“You OK, bud?” Colin asked, reaching to stroke his hair. “You two, OK?” he added, turning to David and Nate.
“Jesus, Colin!” David muttered, shaking his head. “My ears are still ringing.”
“Yeah,” Colin said. “Mine too.” He wrapped his arm around Joshua’s shoulders. “You OK?” he asked again. He could feel Joshua trembling violently against his body. “Baby? You all right?”
“Pretty slick move there, hotshot,” Nate croaked, leaning against David, who clutched him close.
“Josh?” Colin said again. “Baby?Josh!Answer me!” He pushed Joshua slightly away and looked him up and down. “Tell me you’re not hurt!”
“I’mfine,” Joshua spat out, his voice clipped. “I’mnot the one whose life was in danger.” He jerked away from Colin’s grip. “That would beyou.”
“You’remadat me?”
“I’m leaving!” Joshua snapped. “You’ve attracted quite a crowd with your big-damn-hero routine, and right now, that’s thelastthing I need.” He shouldered his way past Colin and strode from the shop, moving down the sidewalk as the crowd parted to let him pass.
For a moment, Colin stared after him in shocked surprise. “Josh,wait!” he cried, then rushed to his husband’s side and grabbed his arm. “Please, don’t be upset.”
Joshua spun to face him. “Don’t beupset?” he blurted out, his brown eyes flashing dark fire. “Are you fuckingkiddingme?” He jerked free of Colin’s grasp. “Just leave me alone, Colin. Go to the police station. I’ll see you later.”
“Josh,wait!”
“No! I’m not fucking waiting!”
“Colin,” David murmured, gripping Colin’s arm as Joshua yanked free and strode away. “Let him go. He’s upset. He saw you wrestle with a man wielding a fairly large pistol that went off an inch from your head. Let him go for now. Let him process what he just went through.”
Colin’s eyes followed Joshua as he moved away. “Goddamn it!” he muttered. “I was trying to protect him! I was trying to protectallof you!”
“Colin, I know,” David said. He took Colin’s arm and tugged him down the sidewalk. “Josh is a smart guy. He’ll figure it out. But right now, we need to find the police station.”
“David’s right,” Nate said. “You can give your statement, then we’ll go back to Aileen’s. Give Josh a few minutes to settle himself.”
Colin stared at Joshua’s retreating back, watching as he wound through the assembled crowd and down the sidewalk. “Son of a bitch,” he spat out, then allowed himself to be led in the opposite direction.
* * *
An hour later,the three men returned to Aileen’s house to find her waiting in the living room. She rose quickly and moved to Colin’s side. “My boy, are you all right?”
Colin nodded and hugged her with one arm. “I’m fine, Ahn-tee. Where’s Josh?”
“Upstairs in your room. He seemed…” She swallowed hard. “He seemed a wee bit upset.”
“Pissedis what he is,” Colin muttered, turning toward the stairs. “Monumentallypissed.”
“I’m not so sure, laddie,” Aileen said, holding onto Colin’s hand. “He seemed moresadthan angry.” She followed Colin with her eyes as he pulled his hand free and bolted up the stairs, then she shook her head.
He burst into their room, spotting Joshua at the window, gazing down to the street below. When Joshua didn’t turn, Colin moved to stand behind him, placing both hands on his husband’s shoulders. “Josh, I’msorry…”
“Stop right there!” Joshua spat out. “Donotsay another fucking word.”
“Pleaselisten to me.”
Joshua turned to face him, and Colin winced at the pain etched across Joshua’s handsome, angular features.
“Baby,please! Talk to—”
“No!” Joshua blurted out, then turned back to face the window. “I don’t want to talk right now, Colin. I don’t want to say something I’ll end up regretting. Please leave me alone.”
“Josh, don’t do this to me. I was trying to protect you…”
