"That's the last time you convince me to do other things when we should both be sleeping, sir." I grumbled, lazily pushing Alex's arm off my waist.
He humphed in disagreement and nestled deeper into my back.
The heavy footfalls of Rich walking out of his room pushed me to truly wake up. A groan emerged as I inelegantly dragged my body to the edge of the bed.
"Ugh, do we have to get up?" Alex mumbled as he followed suit.
"No ifs or buts about it, Alexander." I rolled my eyes while I stretched my arms above my head.
Alex groaned while he did the same and then we both got to work. I grabbed my pants off the top of the nightstand while he grabbed his from the floor. We got dressed moderately fast, ending up at the bedroom door at the same time.
He grinned at me while he did the last button on his shirt and I smiled back before I pushed the door open.
I moseyed down the staircase, ignoring Alex's exaggerated yawns the whole way down. Signs of life were heard as we neared the kitchen and we walked in as Rich was spreading a deep purple shade of jam on his bread.
"Thank God, this man never let his stash of jam get low." He remarked with a smirk as we beelined for the table. Alex tripped slightly on the floor as he went, the planks we placed to cover the gaping hole in the ground are taking some getting used to. Surprisingly, Rich hasn't asked either of us about the odd setup that makes the kitchen floor so… Bumpy.
I honestly don't know what I would say if he did.
Alex chuckled at his comment and maneuvered around the table to grab a mug of water. He turned to raise his brows and a mug at me and I nodded. After filling two mugs, he left the counter and came to sit beside me. I gingerly took my mug from his warm hands and eagerly took a sip. I swear, I can't even remember the last time I had water. My mind is a complete blur from these last few days.
"Keep drinking, John, you didn't drink enough water yesterday." Alex chided, earning a curt snort from Rich. "Don't need you dying of dehydration when there's more important stuff."
I faux glared at him, begrudgingly taking a few more gulps as he watched me like I was a blind man crossing a busy street. He smiled and tended to his own drink.
"What's the deal with the floor?" Rich mumbled, sidestepping the aforementioned patch and taking a seat across from us.
I stilled.
"There was a small fire a bit ago, I'm not the best or safest cook." Alex quickly explained, his eyes looking anywhere but at Rich. "John pulled in a few planks and it's the best we can do for now."
"Huh." Richard seemed to accept the explanation with no problem.
We sat in relatively comfortable silence until Rich cleared his throat.
"So, I also noticed the fireplace hasn't been used in a while." Rich piped up. "I know Hugh didn't like fire too much, but it's been awfully chilly lately. Are you boys having trouble finding firewood?"
Alex and I shared a look. "To be honest, we haven't even noticed the fireplace that much."
"What?! She's a beauty! You boys need to get on that, she deserves to be in service." Rich gave such an affronted look, I couldn't help but mentally compare him to the proper churchgoing elderly ladies who took offense to everything back home.
"I think there might be some firewood beside it, Rich." Alex offered, raising his mug to his lips.
Rich began to beam. "Now then, that's what I'm talkin' about!"
He stood, shoving the final bite of his bread into his mouth. He rubbed his hands together in anticipation and swiftly stepped away into the parlor area.
"Man, you'd think we just gave him the map to gold." Alex laughed while he leaned against the back of his chair.
"Hey, the man likes warmth." I raised my hands and giggled with him.
After a few minutes of pleasant silence in the house, Rich returned to the kitchen with a huge grin. Alex and I were still sitting at the table, but we'd clasped hands and were rambling about our future.
"Alright, boys! I got a small fire going with what Hugh left in there, but it was only two logs. That'll last us to mid-afternoon, at best. I'm gonna check his cellar real quick for any extra logs." Rich stated before heading to the door.
"Okay." I murmured, wanting to get back to Alex and his ideas for our future adopted kids' names.
Alex seemed to want the same, but then his features grew frantic. His head snapped up from the relaxed position it was in. His eyes shot to the front door where Rich had just left and he looked back at me with fear in his eyes.
I didn't know what for until memory of the disturbing contents of the cellar flooded my mind.
Oh, fuck.
We shot up at the same time but we were unsure of what to do. It was a short walk, he must have made it down there by now. Then why hasn't he screamed? Or come running up here?
"Maybe he got distracted by something outside? Saw a pile of firewood beside the house?" Alex suggested, his eyes drowning in doubt.
"Or he's down there in shock." I countered, my voice low. Alex opened his mouth to say something but his line of sight moved from me to the space over my shoulder.
"Or he's already come back up from the cellar to find out what the fuck is going on!" Richard barked from the doorway. I spun around to see him while Alex cringed at the man's confused rage.
"Rich…" I started, unmoving for fear of him retaliating.
"Do not 'Rich' me, John." He growled. "If that's even your fucking name!"
Alex raised his hands in surrender.
"We are who we said we are, Richard. Please," Alex gestured towards the parlor. "Let's all sit down and clear this up like adults, okay?"
I nodded at his idea while Rich huffed and muttered a 'fine.'
We moved into the parlor, Rich standing against the door as we steadily walked by his suspicious sights. He followed after we sat down on the sofa and he took his place in the adjacent arm chair. His large hands were a little shaky and I could damn near hear his jaw grinding. Alex and I sat with bated breath as Richards eyes warily switched between the floorboards and us.
"Start talking." Rich deadpanned.
I took the deepest breath of my entire life before I dove into the mess we were in.
"Bloody hell, boys."
Alex and I cringed at his weary voice.
"Yeah, um, it's a lot." Alex rubbed the back of his neck and let out a long breath.
"I… we don't have a lot of answers, Richard." I admitted. "We're just as lost as you are."
Richard nodded his head but his eyes were blank and glossy. Alex shot me a worried glance and I clasped his right hand in my left.
"Rich, are you okay?" Alex whispered, leaning forward ever so slightly in his seat.
Richard cleared his throat and blinked hard before replying. "I might have an idea about who could do… something of that caliber."
My eyes widened. "Really? A group or…?"
He quickly shook his head. "No, just a single very, very barmy man."
"One man? To do all of that?" Alex damn near squeaked.
Richard grunted in response, running his calloused hands over his face.
"I'm not sure if he's been active lately, I haven't heard of any crimes at all surrounding his name in a few months." Rich shrugged.
"What's this guy's name?" Alex questioned.
"Eamon. Don't know his surname."
"And he works alone?" I asked.
"His history says so, but he is getting up there in age." Richard was silent for a moment. "I haven't even considered this, but he might be training someone to, I don't know, take over his shitty business. He doesn't have any family as far as I know. Might want someone to keep on terrorizing folks when he's gone."
"What a bastard." I muttered.
Alex groaned. "So there might be a murder apprentice out here?"
"There might be." Rich gruffly agreed. "Eamon lives and operates in his hometown, though. Antrim. It's a bit down the island and right above Lough Neagh lake."
"How far is that?" Alexander tilted his head.
Rich let out a breath. "Roughly four hours by horse."
"Damn." I couldn't imagine traveling that far just to commit a crime.
Then again, we came all the way from New York City to avenge a friend. Who am I to judge?
"I'm going to get in touch with a friend who lives out in Antrim." Richard declared. "Find out what ol' Eamon has been up to lately."
Alex and I bobbed our heads in agreement.
"I have mates in practically every town heading down to Antrim, so hopefully we'll have some insight within a day or two." He scratched his stubble as he continued. "I'll head to my pal Michael up the road, that lad has his ears glued to the ground. I'm gonna get this ball rolling right now."
With that, he stood and grunted a quick goodbye. Alex and I waited until Rich shut the front door on his way out. A beat passed before Alex turned in his seat to face me. A roguish smile worked itself onto his face and my brows rose in anticipation.
"So, you wanna makeout and cuddle in bed until he gets back?" Alex whispered, a mischievous gleam glazing his eyes.
"Oh, fuck yes."
I'm not even sure how long Richard was gone before I heard him return. The front door had squeaked open and shut, and I heard his footsteps moving below us on the first floor. I took a deep breath and released a content sigh. Alex wiggled against me at the sound and he let out his own hum of content. His breath created an immediate warm spot as he buried his nose deeper against my neck. The responsible side of me said we should get up and make sure Rich was able to send a message to his Antrim buddy. The lovey-dovey side of me, though, didn't want to move a muscle. My left arm was wrapped around Alex as he clung to my side. I moved my hand up and began to gently run my fingers through his ridiculously straight hair.
This boy needs a haircut, badly. I'll sneak up on him sleeping at some point with a pair of shears. Lord knows he won't get it done himself.
His arm squeezed tighter around my waist.
"Hi, baby." His voice sounded so small and innocent, muffled against my skin.
I chuckled, placing a chaste kiss on his temple. "Hey there, handsome."
He giggled and pulled his head back enough for us to look at each other.
My right hand rose to cup Alexander's warm cheek. He hummed in approval and nestled his cheek closer against my hand. I lowered my head just enough to lightly kiss his neck.
"Did you hear Rich come back, too?" I mumbled, nuzzling my nose against his blushing skin.
Alex murmured a 'yes' and groaned as he slowly sat up, leaving my arms.
"Should we see how it went?" Alex rubbed his eyes.
Across the hallway, where the other bedroom was, a door was quickly opened and shut. Rich probably went for a nap to recover from all the bullshit that went down today.
Alex let out an 'aww'. "Guess he's tired of all this bullshit, huh?
"You read my mind, darlin'." I laughed.
I watched as he inched to the edge of the bed and swung his feet to the floor. I turned onto my side and rested on my elbow for a moment as he adjusted his messied outfit. I moved out of the bed from my side and fixed myself up, as well.
"What are you up to?" I questioned, walking around the furniture to stand in front of him.
"Well, I figured since we're just waiting on the info now," He paused. "Maybe we could have a little dinner, just the two of us? To relax a bit? It's not even dark out, I know, but I really just want to do something domestic for onc-"
I cut him off with my lips. He softly moaned as I reached my arms around his waist and tugged him flush against me. His hands found their way around my neck and clung for dear life. We moved in sync, everything we did just felt so natural. Even his gentle kisses sent fireworks through my mind. My thoughts disappeared and my mind went blank as he nipped at my lower lip. I smiled at how gentle he was. He's so different in bed. That made me giggle and he reciprocated with a giggle of his own. He lightly pushed away but kept his hands around my shoulders.
"Is that an enthusiastic yes for the dinner idea, or…" He raised a brow and trailed off. His cocoa-colored eyes were full of bright hope, ugh, you handsome bastard. How the hell did I end up so lucky?
"Yes, very much so." I grinned, running my hands up and down his sides. "I think it's just what we need before shit goes up in flames."
A/N: Hi. It's me. I'm still alive. :/
I apologize for leaving this story alone for so long. My depression took a hit, I started school, I lost my job due to the pandemic, I got scammed out of $1200, I'm depressed and tired and scared of the present and the future. So much has been going on with Covid-19, protests, riots, shitty police, and blatant racism rearing its head. I hope you all have been safe and taking care of yourselves during this time. I had a few friends and family members head to protests in DC for BLM and they were teargassed, pushed, and trapped in the city. It's horrible how Black humans are being treated right now for speaking up for themselves. No matter what, those are human beings out there fighting for their rights to be treated equally. It's ridiculous that it's taken this long and this many deaths to even begin shifting the system. Sorry to make this a rant, but I've been super pissed lately about this all so. :/
Anyways, please stay safe and take care of yourself during all of this chaos. I'm extremely thankful for everyone who has been reviewing and following and liking this story even when I haven't updated for so long. Y'all are the real MVPs. I have a sort of schedule for publishing now, so it won't be months and months and months before you get chapter 19, I promise. Thank you so much for keeping up with this story and please don't forget to review/like/follow Closest Friend I've Got!
All the best,
thatwritermadeofpotatoes