They sat together on the sofa and chatted about things in general; Liam wanted desperately to ask his Da about his youth and if he messed about with any of his mates, he also wanted to tell him that things had gotten more intense between Danny and him. When Connor’s phone rang at nearly nine-thirty, it startled them both.
It was Jason, Duane’s husband. "Connor, I’m at the emergency room with Duane, he just keeled over in the living room. I think it might be food poisoning. Duane is concerned about a trip he was supposed to leave on early in the morning. He wouldn’t settle down until I agreed to call you."
"Well, tell him not to worry, I know what’s needed and I’ll see to it. You just tell that big eedjit to concentrate on getting healthy. Is Arthur being seen to?"
"Hah, I’ll tell him. He’s so goddamned stubborn. Arty is fine, my Mom is with him."
"Give them all my love; and tell Duane I’m on this. I just briefed him this afternoon. It’s all on my machine and I can give the presentation without any difficulty."
"Okay, the Doc is waving so I better go, good luck."
"And you," Connor replied. The line went dead and Connor put away his phone.
"Well lad, change of plans. It looks like I need to go to D.C. to present on a project."
Liam didn’t bother to ask; he knew it would be D.O.D. or some other alphabet soup outfit. He was actually fond of the novels of Tom Clancy and had picked up a lot of the jargon used by intelligence agencies.
"I can get me self ta school in the mornin’ so yas needn’t worry for that."
"I know lad, but I’m going to have to leave in a couple of hours, but first I’ll need Terri to get the reservations changed and then she has to begin the process for the alternate to present."
"Oh, one of those places?" That was as inquisitive as he got. He knew better than to ask questions that wouldn’t or couldn’t be answered.
"I’m afraid so," Connor said as he dialed Terri’s number.
Connor went through the scenario with Terri. They spoke back and forth and Connor disconnected.
"Well lad, do ya fancy spending the night with Danny?"
"That’s a silly question, Da, but how long will you be?"
"Two days tops I should think. I’ll let you know if it changes."
"Is Duane going to be okay?"
"Connor read an incoming text and smiled at Liam. Duane will be fine. He has food poisoning, they went ‘food trucking’ this evening and something he ate was contaminated. He’ll be down a couple of days but he’s fine."
"I’m glad, I like Duane."
"Connor’s phone chirped again, "Flight’s booked and hotel res. is transferred,” it read.
"I’ve a flight in a couple of hours, I’m off to pack. You do the same. We’ll drop you and Danny back at theirs and Terri will take me to John Wayne."
"Okay Da, it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make for national security."
Connor laughed and Liam raced upstairs to gather what he needed.
"I’m taking the leftover chicken to Danny’s so he and Terri can try it and Terri as well; it’ll go off before you get home."
Fifteen minutes later Connor asked Liam to open the front door. Terri’s car had tripped the driveway sensor and Connor’s phone had alerted him. Liam pulled open the door and was mobbed by a giggling Danny.
"Right lads, this isn’t a lark, you’ve school tomorrow so get to bed reasonable like."
"We will do Da, we just didn’t expect to see each other until tomorrow."
"Very good, I believe you. Have you everything you need for school tomorrow?"
"Yes Da, I’m ready to go. But I’ll miss you."
"I know lad, I’ll be missing you as well; but it can’t be helped."
"Hey, where’s Terri?"
"Mom’s still in the car talking to someone about a clearance."
"Well, let’s not keep her waiting."
With the house locked up Liam and Connor loaded their gear into the hatch of the Countryman. Terri hopped out and asked Connor to drive to the house. Terri instructed the boys to ignore whatever they heard and not to speak. Liam knew the drill and whispered to Danny that it was important. They heard a voice tell Terri that they would call her back in half an hour max and disconnected.
"Thanks boys, we’ll only have time to pop the hatch and Liam you’ll need to grab your things quickly while Danny unlocks the house. I’ve told Greigh you’ll be home alone so if you need someone his number is on the kitchen counter."
"Got it Mom, we’ll be fine."
They pulled into the drive and Liam leaned forward and kissed his da’s cheek, whispering, "Safe trip," in his ear. He did the same with Terri and hopped out and grabbed his school things. Danny kissed his Mom and Connor the same way. "See you soon Mom, have a nice trip Connor."
"Will do lad, thanks."
"I love you baby," Terri called but the boys were shutting the front door.
"He knows, I understand you have to say it, but he knows."
"Terri’s phone rang and the young male voice identified himself as Airman Williams.
"I’m to inform you that your alternate has been accepted and we have communicated with the Hyatt Regency Bethesda."
"Thank you Airman, I appreciate the rapid response."
"Not a problem ma’am, it’s what I do." He gave her a confirmation number and said, "Have a nice evening."
"Okay problem solved, if you’ll pull into the next gas station I can get gas and take over the driving."
"That suits me, I’m unfamiliar with this car and I’d rather not learn in the dark."
"That’s so not man like, you’re supposed to tough it out and crash before you admit you don’t know where everything is."
"Don’t tell the rest of the lads, they’ll kick me out."
The freeways cooperated except for one construction delay, but it was minimal. Just as Terri pulled into the lane for departures she told Connor, "I think when you return, I’m ready to talk about us, if I haven’t kept you waiting too long already."
"Well you’ve only known me a bit more than a week, I was prepared to wait."
"Well, that’s something right there; have safe trip Connor." Terri leaned over and kissed his cheek. Connor returned the kiss and hopped out smiling."
Connor was a prescreened passenger and breezed through security. He draped his overcoat across his lap and began playing solitaire on his phone. There were only twenty passengers boarding when the plane arrived and Connor was practically alone in first class. He stretched out and slept until the aircraft bumped a bit making the turn over Maryland. Just a bit over five hours and they were on the ground. Of course the three hour time difference meant it was eight-thirty but he still had plenty of time to get to Bethesda and check in and still meet the driver that would take him to the presentation site.
He found a man holding a sign with his name and asked the man a few questions before allowing him to lead him to the town car. As they walked to the car a man of about twenty was running down a staircase and intersected with Connor’s path. Connor had seen his approach and when the man reached for his computer Connor snatched his wrist and twisted, Connor felt the bones snap and heard the cry of pain as he sent the thief into a concrete pylon face first. He landed in a comical position, on his ass with his legs splayed out. An approaching policeman yelled and the thief got to his feet and ran as fast as his battered body would allow. The policeman asked Connor what was going on. What happened next startled the policeman, Connor’s driver produced credentials and told the officer it was an FBI matter. The officer accepted the situation and Connor took his seat in the car.
"Since when is the FBI in the livery business." Connor asked.
"As far as I know they aren’t, and you can call me Brooks."
"So, was he just a punk or something more serious?"
"Don’t know, don’t care. My assignment is to get you to your hotel in Bethesda where the security is adequate."
"So you weren’t expecting the lad in the hoodie then?"
"No, I suspect he was just an opportunist, but that was a nice move. He won’t be snatching shit with that hand for a while."
"I expect not." Connor replied.
The trip to the hotel was quick and unimpeded. Connor thanked Brooks for an interesting morning and the town car departed.
"Mr. Dennehy?" A young man inquired.
"Yes, that’s me."
"Right this way sir." The man gestured with his hand directing Connor through the open doors.
A young woman took over at the desk and Connor hung his suit bag on a cart along with his overcoat and overnighter.
"May I see your identification sir?"
Connor complied and the young woman asked him to sign a small card.
"How many key cards do you need, Sir?"
"Just the one, thank you."
"The woman handed him a key card and the same man who had directed him to the lobby now informed him that he would show Connor to his room."
That part was like any other hotel he’d ever stayed in. The bellman hung his suit bag and placed his overnighter on the small luggage stand by the dresser. Connor attempted to give the man a tip but it was refused. "Tipping is not encouraged in this hotel, Sir."
Once alone, Connor put the lock bar on the door and caught a quick shower and dressed in shorts and a tee.
A knock at the door disturbed his thought process. He opened the door but left the bar in place. A man held up credentials and Connor allowed him in.
"So you’re from the puzzle palace eh, Neil is it?" Connor asked.
"Oh, you’ve read Bamford’s book. And no, not as such. I’m from the NSA Security Division. The NSA has a domestic charter that allows for our existence. It’s hardly a secret, most if not all the foreign intel agencies know about us. The average citizen has no knowledge of us and we’d like to keep it that way."
"That makes sense, but why am I getting the star treatment?"
"Yes well, that’s more to do with who you’re briefing than you yourself. I have to say you have an unusually high clearance for a naturalized citizen.
Brooks informed us of the incident at the airport. The suspect was interviewed and allowed to seek medical treatment. It seems he had a badly fractured wrist."
"I know, I broke it for him. You sound more like MI-6 than NSA."
"Well, I couldn’t possibly comment on that. Did you pick up your skills in Dublin?"
"Well, you’ve got a choice in Dublin, be a wolf, be a sheep or make yourself taste bad enough they don’t want to eat you."
"It’s the same in Redhill, more so these days I suspect. Oh, I’m sorry to tell you that your presentation has been postponed until tomorrow morning. I don’t know why but I was asked to convey apologies for the disruption to your schedule."
"Oh well, I suppose I’ll relax and visit the gym. I’ve no plans to leave the hotel."
"I was sorry to hear about your partner, he’s quite a nice gentleman."
"Duane’s a good lad, this project is his baby and he’s got a lot of himself invested in its success."
"Well, I’ve no knowledge of your project but I wish you luck. Oh, we can arrange a car if you would like to see something in town."
"Actually no, I think I’ll take advantage of the quiet time."
"Ah, so you said. Very well then, here’s my card then. If anything seems out of place from a security standpoint please don’t hesitate."
Neil rose and Connor followed him to the door, they shook hands and Neil left.
Connor set the dead bolt, engaged the lock bar and relaxed on a sofa with his thoughts.
As soon as they had closed and locked the door, Danny set the security system and then pulled Liam into a passionate kiss. Liam returned it with interest.
"Oh, let’s put this in your fridge, I made it tonight with a new recipe. You can have it for lunch tomorrow and there’s another for your Mam."
"Liam, do you sometimes wish you could just call them Mom and Dad or Mam and Da?"
"That’d be feckin’ brilliant wouldn’t it?"
Liam’s phone chirped and he checked the message.
"Todd and Darren want to stop by and walk to school with us in the morning, Todd has news."
"I hope it’s good news. Tell them I said hi."
Liam answered the message and stowed his gear in Danny’s room.
"Shower?" Liam asked.
"Danny grinned, you bet."
"I’m proper shattered, it’s been a long day."
The shower was sweet and very intimate; the boys alternated scrubbing themselves and each other between long kisses.
Drying off the boys couldn’t help but notice the state of the other’s penis. Straining erections had sprung from each of their groins.
"I think we can do it to each other at the same time if you want." Danny suggested.
Liam nodded enthusiastically and they assumed the classic position on Danny’s bed.
Liam dropped off and Danny lay and adored his boyfriend. He lay with his cheek on Liam’s lower belly and stared at his deflated penis. Eventually he returned to his pillow and pulled the covers over them.
Half an hour later Terri looked in on them kissing their foreheads and tucking the covers around them. She couldn’t help but notice the erection that sprouted from Danny’s groin. It gave her mixed feelings, her son was becoming a man, but she was losing her baby boy. She pulled the door closed, went to her own bed and tried to sleep wondering about Connor. Tuesday was going to be busy and she needed to sleep, eventually she let her mind run wild with thoughts of Connor’s strong arms and beguiling eyes and had wonderful dreams until her alarm sounded all too early.