Ultimate Sacrifice Read online

  Guardians

  — Book 4 —

  Ultimate Sacrifice

  Damien Benoit-Ledoux

  www.damienledoux.com

  Purple Spekter™ Press

  Copyright © 2018 Damien Benoit-Ledoux

  All rights reserved. No part of this may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior consent of the Author, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

  KDP Paperback ISBN-13: 9781729124079

  Kindle ASIN: B07H39JHJZ

  WORK OF FICTION

  This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  EDITIONS

  Paperback

  • 1.0 | TBD

  Kindle

  • 1.0 | November 3, 2018 | Kindle Launch

  Dedication

  Book 4: Ultimate Sacrifice is dedicated to newlyweds (and my little brother) Chris “Goodbutt” Eldridge and his beautiful wife, Caitlin. You are both amazing individuals who inspire me to strive for the best.

  P.S. Chris, thanks for humbling me at Game Nights during our Halo matches on the XBOX. The truth is, I let you win.

  P.S.S. Caitlin, thanks for naming those jeans and Chris’ character.

  The Guardians series is dedicated to all LGBTQ youth and young adults everywhere who have struggled to love themselves, or struggle to love themselves today.

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Author’s Notes

  1 | Thanksgiving

  2 | The First of Many

  3 | Power Play

  4 | A Jigsaw Puzzle with Missing Pieces

  5 | Revenge of the Nerds

  6 | Things are Looking Up...Mostly

  7 | Unexpected Revelation

  8 | The Path of Vengeance

  9 | We Stand United

  10 | Six Degrees of Separation

  11 | Blue Spekter 1; The Order 0

  12 | Lashing Out

  13 | December Disaster

  14 | You Can’t Give Up Now

  15 | Fallout

  16 | They Won’t Be Expecting This

  17 | I Won’t Give up on Him

  18 | A Whole New Level of Low

  19 | Heartwrench and Desperation

  20 | Try not. Do…or Do Not. There is no Try.

  21 | Where Did You Come From?

  22 | Battle Royale

  23 | The Boot is on the Other Foot

  Guardians will conclude in…

  If You Enjoyed this Book…

  About the Author

  The Purple Spekter™ Shop

  Acknowledgements

  My husband and handsome hero Tim, for his constant encouragement and willingness to share in this part of my life. I truly appreciate your support as I jockey between our lives, work, and several novels.

  I love you, through all of time and space…

  Riders of Dragons and Slayers of Typos

  Jim Adcock

  Bob Silverstein

  Jay Wong

  Beta Readers

  My team of beta readers who pre-read the novel and provided feedback and suggestions to strengthen the story. Thank you.

  Jim Adcock

  Victor Freeman

  David Pruette

  Bob Silverstein

  Jay Wong

  Contributors

  These fine superhero supporters added something to the story, such as an idea, a character, subject matter expertise, or simply shared their thoughts with me about something I was working on.

  Ron St. Germain

  Lisa Ehrlich

  Author’s Notes

  On Chronology

  I believe you may be accustomed to reading the chapters of a book in order with the expectation that each chapter chronologically moves the story forward toward its climax and resolution. That being said…most of the time, Quinn and Blake’s storylines run in parallel chronology, but occasionally, a subchapter may take place at a different point in time. When it matters, I’ve been explicit about it. Otherwise, it doesn’t matter.

  The Guardians Series Novels and Cliffhangers

  Although this book has an ending, it is part of a larger work and isn’t meant to stand alone. Thus, I’ve decided the book has a sufficient ending many would consider a cliffhanger ending.

  To be more unclear:

  My writing style is inspired by the J. R. R. Tolkien sense of a book series. The primary books are not separate books only related by a series or collection, but rather the characters and stories in each book are part of a larger story that spans several novels.

  Make these Superheroes More Enjoyable

  Let's be honest for a moment: extra stuff can be cool. That's why I created free, bonus content for you to enjoy on my Web site about the Guardians series. It contains additional details about characters (spoiler free) and the unique places Quinn and Blake visit, such as the Orgonon Reactor Core. You can access it here:

  http://damienledoux.com/the-guardians-series/

  On Findeing Typohs?

  If you found a typo, please let me know. Despite the many editing passes and multiple sets of eyes, typos, like nasty gremlins, creep into the text. It’s extremely frustrating but with your help, we can eliminate all typos, everywhere—or at least in my novels. Use the contact form at the link below to submit a typo or other textual error. Thank you so much for helping me improve my stories!

  http://damienledoux.com/typohunters/

  1 | Thanksgiving

  Quinn

  “Why did I agree to do this?” Keegan asked, hugging himself to keep warm. His teeth chattered while he waited with Quinn behind the starting line of the Portsmouth Turkey Trot near the high school, a holiday 5K run and a family tradition for the McAlester family.

  “Because you love me,” Quinn replied, squeezing his boyfriend’s hand. He wrapped his arms around Keegan and gave him a bear hug to help keep him warm.

  “If it wasn’t so windy it wouldn’t be as bad,” Daddio said, jogging in place to keep warm.

  “And, it’s a family tradition, no matter how cold it is,” Dad added.”

  “I’m not sure I want to keep doing it given how cold it is today,” Daddio responded with a half-smile. The weather had turned unseasonably cool and a wind chill from the ocean made the air feel much colder than it was.

  “On your marks, runners!” a loud, mechanical voice announced through a megaphone.

  Moments later, the starting pistol fired and the throng of runners moved in waves out of the starting gate. Quinn, Keegan, and his family took off as well, but the boys hung back for some privacy while Quinn’s dads, Tim and Aren, ran ahead with some of their friends and coworkers. Since Keegan wasn’t a runner, Quinn decided to run slower so his boyfriend wouldn’t feel alone and left out—especially since he had labored to convince Keegan to run with him that morning. In addition, running fast in nearly zero-degree weather wreaked havoc with his lungs and sinuses, a nuisance he hoped to avoid.

  “I’m surprised your dads still let you do this, being grounded and all,” Keegan said, huffing as he struggled to keep up with the pace Quinn set.

  “No kidding. It seems being grounded doesn’t stop me from attending family traditions.”

  “I still wish I could see you later tonight,” Keegan replied, sucking in air.

  “I know,” Quinn responded. “Maybe they’ll relax a little with the holiday and all. It’s been a week now, so maybe full bellies and a couple beers will help me get off the hook.”

  “I hope so,” Keegan huffed, bouncing his eyebrows suggestively at Quinn. “I
really miss you.”

  Quinn grinned. “I know what you mean.”

  “So, um, are we almost done yet?” Keegan asked, mischievously smiling as he clutched his heart.

  Quinn snorted. “We’ve barely run a tenth of a mile, but I’ve got good news…we only have three miles to go!”

  Keegan groaned and then laughed. “So, what’s it like for you when you’re grounded?” Keegan asked.

  “School, work, home; school, work, home,” Quinn answered, his voice monotonous and drone-like. “And, my dads are all over me, constantly checking in to make sure I’m where I’m supposed to be. It’s pretty annoying.”

  “I bet. Are they always like this?”

  “No. To be honest, I can’t remember the last time I was grounded. I think I really hurt them this time.”

  “Why exactly did you skip school? You never told me,” Keegan huffed out.

  Here I go again with another lie. “I honestly felt sick early that morning, but around ten I felt better. So, I went for a walk in the park. I didn’t think it was gonna be a big deal, you know? But apparently, it was the end of the world.

  “Parents suck,” Keegan said, laughing and struggling to breathe as they jogged.

  Quinn shrugged. “Eh, not really. I’ve got pretty awesome dads, even if they’re being annoying while trying to get their point across.”

  Thirty-five minutes later, Quinn slowed to an easy jog and let Keegan cross the finish line first. His boyfriend had stopped several times as they ran, clutching the cramps in his side and now he was heaving like he was going to pass out or die from exhaustion. Around them, runners who had finished the race were drinking warm beverages and huddling in silver Mylar blankets to keep warm.

  “Come on,” Quinn said, wrapping an arm around Keegan’s shoulders. His boyfriend’s cheeks were pale and blue. “Let’s get you inside the cafeteria and get warmed up before you freeze to death.”

  “I’m n-n-never d-d-doing this ag-g-gain,” Keegan stuttered, his teeth chattering as his shivered in the cold. “This s-s-sucks.”

  “I’m sorry, babe. I didn’t know it would be this miserable for you. I’ll work on my dads tonight and do my best to make it up to you.”

  “You, b-b-bet-t-ter,” Keegan answered with a half-smile.

  The boys made their way through the crowd and into the high school’s cafeteria where they warmed up on hot apple cider, donuts, and other treats. In a few minutes, the color returned to Keegan’s cheeks and Quinn breathed a sigh of relief.

  Good, I didn’t almost kill my boyfriend today. Hopefully next year, it won’t be so damn cold, but I suspect it will be hard to get him out here again. Now, I need to think about how to get my grounding lifted.

  ❖

  “Dad, can I please go to Keegan’s tonight? Or can he come here and hang out?” Quinn asked, sitting down on the couch opposite his fathers, who each held a glass of red wine and sat in silence, enjoying the quiet of the post-Thanksgiving dinner clean-up. He chose the straightforward approach with his dads in the hopes of regaining his freedom.

  Dad raised an eyebrow and looked at him with casual interest. Daddio looked at his husband and said nothing.

  “You’re still grounded,” Dad said.

  “But, it’s been a week, I think I’ve learned my lesson.”

  “And what is the lesson you’ve learned?”

  “Don’t ever cut school again,” he said, but it came out sounding like a question.

  “Sorry, wrong answer.”

  Daddio suppressed a giggle, and Dad glanced at him with somber amusement.

  Quinn sighed. “Look, I told you; I felt better later in the morning. I didn’t think there was anything wrong with going to Prescott Park. It’s not like I ditched school to not go or something stupid like that,” He struggled to maintain the believable story he concocted to protect his necessary lie. “Don’t you think I deserve a second chance?”

  “I’m sorry, but a question like that is akin to leading the witness,” Dad responded.

  “Oh, come on,” Quinn exclaimed, throwing himself back into the cushions of the couch with exasperation. Sometimes it sucks having an attorney for a father.

  The grin on Daddio’s face grew and threatened to split his head in two.

  Quinn folded his arms across his chest in frustration. “I can see your face, Daddio. You’re ready to bust a gut, so am I still grounded or not?”

  Dad took sip of his wine and looked at his husband. “You were never really good with this discipline thing, you know.”

  “Why are you blaming me?” Daddio asked, surprised. “I agree with Quinn on this one. You’re just pissed off because you decided to leave work and rearrange your appointments instead of calling him and that put you out, so you took it out on Quinn…who I admit, should have texted us his plans. That’s why I didn’t balk your decision to ground him.”

  “You may have a point there.” Dad sighed and set his wine glass down on the coffee table. Then he sat back, folded his hands in his lap, and looked Quinn directly in the eye. “However, no more lying young man. Don’t think we haven’t noticed you sneaking around a little bit here and there. You’re a good kid, and we don’t think anything is wrong with you…but I don’t want to be proven wrong.”

  Quinn sat up with excitement. “I promise, no more lies. So, can Keegan come over?” Dad rolled his eyes and looked at Daddio.

  “Hey, he’s going to be eighteen in a year-and-a-half.”

  “Guys, please stop goofing around with my life!” Quinn pleaded.

  “All right,” Dad said. “Your penalty is lifted. Yes, Keegan can come over.”

  “Thank you!” Quinn exclaimed, jumping up from the couch. Then, he ran over to his dads and gave them each a quick kiss and a hug. “I’m sorry I hurt you, I didn’t mean it, really.” After they accepted his apology, he ran upstairs to grab his phone so he could text Keegan.

  When he picked up his phone from his desk, he softly gasped when he saw a text message from Ana Maria Garcia on the screen. He unlocked his phone and read the message: Can you meet me after school on Monday?

  Quinn texted back: Yes, at like four o’clock.

  A moment later, his phone buzzed with her response: Good, it’s time to teach you what I know.

  Finally. Quinn smiled and then switched to a message thread with Keegan and texted him the good news about his regained freedom.

  ❖

  The doorbell rang, and Quinn jumped off the couch with excitement. “I’ve got it,” he announced. His dads nodded but didn’t move, half-asleep from the long day of preparations and their third glass of wine. He walked to the front door and opened it, unable to suppress the massive grin on his face.

  “Well, hello there,” he said, greeting Keegan.

  “Hi,” Keegan responded, winking at him. A big smile covered his face as well. “Where are your dads?” he whispered.

  Quinn jerked his head toward the living room.” Almost asleep on the couch.”

  Keegan smiled even more. “Good.” Then, he stepped inside, closed the door behind him, pressed Quinn back against the wall behind him, and kissed him deeply. The hallway lights flickered.

  When Keegan pulled away, Quinn exhaled a sigh of relief. “I love it when you do that,” he whispered.

  “I’m glad,” Keegan replied, bouncing his eyebrows. “Want to go upstairs?” Quinn looked toward the living room. “Uh, my dad’s are still awake.”

  “You know they’ll figure it out, one way or the other.”

  What the hell. “You’re right,” Quinn replied, thinking with his heart instead of his mind. He smiled. “Come on.” Hand-in-hand, Quinn led Keegan upstairs to his bedroom.

  “How was your Thanksgiving?” Keegan asked.

  Quinn looked at him funny. “It was good. The family came over and we ended up with two turkeys, way too much food, and extremely full bellies. You?”

  “Went to my grandma’s house for dinner, but we had pretty much the same as you, except only one
turkey.”

  “Cool,” Quinn answered, completely disinterested in discussing Thanksgiving traditions with his boyfriend at the moment. He shut the door to his bedroom, turned around, and smiled wickedly at Keegan, who had pulled off his coat and hung it on Quinn’s desk chair. Then, Quinn advanced and pounced on his boyfriend, falling onto the bed with him.

  “I’ve been waiting all week for this,” Keegan said.

  Quinn’s eyebrow went up with interest. “You mean, you haven’t, uh, taken matters into your own hand…”

  Keegan shook his head. “No, I waited, and it was super-hard. No pun intended.”

  “So did I,” Quinn responded, chuckling. I can’t wait to feel you in my arms.

  “Really?”

  “Really!” This is going to be so much fun.

  Forty-five minutes later, when the excitement and heavy breathing had subsided, Quinn pulled out some comfortable clothing from his dresser and handed Keegan a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt. He grabbed sleep shorts and a tank top for himself.

  When Keegan had pulled on the pajama pants, he looked at his shirtless body and then looked at Quinn’s shirtless body. “Man, you really hit the gym a lot, don’t you? Your muscles are awesome; you’re really jacked.”

  Quinn pulled on the sleep shorts and then flexed his arms. “Thanks. I’m glad you like it.”

  Keegan looked back at himself. “I wish I had more muscles like you.”

  Quinn walked over to Keegan and his hand over Keegan’s heart. “Don’t start that, babe. Don’t play the comparison game. I think you’re super hot and I love you.”

  Keegan smiled, grabbed his hand, and pulled him in for a kiss. “Thanks,” he said. They pulled on their shirts and Quinn turned on the television for background noise. Then, he climbed onto the bed with Keegan and snuggled up his arms, allowing himself to be the little spoon. They watched a downtown San Francisco trolley action scene from an old Nicolas Cage and Sean Connery movie. Quinn settled into Keegan’s warm embrace, hoping his contentment would last all night.