Wherever You Go (MM Romance)

Ellis

Chapter 1

Westing Flats doesn't look very flat from where I'm standing. I see hills on every side obscured by dense forests giving them a green, furry appearance against the blue of the sky. When I look at the view, I think I might like living here—just not out of my car. That's the way I've been living the last few weeks I spent on the road.

The view is nice, but I can't linger here in front of the inn where I just interviewed for a job. I drag myself to my old Honda and slide down in the seat. Before I'm tempted to close my eyes and doze off, I sit up and start the car. The rough noise of the engine and the radio coming on break the soothing silence of the forest and help to keep me awake.

I drove all last night and I'm dying to get some sleep, but I can't do that while parked here in front the Tea Leaf Inn. It's bad enough I'm sleeping in my car these days, but I can hardly do that in the parking lot of a prospective employer. That wouldn't make a very good impression. If this job falls through, I can look forward to living out of my car for the foreseeable future.

Things didn't look this bleak when I decided to drop out of college. Okay, I didn't have a degree, but I had a few skills and some experience temping. Now I'm running out of money and desperate to get this job at this very nice inn. The job isn't great, mostly cleaning up after guests and doing drudge work in the kitchen and on the grounds, but the location is really scenic. And best of all, the job comes with room and board.

I look back at Tea Leaf Inn as I drive away. The main building is a three sided structure that wraps around a courtyard in the back. Two stories of rooms and several suites, the place does good business. Their restaurant is one of the main attractions of the place. It has a whole wall of windows that overlook a big pond in the back with a beautiful garden around it.

It seems like a nice place to stay. I don't know about working there though. The manager, Mr. Finley, seemed kind of uptight and he didn't warm up to me at all during the whole interview. Thinking back to his stern face behind black rimmed glasses, my hopes sink a little. Still I check my phone every few minutes. Mr. Finley said that he would make his decision later today after he was done interviewing a few other people.

Waiting for word from him, I spend the rest of the day sleeping in a highway rest area. That way I don't look like a vagrant. I'm just another driver who stopped there for a few Z's.

After that, I buy a loaf of bread and a jar of store brand peanut butter. Eating a peanut butter sandwich for what seems like a thousandth time, I anxiously wait for a phone call from the inn. If I didn't get the job, they might not even call me. Then I would probably end up waiting and waiting, not giving up all hope until midnight struck. I wish they would just put me out of my misery.

It would be my first real job in weeks. The only work I managed to get in the meantime was day labor, and I was glad to get that, believe me. With my bank account running dry, and my one credit card maxed out, I still have to keep up the payments on my phone and put gas in the car. The rest is for food. That leaves me no money for sleeping indoors in a real bed. Damn, I need to get this job. I'm ready to go back to that inn and tell them I'd work for half pay and lick the floor clean, that's how desperate I am.

I'm on the loose these days after living with my aunt for years. Recently Aunt Kelly moved in with her new husband and is having her first kid at forty. I'm happy for her. She is going to be a great mom.

I guess you never know what life has in store for you. She was happily single and had no plans to get married until she met her new husband. I wish I was happy being alone.

It hurts to never be part of anything, never stay anywhere long enough to find out what people are really like when they drop their masks. A voice in my head says that being alone is better than being betrayed. It's an old refrain. It's been years since I made the choice to leave my dad's house. I wish I could just get over what happened to me there.

It's not like I haven't tried to find a life for myself. Before I can make any kind of real connection, my relationships always fizzle out. I know it's my past. It's had a stranglehold on me since that day in Derrick's bedroom. It doesn't let me breathe sometimes, like I'm still trapped in that room.

No matter how much I like spending time with a girl, I never seem to get worked up like other guys do. My last girlfriend said she liked that about me, but she didn't stick with me for long. At least I got to stay friends with most of the girls I dated. That doesn't do me much good now that I've moved away from everyone I know.

The way things were going, I couldn't stay put and pretend everything was Ok. By the end of my first year of college, I couldn't concentrate in class. Hell, I didn't even know why I was there. College was starting to seem like an expensive waste of time, and I started to feel restless right down to my bones.

Packing only what I needed, I got in my car and just drove. Now here I am, alone on the road and I still haven't figured out what to do with myself. So far all I've done is move around and put some miles on this old car. I told my aunt I was only taking a break, but I don't know what I'm going to do.

As I loiter on the side of the road with a bottle of water I refilled from the public water fountain, I can at least enjoy the view in peace. There's so much green out here. When I face away from the road, it's just unspoiled nature for miles. The trees are probably hiding all sorts of signs of civilization, but I like the illusion.

Right now my car is the only one parked at the rest stop. Behind me, cars pass by occasionally, but when it's quiet I can hear birds. They're hiding somewhere in the treetops but I can see them fly up sometimes.

I remember birds lined up on the power lines outside our house and how they used to amaze me. There were so many of them. It was incredible that they would all fly up all of a sudden then wheel and turn across the sky moving as one. That kid looking at those birds was the old me, wanting to belong, not fly away alone. I'm mostly over that now. Being alone is easier and my nightmares don't torture me as often as they used to.

Just as I'm heading back to my car, my phone rings. I scramble to answer then hold my breath. It's Mr. Finley and he has good news. I'm hired. I can't believe it. As I thank Mr. Finley, I try not to gush. I want to sound cool and professional, but I'm so happy.

A job! I have a job. I want to hug the world. Instead I make myself another peanut butter sandwich for dinner. I am getting so sick of them. Do I dare splurge on some jam? Not yet. But I'll be eating normal food soon.

I'm starting work early tomorrow morning. Though I'm overjoyed at the news, first I have to think about where I'm going to spend the night. There's a chance the local police might have spotted my car at the rest stop and that might look suspicious. I don't want to risk staying there overnight, so I drive to the other side of town. According to the map, there should be a rest stop west of there.

The rest stop is right where it should be, but it looks disused. Not as big as the other one, it only has a gas station and some parking spaces. When I pull in and park in front, I see that the gas station doors are padlocked. That's not great news. I just hope the men's room isn't locked too, or I'll be peeing in the bushes.

The place is not well lit, but there are vending machines in front. They're stocked and they seem to work. I wonder if I could risk a little bit of money on something from there now that I have a job.

Spending money before I start my new job seems like a jinx. As I go to see if the men's room is open for business, I pass the tempting contents of those vending machines. I'll indulge my taste for junk food after I get my first paycheck. It's the middle of the week so I should get paid for these few days soon.

First things first, I get to the men's room and try the door. Relieved that it opens, I'm now worried about what I'm going to find in there. Yeah. It's bad. Seems that this gas station has been closed for a while. Everything is so filthy, but I should be fine if I don't come in contact with any of the surfaces.

The stall door doesn't close but the toilet does flush. That's something. The soap dispenser is empty of course. Turning on the faucet, I make sure the water isn't coming out brown. While I wash my hands, I check myself in the grimy mirror.

Since I cleaned up before the interview at the inn, I don't look too bad. My dark blond hair is cut very short. That's what I asked for so I don't have to spend money on another haircut any time soon. Freshly shaved for the interview, I only have a little bit of a shadow coming in along my jaw line. I still look like a trustworthy and presentable nineteen year old, homeless, college dropout.

That apprehensive look that creeps into my light brown eyes is something I need to work on. And I could build up my body a little more. I'm too far on the slim side for my liking. Otherwise I look Ok. I'll fix myself up again in the morning before I go in to work. I watch my mouth curve into a smile at the thought.

I bend down to wash my face in the sink. That's when I think I hear something over the sound of running water. Quickly, I shut off the faucet and listen. There's nothing. When I raise my eyes to look in the mirror, I see him.

There's a big, blond, seedy looking man standing just inside the door. As I spin around to face him, I wipe my wet hands on my pants nervously.

Maybe there's nothing to worry about. Other people come in to use this restroom. Still, alarms are going off in my head. The way he's just standing there, blocking the only exit and staring at me makes my blood run cold. Then he smirks and my insides clench.

What if I'm overreacting? I can't stand the thought of being trapped. He's big and he might just be blocking the door without even realizing it. If it weren't for the look in his eyes, I could believe that. But his eyes are menacing and they are trained on me like weapons. I'm sure he's blocking the door on purpose. I don't know what he wants, but I have the urge to run.

Feeling like a trapped animal, I stare without blinking. My heart is hammering and my breathing is too fast and shallow. My mind flies back to Derrick's bedroom, Derrick stepping in my way to cut off my escape, and then...

No, I can't think about that now. I have to deal with the present, with this man, who might only want to rob me. But what if he... I can't hide my fear as my past terrors come clawing back. I stare around the bathroom for anything I can use to defend myself. There's nothing. I look back at the man blocking the door. My panic only makes him smile with satisfaction.

I should knock, right? Never know what some guys might be doing in here, he says and grins. The things people get up to in the john. No wonder this place is like this. People have no respect. It's like a crime scene in here. His words deliberately mock my fear.

Now I'm more determined to hide how scared I am. My jaw tightens as his cruel eyes stare me down. Giving me a chilling smile, he scopes me out. His eyes travel up and down my slim body then bore into me again. He acts like he already has me pinned down. Sure he's big and he has me cornered, but I'll get out of this. I have to. It can't happen again.

Shaking and lightheaded with fear, I rush at him. As I try to get past him, he knocks me back with one shove. My right hip hits the edge of the sink. I ignore the pain.

This man is not going to let me walk out. Gut churning with too much fear, I feel panic rising and I don't know if I can get it under control again.

The edges of my vision grow dark. Blood is rushing in my ears. He's talking to me and sneering, but his words seem far away.

Where do you think you're going? You're staying right here. You're about to get owned, boy, he tells me.

He's walking toward me now and I back away, my legs trembling. When I have nowhere left to go, he grabs me by the back of the neck and shoves me to the floor.

As fast as I can, I try to get to my feet. He kicks them out from under me and then lands a hard kick to my side. Looming over me, he watches as I struggle to get up once again. The look in his eyes is pure malice and then he seals it with another kick.

I feel sick to my stomach from the kicking. Flooded with fear and pain, I can't think of any way out. He kneels down and leans over me. I can't breathe even before his hand clamps around my neck. I'm starting to black out. I force back the darkness that wants to swallow me and struggle against him.

I try to kick and punch, but my strikes are weak. As punishment, his fist lands against my jaw. My head slams into the filthy floor with a sickening thud. My teeth snap. I twist hard to one side, but it's no good. A punch connects with the side of my face. My head hits the floor again and I can taste my own blood pooling in my mouth.

In the next second the bathroom door is flying open and my attacker is hauled backwards. As soon as his weight is off me, I scramble away. In my beat up and confused state, I can hardly make out what is happening right in front of my eyes.

Fists are flying, blood sprays from my attacker's face. Two men are locked in a violent struggle. At first, I think they might be evenly matched. But then the new man strikes my attacker with undeniable fury. His fists are like hammers and that turns the tide.

My attacker is losing and the newcomer is beating the crap out of him. The man who attacked me doesn't put up with the ass kicking for long. As soon as he can get the new man off him, he is out of there. The door slams open and he's running out into the night.

I would be immensely relieved to see him go, if only I wasn't now left alone with this other man, his fists clenched and bloody. Not knowing what he has in store for me, I sit helplessly in the corner and stare at the man who saved me. Who is he and what does he want?

Chapter 2

The man standing in front of me now has proved that he's frighteningly strong, but he isn't as big as the other one. Seeing my fear, he doesn't come anywhere near me. As he stays by the door, I look down at myself and notice all the blood on my light blue shirt. Is this my blood? Of course it is.

You Ok there? Can you stand up or you want me to help you? the new man asks, his voice gruff but not unkind.

I stare at him but now my eyes focus on more than just his fists. His eyes are blue and his brow furrowed with concern. His hair is dark and very short, his face unshaven. To me, he looks like he might be in his mid to late twenties. He's wearing a faded denim shirt open to reveal a white T-shirt underneath. There are splatters of blood on it but not as bad as mine. His strong, well defined body looks like it's made of steel.

He takes one step toward me and I jump with fear.

Can you get up? I can help you if you want, he offers but doesn't come any closer. His voice is very deep but lowered so he doesn't spook me.

You helped me already, I mumble. Only then do I notice that my jaw isn't working exactly right.

How bad are you? You need an ambulance? he asks as I sit there in a stupor.

The fact is I don't know how badly I'm hurt. Trying to get on my own two feet might answer that question. By bracing myself against the wall, I make an effort to stand, but I don't quite make it. When my wobbly legs start to give, my savior is right there to keep me from falling on my ass.

His hand is firm on my arm, holding me up. I shift to find better footing and slip in my own blood. To steady myself, I reach out for a handhold and my hand lands on his rock hard chest. Startled by the heat and hardness of his body, I flinch away and almost throw myself off balance again. I end up with my hand gripping his shoulder and I leave it there. It's better than falling over.

He stays right there as I hang onto him. For a while all I can do is breathe. Silent and patient, he lets me get my beat up body under control. I shouldn't lean on him, so I test out my legs to see if they will support me. I grimace, but I can stand and even walk a little on my own.

Ready to wash off some of this blood, I reach for the sink. I grab the edge for balance. The man turns on the faucet for me and keeps a hand on my arm just in case. I wash up and watch my blood run down the drain. I don't dare look at myself even in this grimy mirror. The pain from splashing water on my face tells me it's bad.

There are no paper towels here to clean up with, so I just stand there dripping. Water mixed with blood stains my shirt even more. At least I don't think anything is broken. My ribs and my jaw do feel badly bruised. They should heal on their own though. I hope.

Thank you, I start to say to the man who saved me, then realize I should ask his name. I offer him my hand. My name is Eric Hutchins. Thank you so much.

Mitch Galloway. It was just pure luck that I happen to spot Vic's truck and your out of state license plate. Vic has been known to target people passing through. He shrugs like going out of his way like that to help a total stranger is no big deal.

Thank you, I say again, but words can't express how grateful I am to him.

I test out my legs again and decide to get to my car while I still can. After I take a few steps to the door, I stop.

I should call 911 and report that guy, I realize like my brain is only now starting to function.

I feel for my phone and hope that it's still in one piece. As I pull it out and find it's not broken, Mitch makes a grumbling noise. Not sure what it means, I look at him.

It's up to you if you want to make that call, but Vic is the sheriff's nephew. Right now the sheriff's sister, Vic's mother, is fighting cancer and might be losing that fight. I don't see him putting her son in jail. But I can see him filing charges against you. You should get yourself to the emergency room though, he advises me in an even tone, leaving the decision up to me.

Emergency room? No way. I can't afford it. I can't go to the hospital. I start work tomorrow morning at the Tea Leaf Inn. It's my first job in way too long. I can't... I ramble, overwhelmed and scared that my new job might be gone because of