Page 24 of Pain
"No, but until she's home, what else would you have me do?"
"I honestly don't know. I'd be doing the same thing as you probably."
"You know, losing my wife was hard, but I had time to get used to the knowledge it was going to happen. We had time to say everything we needed to say. With Faith, there was so much I never told her. She's so young. I thought I'd have years to tell her everything, to teach her everything. Now I wish I'd told her I love her one more time, or told her how beautiful she is, or how proud of her I am."
"You don't know you won't get the chance still."
Matt met Xander's stare. "Do you think I will?"
"I honestly don't know. I won't lie and give you false hope, but I also won't tell you to give up. Until you know, you have to fight. It's what any good father would do." Xander reached over and braced a strong hand on Matt's shoulder. "Come on, the food should be ready."
As he forced himself up, he reached out and gripped Xander's arm. "I just want to say thanks. You're the first person since this happened that hasn't told me it's going to be okay. It's nice to not have someone trying to make it all okay when it's not."
Xander slapped Matt gently on the back as he led them to the door of the restaurant. "You're welcome." He let Matt walk inside before him. "But, one thing I will nag you about is eating and sleeping. So be prepared for that. You need the energy, and with the stuff you'll be doing to help us, you need to be focused. You can't do that if you're half asleep. That's when mistakes get made. So, while I might be the nice guy right now, I will be the first to kick your ass in shape if you don't take care of yourself." He strode off to the counter.
"Xan, right?" The young woman smiled. "I have your food right here." She set several bags on the counter. "That will be Seventy-two-oh-four."
Xander handed her a credit card.
"Here's your receipt, and my number." She stared up at Xander shyly.
"Thanks, but keep it for a guy who is worth your time. I promise I'm not what you're looking for." He pushed the slip of paper back at her.
"Who says you aren't?"
"Um, the fact that he's more my type than you are." Xander pointed at Matt before giving the girl another wink and turning away. He handed half the bags to Matt before slinging his free arm around Matt's shoulders and walking them both out the door.
"You're a horrible flirt. The poor girl didn't know what to say." Matt laughed as they got to the car, oddly comfortable with Xander being so close.
"Life is meant to be fun, and flirting is fun. It doesn't always have to lead somewhere." Xander dropped the bags in the backseat before going around to the driver's side and getting in.
Matt didn't know how to take Xander. He was unlike anyone Matt had ever met before. It was impossible not to like him.
The rest of the trip to the team's headquarters was silent, with only an old rock station playing as Xander weaved through the streets. For a moment, Matt worried he'd never find his way back, but once Xander got on a main highway, it was easy to follow.
He was surprised when Xander pulled up in front of a normal looking house in the middle of a neighborhood. It was the last thing he expected. He glanced around. "Do any of you live here?"
"Bryon does. The upstairs is his space. We crowd the main floor, and the basement, well, that's for recreation." Xander grabbed half of the bags after he stepped out. "Come on inside and meet the rest of the team. I think you'll like them."
Matt grabbed the rest of the bags before following Xander inside, hoping that he'd made the right choice because once he stepped inside, something told him there would be no turning back.
CHAPTER TEN
Xander napped on the couch, wondering if he should wait for Matt so he could take him back home or let one of the other guys take him when they finished up whatever they were doing in the geek cave.
That was what he called the room where the guys had all the computers set up. He'd been in there a few times, but it was a bit overwhelming when wires and flashing boxes surrounded him, and who knew what else. The room looked like it was right out of some FBI data collection center. Truth was, it probably wasn't that far from doing the same shit the FBI could do.
He had to give the geeks credit, they got all the information they could possibly need, plus some. It made his job much easier, but he'd leave it all up to them. He had no business being surrounded by so much equipment. He was lucky to boot up his laptop and search for an address or a guy to come fix his furnace when it went out.
"You see the article about the three boys being found and reunited with their parents?" Dyson asked as he sat down in one of the chairs.
"No, missed it. Glad they found them. Are they okay?"
"You know how they are with giving out information on minors. Reading between the lines, it sounds like they'll be staying in the hospital for a few days before going home, so take that to mean what you may." Dyson kicked his legs up on the coffee table. "The article did say the kidnappers suffered injuries and were currently in serious condition." A smile spread over Dyson's face.
"You have to wonder what the backroom conversation is at the police station and hospital after they find the perps." Xander wished he could be a fly on the wall to hear if what they did disgusted people or if they were glad the pedophiles got what they did.
"Beau said he heard a couple doctors talking once that they hated having to help one of the guys that was brought in. Can't say I blame them. I'm glad I don't have some Hippocratic Oath to go by. I'd sit back and watch them suffer and slowly die." Dyson rolled his shoulders as if in pain.
