Opening his eyes, Martin turned on the hot water and reached for the soap and a washcloth, needing to clean the bite that Danny had given him. He wasn't really used to cleaning his own wounds, not that he'd had many of them. Most of his lovers never broke the skin, and the few that had, well, they'd been there to clean the wounds and make sure that they didn't get infected. Human bite marks were a bit more dangerous than wounds caused by nipple clamps that were too tight, or playing with body piercing. While those broke the skin and drew blood, they didn't leave bacteria behind. Wetting the soap and cloth with the hot water, Martin worked up a good lather and then rubbed the cloth harshly over the wound, wishing there was a way to scrub away the memory of the infliction of the bite from his mind the same way he was scrubbing away the blood.
Danny had seemed to really want him, and that had both shocked and pleased Martin. He'd just started to get over the shocked part when Danny had had a sudden change of heart and stopped things. But, Martin could have handled that kind of rejection. It wouldn't have been the first time that a guy had gotten him all hot and bothered and then just walked away. No, what had torn into Martin's heart had been Danny's admission that he couldn't handle the fact that Martin had enjoyed being hurt.
Martin wasn't sure if it was ironic or some sort of cosmic karma that had Danny not only liking men, and then wanting him, but then having Danny being repulsed by Martin's deviant nature. Martin made a face at that term, hating it. He'd always hated it, and had tried to believe that different people liked different things, and that didn't make them perverts or deviants. No, he'd seen too many true perverts and deviants in his job to know the difference between what he liked and what those truly were. But Hell, both Jack and Danny seemed to think that Martin fell into that category, and Martin now wondered if he'd just been deluding himself all these years.
As Martin dried the wound, he couldn't help but feel as if the walls were closing in around him. He needed to get outside, needed to run and let the physical exertion empty his mind of the jumbled mess that was rolling around inside. Despite Danny's teasing that he'd been up too early on Friday, he'd not had time for a run that morning, since he'd been needed early at the courthouse. And with the red-eye flight to Denver and needing to get sleep, there'd been no run the next morning, either. Nodding at his own reflection, Martin decided that a run was just what he needed right then. Not wanting to waste time once he was finished running, Martin went on and brushed his teeth, pretending to not notice that doing so also erased the last reminder of Danny that had been left. If he could no longer taste the man, then he couldn't miss him, right?
Martin grabbed his T-shirt and headed back into the other room. Danny was stretched out on the other bed, seemingly absorbed by the game. If the man had looked at him as Martin entered the room, then he'd done so in such a way as to keep Martin from noticing. Martin reached into his drawer and pulled out a sweatshirt and socks, then sat on the end of the empty bed and pulled them on. It wasn't until he reached for his shoes that Danny spoke.
"Going somewhere?"
"Out for a run," Martin replied, hoping that the tone of his voice had sounded as nonchalant as Danny had been. "I don't know how far I'll go, and I'm taking my key with me, so you don't have to wait up."
"You're going running at night? In a strange city?"
Martin glanced back as he picked up on the worried tone in Danny's voice. "It'll be okay. I've done it before."
"That's a stupid line of reasoning," Danny said, now sounding angry or perhaps frustrated. "Is that what you told yourself when you went off with Larabee? That it would be okay to go off with a stranger because you'd done it before?"
Martin jerked hard on his shoelace as he finished tying the shoe. Getting to his feet, he turned to look at Danny, anger coursing through him at Danny's attitude. "No. It was what I told myself when you started kissing me."
Martin was only slightly satisfied by the way Danny seemed to pale at those words. He grabbed his key and slipped it into his shoe, then headed for the door.
"Martin, wait." Danny's voice had an urgent edge to it, but Martin didn't turn around. "We need to talk."
Martin didn't trust himself to reply, so he did the only thing he could. He opened the door and stepped into the hallway, then headed for the closest stairwell, not willing to risk the wait for an elevator should Danny try to follow him. For all that he loved Danny, there were times when he simply did not understand the man, and this was one of them. Danny had made his feelings quite clear, and as far as Martin could see, no amount of additional talking was needed. Most likely Danny just wanted to make sure that Martin wouldn't get back to New York and start spreading tales about Danny and his brush with the 'wild side' of life. Hell, Martin was too ashamed of being rejected in such a cold way to ever consider sharing that little episode with anyone else.
Reaching the main floor, Martin was pleased to see that the door exited directly into the parking lot and locked behind him as he left the building. He started to run right then, beginning with an easy pace and slowly building to a full-out run. Running had always helped to clear Martin's mind, but tonight it felt that no sooner had he reached that empty state, then his mind would once more be flooded with the memories of Danny's caresses and kisses, and final rejection. Martin increased his pace, as if he could outrun those memories or run so hard that nothing else mattered. A few miles into his run, he found himself beginning to breathe harder than usual, but it wasn't until he had to stop because of having difficulty breathing that Martin remembered that Denver was at a much higher altitude than New York, and the oxygen was thinner here than back home.
Martin came to a stop, resting his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. He had no idea how far he'd run, and wasn't even sure what street he was now on. He thought that he'd followed the road that led from the hotel, but he'd been in such a daze while running that Martin wasn't certain if he'd stayed on that road. Looking up, he noticed that he wasn't all that far from a street corner, and he walked over to it, relieved to see by the street sign that he was still on the same road.
Breathing heavily, Martin noticed that there was a convenience store on the opposite corner, and it was still open. He decided that once he had gotten his breathing back a bit more under control, he'd go over there and find out just how far he'd gone, and then rest up a bit more before making the run back to the hotel.
Danny paced the floor of the hotel room, his hair sticking up every which way due to him constantly running his fingers through it as he tried to figure out just what the Hell was wrong with Martin. It was one thing for Martin to be angry with him. The man had every right to feel that way, and Danny knew that he'd hurt Martin when he'd stopped what they were doing. Although, God knew he hadn't realized just how deep that hurt had gone until he'd seen Martin's eyes right before the guy had stalked out of the room. For a brief moment, Danny had wondered if the emotional hurt he'd inflicted had been worse than the physical hurt, and he was tempted to rush to Martin, gather him in his arms and kiss away that pain. But then his common sense had kicked back in, and Danny had remained seated, knowing that giving in to his own desires right then would just lead to more trouble down the road.
Martin had no sense of self-preservation, Danny was certain of it. Oh, he'd had inklings of it before, during cases, but now he could see that it wasn't just a sometime thing, but an all of the time thing. Martin hadn't thought twice about going jogging in a strange town, at night. Alone. Hell, the man hadn't even taken his gun with him, not that he ever did. There'd been more than one out of town trip where Danny had tried his best to get Martin to take his gun when jogging, and Martin had simply and calmly refused. Either the guy really thought that being a Fitzgerald was all the protection he needed, or he had a death wish. Right then, Danny was leaning toward the idea that Martin did have a self-destructive streak running through him. How else to explain his penchant for being on the receiving end of something that went far beyond what one usually imagined when they thought about BDSM? Once more, Danny felt a surge of anger toward Chris Larabee, as much for the fact that the asshole had used Martin that way, as because Larabee had had the pleasure of having Martin, and Danny never would. Danny was also angry that Larabee obviously didn't have to worry about crossing that line, not the way Danny did. Larabee seemed to be a man who was in control at all times, at least that was the impression he'd gotten from the members of Team 7. And Danny had no doubts at all that Larabee never once lost control while with Martin, never turned into a monster who only wanted to demean and hurt others. Larabee wouldn't need to use his dominance to make himself feel better about his life, the way Danny's father had done. The way Danny was afraid that he'd do, if he had the chance.
Danny glanced at his watch, wondering just how much more time he should give Martin before he went out looking for him. He'd already been out for thirty minutes, how much more time did he need? A strange town, pitch black outside, and Martin had gone for a run. Danny shook his head, once more feeling as if he'd never understand the man. The ringing of his cell phone startled Danny, as he wasn't expecting a call from anyone. Martin's cell phone was still on top of the dresser, right where he'd left it. Yet another stupid mistake on Martin's part, going out without a means to call for help.
Danny glanced at the read-out on the screen, frowning when he didn't recognize the number. "Taylor," he said, thinking that maybe it was one of Larabee's team on the line.
"Hey, it's me."
Martin. Danny felt a jolt of relief at hearing that voice. And then the worry set in again. Why would Martin be calling him? And how was Martin calling him?
"Danny?"
"I'm here. Where are you? Are you okay?" Danny couldn't keep the worry out of his voice.
"I'm okay." There was an amused tone to Martin's voice, and that rankled Danny. How could Martin be amused when he was stuck here in their room worrying his ass off? "I'm calling from a convenience store about twelve miles from the hotel. The manager was nice enough to let me use their phone since I don't have any money on me."
"Twelve miles? You ran twelve miles?" Danny couldn't believe that Martin would have gone that far from the hotel. Twelve miles total, that he could understand. But twelve miles one way?
"Yeah, but I don't think I'm gonna be able to run those twelve miles back to the hotel. You're not already in bed, are you?"
Danny slowly grinned. Martin was stuck out there and needed him. There was a warm feeling in his stomach, and his earlier bout of self-recrimination faded away as the idea of Martin needing him took precedence. "No, I'm not in bed yet. I'm guessing that you'd like me to come and get you?"
"Well, either that or wait outside of the hotel with my wallet so I can pay for a taxi," Martin replied, and Danny thought that he sounded more amused than before. "It's not hard to find the store, as it's on the same road as the hotel. Just take a right out of the parking lot."
"Sounds easy enough. I'll be there soon." Danny walked to the dresser and grabbed his gun, securing it to his waistband. "Just do me one favor, Fitzie."
"What's that?"
"Stay inside of the store until I get there. I don't want you standing on the corner by yourself." Danny knew that Martin would be vulnerable out there, and didn't like that idea at all. He grabbed his wallet and shoved it in his back pocket, then put the key card for the door in a front pocket and grabbed his keys. All he needed was his shoes, and he'd be on his way.
"I can do that. Thanks, Danny."
Danny smiled at the warm tone he heard, liking it much better than the bitterness that he'd heard in Martin's words right before the guy had left. "No problem. That's what friends are for, right? I'll be right there."
Danny ended the call, not wanting to delay his mission of going to get Martin. He slipped his phone into his other front pocket, then sat down to put on his shoes. Martin needed to be safe in their room, and not twelve miles away on some dark and dangerous Denver street.
Danny left the room and headed for their rental car. The twelve miles seemed to pass by slowly for Danny, and when he finally saw a convenience store, he felt relieved once more. Parking near the door, Danny got out of the car and frowned. There was just one street light, and it was right there on the corner. The cross-street didn't have any streetlights on it at all, and the lights on the street he was on were spaced at one per block, always on a corner. It sent a shiver down his spine as he thought of Martin out there running along such a dangerous road.
Walking inside the store, Danny heard voices and he turned his head to the right to see that Martin and another man were at the counter, talking. Or rather, Martin was talking and the other man was standing there ogling him. Martin was seated on the counter, a half-empty bottle of water in his hands, and he smiled as he spotted Danny.
Hopping off of the counter, Martin turned toward the other man, who Danny guessed was the night manager. "Looks like my ride is here."
The manager, who looked to be all of thirty, smiled back at Martin, and Danny didn't even try to hide his scowl at that. The man had no right to be flirting with Martin, no right at all.
"Hey, meet Hank. Hank, this is Danny," Martin said, introducing the two of them. He turned back to Danny. "Did you bring any money with you? I need to pay for the water."
"Sure." Danny was reaching for his wallet when Hank placed a hand on Martin's upper arm. "No problem." But, there was definitely going to be a problem if that asshole didn't let go of Martin in the next five seconds.
"Don't worry about it. It doesn't cost all that much and you needed it. Next time you want to go for a jog here, remember that you're not used to the altitude." Hank smiled at Martin, then looked at Danny. "I thought for a minute there that he was going to need mouth-to-mouth resuscitation."
Danny's eyes narrowed as he looked at the manager, and he pulled two dollars out of his wallet, not liking the idea of Hank's lips being anywhere near Martin. "Here. This should cover the cost of the water and the phone call."
Hank waved his free hand toward him. "It's on the house." Hank had finally picked up on Danny's mood, or so Danny thought, because his smile was faltering, and he slowly let go of Martin's arm, although his gaze had quickly gone from Danny and back to Martin in a second. Martin, oblivious as always, smiled happily back at Hank.
"I really appreciate it. I wasn't looking forward to running or walking back to the hotel, and finding your place open was a Godsend."
"Yes, we really do appreciate it," Danny echoed as he shoved the money back in his wallet, not really liking the way Hank was staring at Martin. "We need to be on our way back now."
"That's probably a good idea," Hank said. "Purgatorio isn't the best neighborhood in the city, and your car might not be there if you leave it unattended for too long."
Martin immediately looked worried. "Are you sure it's safe for you to be open this late if the neighborhood is that bad?"
That comment angered Danny. How could Martin ignore the fact that he'd been running in that same bad neighborhood and yet be concerned that Hanky boy was in danger? "I'm sure he's okay here, Martin. As a matter of fact, we're probably keeping Hank from closing."
Hank looked as if he was going to argue the point, but Danny glared at him, and Hank swallowed heavily, then smiled at Martin. "I was about to close up for the night when you came through the door. Why don't I walk with you two to the door so I can lock up right after you leave?"
"Sure." Martin headed toward the door, and Danny quickly moved so that he was between Martin and Hank. There was no way that he was going to risk having Hank and his roaming hands and ogling eyeballs near Martin again.
"You know, I know that I was staring at you for a bit, but it's because you remind me of someone who lives in the neighborhood," Hank said as he seemed to ignore Danny's presence. "You're not by any chance related to Vin Tanner, are you?"
Martin stopped and looked at Hank, a grin on his face. "I know him, and to be honest, we don't know if we're related. It's something that we're going to look into. So, he lives in this neighborhood?"
Danny shared Martin's surprise over hearing that. Tanner was a Fed, and made a decent salary. Why on Earth would he live in a neighborhood as bad as Hank made this one sound?
Hank nodded. "Yeah. He said that he lived here years ago, when he first came to Denver, and he doesn't see any reason in leaving now, just because he's a cop or something like that. Vin's pretty active at the community center, and the kids here just seem to gravitate to him. He's got an open door policy of sorts at his place, and the kids have never abused that, which is as much a testament to Vin's influence as it is to their honesty. Me?" Hank shrugged. "I wouldn't trust most of the kids here to not rob me blind if I turn my back on the register."
"Vin seems to be a good judge of character," Martin replied as he once more headed toward the door.
They were now at the door, and while Danny found Tanner's living arrangements to be interesting, they weren't as important as getting Martin out of there and back to the hotel where he'd be safe.
"Well, I'll probably be out this way again once Vin and I get things figured out. Maybe I'll see you then," Martin said. And damn if Hank's eyes didn't light up at hearing that.
Danny frowned, "Yeah, maybe *we'll* see you then." Hell would freeze over before Danny let Martin come back to Denver alone. It was bad enough that Larabee would be there, but now Danny had to worry about Hank getting his hands on Martin, too. Danny might not be able to trust himself with Martin, but he sure as Hell wasn't going to just let anyone have what he couldn't.
Hank's smile, which had been firm at Martin's words, faltered as Danny spoke, and Danny couldn't help but feel a bit of elation over that. "I'll be looking forward to seeing you both again," Hank said, giving Danny a look that clearly indicated that Hank had picked up on Danny's message and understood it.
Part Fifteen