Slip and Slide

by Patricia Logan

  “What Earl says is right,” Nickels said. “Were only a matter ‘a time. We all dreaded the day when we had to seal up that shaft of the mine. Knew it would be a problem ‘cause ‘a the lack of ventilation. One little leak and ‘boom’.” He made an exploding motion with both hands at the sides of his head.

  “Do you think the men who went down there to repair the roof support knew that when they took the acetylene torch down there to work?”

  Keene nearly growled and Jarrett pinned him with a serious glance. The guy looked like he could murder Thayne just for asking the question.

  “Weren’t Darby and Kevin’s fault. They had to do the job. There ain’t no other way to fix one ‘a them supports but to cut it with a torch. ATF can’t come down here from California and decide we did somethin’ wrong. That fuckin’ company don’t pay us what we’re worth. They threaten to take our jobs and shut the mine if we don’t work in them conditions. You’d ‘a taken the same risks Darby and Kevin did if it were your only source of income to put food on yer table. All you feds think ya know everything. You don’t. Just go back where you came from and leave us be.”

  Jarrett watched the man’s eyes fill with angry tears and as his buddy patted him on the back, Keene hastily wiped them away. He glanced back up at Thayne and Jarrett with a deep frown on his face.

  “Can you promise y’all keep an open mind?” Kyle Anderson asked.

  “We aim to,” Jarrett replied. “We’re interested in what you boys may know about why Saginaw never fixed the mine after gettin’ the federal safety money. You hear anything about that?”

  “We didn’t know about that until after this explosion. Apparently, Mr. Haney was damned mad about it and he started cryin’ when he came to the hospital to visit Harlan,” O’Connor said. He looked downright pissed.

  “So, you never knew that the mine was awarded federal safety funds for the upgrades needed in the mine until then?” Thayne asked. His partner looked like he could chew nails.

  “Naw,” Anderson said, “But we know now. He’s just as complicit as the owners, if ya ask me.” His tone was one of utter disgust.

  “Now Kyle,” Jasper Keene said, “You don’t know that. I think he was just at Boggs’s mercy. We all know that bastard is as responsible for this as the company.”

  “Hush, Jasper, he’s here,” Kyle Anderson said.

  Jarrett glanced over Jasper’s shoulder to find none other than Jeffrey Boggs walking toward them with Congressman Clifford Geary. Jasper, Earl, and Tuff spun around and stared at the two men walking toward them. When they got close, the miners all stood up and turned to face them.

  “Please sit, gentlemen. I don’t mean to disturb y’all,” Boggs said. “You remember the congressman.” Clifford Geary stuck out his hand and shook all of theirs, keeping the plastered-on smile in place.

  “We were just leavin’,” Jasper Keene said.

  “No, please, we just wanted to say hello,” Congressman Geary said. “We won’t take any more of your time.”

  Jarrett looked at Thayne and inclined his head toward the door. He wanted to get the hell out of there because the last people he wanted to talk to were Clifford Geary and Jeffrey Boggs. When Thayne nodded ever so slightly, he turned to Boggs. “We’re sorry too. We were just leavin’.”

  Geary stared back at them with a look of slight surprise on his face and Boggs’s expression was not happy at all. In fact, the man looked like he was biting back a rude comment as the muscle in his jaw ticked.

  “Well, I’m sure we’re both sorry to miss the opportunity for some fine conversation with the ATF,” Geary said as Boggs just ground his teeth together. “Aren’t we, Jeff?” He turned to look at Boggs.

  “Very,” Boggs said. The guy didn’t look anything like he was sorry they were leaving. Jarrett and Thayne watched as the two men turned their backs and walked over to an empty table, sitting down.

  “Thanks for talking to us,” Thayne said to the miners. His partner held out a hand and they all shook. Jarrett followed him over to the bar and paid the bartender as the others said their good-byes and left.

  Jarrett and Thayne walked out as soon as they’d paid their tab, satisfied that at least they now knew that the miners had been bitching for years about the mine’s working conditions while Haney had apparently hidden the fact that Boggs was holding tight to the purse strings. It didn’t look good for Haney and it certainly looked bad for Boggs. The man had used the money for something, that was certain. How he thought he could hide it away and not use it for its intended purpose still boggled the mind but having a man like Geary as an ally probably didn’t hurt a bit. It still surprised Jarrett, though not much did anymore. He thought he’d seen it all.

  “Ready to go back to our room?” Thayne asked.

  “More than ready.”

  ****

  Jarrett climbed behind the wheel of the pickup and started it as Thayne sat down in the passenger seat. He flipped on the headlights and pulled out of the gravel parking lot, turning onto the main road. This far out, the road was little more than a two lane dirt road. They were at least two miles outside of town and Jarrett headed back toward their hotel in town. He turned on the radio and switched it to a country station. If Thayne protested, he would argue back but chances were, they’d be listening to his favorite music since nine out of ten stations played only country anyway. He glanced at Thayne who was fastening his seatbelt and ignoring the music. He withheld the urge to grin widely as his partner glanced over and rolled his eyes when Kenny Loggins started to sing.

  “You should be used to it by now,” Jarrett commented, checking the rearview mirror. A pair of headlights appeared behind them as a car turned onto their two lane road from a side road behind them.

  “I have news for you. I’ll never be used to it,” Thayne groused.

  “You liked it when my brothers and I played for you.”

  Thayne reached across the seat that separated them and grabbed Jarrett’s hand. Jarrett turned to find Thayne’s eyes blazing. “I’ll always love nights like that. It lets me see the real Jarrett Evans and believe me, that’s not always an easy thing. There’s way too many walls between us.” Thayne smiled at him and the moment he saw it, a rush of some strong emotion went through him. It felt so good to cling to his hand and stare into those beautiful blue eyes. The sudden revving of a motor sounded behind their truck and Jarrett looked up into the rearview mirror just in time to see the car that had been following them was suddenly bearing down on them, so close, it felt like the guy wasn’t going to stop. Thayne let go of his hand and twisted around to look out the back window of the truck.

  “What the hell?” he asked.

  Jarrett sped up to put some distance between him and the dark car behind them. He couldn’t make out the model but it was wide, probably an older model American car with darkly tinted windows. As soon as he sped up, the car sped up, closing the distance between them quickly. When the car gunned its engine and rammed into their bumper, Jarrett almost couldn’t believe it.

  “What the fuck!” he shouted, stomping on the gas.

  “That was no accident,” Thayne growled, looking out the back window again. “No front license plate. Great.”

  “Yeah, no shit.” Jarrett cursed as the car sped up and hit them again. He swerved to get out of the way and let them pass but the Chevy truck was top heavy and it careened into the oncoming lane. He quickly swerved back into his own lane as the heavy car behind them hit their bumper again. The crunch and scrape of metal to metal was deafening.

  “Christ!” Thayne yelled.

  Jarrett glanced at him. He was wearing his seatbelt but it was stretched at an odd angle as his body twisted so he could look behind them. Jarrett glanced back at the road, noting a pair of headlights coming at them on the opposite side of the road. To the right, the road fell off into a di
tch with no shoulder. The car gunned its engine again and Jarrett was jolted forward as the car slammed into the bumper.

  “Goddammit! This ain’t funny anymore,” Jarrett swore as he fought to stay in his lane.

  “Stay on the road, Jarrett!” Thayne yelled.

  Jarrett glanced at him only to note that Thayne was staring straight out the front window, clutching the strap near his door to keep himself in place with one hand with his left hand braced on the dashboard. The car in the oncoming lane was now only 200 feet off and when the car behind Jarrett smacked into the back of them again, the screech and crunch of metal echoed through the cab of the truck. The wheel was wrenched to the side and Jarrett found himself clinging to it hard as the truck was pushed into the oncoming lane.

  “Jarrett!” Thayne screamed as the headlights bore down on them.

  “Jesus!” Jarrett wrenched the wheel to the right, turning out of the oncoming lane as the headlights flashed their high beams at him.

  At their high rate of speed, Jarrett could barely control the truck as they roared past the oncoming car. The car’s horn blared as they passed, making one of those eerie sounds that retreated quickly. The moment they passed the car, he spun the wheel back to keep them from pitching right off the two-lane highway and into the ditch on the right of them. The car behind them sped up again, slamming into them and with a sickening crunch of metal, their entire bumper tore loose and slid right off the truck. He glanced into the rearview mirror in time to see sparks explode on the asphalt as the car behind him swerved to avoid the long metal bumper that careened across the road between them leaving a bright trail.

  Jarrett righted the truck, straightening it out and punching the gas as he spotted the lights of town ahead of them. Within a quarter mile, the lights from the car behind them dimmed and then vanished. The American-made Chevy bumper had probably saved their lives by falling off when it did. If he’d not been able to avoid hitting the oncoming car or had been pitched into the ditch, they probably would have been killed.

  “What the fuck just happened?” Thayne whispered from beside him. He glanced over as he noted how white his partner’s face looked.

  “That was no joy rider. He was out to kill and maim,” Jarrett growled.

  “Goddammit! What is it about us and vehicles, Jarrett?” Thayne repeated.

  “I haven’t a fucking clue but I’m getting really damned sick of it.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Jarrett pulled into the parking lot of their hotel and parked as close to the entrance as he could, once again ignoring the valet. If they had to leave fast, he didn’t want to have to wait to get his keys. At this point, all he wanted was a stiff drink and to get to their room where they’d be safe. He hadn’t admitted it to Thayne but he was really fucking freaked out by what had just happened. The fact that it had occurred so soon after seeing Boggs and Geary was enough to convince him that something wrong was going on in this town. Whoever it was, certainly didn’t like the fact that Jarrett and Thayne were asking questions of the miners. It was probably no coincidence that they’d been nearly pushed into an oncoming car right after Boggs saw them talking to the miners.

  They walked into the hotel’s front entrance but before going up to their room, he grabbed Thayne’s arm and dragged him over to the front desk. The desk clerk, a young college-aged kid with a pimply chin, smiled a bright smile as they walked up.

  “What are you doing?” Thayne asked.

  Jarrett stared at his confused expression. “I need something before we go upstairs.”

  Jarrett pulled out his room key and showed it to the desk clerk so he’d have their room number. “I was wonderin’ if y’all have room service?”

  The kid nodded. “Of course, sir. What can we bring you?”

  “I need a bottle of Jack Daniels. Can you handle that for me?” He reached into his jeans and then held out a fifty.

  The kid’s eyes widened as he took the money, nodding furiously. His expression looked like he’d just won the lottery. “I’ll bring it up myself, sir. Would y’all like ice?” He looked back and forth between him and Thayne.

  “Please. Thanks.” Jarrett turned and glanced at Thayne, giving him a sideways smirk before heading for the elevators. Thayne followed close at his side.

  “Need something to take the edge off, Jarrett?” Thayne asked. His tone sounded slightly more amused than Jarrett was feeling at the moment.

  “To be honest, I think I’m gonna need more than Jack Daniels to take the edge off. You better get ready.” He knew he sounded almost frantic and he couldn’t care less. He wanted only two things at the moment. A good stiff drink and his partner, naked and writhing on the bed below him as he fucked him hard.

  They got into the elevator and he punched the button as Thayne chuckled beside him. Jarrett turned to glare at him but couldn’t bring himself to do it when he saw the smile that lit up Thayne’s whole countenance. He reached out and grabbed him, pulling him into the elevator and drawing him in close the second the doors shut. His lips came crashing down on Thayne’s which were compliant underneath his. It wasn’t every day that Jarrett felt the overwhelming urge to punish something or someone and he really hoped Thayne was going to be up to it.

  To his credit, Thayne’s body melted against his as he slid his arms around his middle. Jarrett was hot and horny as he plundered Thayne’s mouth with his own. Their first coupling of the evening was going to be hard and fast, of this he had no doubt. The only question in his mind was whether he could get off before room service arrived with their bottle, or whether they should wait until after it was delivered. Thayne groaned as he kissed Jarrett, sucking at his mouth and meeting Jarrett’s passion with his own as he took what he wanted. It seemed his partner was in much the same frame of mind as he was, and that suited him just fine.

  Jarrett spun them in a half turn and he slammed Thayne back against the side of the elevator. Thayne oomphed a breath into Jarrett’s mouth as he refused to relinquish his lips, instead trying to pull him even closer, kissing and pressing against his body even harder. Jarrett kissed him violently, thumping Thayne’s head back against the wall of the elevator as he crowded his body against it. Thayne groaned in protest but to his credit, he gave as good as he got from Jarrett, meeting his kisses with desperate ones of his own, clinging to him tightly, and grinding against his hard dick with his own thick cock.

  They only separated when the door dinged announcing the elevator’s arrival at their floor. The second after the door swished open, Jarrett grabbed Thayne’s hand and pulled him out into the corridor, heading straight for their room with the keycard in hand. He refused to let go of Thayne, not caring if anyone else saw him. He smirked at his lover’s surprised gasp and glanced at him as they walked, only to find him wearing a poorly-concealed smug smile on his lips.

  “Yeah, keep that up and we’ll see how hard you’ll be laughing when I got ya naked.”

  “Someone’s on a mission,” Thayne remarked, not sounding bothered by it in the least.

  “Yeah. You can say that again. A mission to get my boyfriend naked and get inside him,” he huffed.

  They stopped at their door and Jarrett shoved the keycard he was still holding into the slot. The light on the door blinked from red to green and the mechanical door lock clicked. A second later they were inside the room. Jarrett walked in and turned on the bathroom light, illuminating the suite in low light. The room smelled fresh and clean and he stalked over to the bedroom where he sat on the bed to begin unlacing his boots. When he glanced up, Thayne was standing over him with his hands on his hips staring down at him.

  “What?”

  Thayne grinned. “Nothing. It’s just that you’re rarely in this mood… you know, the one with no pretext about what you’re after.”

  “Then I ain’t been doing it right.” Jarrett abandoned his boot laces and re
ached for his lover, grabbing him around the hips and yanking him forward. Like a man possessed, he reached for Thayne’s belt buckle and began undoing it to get to the package he wanted, beneath the thick 501 denims. Once he got the belt open, he started working on the buttons, slipping them through their holes as he became more desperate with each fastening. Thayne slid his fingers through Jarrett’s hair and ran his nails over his scalp trying to pull at the short strands. The sting felt so fucking good, Jarrett found himself groaning.

  He parted the fly of Thayne’s jeans and reached inside the boxer briefs, not having to search long before he was rewarded with the prize he sought. Thayne’s hard dick popped free over the waistband of his boxers and Jarrett yanked them down his thighs along with his jeans.

  In a matter of seconds, Jarrett bent his head and took Thayne into his mouth. Thayne gasped in surprise as he stood, rooted in place while Jarrett sucked him down. There was no way he was waiting for room service, because at this point, the only thing Jarrett wanted to drink was his partner, all of him. He was like a starved man who craved Thayne, so out of his mind that only one thing would sate his thirst. He sucked hard and Thayne tightened his fingers in his short hair, grasping at the strands but not being able to get a firm hold on the short white length of it. He couldn’t care less about anything except sucking Thayne off at the moment anyway. If the whole Bluefield High School marching band would have come into the bedroom at that moment, he wouldn’t have relinquished Thayne’s cock.

  “Christ, baby,” Thayne gasped as Jarrett sucked him down to the root, until he could feel the short hairs of his pubes tickle his lips.

  Jarrett could feel the power in Thayne’s thighs under his fingers as he massaged them, sliding up to the muscular globes, bringing his groin closer to his face as Thayne began to fuck his mouth in earnest.