Page 64 of Equalizer
“Oh, I swore I’m never letting you out of my sight again.” Owen’s tone told Calvin that he was only partly joking. Then again, it was the second instance in their short time working together that Calvin had been kidnapped, so he figured Owen came by his opinion honestly.
I wouldn’t want Owen to be the one in danger, but I don’t want to make a habit of getting nabbed.
Owen joined him in nibbling the light refreshments, and Calvin figured that his partner was equally shaken and grief-stricken.
“I shouldn’t have let you go alone.” Owen broke the silence. “I know, we’re secret agents, and the library isn’t usually high risk, but look what happened.”
“It should have been safe.”
“But it wasn’t. I almost lost you,” Owen replied in a choked voice.
“I didn’t see anything dodgy when I got to the library.” Calvin’s voice sounded numb even to his own ears. “I went back to the stacks for a reference book, and that’s when they got me. Some sort of injection. I don’t remember anything after that until I woke up in the warehouse tied to a chair.”
“When I got to the library, they said you had felt unwell, and your friends helped you to a carriage,” Owen picked up the story. “I knew then Humphries had you. I am so, so sorry.”
“You know…about Steven?” Calvin murmured.
Owen caught his breath and blinked a couple of times before he nodded. “Yes. By the time I got there, the police were already on site. I heard the details from Harry, one of the helpers at the show. When they said he was missing a hand and a foot—” Owen choked on the words and shook his head. “That’s when I knew it was Humphries. And if he killed Steven, he’d come after us.”
“I’m so sorry.”
Owen bowed his head, and when he looked up, he had regained control. “Steven was a companion at a time when I was very alone. We were never in love, but he was kind and got me through a tough patch. I’ll always be grateful. He was trying to do the right thing, following up on a lead. He didn’t deserve what happened to him.”
“I know.”
“And then, when you went missing, I sort of lost my mind,” Owen confessed. “Winston and Arabella stopped me from charging in, but it was a near thing. I was so afraid that by the time we rallied the troops and attacked, it would be too late, and you’d be…gone.”
“I’m glad you came when you did. It was a close call. Too close. If I hadn’t managed to cut the rope?—”
“But you did,” Owen said stubbornly. “You got loose and killed Humphries, even after everything.”
“Killing him was accidental,” Calvin admitted. “Lucky break.”
Owen shook his head. “You saw a chance and took it. Takes a damn good agent to do that after being drugged.” He frowned. “How’s your head? Those drugs are awful stuff.”
“Getting better,” Calvin replied. “The willow bark will help.”
Once the food was gone, Calvin leaned against Owen, who wrapped his arms around him tightly. He knew Owen was trying to be strong for him despite his own fear and grief.
They sat in silence for a while. Calvin was content to listen to Owen’s breathing and feel his heartbeat. Owen kept running a hand up and down Calvin’s upper arm as if to assure himself that Calvin was solid and real.
“All I could think was that you and I hadn’t had enough time,” Calvin finally said without looking up. “We’d only just found each other. I couldn’t stand the thought of leaving you. I know…we haven’t talked about the future a lot…but in my mind, I saw us growing old together, as close to married as folks like us can be. Forever.”
He blushed at the admission. “Maybe it’s silly?—”
“Not at all,” Owen jumped in. “I’ve thought about it too. Just wasn’t sure what you wanted.”
“You. I want you,” Calvin said, stubbornly defiant. “Come hell or high water.”
“Then I’m yours.” Owen pressed a kiss to Calvin’s temple. “Forever.”
Calvin took his hand, threading their fingers together. “Forever.”
Chapter 10
Owen
We should get a bonus for stopping a Mob war as well as solving the Humphries case,” Owen said as he dug into the quiche Winston had made for them, celebrating their safe return. Two days had passed since the fight at the warehouse, long enough for Calvin to physically recover and for Owen to make sure that the loose ends were resolved.
