Severe Side Winds Ahead
Severe Side Winds Ahead
Black Ops Heroes #8
By Kendel Duncan
Acknowledgements
For my readers – I do this for you, always.
And for my wonderful family & friends– thank you for all of your support, encouragement and love. And for those out there searching for love – it’s out there, just keep your heart and your mind open because it just might surprise you when it shows up
Drake Malone: Black Ops Heroes #1
Storm Clouds Ahead: Black Ops Heroes #2
Hurricane Force Winds: Black Ops Heroes #3
When Tornadoes Collide: Black Ops Heroes #4
Hazardous Weather Conditions: Black Ops Heroes #5
Wind Chill Less Than Zero: Black Ops Heroes #6
Dense Fog with No Visibility: Black Ops Heroes #7
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Published by Kendel Duncan
Severe Side Winds Ahead© Copyright 2017 by Kendel Duncan
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without written permission from the author except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.
Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. If you enjoyed this book, please recommend it to your friends and give positive feedback on Amazon & Goodreads. And I encourage you to reach out to me with your feedback on my website http://kendelduncan.wixsite.com/kendelduncan
I’d love to hear from you!
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Warning – Contains adult subject matter, including graphic language, mentions of past and present sexual abuse and rape, light BDSM and A LOT of male/male sex. It is NOT suitable for younger readers – parental discretion is advised.
ISBN-13: 978-1547150854
ISBN-10: 1547150858
Cover Design by: Dara Nelson
Editing/Formatting: Prepped and Ready Editing
Published by: Dare Press
Author’s statement
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Epilogue
Author’s statement
These are trying, difficult, scary times in the world and I wanted to take a moment to say, no matter how you feel, how scared you are, how hopeless it seems….YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Don’t give up, don’t be silent. Together we have a voice, together we have strength and together we are one. I am with you, I stand with you, I’m here for you. And I will not be silent.
Some places to find help/to help:
List of International and US LGBTQ Youth Organizations
The Trevor Project
National Safe Place
ACLU
Prologue
Drake watched the red light on the door lock turn green and then he glanced back at Beau and Ryan once more because, honestly? He really wasn’t sure why the fuck he was here.
Room 112, Tuesday 1300 hours, Creekside Inn, just you, Beau and Ryan. Key card at the front desk under the name Tyler Negron, the text message from the unknown number said.
They both nodded once so he pushed the handle and stepped inside the room. After making their way down the narrow hallway they stepped into the open area, lit by floor to ceiling windows that looked out over the Virginia countryside, darkened only by the lone male figure standing at the windows with his back to them.
Drake blinked once. Then he blinked again. Then he tucked his gun into its holster as he heard the two men behind him do the same and he whispered, “Connor?”
The man himself turned around, “I need your help.”
“Okay, but why all the….”
The door to the bedroom suddenly opened and all three guns were instantly out and pointed at the brown haired, golden-eyed, brick-wall of a man who walked out saying, “Actually, I’m the one who needs your help.”
Drake’s eyes narrowed over the nose of his gun, “And just who the fuck are you?”
Connor sighed from his spot next to Drake and said, “Drake Malone, I’d like you to meet my son, Kelly Braddock.”
Drake’s eyes did the whole blinky-blinky thing again because….WHAT. THE. FUCK?
“Your son?”
“Yes,” Connor said as he sank down onto the sofa running his fingers through his hair. He looked back up at Drake, “Raine doesn’t know.”
“That you have an illegitimate child?” Drake said as he once again tucked his firearm into its holster.
“He’s not. I adopted him when he turned eighteen. It’s a long story but he had, has, a bad family, a really bad family. And it was best for him to get away from them and hide. I found him when he was sixteen and he was living on the streets and he tried to steal my wallet. I took him in, helped him get his GED, trained him, adopted him, gave him my name and my family reputation to back him and sent off to the military. He thrived, did me proud, and he’s worked for me off and on throughout the years.”
“Nice little family history there, bud, but it doesn’t explain why the fuck we’re here,” Beau said.
“Someone is trying to frame Kelly.”
“Dad,” Kelly said.
Connor looked at him, “No, Kel, we’re not sure it’s him.”
Kelly glared, “Nobody else knew that about me, Dad, nobody else could’ve known. It’s him.”
“But why?”
Kelly threw his arms up in the air, “I don’t know, okay?”
“Have you reached out to him, tried to contact him?” Connor said.
“Of course not. Do you think I’m an idiot?” Kelly yelled.
Drake held up his hands, “Alright, alright, who the fuck is this him?”
He watched the silent stare down that seemed to go on between Kelly and Connor until finally Drake said, “That’s it, we’re outta here,” and he turned to head for the door.
“His name is Cole Gillette and he’s the love of my life but he has
no clue of that fact, he doesn’t even know that I’m gay and it needs to stay that way in order to keep him safe,” Kelly said quietly to their retreating backs.
Drake’s feet froze where they were.
He knew he should just continue out the door because his gut told him this case was going to be bad news, really bad news.
And he had a wedding to plan….or three…including his own.
But unrequited, long lost love?
He was a sucker for that shit.
With a sigh, he turned back and sat on the sofa next to Connor, who had pulled out several file folders and a laptop.
“Alright, show me what you’ve got,” he said.
Chapter One
“The jury finds the defendant guilty.”
JD sagged with relief, barely hearing the judge say, “Bailiff, please take the defendant into custody.”
He covered his face with his hands as Brent’s strong arm wrapped around his shoulders and the man’s lips pressed against his head, “I’m so proud of you, babe. You were so fucking strong up there. You won this case, cowboy, you did. Not the prosecutors or the evidence….you. And I’m so fucking proud of you. If we weren’t already married, I’d down on my knee right fucking now.”
JD couldn’t help the small smile that graced his lips despite the storm of emotions raging inside of him.
His mother was going to prison for the rest of her life. There would be no more United in Light church, or cult as everyone now knew it to be. The land was being sub-divided and sold off at auction. Its former members forbidden from congregating together.
It was over.
But was it?
JD knew that most of it was, yes. But the damage done to his psyche? The scars he bore – both internal and external?
Those were still there and would be for a long time if he didn’t get help.
“I think I need to start seeing Luke,” he mumbled, still not looking at Brent because he knew the second he did, he would burst into tears.
Brent was silent for a few seconds and then, “Damn, babe. There you go, making me proud again.”
JD frowned, “Proud? For needing help?”
Brent’s hand squeezed the back of his neck, “No, babe. Proud of you for fighting, proud of you for surviving, proud of you for still loving me. You are the bravest man I know.”
JD finally turned his head slightly to smile at Brent, “Well, I am married to you. Gotta be brave…or insane…to do that.”
Brent’s smile blinded JD, “There’s my guy,” he said as he clasped JD’s cheeks under his big hands and brought their lips together.
When he pulled back, JD’s chin began to quiver and tears pooled in his eyes, “That was so fucking hard.”
Brent glanced around the room for a way out that wouldn’t have JD walking past reporters – because he knew JD was barely holding on by a thread and there was no way he was going to let anyone but him see the man fall apart. He caught the eye of one of the guards standing by a door that led to the judge’s chambers and the jury rooms. The guard must’ve been watching them because he dipped his chin in a nod.
Brent wrapped JD in his strong embrace and pulled him to his feet, “Come on, babe.”
“Brent, I, I, I can’t face people,” JD whispered.
“I know. I’ve got you, babe,” he said as he pulled JD towards that door.
The guard turned when they approached, punched in a code and opened the door for them.
“Thanks,” Brent mumbled as he pulled JD past the man.
He wandered down the deserted hall until he got to an empty room, pulled JD inside and locked the door behind them.
“It’s okay to let go now, babe,” he whispered.
The first sob echoed in the empty room, “Oh, god,” JD cried as his fingers clutched tightly into the back of Brent’s shirt.
Brent didn’t use words like it’s okay or you’re going to be alright because he knew they were hollow, meaningless. Because neither of them knew if he would be – not really. The man had been sexually abused….by his own fucking mother. It was a wonder that he was as stable as he was. All they could both do was hope.
Hope that Luke could help JD.
Hope that JD could find his own sense of peace.
Hope that, as a couple, they would not only get through this but come out on the other side even stronger than they were now.
Because, if they didn’t, Brent knew he’d never survive…and neither would JD. They were too attached to one another, too much ingrained in the other’s DNA, too deeply embedded into each other’s hearts. If one went, the other had no chance of surviving.
As these thoughts rattled around in Brent’s brain, he realized that JD’s sobs had quieted.
“You’re going to get through this babe,” he whispered into JD’s hair.
“How do you know?”
Brent squeezed his eyes shut as pain lanced through his heart at those words, “Because,” he whispered as he pressed his lips to JD’s neck, “because I’m going to be here. I’m going to hold you when you can’t stand on your own. I’m going to fight for you when your demons become too strong. I’m going to love you when only darkness fills your heart. And I’m going to keep you here, safe, when the storm inside of you is trying to sweep you away.”
“I love you,” JD whispered.
“And I love you, cowboy, so fucking much.”
“Take me home?”
“You sure?”
JD pulled his face away from Brent’s shoulder and looked into his eyes, “Take me home, babe. Take me home and love me.”
Brent pressed a kissed to JD’s forehead, “Always,” he whispered.
“Babe?” JD said and Brent blinked his eyes when he realized his thoughts had drifted back to that time two months ago, both during the trial and after. JD had made remarkable progress in that time. He had begun to see Luke immediately – three times a week. And after two months, he was acting so….he didn’t want to say normal because as long as JD was loving him, he considered that normal. No, he was acting more like his old self…he seemed happy. He still had nightmares but they were few and far between.
“Sorry, what?” he said when he realized that JD was still waiting for his response.
JD turned from the fridge and smiled at him, “What were you thinking about just now?”
“How much I fucking love you.”
A smile lit up JD’s face, “I fucking love you too, babe.”
Brent shifted on his seat, “Damn, you get me hard every time you swear like that.”
JD laughed, “Really?”
“Oh, fuck yeah.”
A playful gleam flickered in JD’s eyes as he began walking towards Brent, “Well, fuck, babe. That’s really fucking hot. I just don’t fucking know what to fucking do with myself,” he finished with a smirk as he stepped in between Brent’s legs.
“Fucking-a, I almost came.”
JD ran his hand over the bulge in Brent’s jeans, “Almost? That’s fucking disappointing. Let’s fucking see if I can fucking change that,” he mumbled as he used one finger to flip open the button.
“Oh, my god, babe,” Brent groaned as he pushed to his feet.
JD shoved Brent’s pants down below his ass, grabbed his dick and began stroking.
“Fuck,” Brent mumbled as his head fell back on his shoulders.
Brent’s hands blindly moved to JD’s hips and then inward until they found the button on his jeans.
“Babe, you don’t….”JD started to say but Brent’s head popped up, his eyes pinned JD with a glare and he growled, “You come, I come, that’s how this works, cowboy.”
JD smirked, “God, I fucking love you.”
Brent grimaced, “Not yet, not fucking yet,” he mumbled as he shoved JD’s pants out of the way.
As he yanked his shirt up to his chest and then did the same for JD’s he said, “Take them, take them both in your hand. Oh fuck, do it, cowboy.”
JD opened his fingers enoug
h to let his dick slide up next to Brent’s and then he tightened them again.
Brent’s mouth closed over JD’s and his fingers dug into his biceps. JD felt Brent’s breath hitch, his body twitched a few times and then JD felt that first spurt of warmth coating his stomach. He whimpered into Brent’s mouth and followed him right over that edge.
Chapter Two
Hawke Martinez was really looking forward to the drive back to Virginia with his boyfriend Talon once he got his car from his brother’s place in Denver.
He was looking forward to road head, lots and lots of road head.
And from the heated looks that he was getting from Talon in the seat next to him on the plane, his man was thinking the same thing.
His man.
His boyfriend.
Hawke Martinez had a boyfriend.
The concept of that still blew him away, more because of the fact that it didn’t freak him the fuck out than anything else.
And he knew the reason for that was due entirely to the man seated next to him with his finger threaded tenderly with Hawke’s.
This sweet, gentle, beautiful man had taken a chance on broken, fucked up Hawke Martinez and, well, he’d not only rocked his world but he’d….changed him…for the better, so much better.
Hawke pressed his lips to Talon’s temple and his eyes slid closed as he whispered, “I love you, babe.”
Talon inhaled through his nose, as if he needed to breathe those words deep into his lungs and then he said, “I love you too, Hawke.”
A calm washed over Hawke, a sense of completeness, just like it did every time those words left Talon’s lips and entered his heart.
He smiled as he pressed another kiss to the side of Talon’s head, humming slightly as he did, and then he slowly let his eyelids flutter open…to find one of the flight attendants staring down at them.
Hawke braced himself because he had no idea how this woman would react to two men being tender like that in public but when he saw tears brimming in the bottom of her eyes he instantly relaxed.
“Everything okay?” he said.
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to stare or anything, really, I don’t. I didn’t want to interrupt you and then I just, I just, oh shoot,” she whispered as she brushed a few tears away.