V: The V in Vigilant

the way back to the apartment with youdoing that.”
Another laugh. Matt sounded anything butsincere when he said, “Sorry.”
But when he began to extract his hand fromthe front of Vic’s pants, Vic caught his wrist and held him inplace. “I didn’t say stop. We just have to find someplace dark andquiet.”
“Parking lot?” Matt asked. As they came to astop at the light on Lakeside, he pointed to the well-lit lotoutside a nearby Shriner’s Temple across the street.
Vic knew the spot well—the bus stop there waswhere he usually picked up Roger in the mornings. But tonight heshook his head as he eyed the bright halogen lights. “Too lit up.I’m thinking something a little more private…”
He turned right onto Lakeside and nodded atthe dark wooded area known as Bryan Park—the same area where Matthad spent the afternoon with Sadie. The park was home to the lakethat gave the Lakeside section of Richmond its name, and paths forwalking or biking wound around the waterfront and along streamsthat branched off into the woods. There were also tennis courts anda soccer field that was usually open to the public, but at thishour, those fields were dark, deserted. Vic knew—he doused hisheadlights the moment he entered the park and peered into thedarkness, his night vision still going strong. The soccer field wasempty, and from the lack of cars in the small lot beside the lake,Vic guessed the tennis court was, as well. He couldn’t see itthrough the stand of evergreens that shielded the court from view,but the lights weren’t on. It had to be clear.
Pulling into one of the parking spots with agood view of the lake, he cut the engine and stared out at thestill, inky water for a moment. The night around them wasn’texactly silent, but there were no crickets chirping, no annoyingcicadas calling to each other, no birds rustling about in thetrees. Somewhere he heard drunken laughter followed by an angryshout, but the wind changed direction and he couldn’t make out thewords. As Matt usually had to remind him, other people’s affairsdidn’t concern him, superpowers or no. He couldn’t save theworld…
“Earth to Vic.” Matt shifted in the passengerseat and tugged on Vic’s cock, eliciting a gasp of delight from hislover. The button on Vic’s work pants popped open and his zippereased the rest of the way down as Matt finally withdrew the harderection that had grown uncomfortable in the tight confines ofVic’s underwear. Leaning across the gearshift that separated them,Matt breathed into Vic’s ear, a hot rush that warmed Vic down tohis toes. Massaging the thick length in his hand, Matt murmured,“This is going to be cramped.”
“Don’t care.” Reaching down, Vic found theseat release and pushed back to give himself more room. He movedpast Matt only to find Sadie’s wet nose now pressed to his ear. Ina stern voice, he commanded, “Sadie, lay down!”
The dog obeyed, setting her head in her pawsas she stretched across the back seat of the car. The last thingVic wanted was to be disturbed. Matt’s hand was firm on his dick,the pressure maddening, and when Vic slid down a bit in his seat,Matt leaned over to touch his lips to the tip of Vic’s swollencock, humming faintly. The tune vibrated through Vic and he thrustup into his lover’s mouth, one hand curving around the back ofMatt’s neck to hold him down—
“Leave me the fuck alone!”
Vic jerked upright, gripping Matt’s neck.“Did you hear that?”
Matt licked down Vic’s length and up again,tongue twirling a moment around the flared head of Vic’s cock,before he let his lover slip from between his lips. “Hearwhat?”
It had been a man’s voice—Vic had heard itclearly when the wind shifted direction but it was gone now. Herolled down his window and listened, trying to ignore Matt’sinsistent fondling and the spit cooling on his dick. Even with hisextended vision, he could see no one nearby—the soccer field wasdevoid of life, the lake as calm as a mirror reflecting the moonabove, the trees still. After a moment, when the voice didn’t comeagain, Vic shook his head. He ran a hand through Matt’s curls,smoothing them down. “Nothing. I thought—”
A man’s angry shout interrupted him, tingedwith fear. “No, no!”
In an instant, Vic was out of the car,tucking himself back into his pants and zipping them up. Mattclambered out beside him, glancing around nervously. “Vic,who…”
Vic nodded at a dark shape skirting the backof his car. “Matt, the dog.”
When Matt had opened his door, Sadie jumpedout. Now he chased her down, catching the end of her leash beforeshe could go too far. Once he had her in hand, he came up closebeside Vic as if seeking comfort just by being near him. His voicewas a ragged whisper, his eyes wide. “Vic, who was that?”
“I don’t know.” Suddenly the sunglasses werea hindrance; Vic snatched them off and foisted them onto Matt.Peering into the night, though, he still didn’t see anyone nearby.Then he closed his eyes and focused inward instead, letting hismind open like a net, spreading over the immediate area, searchingfor someone in need…
“NO!”
Like a compass, his mind whirled toward thesound and pointed out the direction. The tennis courts, hidden bythe trees. Vic sensed three people, and he dove in deeper, seekingmore information. Two of them were muddled, the thoughts crazed,slurred…drunk, Vic thought, abandoning them. The third heldanger and fear, and Vic’s stomach sickened as he recognized Roger,the wheelchair-bound ex-soldier from his route. His voice was theone Vic heard. He needed help.
Unclipping his cell phone from its holster onhis belt, Vic shoved it into Matt’s hands. “Call the police,” heinstructed. “Call Kendra, okay? Tell her two drunk assholes areassaulting a disabled man over at the tennis courts. Tell her toget here quick, because when I get through with them—”
“Vic.” Matt grabbed his arm. “Wait.”
For a moment Vic thought he’d protest.Don’t go, he’d say, or wait for the police. Thiswasn’t his fight. He’d heard it so often, he could argue Matt’sposition easily enough. But Vic couldn’t just sit by when someoneneeded him. He had the strength to stop those jerks from doingwhatever they were doing