“This is John Ambroz, the Butcher.”
“John, to what do I owe this pleasure?”
“I just got a visit from Emile. He dropped a young man off on my doorstep about three months ago. Special delivery, or so he thought.”
“I see,” Matthieu says, clearing his throat. “Sloppy.”
“Do you know of this boy?” John asks.
“I prefer not to involve myself in Emile’s personal affairs,” the man says stiffly, though John is certain Matthieu knows about his eldest son’s cruel proclivities. If Emile makes a habit of luring innocent young men into his orbit, then kidnapping and tormenting them, it becomes a liability for the Hand. Surely, Matthieu must recognize this too.
“Then you know the boy poses no real threat,” John says.
“What do you want, John?”
“I kept the boy out of the system and healed him up myself. He’s mine now.”
“Seems like it,” Matthieu says, then falls silent, perhaps waiting for John to continue, but there is nothing more John wishes to say. “You’re a good soldier, John, a real asset to our cause. I’ll talk to Emile about it.”
“If anything happens to me or the boy—”
“John, I just told you how much I value your service. You are under my protection, as are your possessions by extension. No need to be combative. After all, we’re on the same side, aren’t we?”
John hesitates, then gives the man the expected response. “Yes, sir.”
“Good man. Let me handle Emile. And you, John, I want you to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Let’s see if your new companion can improve your surly disposition.”
Matthieu ends the call. John’s hand is cramping from gripping his phone so tightly. His heart still races, and his blood pressure is through the roof, but this negotiation has bought them some time at least. John doesn’t delude himself into thinking this is a solution. Emile would rather see the boy dead than with John, which means the clock is now ticking.
8
BAYANI
Bayani learnsfrom John about Emile’s visit to the shop as well as John’s call to Emile’s father. Bayani feels guilty for heaping this trouble on John’s broad shoulders, especially because he fears Emile will never give him up, not now, not ever. Even damaged, Bayani is still Emile’s toy—that’s Emile’s belief anyway—and Emile will want him back if only to torture and kill him for real this time. Bayani remembers the sick things Emile said to him in the midst of his assault and knows that if given the opportunity, Emilewillfollow through.
Even worse, Emile might hurt John to get to him.
John seems to know the thoughts going through Bayani’s head and says to him in a very quiet but serious tone, “Don’t you even think about leaving me, Bayani. Promise.”
Bayani swallows down the fear lodged in his throat. Running away also means leaving John defenseless. Emile might kill him out of spite. At least with Bayani here, John has something he can bargain with.
“I won’t run,”Bayani signs to him with trembling hands. A promise made is a promise kept.
They also discuss whether Bayani should contact his grandmother and decide that it’s best for now if he doesn’t. If it’s true that the Hand has tapped John’s devices, they don’t want to lead them directly to her doorstep. Same goes for John’s friend Thomas. John doesn’t want to alert the Hand by making any calls. And as far as the Hand knows, he and Thomas are drinking buddies and that’s it.
The first few days after Emile’s visit, Bayani remains on high alert, surveying the streets outside their windows and jumping at every little noise, but as the days go by and there are no gangsters beating down their door, no more sinister visitors, and no known immediate threats, Bayani begins to relax. He can only live in a state of acute fear for so long. And since there is no longer any reason to hide upstairs, Bayani begins to join John in the butcher shop more and more during business hours.
He meets César, the young man who works weekday afternoons after school lets out. Bayani is shy at first, but César makes every effort to include him, even sharing with Bayani the latest gossip going around at the local high school–who’s dating who, who’s cheating on who, and who’s been broken up with. César also shares some of his own exploits with the female population of Gulfport High, sometimes in graphic detail. Bayani doesn’t mind, even finds it innocent, in a way.
Bayani remembers his own high school years, which were not so long ago. What a precious time it was, and what a drastic turn his life took after graduation. He hopes César never has to suffer the same life lessons as him.
In their downtime, John teaches Bayani how to use the cash machine, and Bayani learns how to take orders too. If he needs to communicate with customers, he has the tablet, and besides, John or César are always nearby. When business is slow, he and John practice signing. They’ve advanced beyond basic commands and can now conversate with some measure of aplomb.
Bayani also visits the supermarket down the street to get fresh ingredients for their nightly meals, at first only with John and eventually without him. Bayani teaches John some of his grandmother’s recipes—kare-kare, which is a rich stew made with oxtail and peanut sauce, andginataang kalabasa, squash and string beans in coconut milk. John teaches Bayani his Cajun dishes of jambalaya and gumbo and shows Bayani his late mother’s method of cooking the perfectroux.
In their domestic dealings, Bayani likes to pretend that they are lovers. If they were, John might take a break from stirring the pot to peck his cheek or nuzzle his neck, might set Bayani on the counter so that they are at eye-level and get so distracted by kissing him that something on the stovetop burns. Bayani imagines kneeling for John right there in the kitchen, bad knee be damned, and taking John’s cock down his throat, sucking and slurping it down like a raw oyster. John would try to restrain himself at first, not wanting to hurt him, but Bayani would do everything in his power to unravel the big man.
Mostly, he wants to call John his boyfriend. He’s practiced the sign for it, and wants to use it on John, but he hasn’t yet. There are so many sentiments Bayani wants to express, but he must respect John’s boundaries. Instead, he practices the movements in front of the mirror so that they are fluid and perfect for the day when John might invite him to open his whole heart.
