Chapter Three
Beau listened to the phone ring, biting his lip some. Hell, he didn’t even know if he had the right number no more. Sam was in the shower again, singing a little, cheerful as anything. Sam was always cheerful after they tore each other up a bit. This time no fistfight had been required. Just good shower sex. It was cute as fuck.
“‘Lo?” That was Jase’s voice, that was for sure.
“Jase? Jay? That you?” Beau had no idea what Jason would do. He might hang up.
“Beau? You okay, man?”
“Yeah. Yeah. I’m fine. I just haven’t heard anything about you in an age, man.” That was true enough. “Been wondering.”
“I…I’m cool. Hanging out at AJ’s place.”
He could hear someone’s voice in the background. “Who’s it, Mini?”
“BoBo.”
Beau grinned. Jason Scott had always been the only one to call him that just like Andy Baxter was the only one to call Jason Mini. “Is that Andy?”
“Yeah. Yeah, he’s here with me. Gramps is okay, right? I mean, he ain’t answering his phone.”
“He’s…” Beau sighed. “He’s escaped the hospital. I don’t know exactly where he is.”
“Shit.” The single word was bit out. “That ornery fuck. He knows I cain’t come get him and neither can Bax, not with his leg still tender.”
“Why can’t you?” That was all he could think to ask.
“I--” He knew the sound in Jay’s voice. Heknewit. He’d been there from the first time the little fuck got on a rank bull, the man’s first fist fight. That was pure fear.
“What is it, Jay? What can I do?” He’d been Jason’s friend, and he still was, damn it. He’d drop everything to help the man, just like he would Sammy or Coke.
“I. Fuck. Fuck, Bax?”
Wait. Wait, since when did Jason Scott ask Andy Baxter to fucking answer for him? What thehell?
“Hey, Lafitte. Jason is just fine, really. The head injury did a number on him, is all. Hey, if you hear from Coke, let us know. Jase has your number again now, so if we hear first, we’ll call.” Then Andy hung up on him. Boom. Just like that.
Shit fire. Even Andy Baxter wasn’t that much of an asshole.
“Sammy?”
“Yeah, Boug?” Sammy came out of the bathroom, rubbing himself dry.
He held out the phone, kind of stunned. “Andy hung up on me. Something’s wrong with Jase. Something bad.”
“Bad? Like Coke bad?” Sam came right up to him, took the phone. “Andy Baxter hung up on you? For real?”
“Yeah. Jase was…he couldn’t talk to me about it.” Damn it. Damn it, damn it,damn it. He should have called before now.
Sam frowned. “Couldn’t? Where is he?”
“At AJ’s. I mean, he could talk, but when I asked him what was wrong, he freaked.” Beau bit his lip again, pondering how far out of their way it would be to go to AJ’s place. AJ Gardner hada big old ranch, a lot of family, and was a good friend to a lot of folks. “He handed off to Andy, who fobbed me off and hung up.”
“Huh. I’ll call Aje, then we’ll drop by on the way home.”
“Yeah. Okay.” How did he and Jase get so far apart that he didn’t know what was going on?
Sam gave him a glance. “You okay, Boug? You look constipated.”
