The Four Horsemen 2 - War (8 page)

God, he hated the thought of what he’d driven his murderer to do. He’d often wondered what had happened to the boy. Had he got caught or had he got away to live a full life with children and grandchildren surrounding him? Did the boy remember the man he’d killed in revenge? Had anyone remembered Baqir or had the memories faded over time until no one remembered his name?
Russell patted War’s arm. “You should sleep. I can feel you thinking so hard my head aches. I’m sure it can wait until tomorrow.”
War snorted. “Trust me, nothing can solve my problems. I’ll try not to disturb your sleep.”
He nuzzled Russell’s neck and placed a gentle kiss there. Russell sighed and his breathing evened out, telling War he’d fallen asleep. War remained where he was, wrapped around Russell even though his arm had fallen asleep and his back had begun to cramp from the position.
The time slowly passed while he stared at the wall across from them.

“Why did you bring me here?” Lam, a messenger angel, looked at Death before looking back into the hotel room where War lay curled around the mortal.
“Because I need War to come with me and he’s not going to want to leave Russell right now.” Death braced his fists on his hips and glared out over the city.
Turning, Lam faced the Pale Rider fully with a snarl on his lips. “When did I become your babysitter, Death? Do you think I don’t have anything better to do with my time than to watch over your pathetic band of emotionally crippled Horsemen?”
“Lam, you’re the only Lamb of God I trust out of all our colleagues. You’re the only one who understands why this is important.” Death studied the angel who brought the Horsemen their orders.
“Ah, you’re wrong there, my comrade.” Lam stuck his finger up in the air. “I don’t know why this one mortal is important. Any more than I knew why the last one was special. They’re mortals, and, while it is my job to worry about them and try to ensure their world doesn’t come to an end, it isn’t my job to babysit them.”
Death shook his head. “Just do it, Lam. I’ll owe you a favour.”
Lam’s blue eyes lit up and he grinned. Death shifted uncomfortably at the smile. He hated knowing he was in debt to Lam, but he could guess how much Russell meant to War and it would be hard to drag the Horseman from the mortal’s side. What was planned wouldn’t take long, an hour or two at the most. Both sides were ripe to start the battle, but they needed a push and it was War’s job to provide the shove.
He scrubbed his hand through his hair, tugging on the ends as he stared into the room. While he knew War wasn’t asleep, it was nice to see War finally relaxed enough to close his eyes and not relive the decisions he’d made when he’d been alive. Death understood and was glad War didn’t take killing someone lightly, but it was over and done with. Nothing would bring those people back and War couldn’t change history.
“Will you do it? Time’s running out and if the fighting doesn’t break out in the next day a worse battle will in another day or two. More people will die and the beginning of the end will be upon us. Something we all fight against.”
Lam heaved an annoyed sigh. “Fine. I’ll do it. I can’t believe I’ve come to this, acting as a nursemaid to Horsemen. If my friends could see me now, they’d laugh themselves silly.”
“Considering I know for a fact you don’t have any friends, I’m not worried about that.”
Before Lam could reply, Death slid the balcony door open and stepped into the room. A softly spoken word settled Russell into a deeper sleep. Sitting up, War glared at Death.
“What are you doing here?”
“Glad to see I’m not the only one who reacts like that when I see him,” Lam commented as he joined them.
War jumped to his feet, making sure Russell was covered before moving to stand between his friend and the two men. “Having a Lamb of God with you is never a good sign, Death.”
“How would you know what kind of sign I am?” Lam folded his arms over his chest and stared belligerently at War.
“What do you want, Death?”
Death could see Lam’s annoyance with War ignoring him. He heaved a mental sigh. When would they stop acting like children?
“I need you to come with me.” He held up his hand to stop War’s protest. “I figured you wouldn’t want to leave the mortal alone, so I asked Lam to keep an eye on him while you’re gone. It’ll only be a few hours.”
“I can’t leave him alone. If Russell wakes up and I’m not here, he’ll freak out and think he imagined me. His mind is fragile enough; I don’t want to cause another break.” War glanced over his shoulder at Russell.
Death fought the need to roll his eyes. “That’s what Lam’s here for. He’ll keep an eye on Russell and explain you were called away unexpectedly.”
War started to shake his head, and Death reached out to grab his arm.
“We’re not arguing about this, War. The sooner we get to where we’re needed, the sooner you can get back here. I never understood why you and the others argue with me about going. It’s not like I’m doing this for cheap thrills or anything like that. I don’t bother you unless you’re needed.”
“It’s just that lately it feels like I’m needed all the time. When will they stop fighting each other?” War shoved his free hand through his hair and met Death’s gaze with sad eyes.
Death shrugged. He didn’t have the answer and he wasn’t sure War even wanted one. Lam coughed, drawing their attention. The blond grimaced.
“It’s in their nature to fight for power and money, or even just for land. It’s what having free will has done to them. They seek to be more than they are, and for some reason they believe hurting each other will give them what they want. It’s one of those things making them mortal.”
“Maybe, but it doesn’t mean I have to like what their nature makes me do.” War jerked his arm away from Death and turned to look at Russell. “You’ll take care of him. Make sure he knows I’ll be back and that I didn’t abandon him.”
Lam strolled over to the only chair in the room and sprawled in it, legs stretched out in front of him and hands resting on his stomach. “I’ll do just that. Not sure how he’s going to take knowing the guy he slept with is the Horseman of War, but if you want me to break it to him I will.”
“No!” Both War and Death shouted while Lam smirked at them.
“Just let him think I was called away on business, which is true, but don’t give him any other information. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” War leant down and brushed a kiss over Russell’s forehead.
“Such a touching scene.” Lam waved his hand at them. “Get the hell out of here. I don’t have all day to waste babysitting your lovers, War.”
War flipped Lam off before he stepped out on to the balcony. Death rolled his eyes in Lam’s direction.
“Try not to be a smart ass when Russell wakes up. He has enough issues without having to deal with your snarky mouth.”
Lam touched his chest with his fingers and grinned. “A smart ass? I’m never one of those. Now get out of here. Mongolia wasn’t on my bucket list.”
Death joined War on the balcony and whistled. Their horses appeared, seeming to hover in mid-air. They mounted and nudged the stallions with their heels. One leap into the sky brought a boom of thunder to shake the hotel.

Russell squirmed, trying to find a more comfortable spot in the mattress. He frowned when the sounds of movement forced him to wake up. He opened his eyes, blinking in the faint evening light. The furniture blurred, than sharpened as his sleep-muddled mind shook off his exhaustion and the influence of his meds.

“Ah, I see you’ve finally decided to wake up. I thought you were going to sleep the entire night away, which wouldn’t have been a bad thing necessarily. Just really boring for me to sit here and stare at you.”

He shot straight up in bed, letting the blankets fall to his waist. A petit blond stood by the table, hands on hips, eyes twinkling. Shit, his eyes looked like Red’s, only blue instead of black.

“Who are you?”
“You can call me Lam. I’m here to let you know War was called away because of work. It shouldn’t take very long, but he didn’t want you to wake up alone. He was afraid you’d think he was a hallucination and freak out.”
Russell scrubbed his hands over his face and through his hair, hoping to erase the last vestiges of the drugs from his mind. “He’s real, then?”
“Who? War?” Lam chuckled. “Oh yes, he’s as real as you and I are.”
“Doesn’t mean anything since I think I live in my head most of the time lately.” He started to climb out of the bed before realising he was naked. “Could you toss me a pair of shorts from my bag?”
“Sure, but you don’t have to be shy around me. I’ve seen naked mortals before. You don’t have anything I haven’t checked out.”
Lam threw him a pair of sweats and Russell slid them on without flashing Lam any more skin than he had already seen. After leaving the bed, he headed to the bathroom. After he’d washed up and splashed cold water on his face he rejoined Lam in the main room.
Lam sat at the table, uncovering dishes of food. “I took the liberty of ordering room service. I didn’t get anything I couldn’t pronounce. Didn’t want to take a chance on eating something that’ll make me sick. When War gets back, he can give you a tour of the native cuisine.”
Russell didn’t know what to do, so he sat and accepted the plate Lam handed him. “You’ve never been to Mongolia before?”
Lam wrinkled his nose. “Not to knock the country, but, really, who wants to travel to Mongolia? Not much here but grass and horses. I’m interested in something way more fun than that.”
Taking a bite, Russell refrained from commenting on what Lam had said. He swallowed before studying Lam. “Do you work with War?”
“Hmmm…in a way. I guess you could say I’m in a separate department from him. We sort of do the same thing, but in different ways.” Lam chewed and reached for the bottle of wine. “You want a glass?”
Russell shook his head. “No. Alcohol messes with my meds and I end up sleeping far longer than I want. Where did you say War went?”
“I didn’t, and I can’t. He had to leave, but he’ll be back in a few hours.” Lam sipped his wine. “I suggest you stay inside tonight and wait until War gets back before you journey out into the city.”
“Why? I can take care of myself.”
He ducked his head when Lam lifted an eyebrow in doubt at him. Okay, so he hadn’t done very well on his first day in Mongolia and he hated the fact that he’d had a flashback. Before the war he’d been normal and able to deal with everything thrown his way. Now he was broken in some deeply fundamental way, and maybe he was crazy to think he could travel on his own.
“When you’re done eating, you should call your parents to let them know you made it here all right.” Lam nodded towards the nightstand where Russell’s phone sat. “They’re probably worried about you by now.”
“Shit!” He jumped to his feet and snatched up his phone. “I told War not to call them because I didn’t want them freaked out about the flashback. They wouldn’t have been happy about a stranger calling them.”
Russell dialled his parents’ number before walking out on to the balcony of the hotel. He looked out over the city while listening to the phone ring. What time was it in the States? Checking his watch, he saw it was going on ten in Mongolia.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Mom, did I wake you?” Russell propped a hip on the railing and closed his eyes, happy to hear his mother’s voice.
“No, honey. It’s around nine in the morning here, so your father and I have been up for an hour or so.” She laughed. “He’s out mowing the lawn at the moment. Did you want me to get him so you could talk to him?”
“That’s not necessary, Mom. I just wanted to let you know I got here okay. Landed about five hours ago and ended up taking a nap. Probably wasn’t the smartest thing I did because of jet lag and all that, but heck, I needed the rest.”
“Don’t worry, honey. You’ll adjust quickly, plus you just got out of the hospital. You need to get back into the swing of things. Don’t push too hard. This call is probably costing you a fortune. I love you and give us a call at some point to let us know you’re still alive.”
Russell smiled. “I will. Tell Dad I love him, and I’ll send you a postcard.”
He hung up and tucked the phone into his back pocket. Staring, he studied the city around him. While it had a modern feel to it, he also caught an old-country vibe. Not like the European cities, but in an older, more rural way. He couldn’t wait to get out and explore, yet he knew Lam was right. He should wait until the morning before he went out.
The door slid open and he glanced over his shoulder to watch Lam stroll out. The blond grinned as he joined Russell at the railing. The odd scent wafting past his nose reminded him of Christmas, causing him to frown. Why would Lam smell like Christmas?
Of course, War smelt like a Kansas summer day on the plains. Yet Russell liked the fact it made him think of home and feel safe. Those scents might have been one of the reasons he hadn’t gone ballistic when he’d realised War had followed him to Mongolia.
He asked, “Why are your eyes like that?”
“Occupational hazard.” Lam’s tone informed Russell he wasn’t joking.
“What kind of job makes your eyes all weird? Do you guys have something to do with nuclear waste or stuff like that?” Russell stopped and thought for a moment. “Though if you did, I’m not sure it would do anything to you. Probably your kids would be mutants. Did your parents work in the nuclear field?”
Lam chuckled. “Man, I’m pretty sure War’s parents had nothing to do with nuclear anything. And I don’t have parents, so I guess it’ll have to remain a mystery.”
Russell wanted to ask more, but the tension in Lam’s shoulders told him Lam wasn’t going to discuss it further. He racked his brain to think of something else to talk about.
“Where do you live? I’m assuming some big city since you don’t seem thrilled to be here.”
Lam shrugged. “I don’t have a home anywhere. I’m constantly moving because of work. No sense in paying rent on a place I’d never see.”
“Wow. Don’t you get tired of travelling?”
“Not really. I don’t have friends or people to miss, so being in a new city every day doesn’t bother me.” Lam pushed away from the railing. “Enough about me. Why not tell me your life story? I want to know what makes you so special War would risk getting in trouble to stay with you.”
Russell blushed. “I don’t think there is anything special about me. I’m just a farm boy from Kansas. Getting sent to Afghanistan was the first time I’d ever been out of the States. Hell, going away to boot camp was the first time I’d been out of Kansas.”
“Really?” Lam headed back inside and Russell followed him. “In this day and age? I find that hard to believe.”
“I did want to leave, but never had the opportunity to do so. It’s not like my parents are rich or anything. We didn’t have a lot of extras while I was growing up, but we didn’t necessarily go without or anything like that. There wasn’t any reason for me to travel when I was younger.” Russell studied his fingers for a moment.
Lam grunted. “Sounds like you lived in Mayberry or something the equivalent of. Was it hard to be gay in a little town? Oh, and how did you cope while in the military? All that
‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’
bullshit.”
Russell wasn’t sure he wanted to get into all that, but they
were
stuck together, and Lam had been nice enough to hang out with him while War was gone. Not that Russell didn’t hate the fact War thought he needed a babysitter.
“He didn’t think you needed a babysitter, Russ. War wanted to make sure you knew he’d be back. He hated the idea of you waking up and him being gone. Thought you might get a little weirded out or maybe think your brain had caused you to imagine him being here with you.”
He whirled around and stared at Lam. “How did you know what I was thinking?”
The blond blinked and it was like Russell could see his thought process as Lam tried to figure out what to say.
“It’s how I’d have felt if I were you. You’re an adult, yet War leaves someone else here to watch over you.”
Lam was lying, Russell could tell.
“You shouldn’t lie. You’re not very good at it.” Russell strolled over to the bed and sat, falling back to look up at the ceiling. “I’ll let you get away with it for now. Just don’t do it again.”
“What? Lie or read your mind?”
“Both. Either.” Russell waved his hand in a vague gesture. He went back to what Lam had asked him earlier. “How did I handle being gay in small town America? The same way I handled being gay in the army. I didn’t do anything that would out me to anyone. I was a virgin until I went to boot camp. After that, it was easier to find guys to mess around with, and they were like me. Hiding who they really were to make sure they didn’t get discharged under DADT. I’m not saying it was fun or anything like that. In fact it was pretty lonely, but not much I could do about it if I wanted to keep serving.”
He listened to Lam wander around the room, picking things up or maybe moving things.
“I don’t have to worry about it now. A medical discharge is better than a dishonourable one any day.” He sighed. “See? There’s nothing special about me. I have no idea why he keeps helping me.”
Lam laughed. “I’m sure there’s more to you than a small town hick hiding in a closet. War’s been around too long to fall for that kind of guy.”
Russell frowned. “Too long? How long is too long? And fall for a guy? I don’t think he’s interested in me like that.”
Then he thought about the kisses they’d shared. His cheeks burned with embarrassment and desire. Lam snorted, letting Russell know Lam had seen the blush and knew what caused it.
“Oh yeah, I do believe War has fallen for you. We’ve been around long enough to realise it’s the person, not the body, we find fascinating. I’m sure he wants your body, but it doesn’t matter to him whether you’re a guy or a girl.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Russell mumbled. “How old is he? Or you for that matter?”
“War isn’t as old as I am, and that’s all you’re getting from me.” Lam sat on the bed next to Russell. “I think you should get some sleep. It’ll help with the jet lag and when you wake up War will be back.”
Russell opened his mouth to say he wasn’t tired, but a yawn surprised him. Blinking, he met Lam’s steady gaze. The blue seemed like it was starting to swirl. Russell fell into those eyes and the last thought to cross his mind was that Lam couldn’t be human.