They were moving into a less populated area where houses had fields between them. They’d lost track of the motorcycle then the sound of the engine would filter between the buildings.

  The engine noise died, and Grant stopped at an intersection. “Where to?”

  Tex groaned and leaned forward, his eyebrows pinched tight. “No clue.”

  “Fuck.” Grant didn’t want to give up, but he was close to losing it all when he caught sight of a man who looked like Roger walking through a field.

  Tex pointed. “That’s him.”

  Grant drove to the end of the street and turned, heading to the house where they’d seen Roger.

  About fifty feet away, he realized Roger was walking to a guy who looked familiar. Why did that guy look like someone he’d known? The jaw, the face, the way he held himself seemed like Grant knew the man. Then it hit him.

  “Oh shit.” Grant moaned.

  “What?” Tex asked.

  Grant put the car in park and cut the engine, watching as Roger hugged Hayden. Before his heart had cracked as he watched Roger race off, now it exploded with the fire of jealousy. He knew Roger wouldn’t even be his if Hayden were alive.

  How was this possible?

  “Who is that?” Tex asked.

  Grant stared at the pair as Roger leaned back after the hug, his hands cupped the sides of Hayden’s face, holding him in place.

  “It’s Hayden, Roger’s lover before me.”

  “Oh shit,” Tex whispered.

  Pain filled Grant. He wanted to go off like a bomb, leaving a trail of destruction everywhere, but what good would that do? Roger had told him more than once he was still in love with Hayden. It hadn’t mattered because the man was dead. But here Hayden was, looking exactly like the photos of the man who Roger had loved before him. But this wasn’t paper and ink, this was flesh and bone. No doubt, Hayden owned Roger’s heart, and it was time for Grant to let go.

  Chapter Four

  Roger’s arms went around Hayden before he could say anything more. It took a second for Hayden to respond, but the moment his arms wrapped tight, Roger felt like he was in heaven. To have Hayden back in his arms, back in his life, was everything.

  Tears came, the emotions too overwhelming to talk. He pulled away and cupped Hayden’s cheeks. Then he noticed something. The eye color was off. Not by much, but too much green not enough brown.

  “Hayden?”

  A car door slammed, and Roger glanced over his shoulder. His lungs froze, and his throat swelled with even more emotions. Why hadn’t he told Grant what he was doing? God, he was such an idiot. The photo of Hayden had tempted him, turning him inside out. He’d desperately wanted his lover to be alive, to hold him again.

  He turned back to the man who still held him and noticed the confusion on his face. God, he had a lot to explain to both of them.

  “Roger,” Grant’s voice boomed over the field. “You should have told me.”

  Guilt filled him. He should have. Oh crap, he should have opened up and explained to Grant how he had to find out if this was real. He had to find out if Hayden was alive.

  He dropped his hands from Hayden, or the guy he’d thought was Hayden and turned.

  “I—”

  Grant held up one hand. “Let’s go inside and talk.”

  Then Tex was there, and Roger realized how stupid he’d been running away from the ranch without telling Grant what was up. He should have told Grant everything. But seeing Hayden had been too much. He’d made a mistake.

  “I’m sorry.” Roger’s heart pounded and his mouth went dry. He’d screwed up.

  “Wait.” The guy he’d traveled halfway around the world for held up his hand and shook his head.

  Roger turned to him, noticing the slight differences between this guy and Hayden.

  The guy opened his mouth to speak but hesitated for a second as a loud motorbike scooted past them. Once the bike was gone, he spoke. “I’m not Hayden.”

  The words shouldn’t have been a shock. Roger knew Hayden was dead, he’d seen the proof with his own eyes, but the photos had been so convincing. He’d wanted his lover to be alive, even if that meant things would change.

  “Who are you?” Grant asked.

  Pain circled around Rogers’s mind as his feeling for Grant blasted through him. He didn’t want to lose Grant.

  “I’m Greer, Hayden’s younger brother.”

  Roger took a step back, taking a deeper look. The differences stood out. Of course, this wasn’t Hayden. The eyes were wrong, too wide-set, the lips were fuller, the nose was a little bit longer, and the chin was too short. He was also the wrong height. Why had he believed this man was Hayden?

  “Oh God,” Greer held his hand to his mouth. “You traveled over here thinking I was Hayden. How did you find me?”

  “Can we take this inside?” Grant asked.

  They all glanced around, searching for anyone watching them. No one was paying any attention, but they didn’t need anyone knowing they were here. Someone had been watching Greer, or they wouldn’t have sent photos of this man.

  “Follow me,” Greer said.

  They headed into his house, and Tex went out to move the motorcycle and the car closer. Grant reached for his hand. Pain filled Roger as reality hit hard. No question, he should have told Grant about finding Hayden’s photos, or who he thought was Hayden. His man would have come here to help him figure out the truth. Why had he believed he had to do this on his own?

  “He does look like Hayden,” Grant whispered.

  Greer glanced over his shoulder and then rolled his eyes. “I don’t look that much like him.”

  Grant chuckled, and a bit of Roger’s cracked heart healed.

  “Tea?” Greer asked.

  “Yes, please,” Grant said.

  “I’ll take some,” Roger said as he tried to push away the weird feelings.

  Greer made tea for them as a light rain began to fall outside. Tex came back in, and Greer pulled out another cup.

  Roger sat next to Grant, not saying a word. Awkward didn’t even begin to explain how he felt.

  Greer sat opposite him, the black cup he was drinking from in his hands lifted about halfway to his mouth before he set it down and spoke.

  “Really, how did you know I was here? I’m fairly quiet. My neighbors like me, I don’t make trouble, and I keep to myself. No one knows where I am. I’ve worked hard to hide.”

  Roger cleared his throat. “I got some photos sent to me.”

  “Who sent them?” Greer asked.

  He sighed, guessing now that the photos hadn’t been sent by a friend. “The email was from a friend. Or at least I thought it was.”

  “This is troubling,” Tex said.

  Roger’s head whipped up. “What do you mean?”

  “I know you two are wrapped up in the emotions of this, but what if someone wanted to expose us?” Tex turned to Greer and frowned. “I mean you could be part of the issue too. How do we know you didn’t send the emails?”

  “I didn’t.” Greer turned, reaching for the computer on the counter. “Take a look. I swear. Investigate everything on my computer.”

  Roger shook his head. “Greer wouldn’t have done that.”

  “How do you know?” Tex asked.

  “Because.” Roger turned to stare at Greer, squinting just a little, thinking about Hayden. God, his boyfriend had been beautiful. “Greer didn’t understand how close we were.”

  Greer shook his head. “I figured it out based on Mom and Dad’s reaction to his death and you. They blamed you.”

  “Of course they did.” He turned to Grant, guilt filling him. “You know I love you.”

  Grant took his hand and tugged him closer. “I know. But this shows we still have areas to work on.”

  He nodded as he swallowed, praying Grant wanted to work with him. He glanced up, catching Greer’s profile and gasped. “God, you look so much like him.”

  Greer shrugged. “I don’t see it. I’m not the man he was either.”

  “What do you mean?” Roger asked.

  “I’m out here living as a pseudo-farmer in Indonesia when Hayden was in the military, already a SEAL by the time he was my age.”

  Roger shook his head. “He thought you were awesome. Don’t be down on yourself. Hayden chose the military. Then he met me, and we both wanted to be together. Maybe we would have left eventually. But we were military through and through.” Roger reached across the table and held out his hand. When Greer took it, he shivered. Grant leaned in and kissed the side of his head. Roger’s heart squeezed.

  Grant was such a good man, and he hoped he could forgive him. “I screwed up coming here without telling you guys.”

  “We’ll work it out,” Grant said.

  The words were probably meant to make him feel comfort, but he hated himself even more.

  “Hey Roger,” Tex said.

  He turned to look at his friend. “Yeah?”

  “Jazz wants to go through your email and see what he can find from the file sent to you. Is that okay?”

  Roger had nothing to hide. “Sure. That’s fine. I don’t mind him looking at my stuff.”

  Tex hopped up and left the room. Greer sat back and drank more of his tea. Then he looked at Grant and Roger over the edge of his cup.

  “Tell me what Hayden was like?”

  Roger nodded and began talking about his old lover, how they were together, how Hayden was in battle. Greer leaned in, listening to every word.

  Tex came back and sat next to Greer. He should have seen it earlier, but Greer was too young to be Hayden. It should have been apparent when he’d first seen the photos.

  “I think Hayden would like that you found someone,” Greer said.

  “He’s the best thing that has ever happened to me,” Grant said.

  Roger turned to Grant, fighting back the tears. “You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

  Tex chuckled, and Greer rolled his eyes. “You two are so sappy.”

  “Hey,” Grant said. “We love each other.”

  Tex’s phone rang, and he hopped up to answer. Greer took the teacups and washed them out, setting them beside the sink to dry.

  “Do you think we could keep in touch?” Greer asked after he cleaned out the cups.

  Roger hopped up and moved to Greer, thinking hearing from Hayden’s little brother would be a good thing, and maybe a bit of a painful thing, but overall good.

  “I’d like that,” Roger said. The urge to reach out and touch Greer was almost overwhelming, so he wrapped his hands around his waist to keep them off the man. Though Greer looked like Hayden, it wasn’t his old lover.

  “I’ll write down my email address. I’m in the process of writing a book,” Greer said.

  “Really?” Grant asked. “About what?”

  Greer’s cheeks turned red. “It’s nothing big, just a story.”

  “What kind? Hayden would be proud of you.” Again, Roger wanted to touch Greer, maybe hold his hand.

  “It’s a romance, so I don’t know if he’d be proud or not.”

  Roger laughed. “Hayden was a romantic. He loved little gestures of love.”

  “Really?” Greer asked.

  Roger told him about a few of the things Hayden had done to keep their romance alive. “He was a sweet and gentle giant of a man who also was very serious and persuasive when he needed to be.”

  Tex stepped back inside. “It looks like the guy who sent you those photos isn’t who sent them.”

  “What does that mean?” Greer asked.

  Tex looked to Greer, and then his gaze met Roger’s. “Can I speak freely in front of him?”

  “It involves him,” Grant said.

  “Okay, so is that a yes?” Tex asked.

  Roger and Grant both nodded.

  “The guy who sent you those photos of Greer, he died three weeks ago in a car crash.”

  “Well shit,” Roger said.

  “Yeah, shit.” Tex glanced down at his phone before looking up again. “It looks like his car was tampered with, but the police have no leads.”

  Grant moved to stand beside Roger. “Where did the crash happen?”

  Tex glanced at his phone, consulting his notes. “Looks like it happened in Florida.”

  Grant blew out a breath. “So, not near us?”

  “No,” Tex shook his head, “not near us.”

  Roger grabbed his chin and squeezed the flesh before he pulled on it. Worry filled him. He met Greer’s gaze, the question burning his tongue. “Did you notice anyone who didn’t belong around here?”

  Greer shrugged. “A few tourists come around, not many, but they are the kind of eco-tourists who want to get a feel for the country. They don’t want the cookie cut out version of Indonesia. I guess they’re like me. I moved here thinking this would be a cool place to write a book about a woman from Indonesia who falls for a soldier.”

  “How is that going?” Roger asked.

  Greer shrugged. “It’s coming along. But I could have written it just as easily in the states. This is cheaper living. I’m tired of living here, but I’m not done with the book.”

  “So you didn’t see anyone who shouldn’t have been hanging out taking photos?” Grant asked.

  Greer shook his head. “No, I didn’t see anyone. I don’t remember the last tourist we had and that was so long ago I can’t remember what they looked like.”

  Grant’s lips thinned before he spoke. “Okay, so they took the photos in secret.”

  “Or I wasn’t paying attention,” Greer said. “It’s not like I would have really tried to watch for someone. This area is quiet. I don’t pay that much attention to things going on around me because not much happens.”

  Roger looked around the kitchen, not seeing anything to make him worry. There didn’t appear to be any places to hide a camera. “Do you think anyone could be watching right now?”

  “I don’t know,” Greer said. “I mean they could, but I wouldn’t even know where to look.”

  “What are you thinking?” Roger asked.

  “I’d like to take a look around.” Tex moved to the door but stayed in the shadows. “Do you know your neighbors well?”

  Greer shrugged. “Not really. I mean they’re nice enough, and we wave at each other. A few have gotten to know me, but most ignore me.” Greer took a step closer to the door, looking out. “Do you think it was one of them?”

  “Did you mention anything about Hayden and me when you talked to them?” Roger asked.

  “Never. I don’t think I mentioned I had a brother. I didn’t think it was any of their business.”

  Grant appeared to be thinking. “What do the guys say?”

  “Proceed with caution. Right now, they don’t know who did this. We don’t have any leads or any clue who acted,” Tex said.

  Grant tightened his hold. “Roger, you’re being targeted.”

  He drew in a breath, his mind spinning. “We need to know if we’re all being targeted.” He turned to stare at Greer. “You can’t stay here. It’s not safe.”

  “But I—” Greer blew out a breath. “Okay, I’m tired of being here anyway. I’ll pack up my stuff. I don’t have much.”

  They helped Greer pack his things, which really wasn’t much and then headed out. Tex rode the bike, and Grant followed, driving the car. Roger glanced back at Greer and swore he saw Hayden. His emotions were all out of whack. This would be difficult. He prayed he could stay sane with Greer around.

  Chapter Five

  When Grant had seen Roger hugging the guy he thought was Hayden, he’d assumed their relationship was over. Only the fear of losing everything had kept him from blowing up. It had been a good call.

  He was probably too pleased that it was Hayden’s brother in the back seat and not Hayden. Roger would suffer just from seeing Greer but losing Roger to a man who he thought to be a ghost would kill him.

  So much of his life had become tied up in Roger. He doubted he’d be able to survive his man walking away. He’d have to keep his fears in check until he had a reasonable response that wasn’t too filled with happiness at the fact Hayden hadn’t come back to the land of the living.

  Grant almost groaned. That was the wrong way to think about Greer and Roger and most of all, Hayden. Conflict battered him.

  They took the turn to the bike rental shop and parked a block away. Roger took Tex’s place on the bike and drove it the rest of the way. After returning the bike, they headed to a hotel to get some food and then sleep.

  Tex was bunking with Greer, and Grant followed Roger to their room. The door shut and Roger turned, his lips thin.

  “You ache, don’t you?” Grant opened his arms, wishing his man didn’t have to go through this again.

  Roger groaned as he moved in for the hug. His sob didn’t surprise Grant in the least. His man needed love, and that’s what he would give him.

  After a moment, Roger leaned back, his eyes red, face twisted with pain. “When I saw him, I almost passed out.”

  Grant nodded, his heart breaking for his lover. “It had to be a shock.”

  “God, I saw Hayden standing there, and it all came rushing back. He’s dead. I saw him die. But for a moment there, I’d thought maybe he was still alive.”

  He squeezed Roger tighter as his throat closed with emotions. He hadn’t been ready to lose Roger.

  “I didn’t know what to do.” Roger met his gaze again. “I should have trusted you. I should have told you what I’d found.”

  “It’s okay.” Grant fought to keep his voice even.

  “No, it’s not. Trust is one of our biggest strengths. I’ve trusted you with my feelings for Hayden, I’ve trusted you with my past and my future. Why didn’t I trust you with this?”

  Grant cupped his cheek and leaned in, brushing their lips together. “I forgive you because you didn’t do anything wrong. Now you need to forgive yourself.”

  “I’m still so raw.” Roger drew in a ragged breath. “He looked like Hayden.”

 

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