Federal Paranormal Agency 6 - Leannan (12 page)

Thomas nodded. “That sounds great.” He climbed off the bed and grabbed the iced coffee off the side table. Taking a quick sip, he lifted the cup. “Thank you for the coffee. It was very thoughtful.”

“Anything for my fiancé,” Duncan said as he rose to his feet.

“I’ll just take a quick shower.”

“Okay.”

Needing some space, Thomas fled into the bathroom. He put his drink on the counter and stared at his reflection in the mirror above.
You have to tell him the truth. It’s the only way you’ll be able to move forward.
Thomas shook his head.

How could he possibly come clean now when his sins weighed so heavily on his shoulders? What if Duncan refused to forgive him? He felt as though the word
liar
was stamped across his forehead. Thomas turned away from the mirror. He couldn’t stand to look at himself any longer. His head dropped forward, chin against chest as he stared blankly at the floor. An internal battle raged inside his head and heart.

At eighteen, Thomas didn’t know what to do. He didn’t have any experience when it came to relationships, but Duncan was more than a relationship to him. The other man was his mate.
I was blessed with a mate, and I fucked it up.

“Are you okay?” Duncan’s deep voice broke through Thomas’s thoughts like a knife.

Jerking his head up, he nodded. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.”

“Was it too soon?”

Thomas’s brows drew together in confusion. “What?”

“My proposal.”

Duncan stepped into the bathroom. He wrapped his arms around Thomas’s shoulders and pulled him into the warmth of his chest. Taking a deep breath, Thomas pulled his mate’s scent into his lungs. The smell helped to calm Thomas’s nerves.

“I don’t want you to feel pressured, love. If things are moving too fast, you can tell me.”

“No.” Thomas shook his head. “I want to belong to you. You have no idea how much I want to be yours.”

“You are mine,” Duncan insisted. “The ring is a symbol of my love for you. We’ll get married when you’re ready. There’s no rush.”

“I love you. I only want to be with you.”

Duncan kissed the top of his head. “I love you, too.”

“Forever,” he whispered.

Thomas rubbed his nose along Duncan’s soft, cotton shirt. He loved having Duncan’s scent on him, marking him. It brought him a real sense of peace and comfort, even though Thomas didn’t feel as though he deserved it.

“It’s a beautiful day. The sun’s out.”

Thomas looked up and smiled. “I’ll take a quick shower.”

“I put some clothes on the bed for you.”

“Thanks.”

Duncan dropped his arms and left the bathroom.

Thomas stepped inside the shower, closing the glass door behind him. He turned the water on and let it pour down over his head. The chill sent a shiver through his body, and goose bumps broke out along his skin. When the water warmed up, Thomas placed his hands on the tiles as the water rained down.

His gaze landed on the ring, and once again, his eyes filled with tears. He hated crying, but at this moment, he was so lost. He didn’t know what to do. Dropping his hands, Thomas went through his normal shower routine, ignoring the new piece of jewelry. Thomas finished up and shut the water off.

He pushed his fingers through his hair, flicking away the access moisture. Shaking off, he opened the shower door and grabbed a towel from a nearby rack. Thomas dried off and wrapped the towel around his waist. He strolled back into the bedroom and saw one of his new outfits laid out on the bed. He dropped the towel to the floor and started getting dressed.

Once fully clothed, he grabbed the towel and dropped it in the dirty clothes basket before heading downstairs.

Thomas found Duncan and Lucky in the living room waiting for him. As soon as Duncan saw him, he stood up from his seated position on the couch.

“Are you ready to go?”

Thomas nodded. “Yup.”

Duncan attached the leash to Lucky’s collar. He headed toward the front door, and Thomas followed along. Duncan opened the passenger side door of the SUV, and Thomas climbed inside. He placed Lucky on Thomas’s lap before closing the door. Lucky jumped up and licked his face.

“You love me, don’t you?” Thomas scratched the top of Lucky’s head, and the puppy barked. “I love you, too.”

Duncan wrapped a hand around Thomas’s neck and pulled him in close, their mouths meeting over the center console.

“I love you more.” He winked.

Duncan started his SUV and put it into gear. Along the route, he pointed out various landmarks, showing Thomas the sites like a well-educated tour guide.

For the first time since he’d arrived in Belfast, the weather was perfect. The sky was blue, and the sun peeked out behind fluffy, white clouds. As he glanced around, Thomas realized that it was time to share more about himself with his mate. He knew practically everything about Duncan, but the other man didn’t know anything about Toby Winters.

* * * *

Hand in hand, they walked around the green, lush garden. Lucky ran energetically beside them on his leash, barking happily and wagging his tail. The park was bigger than Thomas expected. It was a small piece of paradise right down the street from downtown Belfast. In the center of the garden was a beautiful curvilinear cast-iron glasshouse. It housed
exotic plants, but they couldn’t go inside because Lucky wasn’t allowed to enter.

“I wasn’t raised by my biological parents,” Thomas said suddenly without much thought.

Duncan pulled him to a stop. “What are you talking about?”

“My parents were killed when I was younger. I saw it happen. The men that rescued me, they were the ones that raised me.”

“Oh my God,” Duncan whispered. “I’m so sorry, love.”

“I don’t want you to be sorry,” Thomas insisted. “I just want you to know me. The real me.”

Duncan nodded. “Okay.”

Thomas’s mind was spinning, his thoughts disjointed. He wasn’t really sure where to begin or even what to say. Words stumbled out of his mouth without thought and out of sequence.

“I’m not a college student. Hell, I didn’t even attend a regular high school. I don’t know why I lied, even about the little stuff. I guess I wanted to impress you.”

“You don’t need to impress me. I already like you.”

“Ever since my parents were killed, I’ve been learning how to fight. My only goal was to find the man that killed my family and get revenge. I wanted to make him bleed. I wanted to torture him.”

“And did you?” Duncan asked, his voice holding no judgment.

Thomas shook his head, “No, someone else got to him first and killed him.” He took a few shaky breaths, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart. “God, there’s so much I need to tell you.”

He really did want to open up, but he was afraid of the consequences. Would Duncan reject him? Would his mate push him away? Would their relationship come to an abrupt end?

Duncan was silent as he stared down at Thomas for a few moments, his knowing eyes assessing him closely.

“Will this confession you want to make change anything between us?” Duncan asked. Thomas nodded. He knew without a doubt that things would change between them. Duncan lifted Thomas’s hand and kissed his knuckles. “Then don’t tell me.”

“But…”

“For the first time, in a long time, I’m really happy. I don’t want that to change.” The sincerity of Duncan’s words hit him right in the gut. “Let’s leave the past behind us and focus on the future, our future together.”

Duncan gently tugged Thomas’s arm, and they continued their stroll around the gardens. He was still tempted to blurt out the truth. The guilt was eating a hole through his heart. But kept his mouth shut. Thomas didn’t want to ruin this moment for Duncan. His mate deserved some happiness, even if it was for only a brief moment in time.

“Are you hungry?”

“I could eat.” He shrugged.

“There’s a great little outdoor café on the other side of the garden.”

“Sounds good.”

They spent the rest of the day together, both of them ignoring Thomas’s little outburst of honesty.

It was easy to pretend. Being Thomas, a human from California without any real responsibility, was simple in comparison to living Toby’s life. How long could this little game continue? When would he be forced to face reality? Could he be Thomas Doyle forever? Even though there were uncertainties, Thomas didn’t mind. He was with his mate.

The next morning, Thomas was sitting on the floor in the living room playing with Lucky when he heard a knock on the door.

“Duncan, there’s someone at the door.”

“Can you get it, sweetheart?” Duncan called from upstairs. “I’ve got a meeting in ten minutes, and I’m running behind schedule.”

Pushing himself up off the ground, Thomas walked toward the front door. Before he even reached the foyer, the door slammed open, the wood fracturing and breaking apart. Thomas let out a startled cry as a group of agents rushed into the house with their guns drawn. Lucky went crazy, barking loudly. He rushed toward one of the agents to protect Thomas and got kicked for his efforts.

“No!” Thomas dropped down beside his Lucky, checking to make sure his dog was okay. “What the hell is going on?”

“Thomas!” Duncan shouted, his feet hitting the ground rapidly as he ran down the stairs.

“Thomas Doyle?” one of the men asked.

“Yeah,” he said cautiously.

The agent didn’t say another word. He simply grabbed Thomas’s bicep and yanked him to his feet, physically pulling him out of the house. Thomas was dragged across the rough surface outside, his bare feet hitting every sharp rock along the way. He stumbled several
times
but managed not to fall. The agent’s hold on his arm was brutal, keeping him upright and moving.

“No! No, wait! What the hell’s going on?” He wasn’t ready to leave Duncan. It was too soon. “What’s happening?”

When he received no response, Thomas started struggling, fighting to get away. He managed to pull his arm free and ran back into the house. He maneuvered himself around the other agents and threw himself into Duncan’s arms.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” He buried his face against Duncan’s neck, hoping that his mate would forgive him.

“Shhh, it’s okay, love,” Duncan held him tightly. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t do anything wrong.” He gently rocked Thomas, offering him comfort he didn’t deserve. It was his fault.

“Lucky…” he started.

“That’s enough.” Someone grabbed the back of Thomas’s shirt.

Duncan put his mouth against Thomas’s ear and whispered, “I’ve got a safe house in New York under a different name. I want you to go there and wait for me, baby. Leave Ireland and don’t come back.” He quickly rattled off the address before Thomas was yanked violently from his arms. “It’s going to be okay, Thomas.”

“No!” he shouted. “Duncan!”

He didn’t want to leave his mate. His eyes locked onto Duncan’s as he was once again hauled from the house, kicking and screaming. A line of black SUVs sat in Duncan’s driveway. He was thrown into the backseat of one, and the door slammed behind him. The SUV took off, speeding away from Duncan’s home. Turning around, he stared out the back window as the house disappeared.

“What’s happening?” he asked.

“You’ll be debriefed at the airport.”

Leaning his head back, Thomas closed his eyes, trying to collect his thoughts. The interior of the vehicle was silent, neither of them speaking. When they reached the airport, the agent parked close to the terminal. He shut the engine off and stepped out of the SUV. Walking around, he opened Thomas’s door.

“Let’s go.”

“I’m barefoot,” Thomas informed the agent.

“Not my problem.”

Fucking asshole.
Thomas bit the inside of his cheek, preventing himself from cursing the man. He didn’t know why he was being treated like some sort of criminal. He hadn’t done anything illegal. But it seemed that his relationship with Duncan was enough. He was sure that, if he’d gone willingly, this man wouldn’t be treating him so poorly.

Thomas got out of the vehicle and followed the driver. He was escorted into the terminal through a private entrance. They walked down a hallway, his feet slapping against the linoleum floor. The agent opened a closed door, and Thomas stepped inside, and the door closed behind him. The room was uninviting and reminded him more of an interrogation cell than anything else. It was small with a metal table and two chairs screwed into the cement floor.

Dropping down in one of the chairs, he sighed. He placed both of his arms on the table and dropped his forehead down. His mind conjured a picture of Duncan, and he wondered what his mate was going through at this very moment.

* * * *

Duncan ground his teeth together as Thomas was physically dragged from their home. The sounds of Thomas’s screams and pleas broke Duncan’s heart into little pieces. He wanted to rescue him, but he couldn’t do a damn thing. The only thing he could do was make sure Lucky was okay.

He ran his fingers through the dog’s fur while surveying the room of agents in front of him and found the two men in charge. He recognized them right away,
Griffeth
Moor and
Conall Lìos.
He’d seen them before, although they were always one step behind him and they never possessed enough evidence to convict him of anything.

“Hi, I’m
Duncan Ó Branagáin
.” He held out his hand, introducing himself to the agents.

Agent Lìos
grabbed Duncan’s hand and spun him around, lifting his arm up behind his back. The sharp pain drove Duncan to his knees. A gun was pointed at his head, the cold barrel pressing hard against his scalp.

“No!” Agent Moor shouted. “We can’t kill him.”

“Why not?”
Lìos
practically growled. “Let’s just get rid of him.”

“We’re not going to kill him,” Moor said.

“Nobody here will say a word. He resisted arrest. We didn’t have a choice.”