Henri – 24

 

They did have a long talk with Xavier's man, and learned nothing helpful. The man told them his instructions—if he'd found Henri—had been to bring him to the side entrance of the building.

 

"The guy said there'd be someone there to pick up the package—meaning you." The man looked at Henri.

 

"How did you know what I looked like," Henri asked.

 

"The dude gave us a picture. Looked like it was copped off a TV show."

 

Taegan frowned. "How many people are looking for him?"

 

"Three that I know about. Me and two others. We were at a day labor place and this dude came in looking for guys that had cars. He picked the three of us and offered us good money if we found you." He glanced at Henri. "I got lucky. Saw you at the bus stop in the Quarter. Followed the bus. You must have bought out the stores, from the bags you were lugging. I almost offered you a ride but I figured if someone was looking for you, you might know it, so I just tagged along behind."

 

"What did the man who hired you look like?" Henri asked. When the man described him, Henri shook his head. "No one I know. Did you let him know you found me?"

 

"Nope. He didn't give us a number. Like I told you, we were just supposed to take you there if we found you." The man looked hard at Henri. "How the hell did you get me back here?"

 

"You don't remember? Guess I hit you harder than I thought. I knocked you out before you could drag me from the car, shoved you in the backseat and here you are."

 

::All true, minus the car.:: Taegan's words shocked the hell out of Henri. Not that he'd said them, but the fact they were in Henri's head, not spoken aloud. He knew mind speak was possible between shifters. He'd just never had it happen to him, or tried it with another shifter. ::Close your mouth,:: Taegan told him, chuckling.

 

Henri did, while concentrating on Taegan. ::Can you hear me?::

 

::Loud and clear. Never done this before?::

 

::No. Damn.::

 

::Fun, huh? But right now we'd better do something with our friend here before I return to the gallery.:: Aloud, Taegan asked Henri, "What do you want to do with him?"

 

"I think he's safe enough the way he is. Still, let me gag him so he doesn't try to shout for help." Henri went into the kitchen, returning with a washcloth and a piece of rope they'd used when they'd moved the furniture from Miranda's house to the apartment. He stuffed the cloth into the man's mouth, securing it with the rope.

 

"Do you want to come to the gallery with me?" Taegan asked, after they'd left the bathroom.

 

"No. I'm going take a stab at getting the living room in shape, since I'm having company. Do you still want dinner?"

 

"You bet. I have an unexpected meeting with a patron at seven but it shouldn't take long." Taegan chuckled. "That's why I was calling you in the first place. To let you know I'd be a bit later than planned."

 

"All right. Then I'll see you around eight, I guess." Henri put his arms around Taegan, saying softly, "Thank you for being here for me."

 

Taegan kissed him, replying when it ended, "I always will be—any time you need me."

 

Henri smiled wryly. "I hope it isn't always because I get myself in trouble."

 

"Nope. Even when you just want my company, I'll be here in a flash."

 

"I like that idea." Henri kissed him quickly. "Now, however, you'd better get moving before your employees think you've deserted them again."

 

"Good point." With that, Taegan vanished.

Henri - 23

 

 

Around two in the afternoon, Taegan called Henri to tell him he'd be a little later than expected for dinner because a patron had pushed back their meeting by half an hour. The call went to voicemail, so he figured maybe Henri was showering and didn't hear the phone after trekking around shopping. So he left a message. When Henri didn't return his call after twenty minutes, Taegan tried again. Still no answer. Now Taegan was getting concerned. He was about to give it another shot when one of his employees told him a regular customer wanted to talk with him. Torn, but knowing the woman wouldn't take no for an answer, Taegan hurried into the gallery.

 

It only took five minutes to deal with her, then he was back in his office and on the phone again, muttering, "Where the hell are you?" When he reached Henri's voicemail for the third time, Taegan hung up and called Ransom. After explaining why he was worried, Ransom immediately said he'd go to the apartment.

 

"If that bastard got his hands on Henri…" Taegan spat out angrily. Getting no reply from Ransom, he hung up. I have to find out. Not that Ransom won't tell me, but… He stepped out of his office long enough to let his manager know he had some important calls to make and didn't want to be disturbed. Then, locking the office door, he teleported to Henri's apartment.

 

Taegan landed in the living room a second later. He heard Ransom's voice coming from the kitchen and prayed that Ransom was talking to Henri—even though he didn't hear any reply.

 

Ransom was standing next to Henri at the counter, one hand gripping Henri's shoulder in an obvious attempt to keep him from moving. Taegan took one look at Henri, asking, "What the hell happened?" It was apparent something had from the congealed blood on Henri's temple.

 

"Stupid happened," Henri replied in disgust. "I was loaded down with the stuff I bought. Put one bag down to get the door unlocked and the alarm turned off. Picked it up and brought everything in here. I'd set the last bag on the counter when I sensed someone behind me. Like an idiot, I turned to see who it was and got cold-cocked."

 

"You left the fucking door unlocked?" Taegan said in disbelief.

 

"Yeah." Henri wriggled free from Ransom's hold, grimacing as he did. "But it's not all bad." He smiled triumphantly. "I know where Xavier's holed up, thanks to the fool who tried to abduct me. Seems like Xavier didn't tell him what he was dealing with. The guy thought knocking me out was enough."

 

"You came to when he got you—wherever?"

 

"Yeah. I was groggy, but I managed to get a look at the place before I took things into my own hands, busted him in the jaw and beat a hasty retreat. Oh, by the way, check the bathroom. He's in there. Not Xavier, but his man."

 

"You brought him back with you?" Taegan said, while Ransom left the kitchen.

 

"Figured it was safer than leaving him there to tell Xavier I knew where he was hiding out."

 

"And that is?" Taegan asked.

 

"I'm not sure, but it should be easy enough to find, I'd think." Henri mentally sent him an image of what looked like an abandoned, two-story building with blue, Art Deco trim. "That's what I saw just as I regained consciousness and he pulled around beside it. At that point, all I wanted to do was get out of there."

 

"Let me see," Ransom said, returning to the kitchen. "Oh, our friend won't be going anywhere for a while. He's cuffed with his arms around the toilet."

 

Henri gave him the same image he'd shown Taegan.

 

"That's the General Laundry building, or what's left of it after Katrina," Ransom told them. "That girl did a number on it. Now it's just sitting there, abandoned. Of course, finding Xavier in there won't be easy, but we will."

 

"Now?" Henri asked.

 

"No, tonight, when it's dark. That'll give us a definite edge," Ransom replied. "I'll call Allyn and Miranda as soon as I get back to the station—which I'd better do now."

 

"You want to meet here?" Taegan asked. He was quite willing to let Ransom, who had the experience, take charge of the operation.

 

"Sure. Say around nine. Oh, you might want to have a talk with the man in the bathroom. He could know where in the building Xavier is hiding." Giving them a salute, Ransom took off.

 

"Before we do that," Taegan said, "let's get you cleaned up."

 

"You don't like the bloody but unbowed look I have going?" Henri asked wryly while he dug through one of the bags from the dollar store for a wash cloth.

 

"Not really," Taegan told him. "It's rather frightening—and not in a good way."

 

As Henri washed up in the kitchen sink, Taegan went through the other bags, putting away their contents. "Steak for dinner, I presume."

 

"That was the idea, before all this happened." After drying his face, Henri asked, "Better?"

 

Putting his hands on Henri's shoulders, Taegan nodded. "Yeah. Looks like a minor abrasion now and that'll be gone soon." He blew out a breath. "It scared the hell out of me when I couldn't get hold of you."

 

"Can't say I was too thrilled with what happened either, except for the fact we now have a pretty good idea where to find Xavier."

 

"Presuming his man didn't let him know he'd found you."

 

"True. Shall we go ask him?"

 

"In a second. First…" Taegan kissed Henri hard. "The next time you decide to leave your door unlocked…don't."

 

"I wasn't planning on doing it this time. The guy just got lucky is all. He must have spotted me somewhere between my leaving the gallery and here, which means Xavier has to have seen the interview with Williams and sent his people out looking for me."

 

"It's the only explanation that makes sense. It was a long shot, but it seems to have worked."

Henri - 22

Henri - 22

 

Taegan showed up at five-thirty the next morning, as promised. The moment Henri got into the SUV, Taegan kissed him. "For luck," he explained, before commenting, "You look classy."

 

Henri had promised himself he wouldn't overreact to positive comments, the way he had last night—so he said "Thank you," and left it at that.

 

He was nervous at the idea of being on television. Surprisingly, in his opinion, it turned out it wasn't nearly as bad as he'd expected. Of course I didn't do anything after the initial introductions except hang around in the background while the reporter interviewed Taegan and Williams. God, Williams thinks a lot of himself. He's a good artist, I guess, but jeez.

 

After the segment was over, the TV crew left, promising it would air again on the nine o'clock news that evening. Once they were gone, Henri stripped off his jacket, leaving it in the closet in Taegan's office next to his tux.

 

"Now, what are you going to do to kill the rest of the day?" Taegan asked, when Henri returned to the showroom.

 

"Find somewhere not too far from the apartment where I can buy groceries and dishes."

 

"Give me a minute and we'll run a search first. It'll save you time." Taegan brought up a map site, entering Henri's address. "You're in luck."

 

"Great," Henri said, noting there were two groceries and a dollar store within walking distance, as well as a Laundromat. After Taegan shut down the site, Henri asked him, "If I find decent food, do you… Would you like to stop by for dinner?"

 

"I'd love to. It won't be until sometime after seven though." Taegan chuckled. "I sort of owe it to my poor, belabored employees to actually put in a few hours of work."

 

"You have been absent a lot, no thanks to me," Henri said, feeling guilty.

 

"By my choice, so don't worry about it." Taegan kissed him lightly. "I'll see you this evening. And, be careful."

 

"I will be. Besides which, it's too soon for Xavier to do anything, even if he did see or hear about the interview, unless he's here in the city."

 

"True, I suppose, still…"

 

"Honest. I'll be watching for anyone who seems too interested in me."

 

As he left the store, he heard Taegan mutter, "Better be."

 

Even though he was very aware of anyone near him, Henri felt a sense of freedom when he got off the bus a block from the apartment and made his way to the dollar store. He spent half an hour picking out pots, pans, dishes, towels and wash clothes from the rather mundane selection they had. From there, he walked to the grocery store a block from the apartment. He ended up buying some steaks and fresh vegetables, as well as staples—condiments, butter, milk, tea and instant coffee. Next thing on my to-do list, get a coffeemaker. And a microwave, he added, after walking past the frozen food section.

 

Juggling bags, glad he was stronger than the average human, Henri walked home to the apartment.

 

Henri – 21

 

Laughing, Taegan replied. "Probably not. It's still the truth. You're very handsome bait to boot, and I'm not going to let him get his hands on you again, no matter what."

 

"Handsome?"

 

"Figured you might latch onto that," Taegan said, kissing his temple. "From my perspective, yes."

 

"I'm not, you know. Not compared to you."

 

"What is it they say? It's all in the eye of the beholder. To me, you're quite handsome and charming and sexy…and quit blushing."

 

"I can't help it. No one's ever told me that before."

 

"Then you haven't found the right man. Or, I suppose, woman, considering you're admittedly bi."

 

"I thought I had, a long time ago. A girlfriend. But, as I told you before, she couldn't handle the fact she was aging while I wasn't." Henri chuckled. "And she never said I was charming and sexy."

 

"It's nice to know I'm the first one to see it—or at least to say it to you."

 

"Of course, if I said the same to you—" Henri grinned, "—you'd shrug and reply, 'I know.'"

 

"I wouldn't!" When Henri arched an eyebrow, Taegan admitted, "Okay, let's say I wouldn't be that blasé about it—I hope. I do know I have a certain…charisma. It comes in handy in my business. But that's it. I don't… Okay, I try not to flaunt it."

 

Henri smiled, kissing Taegan's cheek. "You don't." He pulled away quickly, looking flustered.

 

Taegan understood immediately why. Trying to defuse Henri's discomposure, Taegan joked, "You missed my lips by at least an inch."

 

"I wasn't… I didn't… Oh, what the hell."

 

Much to Taegan's surprise, Henri kissed him firmly—on the lips.

 

"Better?" Henri asked, pulling away.

 

"Much." Taegan gazed at him for a brief moment. "But…" Wrapping both arms around Henri, Taegan kissed him soundly. Far from resisting, Henri returned it in kind. When they broke apart, Taegan smiled at the slightly dazed expression on Henri's face. "I guess," Taegan said softly, "we've just proved we are a bit more than attracted to each other."

 

"I think that goes without saying at this point." Henri laughed suddenly, pointing. "And we have an audience."

 

"We what?" Taegan turned and grinned. "I suspect the geese have seen more than a few people kissing in their day."

 

"Undoubtedly," Henri agreed. "Still, I'd rather not be their entertainment de nuit."

 

"Which we will be if we don't get moving." Taegan gave Henri a swift kiss before gathering up the remains of their meal. Standing, he went to the nearest trashcan to dispose of the bags. Henri joined him and they strolled slowly through the Quarter to the rear entrance of Taegan's place.

 

"Do you want me to catch a bus home so you can get to bed? You have an early morning appointment." Henri asked.

 

"We have one," Taegan replied. "So, I'll take you home and pick you up around, ugh," he wrinkled his nose. "Five-thirty, I guess."

 

"People get up at that hour?"

 

"Apparently TV people do." Taegan unlocked the SUV. "Hop in."

Henri - 20

 

 

"God save me from shopping," Henri said as soon as he joined Taegan in the gallery. He had a clothing bag slung over his shoulder. "I have a tux and all the accoutrements, including shoes."

 

Taegan laughed. "Allyn strikes again? Why don't you drop the bag in my office? I should be free in twenty minutes and we can go feed you."

 

Taegan was as good as his word, telling his employees he was going for supper. "I'm going to make an early night of it," he told his manager, "since I have to be up at the crack of dawn for the people from the TV show."

 

She nodded. "I'll make sure the place is spic-and-span before I lock up for the night."

 

"Thank you." Turning to Henri, Taegan said, "I hope you don't mind a bit of a walk. The place we're going is on the edge of the Quarter."

 

"Fresh air and sunshine is fine with me."

 

A few minutes later Taegan said, "It doesn't look like much, but the food is good and if you want, we can get it to go across the street and sit in Armstrong Park." When Henri agreed, they ordered po' boys and chicory coffee, then went over to the park.

 

"No benches, for some reason," Taegan pointed out. "At least not by the water."

 

"So we sit under a tree and rough it."

 

That worked just fine as far as Taegan was concerned. They settled, shoulder to shoulder, leaning against the trunk of a very large tree. For a while, they ate in silence, enjoying the food and the ambiance.

 

When he was finished with his po' boy, Henri sighed.

 

"Something wrong?" Taegan asked with concern.

 

"Not at all. I don't think I've been this relaxed in a long time."

 

"Good. That was sort of the idea." Taegan smiled, studying him. He is relaxed. No worry lines, no frown, no tension. I wish he was like this more often. When we were down by the river, he managed to unwind some, but it came back when we got to his place and I insisted I had to go up with him to make certain it was safe. That thought made him glance around, being careful not to let Henri know what he was doing.

 

Apparently he wasn't careful enough, because Henri asked, barely whispering, "Do you see something?"

 

"Yep. A good looking man I'm becoming rather fond of." He bit back a grin when Henri turned red. "It's true, and damn the fact it's only been a short time. I'm not saying I'm in love with you. That remains to be seen. But as we've already established, I'm attracted to, and fond of, you."

 

"I feel the same, but I have to wonder…" Henri went silent, staring down at the ground.

 

"Wonder what?" Taegan asked, although he though he knew what Henri would reply.

 

"Is it really…real? Or is it the situation? Me, needing someone strong to help me feel safe. You…umm—" he glanced up, "—having a white knight complex."

  

"I'm sure that plays into it to some extent at the moment. But if I needed to go off saving somebody, I could find a lot of weak people who needed it. You, Henri, are far from that—no matter how you might feel about yourself." He put his arm around Henri, pulling him close. "You managed to survive what the bastard tried to do to you, by taking advantage of his…ego, I guess. His belief that he had you so weakened and so cowed, you wouldn't even think of trying to escape. He was dead wrong. You were cleverer than him and incredibly strong to have withstood what he was doing and make it out of there in one piece…and sane."

 

"And scared shitless," Henri murmured.

 

"Anyone would be in your position. It hasn't stopped you from being willing to become bait in our trap."

 

Henri grimaced. "I'm not so certain being called bait makes me feel all warm and fuzzy."