Assuming the guy wasn't going to dump him.
Tony wasn't thrilled that they gave him a sedan instead of a truck, but this was the big city. They did weird things in the big city. Thank god he lived in Cade Creek. He much preferred the smaller town.
Tony grimaced as he folded himself inside small car. He wasn't huge by any means, but he stood at six foot two inches tall. These little sedans nowadays were not made for bigger men like him. It was a freaking sardine can.
The trip from the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Lex's place in Georgetown took a lot longer than Tony would have liked. Part of it was traffic. Part of it was not knowing the quickest way to get there.
By the time Lex's building came into view, Tony was ready to run down the next idiot who cut him off. It was a damn good thing he didn't carry a gun or he would have capped someone's ass ages ago.
Tony parked the little blue sedan across the street then climbed out. He took a moment to look around. Something was different, but he couldn't figure out what it was. There was something in the air, an expectant breath.
It was unsettling.
Tony crossed the street then made his way inside the building then up the stairs to Lex's apartment. When he reached the third floor, he knocked on the door.
There was no answer.
He knocked again and then again. Still, there was no answer. Tony finally gave up and started to walk away, but the door across the hallway opened and a white-haired lady stuck her head out.
"If you're looking for Lexter, he's not here."
"Do you know where he is?"
"Lexter was attacked a couple of days ago, right there in his apartment."
Tony's blood ran cold. "Attacked?"
"Yes, the poor dear. The police were here and everything." The old woman shook her head. "It's just disgraceful what this neighborhood is turning into. Imagine, getting attacked in your own home."
"Where is Lex now?" Tony wanted to reach over and give the woman a good shaking, but he doubted he'd get any information out of her at that point. "Did they take him to the hospital?"
The old woman shook her head again. "The poor dear was so badly beaten, he's in a coma."
"Coma?" Tony gasped. He reached over to the wall to steady himself. "Which hospital?"
"I think they took him to Georgetown University Hospital, but you can ask his fiancé when he gets back. He should be here soon. He just went up to the hospital to check on Lexter, but he has to be back soon to let the movers in."
Tony swallowed tightly. "Fiancé?"
Lex had a fiancé? Since when? Had he had a fiancé when they had been together or was this a new development? Tony curled his hands into fists. He didn't know whether to scream or cry. Maybe this was why Lex never called him or returned his calls. The bastard was engaged to get married.
"Oh yes, such a charming young man. Robert Carson is his name. He's getting all of Lexter's stuff packed up and moved to his house in Alexandria while Lexter is in the hospital so he never has to come back here. I'll miss him, of course. He was a good neighbor, but I understand why Mr. Carson wants his fiancé moved somewhere safe."
"Yeah," Tony said absently, his mind still reeling. "Georgetown University Hospital, you said?"
The lady nodded.
"Thank you." Tony's head was in a whirl as he turned and went down the stairs. He felt kind of numb, and that scared him because he knew eventually, this was going to slam into him with the force of a freight train.
When he got downstairs, Tony wedged himself into the sedan again, but then he just sat there staring into nothing. The anger was expected, as was the hurt. It was the confusion that surprised him. What did he have to be confused about? Either Lex cheated on him with someone else, or he cheated on someone else with him. It was that simple.
Wasn't it?
What if it wasn't that simple? Could there be any other way to look at this where Lex wasn't a cheater and he wasn't a chump? Tony gripped the steering wheel until he heard it creak under his fingers. He needed answers and only Lex had them.
Except he was in a coma.
Tony groaned as he leaned back. If Lex was in a coma, there was no way Tony was going to get answers out of him. Tony didn't know what to do. He slid his cell phone out of his pocket and called the one man that might be able to give him some prospective.
