Chapter Twenty-Two

Declan made his way to Luke's apartment. He pondered the Monarch puzzle. If he'd only been able to get the name of the person in charge.

After being buzzed into the building, he took the elevator up to the fifteenth floor. This place is posh. Declan knocked on the door, which opened, revealing Luke's million-dollar smile. Declan's heart skipped a beat.

"I'll be back in just a sec. I'm on the phone in the other room. Make yourself at home."

Declan walked in and sat on the couch. From the other room he could hear Luke's muffled voice. He couldn't make out what was being said, but the tone of the conversation sounded heated. Declan looked around. Luke was doing quite well for himself. Through the window of the corner unit, Declan could clearly make out the Calgary Tower, the Bow River and the midway rides on the Stampede grounds. Then his gaze was drawn to the coffee table, and a stack of mail. The top envelope was stamped ‘Final Notice'.

"I thought you'd never get here," Luke said, coming back into the room. "Sorry about that. It was my dad." He sat on the couch, grabbed Declan by the shoulders and pulled him in for a quick kiss.

Declan smiled. "Nice place. When I was a constable, I was lucky to afford a basement one-bedroom apartment. Looks like you've got, what, a two-bedroom, with a den and view of the mountains? Something you want to tell me?"

"My folks bought it for me, and the fancy couch we're sitting on is courtesy of a long shot on a horse that paid off."

"Do you always win?"

"Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose, but let's not talk about that." Luke kissed Declan's neck. "So, anything new on the case?"

Declan pushed Luke away. "Not so fast, officer. I don't give up information that easily. What's in it for me?"

"You should know by now, I don't make deals," Luke said.

"Then you're going to have to make me talk."

"Well then, I'll have to take you to the interrogation room." Luke took Declan's arm and dragged him down the hallway. As he pushed him onto the bed, Luke hauled off Declan's T-shirt. He teased Declan's nipples with his teeth before sliding down towards his stomach, taking his time exploring Declan's navel with his tongue.

Luke said, "So, are you gonna talk?"

"You gotta do better than that."

Luke yanked at the waistband of Declan's 501s and the fly-buttons burst open.

"Mmm. Commando. That'll save me time."

Luke wrapped his lips around Declan's hardening cock and started to suck. Declan felt Luke's teeth gently sinking into his flesh.

"Easy there. I've only got one of those."

Luke pulled back, making a popping sound as he released Declan's shaft, then ran his tongue along its length towards his balls. He sucked on one, then the other before pushing Declan's legs back. He paused and said, "By the time I finish this, you won't remember your own name," then he plunged his tongue into Declan's ass.

Declan moaned. His eyes rolled back into his head as Luke penetrated him repeatedly with his tongue. He knew when this was finished that he'd tell Luke anything he wanted to know.

* * * *

Charlie exited the third shop on the strip with no new information. The clerk in the wine store had been downright rude even after he'd bought a nice bottle of merlot.

He turned left to try his luck at another store and walked right into a wall. It was less of a wall than a large slab of a man built like a brick wall. Charlie was so startled that he gasped and dropped his bottle, which smashed on the pavement.

"Mind telling me what you're doin' here?" Brick Wall asked, poking Charlie in the shoulder.

"I was just buying a bottle of…oh, I'm so, so, sorry. I got it all over your pants. It was an accident. I'll pay for your dry cleaning."

"Why are you bothering these fine, upstanding business owners with lots of questions?"

With every word, Brick Wall moved Charlie farther away from the store and closer to a parked van.

"I was just asking—I was just looking to rent a space. I make games," he stuttered out. At this point, Charlie saw another guy who had been hidden from Charlie's view by the bulk of the angry man.

The smaller of the two men said, "Wait a minute. I know dat guy. He works for that detective, Hunt."

Charlie recognised the second man as the one who had come by the office to pick up Mr Attwal's laptop and finger.

"Is that so?" said Brick Wall. "So, you're snooping around for Hunt?"

"No, no. I make computer games—"

The next thing Charlie knew he was flying backwards and slamming into the side of the van.

"Don't lie to me," Brick Wall yelled, "or I'll throw you over this fuckin' van and into traffic!"

He reached for Charlie but had underestimated how far he'd thrown him, and just swatted air.

Charlie took advantage of the situation, rotating away and dodging around the front of the van. Brick Wall tried to follow, but was too large to fit between the two vehicles. Charlie continued his path onto the street then heard the screech of brakes and the squeal of rubber on pavement. He turned his head. The hood of a dark grey car was a foot away from his body.

He jumped as high as he could and made contact with the hood, then hit the roadway.

The last thing he remembered was a voice saying, "Charlie? Charlie, wake up. Wake up."

* * * *

Declan lay on the bed with Luke's head resting on his chest. Both men were spent. Declan said, "That was amazing. You've obviously had lots of practice."

"Not as much as some," Luke said, laughing as he poked Declan in the ribs. "I didn't start 'til I was almost out of university."

"Was that when you came out?" Declan asked.

"Oh, do we have to do this?" Luke replied, laughing as he struggled to get out of Declan's leg hold. "All right. Coming out wasn't as big a deal as I thought it was going to be, given that my family's pretty right-wing. In high school I focused on grades and sports. I loved wrestling and basketball, and I was good at them."

"Of course you were. Especially the wrestling, I bet."

"Asshole." Luke swatted Declan. "Anyway, there was nothing else to do. I grew up in a small town.

"I lived in residence at university where I was corrupted by the sins of alcohol and bar-hopping. By the end of first year I had fallen in love with a member of the intramural volleyball team, a physics major named Jamal. The thought of telling my parents that their son was gay scared the crap out of me. Jamal suggested that I should start by telling them I'd fallen in love with someone who was black, so that when I told them it was a guy, they'd be in such a state of shock, the gay part wouldn't register."

Declan released his leg hold on Luke. "So, how did it go?"

"When I finally got up the nerve to tell my parents, my mother just left the room and said to my father that it was obviously time."

"Time for what?" Declan asked.

"Time for my dad to come out to me."

"No fucking way!"

"Yup," Luke responded. Luke sat up on the edge of the bed. "And Mom knew all along. They'd been best friends since elementary school, and they loved each other. He said if it wasn't for her, her support, her brains and her good judgement, that he wouldn't have accomplished a quarter of what he did.

"He claimed she always knew and, in spite of that, she still agreed to be his wife. He had a solid career, and my mom was happy to help him out as it gave her status. He was just lucky to marry his best friend. I'll always remember what he said—'sex can be exciting and exhilarating, but it will never last. The key to a long relationship is friendship.' And they did have some sex, otherwise I wouldn't be here."

Declan shook his head. "And they kept his secret all this time?"

"Yeah. And I'm hoping you will too. If this were to get out, it would kill my dad."

"I won't say a thing. I promise. Speaking of dads, I had a visit from mine today," Declan said.

"Oh?"

Declan remained silent for a moment.

"Not a pleasant encounter, I assume?" Luke asked

"It never is when it's a visit from the staff sergeant."

"What was the problem?"

"Apparently he was ambushed by McKeckran at the Commissioner's Lunch today. McKeckran made a scene about me meddling in a police investigation and he told my father to warn me that if he caught me doing it again, he'd arrest me on the spot."

"God, that McKeckran is such a self-serving prick," Luke said.

"Speaking of McKeckran, have you got anything new on the Mann case?"

"Just before you got here," Luke started, "I had word that they found where he went into the river. They discovered a blood-covered rock. Whether he fell on it or was hit with it, they're not sure yet. It's in for testing. They also found his car. The trunk contained a suitcase filled with women's clothing. Okay—I've shown you mine, now you show me yours."

Declan said, "The company that was trying to force Ian Mann to sell was called Monarch. I have reason to believe that they're connected to the mob."

"Monarch. Interesting…"

"Have you heard of them?"

Luke's phone rang. He answered, "Yeah?… I understand… I gotta go." Luke put his phone down and started to get dressed.

"Problem?"

"I gotta get into work."

"Okay."

Declan got out of bed and searched for his pants when his cell phone rang. He picked it up. "Hello?"

"Dec, it's Mickey. Look, you'd better get over to the bar, ASAP. I've got Charlie here. He's been in a fight. He was beat up pretty bad before he got hit by a car."

"What the fuck! Is he okay?"

"I checked him over. He's banged up, but I think he'll be fine."

"I'll be right there." Declan disconnected.

"What's happening?" Luke asked.

"Someone's about to regret meeting Charlie."