Chapter 10

The plane ridewas eerily silent. Josh didn't want to read; the words just danced on the page and he couldn't concentrate. All he could do was think. Dixon slept in the seat beside him, his body slouched, his legs stretched out in front of him. The other men who had come with them whispered among themselves.

Michael's words still rang in his ears.

"You stay with the men, okay? Especially Dixon. Because if anything happens to you—God forbid—one, I'll regret okaying this, and two, I'll ground you for the rest of your natural life. You got that?"

Josh's response had been instant. "Yes, Dad."

Dixon had snorted, which earned him a glare from Michael. He smiled sweetly and said, "I'd have gone with, ‘Yes, Daddy.'"

A voice came out of the speaker above his head. "We've begun our descent. We'll be landing shortly at Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport."

Josh gave Dixon a nudge. "Dixon?"

Dixon's eyes popped open in a heartbeat. "I'm awake, Doc."

"But…." He frowned. "I thought you were asleep."

Dixon chuckled. "Who can sleep with you thinking so loud?" He sat up, his fingers laced over his stomach. "What's on your mind?"

Josh ignored the first response that came into his head. Oh, everything. He managed a shrug in an effort to appear more relaxed than his present mental state would allow. "Just worried about what we'll find, I guess."

Dixon stared. "Why worried?"

It felt as though saying the words would somehow talk it into existence, but he couldn't lie, not to Dixon. "Honestly?" Josh looked him in the eye. "I think Cliff is dead. I've been going over it in my head?—"

Dixon smirked. "Hence the loud thinking."

Josh bit back a chuckle, and that right there was pretty miraculous in the circumstances. There weren't many people who could make him laugh, especially when his thoughts were so convoluted and dark. "He's been off the grid for too long. No checking in that I can find, nothing on any of his records. I mean, he could have gone deep underground. Maybe." He noted the darkening circles under Dixon's eyes. "I don't like not knowing something. I suppose it bothers me that a colleague is in trouble, and I can't help him."

And something's bothering you, isn't it?

He was surprised when Dixon took his hand. For someone who worked so hard, Dixon's hand was surprisingly soft, reassuring in a way.

"We help where we can. There's no way we can take care of everyone, so we do our best and deal with the rest."

For some odd reason, Josh wanted to rest his head on Dixon's shoulder, to bask in the comfort the man exuded. Maybe that was what Josh needed. Someone to hug him. He'd never been all that big on hugs before, but the deeper they got into this mess, the more he wanted one.

He leaned in close, and Dixon met him halfway.

"Doc, you okay?"

Josh couldn't look at him. "Can I ask…. I mean, would it be okay if…." He sighed. "Would it be wrong of me to ask for a hug?"

There was the minutest pause before Dixon spoke. "Why would you think it's wrong? Who doesn't enjoy being held, even if it's just for a few moments?" Josh glanced at his face, and Dixon smiled. "Okay, you might be the one with the brains around here, but even I know a hug releases oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine, helping to lower anxiety, stress, and blood pressure. To be quite honest, I think the world would be a better place if we hugged it out instead of fighting all the time." He lifted an arm. "Come here."

It was as if an electromagnet had been switched on. Josh found himself being pulled toward Dixon, leaning against him. Dixon completed the circuit by wrapping his other arm around Josh, squeezing him tight, Josh's head against his shoulder.

Dixon was right. It felt amazing. Josh couldn't recall the last time he'd had an honest-to-goodness hug. Probably when Grandma had given him one.

Dixon's breath tickled his ear. "You ever need a hug, you come to me. On second thoughts, if you ever need anything, come see me. Understand? I'll take care of you."

A shiver rolled through him at Dixon's words. Christopher had wanted to own him. His parents had wanted to give him to that ass. Dixon said he'd take care of Josh, and he had no reason to doubt it.

"'Kay," Josh whispered back, his throat tightening.

Dixon tucked a knuckle under Josh's chin and lifted slightly. "Hey, look at me."

Josh was happy where he was, afraid that moving might shatter this amazing feeling. Still, he leaned back and peered into Dixon's eyes.

Oh my. He couldn't mistake the compassion he saw there. The warmth. And there was another emotion Josh couldn't quantify, but the sight unfurled something deep in his belly, unraveling him.

Whatever it was, Josh liked it a lot.

"I'm serious, Doc." Dixon's voice was low and firm. "Whatever you need, any day, any time. I'm your guy, okay?"

Josh was too dumbfounded to do anything but nod.

Holy hell, Doc's in my arms.

Okay, so it was just a hug, but if Dix died right that second, he'd go out a happy man.

Where the hell did that promise come from?

Not that he was too surprised he'd made it. Dix couldn't think of a single thing he wouldn't do if Doc asked him. Water your plants? I'm in. Rob a bank? Sure, we can discuss it. Kill your ex? Hell yes! He wanted to stay like this a little longer, but already through the tiny window he could see the ground getting closer. Within the next hour or so, they'd be at Cliff Tanner's building. For Doc's sake, Dix hoped they'd find answers, because it was clear—to Dix at least—that Doc was fraying at the edges. Sure, he tried to put on a brave face, but Dix knew better. He'd seen it too many times in the military. All the bluster in the world only lasted so long, and then reality set in and bravado turned to bone-numbing fear. For someone like Doc, they'd skipped the preshow and were already ass-deep in the nitty gritty.

"Buckle up." Doc straightened in his seat, and Dix felt the loss of that warm body instantaneously. He fastened his seatbelt, then gripped the arms.

The hitch in Doc's breathing had him turn his head. Doc gave him an incredulous stare. "You don't like landings, do you?"

Dix snorted. "Do you have any idea how many disaster movies I've watched over the years? They can't invent teleportation fast enough for me."

Doc covered his hand with his own, smiling.

"What's so funny?"

He chuckled. "You. You give off these big, bad, bold vibes, and then you go and say something like that." The plane landed with a bump, and he tightened his hold on Dix's hand. "I've got you."

Dix wasn't about to complain.

They descended the steps onto the tarmac, Dix taking the lead.

Doc stopped him with a hand to his arm. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Dix patted his jacket, feeling the reassuring lump of his holster. "I don't think so."

"Wasn't there something you needed to say to me?"

There were a ton of things Dix wished he could say, but didn't possess the nerve. "Such as?"

Doc grinned. "Don't forget where we parked." The peal of laughter that burst from his lips was the best thing Dix had heard in a long time.

He led them to the rental counter, where Michael—against Dix's better judgment—had arranged for a Chevy Tahoe to be available to them. Dix wished they could have brought one of the larger CrossBow vehicles with the hybrid engine. They couldn't even rent one, because it seemed Milwaukee wasn't yet in the market for them. The Tahoe would have to do. Once the paperwork had been dealt with, it wasn't long before they were pulling out of the parking lot and onto the freeway toward the city.

"You got the directions?" he asked Doc, who was seated beside him. In the back seats, Brant Parnell, Lance Darr, Carl Winters, and Jasmine Toulette sat with their gazes constantly darting around, vigilant for any threats. That was one of the great things about working at CrossBow—Dix got to work with professionals like these guys. Most were way better than the assholes he'd served with in the military—although, truth be told, there'd been some stellar people there too.

"Yes." Doc stared at the map on his tablet. "The problem is, there are lots of little turns on the way there. It would probably be easier to put the address into the GPS and let it navigate."

Dix didn't want a mechanical voice droning in his ear. He preferred Doc's gentle baritone. Not for the first time, he wondered if Doc would narrate some good porn stories for him if Dix offered to pay him. That voice was a goddamn aphrodisiac. Except once his mind had taken that route, it went a little further. Who needed porn when he could imagine the breathy pleas of "harder, Dixon," "slow down, Dixon," "Dixon, slow down."

"Dixon! Slow down."

He jerked his head up. The speedometer said they were nearing eighty, definitely a tad over the speed limit. He took his foot off the gas and let the car slow instead of slamming the brakes.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "Didn't sleep much, and my mind was wandering."

Not a good thing for a bodyguard to admit.

Doc glanced at the map. "There's a McDonald's a mile up, if you want to get some coffee."

"Coffee! We need coffee!" came a chorus of voices from the back. Dixon couldn't blame them. He'd called and told them to be ready to go first thing the following morning. They hadn't disappointed him.

Then again, they never did.

Dix chuckled. They were right, though. Coffee did sound good.

"One pit stop, coming right up."

He'd looked at their destination on Google maps before they'd left Roswell, and he understood Doc's fears. The dilapidated building looked as though it should have been condemned years ago. There wasn't much surrounding it apart from other dilapidated buildings. No signs of life.

Why did you buy it, Tanner?

Dix hoped they'd find the answer, for Doc's sake.

Why were you here, Tanner? I don't understand.

The place was awful. The windows were all smashed out and foliage grew wild, clinging to the side of the long building, creeping out and strangling what had once been a narrow pathway with its dark tendrils. There were gaping holes in the roof where birds fluttered in and out, and open archways that had once contained doors, long since gone. Gang tags covered what was left of the internal red brick walls. The area surrounding it wasn't much better. Deserted and spooky as hell.

You could easily use this place as a location for a horror movie.

It gave Josh the creeps.

"Anything?" Dixon called out to the others.

Shouts of "No, sir" floated in from different points on the property. Josh had gone with Dixon to check the inside of the ramshackle place. As messy as it was, it would be impossible to tell if anything was missing or out of place, and the more Josh saw, the more his heart sank.

This is an exercise in futility.Josh wondered if Dixon would trust him again. I doubt I would if I were in his shoes.

Dixon shifted closer. "Let it go, Doc. Just because we haven't found anything yet, it doesn't mean there isn't something here. We just need to figure out what it is." A hand fell on Josh's shoulder. "I trust your instincts."

That compliment made Josh feel ten feet tall. "Thanks."

"Now, I know you said Tanner was smart, but I doubt he was as brilliant as you, so maybe you're overthinking things. Take a few breaths and calm down."

Sound advice.

Josh closed his eyes. You needed my help, Tanner. He could almost feel the weight of Tanner's hopes on him. That didn't detract from the bone-deep feeling that Tanner was dead. No one drops off the grid that completely without a massive effort to scrub away their existence. If Josh hadn't been able to find an online trace of Tanner, it was because he wasn't going to be found.

Not alive, at any rate.

Dixon patted his shoulder. "Stay here for a bit. I'm going to go check in with the others, okay?"

Josh nodded. He waited until Dixon was out of sight before addressing the emptiness around him. "Come on, Tanner. You wanted me to find you, so help me out here."

He held his breath, but there was no ghostly apparition pointing an ethereal finger for Josh to follow. No cold breeze tickling his neck. Nothing but silence, and that frustrated the hell out of him. Maybe I'm wrong. Wouldn't be the first time, right? Even if Tanner had pinged from here, that didn't mean he'd stayed put. He could be off somewhere, laughing at how he'd fooled Josh.

"Hey, Doc? Can you come out here, please?"

Josh sucked in a breath. This had been a fool's errand. He trudged outside and found Dixon standing with the others, about thirty feet from the building. Jasmine was on her phone, but the men were staring at the ground. Josh ambled over and was about to apologize for wasting everyone's time, when Dixon turned around, his face grave.

"I'm sorry, Doc. I think we found Tanner."

Josh's heart thudded as he made his way over to them, frowning. "Out here?" Then he took a better look at what lay at their feet, and it took him a moment to realize he was seeing charred human remains.

Oh.

He stared at the burned-out corpse. Whatever did this, it burned hot and fast. There was no guarantee it was Tanner, but logically, it was a sound supposition. He knelt beside the remains, careful not to touch anything. Fragments of bones littered the area where they'd cracked and shattered, resting on a bed of ash. If Josh had to guess, it wasn't unlike a thermite compound, designed to destroy enemy fortifications.

Yet another tick in the box that the government was behind this whole thing.

"Doc? You okay?"

He tilted his head and found Dixon, his face a mask of concern.

"What? Oh, yes, I'm fine. Why? Are you okay?"

Dixon nodded. "I was just worried about, you know, seeing your friend's body and all. It might be upsetting."

But I'm not upset.

It surprised Josh that he was able to clinically examine this person's—Tanner's—remains and not have any issues. And yet the memory of that young child still haunted him. A child whose sweet voice had tickled Josh's ear only moments before he was caught in a blast that ripped his body apart before he could even scream.

"I'm okay." Dixon gave him a dubious look, and Josh sighed. "I promise, I'm fine."

"We've called the local police. They're going to have questions."

Josh stood. "And giving them answers might prove difficult. I'm not ready to tell them what I know, because that could put their lives at risk. We'll just have to play it by ear." He hoped Dixon wasn't too mad. "I know you were hoping to get back to CrossBow tonight. I'm sorry if this puts us behind."

"As if I care about that." Dixon scowled. "This shit is so fucked up. What could do this to a body?"

"My best guess is it's some sort of thermic reaction. I've never known anything that could burn bone to ash like this short of a cremation. Whatever killed this person—Tanner—it was quick, but undoubtedly painful."

Jasmine finished her call. "Mr. Meeks? Since we have no idea how long we'll be here, I booked us rooms at Hotel Verdant. It was a little pricier than the other options, but their online rating is way better. Plus, it has some nice views."

Dixon chuckled. "Always thinking ahead, huh? How many rooms did you get?"

She smirked. "Four. I figure y'all can figure out who sleeps in what room, but as much as I love working with everyone here, I'm not about to share with any of you."

"Aw, Jazz. Right in the heart," Brant teased.

She laughed. "I know you're all good and dependable, but after this, I'm going to want a long shower and?—"

"I'm kidding. You should definitely have a room by yourself."

"You all should," Josh interjected. "Call them back and change it to six separate rooms."

"Five," Dixon corrected. "One of us needs to stay with Dr. Malone."

Of course. "What if I want a shower too?"

"Then someone will sit outside the door while you take it." Dixon locked gazes with him. "This man is dead, Doc. We have to keep that in mind."

Josh sent Tanner a silent apology. "I was just goofing around. I'm fine with someone staying?—"

"That'll be me," Dixon cut in. "Change it to five rooms, Jazz. I'll okay it with Michael and?—"

"I'll be paying for it," Josh insisted. It was the least he could do, considering they'd all come here because of him.

Dixon frowned. "We'll discuss this later."

Josh smiled.

I'll take that as a small victory.

Then it occurred to him.

Looks as if I've got a roommate. No big deal, right?

Then why was his heart pounding?