.

Evan sat beside him. “You haven’t read what they could be after?”

“No, but I’m not even halfway through it. Grandpa and this guy Joe bought a car and traveled the country doing stuff Joe wanted to do. Sort of like a bucket list. The first was to play a high-stakes poker game. They ended up in a mob-run bar playing in a back room. Joe won several hands, then this mob guy drew a gun and told them to take their winnings and get the hell out. They sprinted out the back of the bar, and before they made it out of the alley, Joe grabbed Grandpa and kissed him. They were…together, right there behind the bar.”

“Oh.”

“I uh, kinda skimmed that part.” It had been odd, to say the least, reading about his grandpa’s intense desire for someone. “They drove all over the country. They learned to sail on Lake Superior, walked across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and worked on a cattle ranch in Wyoming for five weeks.

“They did all that together?”

“Yeah. And more. Some of the stuff scared Grandpa too.”

“Sounds like he loved Joe.”

Love? Sex and desire did not equal love. “Why would you say that?” Evan sat back and stared across the room, a serious look on his face like he was remembering something. “It’s sort of obvious. I mean, why was he doing all that? To make Joe happy?”

“I guess.”

Oscar arrived out of breath in the open doorway. He leaned against the door, and the glass rattled with his weight. “Whew. When it rains it pours.” He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, lifted the Santa hat, and wiped his brow. “What do you boys need?” Evan spoke first. “Someone was in our room.”

“While you were at dinner?” Oscar asked.

“Yeah.”

“Well, that makes it all of you. Seems all the empty rooms in this car were searched while everyone was in the dining car. Did they take anything?”

“Not that we can tell,” Evan said.

“No cash?”

Take Me Home

77

“Mine’s all in my wallet, and that was with me.”

“Mine too,” Kyle offered. “There was a man in the hallway when we got back from dinner.”

“What did he look like?”

Like someone too interested in what wasn’t his. “Gray hair but young-looking. Tall. A big guy. Muscular. Like he could take on just about anyone.”

“And gorgeous,” Evan added under his breath.

A surge of anger overwhelmed Kyle. He couldn’t stop glaring at Evan. Or wanting to punch the hell out of the older guy who Evan thought was gorgeous and who could probably kick his ass without lifting a finger.

Jealousy.

He’d never been jealous of anyone before. Or had he been? It wasn’t like he’d ever been Dickhead’s biggest fan.

Oscar looked between Kyle and Evan. He smirked and then grew serious again. “I’ll let my boss know about your room. Whoever it was, it looks like they were after money. They left behind computers and phones but took everyone’s cash. Best be on the safe side and not leave your valuables or cash lying around. Whoever this is has the means to get into the rooms. Which means I’m the most likely suspect.” He smiled again. The gap between his teeth and the playful expression made him look ten years younger. “I love it when the cops are after my ass. Reminds me of my youth. All right then, you boys stay safe. Let me know if you think of anything you’re missing.” He stood straight like he was about to salute and spoke in a formal tone. “I’m sorry for all the inconvenience, and I hope you enjoy the rest of your travels with us.” He winked. “That’s in the handbook, for when stuff goes wrong.” He turned and left, the ball on the Santa hat swinging as he went.

Evan dropped his head and laughed, his face more relaxed than he’d looked all day.

The sound of that laughter washed over Kyle. “So maybe not about the journal.”

“I guess.” Evan leaned back against the bench, and his expression grew grim.

“Ev, what did Hastings say to you?”

“Can we talk about it later? You need to keep writing, and then I think we need to know what else is in that journal.”

The urge to press the issue was strong, but Evan was right. They needed to know what the network was after. Kyle opened the journal.

“You’re not going to write first?” Evan asked.

“No. I need to read this. Before someone really does come looking for it.” And I want to know how Grandpa decided to walk away from love.

“It’s your choice,” Evan said, his tone abrupt.

What the hell did that mean?

Evan pulled out the papers from his back pocket. His script again. It was crazy of him to keep going over it. The ideas he’d put together for The Agency were fantastic. He didn’t need to rework them yet again.

Maybe Evan agreed. He tossed the pages toward his bag on the floor by the bathroom.

Kyle almost changed his mind and forced Evan to talk about what Hastings had said, but did he 78

Sloan Parker

want to know what Evan had given up for him? Or what it meant? Because if the situation were reversed, there wasn’t a person in the world who could force Kyle to hurt Evan. Not again.

Take Me Home

79

Kyle read one more paragraph, then closed the journal and reached for a bottle of water on the table. While he’d been reading, the train had made another scheduled stop and had stayed at the station so long it seemed like they might not start up again. They had to be running more than two hours behind schedule now. Perhaps they were trying to determine if it was safe to head into the worsening storm, which didn’t look like it was doing such a good job of staying south.

It was getting late. Evan was moving around the room, taking clothes out of his bag, then putting them back. He’d found his spare contacts earlier and had swapped those out for the glasses. What was he looking for now? Or was it nervous movement? He’d been as anxious to know what the network wanted from the journal as Kyle.

Despite reading to the halfway mark, Kyle still hadn’t read anything that indicated his grandpa had known about any treasure or money or anything like that. The last twenty entries he’d read had detailed the weeks after his grandpa and Joe had met up with four men in a bar in Denver, Colorado. Vern, Henry, George, and Charles were all veterans from the Korean War.

They’d been living off the land in a remote region outside Denver for several months, and they had no intention of returning to civilization. Except for a quick beer and a stopover at a boarding house where they could find four local girls who, with a cash exchange for incentive, would agree to spend the night at their campsite.

In that bar, they’d drunk their way through several beers as they’d shared war stories, and eventually the four men had invited his grandpa and Joe to join their fire at the campsite. It turned into a more permanent residence than they’d planned when they postponed leaving Colorado and settled into a tent next to their new friends.

His grandpa had felt comfortable there, around those men. Like he was finally home from the war. Which hadn’t set well with Kyle. He’d thought the farm had been his grandpa’s home, his sanctuary, the place that made him who he was.

Kyle had set the journal aside on his fourth yawn. He’d barely gotten any sleep after the breakin the night before.

“I’m gonna hit the sack.”

“Yeah, me too.” Evan zipped his bag shut and pressed the call button. He didn’t say another word, not even to ask what Kyle had read.

A knock sounded on the door. Evan slid it open, and Oscar poked his head in. “Ready to turn in? Just step out for a sec, and I’ll get you all squared away.” Evan nodded and moved into the hall. What was up with the silence?

Before Kyle could join him, Oscar asked, “You need both beds?” He pointed to the bench.

“Once it’s pulled out, the bottom bed is big enough for two if you boys prefer to go that route.” Kyle glanced at Evan, but he was in the hall staring out the window into the darkness beyond.

80

Sloan Parker

“Could you set up both, please?”

“Sure thing.” Oscar set to work on the beds, and Kyle went into the hall to wait with Evan.

They didn’t talk and instead watched the snow zip through the path of light seeping out the windows of the train. What would Evan have done if Kyle had told Oscar to skip the second bed?

How was he supposed to show Evan he could trust him if they couldn’t touch? How was he supposed to find out what was wrong if Evan wouldn’t talk to him?

After Oscar left, Kyle grabbed his bag and threw it onto the bottom bed. “Looks like everyone thinks we’re together.”

Evan didn’t respond. He removed something from his bag and slipped into the bathroom.

A minute later, he came out wearing a white T-shirt and flannel pajama pants. He tossed his clothes toward his bag, climbed onto the top bed, and lay down, his back to Kyle.

What the hell? “That must have been some contortionist act?” Evan rolled onto his back. “What?”

“Getting undressed in that small fucking bathroom.” He hadn’t meant to sound like such a prick, but Evan’s silence and avoidance were pissing him off.

Another pause. Then Evan faced the wall again.

Kyle got undressed and slid under the covers in his underwear. He reached for the light switch and flipped it off, trying to pretend it was the sway of the train and the clanking as it rolled along the tracks making his head hurt. They weren’t traveling as quickly as they had in the lower elevations. Was that typical? Or were they going slower because of the weather? How long until they were home? It was going to feel twice as long with Evan’s current mood. The cramped seats and stale air of an airplane were sounding good.