Never Again – 37

 

Joseph spent most of the rest of the day trying to come up with an alternative plan to catch the saboteur than the one he knew would work. The problem with the first and best idea he'd come up with was that it would require him to reveal what he was to Cal.

It's much too soon, he thought for the hundredth time. We're barely into the 'I might really care enough for you to make this permanent' stage. Letting him know I'm not quite human could send him running as fast as possible in the other direction.

On the other hand, if I don't and things go from bad to worse, it will be my fault for being so much of a coward that I can't trust in the feelings between us. Damn it, I wasn't going to let this happen! Wasn't once enough to teach me?

By late afternoon, he came to a decision. Cornering Cal in a spot where none of the others could overhear them he said, "I have something I need to tell you, but not here."

"Do you know who's causing the problem?" Hope and worry colored his question.

"No. But I have a plan that could help us find out." Joseph turned away, staring at the apartment building. "And we have to do it now before things escalate."

Cal frowned as he looked at him. "Why do I get the feeling it's going to put you, us, in danger?"

Chuckling low, Joseph replied, "We're after someone who did his best to take me out of the picture, possibly permanently, whether that was their intention or not. And if it hadn't been me, it could have been one of the other men. The saboteur is playing hardball; we have to return the favor."

"Okay, you're right. I'll meet you at your house?"

Joseph nodded. "Pick me up. I want to go somewhere else to talk."

"Umm, sure. Taking me out for a fancy dinner?" Cal grinned, then sobered, muttering, "As if we could do that."

"Someday maybe we can." After glancing around to be certain no one was in sight Joseph kissed him quickly before walking away.

* * * *

"Where are we headed?" Cal asked when Joseph got into his truck.

"Go east along I-10." Joseph said tersely.

There was a moment's silence. "How far?"

"I'll tell you where to turn off. Please just drive." When Cal scowled at him before pulling away from the curb, Joseph put one hand on his thigh. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"It's okay. I get that you're wound up about everything." Cal squeezed his hand then returned his concentration to driving.

Fifteen long, silent minutes later Cal was looking for a place to park the truck. He spotted a pull-off and turned into it. "Now where?" he asked after getting out.

"Follow me." Joseph headed into the densely packed trees that lined their side of the highway. Eventually they came to a large, grassy area with just a few trees dotted about. Here, Joseph stopped.

Cal looked around, shaking his head in bemusement. "You brought me out to God only knows where just to talk about your plan for stopping the saboteur? We couldn't have done it in the comfort of your living room?"

Joseph shook his head. "Not really." He pointed to a small boulder next to one of the trees. "This might be easier if you're sitting down."

"For who? You or me?" Cal asked almost defiantly, even though he did go over and sit. "What's going on, Joe?"

Joseph began pacing, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. Suddenly he came to a stop a few feet away from Cal, fixing him with an intense gaze.

"It's going to take too long, maybe days or weeks, if we just try to hide somewhere at the site and hope we're in the right place at the right time to catch the man, or men, doing this. Even installing security cameras or hiring a security guard could be hit or miss if this person is clever enough."

"I suppose," Cal agreed hesitantly. "Or we could get lucky and they'll show up tonight and we'll spot them before they do any more damage."

"Are you willing to bet the farm on that happening?"

"I guess not. Not if you have a better idea."

"I do." Joseph wanted to turn away, run away, leave everything behind him just so he wouldn't have to tell Cal. But it would mean leaving him and he wasn't ready to do that—wasn't even certain he could. "Damn, this is hard," he whispered.

"Joe, whatever's going on with you"—Cal paused, reaching out to him—"it's more than just catching this bastard, isn't it?"

Joseph nodded, taking his hands, gripping them tightly. "I've only told this to one other person. Two others know, but right now that's beside the point."

"Rawleigh?" Cal asked quietly.

"Yes. He had the right to know and now, so do you. If I'm not honest with you then we have no future. But if I am…" He sighed deeply, releasing his hold on Cal's hands so he could step away. "If I am then we still might not have a future."

Never Again – 36

 

Early the next morning, as soon as everyone had arrived at the site, Cal called a meeting.

"I was thinking about what happened yesterday and I came to a conclusion. It's not one I like but what few facts I have seem to back it up."

Joseph sat to one side of the group, watching as Cal spoke. He saw two of the older members of the team nod as if they knew what Cal was going to say next.

"Unfortunately, there is no way I can chalk up what happened to Joe as an accident," Cal continued, anger tingeing his voice as he paced back and forth. "I was up on the balcony a few minutes before the drywall fell and it wasn't up there. Not leaning against the railing, not leaning against the wall. Nowhere!"

"So you're saying someone tried to kill Joe," one of the men called out.

"I'm saying it wasn't an accident. Whether it was aimed at Joe specifically or he just happened to be in the wrong spot at the right time, I don't know." Cal shot a look at Joseph. "I called him last night to see how he was doing and mentioned what I was thinking. He says he doesn't have any enemies who would go to such lengths and I believe him."

Joseph nodded in agreement when several of the people turned to look at him.

"So some bastard's trying to sabotage us by hurting someone?" another man asked angrily.

"That's what I'm thinking," Cal replied, scowling. "So I want each and every one of you to be on your guard. Work in pairs, don't go anywhere alone, and keep an eye open for anything that looks wrong to you. If I'm right, whoever did this could set their sights on other kinds of sabotage, like a materials fire or damaging machinery. Or—" he paused until he had everyone's undivided attention, "—doing something to the respirators or the other safety gear."

"The fucker touches my gear and he's dead meat," Lars growled. Several of the others shouted or nodded in agreement.

Cal waited until they had quieted down then said, "All right, now you know. I wish I was wrong but I don't think I am. So let's get to work and don't let the son-of-a-bitch win. We are going to finish the job and have a place for those who need it to live and regain their self-respect."

Cheers went up as the crew dispersed to start work.

* * * *

"That went well I think," Joseph said as he hobbled along beside Cal on their way to the storage shed holding the extra safety gear. He didn't have to hobble; the wound on his leg was already healing. But for appearances sake, he felt it was better to act like the 'wounded warrior' as he thought of it.

Cal nodded, a scowl still marring his handsome face. "Did you spot anyone who seemed worried we're going to be on the alert for more trouble?"

"No. Did you get a chance to check who came on after we started working here?"

"Yep. There are only three men who haven't been on at least one other site. They came well recommended though, which is why they're here."

"Who did the recommending?"

"Carl for two of them, and Steve for the other one."

Joseph frowned. "Carl? I don't think I know him."

"Carl Folkes. Remember I told you about him? He's one of our supporters. He started donating to Rebuild a couple of weeks after I met you."

"Which would have been a while before you even thought about buying this place."

"True. And he was a big help with getting a couple of the licenses pushed through afterwards." Cal unlocked the padlock on the storage shed and opened the door, flicking on the bare overhead light. "Looks like nothing's been messed with in here."

"Score one for the home team," Joseph said with a wry grin.

His words were negated a minute later when one of the men came running over. "Cal, you need to come look at this." He and Cal followed as the man led them around the building to the back. One of the doors, leading into what would eventually be the utility room holding the heating and electrical equipment, hung half off its hinges. At the moment the area was being used to store cans of paint. Cal took one look and began swearing loudly. At least a third of the cans had been opened, their contents poured out onto the concrete floor.

"Guess you hit the nail on the head, Cal," Joseph said tightly.

"It's one nail I wish I'd missed," Cal growled in reply, running a hand over his closely cropped hair. "Okay, Pat, get a couple of the guys and see what you can do about cleaning up this mess."

Pat nodded. "Are you going to call the cops?"

"Not if I can help it. Some of the guys, well, they'd rather not have any dealings with the police."

"Yeah, I'm one of them," Pat admitted. "I had enough of them on the streets." With an angry shake of his head, he took off to find some help.

"It occurs to me," Joseph said, "that might be just what the saboteur wants. If you called in the police, a lot of the men might walk away rather than deal with them."

"Exactly. We lose them, we're up shit creek until we can get more and that could be difficult. So I guess we're on our own with this. The question is, how do we find out who the bastard is and more to the point, who's behind him?"

"We'll figure it out somehow."

"I wish I was as optimistic as you," Cal replied. "I guess for now though, we'd better get back to work. And for you—" he shot a stern look at Joseph, "—that means something not too strenuous. If I had my way, you wouldn't even be here, you stubborn man."

Joseph smiled. "But I am, and I'll find something to keep me busy that won't get you on my case."

Never Again – 35

 

"The question is, why is someone going after you again?" Cal asked. He was sitting on the edge of Joseph's bed, a beer in one hand, a frown on his face.

Joseph took a drink of coffee. Cal had forbidden him to have any beer because he said it wouldn't be good for him in his condition. He'd pointed out he wasn't on any meds stronger than Advil but that didn't faze Cal. He had put his foot down and since Joseph wasn't in the mood to argue, he'd agreed. "I doubt it's because I'm taking a job someone else could be getting paid for, which was Dan's reason to hear him tell it."

"Just my opinion but I think it was. Something had him upset, maybe he and his wife were having problems, he couldn't pay the bills, or what have you. You got the brunt of his anger. If I'd have been smarter, I'd have taken him aside and talked to him instead of just kicking him off the job."

"It's easier to see things like that in hindsight. However it still doesn't answer your question. And before you ask, as far as I know, I haven't pissed anyone off." Joseph chuckled. "Unless one of the guys has the hots for you and wants me out of the picture."

"Like how would they know?" Cal asked, his frown deepening.

Joseph patted his knee. "I was teasing. But still… No, there's no way anyone could have picked up on anything. We've been very careful."

"Do you have any enemies? When you owned the website, did you do a news story that might have gotten someone royally upset with you?"

After giving Cal's question some serious thought, Joseph shook his head. "I wrote a few editorials that didn't sit well with some people, but nothing worth trying to kill or maim me over—and certainly not at this late date." He tapped a finger to his lips. "Turning that around, do you have any enemies? A fatal accident at the site could shut it down and for all we know, I was the target only because I was in the right spot at the right moment."

"Now that's something I hadn't considered. Not the enemy part, per se, but the idea of shutting down the site so we couldn't continue."

"When you talked to the original owner, did he say anything about anyone else being interested in purchasing the property?"

"Nope. He jumped on my offer as if I was his last, best friend for wanting to buy it."

"Which still doesn't preclude the fact someone else might want the land now. We're fairly close to having everything cleaned up so we can start rebuilding."

Cal nodded slowly. "The worst of the real decontamination work is done. If we were closed down now, if our licenses were revoked, which might happen if there were more 'accidents', someone could step in, take over, and turn the place into a profitable business instead of Rebuild apartments to help get the homeless get off the streets."

"If that's the case, and we're only guessing right now although it is the most logical idea we've come up with, then at least a couple of the men are ringers. And that is not a nice thought. It means someone started planning this as soon as Rebuild bought the land and the building."

"One good thing," Cal said with a small smile, "we can eliminate anyone who worked for us before then. Still, I'm going to have to put everyone on alert that there could be more trouble."

Never Again – 34

 

"Heads up!"

Joseph never heard the shout because he was wearing earplugs, but he felt the air move as something fell past him, landing on the ground barely inches from where he was standing. He was instantly covered with dust and debris from a broken sheet of drywall. He looked up at the second level balcony, shielding his eyes from the bright sun. He didn't see anyone but he knew the drywall hadn't fallen by itself. Someone grabbed his shoulder, pulling him back before swinging him around. He saw Cal's terrified face and did his best to reassure him everything was all right.

"Like hell you are!" Cal pointed to a tear in the leg of Joseph's disposable suit and the blood streaming down his thigh. "Sit down now," he ordered.

By then most of the men had appeared, some looking shocked, others asking what had happened. Cal sent George to get the first aid kit and in the next breath told Joseph if he didn't sit down there'd be hell to pay.

Despite the blossoming pain in his leg, Joseph wanted nothing more than to go up on the balcony, hoping to find some clue as to who had thrown the drywall over the railing. One look at Cal's face and he did as he was told, sitting on a pile of lumber a few feet away.

By then George had returned. He knelt by Joseph, ripping the leg of the suit farther open until he could see the wound in Joseph's thigh. "Looks like a nail got you," he said when he started to clean the large gash. "Done a good job of it too. Cal, you'd better get him to the ER. He'll need stitches and a tetanus shot if I don't miss my guess."

"I'll be fine," Joseph protested. "Just clean it out and bandage it up." The last thing he needed was to go to the hospital. It wouldn't take an intelligent doctor long to figure out he wasn't quite what he seemed. Besides which, he needed to figure out who had it in for him this time, because what had happened was no accident.

"Don't give me any shit; you're going to the hospital," Cal growled. When Joseph tried to stand, despite the fact George hadn't finished, Cal put his hands on his shoulders to stop him. "I mean it, Joe."

Joseph nodded in apparent resignation but he fully intended to convince Cal otherwise when they were out of earshot of the others. All he had to do was go for a run, something he'd managed to sneak in once a week on a night when Cal hadn't come home with him. One shift and he'd be healed. Of course, if I do that he's going to wonder. I can hide the wound from everyone else, but not him. Damn. At least whether I shift or not, it's not going to get infected so maybe—

"Tell you what, no trip to the ER and George can stitch me up."

"Like hell," Cal growled.

"I could," George put in before it became a full-blown argument. "I was a medic way back when. I know which end of a needle is up and believe it or not there's a small suture kit in here." He took it out to show Cal.

"What about the tetanus shot?"

"I had one six months ago," Joseph said, lying through his teeth. "That should cover that."

Cal sighed. "All right, looks like I'm outnumbered. Go for it, George, and slather him down with antibiotic cream too."

Ten minutes later Joseph was stitched, bandaged, and on his feet again. His leg hurt like hell as he made his way up to the balcony, but there was no way he was going to let anyone know.

While George had been playing doctor, Joseph had watched the men, studying each one carefully when they weren't aware of it. As far as he could tell, none of them seemed upset that he hadn't been hurt worse than he was. He tried to figure out which ones hadn't shown up when the 'accident' had happened. Unfortunately there were enough new guys he saw only rarely in passing that he wasn't certain if any of them were missing.

"Put your damned mask on," Cal grumbled when he came up to stand beside him.

"Sorry." Joseph did, reluctantly. It impeded his vision and sense of smell, both of which he'd been using to see if he could sense which man, or men, had tossed the drywall over the railing.

"What are you doing on the balcony anyway?" Cal asked.

Joseph shrugged. "I guess I was hoping my attacker left some clue to who he was. And it was an attack, in case you didn't get it."

Cal nodded. "I figured it was. I was up here ten minutes before it happened and there was no drywall anywhere within fifteen feet of where it had to be to fall on you. The question is, how did he, or they, manage it without anyone realizing what was happening?"

"Probably because you had most of the men working on the end units, finishing them up."

"True enough." Cal leaned on the railing, staring down at the broken shreds of the drywall. "Do you think this has anything to do with Dan?"

"That thought occurred to me." Joseph shifted to take his weight off his injured leg.

"Okay," Cal said, catching the movement out of the corner of his eye, "You're going home if I have to drive you myself."

"They might wonder why it took a couple of hours for you to return," Joseph said teasingly.

Cal snorted. "Rich boy, you aren't up for any fun and games right now."

"I'm afraid you're right, but let me call a cab. It's early and there's still too much to do today for you to take off."

"Okay." Cal glanced around then patted Joseph's butt. "I will come check up on you though, once I'm out of here."

"I'll put the pot on for tea."

"Tea?" Cal laughed. "Just make sure there's a couple of beers in the fridge."

Joseph thought for a second then nodded. "There are." Taking out his phone he called for a cab then hobbled back down the stairs, going to the gate to wait for it.

Never Again – 33

 

It took them a while before the fish was on their jury-rigged spit and cooking over the fire. For a moment they were afraid they'd have to rub two sticks together to get the fire started until Cal remembered he had matches in his backpack.

"Last of the beer," Cal said as they waited, handing Joseph one can. He was so careful opening the other one Joseph burst out laughing, even though he was equally as cautious. "To… us?" Cal raised his beer in a toast.

Joseph smiled. "To us." He tapped his can to Cal's before taking a drink.

It was after dark by the time the fish finished cooking. Much to Joseph's surprise, Cal had a few paper plates and plastic utensils stashed in his backpack, well wrapped in a plastic bag. When he asked why, Cal said, "A carry-over from the streets. Sometimes people would give me leftovers from their lunches and it just seemed a bit more civilized to put them on a plate. So I guess I got in the habit of making sure I always had some." He shrugged in a self-deprecating way.

"Well this time it came in quite handy. I was debating whether we'd have to find some very big leaves."

"Seriously?"

Joseph grinned. "Seriously. Like in the movies where people get stranded on a desert island."

"Uh huh, sure."

While they ate, first the fish then the sandwiches Joseph had brought with him, they couldn't seem to keep their eyes off of each other. Hardly surprising, Joseph thought when he realized what he was doing. After all, how often do I eat dinner with a totally naked, very handsome man? Never as far as I can remember. He chuckled, and when Cal asked why he explained.

"Now that you mention it," Cal said as he raked his gaze over Joseph from head to foot, "I never have either—and for damned sure not in the middle of nowhere sitting on a beach, if you can call it that."

"There's water and there's land going down to the water. I think that constitutes a beach, even if there isn't any sand."

"Good on the no sand. It gets in places when you're not wearing anything I don't even want to think about." Cal covered Joseph's semi-hard cock with one large hand. "Like here and, well, I can't show you the other one because you're sitting on it."

Joseph winked. "As soon as I finish eating—"

Cal cocked an eyebrow. "So food is more important than sex?"

"I do need to fuel up for round two, young man."

"We're the same age, so don't give me that, rich boy."

Don't I wish? Joseph bit down on that thought, muttering, "Again with the 'rich boy'."

Cal tapped his fingers on Joseph's thigh. "I suppose I could come up with a new one. The problem is what?"

Seeing the wicked gleam in Cal's eyes, Joseph promptly said, "I can live with 'rich boy'."

Cal grinned. "Good, because it's my special name for you and I'd hate to change it." He cupped one hand behind Joseph's head, pulling him close enough to drop quick kisses on his mouth. Between each one he whispered, "rich boy," until Joseph ended it by taking Cal's face between his hands and kissing him thoroughly enough to make his teasing stop. Which, following the laws of nature, caused more interesting things to happen. Thus it was closing in on midnight when they finally decided they should get dressed again and head back to the city.

"We have to be at work at the crack of dawn." Cal sighed, while they made their way to where they'd left the truck, the beam of his high-powered flashlight leading the way.

"You do," Joseph told him, trying not to grin. "I just might sleep in."

"Nope. I'm the boss and if I have to be there, I'm ordering you to be there too—on time and ready to get your ass to work."

Joseph couldn't let a line like that pass. "I think the storage shed would be the best place for that, unless you want the guys watching."

"What? Oh hell!" Cal burst out laughing. "Walked into that one, didn't I?"

"Big time."

They continued bantering all the way back to the city until they pulled up in front of Joseph's house. Then they got serious when they looked at each other.

"We should probably keep this between the two of us?" Joseph asked softly.

Cal nodded. "Probably. I don't want to, but yeah, I suppose so. At least for now, people being how they are, even here."

"I agree. We don't want another 'Dan incident', so to speak."

"True, but—" Cal smiled shyly, "—I wouldn't mind a few more 'Joseph incidents'."

"I think—no I'm sure—that can be arranged."

"When and where?"

"Here and umm, tomorrow night? I suspect tonight we're going to be too beat to do anything but sleep."

Cal nodded. "I think you're right."

Joseph kissed him good-night. "I'll see you in, dear God, another four hours."

As Joseph got out of the truck, Cal grinned. "Is that my nickname? 'Dear God'?"

Joseph grinned back. "As if. Now off with you."

Cal saluted and drove away and Joseph watched until the truck's taillights disappeared from view before going inside.

Now what have I gotten myself into, as if I didn't know? I guess I'll just take it one day at a time and if, God help us both, it does turn into love. I suppose I'll deal with that when the time comes.

* * * *

For the next month Joseph and Cal spent as much time together as possible. Unfortunately it was mostly at the apartment building site. Cal wanted to get the preliminaries—meaning the clean-up—completed as quickly as possible so they could start refurbishing the building for its new tenants. Each time one of the Rebuild houses was completed to Steve's satisfaction, he would send the men to work with Cal. But still it seemed to be taking an inordinate amount of time to get all the mold, mildew, and asbestos removed and the destroyed interior walls taken down.

"I swear…" Cal said late on one of the few nights when he had come home with Joseph. He sighed when he wrapped his arm around him.

"What do you swear? Don't leave me hanging here," Joseph replied.

"If I'd known what a huge job these apartments were going to be, I would have thought twice, or even three times, about starting this project."

"No, you have taken it on anyway and you know it."

"True," Cal replied sleepily. "But damn. I wish… and before you say it, I know. If wishes were horses…"

Joseph smiled when Cal's voice faded out. "We would ride. Indeed, we would," he said softly.