“Yeah,” Lucas admitted.
Then the officer got close enough that theycould see each other’s faces.Constable Parker.Excellent.And ashe recognized Lucas, the cop stopped moving and his expressionchanged from polite concern to amused hostility.“You need to movethis vehicle,” he said smugly.“This is a dangerous place to stop,especially in this weather.”
Lucas could tell where this was going and hehad no idea how to prevent it from getting there.“Yeah.I’m justtrying to figure out the problem.”
“This is a public thoroughfare, not yourprivate garage.You need to arrange towing.”
There had been a time when that wouldn’t havebeen an issue.Scotty’s dad owned a garage, Paul worked there parttime, and Tinker got his nickname partly because he loved workingon cars.There was a time when Lucas would have had a free tow anda team of guys ready to help him figure out the problem and get itfixed for the cost of parts.But that time was gone, and Lucasreally didn’t have money for a tow or a mechanic.“It might besomething simple,” Lucas tried.“Give me a minute.”
“You’ve already taken one life, Cain.I’m notgoing to let you endanger more citizens because you want to playmechanic.Do you want to arrange for a tow or do I ship this to theimpound lot?”
“Come on…” Lucas looked at the impassive facein front of him and it hit him that the officer was right.He was agood man, doing his job.He could have driven right by, or couldhave yelled orders out the window of his car but he hadn’t.He’dclimbed out in the middle of a rain storm to come help a strandedmotorist.And when he found out that the motorist was a notoriouscriminal, he’d treated the killer the way killers deserved to betreated.More politely than they deserved to be treated, maybe.Lucas looked down at his hands, staring at the smudge of greaseacross his knuckles.“I don’t have the money for a tow,” headmitted.He’d spent the last of his cash on gas and had no credit,no money in the bank.
Parker didn’t answer right away, but when hedid his voice was as hard as it had been earlier.“Vehicleownership is a responsibility.If you can’t afford to maintain avehicle, you can’t afford to own one.”He stepped away and spokeinto the radio on his shoulder.“I need a tow to impound,” he saidto the dispatcher, and gave details of their location.
Lucas had no idea what he was supposed to do,but apparently it was all clear to Parker.“If you’ve got anythingyou want out of the truck you should get it now.Once it’simpounded you won’t have access until you’ve paid the tow fee.”
Lucas nodded mutely.There was nothing tosay.So he headed back to the cab of the truck and poked around.There wasn’t much to take.Then he stood and stared at theofficer.
“You going to call for a ride?”Parkerprompted.
“I haven’t got a phone.”
There was another long pause before Parkersaid, “I guess you’d better start walking, then.”
If the cop hadn’t been there Lucas probablycould have talked the tow truck driver into giving him a lift.Butif the driver was on police business he’d be following policerules, and Parker obviously wasn’t going to stretch things forLucas’s benefit.
It wasn’t that far and it wasn’t that cold.It wouldn’t be fun, but Lucas wasn’t going to die because he had towalk a few miles in the rain.“Do I give you the key?”heasked.
Parker squinted at him and stepped a littlecloser.“What’s going on with you, Cain?”He looked like he wasgenuinely trying to figure it out.“Shouldn’t you be swearing at meand calling me a pig?Raving about your rights and private propertyand how the truck had better come back without a scratch on it?Calling your friends and getting them to come start a riot todefend you?”
Lucas had no answers to any of that.He justlooked at the rain splashing into the puddles and asked again, “DoI give you the key?”
Parker huffed out a sigh.“Yeah.Give me thekey.”He waited while Lucas separated the car key from the fewothers on his key chain then took it wordlessly.
Lucas turned to start walking, and Parkersaid, “There’s a path just past that bunch of trees.It cuts behinda field, comes out by the mall.Shortcut.”
What was that?Charity?Lucas had become sopathetic that the cop who thought he was scum was starting to feelbad for him?He didn’t turn around or acknowledge that he’d heardthe suggestion, but when he got past the trees, he found the pathand took it.He was already cold and wet.He didn’t need to add“stupid” to his list of problems.
Besides, he wanted to get to Mark’s as soonas possible.He wanted to strip out of his wet clothes, wraphimself around Mark’s body, and take comfort.Sean’s loss wasdevastating, but there were still good things in the world, andMark would help Lucas remember that.And he wanted to remindhimself that he had come a long way and while his life might not becompletely shiny, it did have a few spots that glowed prettybright.Constable Parker was right about him, but he was alsowrong.Mark would remind Lucas of all of that.
There was no answer when Lucas hit the buzzerat Mark’s apartment.He checked his watch.It was still early, justa bit past two o’clock.Mark had said maybe he’d go out to the farmand see if Alex wanted to spend some time with him, and he went tothe hospital pretty much every day.Lucas thought about the walkacross town to the halfway house.It was a small town, less thanfive minutes door to door by car.At least another hour in thepouring rain by foot.And that hour would end with Lucas in thewrong place, far away from Mark.He pulled out the apartment key.He’d used it before but that was when Mark had known he was coming.This was something different.More intimate.
He used the key.Inside the building,sloshing up the stairs in his soaked and dripping clothes, theninside Mark’s apartment, and he sagged against the door.He feltbetter just being in Mark’s space, even without the man himselfthere.
It was strange how wet clothes could somehowfeel colder when they were being taken off.Lucas was shivering bythe time he’d worked his way out of his dripping sweatshirt.Helooked at the puddle already forming on the ground at his feet andtried to figure out some damage control.He wanted a shower.Waterhad made him cold, so now it was water’s job to make him warmagain.Seemed only fair.He could put his clothes in Mark’s littledryer, or maybe in the washer first, at least for a spin cycle toget the worst of the water out.Maybe Mark would be home by thetime Lucas got out of the shower and there would be a benefit tohis nudity.If he wasn’t, Lucas could just wear a towel until hisclothes were ready.He thought briefly about borrowing someclothes, but that seemed like another extra intimacy, and one thatLucas hadn’t been invited to practice.A towel would be fine.
So the clothes went in the washer and Lucaswent in the shower.The water burned at first but after the firstmoments it felt perfect.Lucas grinned as he thought of a parallelexperience and he felt the first stirrings of interest in hisgroin.He’d only bottomed once with Mark and he was pretty sure itwas going to continue being a rare event.He’d enjoyed himself butMark had seemed almost shy the whole time.Adorably shy and unsure,with Lucas practically walking him through it all step by step.Just one more boost to Lucas’s ego, courtesy of Mark Webber.Thememory had him half-hard but he consciously decided not to doanything about it.Mark would be home soon, and it would be muchmore satisfying to wait.
He stepped out of the shower and used a towelto dry off before he wrapped it around his waist.His clothes werenowhere near dry yet so he pulled a can of Coke out of the fridgeand flopped down on the couch.He wanted Mark, but in the meantime,he’d settle for watching TV without five other ex-cons looking overhis shoulder and critiquing his choices.
He was still flipping channels looking forsomething worth watching when he heard the apartment door open.Amoment later, Mark’s familiar body appeared from the hallway, butnext to him…
Fuck.Lucas sprang off the couch.Thankfullyhis towel came with him although he had to make a quick grab tokeep it from slipping.
Mark’s mother looked like she’d just seen amonster devour a baby.She was staring at Lucas, her eyes wide, hermouth open and sputtering.It would have been funny, something oldLucas would have laughed about, except for the reason she was soshocked.And except for the almost-matching expression on Mark’sface as all three of them stood frozen and stared at eachother.
Lucas was the first to move.He neededclothes.He crossed the room in two strides and yanked the drierdoor open, swept the contents out with one arm while his other wasstill holding up his towel, and took one step toward the bedroombefore reconsidering and heading for the bathroom instead.He hadno idea what Mark’s cover story was going to be but it probablywouldn’t be good for Lucas to look like he was a frequent visitorto the man’s bedroom.
