The Current Between Us

“Synclair, I’m leaving Cooper’s house now, what the fuck happened?” Hopkins asked, sounding out of breath.

“No, you stay there. I want you and whatever team you have left there to stay on Cooper. Did you send the alert out to everyone?” Gage asked, navigating the neighborhood streets with more speed than he should. The anger rolling through him required he put as much distance between him and Trent as quickly as he possibly could.

“What? No, Synclair, I need to be on you. What the fuck happened?” Hopkins asked again.

“Abdulla is related to the Cooper family,” Gage said, taking the ramp onto the highway, dodging in and out of cars as he drove. The two security cars behind him stayed with him, but he didn’t make it easy.

“What? Gage, are you sure? This wasn’t in anything we found on him,” Hopkins said.

“Positive ID. I have the proof in the way of a photograph. The story I got, he’s the kids father, died three years ago, no four years ago now. Photo taken with Trent’s sister,” Gage said. As he spoke the words aloud, his heart screamed for attention over the anger bubbling through his system. It hurt and he let up on the gas as he realized what he’d just lost.

“Do they know?”

“I have no idea. I’d have to say this is too big a coincidence. Coop Electric wasn’t the original contractor on my job. The other contractor abandoned the job. He could have been put there on purpose…” Gage thought about it quickly and slammed his fist forward, punching the dashboard over the thought. “Goddammit! I’m fucking positive I wasn’t supposed to see this picture!”

Gage tried to contain his rage and brought the car down to the posted speed limit, then off to the shoulder of the highway, throwing the vehicle in park. He ignored the blood dripping from his fist. How did Abdulla know? Where had he slipped up and not covered his tracks?

“Get immediate communication into Mexico. Tell everyone to stand down. Do not abandon post, just stand down, and be on alert. Hopkins, I want you personally on Trent Cooper. I want men on those children twenty-four/seven. I want someone on Rhonny and someone on Sophia. I want everything recorded and I want the files you have taken so far on the entire family in my email before I get back to my desk tonight.”

“Yes, sir,” Hopkins said.

“Hopkins, watch Trent close. Everything he does, I want recorded. He’ll have to make contact with Abdulla now that I know. Unless Abdulla has been fuckin’ watching me, goddammit!” Gage disconnected the call and sat in the car, staring out the window, knowing it was a bad idea to make himself an open target like this, but he didn’t care. The heartsick pain caving in his chest beat anything he’d ever felt before. How could he have fallen in love so quickly? What did he really know about Trent Cooper, anyway? How the fuck had they figured out the best possible way to get to him was through honor and integrity in a motherfucking hot goddamn package? Fuck! Gage laid his head on the steering wheel. How had they known? He’d hidden his need for family from everyone, even himself. Trent had inspired feelings inside him that even he wasn’t aware of? How the fuck had Abdulla figured it all out?

Gage stayed with his head bent over, his heart torn apart, and his eyes staring down at nothing until they focused on his phone. The screen saver flashed to Trent in his tux, and then faded away as the screen turned dark. Gage ran his finger over his phone and stared at the picture until it faded away again. He swiped again across the screen to find a particular number, and dialed it. Answered on the first ring. “I’m calling in every favor I’ve given you. Sid, I need immediate background checks on seven people. I need everything ever documented on these people.”

“Go slow, and spell the names,” Sid said. Gage gave the name of every member in the Cooper family and the last known addresses he knew until Sid cut Gage off.

“Wait, he’s the guy you were with the other night.”

“Last known address…” Gage finished giving the address, unwilling to talk about it with Sid, but his tone changed from one of authority to one of pain. Everything settled into this moment. The man he loved was connected with the man he hated most in the world. How the hell had this happened? He disconnected the call, unable to say anything more. Anger kept the tears at bay, but just barely.

Gage put the car in drive and tapped his brakes a couple of times to let those following him know he planned to leave. He pulled back onto the highway and picked up his phone for one last call.

“Dad, there’s been a breach on my end. Please tell your people to be on heightened alert and tell everyone to watch it. I’ll call you when I know more.”

“Son, are you all right? You don’t sound good.”

“I gotta go, Dad. I’ll call you when I know more. This is a big one, I’m sorry, please make sure your security knows,” Gage said and disconnected the call.

Gage’s knuckles ached from where he’d hit the dash, and he stretched out his hand before gripping the steering wheel again. He forced the pain from his mind. The love of his life worked for Abdulla. They played him like a school girl, and he fell hook, line, and sinker. Steeling his heart, he drove the rest of the way to the gallery almost numb, giving himself this time before he jumped right in the middle of Trent Cooper’s ass, bringing them all down along with Abdulla.

Chapter 19

His head throbbed. Trent ran his left hand up to his forehead and leaned his head on his palm. He closed his eyes while dropping the phone in the cradle on his desk. For the first time in two days, something hurt worse than the pain in his heart. Five days since the grand opening which easily categorized as one of the best days of his entire life. Two days since Gage had stormed off in an unexplained anger. And even though it was only Tuesday, this week could easily vie for the worst in his life so far. Since the opening, he’d lost his lead electrician, five contracted jobs, and his boyfriend, but really, could he consider Gage a boyfriend after a week? No, he couldn’t, but to help the pity party going on in his head he let it count. And to make everything much worse, Trent shouldered every bit of the blame. What the fuck was I thinking?