“I know, but?—”
Gage’s words were cut off by a sharp knock on Fallon’s window. His heart leapt into his throat, threatening to suffocate him to death as he whipped his head to the side and saw a strange man he didn’t recognize. He was pasty with a ’70s porn-stache and was wearing a turtleneck so high up, it gave Fallon a secondhand choking sensation.
“What the hell?” Gage demanded. “Don’t move.” He flung his door open and stepped one foot out of the car. “Who the fuck are you, and why the fuck are you following us?”
“I’m looking for a missss?—”
“Fucking watch it,” Gage growled.
“—ter,” Fallon heard the guy very quickly correct, “Fallon Montez. I’m with the sheriff’s department.”
Fallon’s ears began to ring. What the hell did the sheriff want from him? He took a shaking breath and realized that Gage was poking his head back into the car.
“Hey, sweetheart. Breathe for me.”
Fallon sucked in a lungful of air.
“Great. You need to open your window, okay? He’s gonna hand you something.”
Fallon blinked at him.
“He’s serving you with something. We will take care of it, but you have to take it, okay?” Gage’s voice was quiet and calm, which helped Fallon focus. He climbed back into the car and sat down. “Okay?”
Fallon was still feeling confused, lost, and numb, but he could do what Gage was telling him to do. He hit the button on the door, and the window slid down, sending a burst of cool air into his face.
The man crouched down and blocked it. He didn’t look so scary now. He actually seemed apologetic. “I didn’t mean to scare you. My job is hard sometimes.” He had a large, orangey-yellow envelope in his hand and a clipboard in the other. “I just need you to sign this.”
Fallon’s hand shook as he did it, and then he was handed the envelope.
“Thank you, Mr. Montez. You’ve been served. If you have any questions, please contact the department. And my name is Alexander Heath if you need to reach me for any reason.”
Yeah, okay. Not a terrible guy.
Fallon nodded, then sat back as Alexander walked off, and in the small side mirror, Fallon could see him getting back into his car. He sat there a moment, and then like he was never with them at all, he pulled out into the street and was gone.
“Shit,” Gage said. “Okay. Do you want to open it?”
Fallon shook his head and shoved it at his boyfriend. “Can you? Is that illegal?”
“I don’t think it’s illegal, baby,” Gage murmured softly as he took the envelope. Fallon closed his eyes against the sound of the seal tearing, and then his heart began to speed up again when Gage sucked in a breath. “That fucker. That motherfucker. I’m going to kill him. I will be acquitted too.”
Fallon opened his eyes. Fear was clawing at the insides of his throat. “What is it?”
Gage stared at him for a long time, and then he licked his lips. He was…scared? Nervous? Definitely angry, but there was something else too. Something Fallon had never seen on his face before.
There was another long moment of silence before Gage set the papers down on his lap, and Fallon peered over. Panic raced up his spine when he saw the name at the top of the sheet alongside his own.
Charles Scott.
Charlie.
“He’s suing me?” was all Fallon could ask, because what else could there possibly be? He was already convicted of battery, stalking, and intimidation. What could he possibly come after Fallon for?
Gage cleared his throat. “It’s…there’s a court order.”
“For what?”
The silence was oppressive and overwhelming. Then Gage made a soft noise, but in the quiet car, it was loud and painful. “Paternity.”
