The Current Between Us

Gage also watched other men staring at Trent during the opening, trying to get his attention, and he remembered the desperate sense of jealousy coursing through him with each long glance he caught directed toward his date. A chuckle escaped his lips, now, thinking about it. He’d never been jealous a day in his life, but he knew, first hand, what those sideways glances the guys gave Trent meant. Hell, he’d perfected that look, but Trent never seemed to notice. Trent only had eyes for him all night long.

Gage couldn’t understand why Trent didn’t see how wanted he was in this world, but thank God he didn’t, otherwise he would have been scooped up a long time ago. It staggered Gage to think he might have never had a chance to know Trent Cooper. On a whim, while he waited for night to fall, Gage had downloaded the photo onto his laptop and loaded it as his screen saver. He ran his finger over Trent’s lips, those perfect lips. He was stalling, delaying the inevitable. He needed to call Trent. As it stood right now, he might still have a chance to keep Trent in his life, but once he met with him tonight, explained everything, he knew in his heart they would be over, forever.

Gage’s career had always been the most important thing to him. Building his own life meant everything to him. Standing on his own two feet was just a part of who he was as a person, but keeping Trent and the kids safe and unharmed had become as important as the career he’d always put above all others. The love he felt for Trent… It couldn’t be placed into words. The thought of going on, without Trent, crushed his soul. He looked down at his desk, his brows coming together, and absorbed the deep pain slashing through his heart at losing such a man. He looked at the papers on his desk, holding the images of Abdulla, but all he could see were the images of Trent and his sweet children running through his mind.

Gage forced himself to stop, take a breath, and gain perspective. There was no question in his mind he would be moving forward on this case. Abdulla couldn’t be allowed to continue his reign of terror; he deserved everything about to rain down on his sorry ass. He’d killed hundreds, maybe thousands, of innocent people for nothing more than money. He’d infiltrated government military structures, killing servicemen from within their own ranks. Gage couldn’t imagine how those last moments had gone for the hundreds of soldiers who lost their lives at the hand of someone supposedly a comrade. Abdulla was treasonous, a blight on humanity, and charges must be filed against him, justice claimed once and for all. He needed to stand public trial for the mass genocide and destruction he’d caused around the world.

Trent, Em, and Hunter would probably need to be put in some sort of witness protection program. If it came out Abdulla had children, those children would be in danger for their lives, for the rest of their lives, from all the competing militia groups Abdulla fucked over throughout the years. Gage’s need to protect those children shouted loudly from inside his heart. He’d studied these groups too closely, and to them, killing Abdulla’s children, no matter how innocent they were, would most assuredly be within a range of acceptable practices when exacting revenge against their enemy.

Trent would be in danger, too, and the thought caused Gage’s newly encountered protective streak to surge to the forefront like never before. He needed to keep Trent safe like he needed to breathe. The testosterone pumping through him pushed him to rip someone’s head off for even thinking to harm Trent, Hunter, or Em. The aggression coursed through him required control and he ran his hands over his face, pushing back from the desk. Wars were never won by brawn, they were only won by brains, and he would do well to remember that in this case. Trent needed him to be on his A-game.

How had this happened? He’d worked this report for six long years. How had this case ended up here? His eyes glanced down at the clock on the computer, eight pm. Em and Hunter’s bedtime. He forced himself to stop stalling and palmed his phone, running his finger across the screen. He wasn’t going to let himself worry about the future any more tonight. The bottom line: even if Trent never wanted to see him again, he would offer his help. If Trent didn’t want it, he’d secretly take care of whether they liked it or not. Gage ignored the pain in his heart at the prospect of never seeing Trent again and dialed the number.

The first call went to voice mail. So did the second one, but Gage knew Trent always carried his phone on him. It was also his work phone and he answered it all night long. Gage picked up the gallery’s phone and called again a third time, Trent answered.

“Yes,” Trent’s voice sounded clipped, edgy and sharp. So he knew this number, too.

“We need to talk,” Gage said, trying for matter-of-fact, but feeling like he fell short. He got silence back for several long moments. So much silence, Gage looked down at his phone’s caller ID to see if the call had been dropped or disconnected, but it hadn’t.

“I know I asked you to just tell me when this ended for you, but you’ve already said it loud in clear,” Trent said.

“I have?” Gage asked. Why had he asked that?

“Yes.” Again Trent’s voice sounded clipped and sharp.

“I disagree.” No, he didn’t disagree. He’d been terrible to Trent Sunday night… More silence. Trent had an incredible way of being very quiet, and yet it spoke volumes. “I need to talk to you. Are the children asleep?”

Silence again.

“Trent, I’m coming over, I’ll be there in twenty minutes.” Gage disconnected the call. His voice held more confidence than the insecurities racing through him should have allowed. He gathered the file he’d put together, outlining all the evidence, step by step, for Trent. At the last minute, he shut his laptop, grabbing it, too. Gage decided a boost to his confidence couldn’t hurt, and snagged the keys to the Ferrari for the drive over.