You'll Never Walk Alone
Authors: Kitty and Annie
Email authors: Here
Rating: NC-17
Paring: Trent and Carlos
Series: Love Changes Everything -- Story Four
Carlos was in a very deep sleep, unlike his lover lying next to him. Trent was moving restlessly and the longer it went on the more intense it became, tossing and turning, mumbling words that were almost incoherent. As Trent's nightmare continued, Carlos came out of his deep sleep and realized that something was wrong with his lover. "Trent! Baby, it's me -- come on and wake up. Trent!" Carlos said, grasping his lover's shoulders firmly, trying to hold him still, until he finally snapped out of it.
Trent started awake, sitting up, eyes wide open, staring uncomprehending straight ahead. Finally realizing where he was, he lay back down, putting his head back on Carlos's chest.
"What's wrong, baby?" Carlos asked, very concerned. He put his arms around his lover and held him close.
Trent stared straight ahead in the dark, still remembering the dream, wanting it to go away again. It was back, but why?
Trent still didn't say anything but Carlos had to get him to talk about it so he decided to press his lover into opening up to him. "Please, baby, talk to me -- tell me what's upsetting you so," Carlos said, lifting Trent's chin so he could look him in the eyes.
"Huh? What?" Trent said, realizing Carlos had been talking to him only when he lifted his face to look at him.
"Tell me what has you so upset," Carlos spoke soothingly, comforting his lover who was obviously very distressed about something. "Please talk to me," he pleaded, knowing something was on Trent's mind and buried quite deep if he surmised correctly.
"Nothing, just a bad dream," Trent said, then moved his head from Carlos's hand enough so he could put it back down on his lover's chest, "Go back to sleep, we have another couple hours before we have to get up."
It occurred to Carlos that maybe this had a connection with Trent's behavior earlier in the day of watching him and not being away from him. He had the feeling then that something was on his mind -- now he was sure of it. He lifted Trent's face to look at him, straight into Trent's eyes once more. "Please, baby -- let it out -- all of it," he cooed calmly, running one hand up and down Trent's back to provide comfort and the other arm to hold him close and give him strength and love and warmth.
Trent returned his head to Carlos's chest before speaking, "Really, Carlos, it's nothing. Just an old dream. Not sure why it's back, but it'll go away. It did before. Just go back to sleep." Trent wished he felt as confidant as he sounded that it would just go away. It had haunted him for two years before he finally understood it and it had gradually gone away for good. Now it was back. Why?
"No, baby, I'm not going back to sleep until you talk about it," Carlos spoke very softly and soothingly to Trent, "It's very important that we talk about what it is that you're so upset about. Obviously this has been on your mind for some time. Earlier today you acted like there was something on your mind, too. Now, please -- out with it. Trust me -- whatever it is you can tell me and we'll deal with it together. We're partners in life and what affects one of us affects the other. I love you, Trent. Now, what's on your mind?"
"I do trust you, Carlos, that isn't the point. I said earlier I didn't know what was bothering me then and I didn't -- I still don't," Trent said, not sure why Carlos hadn't believed him earlier, "As to this, it was just a dream. Now, really, just go back to sleep." Trent put his head back down on Carlos's chest and closed his eyes. He knew it would be a long time before he slept again, if he did at all, but he knew this was the only way to let Carlos get back to sleep.
"Trent? Baby? Please, tell me what your dream was about -- I really want to know and I can help you. What hurts you hurts me -- we're supposed to share things, both good and bad. There's nothing you can't tell me," he said softly, encouragingly. Carlos pulled the covers up around his lover and wrapped his arms around him giving him all the strength, love and support he could, hoping his lover would tell him.
"You can't help me, Carlos, I already know exactly what my dream meant -- means. It's an old nightmare, I dealt with years ago, I'm just not sure why it's back," Trent said. He really did know exactly what it meant. He just didn't know why it was back and why now when everything was going so perfectly?
"OK. Then why don't you tell me your dream and what it means?" Carlos asked again, determined not to give up until Trent disclosed it to him. He was obviously having the dream again for some reason. Trent meant the world to him and he would do anything to keep him from any kind of pain or hurt that he could. For now just knowing the dream would help them both, he was sure of that.
Trent had already dealt with this long ago but it was back for some reason. He sighed knowing he wasn't getting out of this. "Well, it was a recurring dream I had for a couple of years, before I finally figured out what it meant. When I did, it went away gradually," Trent said, keeping his head on Carlos's chest, listening to his strong heartbeat, feeling him breathe, feeling his love.
"The dream started not long after Bryan was killed," Trent began. Just remembering those awful days and months made Trent feel cold. He had been so alone with his pain and grief. "I'm standing in this large field filled with tall grass. In the distance I can see Bryan standing there, looking at me and smiling. I try to move toward him and I can't -- I try to speak and I can't. He continues to smile, then waves at me, turns around and walks away. I watch him until I can't see him any more, still unable to move or speak," Trent dropped his voice to barely a whisper, "That's all there is to it."
Carlos tightened his hold around his lover to give him more reassurance that he was there and that Trent would be all right. "It's all right, baby, please go on," he urged quietly.
Taking a deep breath, Trent went on, "To fully understand it, you really need to know everything that happened. It's not that I won't tell you, I will, if you want to know, but it would take a while. But the gist of it is, because of all of the circumstances surrounding our relationship, well...," Trent hesitated, he knew how odd this sounded, but he also knew it was so true, so very true, "It was like one day Bryan was there and the next he was gone as if he'd never been there. Like he just disappeared."
Carlos thought for a moment. **So that was it -- Bryan just disappeared and Trent never saw him again. That had to be really rough,** Carlos thought. He continued to hold his lover and think about what Trent had just said.
Trent waited a moment for a reaction. Getting none, he lifted his head from Carlos's chest and looked at him. He couldn't read his expression but he knew he had to go on. "Carlos, I know better, believe me I do, but at the time and even now when I look back," Trent put his head back down on Carlos's chest, then went on, "It's like Bryan walked out the door on his way to work one day and just never came back."
"I can see where it must have seemed that way to you. Thank you for sharing this with me, I know it wasn't easy but it was important," Carlos said soothingly, his arms wrapped nice and securely around his lover. He leaned down and kissed the top of Trent's head and ran a hand through his hair.
Trent lay there feeling secure and safe, feeling Carlos's love and his hand in his hair. Telling Carlos had helped, he did feel better. Despite the fact he thought he wouldn't, Trent drifted back to sleep, safe in his lover's arms.
Carlos listened to his lover's breathing and once it became slow and deep he knew that his lover was peacefully asleep. Knowing that Trent felt better than when he woke up from the dream, Carlos allowed himself to fall asleep with his arms still wrapped around him.
It seemed all too early in the morning when the alarm clock blared it's wake up call and Carlos sleepily fumbled for it a few times before finally finding it and turning it off. Trent was still asleep in his arms although he was showing signs of waking up. Carlos nuzzled Trent's neck a little to see how awake he was, knowing that his lover preferred *his* version of an alarm clock over the conventional kind. He smiled at the thought, remembering Trent's comments about patenting it, then changing his mind because he didn't want to share. Once again Carlos nuzzled Trent's neck and ran a hand lightly through his hair. If his lover wanted to sleep some more there was a little time left and Carlos just wanted to snuggle and be close before they had to go to work.
Trent was awake, just enjoying his alarm clock so much he thought he might just pretend he was still asleep. Finally he couldn't take it any more, he either 'woke up' or he was going to need a very cold shower this morning. "I suppose we *still* can't call in sick," Trent opened his eyes and looked at his lover, "Or fucked?" He grinned at Carlos, "We might go in a little late though. Being the boss does have it's advantages after all." Half an hour wasn't going to hurt anything he decided after thinking about the morning's business schedule.
Carlos grinned at his lover. "Did I ever tell you that I love the way you think?" he asked, knowing full well that they were both thinking the same thing.
Pretending to be very proud of himself, Trent said, "Well, I do have my moments."
Carlos pulled Trent close to him and kissed him for all he was worth, tasting his lover with his tongue, making sure not to miss anything, savoring everything that was Trent. He couldn't get enough of him and he ran one hand across his chest and decided he couldn't wait -- this was too good. He needed to show Trent how much he loved him. He encouraged Trent to lie on his back and Carlos went to work to provide the utmost pleasure he could to his lover.
Trent kissed Carlos back, tasting his lover, never getting enough. Feeling his lover's hand on his chest made Trent shiver, in anticipation of things to come, and at the body contact that always thrilled him.
Carlos began nuzzling his lover's neck again, then worked his way down Trent's body licking him down the center until he reached his lover's nipples. Alternating between one then the other he licked, nipped and even bit them until they were harder than he'd ever seen them before and Trent was writhing.
Trent watched his lover as he lavished attention on his nipples. Bringing his hand to his lover's head, he ran his hand through his hair, continuing to watch him, increasing his pleasure. "That feels so good, so very gooood...," Trent trailed off as he put his head back down and closed his eyes.
Carlos continued to bathe Trent with his tongue down the center of his body until he got to his navel where he dipped and swirled his tongue in the center, pressing hard, increasing the passion in his lover.
Trent arched his back and moaned when his lover found his navel with his tongue. The sensations were incredible and Trent was enjoying every last one.
Finally Carlos moved down to Trent's very hardened shaft and carefully, slowly licked it lovingly, lavishing it with the full attention of his tongue. He made sure he didn't miss a spot, taking the fluid from the opening of the head into his mouth and savoring it on his tongue before swallowing it, enjoying it thoroughly.
Trent was panting very hard, moaning softly, as Carlos licked him thoroughly. When his lover licked the opening of his shaft, tasting his fluid, Trent had to hold on to his restraint, wanting to wait for his lover to finish whatever he had in mind before he came.
Carlos moved to get the KY Jelly. After completely coating his own penis for entry into his lover's body, he put some of the KY onto his fingers then gently inserted them into Trent's body to make sure he was well coated and that he was ready to accept him.
Trent was panting still, moaning a little louder, thoroughly enjoying his lover's fingers inside his body, anticipating the joining to come.
Carlos gently removed his fingers then he slowly entered Trent's body, making eye contact with his lover the entire time, looking at him with all the love he had showing in his eyes.
Trent looked at Carlos as he entered his body. It was always so incredible, so very intense, like the first time. There was nothing more satisfying than being joined as one with his wonderful lover.
Once Carlos was completely inside his lover he began to thrust, making each one last, drawing himself in and out slowly, making the anticipation last. But it wouldn't last this time any more than it had the other times and that was the way they both loved it.
As soon as Carlos began to move inside him, Trent lost the hold he had on his moaning. It was so good, so very good. "Oh, Carlos, sooo gooood," Trent said, surprising himself with the words he thought himself incapable of saying once the moaning had started in earnest.
Carlos sped up, the intensity increasing, the thrusts becoming faster, deeper, harder with each one, bringing both of them to new heights of passion. When Carlos was about ready to climax, he reached for Trent's rigid penis and began stroking it in a rhythm to match his thrusts. Carlos climaxed very hard inside his lover's body, followed by Trent who came just seconds after that. It was so intense, very loving and close.
Trent felt his lover come deep within his body. The feeling was always intense and it caused his own climax, following his lover over the edge.
Carlos leaned down, still connected to his lover and kissed him tenderly. "I love you very, very much," he said. After a few moments when the spasms subsided some, he removed himself gently from Trent's body and lay down beside him, drawing him into his arms and running his hand through his hair. He kissed his cheek and held him close.
Trent lay in his lover's embrace, breathing hard, still moaning a little. When he had recovered enough to talk, he started to say something but stopped himself. Instead he lifted his head from his lover's chest and kissed him softly on the mouth. "I love you, Carlos Sandoval, with all my heart," Trent said, then kissed his lover again very tenderly and put his head back down on his chest, "Please don't ever forget that."
Carlos had returned Trent's kiss with all the love he had inside him. "I won't forget that -- ever," he said, answering his lover's words. "Don't you ever forget that I love you with all of my heart, too," he added, kissing the top of his lover's head.
The emotions running through Carlos were so many, yet so simple, too. He loved this man with every fiber of his being and he was loved every bit as much by his lover. It was incredible and he just wanted to stay like this forever -- lying in bed with the one he loved -- making love day and night. They just had an incredible morning together and now, unfortunately, it was time to go to work. That couldn't be ignored no matter how much they might want it to just go away. He kissed his lover again and ran his hand through his hair one more time, enjoying the feeling. "Mmmm, baby, I hate to say this but we have to get ready and go to work now. I'll start the shower and you can go first if you want, unless you want to take a joint shower," Carlos offered, his eyes sparkling. He enjoyed taking showers with Trent, another way of being close, exploring each other when they cleansed one another was wonderful.
Trent turned to look at Carlos. "You mean you actually expected me to wash myself? What *do* you think I keep you around for?" Trent teased.
Carlos laughed heartily at Trent's teasing -- he absolutely loved him for that. In fact, that was near the top of the extremely long list of things he loved him for. He kissed his lover again, pulled him close for a nice firm hug, then released him.
Carlos got out of bed and went into the bathroom. Trent watched him from the bed, just until he was out of sight, then got up and followed. He really did like just watching his lover.
Carlos turned on the shower making sure it got nice and hot then, after letting Trent know it was ready, they both stepped into the shower. It felt so good and Carlos wrapped his arms around his lover and kissed him again -- a sweet, tender, passionate kiss before releasing him and taking the washcloth and soap. He then got it lathered up and cleansed Trent thoroughly, from shampooing his hair with a great massage like action on the scalp, to cleaning in-between his toes, taking extra gentle care with his genitals. Once his lover had been completely taken care of he kissed Trent then handed the soap and washcloth to his him. "Your turn," he said, the light in his eyes shining brightly, like a young boy in a candy store, enjoying all of the goodies and treats it had to offer. He had just given Trent some and now he would be getting some in return.
Trent took the soap from Carlos, smiling at the grin on his face. "Why did that sound more like 'tag, you're it' to me?" Trent chuckled and put down the soap and washcloth. "Hair first. One must always do the hair first, you know," Trent said, pretending it made a big difference.
Trent picked up the bottle of shampoo Carlos had just used on him and put some in his hand. Putting it in Carlos's hair he began to lather it up. "You know, you really should think about growing your hair out some. Not that it really matters, but it curls so nicely when it gets longer," Trent commented. After making sure he got the shampoo everywhere, he moved Carlos back a bit to rinse his hair, getting all the soap out of it. Picking up the washcloth and soap again, Trent started in on soaping up his lover, starting with his neck and shoulders and working his way down slowly, gently, thoroughly. From Carlos's reactions Trent was expecting him to purr at any moment.
Just the touch of Trent's hands on his skin, the feel of him gliding the soap filled washcloth over his body, gave him wonderful sensations throughout his entire body. His mind was beginning to float -- filled with wonderful thoughts that he always had when his lover touched him.
Trent knew perfectly well by now, no matter how careful he was, no matter how hard he tried not to let it happen, Carlos was going to get aroused when he reached his rear end and shaft. **Why try to fight it?** Trent thought to himself, loving every second of the fact his lover was so aroused by his touch. Continuing to soap his lover in the same manner as the rest of his body, Trent moved on to the already aroused Carlos's lower regions as if nothing were out of the ordinary, cleaning them thoroughly and moving on to his legs and feet.
When his lover cleaned his genitals it aroused Carlos even further than he was already when Trent first touched him. He couldn't believe it -- they had just made love not moments ago and yet it seemed like he could never get enough of this man -- he wanted to make love to him again, right now. The thought of it, his lover touching him, being inside his lover, was almost enough to make him come.
Looking at up at Carlos from where he still knelt on the shower floor, Trent grinned at him then took his freshly cleaned and very erect shaft into his mouth all the way, very fast. Sucking very hard, Trent drew his mouth back then swirled his tongue over the head before repeating the motion. It was a very different taste, a very different feeling, but interesting all the same, having just washed it clean with soap and water.
"Oh, God, Trent!" Carlos exclaimed, surprised by the sudden taking of his penis into his lover's mouth. It was incredible the way it happened so fast, taking his breath away. He began panting immediately, leaning against the shower wall as his legs became weak. He was enjoying this immensely and he ran his hands through Trent's hair urging him on with everything he had.
Trent took his lover into his mouth again, then one more time, then Carlos released his essence into Trent's mouth. **Sometimes a fast and furious blow job is nice, too,** he thought to himself as he released his lover from his mouth, then ran the washcloth over his lover's shaft again, just for good measure.
That was all it took -- one more hard suck by his lover and Carlos came with such passion into his lover's mouth, then tried to regain control of his breathing while he felt Trent gently cleaning him once more. He was still panting heavily but he slowly returned to himself and, although weak in the knees, felt wonderful as always.
Standing back up, Trent made sure Carlos was rinsed off as he allowed him to come back down from his climax. When Carlos had recovered a bit, Trent kissed him and turned the water off.
"Thank you, baby," Carlos said, loving every second of his blow job. "That was wonderful -- you're an incredible lover, do you know that?" he asked, hoping Trent really truly knew how special he was and how much he meant to him. He returned Trent's kiss with much passion.
"Well, we can't let you go out in public with a monster in your pants, now can we?" Trent said, as if the blow job were just another part of the shower. "BUT, I think I may let you dry that yourself, Conan, or you may need a repeat performance," Trent teased his lover as he stepped out of the shower and tossed Carlos a towel.
Carlos laughed at Trent's reference to him as Conan, the name he now loved and adored -- "Thanks, Trent," he said, taking the towel from him and he meant it. He loved the teasing and both of them knew it.
They got dressed and got their things together, preparing to head out to work at Thunder Investigations. "Maybe we should stop and get breakfast, bring Kim something, too?" Carlos suggested. He did have a client to meet but they would have the morning at the office together since his meeting wasn't until that afternoon.
"You do of course realize after this weekend I might just succumb to junk food poisoning, don't you? Or at the very least grease overload. We're going to have to find a take out place with better quality breakfast food if we keep this up," Trent informed as he walked up to Carlos, waiting for him just inside the apartment door, "I'll stop and get something if you want to go on ahead."
"Anything for you, my love," Carlos said, knowing that Trent was right -- they had overindulged in the take out/fast food department this past weekend and, as enjoyable as it was, they would have to eat a bit more sensibly for a while, until their next junk food binge came around. Carlos laughed inwardly at the thought. "That would be fine, baby, thanks," he said.
Trent hugged Carlos, that nagging feeling from the weekend reasserting itself in the back of his head. Reaching up to run his hand through Carlos's still damp hair, Trent looked at his lover, then kissed him tenderly, but with great passion. "I love you so very much, Carlos," Trent said softly, then brought his lips to Carlos's once again briefly before breaking the kiss to look at his lover again and smile.
Carlos returned Trent's hug, the love, warmth and strength found there he gave of equal amounts back to his lover. He once again felt something was bothering Trent and he wanted to comfort him and make him know that everything was fine. He returned his lover's kiss very passionately and tenderly, then looked deeply into his lover's eyes. "I love you very much too, Trent," he said, then returned Trent's next kiss before smiling and walking out the door, followed by Trent, to their respective cars to leave for work.
Carlos pulled up and parked in front of Thunder Investigations and went upstairs, finding Kim busy typing away as usual. He greeted her with a cheery 'Good Morning' and she returned the greeting with her usual 'Hi-ya' then handed Carlos a list of messages and notes she had written about current clients and their cases.
About twenty minutes later Trent walked in the door with breakfast for everyone. "Thanks, buddy," Carlos said between mouthfuls as he started eating his food. "I have the notes from Kim and we can go over them whenever you're ready," he said, his head indicating where the stack of work was sitting on the table. He went back to eating, reminding himself that he had to get that work done so he could go meet a client later that afternoon.
"Doesn't look too bad. Can it wait until after we eat? Or, uh, after I eat?" Trent asked noticing Carlos was almost done with his breakfast already. Trent just smiled, shook his head and turned his attention to his own breakfast.
"It can wait, buddy, go ahead and take your time. Enjoy your breakfast," Carlos said, laughing. He always was one to eat a bit faster than most and he had worked up quite an appetite for food, among other things, he so fondly remembered. He watched and smiled knowing that his lover was happy and he would see to it that he always stayed that way.
"I'll try," Trent said, with a rather doubtful look on his face after looking at his breakfast, "Is there some good reason breakfast take out is so much greasier than any other meal?"
Carlos laughed and shook his head at his lover and best friend's opinion of breakfast take out food, as true as it was. "I think it's because people are just in a hurry in the morning and they just don't care what they eat as much and that's what the places serve. You're right though, it sure could be improved upon," Carlos said, for the first time really realizing what he had just put into his stomach, even though he was hungry. He smiled at his lover who was still contemplating his food. "Are you going to eat it or just stare at it?" he asked, smiling. No matter how greasy it was Trent did need to eat something, even a little bit of it.
"Neither is a particularly good option, you know," Trent said, eating the toast and staring at the rest warily before deciding he really was awfully hungry and he better eat. After finishing his breakfast, Trent gathered up the trash off the desk and got up and threw it away. Coming back to the desk and sitting down opposite Carlos, Trent pointed at the pile of work. "So, what we have?" he asked.
Carlos handed some of the files they were working on to Trent and, between the two of them, they pretty well had the morning and early afternoon hours used up going over what needed to be done, who they needed to see and when. There were several active cases, two that could be considered closed and the final paperwork completed by Kim for their approval later on. Carlos had a late afternoon meeting with one of their clients. It only needed one of them to be there and he was the one elected to go.
They passed the day taking care of business, even if it did seem to drag on forever. As the time came for Carlos to leave for his meeting, he finished his entries in the last of his files and closed it up and put it on top of the pile to go back to Kim. Looking across the desk at Trent, he smiled, thinking of the evening to come.
Looking up from the file he was working on, Trent said, "Uh, oh. I know that look." Trent grinned from ear to ear, despite his effort not to. It had been a long day without his lover's touch. Speaking in a low voice, Trent said, "You may not get back here before I leave, I don't have much left to do. Why don't you figure if you're more than an hour to just come to my place instead of back here? If you get there before me, you have the keys. Sound OK?"
Carlos smiled a knowing smile -- one that spoke volumes about what Trent was asking and what they both had to look forward to that evening. They would finally be together after spending a long day not being able to be close like they wanted. "That sounds like a perfect plan," he said, almost whispering.
Carlos picked up the files they had ready to go back to Kim and walked into the outer office. Trent got up and followed Carlos into the outer office, but stayed near the door, just watching him as he handed the files to Kim and told her he was leaving for his appointment.
Seeing Trent staring at him again, Carlos went to his lover, standing by the inner office door. "See you when I get back," Carlos said, kissing Trent on the mouth, needing to make the look on his lover's face go away. Almost as soon as he had done it, Carlos realized the mistake he had made in front of Kim and froze. He looked at Trent, both had looks of dread on their faces.
"I KNEW IT!!" Kim shouted.
Still looking at each other, Trent and Carlos's expressions changed to add some surprise and wonder to the dread. They turned their heads and looked at Kim standing by her desk grinning from ear to ear.
Seeing their expressions, Kim added, "And I could not *be* happier for you!" She rushed over to where Trent and Carlos were standing, grinning all the way, and grabbed them and hugged them both at the same time. She kissed each of them on the cheek, still grinning, and then went back to her desk and back to work.
Trent and Carlos turned back to look at each other, facial expressions little changed, except the dread was gone and the surprise had gone up. "I guess we don't have to worry about if or how to tell Kim," Trent said.
"I guess not," Carlos laughed, kissed Trent again, and left the office, smiling happily.
Trent watched his lover leave. When Carlos was gone Trent looked at Kim who just grinned at him. He smiled and went back into the office to finish his work. He sat down at the desk and smiled just thinking about his lover and the night ahead of them. **Sooner I get this work done, sooner I can leave,** Trent thought. But first he needed to make some arrangements for the weekend.
Getting on the computer, Trent found the prefect spot on Lake Brownwood and made reservations for them for the weekend. His thoughts wandered back over the past weekend and all the fun they had had. This next weekend would be just as much fun. Of course, anything would be great as long as he and Carlos were together. Shaking himself out of the day dreaming mode Trent went back to work on the files for Thunder Investigations. After a half hour or so Kim came in.
"If you don't need me for anything else I'm leaving," Kim said.
"Sure, go ahead, this stuff can wait until morning," Trent said to her.
"Good. See ya tomorrow," Kim said and turned and walked away.
"Night, Kim," Trent called after her.
When Carlos left Thunder Investigations, he had gotten into his Durango, going to meet their client -- Tim Matthews -- who was trying to find out who was stealing from his company. Mr. Matthews had called their office earlier that week and needed to meet with someone privately where he could be sure he wasn't overheard since he wasn't positive who it was that was committing the crime.
**This is a lovely part of town,** Carlos thought as he drove through a warehouse district that had been pretty well deserted for some time now by the looks of things. **Definitely can't get more private than this,** he thought as he parked and got out. He walked around looking for signs of his client and then he heard a voice call out. Carlos walked towards the sound of the voice and there he met Tim Matthews who was looking quite scared and nervous. After they shook hands, Mr. Matthews filled Carlos in about what was going on at his company and who he thought might be behind it. After an hour they parted company and Mr. Matthews disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared.
Carlos headed for his Durango and, as he was taking out his keys to open the door, he was suddenly grabbed from behind by two men who immediately hit him hard with something and he fell into unconsciousness before he even realized what had happened. The two men lifted Carlos up and put him into the trunk of their car, tied him up and drove off, heading south along the interstate.
After another hour Trent was finished and ready to leave. Getting his stuff together then taking the folders with him, Trent went into the outer office, leaving the files on Kim's desk. Leaving the office and locking the door, Trent almost bounded down the stairs, knowing another evening with his lover awaited him. He was hoping Carlos would already be there when he got home. He could hardly wait to be with his lover again, to feel his hands on his body, to put his hands on his lover's. He was getting aroused just thinking about it.
After a few hours of driving, the men who had knocked Carlos out stopped, lifted him out of the trunk -- still unconscious -- and carried him away from the road into an area that would not be readily visible to passers by. They dumped him on the ground, untied him, then took his watch and cell phone.
"There now. That'll teach this private investigator that we don't tolerate interference. He and his partner should learn something from this," one of the men said, while the other watched in satisfaction with an evil grin on his face.
"Yeah, you're right about that. How about a bit of extra insurance?" the second man asked his cohort as he kicked Carlos in the ribs while he lay on the ground, helpless.
"Nice touch," the first man said. They both laughed evilly as they headed to their car and sped away.
Getting home, after a quick stop at the store to get something for dinner, Trent was just a little disappointed to not see Carlos's truck in the parking lot. It wasn't that late, he wasn't necessarily expecting him to be there yet, but he was hoping. Getting the groceries out of trunk, Trent went up to his apartment.
Opening the door and going in, Trent felt suddenly lonely. **You're losing it, you know that,** he chuckled to himself. **No, you HAVE lost it,** he corrected himself. He knew it. He loved it. He felt like a teenager in love for the first time, when being separated from the object of your love was just plain painful. He hoped Carlos would be there soon.
Taking the groceries into the kitchen, Trent unpacked the bags. He took the chocolate fudge cake, that had been screaming Carlos's name at him, and put it where his lover wouldn't see it until he served it to him.
Finishing up in the kitchen, Trent was trying to decide if he should take a shower and change or just wait for his lover. It was so much more fun to shower with Carlos, after all. Looking at his watch, Trent decided to go ahead and take a quick shower. If Carlos got home in the meantime he would hear the shower and most likely join him anyway.
Carlos woke up slowly, his head splitting from the beating it took with whatever it was he had been hit with. He touched it gingerly and was rewarded with considerable pain so he tried to keep from touching it any more. He tried to stand but couldn't at first -- he was too dizzy and it was a bit hard to breathe because of his ribs. He sat there trying to orient himself with what happened and where he was. It was dark now. He'd met his client at 3:30 and that was the last thing he remembered. His watch was gone and he had no idea what time it was but he guessed that he was several hours away from Dallas.
**What happened? Why? Who did this?** were the questions Carlos kept asking himself over and over again. He closed his eyes momentarily as a sharp pain ran through his head and his vision blurred for a moment. **I've got to get out of here,** he thought and started to stand again. He was unsteady but managed to stay on his feet and he slowly started walking in the direction he felt he should go.
Suddenly he stopped and his whole body went cold. **TRENT!** he cried inwardly, full of anguish and worry now. His lover must be frantic wondering what happened to him. He was long overdue to meet Trent at his place and with everything Trent had been experiencing -- the dream about Bryan's death -- that he just left one day and never returned -- he knew Trent would be in trouble and he needed to get back -- fast.
Trent finished his shower, put on some comfortable clothes and went back into the livingroom. Still no Carlos. This was odd. He really should have been here by now. **What time is it anyway?** Trent thought and went into the kitchen to look. **Seven thirty? This isn't right,** Trent thought, his stomach doing a major flip-flop when he saw the time. **He must have had car trouble or something,** Trent thought, after his initial panic, but he couldn't quiet the nervous feeling that remained with him.
Despite his pain and discomfort Carlos put one foot in front of the other and was determined to get himself to the nearest phone as soon as he could. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to go very far very fast -- his head kept spinning and he had to sit and rest periodically. He felt sick to his stomach and his ribs were on fire. He didn't think they were broken but they sure hurt and he felt them tenderly. After a few minutes he got up again and started walking in the same direction, all the while wondering and hoping that he wasn't disoriented and heading the wrong way. He really had no idea where he was but he needed was a phone. Whoever had done this made sure they took his cell phone. He kept it in his jacket pocket -- it was gone.
It wasn't long before Carlos had to sit down again. This time though, after sitting down, he didn't feel as well as he thought he would and the temptation was to lie down, but he was afraid if he did that he wouldn't wake up, or that no one would find him. All he could think about and focus on was Trent -- what he must be going through right now -- and he started moving once more.
Trent was sitting on the couch not watching the TV that was on. **If he had car trouble he would have called,** he was thinking, **Maybe an accident? He had ID on him, someone would have called me if that had happened.** Trent felt a cold chill run through him. **Just like they notified you when Bryan died?** he reminded himself. He hadn't been next of kin. No one notified him of anything.
Trent grabbed the phone and called Kim at home. Waiting for her to answer, he pushed the thoughts that were haunting him out of his mind and collected himself.
"Hello?" Kim said.
"Hey, Kim, this is Trent. You haven't heard from Carlos, have you? He was suppose to come over here after meeting with Mr. Matthews and he's still not here. He didn't call you or anything?" Trent thought he made it sound casual, but he wasn't sure he pulled it off.
"No, Trent, I haven't heard from Carlos. You're right, he should have been there by now. He probably just had car trouble. Don't worry, he'll be there any minute I'm sure," Kim said.
"I'm sure you're right, Kim, I just wanted to check. Thanks. Bye," Trent said and hung up. She was right. He would be here any time. Trent went back to not watching the TV.
Go to Page Two