Gone Away (6 page)

Every time he dreamed, he had the same nocturnal visions. A man standing at a cave opening, raising a weapon, and firing, the sound of multiple gunshots, then blood. Too much blood, bright red and spurting out of the man to cover the ground. Somehow Mason’s subconscious refused to grasp the fact that he’d contributed to another man being rescued and a very grateful family reunited.

Mason tugged off his shirt and tossed it into the hamper, his boxers joining it a second later. A nice warm shower would help him relax and possibly get some more sleep tonight.

He’d told the therapist he was seeing about Riece. The man had agreed that Mason should make an effort to spend time with Riece—if nothing else, to bring some closure to their past. He probably wouldn’t have condoned jumping into bed with Riece so fast, but that had taken Mason completely by surprise. He wondered what his therapist would think of the last few days or, more to the point, the nights.

The simple fact was, no matter what his feelings for Riece were, Mason wasn’t ready to be that trusting again. He loved Riece. He’d never stopped loving him, and Mason had been deeply wounded when Riece ended their relationship. He wanted to take this second chance he’d been offered, but he didn’t want to feel that hurt again. Mason wasn’t about to rush into anything.

Another simple fact was, he’d missed Riece. Mason shut off the shower and grabbed a towel, then wandered back to his bed. Picking up his phone, he swiped his finger across the screen, coming to Riece’s number. He sat there staring at it until the screen shut itself off. Tossing the phone onto the table, Mason dropped back on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

Eventually he rolled himself up in the blanket and turned the light off. The next time Mason woke, it was to the blare of his alarm clock. At least he’d gotten some quality sleep the last few hours. Having already had a shower, Mason turned on the television while he made breakfast, then went through the mail that had piled up. Each time he glanced at his watch, he was disappointed that so few minutes had gone by.

Finally it was time to meet Riece at his hotel. When he pulled into the parking lot, Riece was waiting under the overhang at the main entrance.

“Wow,” Riece said as he climbed into the Jeep.

“What?”

“I’ve never seen the uniform before.” Riece put his seat belt on. “I like a man in uniform.”

Mason laughed. Riece had a talent for keeping him from taking himself too seriously. “Ready?”

Riece nodded. “I think so, yes.”

There wasn’t much they’d be doing until the afternoon. While Riece spent the morning at the exciting task of filling out paperwork, Mason took the list of sites to be photographed and plotted them out on a map.

It was late in the afternoon before they were on their way to the closest of the locations. Mason spread the map out on the hood of his Jeep while Riece set up for the day’s project.

“Some of these locations are pretty remote and are walk-in only areas. We’ll have to take a few days’ supplies and hike,” Mason said.

Riece made an adjustment to his camera and glanced up at the sky. He picked up the tripod, moved it over a few feet, and asked, “Walk-in only?”

“Pretty much what it sounds like. No vehicles. Do you have any backpacking gear?” He stopped talking and watched Riece, who was totally engrossed in whatever he saw through the lens.

“Uh, I have an extra-large camera bag that’s a backpack. I wear it on my back and there’s room for lunch.” Riece turned and looked at him.

Mason arched an eyebrow and pulled a notepad from his shirt pocket. “We’ll need to get you some equipment.”

Riece glanced over and grinned. “I thought that’s what I had you for.”

Snorting, Mason shook his head and jotted a few things onto the pad. “Bedroll, canteen, thermal blanket, lantern, utility belt.”

“Really? A utility belt.”

“I was checking to see if you were listening. There’s a place in Custer we can hit, and I’ll help you pick out what you’ll need. Carry it around on the day trips, and it’ll be easier when we pack up and go for real,” Mason said.

BY THE
end of the week, Riece wasn’t being knocked off balance and nearly toppling over backward as much when carrying the large pack loaded with supplies. He had trouble getting it into place, so Mason’s assistance was required each time. Riece was fit enough, but he lacked the coordination for some of the more physical activities Mason enjoyed that they would be participating in now. The extra weight of a pack laden with supplies for a few days was a challenge for him. Riece persevered, and it was impossible for Mason not to be impressed by his determination.

During their time apart, Riece had grown. He had a maturity about him now Mason found very attractive. Instead of his personality quirks being a crutch and holding him back, Riece seemed to have come to accept himself more readily, and he exerted himself to deal with the fact his mind worked slightly differently than most people’s. The Riece Mason had first met had often been held back by his thought processes.

Today was cool, and sunshine filtered through the multicolored leaves of the trees on either side of the road as they drove. Riece balanced a tablet on his knees, flicking through some of the photos he’d already taken. He had propped the map Mason had marked against the dash. Every few minutes Riece would put one finger on the map and make a note on his tablet.

Finally Riece looked over at Mason. “How long will we be out there?”

“It’ll take about a day before we reach that farthest site. I thought we could cut west and hit the second two on the way back. Depending on how long your part takes and how fast we walk, we should be back to our starting point by evening the third day.”

Riece nodded, reached behind his seat, and pulled his camera bag onto his lap. “I’d better make sure I have everything I need.”

“Stop.” Mason let go of the steering wheel long enough to take hold of Riece’s arm and squeeze. “You’ve checked that and reorganized it four times since we left the station. Look at the scenery. Or talk to me.”

“You’re right, I’m—”

Mason let go of Riece’s arm and held up his hand. “Don’t you dare say you’re sorry.”

“Sor—I won’t.” Riece looked at him and grinned. “So we’ll have to spend a few nights camping?”

“Yeah. You okay with that? I know you’re not big on that sort of stuff.”

Riece shrugged. “It’s part of the job, and I’ll be with you, so yes, I’m okay with it.” He reached into his bag and pulled out a tube. “I brought this. Since we’ll be sleeping together in the same place.”

Mason glanced over and laughed. “Confession time. I brought some lube as well.”

“Does that mean we’ll have sex? I did pay for half the food we’re bringing.”

Mason snickered again. “I think that means there’ll be an excellent chance one of us will open our bottle of lube.” He guided the Jeep onto a side road. “This road runs alongside one of the areas we’ll be hiking through. There’s a gas station and small general store up ahead. We’ll leave my Jeep and hike in from there.”

Despite Mason’s attempts to distract him, Riece went back to reorganizing his camera equipment. Mason silently congratulated himself for putting the rest of their supplies in the very back of the Jeep, where Riece couldn’t get to them while they drove. Otherwise he’d be unpacking and repacking everything, which would in turn cause Mason to possibly navigate his Jeep off a cliff. Fortunately this road didn’t run along any cliffs.

By the time they’d reached their destination, Riece had reorganized the bag three times, and all the items stored within were back to the way they’d been arranged in the beginning. Mason parked the Jeep to the side with a few other vehicles left while their owners were hiking, hunting, and camping.

Mason grabbed his uniform hat from the backseat and put it on as he climbed down from the Jeep. He waited for Riece, resisting the urge to take the camera bag from him. Instead he stuck his hands in his pockets and looked at the ground while Riece and the camera bag battled it out. The bag nearly won.

As they crossed to the front of the store, Mason spotted the latest model of his Jeep. Snagging Riece’s sleeve and steering him away from a garbage can he was about to walk into while he dug in his bag, Mason guided Riece to the Jeep.

“Give up on that thing,” Mason said and pushed the bag flush against Riece’s body. “Check this baby out.” He pointed to the Jeep and at the same time reached for his radio to check to be sure the sound was turned down so any customers inside the store wouldn’t be disturbed by any noise or chatter from it. He could hear it, but no one standing more than a foot or two from him could.

Riece leaned over Mason’s shoulder, and they both peeked through the Jeep’s windows. “Wow, onboard navigation,” Riece said. “Bet it has Wi-Fi.”

Mason sighed. “I bought mine right before all this stuff started being added and got it because it can handle the terrain around here. Story of my life.”

“Maybe it’s time to trade up. Why don’t you find whoever owns it and ask what they think.”

“Maybe I will,” Mason said. They circled the Jeep for a better look.

“Are those gun lockers?” Riece pointed to something in the back of the vehicle.

Mason leaned over and looked. “Yeah. Probably hunters.” He didn’t see any other equipment, which was odd but not illegal.

He smiled and patted Riece’s back as they approached the door, sliding his hand down to Riece’s belt before breaking contact. A bell jangled when he pushed the door open, and they walked in.

Riece wandered the store while Mason went to the counter and waited in line. A woman, dressed in a way that told Mason she was a hunter, held a basket and was gathering some items off the shelves. A kid, maybe twenty, nudged her side and nodded toward Mason, then Riece. Mason had to make a conscious effort to refrain from rolling his eyes and shaking his head.

“Morning,” the older man behind the counter said.

“Morning, Jim.” Mason turned so he could face the man but still keep the kid in his peripheral vision. He pulled his wallet out, then laid a credit card and his driver’s license on the counter. “I’ll be leaving my vehicle for three or four days.” He added a paper with a list of the sites he’d be guiding Riece to. “The park service is having some photography work done.”

Jim chuckled. “And you drew the short straw, eh, Arquette?”

“A nice paid vacation,” Mason said. His gaze shifted for a split second to the woman and kid. The man behind the counter shrugged and shook his head ever so slightly. “So how’s life treating you, Jim?”

“Not bad. Quiet.” Jim filled out some paperwork, then nodded to the card swipe.

“Is there a problem with our Jeep?” The kid squared his shoulders and got closer to Mason. The woman turned toward them, sighed heavily, and followed along. “You need a warrant. I know my rights.”

Mason leaned one elbow on the counter, putting him more on the same level as the kid, who was several inches shorter than Mason. “I have an older model of the same Jeep.” He dipped his head toward the window and his own Jeep outside. “I noticed yours and had to take a look. What do you think of it?”

“We’ve only had it a few weeks. Is there a problem?” The woman joined them.

“As I was saying, I looked over your Jeep because I have the same model a few years older. How do you like yours?” Mason was making a real effort to keep his voice neutral. The woman drew in a deep breath, but the kid’s defensive posture didn’t change.

The woman set the basket on the counter and gave the kid a harsh look. “Bought it at a car show. I like it. You should go to a dealership and see one for yourself.”

Mason nodded politely. “Thanks.” As he turned away, out of habit he gave the kid another visual once-over, noticing the handgun on his hip. Considering how he was dressed, that didn’t surprise Mason in the least.

“I have a carry permit,” the kid blurted out.

The woman shoved the basket closer to Jim, sounding agitated. “Can I pay for this stuff?”

Mason stood to his full height and held out one hand, wiggling his fingers. “Well, since you’re so darn proud of it, let’s have a look at it.”

Jim smiled and focused on the basket, pulling items out and ringing them up. The kid fumbled through the go pack he wore before finally pulling a wallet from his back pocket and producing the document. Mason glanced it over and handed it back without comment.

“Go wait out in the Jeep,” the woman snapped at the kid.

He looked from her to Mason and back again, then grumbled, “Damn Tonto thinks he can push us around.”

Mason saw Riece look up and went completely still. As the kid tried to step by him, Mason put one hand on the counter and sidestepped to block the kid’s exit. He used his other hand to flick at his badge. “That’s
Special Agent
Tonto to you.” He pulled his hand away and turned toward Riece. “C’mon, Riece. Time to get moving if we want to get very far today.”

Riece gave the woman and kid a wide berth as he walked to the door. Ignoring the pair inside the store, Mason put one hand on Riece’s shoulder to move him along faster. Mason took a path to his Jeep that circled behind the other one so he could get a look at the license plate. When Riece’s steps faltered, Mason took his arm for a few seconds and guided him to the far side of the vehicle.

“What’s going on?” Riece asked.

Mason shook his head. “No idea. Keep walking. Go to my Jeep.”

Riece walked ahead, and as soon as he was next to Mason’s Jeep, he stopped. Mason walked more slowly. The minute he was out of sight of the store and the other vehicle, he pulled his radio from his belt. “Dispatch, this is Special Agent Mason Arquette, park service. I’m at Big Horn General Store. Check with the ATF and DEA; see if they have anything going on out here.”

Riece’s eyebrows shot up and he sucked in a breath. Mason put one finger to his lips, then said in a low voice, “Keep an eye out for that moron kid and the woman. Let me know if they come this way.”

Riece stood at the rear of Mason’s Jeep and pulled his camera out. He aimed it at the woods to the side of the store. Mason could see Riece would have a good view of the whole area without obviously being focused on the store’s front.