“Yeah.A party wasn't a party for that little runt unless hewas dragging somebody else down too.”
“Don't call him names,” Laurie said distantly.“Hedied.”
“All right, all right, Sir Laurence.”
Thestranger's voice was deep and good-natured.He took the bottle anddrank off a long swig.By the light of the grapefruit moon that hadsuddenly leapt out of the tumbleweed, Laurie finally recognisedWesley Lombard.That was progress, but now he couldn't recall whatWes had asked him.Something about England, wasn't it?Oh.Yes,that was right—England, and having it all.“I did,” Laurie told himsincerely.“It was great.I was gonna be Romeo.”
“So I heard.What possessed you to come over here and horn inon my little piece of the action?”
Thequestion wasn't aggressive.That was odd, because from what Lauriehad seen of Wesley so far, he was a charmless, discourteous sod.Various things were surprising.No shaper vest tonight, just aplain white shirt, concealing nothing of the big, broad-shoulderedman he was.A relaxed and companionable air, as if he and Lauriemet back here to share a bottle all the time.“Reasons,” Lauriesaid, feeling that covered most things.The tequila was good, but ahandful of Valium by moonlight was better, floating him far, faraway from the memory of Bailey's skinny corpse being carried awaybeneath a blanket.“This is like a wake for him, isn't it?I didn'tmean it—to horn in on you particularly.It just worked out thatway.”
“And you wouldn't think about packing up your accent and yourcute young British ass and going back home?”
“But...they'll stop filming now, won't they?”
Wes snorted.“Doug can't afford to stop.He's got to claw backhis outlay on this, or the wholeBloodMoonfranchise will go down.”
“How will he end the film without Bailey?”
“Ah, he'll mix up the footage he's got in the can already.He'll use stunts and CG for the rest.Yeah, the circus will rollon.”
“Jesus Christ.”
“Well, you'll roll with it, won't you?”
Lauriecouldn't think about it.He was sure of one thing only.“I justknow I can't go home.”
“Okay.”Wes was close enough that Laurie felt him shrug.“Fairenough, then.I wanted to give you a chance.”He glanced towardsthe other trailers, as if looking for something or someone, butwhen Laurie tried to follow his gaze, all he could see was blurringsilver light.
“A chance for what?”
“Never mind.Forget it.I just wanted to say—we haven't beengood friends, have we?I haven't been very kind to you.”
Lauriewould have laughed aloud if he hadn't felt so sick.“Apart fromasking who the fuck I was, this is the first time you’ve spoken tome at all.”
“Yeah.I've been a jealous bastard.”He shifted, put an armaround Laurie's shoulders.“Look, I know you liked Bailey, and Iheard what you did for him.Nicole told me.Everyone else juststood around, but you went in like a war-zone paramedic, puke andall.”
Laurie could still taste it.He'd washed and washed, cleanedhis teeth half a dozen times.He grabbed the bottle back whenWesley offered.It wasn't the puke he minded: growing upin loco parentistoClara, he'd dealt with worse than that in the shape of nappies andfairground-ride accidents.It had been the empty, endless tang ofdeath behind it.One of the medics had taken him aside.You did all you could.But we think he died rightaway from the overdose.He'd probably been gone for half an hour orso before he was found.
Laurieturned to face Wes.The arm around his shoulders was heavy, toowarm, but it had a pulse.He didn't resist when it drew him in.Herested his spinning head with relief on the broad chest.“I'msorry,” he said, muffled against cotton.“Dunno what's the matterwith me.Just...give me a minute, okay?”
“No hurry.”Fingers probed through Laurie's hair, pushing dampstrands of it out of his eyes.“You're pretty drunk, you know.Wantto hang out with me for a little while, just forget about itall?”
Thatsounded bloody marvellous.It was what Laurie had been out herefailing to achieve for hours.He looked up, curious to see how Weswould do it—understood, and tried to recoil.
He hadleft it too late.He was nothing but grief and toxins.Not grieffor Bailey, not really—for Sasha, who wouldn't let Laurie save himeither, not with all the money and success in the world.“I've gotto go,” he mumbled, pushing back against Wes's shoulders.“Sasha'scoming out here if I don't.Got to stop him.”
Wesleycaught hold of his chin, lifted Laurie's mouth to within an inch ofhis.“Forget Sasha.I'm all you've got now.”
Lauriemade it to his feet.He wasn't sure how.He was leaning on thetrailer's flank, both hands pressed to it for balance.The metalwas still hot to the touch, a day's stored-up energy radiating off.Everything was so fucking hot, the air dry and dusty, unsustainingto his heaving lungs.Two years ago on Birchwood Heath he'd lain infrozen bracken, gasping Sasha's scent—oh, sweet wild sparks of iceand fire, the beginning of everything.This was the end.Had hepunched Wes, found strength to thrust him away?Whatever he'd doneit didn't matter, because there was the bastard still.He rose upin front of Laurie, briefly eclipsing the moon, and then he droppedto his knees.
Hismouth was clumsy around Laurie's cock.He'd made an awkward job ofpulling his pants down too, and Laurie detachedly guessed that ifhe did this with other guys at all, it was probably the other wayround.Should Laurie feel honoured?Dreadful amusement surged up inhim.This was the ultimate price for all his transformative gifts.He could get out of his flesh and into someone else's with theflicker, the tiniest effort of will.He should have known a timewould come when he couldn't get back in.
Ithardly mattered.Thrown clear of his own car crash, Laurie floatedfive yards out from the struggling pair by the van.The flesh he'dleft behind him thrust and groaned, but that was only reflex—asNicole had reminded him, an animal response.Wesley could kneelthere and suck him off for a month of Sundays, and Laurie might gethard—yes, was doing so, the beast rising to the bait—but thechances of him coming, loaded up with downers andtequila...
Where the hellwasNicole?That was a weird anxiety to tug at Laurienow, but it seemed important.He thought of Carmen's red nails.Rednails, red lips, red sheets on a bed in the desert.A single redeye, flashing and pulsating in the blackness between her trailerand Wesley's...
Laurielost interest.So did Wes, as if at that exact same moment he hadfinished what he'd come here to do.He sat back on his heels,causing Laurie to smash back into himself as if dropped there froma cliff.The landing was an awful one, like nothing he'd ever feltbefore.He was keenly, crucially aware of every pore ofhimself—every inch, especially his shrinking cock sliding back frombetween Wesley's lips.
