A Tangled Truth (Stonewall Investigations Book 3) Read online

  “Oh?”

  “I’ve talked about you a few times. I’ve been super proud of everything you’ve accomplished career-wise, and I’d always mention when one of your films was coming out. And then I’d end up getting lost in a conversation about the time we got lost in Hoboken because we were on the hunt for a black-and-white Furby or something.”

  A laugh rose up from my chest. “Holy shit, Oreo. I remember that little guy. We finally found him, and then you didn’t want him anymore because he kept saying random things in the middle of the night.”

  “I’m pretty sure he was possessed, but that’s beside the point.”

  I cocked my head, examining the face of the smiling man who sat in front of me. So many similarities to the Mark I had practically grown up with, and yet there were so many differences, too. Fascinating ones. Differences I wanted to trace with my thumb so I could feel how much more pronounced his jawbone was, or his cheekbones. So I could feel his big lips and the fuller brows. I wanted him in my hands. I wanted my hands all over him, all over his body.

  I want Marky Mark, and I want him really fucking bad.

  “Fuck, Mark,” I said, shaking my head. “I wish we would have rekindled sooner.”

  His eyes drew down toward the table, as if weighed down by a heavy sadness. “Me too. I looked, though, I swear I did. But you’re a really hard guy to nail down.”

  “Not that hard,” I said, smirking. “Promise.”

  Mark looked up, matching my devilish grin with one of his own. It was a type of grin that sent an electric shock straight to my balls. “I’ll remember that.”

  “I hope you do.” I licked my lower lip, wetting it, eyes locked with Mark’s. The waitress appeared then, seemingly popping up out of thin air next to our table, paper and pencil in hand, a bubbly smile on her freckled face.

  We both weren’t ready, so we asked for some more time and continued chatting and laughing as we looked over the menu. The entire time, I tried to not think about dropping the menus, grabbing Mark by the hand, and taking him straight home where I could throw him down on the bed and devour every goddamn inch of his holy temple of a body. It was almost scaring me just how strongly my feelings were developing and how quickly they were taking hold. There was a base underneath us that made me feel more comfortable with it, but still, it was scary, and that was new to me. I couldn’t remember the last time I was nervous about a guy and where our future was headed together. All my hookups were mutual “no strings attached” situations, and feelings had never developed. With Mark, I hadn’t even had sex with him and I was already head over heels for him.

  And Jesus, that kiss… fuck. I was still feeling the heat from it. I felt like I was seconds from combusting and leaving behind a pile of ash.

  10 Mark Masters

  Looking over at Liam filled me with a sense of peace I desperately needed. His smile glowed and filled up the diner, making me feel like things were going to be okay. Him sitting across from me felt like a long-forgotten key had been found and set into a dusty old lock, one that opened to reveal a treasure trove. Even with the stress of working Liam’s case and the news about Collin’s cat, I was still able to find some peace by looking at the man sitting across from me.

  Also, it didn’t hurt that Liam was dripping pure sex appeal. He was a full-grown man and had everything going for him. From his broad shoulders to his muscular chest and big hands down to the size-twelve sneakers he wore, Liam was probably the sexiest man I’d ever laid eyes on, and if I wasn’t sure of that, the perpetual boner I had when I was around him was the definitive proof I needed. And as a detective, I always needed proof.

  “You know, Mark, I looked for you, too,” he said, sitting back in the red booth. The loud din of conversation and restaurant noises surrounded us, but Liam’s voice cut through all the static and came in clear like an old song I knew every single word to. “Couldn’t find anything. I googled so hard I was scared I’d unlock some deep, dark part of the internet that lets loose some sort of curse or something.”

  I laughed at that. “Like a modern-day mummy? Release a curse that turns us all into Tom from Myspace all because you opened up an old Angelfire website.”

  “Exactly,” Liam said, his smile big enough to crinkle the corner of his eyes. “I even went by your old place, but someone else lived there. A young couple.”

  I nodded, remembering the two that moved into the apartment when my parents wanted a change and moved us. “I’m a much harder person to find than you are,” I said. “I don’t have an IMDb account or an agent. I deleted all my social media accounts when I started my job, too. I didn’t want anyone I was investigating to stumble on a selfie of me with my real name attached to it.”

  Liam nodded. “Makes sense. But how are you ever going to know what Jenny from sixth grade had for lunch the other day?”

  “I think I’ll be okay with not knowing,” I said, chuckling.

  “I’m kind of the same way,” Liam said. “I didn’t have any social media until my manager forced me to get one. And even then, I mostly have someone else handle it. I go on to creep and see what’s trending, but that’s about it. That’s probably why you had a hard time finding me, too.”

  “Probably,” I replied. “God, I feel like I wasted so much time.”

  Liam shook his head at that. “Don’t think like that. Listen, everything happens for a reason, and yes, I realize that’s as cliché as saying the donkey’s balls are brass—”

  “I don’t… I don’t think that’s a cliché?”

  “What? Yes, of course it is. You haven’t heard that old saying? When someone’s like, ‘Oh man, today sucks!’ it’s like saying ‘Ugh, the donkey’s balls are brass.’”

  I cocked my head, examining Liam’s face for the slightest crack. And, sure enough, there it was—a twitch in his cheek that grew and exploded into a laugh. “I’m joking, I’m joking. No one says that.”

  “I knew it,” I said, joining in the laughter. I actually didn’t know it and probably would have gone on the rest of my life believing that the phrase “the donkey’s balls are brass” was an actual thing. But I sure as hell wasn’t going to let Liam know that.

  He’s still got one hell of a sense of humor.

  “But seriously, seriously. I do think shit happens for a reason. If we stayed in touch, then maybe we wouldn’t have ever had a push to really explore what was between us. Maybe we would have settled into a routine of just being really good friends, and I don’t think that’s what either of us wants.”

  I shook my head, my eyes locked in with Liam. “No, not at all.” I smiled. “This is good. Crazy and good and so wild. I’m kinda at a loss for words, honestly. If I told you I had feelings for you since the day we met, you’d probably think I was being crazy, but… it’s true.” I couldn’t keep the grin off my face, not that I wanted to. The day I’d met Liam was such a happy moment in my life, thinking about it never failed to bring an uncontrollable smile to my face.

  “I wouldn’t think you’re crazy at all.” His dipped his head to the side, his smile growing just as wide as mine. “Because I felt the same thing. I’ll never forget meeting you for the first time. We were outside of the apartment building your family was moving into. Your mom bumps into mine, and they almost get into an epic cat fight while we walked around the corner talking about Pokémon cards. We ditched our parents and walked around the city that day. Crazy how back then that was normal, and nowadays parents who allow that would probably be picked up by Child Protective Services.”

  “That is true,” I said, still smiling. “I do remember; I’ll never forget. I had fallen and skinned my knee an hour into our walk, and I remember feeling so embarrassed. I was calling myself dumb in my head over and over again. But you helped me up, brushed off my scrape, and told me a joke about bees and milk.”

  “What do you call a bee that makes milk? A boo-bee!”

  “That exact one,” I said, cracking up. “You made me feel totally okay with falling
down and getting back up again, when only a few days earlier I had tripped at school and had a group of bullies point and laugh, like it had been a damn show for them. But you were so different, even from the very beginning. You made me feel really happy. You still make me feel that way.”

  “Good. I’m glad I can make you happy.”

  “So happy,” I said. “That day you walked into my office, it had been a verified shitstorm of a day. But you walked in and everything flipped. Like a switch. The bright lights came flashing on, and my day turned around.”

  “What was going on?” Liam said, his hands coming together in a fist on the table, a few wrinkles developing between his brows.

  “I, uhm, well, I was broken up with. My boyfriend of a year decided that neither of us were really being fulfilled by the relationship. And you know what? He was right. A hundred percent correct. I was coasting on by, basically settling with him because we never fought and he cooked decent meals. But that wasn’t what I want in a forever partner, and he didn’t want that, either. So, he decides to cut things off with me… and then you walk in, a ghost right off the street.” I shook my head, still finding it difficult to believe.

  “I guess I’m kinda grateful I was defamed and harassed by an anonymous asshole. It led me right back to you at the perfect moment.”

  “I don’t want to say I’m grateful, but… I mean, if you said it.” I didn’t think I could smile wider. The waitress came around and brought a big basket of greasy onion rings and crispy mozzarella sticks with a tray of all kinds of sauces. We dug into the appetizers, our conversation veering off to simpler things. What music we listened to now and what shows we watched. Someone a few booths down from us was having a birthday, the waiters coming out in a singing gang with snapping fingers and a chocolate lava cake, a tall sparkler planted right in the center.

  “Damn, they haven’t even changed their birthday snap song,” Liam said, snapping along with the waiters. We both clapped when the lead waitress sang the last note.

  “It’s like nothing’s changed,” I said. “It feels like we were just here two days ago. I can’t process the fact that we’re both twenty-something years older than the last time we were here.”

  “Crazy, huh? Especially how we can just fall back into the swing of things. There wasn’t a second of awkwardness between us.”

  “Nope, nothing. It’s like picking up right where we left it.” I narrowed my eyes, smirking now. “Just like… pressing—”

  “—Pause! I knew you were going to say that,” Liam cut in, laughing.

  “Now that we’re on the topic, can I interest you in a few 1999-era VCR players?”

  “You know what? I’ve actually been needing a VCR player from that exact year!”

  “What do you know,” I said, feeling my heart fill to the brim with happiness. “Looks like this was all meant to be.”

  “Looks like it,” Liam said and smiled a smile that had me thinking all kinds of crazy thoughts. The wild ones. The kind of thought with bells and tailored suits and rose petals leading up to an ivory archway on a pristine white-sanded beach.

  Yeah, the craziest damn thoughts.

  11 Liam Wolfe

  We had finished up our greasy cheeseburgers and crispy, oversized fries, and I still wanted more. Not necessarily food-wise—I was already getting full by then—I just didn’t want this to end. This… what was it? A date? A catch-up? No, definitely not “catch-up”—I liked the way “date” sounded much better. This was no casual catch-up. There was a clear and powerful spark in the air between us, and it was lighting my fucking soul on fire. Again, I wasn’t one for flowery shit, but wow was Mark making me see goddamn butterflies and sparkles and all kinds of fireworks. It wasn’t even anything I could pin down. Was it the way he looked at me with those captivating dual-colored orbs of his? Or was it the way his smile seemed to spread across the room, jumping from person to person without them even knowing Mark was the origin of all the positive energy? Maybe it was the conversation that flowed so easily between us, and the plenty of laughs that had me clutching my stomach and wiping away tears.

  It was all of that and more.

  “Down for dessert?” Mark asked as the waitress came over with the menu.

  I was, but I had a different idea for what we could have. It was my turn to surprise Mark.

  “I am,” I said, “but is it okay if I take you somewhere for it?”

  Mark nodded, showing off those pearly whites in another smile as he asked the waitress for the check. She brought it and I instantly launched for the black leather case. After a short wrestling match, Mark won over, saying it was his idea and he’d cover it, and he promised I could take the next one.

  The next one.

  I really fucking liked the sound of that.

  With our bill paid, we got up and walked out of memory-lane diner. It was already dark out, which meant we had been in that booth for much longer than I thought. There were still plenty of people out on the street proving that the city really never slept. We were close to Times Squares, which meant an even higher concentration of people were out. Normally I’d avoid it like the plague, but something had come over me in that moment. I wanted to take the scenic route, through a sea of gawking tourists. I was feeling adventurous.

  “Let’s go,” I said to Mark, and that’s when I did something weird—something totally out of the norm for me and something I wasn’t even positive Mark wanted. Without a second thought, I reached out and grabbed his hand. The “fingers twining through each other’s” type of hand grab, not the “pals about to go skipping down the street” kind of hand grab. It was an instinct I didn’t even know I had, and I froze. Literally fucking froze.

  “Come on,” Mark said, once again being the man of the hour. He was always the one to fix things in my life, and this was just another thing to fix. Since we were kids, Mark always had my back. I’d go to him with every problem I had, and somehow, it would all be better within hours. And, just like when we were kids, Mark once again knew how to handle the situation. Without making anything awkward or pulling away, he started walking, his hand still in mine.

  Butterflies. Literal goddamn butterflies were having a full-on orgy inside my chest, drug fueled and raging with booming music and a naked butterfly mosh pit. That’s how it felt inside me, all from Mark holding my hand as we walked down the street. This was something I had never done before. Ever. And yet with Mark, it felt like the most natural damn thing in the world. Fuck the shitty comments thrown at us by a sketchy homeless guy or the few extra glances we got our way—I didn’t give a shit what anyone else thought mainly because of the au naturel endorphin high I was currently riding. All that mattered was that I was walking through Manhattan with my childhood crush hand in hand. What a crazy fucking world.

  We turned a corner and could see the bright lights from the always lit digital billboards being reflected off the buildings on our street. The streets were getting fuller, and the sounds of cars honking filled the air. It was the magic of the city, and it was taking this all to another level.

  “Can you believe?” I said, having to put my feelings into words.

  “Can I believe what?”

  “This. Us. What’s going on right now.” I gave his hand a squeeze. It felt so good in mine. His palm was kinda rough but meaty. He had a big hand, which had me thinking about all his other measurements.

  “No, I’m pretty much pinching myself every other minute so I can make sure it’s not a dream.”

  “I’m doing the same thing,” I said. “It’s even weirder because on one hand, my life is pretty much being destroyed, and then on the other hand, I’m being given this incredible gift through a second chance at being able to hold you. I’d normally be a stressed-out sinking shit wreck of a mess, but this second chance is keeping me afloat. When I wake up, I don’t think about how my career can potentially be totally ruined… I think about you, Mark. I feel like I’ve already hit the pinnacles in my professional life—not to
say I don’t have anything else I want to accomplish; I clearly do—but I’m okay if the price I pay for having you back in my life is the future acceptance of my work.”

  “No, don’t say that.” We had stopped now, just a street away from Times Square. A brightly lit souvenir shop had its doors flung open right next to us, and an old Miley Cyrus song was playing through staticky speakers. A perfect place to have a heart-to-heart if you ask me. “There won’t be a price for this—I don’t believe that. You’ve still got your talent and a huge fan base that wants to see your movies, regardless of the bullshit out there. And then there’s me. I’m going to fight tooth and nail to get your name cleared. If it was Johnny who sent that email, I’ll find out and I’ll find them. If it was Johnny, then I’ll make sure everyone knows about it, and I’ll dig up whatever other skeletons he’s hiding in his closet. Trust me.” Mark had both my hands in his now. We were standing face-to-face. Close enough so that I could see the distinct break in color between the sky blue and the hazel brown in his left eye. There was more brown than blue, a line splitting the two almost evenly. “Trust me, okay, Liam?”

  “I’ve never stopped trusting you, Mark.”

  “Good,” he said, and before I knew it, our lips were locked together, like the signature at the bottom of a contract. Of course I trusted Mark, and I knew I would always trust him.

  We broke from the kiss when we heard some hollering being directed our way. For a second, my hackles were raised and my fists were balled. Again, PDA wasn’t something I normally ever did, but with Mark, I wanted it all the time, but of course and un-fucking-fortunately that could draw intense negative reactions. So hearing shouts directed at us quickly put me on the defensive.

  This wasn’t one of those intense negative reactions, though. We turned to the source to see an open-air tour bus rented out by a bunch of drunk frat guys partying with a group of equally drunk sorority girls, all of them wearing some kind of shirt with their Greek letters on them, and they were all… cheering?