Page 28 of There Once was a Dancer
I shook my head. “No, idiot. I took him back to my place.” I knew it sounded bad. I wasn’t the kind of guy who took guys home. “And it wasn’t Friday night, it was yesterday. Friday night, I helped get him away from a mob of assholes who were trying to kill him and—”
He held up a hand. “Wait…what’d ya do?”
I sighed and then started at the very beginning, telling him everything from start to finish. “And now, because Candy made me stay late and clean the damned vehicles, I missed pickin’ him up from the club after he got off work last night. I guess he’s pissed about it because now he won’t return my calls. No one told me about there bein’ no service down in the fuckin’ garage.”
“There’s never been any service down there, only a bloody landline.”
“Well, I never tried calling from there before. The only time I’m ever in the garage is when we’re gettin’ into the BearCat.”
“If ya date was so important, you should’ve just stopped for a few minutes and called your man.”
“Yeah, well, I’m an idiot. All I was thinkin’ was finishin’ the cleanin’ so I could go pick him up…like every second counted, you know.”
He shook his head. “Ya still an idiot.”
“You’re makin’ me feel worse and trust me, I didn’t think that was even possible.” He got silent and I turned to look. He was watching where he was driving. “What?”
He glanced at me before looking back at the road, shaking his head. “Ya really worked up about missing a date with this guy.”
“That’s what I’ve been tellin’ you.”
“And you’re absolutely sure ‘e’s not a rent boy?”
“NO!” I bellowed. The very idea of it was ludicrous.
“Keep your ‘air on, Grandad. It’s just ‘ard to believe. Milky told me Dance ‘All Boys is a meat market which is why Twizz liked it. ‘E’d go there to pick up guys all the time before meeting ‘is Joshua.”
I knew that was true. Nash had been the biggest player on the team before meeting and falling in love with Joshua Calder during a case nine months ago. “Well, if it can happen for Nash, it can happen for all of us, Clifford.”
He reached up and rubbed a hand over his face as he pulled off the freeway. “Please tell me ya not, like, falling in love with a man you’ve taken to bed one bloody time, Rex.”
“No, it’s not like that. I just feel different about this guy, even if he is a lot younger.”
He shook his head. “This just gets better and better. ‘Ow old is ‘e?”
“Twenty-five.”
“Jay-sus! Rex, ya cradle snatcher.”
“This conversation is really pickin’ me riiight up on a Sunday mornin’. Thanks, brother.”
He let out a quiet snort as we turned right on Mullholland. I watched him check the nav system on the dash as he followed directions. “I’m not meaning to make ya feel like shit, Rex. It’s just ya a bit long in the tooth for this young boy. Not that it’s an issue in my country. But you Yanks are a bit funny about that sort of thing.”
I winced as his words hit home. The disparity in our age was the only thing I’d been wrestling with since meeting Cachi. “You may be right, but I’m not so sure. And by the way, don’t call him a boy. Or me a Yank. Cachi’s been a breadwinner since he was much younger. He has no father and works two jobs to help care for his mama. He lost his home and very nearly his life during Hurricane Maria. After the storm passed and there was horrible floodin’, he rescued animals. When the jobs on the island dried up, and it became too hard to live with his relatives, he and his mama came to the States. I know he did it to make a better life for her.”
Mars nodded. “Just the two of them?”
“Yeah, they live at her sister’s house with her and her husband. He’s workin’ two jobs so his mama don’t have to work so hard. He even gave up the dream of becomin’ a vet because of it.”
“A vet?”
“Veterinarian. Like I told ya, he adores animals.” I grinned as I thought of how he’d reacted to my girl. “You should’ve seen how he took to Lola and she loves him right back. You know he’sgotta be good if Lola loves him already. Animals can sense when a person is good or bad. You know that.”
“Of course, I know it, but if ‘is age is bothering you, Rex... And it sounds like Lola is picking up on ya vibes since she sees how crazy you are about ‘im. Animals, like, do that ya know.”
I did know, but he hadn’t seen them together. Lola had been relaxed and happy in his arms. “We’ll talk about this later.” I didn’t need him pointing Cachi’s age out to me even one more time. I pointed to his nav screen to change the subject. “This is the neighborhood. Let’s recon the area.”
He nodded, turning onto Roscomare Road and driving the length of it twice. We noted the main gate which had a large guard shack. A uniformed security officer stood in the doorway watching three big men unloading a huge truck parked on Roscomare, preparing to set up what appeared to be a valet stand. I was relieved to note that Lincoln and Candy had been right about that. They’d also been right about there being no commercial buildings for a decent perch anywhere in the vicinity.
