Chapter 10

Garrett tied his sneakers at the front door.

“Can I run with you?”

He looked up at Aaron as he sat on the floor. “Sure.”

A smile appeared on Aaron’s face, and he hopped into the air, spun around, and ran to the bedroom.

Now that Aaron had decided to come for his evening run with him, Garrett thought about arming himself. He looked down at his scant attire and threw up his hands in frustration. Where was he supposed to hide a gun? In his briefs?

As Garrett thought tactically about anyone seeing him and Aaron running together, he visualized them being spied, followed, photographed, or worse.

Last year the army created a facial recognition program. If. If someone photographed Aaron, even with his changed appearance, he could be identified by a computer.

Garrett tried not to be too paranoid, but it was his nature to be suspicious. It’s what had kept him alive. Just as he thought of returning to his bedroom to grab at least a small knife, Aaron skipped towards him with a goofy grin on his handsome face.

Aaron’s innocence was endearing but could keep the young man’s judgement clouded when it came to eluding danger.

“Ready!”

Garrett gave Aaron’s bleach blond hair, clean-shaven face and shaved chest an inspection before looking at his blue gym shorts, white socks, and sneakers. He laughed at his enthusiasm. “Let’s go.”

Like a puppy dog, Aaron jumped and twirled as Garrett shut the door behind him and began his run. The evening air was cooling since it was after eight, but the summer night was still light with dusk a couple of hours off.

Since he was with his buddy, Garrett took a completely different route than normal. He jogged the backstreets of his neighborhood, avoiding any main arterials or well-traveled roads.

This area of Baltimore was lovely, lower crime, and mostly suburbanites with groomed lawns and electric fencing for pets.

Aaron jogged along with him, brushing elbows as they trotted on the sidewalk, and the street when the traffic vanished.

As they did an evening workout together, Garrett kept getting pangs of what he was missing. This.

A man to do simple things with.

Aaron was so willing to please.

So happy to just be.

While they ran quietly, not at a grueling pace, but an easy one, Garrett wondered about Aaron’s childhood. Some kids who were orphans and put through the foster care systems turned out to be lifetime criminals.

Aaron had a few missteps but seemed to crave the straight and narrow.

Garrett didn’t suspect Aaron of pawning his valuables, sneaking behind his back, or doing anything risky. As a matter of fact, Aaron was the opposite. He was obedient, meek, eager to please, and an honest man.

Garrett couldn’t help but admire that.

Here he was, working for millionaires that were so greedy, so vile, nothing was ever enough. They had riches and power, yet needed more. Were willing to do anything for it. Kill, steal, bribe, you name it.

Yet this man, this ex-con, wanted so badly to be the good guy.

The irony wasn’t lost on him.

~

Aaron thought Garrett’s pace and stamina would kill him. But this was nice. Although he was not in Garrett’s league physically, he could jog. In prison he’d kept fit. He liked to work out.

As Aaron imagined a life with this man, of them enjoying nightly runs, maybe joining a gym with a pool, his fantasy took wing. His love for Garrett kept growing to an all-out obsession.

He kept glancing at him as they jogged through upscale neighborhoods. Garrett, the trained observer, scanned left, right, and all around.

Aaron felt safe with him. Garrett was a bodyguard. Make no mistake.

Even unarmed, Aaron would not fight this man. No way.

When a black sedan drove slowly past them, Garrett’s keen eye was on it, wary, tactical. The car continued on its way and Garrett had them turn onto a small side street then head back.

The car didn’t reappear.

They increased their speed as they hit the homestretch. It was tough but Aaron loved it.

Garrett sprinted, leaving him behind, but smiled as he waited at the front door. “You did well!”

“I enjoyed it!” Aaron panted and the sweat began to run from his skin.

Feeling Garrett warming up to him made Aaron happy.

He unlocked the door, and they toed off their shoes, and headed to the kitchen for water. As they sated their thirst, Garrett kept his light blue eyes on him, and the look of lust made the hairs rise on Aaron’s sweaty skin.

I want you. I need you. Please, fall in love with me.

He leaned closer for a kiss. When he got one, Aaron felt his skin flush even hotter, because maybe. Maybe… he’d found the man of his dreams.

~

Alright. Maybe the affection from Aaron was kind of nice.

The last time Garrett had run with someone was in the military. He loved it. He had affection for the men he served with yet had never had an affair.

In 1994 the military began their Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.

But when he enlisted, if you were queer, you were out. Not allowed. Considered unfit.

So? He lied.

In the military academy, he hid as well. His father was a commander in the navy. Garrett craved the service and chose it at an early age.

His lust for men he placed in a compartment in his mind.

Alone. Alone he took care of himself, to his private thoughts.

But in public he was straight.

He dated. He kept his parents off his back.

He never made love to a woman. But they thought him a gentleman for not pushing them into sex.

A few months into each relationship he’d break it off. Not returning calls. Not being available for events.

His first sexual encounter was with a male prostitute he’d met in Germany while on leave.

He fucked him. Got his cock sucked.

That memory held him for years. It had to.

After he’d left active duty and sort of retired from Special Forces, where the men were homophobic and used gay slurs to torment others, Garrett continued to live inside his head. To fantasize.

Suddenly fate had given him a chance at love.

Now, no longer enlisted, he had choices.

Choices he’d never had before.

He set the water down on the counter and grabbed Aaron, pinning him to the wall. As Aaron willingly gave into his sexual dominance, Garrett’s passion ignited.

Not this time. I’m not missing out again.

Aaron’s love for him gave Garrett the strength, the trust, to maybe, just maybe, love him back.

~

Something changed.

Aaron felt a shift in Garrett at that moment. He reached blindly for the counter to set his water bottle down and cupped the back of Garrett’s sweaty neck. As the two of them cooled down from the run, their libidos fired up.

Aaron had no idea what Garrett’s sexual history was. How could he know? This man lived in secret, in a secret society of operatives and covert missions.

Other than Garrett saying he couldn’t have a lover because of the risk, the leverage, Aaron knew nothing about him.

He was urged towards the bedroom while Garrett’s mouth kissed his. Their tongues swirled together, and Garrett’s hand slipped into Aaron’s shorts.

As his cock was fondled and squeezed, Aaron’s desire hit the stratosphere. Garrett nudged him to their bed and yanked off Aaron’s shorts and briefs. His cock bounced up like a mast, blushing red.

Garrett undressed and leapt on top of him with abandon.

They writhed and rolled around on the bed, whimpering as they kissed. Aaron felt Garrett’s desperation to climax as they ground cock to cock against each other.

Aaron reached between them and pulled on Garrett’s erection, feeling how hard he’d grown, the skin smooth and tight. Garrett did the same, grabbing Aaron’s cock, and as they kissed like crazed teens, they jerked each other off.

The stimulation was beyond belief. Aaron came, parting from the wild kisses and nearly howled from the rush of pleasure spinning him into euphoria. Just as he spattered jizz all over himself, Garrett came, adding his spunk to the mix. They whimpered and kept squeezing and pulling on each other’s dicks and then released them, gasping for air.

Garrett rolled off him, to his back, and held Aaron’s hand, interlacing their sticky fingers.

Aaron held his chest as he recovered and then started to laugh. He had no idea why. But he laughed hard.

As if it were contagious, Garrett joined him, and they kept laughing as tears rolled down their faces.

Aaron stared at Garrett as he chuckled and caught his breath. “You like me.”

Garrett’s grin widened and he turned towards him. “A little.”

“Ha.” Aaron squeezed Garrett’s hand tighter.

They lay together, basking in the afterglow of the sex, and Aaron felt a ray of hope shine on him. Maybe. Just maybe. He’d finally found a man who would love him.

You never know.

~

They washed and dressed after the sex. Garrett worked on the computer while Aaron watched TV. As he continued to investigate the men he and Sandra Ginsberg had identified, Garrett did some recon on relocation. Denmark.

Denmark was the only country, so far, to allow gays to have rights as a couple. Not marriage, but close.

He was certainly willing to move there.

He had high hopes this country would lead the way to same sex marriage, but as of 1994, that wasn’t happening.

He had money in the bank, could sell this home for almost two-hundred thousand, and he and Aaron could vanish.

But… he had a mission first.

And he was a professional.

He was going to see the men that used Aaron as their scapegoat charged with suspicion of murder before he left the country.

The men that had conspired to kill Aaron were going to pay. He would accomplish that.

He was gaining information for the Department of Justice for a grand jury. That was only one aspect of his new obsession.

He wanted to find AJ Henderson’s real killer. He also had a feeling it was the director. But he needed more than a hunch to get a conviction, since he’d never get a confession.

Steinmetz was the connection.

Saturday night he’d gain access to the director’s home.

Saturday night he’d get the proof he needed.

Your time is nearly up, sir. So, I hope you’re enjoying your last few days of freedom.

~

Aaron surfed channels on the TV set in vain. Nothing but junk. The 90s had brought the sitcom to its height, and the laugh tracks and punchline dialogues were awful.

The news was worse.

So? He had sports airing but didn’t have any allegiance to a team. It was noise. And he didn’t want to bother Garrett while he worked on the computer.

After an hour, the hottie entered the living room.

Aaron watched his swagger and gazed between his legs. Nice. The bulge in Garrett’s shorts made him tingle.

He didn’t need a partner with a big dick, but it was nice having one. He sat up on the sofa and reached for him. A smile appeared on Garrett’s handsome face. He sat on the couch and urged Aaron to lay back on his lap. Very affectionate.

As they relaxed, like a real couple, Aaron handed him the remote control. “Yours.”

“The baseball is fine.” Garrett caressed his short blond hair and shaven chest. “You already have black roots.”

Aaron chuckled. “Yeah, well the carpet doesn’t match the drapes either.”

“Huh?”

Aaron tugged his elastic shorts band down, showing his pubes.

Garrett laughed.

Aaron stared up at him. “Can I tell you a secret?”

A slightly suspicious gaze hit Garrett.

“I wish we could live this way.” Aaron reached up to caress Garrett’s cheek. “I mean, forever.”

That suspicious gaze changed immediately to a soft smile.

Aaron stretched for a kiss and got one, then snuggled up and watched the Yankees with his man. Yes. His. Man.

His hero.

His lover.

His idol.

~

Locking the house, securing it before bedtime, Garrett watched the street outside his home. He lived on a cul-de-sac. It was perfect because only cars that belonged here drove here, unless someone wasn’t supposed to be here. Then, they would make a U-turn and Garrett would get a good look at the car, license plate, and driver.

So far, so good.

Heck, he’d done nothing to raise suspicion. A charred body, one that could not be identified through fingerprints, dental records, or DNA had been found in Aaron’s car. Two bullets from his pistol were lodged in its head.

Add to that, Aaron did indeed vanish. He was no longer seen near the apartment, no debit transactions occurred, and nothing remained of his life to prove the victim wasn’t him.

Why would the director even question it?

Garrett’s reputation as a professional was exemplary. That was why he was chosen in the first place. He got the job done.

Would his neighbors react to seeing Aaron around? No.

He was respected by his peers and the assumption would not be that he was gay. If anything, his neighbors would assume a family member, or a friend was visiting.

He was lucky that way. He never raised the specter of suspicion in either his work or play.

Yes, he suffered from isolation, but at least while he lived his normal day to day life, his phones weren’t tapped, his house wasn’t under surveillance or his car followed.

Not only would he be aware, but he’d confront anyone that confronted him.

That was another reputation he had. Tough. A fighter.

Not many men were hired assassins.

Shutting lights and turning the air conditioning up a notch, Garrett entered his bedroom to see Aaron already asleep in his bed.

He undressed, staring at him. Having a man sleep with him was nice. It wasn’t the first time. In the miliary he’d slept alongside men, just not naked.

He didn’t have to avoid brushing against this one.

Smiling to himself, Garrett entered the bathroom to wash up for slumber. Seeing a grin on his face in the mirror’s reflection was new.

What did he have to smile about before?

Nothing.

He had a reason now.

~

Hearing the water running in the sink and seeing the light under the bathroom door, Aaron opened his tired eyes.

He reached across the cool crisp cotton sheet to Garrett’s side of the bed. A sense of serenity filled him and the longing for peace and love was both unbearable and wonderful.

Was he convinced Garrett would fall for him and they’d live happily ever after? No. But what he had now was amazing. It showed him he could be happy.

That he and another man could have a relationship.

That he wasn’t horrible or repulsive because of his criminal past.

The light shut off and the door opened. A silhouette of a man approaching the bed made him smile.

Garrett crawled under the freshly laundered cotton sheet with him and on seeing him awake, they drew close. Garrett caressed his cheek with his callused hand, cupping his face. A streetlight seeping through the blinds made Garrett’s blue eyes glitter.

He was urged into a kiss. The taste of the minty toothpaste on Garrett’s lips and the passion made Aaron weak in the knees.

Garrett wrapped his arm around him and pulled him close, so close they overlapped. With his cheek resting on Garrett’s chest, over the tattoo, Aaron closed his eyes and fell back to sleep with the sound of a pounding heart of a lion under him.