Falling by Barbara Elsborg

Author:Barbara Elsborg [Elsborg, Barbara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romantic suspense, M/M
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Published: 2015-03-22T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

The next morning, when Harper took in the extent of the messages scrawled all over the front of the house, his spirits took a nosedive. The words perv, pedo, chester, homo and fag among others he couldn’t decipher had been spray-painted on doors, walls and windows in bright red paint.

The police ought to be told, and he thought again about calling them, but his reluctance outweighed his inclination. There were no abandoned empty cans that might have held fingerprints and even if there had been, why would the police waste resources on someone they no doubt considered deserved what he got? The person he really ought to call was his offender manager, Chris, but he was loath to cause even the tiniest ripple, so instead he went shopping.

He got carried away in the home improvement store, and had to get a taxi back because there was no way he could carry everything. But when the formerly chatty cab driver who’d been blathering on about jobs he had to do at home took in the state of the house, his cheery demeanor morphed to a surly silence. Harper unloaded everything onto the melting snow and handed him his money. The driver sprayed him with slush as he did a fast turn in the drive. Harper was pretty sure that hadn’t been because the tip wasn’t enough.

Once he’d carried his purchases inside, he went back out with a can of graffiti remover, a bucket of hot soapy water and a scrubbing brush. He wanted to finish before Malachi returned, but was only halfway through when he heard his voice behind him.

“Fucking hell.”

Harper turned and when he saw Malachi’s face, he dropped the brush and rushed to his side.

“What the hell happened to you?” He stared at the vivid graze on Malachi’s cheek.

“I fell. Hit the curb. I’m fine.”

Malachi smiled and Harper’s stomach flip-flopped.

“What’s all this? What does chester mean?”

“Child molester.”

“Oh fuck.” Malachi turned to him. “The bastards.” He took out his phone and snapped pictures. “What did the police say?”

“I haven’t called them.”

“Why not? Let me put my bags in the house, then I’ll talk some sense into you.”

When Malachi walked out wearing pink rubber gloves, a laugh bubbled up from somewhere deep inside Harper. He felt better. It was crazy, but just having Malachi around made him feel brighter.

Harper gingerly hugged him. “I’m sorry I pissed you off. I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions. I’m sorry I didn’t listen.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I used to be a journalist, but you can guess why.”

Harper nodded. “Why aren’t you still a journalist?”

Malachi’s lips tightened to a thin line. “I was just a junior reporter and thought I had the story that would take me to the top. But it was a lie, I was set up and it brought me crashing down. Don’t ask me any more than that. I want to forget it ever happened.”

“You were set up too?”

“But I only lost my job, not my freedom,” Malachi said. “Ironically, it actually freed me from the situation I was in.

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