"I'll tell you. You're not going to believe it, though."

"You'd be surprised how many conversations I have that start out like that."

Sitting up became an epic battle, but Reegan eventually gained his feet and pointed at Saul's arm. "Let's get that cleaned up first." The blood was in danger of dripping onto the tan area rug under Cammie's desk.

Scowling, Saul cupped his hand under his elbow and followed a limping Reegan into the bathroom. "You could use some attention too. That cut above your eye needs cleaned."

"You first."

Saul acquiesced, but drilled Reegan with questions as he stripped out of his shirt. "Any double vision? Headache? Nausea?"

Yes to all, but except for the double vision, which had improved, none of it could be blamed on the fall. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" He hissed as Reegan dabbed a wet washcloth over his skinned elbow. "How's your ankle?"

"Sore. I'll live." Blood-tinged water trickled down Saul's ribs despite Reegan's efforts to keep the mess contained. Even scraped and bruised, he was gorgeous. It would've been easy to get distracted by the sculpted chest if not for the large patch of scraped skin on his arm. Bits of gravel were still lodged in the wound. Blood had clotted and crusted over in parts, but others still dripped.

Reegan rewet the washcloth and got back to work. "Bet this isn't part of your normal job description." He took Saul's arm and turned it toward the light.

Saul craned his neck to look. "I've had worse."

I'm sure you have. He remembered some of what Maxie had said. Ex-cop. Ex-special forces. No question about which of them would come out on top if pitted against one another. Reegan ground his teeth as he finished taping gauze over the wound. It was both a comforting and disconcerting thought and reminded him that having Saul on his side wasn't an option. It was imperative.

And he was about to screw that up by giving the man what he wanted. The truth.

"Now you." Saul stood, and they did a little dance in the small space until their positions were reversed. Reegan slouched against the sink while Saul worked on him.

"This routine is getting too familiar for my liking."

Saul gave a quiet snort. Brow furrowed, he dabbed antiseptic on Reegan's skin. "Which one?"

Good point. "The one where I'm sitting in your bathroom getting patched up by your rapidly dwindling first-aid supplies."

"Ah." Saul leaned back to meet his gaze. "I was hoping you didn't mean the one where you were sitting half-naked between my legs."

Not even a spark of interest from Reegan's cock. Then Saul smiled, the shy, vulnerable smile Reegan had seen only rarely, and it perked up, twitching eagerly in his pants. He eased his hands behind Saul's thighs and pulled him nearer. Two steps and they were as close as possible in the cramped space. Reegan brushed his lips over Saul's stomach.

Saul laid the cotton swab on the edge of the sink and cradled Reegan's head in his hands while Reegan pressed kisses to his torso. Usually when they touched each other the tension climbed with the speed and force of a rocket. This time, Reegan held it in check, turning to lay his cheek against Saul's stomach. "Thank you."

He'd said it before, just a few minutes ago, and he'd been sincere, but those words had been laced with bitterness and sarcasm. These contained something else altogether.

Saul's hands, which had been sifting through Reegan's hair, stilled then tightened for a moment, the grip painful, before going lax. "You almost got killed, you idiot."

And it wouldn't be the last time. Reegan heaved a sigh. "Sorry."

"Yeah." Saul gave an audible swallow. "Don't do it again."

Damn the man. Reegan had spent long, lonely nights wishing he'd hear that kind of emotion in a lover's voice. Never once had that wish been granted. Until now.

When there was no hope it would last.

"We done here?" Reegan asked, voice gruff. Saul released him and stepped back, and Reegan turned away from his searching gaze. If he wanted to maintain any kind of control for the ensuing conversation, he'd need to get his heart in check.

"We're done." Saul retrieved a bottle of pills from the medicine cabinet and shook four into Reegan's hand. "Ibuprofen. Just take them. You'll be thanking me later."

Reegan swallowed them dry, eyeing Saul as he did the same.

"Marty doesn't get to work until six. I don't want to be seen hanging around waiting for him. That gives us a few hours to kill."

Reegan winced. "Please don't use that expression."

"Need to lie down?"

Like the desert needed rain. Reegan nodded. Yeah, he needed to lie down. Maybe they'd avoid that conversation after all.

He followed Saul out of the bathroom, but instead of leading Reegan back to the cot, Saul closed the door to his office and started lifting cushions off the couch. "Ready to talk?"

They were going to talk in bed. As if Reegan's defenses weren't compromised enough, he'd be naked with Saul while he confessed to being a time-traveler from the future. Perfect. How the hell was he going to separate his heart and head when Saul was pressed to him head-to-toe, staring at him with open affection? Affection Reegan returned wholeheartedly.

"Are you sure?"

"Am I sure we're going to talk?" Saul unfolded the mattress to reveal a neatly made bed, complete with crisp sheets and blue velour blanket. "Or am I sure I want to be in bed while we do?"

"Both?"

Saul popped the button on his jeans. "I'm sure."

He stripped off the rest of his clothes while Reegan silently panicked and did the same. Saul set the alarm on his cell phone, shut off the lights, and they slipped between the sheets at the same time.

Lack of artificial illumination didn't give Reegan the masking darkness he'd been craving. The mini-blinds did little to hamper the bright sun. Stripes of light cut through the plastic strips, painting the walls around them, and Reegan couldn't shake the feeling it made the room look like a prison cell. Saul moved close, but not near enough to touch, and propped himself up on his elbow. "Okay, Reegan. Let's hear it. No bullshit."

As if bullshit were possible with this kind of intimacy. Saul's plan all along, probably, but Reegan couldn't rouse any anger at the ploy. He was a lousy liar no matter the circumstances. A fact that might be his only saving grace in the next few minutes. Saul could smell lies, so Reegan wouldn't tell any.

"Okay." Reegan flipped onto his back and laced his fingers behind his head. "Here goes. Pretty much everything I've told you is true. I've just left some things out."

Saul lowered his eyes and fiddled with the sheet. "What part wasn't true?"

"The part about Silvia needing medicine. That wasn't true."

"Yeah, I figured."

Reegan resisted the urge to fidget. "And the part about her not knowing the city. She knows it. So do I. We both grew up here. Live here. But that's not going to make much difference in how easily we find her."

"In what possible way won't that make a difference?"

At least Saul's voice had remained somewhat calm up until now. Reegan hoped that counted for something. "Because...we're from the future. One hundred and twenty-five years, to be exact." He said the words fast, blurring them together, but the way Saul's eyebrows shot into his hairline meant he'd heard and understood them just fine.

Reegan had expected disbelief. Anger. Laughter. Of course, Saul had to surprise him.

"I see."

"You do?"

"Absolutely."

But before Reegan could breathe a relieved sigh, Saul's warm, comforting presence disappeared. Naked, he padded the few steps to his desk and yanked out the lower bottom drawer. Reegan sat up in alarm, worried his confession had awakened Saul's desire for another hidden bottle of vodka. The sick rolling in his gut multiplied tenfold when Saul emerged not with a bottle, but a handful of cash. Reegan's cash.

Saul tossed the loose roll on the bed, and it landed in Reegan's lap. "That's not all of it, obviously. But what's been spent has been done so in relation to your case, so consider it payment for services rendered."

"No. Please." The money felt wrong in his hand. Reegan held it out, urging Saul to take it back.

He didn't. "Get dressed and get out."

"Saul-"

Saul cut him off with a sharp gesture. He'd kept his distance, remaining behind the desk, still gloriously naked. Even in the low light, Reegan caught the hurt in his gaze. "I told you once. I don't play games." He braced himself on the edge of the desk. "Not anymore."

Clutching the cash in his hand, Reegan climbed from the bed. He had to salvage this. Even if Saul threw him out, abandoned him to continue on alone, Reegan couldn't leave him with that look of betrayal in his eyes. "I'm telling you the truth."

Saul did laugh then, a harsh, biting sound that held no humor.

"Look at me!" Reegan tossed the money onto the bed and spread his hands. "You know I can't lie worth a damn. You wanted the truth, well you got it. I'm from the year 2145. My job is to lead tour groups into the past, and let me tell you, the business is a fucking goldmine. Silvia joined my jaunt last night but ran away once we got here. Why she ran? I can only guess. Her husband seems like a real prick." He held up his wrist. "Look. I can prove it. This device is called a bio bracelet."

"You sure it's not called a watch?"

Reegan dismissed the cool tone. "It does a lot of things, actually. Keeping time is one of them. But its extra features include allowing me to control the time portal and keep track of the people I bring here."

"It doesn't work so well, does it?"

Scowling, Reegan dropped his hand. "She got hers off somehow."

Saul gave a dismissive snort.

Reegan would have preferred to fight this battle clothed, but maybe this was better. Fewer barriers. Fewer places to hide. He edged around the bed, waiting for Saul to move away, retreat, but he held his ground. Brave to a fault. Brave and in so much pain. It bled from his expression, his rigid posture, and the hands clenched at his sides. They'd both invested too much in this connection. Too much, too quickly. They were sharing a temporary thing here. Saul couldn't have known that, but Reegan had no excuse. Now it was too late. His heart wasn't listening to reason.

"Saul, I swear to God I'm telling the truth. And I wasn't lying about the danger, either. There are-" How the hell could he explain this? "There are rules about time travel. Don't ask me to get technical. I'm not a scientist. But we don't belong here, Silvia and me. Temporary visits, those are okay. But staying permanently is impossible. Deadly, in fact." He stepped around the desk into Saul's personal space. "If I don't find her and get the hell back to the future, we're both dead."

Saul could have been a statue for all his chilly stillness.

"Look at me," Reegan demanded, softer this time. He risked a touch, a hand on Saul's arm. "That's the big secret. The thing I've been hiding from you. Do you understand why I did? But however unbelievable it sounds, I promise it's the truth."

More explanations and apologies flew to his lips, but Reegan bit them back. He'd said his piece. He'd have to hope it was enough.

He'd thought he'd lost when Saul sidestepped, and Reegan's hand fell away. But all Saul did was move to the window and stare through a crack in the blinds. Arms crossed and back to Reegan, he shook his head. "I don't know what to believe."

Not the worst thing to hear, by far. Weak-kneed, Reegan sank onto the mattress, then pulled the sheet over his lap. Thin protection, but comforting. "Then let me tell you more. Would you...would you please turn around?"

A shudder racked Saul's frame. "Why?"

"Because I want to look you in the eye for this." And because he'd be able to judge Saul's reaction. After the past day, he'd learned that talent went two ways.

Saul threw a glance over his shoulder, took in Reegan's slumped figure, and sighed. "Fine." He scooped his jeans from the floor and slid them on, but he didn't join Reegan on the bed, choosing to perch on the edge of the desk instead. Distance Reegan couldn't begrudge him, but the implied loss felt as though he'd swallowed a block of ice.

Two fortifying breaths and Reegan began. "What do you know about time travel?"

"Besides it's impossible?"

Reegan rubbed at the ache forming behind his temples. "Yes. Besides that."

"Nothing. Enlighten me."

He'd asked for it. Still, Reegan floundered at first. "The discovery is actually not that far down the road. Maybe twenty years. 2042, if I recall. But it took decades to make the process economically feasible, even longer to understand the dangers involved. But now, I mean, where I'm from, it's commonplace."

"Let's say I believe you." Saul pursed his lips, focusing on a spot over Reegan's shoulder. "Doesn't all that bouncing around in time screw up history? I mean, aren't there...contradictions?"

"Paradoxes. We call them paradoxes. You've probably heard of the Grandfather Paradox. Where a man goes back in time and kills his own grandfather, thereby preventing his own birth."

"It rings a bell."

Reegan grabbed at the kernel of interest in Saul's voice. "That's faulty science. The result of years of supposition and what was considered common sense, at the time. Paradoxes don't exist. Time exists in a loop, you see? Loops within loops, and because of that, events are far more stable than initially believed."

Saul bent over his knees. "You're saying the future already happened."

"It's happening now. Everything is happening now. And then. And before." Reegan gave a shaky laugh. "I know. It can give you a headache. I never bothered much with trying to understand it beyond what was required to pass my physics tests."

"You're telling me you have no idea how it works? And yet you travel back and forth through time as a-a what? A tour guide?"

Breathing through the sting of the insult, Reegan nodded. "You drive a car every day, Saul. Do you understand the exact mechanics of the internal combustion engine? Do you know how a microprocessor works? I bet not. You just accept that they do. Why is it so difficult to understand I'm not well-versed in the mechanics of time travel?"

"Because it makes you sound crazy."

Reegan conceded the point. "To you, probably. Okay, more than probably," he amended when Saul shot him a dark look.

They stared at each other for several seconds, neither willing to surrender. Finally, Saul blew out a breath and dropped his head, breaking eye contact. "Keep talking."

"We can travel to the past and move through it for limited periods of time. Research proves short jaunts are overwhelmingly safe. But the longer a traveler stays, the greater the danger their presence will cause a potential paradox. Their interference radiates and expands at an exponential level. When that happens, when the ripples get too big, the traveler is eliminated."

"Eliminated." Saul looked to swallow a smile. "How?"

Several examples came to mind. "Stray bullet?" Reegan touched his bandaged cheek. "Runaway truck?" A slip in the shower. As he'd said to D'arco, the possibilities were endless, the fight unwinnable. Reegan waited. With Saul's keen intelligence, he'd make the connection soon enough.

It took a mere two seconds. "And Silvia doesn't know this, right? She thinks she'll be safe here."

"She does." That was Reegan's theory.

"If this time-travel stuff is so prevalent, why didn't she know trying to escape into the past was impossible?"

"Maybe she hacked her cyberschool account and cheated on her science tests. I don't know. It's the kind of stuff kids learn at a young age, but I suppose it's one of those details that would be easy to forget if you're not exposed to the subject every day."