Marc did feel as if they were playing a spy game as he sneaked from the back entrance of the hospital to Tabby's car when she pulled up by the door. As far as they could tell, no one was watching but Tabby wasn't willing to chance it. She took the very long way around before dropping Marc in front of one of the houses that backed onto his apartment building. Kissing his cheek as he got out, she told him to tell Colin "Hi" before driving off.
A few minutes later, after he made his way cautiously through the back yard of the house to his building, Marc was opening the door to his apartment.
Bill met him with a smile and a kiss that was returned with equal fervor. Then he stepped back to look at Marc. "Another hard night?" he asked, noting the lines of stress on his face.
"Not until the end." Marc tossed his jacket on the back of the sofa before heading to the kitchen. When Bill joined him, sitting back down to finish his breakfast, Marc told him what had happened.
"Not good," Bill said when he'd finished. "So what do we do with Colin now?"
"What's wrong?" Colin inquired sleepily as he joined them. The looks on the two men's faces had him more awake, fast. "Did I do something wrong?"
"Not at all," Bill hurried to assure him.
"It's not you." Marc put a hand on his shoulder, steering him to a kitchen chair. When Colin sat, Marc took the chair next to him, placing a hand on his knee. "I think the man who instigated your rape came to the hospital looking for you," he said quietly.
"Shit!" Colin tried to jump up but Marc kept a tight grip on his knee.
"We're going to keep you safe," Bill promised, kneeling beside Colin.
"No." Colin shook his head hard.
"Don't argue with us," Marc told him. "We will one way or another. The first order of business is figuring out who he is before he does the same for me."
"I don't know who he is," Colin told them angrily.
"Calm down. I know you don't. But the first time you met him, it was set up by someone, right?"
Colin nodded. "But he won't tell you. Client confidentiality and all that."
"If we brought in the police…" Bill stopped when Colin turned on him, fists clenched. "Okay, not an option as far as you're concerned I take it."
"Not even," Colin growled. "It's too late, anyway. There's no evidence of what… what happened."
Bill shot Marc a questioning look. Marc shook his head slightly, mouthing "Later".
"There's another option," Marc said. "The doctor who talked to that man said he looked familiar, maybe from on TV or a picture in the newspaper."
"He did say he was a bigwig in town, but of course a lot of the men like to brag. It makes them feel special. He's probably married too."
"What makes you say that, Colin?"
"Instinct, I guess. After a while you just know those things by the way they act. Married or closeted or both. There's a desperation about them. This dude was desperate and kinky, both." Colin looked down at Marc's hand which was still resting on his knee. He focused on it as he told the rest. "You know, he has to be someone because he had that big house and…and all those other…the men who were there too. He's got to be a boss or…or something."
"Or maybe, hmm," Bill said.
Marc and Colin both looked at him, waiting.
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