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He ushered Sam into the SUV before pulling the seatbelt over him. Leaning down to brush his lips over Sam’s forehead, he breathed in his boy’s sweet scent. His nerves had just started to calm but he still had anger radiating inside him.
“I’m okay,” Sam said.
“I know you are, but I didn’t like seeing you that scared. It’s my job to protect you.”
Sam nodded. “I’d protect you too.”
“I know, baby. Let’s get home.” He closed the passenger door then hurried around to his side and climbed behind the wheel. “I’d like to take you to my house. It will get you out of town for the night. I want to send a uniform around your apartment to make sure there’re no reporters hanging around your place.”
Sam’s eyes widened. “I hadn’t thought about that. I don’t want to deal with anyone else tonight.”
“So my house?”
“Yes, please.”
Carson started the car and made sure the heater vent was pointed at his boy. He hadn‘t been out of the SUV long enough for it to get cold on the inside, but they had a bit of a drive ahead of them.
He eased into traffic and headed toward the lake.
“Who’s Mickey and why is he moving in the apartment above the shop?”
Sam smiled as he filled Carson in on the conversation he’d had with Mickey and all of Sam’s worries about the younger man.
One of the reasons that Carson had taken his position in Rocky Lake was because he wanted to live in a city that didn’t care about two men being together. Vegas had been great because as many tourists that they dealt with, there had truly been little hate crimes. Surprising but true. Rocky Lake was another city that Carson would be safe holding the hand of a male partner and not getting bashed. It was a freedom that should be awarded to everyone no matter who they love. Carson would fight for that equal right.
Carson enjoyed being responsible for keeping the residents safe and took his job seriously. That was why having the Munoz cartel anywhere near the area worried him. He’d seen the damage that the drugs could do.
Listening to Mickey’s story or at least what they knew for sure broke Carson’s heart. That boy appeared so young and even though Sam said he was nineteen, Mickey sure didn’t look even that old. He worried about what would have happened to the young man if he hadn’t found a safe place at the coffee shop. He was also proud of Sam for reaching out to help. His boy had such a good heart.
As Sam spoke, he seemed to perk up and his color had returned.
It had frightened Carson when he’d arrived to surprise his boy. Caden had been talking to Lincoln as he was running errands with Adam. Since they were picking up lunch as well, Lincoln had ordered food at the same placed and they’d all met up. The plan had been to have lunch with their boys but that was until he’d seen how shaky Sam was.
Carson would still have to come up with lunch for Sam but at least they could be comfortable. He also needed to call into the station and take the rest of his shift off. Carson’s position afforded him more leeway than most others. He worked more stable hours and rarely called out into the field. All the detectives in his unit knew they could always reach out to him, but they were competent officers and mostly just needed his approval at times.
The cases they were working on low-level drug dealers had slowed when the Munoz cartel had left town. Now that they’d taken some of Munoz’s men, including his nephew, into custody on outstanding warrants, hopefully they stopped that drug run coming in. The amount they’d confiscated had been significant.
“How far out do you live?” Sam asked as he peered through the front windshield.
Carson chuckled. They had been driving for about fifteen minutes now. “We’re almost there.”
“In this neighborhood?” Sam questioned. “Right on the lake?”
“My house is on the lake. I have my own private dock although I don’t have a boat.” Carson had even considered buying a boat until recently.
“Wow.” Sam turned wide eyes toward him. “You have a lake house!”
The fact that Sam could be so excited warmed him especially since Sam lived in one of the most exclusive apartment complexes in the city. It would have been hard for Carson to afford a unit in Sam’s complex.
“Keep in mind that the houses out here are smaller than the ones in town.” Smaller and yet more expensive.
“But it’s on the lake!” Sam gushed.
“Do you like the lake, baby?”
“I love water. I used to swim all the time when I was growing up. It was one of the few activities that was approved by my parents. I was even on the swim team but after it got really bad at home, I had to drop out.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Like I said, I have my own dock and there’s a semiprivate beach area for residents. This summer we can have bar-b-ques and invite the boys over for a day of playing in the water.”
