by R. Cayden
“Did I just spot a moped by the back porch?” she asked. She swung the marshmallow bag in another wide loop, then tossed it to Gray. “I was thinking of building one of those in the city.”
“It’s supposed to be a moped,” Raiden said. He had a plain gray Carhart jacket on, and his hands were shoved deep in the pockets.
“Hey,” Horatio protested from his seat on the log. “It is a moped. Or it’s going to be. Don’t doubt my magic just because it’s taking me a while.”
“Horatio’s been building it for a few years,” Gray explained. “It’s kind of a sore subject around here.”
“He wants it to have a double engine,” Raiden stage-whispered.
An empty beer can flew by Raiden’s head, and Gray laughed when he saw Horatio staring across the fire with a smug smile. “I’ll make it a triple engine just to piss you off.”
Dee and Jameson both giggled, and Gray stepped closer to throw his arm over Jameson’s shoulder. They looked to each other with wide smiles. For all the ways Gray used to feel nervous about his friends being such a handful, Jameson had taken right to them and immediately focused on what made the guys so special.
“I just want a single engine,” Dee said brightly. “Don’t you think I’d look hot? Cruising around Brooklyn on my moped, wearing a three-piece suit and checking out the ladies.”
“She’s not joking about the suits,” Jameson said, then rubbed the top of Dee’s shaved head. “Most of them are pink.”
Everyone laughed, and Gray pulled Jameson a little tighter. His body was soft and warm, and beside the glow of the fire, Gray felt the satisfaction of knowing Jameson was safe. “Style icons,” he said, glancing at Dee.
Dee kissed Jameson on the cheek. “Even if no one else knows it.”
“We know it,” Horatio said from across the fire. “It’s cool. Usually, I spend all day staring at these two.” He gestured to Raiden and to Gray with his thumb. “You know Gray wears the same black sweater all winter, I swear.”
“Hey,” Gray laughed. “Don’t knock my sweater. It’s comfortable.”
“Yeah,” Jameson teased. “It almost fits him right, too.”
“I used to dress like you all,” Dee said, nodding at the guys. “Right up until a few years ago, I was all jeans and flannel. Then Jameson started to practice doing makeup on me, and then I started doing it on my own. Next thing you know—”
“She was dressing like a psychedelic businesswoman,” Jameson interrupted with a laugh.
Dee giggled back. “I’m a bartender, at least for now. Might as well take advantage of the loose dress code.”
Raiden crossed to Gray, then snatched the bag of marshmallows that was still dangling from his hand. “Well, no surprise Gray fell for you so fast.” He popped a marshmallow on a stick. “He’s always been a sucker for pretty.”
Jameson bent his knees in a slight curtsy. “I’ll take the compliment, thank you.”
“Don’t make me sound like a creep, man,” Gray protested. “It’s not like I’m trying to chase down every pretty guy who passes through town.”
It wasn’t that he was ashamed of his attraction or anything. A long time ago, he had decided not to take on other people’s bullshit, or at least to try not to, and he wasn’t about to feel embarrassed about loving a pretty man. But at the same time, he didn’t want Jameson to think he was only interested because he was femme. Sure, Gray loved how soft Jameson’s skin was, and the way his laugh sounded like wind blowing through chimes. But he liked Jameson for who he was as a person, and standing by the campfire, he took his hand with a squeeze, just to make sure he knew that.
“There aren’t enough guys in makeup up here for you to be a creep,” Raiden joked back. He had stuck another couple marshmallows on sticks, and he passed them around the fire. “But don’t get me wrong. Gray has hooked up with all kinds of guys. He’s—”
“Okay,” Gray said, tensing as he barked out a laugh. “Let’s not go there.”
Jameson grinned up to Gray, then turned back to the guys. “I’ve really only shared this side of myself with Dee before. Being with Gray is new for me, too.”
“It takes most people a while to find themselves,” Dee said. “And even longer to share that with the world.”
Horatio hooted out a laugh as he stuck his marshmallow stick in the fire. “You should have seen how Raiden used to dress!”
Gray laughed as the memory came back to him. “Sweatpants every day. Every fucking day!”
“It’s a look,” Dee said.
Raiden straightened his jacket. “I got it figured out.”
“A whole closet full of Carhart,” Gray teased.
“It’s a better look,” Dee laughed.
Gray let his hand drift down Jameson’s back, inching closer to his backside, and Jameson wiggled his hips a little closer approvingly. It was funny to go from hiding in the motel to being around friends, especially because they were suddenly shy about all those cute little gestures, like they were keeping secret the way they played with each other when they were alone.
It was the kind of thing Gray had never done with a guy before. And he knew, no matter how much he and Jameson were acting cute and shy, the second he was alone with Raiden and Horatio, he was going to be teased mercilessly.
He grinned, watching as Jameson leaned forward and fiddled with his marshmallow, the flames reflecting in his eyes and casting shadows over his face. Gray felt a surge of pride that they were together and that Raiden and Horatio obviously approved. As though that wasn’t enough reason for him to beam, he hit it off with Dee immediately, too. When he first spotted Dee walking up to the mansion to visit Jameson, her fierce style and attitude had made Gray want to know her, but that was back when Jameson was still pretending to be Justin Sweet, and a thousand walls had stood between them. But now?
“Oh my god,” Dee said, holding a hand straight in the air. “It’s Queen. Jameson, it’s your favorite.”
Gray turned his attention to the radio. “Somebody to Love” was pouring out of the speakers, and the lush song hit him with a thrill.
“No shit,” Raiden said. “Queen is Gray’s favorite, too.”
Jameson looked up to Gray. “Really?”
Gray scratched the back of his head. “I had a crush on Freddie Mercury when I was a kid. Kind of never got over it.”
Jameson’s eyes shot wide open. “I had a crush on Freddie Mercury when I was a kid, too!”
Everyone laughed, and for a just a second, the fire cracked and the drums and piano of the song sang out. Then Horatio threw his arm around Raiden’s shoulder. “Can anybody find meeeee!” he called out, his voice cracking and breaking like always.
“Somebody to love!” Dee and Raiden sang out in unison.
Gray and Jameson swayed with their friends, passing around toasted marshmallows and cheering with their cans of beers. Their voices almost drowned out the radio, but when they all broke down in laughter, Freddie Mercury’s voice and the rhythmic, throbbing percussion pulled them back together.
The night crept on, and everyone got lost in the fire and the music. Sometimes the singing would die down, and Gray would catch the chance to chat with Dee a bit, watching appreciatively while Raiden and Horatio made Jameson feel welcome. But just as quickly, another song someone loved would pop on the radio, and they’d all start screaming along again.
The temperature dipped, and they huddled together a little closer. It felt like family, Gray realized. He’d always felt that way with Raiden and Horatio, but somehow, having Jameson there with his best friend made that feeling even stronger and brighter. And from the smile on Jameson’s face, Gray hoped he was getting the same feeling and the same welcome from the evening.
As another song died down, headlights swept across the fire from the passing road. Gray startled to attention, like a bolt of lightning struck through the cozy feeling he’d nestled into with Jameson. When the car slowed and angled into their driveway, Horatio and Raiden leapt to attenti
on too and appeared on either side of Gray.
“Any idea what this is?” Gray asked.
“No fucking clue,” Raiden answered. He stood to full height and tightened a fist into the palm of his other hand.
Gray turned to Jameson, whose eyes had gone wide. “Could be anything, beautiful,” he said, then placed a hand on Jameson’s soft cheek, pinked with blush. “No need to worry. But let’s be safe. Why don’t you step into the trees here and stay back in the shadows? The woods stretch all the way around the property, so there’s no neighbors to worry about.”
Jameson nodded quickly. He turned to Dee, then nodded his head to the trees. “You want to come with me?”
Dee turned her eyes to the car, still idling at the top of the driveway. “Maybe I’ll stick around here, in case I can be helpful. That okay?”
Jameson nodded quickly. Gray took him in a hug, squeezing his shoulder, then released him quickly. “This will be quick. Okay?”
“Okay,” Jameson said with a determined nod, then grabbed an uncooked marshmallow and slipped into the shadows.
Gray’s attention focused like a laser onto the situation. He turned to Raiden first, pointing at his leg. “Don’t try anything. You’re already hurt.” He then faced Dee, whose face was tightened with concern, her easy smile gone. “I don’t know how much Jameson has told you—”
“He explained,” she said with a nod.
“Right,” Gray answered. “This could be anything, really. But if it looks messy, you get out of here. Got it? The door to the back porch is unlocked. You can go in there.” There was no way in hell he was going to go and get Dee messed up in whatever shit the guys had gotten into.
A few men appeared at the end of the driveway, at the top of the path that led down to the fire. “Evening,” Gray hollered, stepping forward as he squinted into the darkness. “Can we help you?”
The men started slowly down the hill and toward their little group, and Gray could feel everyone tense around him. He reminded himself that Jameson was safe, that no one would discover him there in the shadows. But still, every one of his protective instincts snarled like a pissed-off dog. Whoever these men were, they had come to his house, and he didn’t take a threat like that lightly.
“I said, can we help you?” he asked again, his voice sharp as he stepped forward.
The light reached the men, three guys who must have been in their forties. They each looked as plain and nondescript as Gray could imagine, with khaki pants and bland dress shirts, which he guessed was the point.
They probably weren’t looking to be recognized, whatever the hell they were doing.
“Evening, gentlemen,” the shortest man said. He had squinty eyes and a day’s worth of stubble on his face. “And lady, I suppose,” he sneered toward Dee.
Dee snorted, but didn’t say anything.
“We’re just enjoying an evening by ourselves,” Gray replied flatly.
The man turned to Raiden. “I hope you’re recovering from your car accident,” he said, ice in his voice.
Gray’s worst suspicion crashed down on him with the force of a brick house. It was the guys who had been moving the fentanyl, the ones he told Raiden and Horatio to leave alone. Fire licked up the back of his neck.
These assholes knew where they fucking lived.
Gray and Raiden exchanged a glance. Gray held his hand in the air, a signal to hold back. If push came to shove, he knew Raiden would be the first to throw a punch. But with Jameson and Dee there, Gray had to believe there was some other way, one that didn’t end in bloodshed.
“Do you have something you want to say to me?” Raiden asked. “Or did you drive all this way for small talk?”
The man sneered, and his two companions took a few steps in either direction, casing the property. Gray studied the way they moved, hoping to notice any weakness, an uneven gait or a favored leg he could exploit.
“We just wanted to come by, say hello,” the man said. “You’re lucky that we have some other problems keeping us occupied at the moment.” He stepped closer, drilling his gaze into Raiden’s eye. “Usually, when we catch a guy trying to break into one of our stash houses, we give him a lot more attention. A lot more love. You know what I mean?”
Raiden gritted his teeth. He could pummel the guy easily, Gray knew, and he hated being talked down to. Gray just prayed he could keep holding strong.
“Since we can’t give you that love and attention,” the man sneered, then finally broke Raiden’s eye contact to glance at the rest of them, “we thought we’d leave you with a little warning. Let you know that you’re not strangers to us. And if you ever, ever fuck with our men again…” He let a long pause stretch out, the fire crackling and some annoying song on the radio while Gray stood there, his heart in his throat. The man snarled, then lifted his shirt, revealing a handgun tucked into the waist of his pants.
“Well, nothing is worth losing your head over, is it?” He pulled the gun out, then waved it casually back and forth, almost like he was playing with a toy. Adrenaline flooded Gray, and he shot his eyes to his guys, begging them not to make a move.
The man trained the gun straight on Raiden, then smirked. Ice chilled through Gray’s veins, and he almost lurched forward to grab the gun, but thinking of Jameson in the woods, he stopped himself.
“Have a good evening, Raiden,” the man sneered. “Hopefully, we won’t be seeing you soon.”
Another second passed, the gun pointed at Raiden’s chest and Gray’s heart pounding, and then the man returned the weapon to his waistband. Gray let out a slow breath, and he and his friends stood in tense silence as the men walked away.
Gray shot his eyes around the group. Dee seemed fine, although clearly shaken, but Horatio and Raiden both had the fires of hell in their eyes. Gray knew it felt like swallowing nails to let some assholes come on their property and threaten their bullshit. He practically had steam shooting out of his ears, standing there. But lashing out wasn’t an option, especially not with guests at the house and a handgun in Raiden’s face.
Finally, the car doors slammed, the headlights flicked back on, and the pricks drove away.
“Fuck,” Dee breathed. “That was intense.”
“Jameson!” Gray yelled, finally letting himself feel the panic that he had put his guy in danger, and after all they had shared that morning. “Jameson, you there?”
The tension coiled in his body. He needed to see Jameson to know that everything was okay, that the threat had actually just passed.
“Four eight nine three two!” Jameson hollered, suddenly charging through the bushes and back into the yard. “One nine four!”
“What?” Dee yelped. “What are you saying?”
“Get a pen!” Jameson hollered. “A pen and paper!”
Dee grabbed her purse, then pulled out a pen. At the same time, Horatio ripped the side of the case of beer, handing it over to Jameson.
“I can’t believe we let those guys walk away without saying anything,” Raiden said, cursing under his breath. “They’re going to tell everyone we’re weak.”
“Better than being dead. You saw that they were packing,” Gray answered. He watched as Jameson frantically wrote on the piece of ripped cardboard, his eyes wide.
“Okay,” he said, finally handing the pen back over to Dee. “Got it.”
“What?”
“Keith Harrington,” he said. “His address is right there in Albany.”
Gray shook his head quickly. “I’m confused.” He crossed over and took Jameson in his arms from behind. Immediately, his heartbeat lowered, and he felt able to breathe again. “What are you talking about?”
“I snuck around the side of the house,” Jameson said. “Those guys left their car unlocked, so I took a peek at what they had.” He stuck the piece of cardboard out, smiling shyly. “I could hold his address and credit card number and everything in my head. I just couldn’t think about anything else until I wrote it down.”
Raiden and
Horatio both erupted in laughter, breaking through the rest of the tension.
“You’re fucking amazing, Jameson,” Raiden laughed. “I can’t believe you did that!”
“He does all his own stunts,” Gray joked, squeezing Jameson a little tighter. “Although he’s not supposed to do anything like that.” He pressed his mouth close to Jameson’s ear. “You could have gotten caught. You could have gotten hurt.”
Jameson nodded. “I know. But I paid attention and made sure I was safe. Plus, I didn’t know what those guys were going to do. The idea popped into my head, and I thought, if it meant I could help you all, it seemed worthwhile.”
Horatio grabbed the piece of cardboard, grinning as he stared down at us. “Fuck, kid,” he said. “For all we know, you could have just saved our lives.”
Gray nodded. “They might have left tonight, but it’s true. If anything escalates, at least this gives us some tools. We can identify them, keep an eye on their movements, and run some opposition research.” Still, Gray felt anxious. He hated Jameson putting himself in danger, especially for something that had nothing to do with him. Swallowing, he clasped his hand on Jameson’s shoulder, then rubbed it softly. “I won’t forgive myself if something bad happens to you,” he said quietly.
Jameson nodded. “And I won’t forgive myself if something bad happens to you, handsome.”
Gray was glad it was dark out because hearing Jameson call him handsome in front of the guys was enough to actually make him blush.
“Holy shit,” Dee said, then popped the top off another beer. “You guys aren’t joking around out here, are you? Those guys were freaky.”
“Don’t be fooled by the fashion,” Raiden joked. “You New York City kids have nothing on us.”
Dee breathed out a puff of air. “I believe it. I’m glad you’re in the clear.”
