But then, suddenly, they were running away from them. Calder was right, they were vultures. Vultures who’d just found another meal. Elijah was leaving out the same side entrance, hand in hand with Shepherd. He gave a friendly wave to the reporters, seeming to bask in the attention of the flashing lights. Robby had never been so grateful for Elijah’s celebrity status. He knew there would be all kinds of stories tomorrow talking about him and Elijah dancing together, but he just couldn’t care. He didn’t put his seatbelt on. He just let himself slump over until his head rested on Calder’s thigh, curling himself up in a ball and letting his eyes fall shut. Calder’s fingers threaded in his hair, gently combing through the strands in a way that made Robby’s chest hurt.
He’d just wanted one good night.
After their run in with the press, Calder had taken the long way home, looping around blocks to ensure nobody followed, before finally parking and getting Robby inside his apartment. They’d skipped the tacos. Calder had managed to coax a drained Robby into the shower before tucking him into bed.
“Where are you going?” Robby asked.
“I have some leads to run down. Get some sleep. I’ll be right outside the door.”
It wasn’t a lie. Calder’s apartment was painfully small. He could easily keep an ear out for Robby while trying to figure out what he was missing with this mysterious dead guy who’d stumbled into Robby’s life.
Robby made a whiny noise and sat up. “I don’t want to sleep alone. Stay with me.”
It wasn’t a request.
“Fine. But I need to work and you need to rest.” Calder couldn’t imagine giving in to anybody else so easily. This kid was a menace, a wrecking ball crashing through all his walls.
Robby smiled, flopping back and nestling beneath Calder’s mismatched sheets and his oversized blue comforter. Robby looked good in Calder’s bed. Too good. Calder shook the thought away, leaving long enough to grab his laptop. He hadn’t bothered to dress after their shower, just sliding on a pair of navy blue boxer briefs. Robby hadn’t even managed that, and knowing Robby was naked under those blankets all but ensured Calder would have a hard time concentrating on work.
Once Calder was in bed, he extinguished the light and set his laptop to night mode, shrouding the room in almost total darkness. Robby rolled onto his belly, his head turned away from Calder, and soon, his breathing became rhythmic. Calder lost himself in the chase. He emailed a list of information he needed from Webster, including any closed circuit camera footage from the locations Robby had been the day he went to jail. He did more research on Magnus Dei. There was a chat thread with horror stories from various members who’d escaped. Calder couldn’t help but wonder what Robby’s childhood was like. He finally gave up, closing his laptop and setting it on his side table.
Calder startled as Robby spoke. “Who is it you don’t want to pick up at the funeral home?”
His heart raced. “Jesus, angel. I thought you were sleeping.”
Robby rolled over, sneaking under Calder’s arm and putting his head on his chest. “I can’t sleep. We took a four hour nap. Who is it?” he prodded.
“How do you even know about that?” Calder asked, not mad, just curious.
Robby peeked up at him, his long lashes forming shadows along his cheeks in the thin sliver of moonlight. “I heard you listening to your voicemail the other day. Is it family?”
Calder’s heartbeat thudded heavy in his chest. “It’s a long story, angel.”
“You know everything about me. You’ve seen me humiliate myself so many times. I just want to know something about you. Something real. Something personal.”
Calder’s chest tightened. He never spoke of Jennifer. Not to anybody. He’d never even told his mother about her. “It’s not a nice story. I did something selfish, and somebody got hurt because of it.”
Robby frowned, the scowl so out of place on his pretty face. “I can’t believe that’s true. That’s not who you are.”
Calder looked down at him. “You don’t really know me, angel.”
“Sure, I do. If you really think what you did was bad enough to change what I think of you then tell me and prove me wrong.”
Calder sighed. “You are surprisingly relentless for somebody who is afraid of everything.”
“That’s ‘cause I’m not afraid of you,” Robby said.
Calder gave a humorless laugh. “Maybe you should be.”
Robby giggled. “That was really dramatic.”
Calder couldn’t help but smile. Robby’s laugh was infectious. “Okay, that was a little dramatic, but you’re kind of asking me to rip open my old life.”
“Technically, the funeral home already did that. Ignoring stuff doesn’t make it go away. It just makes it worse.”
Calder shook his head. He had a point. Besides, somewhere deep down, Calder knew he’d already made up his mind to tell Robby. The masochistic part of him hoped that it might chase him away so he didn’t have to break his heart later.
“It started a long time ago. I was eight, and my older sister, Megan, was sixteen. I was a surprise to my parents who were already in their forties when I was born, but they weren’t upset about my arrival. At least, they never implied as much. My dad taught middle school science, and my mom was a loan officer at a bank. We were a super average middle-class family.” He took a deep breath. “Until my sister left work one night and never came home.”
