Colorado Connection (Colorado Heart Book 6) (10 page)

He turned and nodded. “Thank you.”

Matthew jumped out when the car was put in park. His door was opened, and Zander looked out, only seeing the general.

“I don’t know who you are but I would like to know.” General Mathis narrowed his gaze then stepped back and allowed Matthew to bend low and pick Zander up. “I’m not supposed to follow you inside. I wish I knew who had the power to make these types of demands. I’m a general in the Army, and yet, I’m being treated like a grunt. You, Corporal Miller, why are you allowed to enter the building with this man?”

Matthew squeezed his arms tighter around Zander, and he relaxed into Matthew’s hold. “This man picked me up and carried me out of a house in Syria where I’d been held captive. I think that earns him the right to do whatever he wants,” Zander said.

Mathis shrugged and raised his brows, tilting his head to the side. “Fair enough. Miller, I was told you would be taken care of. It was interesting meeting the two of you, and son, I’m not sure why you were in Syria, but I have to say it’s amazing the media hasn’t picked up the story, and no one is reporting on it. You must be someone important, because no one is talking.”

Zander barked out a laugh. “I don’t know about that.”

Matthew nodded to Mathis before turning and stepping into the building. “I don’t know where to go.”

“I don’t either, but I think I can—”

A door to Matthew’s left opened, and they turned. Zander glanced over his shoulder and spied Roger. Air seemed to disappear as his lungs emptied. He started shaking. Roger was here, and that meant Grant was here. Would Marshal be in the room too?

“Hey, you’ll be okay,” Matthew whispered. “I’m not going to leave you.”

Zander nodded, but tears filled his eyes anyway. Matthew’s arms tightened around him. He didn’t know this man holding him, and he was friends with all of the men who were in the room, but for some strange reason, he needed the connection with Matthew to feel safe.

The closer Matthew drew to the open door, the more shallow Zander’s breathing grew. What if Marshal didn’t want him? He thought back to their first kiss, their first touches—had he forced them? Had he tempted Marshal to turn his back on his true desires and maybe the time apart had allowed Marshal to figure out he wasn’t really gay?

Roger moved out of the way, and Matthew stepped through the door. Zander spied Grant who looked so worried he thought the man would crack. Then he saw Duff whose face split into a wide grin. His gaze fell on Marshal and the world shifted, lining up like it was supposed to. Marshal had lost weight, and his eyes were rimmed with dark circles, but they were full of something that looked like love. Marshal rushed forward, his gaze going from Zander to Matthew.

Marshal stopped right in front of them. No words were spoken as Marshal stared at Matthew then nodded. There was some silent communication, and Matthew smiled before handing him off to Marshal. At first he felt odd, then he felt the first puff of Marshal’s breath on his face and he sighed and closed his eyes, sinking against his lover’s chest.

Sobs fell from Marshal’s lips along with tears from his eyes. They were sitting, his lover rocking him close. Marshal still hadn’t spoken a word but Zander felt the love. Later, they could discuss things, after they were home, now all he wanted was to feel his man’s arms.

*~*~*

Matthew handed the man over and took a step back, but his retreat was halted by a huge hand on his shoulder. He turned, shocked by the severe look on the man’s face. He was about to start spouting excuses for why he’d been holding the man when this guy wrapped his arms around Matthew, pulling him into a tight hug.

“Thank you for bringing our brother home. You have no idea how happy we are that he’s back.”

The hug didn’t end, and after a long moment, he had to pull away. The man didn’t back up, instead his blue eyes searched Matthew’s face. He wasn’t sure what the guy hoped to find.

“I’ve got no idea what your name is or what to say. This is odd, I won’t lie about that,” Matthew said.

“I know. I’m sorry, but it’s best if you don’t know our names,” blue-eyes said.

“Okay, can I go?” Matthew looked around the group and noticed there were no other military men in the room, just the three men standing away from the pair hugging.

“We’ve arranged for you to spend the night at a hotel near the airport. Your flight will take off in the morning. I have some clothes for you here and some cash for dinner. Please enjoy your evening.”

Matthew took the offered bag blue-eyes handed him and nodded. He glanced around and turned, but he heard a weak voice call out to him. He spun and saw the man he’d helped come home try to stand on shaky legs. Matthew dropped the bag and moved quickly, going to his knees in front of the still-hugging pair.

“Don’t get up,” Matthew said.

“You saved me. Thank you. I’ll never forget you.”

Matthew cupped the man’s cheek and leaned in close, brushing his lips over the man’s forehead. The other guy cleared his throat and met Matthew’s gaze.

“Thank you for bringing him home. I thought he was dead. You saved my life. I’ll never forget what you did. You have friends in us—you’ll always have friends here with our group.”

The guy he had rescued sat up and searched out the gaze of the blue-eyed man he’d been chatting with. “I want to contact him later.”

Blue-eyes smiled and nodded. “We’ll be in touch, Matthew. Just give us a bit of time.”

Matthew lifted his brows and narrowed his gaze. “Should I be worried?”

Blue-eyes threw back his head and laughed. “No, Corporal Miller, you’re on our good side. Go home. We’ll be talking with you later. Thank you. I can’t express how much we appreciate what you did. Enjoy your evening. Your commanding officer has been notified of your travel plans. He won’t have any issues with your schedule.”

Matthew stood and stared down at the couple still huddled together before he turned, picked up the bag, and left the room. He had no idea who the men in that room were, but they must have been very powerful to demand the Marines and the Army follow their rules.

Chapter Eleven

Zander breathed in Marshal’s scent, holding him close. Matthew had said goodbye and that had made Zander cry. He still had the IV hooked up so he wasn’t dehydrated any longer, and real tears spilled down his cheeks.

“Babe, why are you crying?” Marshal asked.

Through choked sobs he spoke. “He was so nice. We have to help him.”

“How?” Marshal asked. “I’ll do anything, just tell me what to do.”

“We have to help him.” Zander sobbed as he looked from Duff to Grant.

“We will, babe, we will.” Marshal pulled him into a tight hug that almost hurt, but after a few seconds, Marshal lessened his hold.

“Are you ready to go?” Grant asked.

He nodded and tried to stand, but Marshal tightened his grip. “Can you walk?”

“I think so.” He was tired of being carried and he would need to walk at some point.

Marshal helped him stand and wrapped one arm around his waist. They took a few steps before Grant moved in front of him.

“It’s good to have you back, but first, we need to remove this IV line and check your clothes for bugs,” Roger said.

“What?” Anger pulsed through him. “Do you honestly think I would do something like that?”

“Not you, them,” Grant said. “Also, no names. This place could be wired. I don’t trust them.”

Zander blew out a breath and calmed. “Yeah, the doctor was rather insistent he take my blood. They really wanted to know who I was.”

“We have clothes. Do you want to change?” Marshal asked.

“Hell yes. You don’t have to ask twice.” Zander reached down and tugged at his shirt but Marshal’s hand on his arm stopped him.

“Let’s get rid of this IV first.”

Zander nodded and sat, waiting for Roger to pull the catheter from his arm. A bandage was placed on his skin, stopping the small trickle of blood. Marshal helped him pull off his shirt, a blush spreading over Marshal’s cheeks before he looked away. Marshal glanced back quickly, though, and gasped.

“Fuck, you’re so bruised.” Marshal ran his hand over Zander’s body as he shook his head.

“I’m okay,” Zander whispered.

Marshal frowned as Roger collected the material, keeping his gaze diverted. The other guys were turned so they couldn’t see Zander’s nakedness, but Duff did glance over and his lips turned down when he spied the bruises. Marshal’s lips were so thin they were almost gone.

Roger waved a scanner over Zander’s tossed aside clothes and the scanner beeped twice. “Yep, they tagged you. On the back of your collar. A tracking device. I don’t think there’s a microphone on it.”

“Probably when the doctor was doing stuff,” Zander said.

“What about that kid? Could he have been in on it?” Grant asked.

“No, not Matthew. He wouldn’t have done it. Not with how he felt about me,” Zander said.

“How did he feel about you?” Marshal’s voice rose, anger tinged his words.

Zander shot him a look, and Marshal frowned. “Not like that. You have nothing to worry about.”

“None of us think it’s anything other than this guy caring for you. Are you really sure it wasn’t him?” Grant asked.

Marshal squeezed him and kissed his cheek. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it, not really. I’m just stressed.”

“It wasn’t him. He spoke up for me and kept me safe.” Zander knew it wasn’t Matthew.

“We need to stop by the doctor’s office and get him checked out,” Marshal said.

“No doctors.” Zander didn’t want to be poked and prodded.

“We need to see how bad this is. I don’t want you having organ failure because we didn’t get the right tests done,” Duff said.

Zander didn’t want to admit how terrible his confinement had been. Hell, he’d been treated like an animal and he knew he needed medical treatment, but really, he just wanted to go home. After a few seconds, he nodded. “Fine, but I don’t want to be there long.”

They stepped out of the building and exhaustion hit Zander. He had to lean on Marshal and he didn’t like being so dependent on anyone, even his lover. Being held captive for nearly a month had taught him a few things about himself, and one of those was his need to be independent. He didn’t want Marshal helping him but he couldn’t walk on his own. He didn’t want to be in a hospital but he didn’t really have a choice. He wanted life to be like it used to be but he couldn’t handle even walking to the truck on his own. Nothing would ever be the same, and he knew it, had known it from the minute the guy had knocked him over the head and drug him out of that house in Turkey.

Marshal helped him up into the truck then raced around and got in the other side. He felt weak and closed his eyes, resting his head against the back of the seat. They drove for a while then stopped.

He sat up, glancing around. “Where are we?”

“Looks like we have company,” Grant said.

“Who?” Zander asked.

“One of the Army guys. I guess they think they need to follow us. Poor dude won’t get much from us since we’re not going to an office in this building. I had Mike drive over and meet us here, fearing someone would try to follow,” Grant said.

“We’ll go in here then out the back door,” Marshal said. “I know you can walk on your own, but let me carry you. That way, they won’t be looking for you to walk out on your own and they’ll assume we won’t go far.”

Zander stared into Marshal’s eyes, wondering if his man knew how he felt. Maybe Marshal had sensed his hesitation and fear of becoming too dependent. He loved Marshal with all of his heart, but he had suffered through so much. Zander wrapped his arms around Marshal’s neck. He was probably being too sensitive, but everything felt off.

After walking the maze of an office building, they came out in a parking garage then got in a truck driven by Mike. Both he and Marshal ducked down in the seat, hiding from anyone looking to follow them. It felt almost normal, like they were on a mission as they made their escape from the Army guy following them.

When they did make it to the doctor’s office where Duff had seen the cardiologist after his heart attack, he felt almost relieved, like he really was home or something like home. Doctor Barlow stepped into the room, and Zander felt at ease, but Barlow stiffened the second he saw Zander. His eyes were wide and his frown deep.

“What happened?” the doctor asked.

“He needs some medical tests,” Marshal said.

“I’m sorry, but he needs to be in the hospital.” Barlow held up his hands and backed away from the table. “I’m a cardiologist, and this man looks like he needs more than I can offer.”

“Doctor Barlow, we came to you because we trust you,” Marshal said.

Barlow shook his head and took another step back. “I have to report whatever this is, because honestly, it looks like he’s been beaten and starved for weeks on end.”

Zander cleared his throat. “Doctor, I’m sorry, but we need your help. I can’t tell you exactly what happened but I’m no longer in danger. You don’t have to call the police, and they wouldn’t know what to do anyway.”

Grant stepped forward and lifted his brows. “I can understand your hesitation, really I can, but I can assure you this man is not in any danger, not any more. There is no crime to report so there is no need to go to the police.”

Barlow’s lips thinned and he shook his head. “Okay, but we’re going to do this my way. I want you checked into the hospital—”

“No way,” Zander said.

“Just listen, okay. If you check in, we can put a rush on your lab work. That way we’ll know by morning if you have any long term damage. Can you give me any clue what happened? If I know, I can adjust the labs I order and not miss anything.”

“Basically, they didn’t let me eat much, and the water I drank wasn’t very clean,” Zander said.

“Any type of assault?” the doctor stared at the floor and pursed his lips before looking up into Zander’s eyes.

“They hit me.”

Barlow glanced down and studied an iPad in his hands, his gaze staying off Zander. “Anything else, like any sexual assault?”

“No, nothing sexual.” Zander saw Marshal relax a little. He understood why Marshal had been relieved. Not that his other abuse wasn’t terrible, but at least he hadn’t had to deal with being raped.

“Okay, you’re probably dehydrated,” Barlow said.

“I’ve had two IV solutions since they found me.” Zander wished he’d pushed harder about knowing which antibiotics had been used.

“When was that?” Barlow came close and lifted his hand, finding Zander’s pulse at his neck.

“I don’t know when. They whisked me on a plane and flew me over. The doc said he put some antibiotics in the IV line, two different doses.”

Barlow pulled out his stethoscope and placed it on Zander’s back. “I have a few baseline tests I need to run.” Barlow moved the flat metal disk to the other side of his back. “I wish I knew what he’d put in the IV.”

“He didn’t tell me, and I wasn’t really in a position to ask. I’m much more alert now. I feel better.”

Barlow nodded then tapped out a few things on his iPad. “I’m setting up admittance to the hospital right now. I was under the impression we were seeing Duff, and I don’t know who you are,” Barlow said.

“Here’s his ID,” Marshal stepped forward and handed the doctor a driver’s license.

The doctor looked at the ID then shook his head. “Christopher Atwater, that’s the name?”

Zander lifted his brows and saw Marshal nodding. “Yes, this is Christopher,” Marshal said.

Barlow sighed then nodded. “Okay.”

It took a few more minutes to finish with the doctor. A wave of exhaustion hit Zander and he gladly accepted help walking. It took them almost two hours to get him a room at the hospital and by then he needed sleep. Grant and Marshal stayed with him until nighttime when Grant headed home and Marshal was by his side. At some point, when the sky was dark as ink, the nurse came in and woke them both as she took his temperature and added medicine to his IV. After the nurse left, neither one of them went back to sleep. Marshal stood close to the hospital bed, and Zander pulled the sheets away from his body and patted the mattress.

“You want me to join you?” Marshal asked.

“Yeah, I need your arms around me,” Zander whispered.

“I need you.”

He scooted over, and Marshal gently eased his way onto the bed, wrapping his body around Zander’s but being careful of the wires and tubes. They lay quietly for a while, until Marshal sighed and kissed the top of his head.

“There were so many nights I couldn’t even get in our bed. When I did, I would cry. I can’t believe you’re here.”

Questions pounded through his mind. He felt the tears coming again and tried to fight them. Crying would keep him from talking, and he needed more information.

“Did they even try to look for me?” He’d meant to save the question, but it was the first thing that had popped out of his mouth.

“They didn’t call or come back until almost two weeks later. We thought you were all dead. I’ll let them tell you the full story when they get back.”

“Back?” Zander moved his head and met Marshal’s gaze.

“They were in Israel about to head to Syria to look for you when you called. Well, when you had Matthew call.”

“Oh God, they were going back?”

“Yeah, Tucker, Davis, and Ryan all headed over there. It nearly destroyed Tucker. He’s been so angry at leaving you behind. He was going to go there and kill everyone associated with the guy who had been in Yeldiz’s house.”

“Who was it?” Zander asked.

“Some dude who worked for Yeldiz. He wasn’t a big player, just some guy who helped the old man with security. It took a long time, but we finally figured out who he was. Then we tracked him into Syria. Honestly, until you called, we really thought you were dead.”

“It was…” Zander shivered, and Marshal’s arms tightened around him.

“I’m so sorry. When I found out you weren’t coming home, it nearly destroyed me.”

Zander tilted his chin up, studying Marshal in the dim light coming from the window. His heart swelled and he choked down a sob. This wasn’t just another dream. It was real. He was home and Marshal held him. There wouldn’t be any more torture sessions or beatings. He wouldn’t be killed by some asshole in a foreign country. He’d made it home.

Marshal’s lips gently brushed over his and it was too much. Emotions overwhelmed him as he cried into Marshal’s chest, letting go of all the pain and anger. He didn’t know if he would ever feel safe again, but having Marshal at his side allowed him to breathe easier.