According to Design Page 20

  “Instead you turned him into a hunky gladiator ready to fight in the Coliseum,” Samuel said.

  “Yes. The man has great legs,” Beau said.

  The others all laughed.

  “Holy crap, I don’t believe what I’m seeing. Nice work, Beau. I’m sure this is your doing since Robin would never go this far,” someone else called out.

  Dakota whistled when a sexy male nurse in white latex strolled forward.

  The male nurse, Jude, paused and modeled for everyone. “Can’t believe I fit my ass in these pants.” He wiggled his butt toward them.

  “It’s the same for me,” Samuel said. He wandered over to exchange crazy poses with Jude in their latex outfits.

  Jude’s patient, dressed in a paper gown, green scrub pants to protect his dignity, a fuzzy blue bathrobe and flip-flops, stepped up next to him and said, “Gonna have fun peeling them off.”

  “Elliott! Behave or your blood pressure will skyrocket,” Jude said. He tutted over his bandaged and bloody patient.

  “Don’t think about peeling the latex off my boy. Widow, get back here,” Dakota called out and Samuel made his way back. Dakota swept him into a heated kiss.

  Ignoring the playful passionate couple, Keegan gestured up and down Elliott’s dramatic appearance from the bloody scrubs to the nasty bandage wrapped around most of his head and face. There were even bloody bandages around his hands. “Doc Elliott, you’re looking umm…”

  “A little traumatic, I know. Had a dreadful accident in bed with my nurse. Luckily, Doctor McFluffy took care of us,” Elliott said and gestured down.

  Dawson, Jude’s medical companion dog, padded closer and sat. He wore a white doctor’s coat and a small stethoscope dangled from his neck. A small badge hung from his pocket and read ‘Doctor Dawson McFluffy’. They all laughed when Dawson barked and wagged his tail.

  “That is perfect,” Sully said in between his laughter.

  “Gotta have fun with yourself,” Elliott said. “It was this or a soldier, but Jude insisted on this. When I saw his costume, I was all for it.”

  Jude flushed and leaned against Elliott. He pointed at Wyatt, Keegan and Collin. “You three seem to be having a problem. Do you need Doctor McFluffy to check you over?”

  Dawson barked, eager to help.

  Laughing again, Wyatt shook his head. He grinned at his fellow zombies and they groaned and shambled closer to the nurse and patient. They went into their revamped Stooges act but with a zombie flair.

  Everyone continued laughing and clapping when they’d finished.

  They talked and laughed amongst the group. Sometimes they pointed out to other costumes. Collin found his friends and took off, promising to be back for the contest.

  Wyatt looked around the crowd and nudged Keegan. “Ethan got Jeremy to come out tonight.”

  Keegan moved his gaze through the crowd. “Where are they?”

  “Over there, the two Day of the Dead characters,” Wyatt said. He waved to his friend and former lover. They returned the gesture and gave him thumbs up for approval.

  “Did Patrick love Halloween?”

  “Yeah, they had some of the best couples costumes. Before they stopped competing, they took the title several times.”

  “Is this contest a big thing?”

  “Oh, yeah. There’s a special contest each for the small kids and teenagers. The adults are judged in three different categories—single, couple and group or theme. We’ll be in the group and theme contest.”

  “Uh-oh. We’re up against the Avengers.”

  “I know. Sucks. Oh well, always next year,” Wyatt said.

  “Good sport.” Keegan leaned against Wyatt. They continued to join in the conversation and laughter to enjoy the Halloween evening.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Before the bell rang to release the masses for the end of the day, Keegan looked out over the class. He watched the students clean their stations.

  “Clean then return all of your equipment to their proper areas. Dispose of all experiments. Please read the next chapter and complete vocabulary and pre-questions in your workbooks,” he called out.

  The bell rang loud.

  “Have a good afternoon, everyone. See you tomorrow.”

  “Bye, Mr. D,” some of the students said as they left him.

  “Your costume was awesome, Mr. D. Congrats on the win,” another student said.

  “That was all my friend’s idea, but I’ll let him know,” Keegan said and waved the others off.

  When the classroom emptied, Keegan rose and walked the aisles to do his final check. He only saw one thing out of place. It wasn’t bad considering how much he’d had to pick up the first few weeks. He gathered the scales then placed them in the back cabinets. With another check, he returned to his desk and opened the laptop.

  Once his inbox synced, he read new emails for the last couple of hours. While he waited, he organized the different stacks of paperwork to grade, clipped then added them to his bag. His phone buzzed with a notification.

  Keegan swiped his thumb across the phone’s screen after tugging it out of his pocket. He opened the message—

  No new info. No cases. Good work on last case. Day off. —Sheriff

  Keegan grinned and sent a message back telling the sheriff thanks. He appreciated how Robin texted him personally to let him know if he was needed or not. It was a system they had worked out between them. If there ended up being an emergency, dispatch would call his phone with the details. He always kept a forensics case in his trunk and restocked it after every trip to the field.

  His inbox beeped as it finished syncing.

  Sitting and pulling his chair closer, Keegan went through the inbox. He grimaced and deleted several pieces of spam, adding them to his ever-growing block list. Some parents had contacted him about different students and he concentrated on them. After replying to them, he followed up with a couple of students who’d asked for clarification on an assignment. He glanced through the school’s notifications and noted a staff meeting at the end of the week.

  Then he saw a message from an address he didn’t know, but the program hadn’t flagged it as spam. After the last unknown email he’d received had sent him to the clinic, Keegan felt something cold hit the pit of his stomach. The subject was odd. It read Info from NC. A little wary, Keegan clicked on it and the email opened.

  Pill-boy,

  Didn’t expect to hear from me, did you? I changed emails so you wouldn’t know right away that it was me. Not until you opened the email to read this message.

  Now that I have your attention. Listen well.

  I’m not letting you go.

  Ever.

  Keegan paused and swallowed hard. “No, no, please no…” Fear swarmed inside him. He had to push through the pain and finish reading the email. He had to find out what Dwayne knew about him.

  You may have sent me behind bars, but I’m not through with you. You tried to destroy me, but you know I don’t go down easily.

  I’m a cop. I know how to find you.

  Oh, yes, don’t worry. Find you I will.

  I’m out. I put on my best big boy behavior and made nice with all the parole folks. You weren’t there. So they listened to me. Due to the funny thing of overcrowding in prisons, they made room for someone worse. Even with the mandatory sentence for my plea deal, it didn’t make a difference to the parole board. I gave them every word and assurance about how I learned my lesson and had no intention of ever repeating my crime. I only wished to lead a normal life. It worked. As you know how charming I can be when I wish. They believed me. I’ve been paroled.

  Don’t think I’m going to stick around NC. I know you’re not in the state. Did you think your fathers could hide you from me? Please. No one can hide anything from me. They gave it a good try, but fruitless in the end.

  I found this email. I see it points to a school in Shore Breeze, Florida. Such a small town. It won’t take long for me to locate your exact location. You kn
ow I’ll find more. It’s what I do.

  I’ll find you. Then we can be together. Again. The way it was.

  See you soon. I’ll bring your favorite pills.

  —D

  The cold knot in his belly grew.

  Dwayne. Out of prison. No. No. He was supposed to be there for fifteen to twenty. How could he get out now?

  Keegan pushed back from the desk, cold fear taking over his body. He wrapped his arms around his chest and rocked in the chair.

  Think. Think. You gotta do something. Get out of here. Hide. You can hide. Run and hide. Leave no trail… Keegan stopped the frantic thoughts. “Wyatt. I can’t leave. Wyatt,” he whispered.

  “Mr. D, are you okay? Mr. D?”

  At the gentle voice, Keegan turned. Collin was entering the classroom. He blinked and stared at the teenager.

  “Mr. D? Keegan? Are you all right? You look a little gray,” Collin said as he dropped his bag on a table then walked closer.

  “Collin,” Keegan whispered.

  “Yeah, it’s me. Talk to me, Mr. D.”

  “Collin…” Keegan stopped and licked his lower lip. “Help. Need help.” He glanced to the laptop screen then back to the teenager. “Please.”

  “Let’s find Uncle Wyatt.” Collin took charge by placing the remaining papers in Keegan’s bag for him. “Can you shut that down or do you want me to?”

  “I’ll…umm…” Keegan paused and stared at the screen. At the words screaming at him. He lifted a shaky hand over the touchpad and closed the program. He sent the laptop into hibernation mode.

  Wyatt, yes, he needed Wyatt’s help.

  Collin walked around to unplug the power cord from the wall and laptop then coiled it up to stash it away. Keegan managed to close the laptop and tried to slide it inside the messenger bag’s pocket. His hands shook and he couldn’t complete the simple routine.

  “It’s okay, Mr. D, I got it.” Collin took the laptop, put it inside the messenger bag and snapped the double clasps.

  Keegan rubbed his hands together.

  Collin held up Keegan’s jacket. “Your wallet and keys are in the pocket.” He stayed close as he played with his cell phone. “Damn, he’s not answering his cell. I can’t get Marissa either. Okay.” Collin stuck his phone in his pocket and caught Keegan’s distracted gaze. “Can you drive? I need you to drive us, Mr. D.”

  “Drive where?” Keegan focused on Collin’s face. “Wyatt. I need to go to Wyatt.” He slid his arms into the jacket. He poked his hand in a pocket then pulled it out to reveal the keys resting in his palm.

  “Yeah, Mr. D, we can drive to the studio. Okay?”

  “Studio. Yes.” Keegan lifted the strap onto his shoulder. He closed his other hand over the keys.

  Collin grabbed his bag and returned to Keegan’s side. “Come on, Mr. D. Let’s go to your car. We can go see Uncle Wyatt.”

  “Wyatt. Yes. See Wyatt.” With a distracted nod, Keegan followed the teenager out of his classroom, outside the school then across the parking lot. He clicked open the locks before climbing inside. He placed his bag behind his seat, dropped the keys on the console, then stared at the wheel.

  A door closed harder next to him. He blinked when he saw Collin sitting in the passenger seat.

  “You can do it, Mr. D. Start the car and drive to Wyatt’s studio. We’ll get there. Together.”

  Wyatt. Focus on Wyatt. Get to Wyatt. You can do this.

  With the mantra running in his head, Keegan tapped the brake and hit the button to start the engine. He put the car in gear then drove away. Collin spoke to him, reminding him where to go and park. Lost in thoughts and on autopilot, he followed Collin down the sidewalk—only his keys dangled from his fingers. He stayed quiet when they entered the gallery and Collin tugged him toward the studio.

  Collin flashed the lights and flicked off the music. “Uncle Wyatt, I need you!”

  Loud noises shut off. The silence was deafening.

  Keegan winced at the sudden change.

  “Collin, what is it?” Wyatt asked and paused. “Keegan?”

  “Something is wrong with him. I don’t know what, but it started at school. He was looking at something was on his laptop. I barely got him here, Uncle Wyatt,” Collin said.

  “You let him drive. Like this?”

  “I didn’t have a choice,” Collin said. “I couldn’t reach you on your cell. I tried the studio and Marissa didn’t answer.”

  “She went out to take care of something. Shit,” Wyatt cursed and dragged fingers through his hair. He held his hand up toward Collin. “It’s okay. I’m not mad with you. You did the best you could. It was the right thing. No matter what. Okay.”

  Collin nodded.

  “Okay,” Wyatt repeated and added, “You’re both here. Safe. You did the right thing to get him here, Collin. I’m proud of you for helping to get Keegan safe.”

  “Thanks, Uncle Wyatt,” Collin muttered.

  “Keegan, hey, you’re safe,” Wyatt said. “Can you talk to me?”

  Keegan pulled himself back to reality when a warm calloused hand touched his face. He blinked a couple of times to clear his vision. Then he shifted his gaze until he met a concerned, pale green stare. He knew that intense color. Those eyes had pulled him back from the edge so many times these last few weeks.

  “Keegan. Kee, look at me. I need you to return to me. Do you know where you are?” Wyatt asked.

  “Wyatt.”

  “There you are. Yes, you found me. Do you know where you are?”

  “Studio. Collin brought me.”

  “Good. Yes. You’re safe with me. I promise. Nothing will hurt you.”

  “He will.”

  “Who is he?”

  Keegan’s eyes closed as he shook his head. He couldn’t say the name. If he said the name, that meant it would only help the fear become reality. “Coming. He’ll find me, get me and bring me back to the pills. I can’t go back. I can’t—” Lost and rambling, he clutched his fingers around Wyatt’s arms. His motions desperate. “I can’t.”

  Just as he desired, Wyatt pulled him close into a warm embrace, protecting him from the cold and fear growing deep inside him. Keegan buried his face against Wyatt’s chest, loving how Wyatt blocked out everything.

  “It’s okay. It’s okay. We’ll get through this. No one will take you away from me. I promise,” Wyatt said in between kisses along Keegan’s hair and neck. “Lemme take you home.”

  Keegan nodded. He pushed his keys into Wyatt’s hand. “Home. Please.”

  “Okay. Stay right here. Lemme shut everything down and we’ll leave.” Wyatt rubbed his hands over Keegan’s back. “Collin, go to Marissa’s office and jot down a note that we’re taking Keegan to our place.”

  “What about your car?”

  “I walked. We’ll take Keegan’s car.” Wyatt stepped back, but Keegan tried to keep hold of him. “Kee, I need to power down the machinery and lower the furnace. I have to make the studio safe to leave.”

  “Safe. Okay. Make it safe. Don’t leave,” Keegan repeated in the same monotone with short words and sentences.

  “I’m not going anywhere, I promise,” Wyatt said. He pressed a kiss to Keegan’s temple. “Stay right here and watch me.”

  Keegan nodded, a little wobbly without Wyatt’s support. He wrapped his arms around himself and tracked Wyatt’s every movement. The cold lump remained in the pit of his stomach, but his awareness returned to him. A piece at a time, he grounded himself back to reality. His focus remained on Wyatt and not the disturbing email.

  Wyatt returned and gathered his personal items. Finished, he turned to meet Keegan’s steady perusal of all his movements. “You’re looking a little clearer now. Are you coming back to me?” Wyatt cupped the side of Keegan’s face again.

  “Little. Still cold. Lost.”

  “I’m going to drive us home. We’ll curl up in bed until you feel better,” Wyatt said while he slipped his arm around Keegan’s waist. He turned them to leave the studio and
he flicked the lights. “Collin.”

  “Be there in a sec,” Collin called out.

  “If you’re feeling better later, I’ll take you to Delights,” Wyatt said to continue their conversation.

  “It’s closed.”

  “I know, but Dakota is throwing his crazy BBQ Rib Night on the back patio and beach. I saw one of the signs they put out around town. We can bring a blanket and join others in the feast. There’s nothing like Dakota’s ribs. You’ll love them.”

  “Don’t know I want to leave bed. Don’t know.”

  “We’ll see how you’re feeling later.” Wyatt moved his hand along Keegan’s side.

  They waited for Collin to return.

  “All done,” Collin said. “I sent her a text message too.”

  “Lead the way to Keegan’s car,” Wyatt said and dropped a tender kiss in Keegan’s hair. The last one out of the door, he hit the locks and alarm. He helped Keegan down the sidewalk after Collin.

  Safe and warm in Wyatt’s hold, Keegan let him take charge of everything for the rest of the day. He didn’t want to remember the email. Not now. Not tonight. He just wanted this time with Wyatt.

  * * * *

  At home, Collin took off to do homework. Wyatt told him to find them around dinner so they could decide what to do. After hearing Collin’s promise, Wyatt led Keegan to his bedroom.

  Weary from all that had happened, Keegan dropped his bag on the armchair and sat on the edge of the bed. He became steadier and calmed down from the mild PTSD slide during the drive. Being around Wyatt definitely helped him to ground himself against all the scary shit in his head. Still, there were more shadows to handle. He held his head, lost in his thoughts until he felt Wyatt’s touch.

  Wyatt knelt in front of him, helping to remove his shoes and socks.

  Keegan studied him with a steady deep gaze. This man was so perfect, kind-hearted and tender. Though he could turn and be all protective alpha when anyone bothered those he cared for or took under his wing. It had hit Keegan back at the studio that he would now be considered one of those people under Wyatt’s care. He didn’t want to be anywhere else, but there were those lingering and nagging doubts running through him. So much had happened to him. Things he needed to handle and heal. Sure, he had almost two years of sobriety underneath him and was capable of standing alone on his feet to enter a new relationship, but…