Tom’s car was here, which meant the two of them were inside working, but Jack couldn’t help feeling that things were terribly wrong with Riley. Not only had he not visited the school, he’d spent so much time in his office it was a wonder he didn’t grow roots into the floor. Jack filed away the concern and focused on the hoist; they needed it in place now, and Riley was something he could deal with after. Anything to give himself more thinking time.

“Can you follow me to the school itself?”

The guys agreed, and Jack didn’t have much time to think about Riley as he concentrated on the hoist being placed exactly where it needed to be.

By the time they’d all finished for the day, the fence was up on the first riding area, the hoist was in place, and Jack had checked in on the classroom part. Eli had done this whole horse theme, and Jack had to admit Eli had an eye for what looked good. Each child at the riding lessons had to have a commitment to learning something about horse care to whatever level they could manage. There were ramps everywhere, and Eli was creating a small sensory quiet space off the barn just for kids like Max who sometimes got overwhelmed. There was even a small medical area with a bed.

Dinner was quiet. The twins were sleeping, Hayley was studying, and Max was looking at a Thomas picture book with his headphones in. Carol had her night off and had left in her car a few hours back, which meant Riley and Jack had each other. Riley even seemed like his old self; he was quiet, yes, but he looked relaxed and he was managing to hobble around the kitchen on his crutches way better than when he’d first come home.

The cut on his forehead didn’t look quite as angry as it did when it was scarlet and puffy, and his skin had lost that gray tinge it had in hospital.

“Saw Tom was here again today,” Jack observed, more for something to say than anything else.

“We have reports to file on the soil samples from the second site,” Riley answered immediately. He sounded defensive, and Jack had the impression Riley had been waiting for him to question Tom’s being there. Did Riley think Jack was jealous of Tom? Why would Riley even look at Tom when he and Riley had each other?

“Good, glad it’s going well,” Jack offered, even though he realized it was quite a lame thing to say.

They cleared the kitchen together, despite Riley cursing when he twisted his leg on water on the floor. When Hayley and Max were both asleep, Jack followed Riley into their bedroom. He refused to believe it when he felt Riley attempt to tug his hand free. Riley wouldn’t do that. Jack closed the door and leaned against the wood, and that was when it happened.

When he realized that Riley couldn’t look him in the eyes. That Riley was actually looking at every point in the room except Jack.

“What’s wrong?” Jack asked. A million thoughts ran through his head. Had Riley been hurt worse than he was letting on?

“Nothing,” Riley said. Jack could see the lie. He knew Riley so well he could see the subtle shrug of his shoulders and the closed expression on his face, and he knew Riley was hiding something.

“Something’s wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong. Fuck’s sake, Jack.” And there it was: the flash of anger when Jack pushed Riley. Another one of Riley’s defense mechanisms. “I was kidnapped and my fucking ankle hurts. Okay!”

Jack held up his hands. “I’m not here to fight with you. I’m here for you.”

Riley opened his mouth to say something, then shut it just as quickly. He limped with his crutches to the closet and pulled out a thin jacket, shrugging it on. “I’m going out for air,” he said to the closet. Not to Jack, but to the damn hangers. Jack set himself firmly against the door and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Talk to me, Riley.”

“I just need to get some air,” Riley replied. He stepped close to Jack and waited expectantly.

“No, Riley. Something is seriously wrong here, and you know it.”

“Tom said you’d be like this,” Riley blurted out, “telling me how I feel.” He deflated, like all the energy was flooding out of him.

Despair knotted in Jack’s chest. Were Riley and Tom… They had shared an experience. What if…? Jack’s entire world cracked in a second, and he couldn’t even begin to contemplate what was spinning in his head.

“Did you…? I… Are you and Tom…?”

Riley stared at him, which, to be fair, was the first time they’d met eye to eye in a couple days. Jack couldn’t believe Riley’s eyes shone with tears, and, in horror, he watched as a single tear rolled down Riley’s face, then his husband buckled and just fell to the floor in a heap and mess of uncoordinated limbs with a cry of pain as his leg caught under him. At first, Jack thought he’d collapsed, but then Riley looked up at him.

“No. I wouldn’t,” he began.

Jack was instantly at his side, crouched next to him. This wasn’t a man about to announce he was seeing someone else. Riley looked broken. Jack held him close.

“Talk to me, Riley. Please.”

“Tom was there. He understands. But he said you might not understand. He tried to explain it to me.”

“Tell me what happened. I’ll understand if you tell me,” Jack said. He was at a loss of what else to say.

“Tom saw what they were doing. I… Jack… I had a gun… I shot a man. He had a mask… He was going to kill us, and I just pointed the gun at him and… He was dead.”

Riley looked right at Jack, and there was a desperation in his eyes. Riley had shot someone? That hadn’t been in any of the reports, and how did Riley manage to keep something like that a secret from Jack for so long? Jack didn’t have to stop and think about his reaction.

“You had to,” he said immediately. That had to have been it. Someone was threatening Riley, and all Riley had done was defend himself.

“I didn’t even think about it, I just pulled the trigger. He was going to hurt us, and it was so easy and quick.”

“You had to,” Jack repeated. “Otherwise he would have hurt you and Tom, am I right?”

Riley gripped Jack’s arm. “You think this is how Lisa felt after she shot Jeff?”

Jack couldn’t help himself, temper gripped him and he stood abruptly, bringing Riley with him and stumbling at the extra weight. The two of them tilted, and Jack fell back against the wall, Riley slamming into him. Even that wasn’t enough to still the anger. He loosened Riley’s hold on his arm and cradled his face. Riley’s hazel eyes, still bright with emotion, betrayed how he felt.

“Don’t you ever say something like that again. You didn’t deliberately shoot that person; he was trying to kill you.”

“It’s still murder.”

“And what about Bryan? What about the other guys in your security detail? They were dead; did you want to give up and lay dead in the dirt as well?”

Riley’s eyes widened. “Of course I don’t.”

Jack pressed his forehead against Riley’s. “Then let’s talk about how you were defending yourself, about what happened, and think on what’s next. Okay?” Relief flooded Jack; this he could handle.

Jack pulled on a jacket of his own. He had to get air, and the two of them needed to be outside. He opened the door, then allowed Riley through first and watched as he made his way out on the crutches. Together they passed through the darkened kitchen and out the door into the front yard.

“We should get a porch,” Jack muttered. “With chairs.”

“We’ll add one.”

Jack considered his options. He felt the need to lean on something, and they crossed to the first fence. Jack hoisted himself to sit up, and Riley instinctively moved to stand between his legs. The crescent moon cast enough light so that they could easily see each other, but it was too dark to see the emotions in Riley’s expressive eyes. Jack would have to rely on all the other little cues that Riley gave, the tone of his voice, the way he stood…