{ #1 } I Was Shooting For The Moon, I Hit Two Stars (MxMxM || 18+)

Chapter 59 - A Long Night

"I'm... at the cemetery... Mount Hope Cemetery, hiding behind my parents' tombstone," he eventually whispers and I allow myself a sigh of relief.

"Good. Stay hidden, Baby. I'll be in my car in five minutes. I just have to make another quick call and I'll call you back right after," I say while I grab two sweatshirts and a blanket from the shelves, only getting a little squeal in answer. "Alex! Promise you won't go away!"

"Promise..."

"I love you, Baby. I'll be with you shortly," I say before I hang up.

As I walk out of the closet, I find a fully-dressed Shannon waiting for me.

"What the heck do you think you're doing, Babe?" I ask, taking the two small bottles of water he fetched.

"What!? Did you think I was going to wait at home?" he snorts.

"You're sick and you need rest!"

"There's no way I'm staying here while you go and pick up Alex!"

Yeah, I can understand his eagerness to see our boy again, and although it would be more reasonable for him to stay here and sleep, it's just pointless to fight against a stubborn Shannon in this situation and would only result in wasting more time.

"Fine, let's hurry up then," I sigh.

I know I won't get any service on my phone in the elevator and the underground parking lot, so I wait until we have settled in the car and connect it to the Bluetooth. It's a quarter past nine when I pull out of the building and turn right, following the navigation system's instructions. It says we should be with Alex before midnight – a bit earlier hopefully. On our way to the car, I recounted the conversation I had with Alex to Shannon and he is now chewing his lower lip, his knees gathered to his chest with his arms wrapped around them.

I see that I have a missed call from Tony and it reminds me that I need to speak with him before I call Alex back, so I ask the Apple virtual assistant to dial his number.

"Hey, Mark! Thanks for returning my call," he says with a mix of eagerness and worry in his voice. "Jeff is 99% sure he saw Alex about an hour ago, in Urbana."

"Tony, I just spoke with Alex. He's in Champaign and I'm already on my way there, but I need Jeff's help. Alex is at Mount Hope Cemetery, hiding from a bunch of bad guys. Could Jeff go there and watch over him until I arrive?"

"So, he's at the cemetery?"

"Yes, near his parents' grave."

"Jeff has been roaming the campus for the past hour, looking for him. I'll call him now and get back to you in a minute!"

As the call ends, I briefly glance at Shannon who is staring through the windshield, still nervously munching on his lips. Unfortunately, there is not much I can do to soothe his anxiety for now, so I only reach for his arm and squeeze it gently for comfort.

"Jeff is on his way to the cemetery and should be there in less than five minutes," Tony says when he calls back a couple of minutes later. "I asked him to remain discreet and watch over your boy from a distance. He'll know what to do if there's another issue with those guys."

"So, he saw them?"

"Yeah," Tony grunts. "He was searching bushes on one of the campus parks when his attention was caught by a young man running. He immediately recognized Alex, but there were four or five guys chasing him. By the way, congratulations on your boy! Apparently, he's a fast runner. Anyway, Jeff tried to interfere among the group of guys to stop them and he managed to catch one who accused your boy of ogling them in their showers this morning. Sadly, while doing that, Jeff lost sight on your boy."