Page 14 of Harris

“Then why does it feel that way?” Woodley asked.

“Because you’re caught in the middle. To leave yourself open and love someone or not. It’s not an easy position to be in; trust me, I know.”

“Yeah, Gunner doesn’t seem like the mushy type to me,” Woodley chuckled, imagining the hulking beast of a man any other way. “I’ll have to agree with you.”

Conor laughed, easily setting Woodley at ease. The man had a talent that Woodley believed had more to do with him as a person than what the scientists spliced together. The man mightbe a human lie detector, but that didn’t make him the good person he was; that was all Conor.

“He wanted to knock my block off the first time we met,” Conor said. “I don’t blame him, though; I was responsible for leading his horrible in-laws to him.”

“Yeah, they tried to take Ben away from Gunner.” Woodley remembered being told the story. “That sucks.”

“True, and thankfully, that never happened,” Conor agreed.

“Ben looks happy with Uncle Gunner and his dad Jason. Fire Lake has certainly become home to a wide range of people,” Woodley commented.

“It’s unique, that’s for sure. Makes you forget the shit going on outside the town limits. The discrimination and violence found in other places toward the LGBTQ+ community feels distant at times, though we can never allow ourselves to become complacent.”

“Complacency is the quickest way to ensure death to freedom,” Woodley said. One fact he truly believed and strived to fight against.

“So true,” Conor agreed. “I guess that’s why Harris has decided to take the bull by the horns.”

“Why do you say that?” Woodley asked. That was a new take on this screwed-up endeavor.

“Now that he has his sister back, he could sit back safe and allow the group to carry on unchecked, becoming complacent. Instead, he’s taking steps to stop them. To ensure continued freedom for those already affected by their cruelty and who’ve escaped and for those who have yet to be touched by their violence and pain. But they could be in the future. It’s a fight for their freedom, even if they don’t know it yet and never know whoto thank. It’s a fight many people have fought for the LGBTQ+ community over the decades.”

Woodley sat back in his chair, shocked. He hadn’t thought of it that way. Was what Harris attempting to do likened to the fight against discrimination and for freedom of that diverse community? True, Harris was risking his life to protect people he didn’t even know, people tied together by one defining factor.

The existence of the Noah Group.

***

Harris

“Time to take that guy up on his offer,” Harris said as he rechecked the camera embedded in the second button of his shirt.

Be careful, brother.Jennifer’s voice floated through Harris’s head.

I will. Try not to worry.

Her laughter was the only reply to that impossible request.

“We’ll be watching,” Brick said. “If anything goes south, give the signal, and we’ll be down in seconds. Fletcher will be stationed in the stairwell one floor above to have a direct shot into the restaurant if necessary.”

“Got it, but isn’t it the point they try to recapture me?” Harris asked with a knowing chuckle.

“Capture, not eliminate,” Brick stated.

“Gotcha,” he said, and because he couldn’t help himself, he followed it up with. “I always knew you cared.”

“Don’t push it,” Brick said. “We’re more concerned about Jennifer and Woodley burning down the city.”

Harrislaughed andgrabbed a twenty out of his wallet before throwing it back onto the desk. He didn’t need to carry ID;they knew who he was. As he waited for the elevator, his cell phone began vibrating. When he saw the name on the screen, he debated on whether he should answer, but the part of him that missed the man won out even though he knew Woodley was likely pissed.

“What’s up?”

“My blood pressure.”

Harris could hold back his chuckle. “I figured.”

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