"So what do we do now?" Ryder asked.
"The usual. I do what I have to do because I don't want you placed under any charges," he paused. "I can't let anything happen to you. It's more than I can forgive myself for,"
Despite his past, subtle declarations of love, Ryder felt that these words were the warmest he'd ever heard.
The stakes were changing and he could finally admit he was in love. This time with a fugitive.
"Seeing as you've chosen to do the right thing, I'd let you think now. Go on, stay here and meditate all you want. I'd be upstairs napping In case you need anything," he turned to leave, never sparing Jacob a second glance.
"Thank you, Ryder,"
The teen stood but paused in the doorway. "For what?"
"For everything."
His gratefulness brought little solace to Ryder's heart. All the more his reassurances only meant one thing to the teen; that he'd be at the bottom list of the fugitive's concerns.
The day wore on without them speaking anymore, nor did Jacob return to the room upstairs when dusk came. Ryder heard the back door slam back and forth during the night but paid little heed to it till morning. He found the fugitive sprawled on the sofa, his long legs tangled and his left palm clamped around his penis. It was a wonder how he slept nude with the cold.
His bruised chest served as the only flaw to his being. Ryder stared at it a long while before going back upstairs and retrieving a small black bag.
During the night, he'd thought over most things concerning the law and how it applied to fugitives harboured by unsuspecting locals. It was no new things Jacob would go to jail but the officers might insist he followed too. They'd believe he'd been an accomplice all along. With Jacob's promise to turn himself in, Ryder had no problems fleeing to secure his life. He'd charged his batteries and was prepared to hear whatever came from the radio and take it to heart. No one could be trusted and Preston established the fact of Jacob being dangerous well enough.
Resting his butt on the back stoop, he powered his cell on and tuned it to the radio. At first news about the mass killings at Florida filtered in and at last the news, he'd been waiting for came on.
"The search for wanted criminal J. Cyprus, the approximate heir to the Cyprus Empire widened to neighbouring cities around Denmark with the officers coming up with nothing about the fugitive. The twenty-three-year-old man was alleged to have murdered his long time girlfriend based on discovering his sexuality and inability to keep the relationship moving forward. It's a devastating period for the young girl's family and her father swore to see to his death. The murder was witnessed by her brother who'd gone to retrieve her from Cyprus — "
Ryder snapped the radio off, unable to hear more and anxious about the manner the case escalated. It wouldn't be safe to stay back in the cabin or anywhere else around it. He had to leave.
He looked in the direction where he'd discovered the body, silently choosing to begin the long journey uphill. The snow came faster, the sky cloudless and so blue it looked painted. He was sure he was moving in the right direction when he slumped against the tree bark, exhausted.
The walk up had always been difficult. A half dozen yards uphill, Jacob's thick voice halted him.
"What the hell do you think you're doing up here?"
Ryder turned to face him, fazed by the fact that he'd secretly followed, undetected. His dressing looked hasty like he'd not intended to get up from the sofa at all.
"Go away now, you'll freeze up here," the teen chided.
"It's better to die than watch you do what I think you would,"
"I'm leaving. I can't get in the way of the law anymore. If need be, I'll call Preston to come to get you in the house. It'll make things a bit easier but now I can't stay under one roof with you,"
"Really?" Jacob took a step forward, the cold air mixing with his breath. "So now I stink? You'd have nothing to do with me so you'd preserve your own life. Wow, how selfish."
"It's not what I meant!" Ryder snapped defensively. "You and I know whatever we had was nothing. We were both caught up in the spur of the moment and of course, you needed a release. I don't even know anything more about you other than you murdered Sophie and you'd like me to sink with you in the middle of the puddle. I'm not selfish. I'm simply doing what anyone in my shoes would and if you're not satisfied with it, don't come back to my house. Stay here or go anywhere else you, please. But leave me alone."
Not willing to keep up with the hurtful conversation, Ryder made a wide berth around him, never sparing a look or thought back. Not wanting to turn and see him watching with those dark pained eyes that didn't hide his emotions for once.
When they'd made love, a fire flared in their depths when he'd held the teen and slammed hard into him.
Like a falling elevator crashing onto the ground in the least expected moment, the memory made him run, sprinting barefooted in the snow, his toes curled and turning to ice. He arrived at the back stoop, out of breath and freezing hard.
Wandering into the kitchen, his senses perked up at the calm oddity of everything around. Jacob's boots were still up in the hearth, basking in the glow of the fireplace. Just when he pulled the closet door open, the nuzzle of something steadied itself in his back.
He froze, turning around to face a hard face.
"Well, well. It's nice to see someone interested in J so much like I was,"