Steal My Heart

Chapter 9

HILLIARD GLARED at the man on his doorstep, trying to figure out why he looked so familiar.

“Aren’t you going to invite me in? I should have known your mother would raise you like you were born in a barn.” He stepped forward, but Hilliard began to close the door.

“Who the hell are you?” he asked when a hand pressed to the other side of the door Brian had just painted a few days ago.

“I’m your uncle,” he snapped. “Now let me in. It’s cold and damp out here.”

“Timothy?” Hilliard asked. He hadn’t seen him in years, and as far as he knew, his mother hadn’t either. “I’ll ask again what you’re doing here. The way I was taught, guests and family call before they arrive.”

Timothy humphed. “I’m not going to call when I visit my own house. Or what should be my house. I heard you were a lawyer.” He leaned closer. “What underhanded trick did you use to get my mother to name you in her will? Whatever it is, you won’t get away with it.”

Hilliard had already had enough and felt Brian come up behind him. “I think it’s time for you to leave. I didn’t even know about the house until I was called by Grace’s lawyer. So I think you can take yourself and your rotten entitled attitude and hit the road.”

“You think you can get rid of me that easily?”

Hilliard chuckled. “You know, I think you just answered your own question. You’re a prick, which is probably why Aunt Grace left the house to me. Now go away or the police will be called.” He closed the door and locked it.

“What the hell was that?” Brian asked softly. “Was he really your uncle?”

“Of a sort. He was Great-Aunt Grace’s only son. I remember him as being a demanding pain in the ass whenever we visited. Mom and I would come here, and he would hang around most of the time like he was jealous of us. Aunt Grace used to send him on his way, but the next day he’d be back.”

A knock sounded again. Hilliard jumped, on edge. He peered out the window to Uncle Timothy lighting a cigarette. Never Tim, always Uncle Timothy. Hilliard went to the door, pulled it open, and glared at him. “What do you think is going to happen?” he snapped.

“The house is rightfully mine,” he demanded, blowing smoke in Hilliard’s direction.

“No, it’s not. It was Aunt Grace’s, and hers to do with as she liked. You can contact her lawyer, but I’m sure you’ll find everything in order.” He stepped closer, not about to be intimidated. “You can yell and bluster all you like, but it isn’t going to change anything.”

“We’ll see about that,” Timothy growled.

“Is that the best you have?” He shook his head. “A line from every pathetic villain in history? Please. Just go or I will call the police. I have a witness to your threats, so it will be an easy arrest. And because I have a witness, I will be making note of this little visit. You make another, and I’ll take it to the police as a pattern of behavior.” He knew exactly what he needed to do and had no intention of letting Timothy get away with anything.

“You think you know everything,” he sputtered. “This should be my house. I grew up here, and Grace was my mother. She should have left the house to me.”

Hilliard shrugged. “Yet she didn’t. I wonder why.” Just as he was coming to the end of his patience, Brian rested his hand gently on his back, and Hilliard felt calm and the tension eased away. “Just go.”

“Where am I supposed to go? This is my home.”

Hilliard shrugged, glancing back at Brian because he couldn’t believe this guy was for real. “You have to be kidding me. You show up without calling, act like a jackass, and expect me to let you stay here? Are you crazy? You really have to be, because no sane person would act that way. There’s a number of inns in town and up the road. Go there and see if they have a room.” He shook his head, and this time he waited until Timothy got back in his car and drove away.

“That guy’s cheese has fallen off his cracker,” Brian said when Hilliard turned around. “He isn’t really going to try to take the house?”

Hilliard shrugged. “He can try, but it isn’t going to get very far. I don’t know what he thinks he has to gain by acting that way. It isn’t like I’m going to say, ‘Oh, hey, sorry, here, let me give you the house because you’re such a nice guy.’” He rolled his eyes, and Brian snickered.

But then Brian paled. “Do you think this ‘nice guy’ is just going to go away? I knew guys like him when I was in jail. They think they’re entitled to something, and it doesn’t matter how irrational they are or if what you have has nothing to do with them. If they want something, they find a way to take it.” His voice was so soft, Hilliard had to strain to hear him.

“What did they take from you?” Hilliard asked, suddenly very cold.

“Just some things that Gran brought for me. She sent things to try to help make sure I was as comfortable as possible. She also made sure I always had money in my account. But I never used it, because if I did, one of the men would take what I got. Thieves, bangers, addicts—everyone was in there. The guards were vigilant and did their best, but these guys didn’t care half the time.” He took a deep breath.

Hilliard didn’t know what to say to that. He got the idea that Brian wasn’t telling him everything, and he didn’t blame him. He knew that he would talk when he was ready. For guys like Brian, their time behind bars was often like soldiers’ time in combat. They didn’t talk about it because it was something they didn’t want to keep reliving, and it wasn’t like most people could understand what they had been through. He took Brian’s hand, still holding it as he checked out the window to make sure Timothy was truly gone.

“Don’t let that ass take anything from you. Your great-aunt left you the house for a reason, and she cut him out of the will for one as well.”

“Yeah. I know that.” He really didn’t like the idea of being here alone with Timothy out there. “It’s just that when people get unreasonable and entitled, they tend to do stupid things, thinking they have some sort of right.” Yet he knew that if Brian stayed, Beverly was going to be alone.

“Do you want me to stay?” Brian asked as if he were reading his mind.

“I’d like that, but doesn’t Beverly need you?” He couldn’t take Brian away in case she needed him.

“Gran will already be in bed.” He pulled out his phone and made a call. “She says she’s fine and will see me in the morning.” Brian stepped closer, wrapping his arms around Hilliard’s waist. “I know you have this ‘go slow’ thing in your head. But….”

Damn, Brian felt so good. Hilliard closed his eyes, just taking in the feel of Brian against him. He tried not to let memories of the last time he had felt this way come forward. It had been years, and…. He pushed thoughts of Alan away.

“The thing is, are you ready for something like what you’re asking for?” Hilliard said, his eyes boring into Brian’s. He wanted him and wasn’t going to send him on his way. But there was something in his eyes—hesitation, worry perhaps—that gave Hilliard pause.

Brian looked away first. “I don’t know.” His gaze shifted to his feet.

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Hilliard said softly.

“Of course there is,” Brian retorted loudly. “I have plenty of reasons. People don’t believe me. Some of them looked down on me when I was accused, and those same people now look down on me because I went to jail. It didn’t matter that I did nothing wrong, and even if I could skywrite proof that I was innocent, they wouldn’t believe it. They would continue to think that I’m the guy who robbed Violet and her family.”

“But you didn’t.” Hilliard placed a hand on each shoulder. “And we can prove it. But we need to make sure our proof has impact and helps us catch the real thief. Everyone is going to know that they treated you badly.” He intended to make sure of it.

“It isn’t going to help. That can’t take away what happened to me,” Brian said softly.

Hilliard nodded. “No, it can’t. No one can do that. I can try to make sure that the truth comes out. Only you can figure out how you live with the past. But know this: I will never hold it against you. Your past is just that—the past. What you have to do, what all of us need to do, is figure out how we are going to deal with it and then live with it.” Hilliard paused, his shoulders slumping.

“What is it?”

“Alan,” he said softly. “I know what shame is. See, I knew Alan had cheated, but I let it go. I thought that if I could make him happy, it would stop. I covered it up because I didn’t want my friends to know. I figured that if I was more—if I was better and made him happier—then he would see what we originally had.” He sighed, knowing he had been a complete fool. “I kept thinking that I was the cause and that I could fix it, but in the end it was his behavior, and I had to walk away.” Hilliard shook his head hard as if to get the hurt and shame to empty out of it.

Brian tugged him into a hug, and Hilliard held Brian in return, the two of them comforting each other. They both needed to get past what had been done to them. Hilliard knew that what Alan had done wasn’t of the magnitude of pain that Brian had been through, but this wasn’t a contest about who hurt more, it was about trying to let the other begin to heal.

brIAN HAD called his grandmother. Apparently she was already in bed with the dogs and, as Brian relayed, had told him not to worry about a thing. They each had a third beer, and then Hilliard turned off the lights and led the way to the bedroom, holding Brian’s hand. “The bathroom is right there, and I put out an extra toothbrush and towels for you.” He reluctantly released Brian’s hand and went to his bedroom, leaving the door cracked open.

He got undressed and slipped into bed, waiting for Brian, who came inside. As much as he wanted to see Brian in all his glory, if only to see how his imagination measured up, Hilliard turned out the light.

Brian slipped under the covers, lying on his back, looking upward. “There’s nothing to be worried about.” Hilliard slipped his hand across Brian’s chest, lying on his side. Then he held still.

“The last time someone touched me, it was….” He sighed deeply. “I turned to them and tossed them halfway across the room. I don’t know where the strength came from, but I got him away from me. I hurt him, but no one messed with me again—at least not like that.”

“Do I remind you of him?” Hilliard asked.

“No. You remind me of you. You are nothing like him.” Brian put his hand on top of Hilliard’s. “Nothing at all like him.”

“Then go to sleep and try not to worry.”

He sniffed. “Sometimes I have nightmares.”

“We all do. Just different ones.” Hilliard squeezed Brian’s fingers and closed his eyes. “You get comfortable, and we’ll keep the bad things at bay together.” He eased away, and Brian rolled onto his side. Hilliard spooned against him, sharing Brian’s warmth against the cool night air flowing in through the open window.

“I don’t know if that’s possible.”

“Then we’ll try,” Hilliard told him in a whisper. It felt amazing to hold him, and he closed his eyes. Part of him knew he could easily get excited, but the nervousness of it being their first night together held him back. “I doubt I’ll be able to sleep much tonight.”

“Why?”

“Because I never sleep very well with someone else. Alan and I never really learned to sleep well in the same bed. After a year or so, he started leaving the bed in the night to sleep in the other room. Eventually we were only in the same bed when we had sex, and the rest of the time, we slept apart like one of those fifties television families. I should have known then that we weren’t supposed to be together.” He closed his eyes and listened to Brian’s soft breathing and the sounds of the ocean from outside. As usual, it took him quite a while to fall to sleep, but eventually he gave way to exhaustion. Sleep finally settled over him. When he woke the following morning, he and Brian had switched places, with Brian holding him.

brIAN WAS still asleep when Hilliard slipped out of bed and went downstairs to the kitchen. He put on the coffee maker and got out some things for a simple breakfast. He made toast and juice along with some fruit and placed it on a tray before returning to the bedroom.

“Brian,” he said softly, loving the view with the covers askew and Brian lying with his perfect cotton-covered ass on display. He was a stunner, there was no doubt about that. He slowly rolled over and pulled up the covers. Hilliard had noticed his very attractive state but didn’t mention it. He set the tray on Brian’s lap and climbed into bed next to him. “It’s pretty simple.”

Brian lightly bumped Hilliard’s shoulder and then kissed him. “I think this is the first time I’ve ever had breakfast in bed.” They took their juice and slowly ate the toast. Hilliard fed Brian a strawberry, catching the juice as it ran over his lips.

“I never did anything like this before.” He smiled and gently shifted closer to Brian. This was a great way to spend part of the morning, though he knew Brian would have to go to work pretty soon, and he had plenty to do himself. Still, it was nice to have a few minutes for just the two of them.

It took less time than Hilliard would have liked, but they finished their breakfast, and Brian shifted the tray before getting up. “I have a couple of jobs this morning that I have to finish, and I should make sure Gran is okay for the day.” He pulled on his jeans and shrugged on his T-shirt, covering his lightly furred chest.

Hilliard set the tray aside. “You know, I think you should work shirtless. I bet you’d get more jobs… or at least people stopping to watch. I know I would.” He leaned closer. “Just watching you is enough to make my heart race.” He tugged Brian down and into a kiss that curled his toes.

“Me too,” Brian whispered. “And I’d love nothing more than to stay here in bed with you and satisfy my own curiosity.” He pressed Hilliard back down onto the mattress with his kiss, then climbed on and covered Hilliard with his clothed weight. Hilliard slipped his arm around his waist, holding Brian to him, loving his weight and solidity against him.

Hilliard was hard, his cock straining in his briefs. He was so damned tempted to strip Brian naked right now, but Brian pulled away and stepped back from the bed. “Damn, you make me want things I don’t know if I have a right to.” His hand shook as he took a step toward the door. “I have to go.”

“Will I see you later?” Hilliard asked.

“Of course.” Brian smiled and then left the room. Heavy footsteps followed on the stairs. The front door closed a minute later, and Hilliard wondered what Brian meant by “things I don’t know if I have a right to.” That was a strange turn of phrase, and Hilliard mulled it over until he got up to take a shower, because he and his imagination most definitely needed one.

HILLIARD SPENT the morning preparing for his exam. He had plenty of material to review, and he requested the appropriate paperwork from the Ohio Bar Association. Mainly he kept himself busy to stop himself from wondering about Brian.

He absently answered his phone as he sat at his laptop at the kitchen table, the doors open to catch the ocean breeze. “Hilliard, it’s Beverly. I have a meeting with the church group this afternoon, and I was wondering if you’d like to go with me.” The request took him a little by surprise. “These people know everyone, and if you’re thinking of staying and opening a law practice, then you need to meet them.”

“Okay, if you’d like me to go with you. What time is it?”

“They meet for lunch at the pub. We have a room that we use. It’s just a social group. I don’t normally go because it’s hard to get around sometimes, but I will today.”

“All right, I’ll pick you up. Just let me know what time.” She told him everything he needed to know.

“I’ll plant a good seed today, and I’ll be able to wipe the smug look off Violet’s face that she’s had for the last couple of years.” She growled slightly.

“Remind me not to get on your bad side,” he teased. “And remember, we need to unsettle her.” A thought sent a chill up his spine. “One more thing. It’s possible that Violet knows who the real thief is. Think about it.”

“I worked that out already. And after the church meeting, I have an appointment with an old friend in the police department.” Hilliard couldn’t help thinking that he didn’t want to be on the receiving end of Beverly’s machinations. He got the feeling that the police and Violet wouldn’t know what hit them.

“That’s excellent. At the meeting, you spread the information, and I’ll watch Violet.” This could turn out to be interesting. “I’ll see you then.” He ended the call and had just gotten into his study material again when someone knocked on the door. Hilliard got up and went to answer it.

He opened it to Uncle Timothy and a man in a police unform. “May I help you?” Hilliard asked, ignoring his uncle.

“It seems that you are inhabiting this house illegally. Timothy DuPrix says this is his mother’s home and that you are residing here against his wishes.”

Brian rolled his eyes. He should have expected something like this. Uncle Timothy was turning out to be more of a crackpot than he’d originally thought. “Actually, he’s brought you here under false pretenses, and you might consider charges against him. His mother, my great-aunt Grace, passed away a few months ago and left me the house in her will. I have a copy of it. If you’d like to come inside, you may. But he is not to set foot in the house.” He glared at Timothy.

“Now see here—”

“This is my property, no matter what you seem to think, and I don’t want you inside.” Hilliard crossed his arms over his chest, then turned to the officer. “Follow me.” He let him inside and closed the door on his uncle, locking it because he didn’t trust him. Then Hilliard asked the officer to wait and went upstairs. He went to the room that would one day be his office once he’d found some proper furnishings. He got his copy of the will, opening it to the appropriate page as he descended the stairs once more. “As you can see from this document, I inherited the house, and Uncle Timothy received a grand total of ten dollars. Apparently his mother didn’t think very much of her ‘useless and greedy’ son.”

“I see.” The officer turned to where Timothy glared through the window.

“Do you?” Hilliard asked. “He brought you here under false circumstances so he could try to intimidate me and get you involved in illegal activity. This is harassment, and he involved the police.” He smiled. “I suspect you’ll know exactly how the handle this situation.”

“Yes, I do, and I thank you for your help.” The officer turned, his belt creaking a little as he went to the door. Hilliard unlocked it, and the officer stepped outside.

“That will is a fake and—” Uncle Timothy immediately sputtered.

“That would be for someone other than me to decide. But as far as I can tell, it looked correct.” He paused on the steps. “You are lucky that neither he nor I are pressing charges, because we both could. I have real work to attend to, and I will wait to make sure you leave town. And I suggest you don’t bother this man again. Understood? We will not be as forgiving the next time.” Hilliard closed the door and let the officer handle his duty while he went back to work.

WHEN HILLIARD pulled up later that morning, Gran was waiting out in front with the dogs on leashes. “Are they coming as well?”

Beverly nodded. “If it’s okay. Poppy and Gigi love it there. They have treats for them, and they’ll lie under the table while we eat.”

“Of course,” he said and helped her down the walk and into the car. The dogs jumped right into the back and settled down. It was a little misty, so he’d kept the top up. Once he got in, he drove downtown, where he was able to find a parking space right in front of the restaurant. Gran climbed out and led the dogs inside, with Hilliard following her through to the tent-covered garden area that had been closed off with the seating rearranged so everyone would be close.

“Beverly,” one of the ladies called as she hugged her. “It’s been a while.” They all seemed glad to see her, and Hilliard stayed out of the way.

“This is my new friend and neighbor, Hilliard. He inherited the house from Grace and has been helping both Brian and myself.” Hilliard shook hands with each of the ladies as they introduced themselves in quick enough succession that he was never going to be able to keep their names straight. The only one he was interested in was Violet, who approached last.

“It’s good of you to come,” Violet said coolly before turning to Hilliard with an expression of warning. When he ignored it, she turned back to Beverly. “How is your grandson doing since…?” Violet left the remaining part of her question open.

“Actually, very well, especially after the past few days.” Beverly sat down, the dogs lying at her feet while the other ladies gathered around. It seemed she hadn’t joined the group in a while, so she was the center of attention. “Brian and I took a trip up the coast with Hilliard this past weekend. He has the most amazing convertible, and I had such fun. We stopped at the Cabrillo Point lighthouse. It was really nice.”

“I volunteer there part-time, you know,” one of the ladies said. “It’s pretty wonderful to climb up to the light and get a look up and down the coast.”

“Maybe I’ll see if Brian and Hilliard would like to do that. I can’t anymore, but I’m sure it is a sight.” Her smile was perfection, and she had the ladies captivated. “But we found out something amazing. Carol, did you know they had security cameras?”

“Yes. I see them when I volunteer.”

“And they never aged out the files! We asked when we were there, and they were able to find Chester and Brian on their tapes.” She turned to Violet. “On the very day that poor Violet was robbed—and right in the middle of the time she says it happened!”

All the ladies gasped, but Violet’s expression seemed carved in stone. “You don’t mean…?”

“I do. It’s proof that he was innocent all along and that the real thief is still out there. Hilliard is helping us find an attorney so we can petition to have his conviction overturned, and I’m meeting with the police this afternoon to let them know that the real thief is still at large and that they should be looking for them. Isn’t that great news? I’ve always believed in him, you know.”

“Of course you did,” one of the ladies said before hugging her. “We’ve been praying for something like this for a long time.” Carol was clearly happy for Beverly, and so were most of the others.

Violet looked as if she had sucked a lemon. “That doesn’t prove anything.”

“Actually, it proves nearly everything. They were there for at least an hour, from before one until nearly two, and then they went to lunch.” Beverly’s tone remained light, but there was steel in her voice. Beverly was exaggerating the times a little, but it seemed to be having the desired effect.

“Isn’t that great, Violet?” one of the ladies asked, her expression fading when Violet scowled and headed toward the exit.

“Where are you going?” Beverly asked, making sure to draw everyone’s attention. She was sneaky, that was for sure.

“Just out to my car,” she said. Hilliard met Beverly’s gaze and went inside toward the bathrooms, right through the crowded restaurant and out toward where Violet was on the phone.

“Apparently they have found something that proves Brian didn’t commit the burglary,” she said as she stood near her car. Hilliard went around the back of the vehicles and got close enough to hear better. “I don’t know what we should do. Beverly says they can prove he was not here in town, and that means….” She shook her head and sighed. “What the heck are we going to do? The police might investigate once more, but who knows? If Beverly gives what she has to them and starts putting on pressure….” She turned away, and it was harder for Hilliard to hear what she was saying.

Damn, that sure seemed like a guilty phone call. Was she warning someone? He wished he knew who was on the other end of that call. Still, it was something to go on and meant that he definitely needed to pay her a visit. Hilliard backed away and returned the way he had come, sitting down with Beverly as Violet returned. He pasted on his most innocent smile and leaned to Beverly. “I want to get a look at her phone if it’s possible. She made a call, and I want to know who it was.”

“No problem,” Beverly told him. “Violet, there’s a seat over here. My dogs always just love you.” She was pouring it on thick, that was for certain.

The other tables were full, so Violet took the seat next to Hilliard, across from Beverly, and the dogs did their part, approaching her for pets. She set her phone on the table, and fortunately Hilliard didn’t have to do anything as a few messages came in. He was able to see the name Frank on them and suspected they were from whoever she had called. He couldn’t see the messages, but a name was as good as anything else.

“It’s good to see you again,” he told Violet before picking up his menu to look it over.

“We don’t usually bring guests to these sorts of things,” Violet said flatly.

Cindy sat down on Hilliard’s left side. “Of course we do. Everyone is welcome, you know that.”

“Well,” Hilliard began, “Beverly needed a ride since Brian is working, and I had a little time between my work studying for the state bar exam. I haven’t decided quite what I’m going to do long-term, but I know that being licensed to practice here is only going to help my career.” He smiled and took a drink of his water, watching Violet as she seemed to look over the rest of the room. “Is there someone you’re looking for? I can check out front for you.”

“No,” she answered quickly. “I was hoping that someone was going to be here, but they didn’t seem to make it.”

That was a bald-faced lie, but Hilliard didn’t call her on it. Violet was terrible at fibbing, and the more she spoke, the more she gave away. “That’s okay. You and Beverly must be old friends, and it has to be a huge relief to know that her grandson wasn’t the person who broke into your family home after all.” He laid it on thick, but Violet didn’t seem to be paying attention.

“Yes, that’s true. Violet and I have been friends for years, and events put a strain on things, but now we can hopefully start again,” Beverly said. “Isn’t that right?”

“Of course,” Violet said absently.

Beverly didn’t press it either, and Hilliard shared a smile with her as he went ahead and ordered lunch. He wished Brian were here to watch Violet squirm like a fish on a hook.