Finally, he heard a click. He had somehow managed to unlock the door.
He yanked it open and stumbled outside.
He wasn’t sure what happened after that.
There were lights and sounds and people cursing at him.
He ran toward something large and solid. It had big flashing lights and looked so beautiful.
All he knew was that he needed to get to that peaceful object. If he could manage that, then he would be safe and happy.
If only…
The sound of loud screeching made Gavin jump, justseconds before he felt something big and solid crash into his body.
He felt the wind across his skin before he landed on the cold, hard pavement below.
More screaming… and pounding.
Then…
The world around him suddenly went black.
2
MARCUS
Warm air surrounded Marcus as he stepped outside the back of his bar.Ride ’em Hardwasn’t too busy tonight. Most customers tonight were locals, enjoying a pint or two before heading home to the Mrs.—or an empty house, depending on who you were.
It had been a long day, so Marcus decided to step outside for a bit and enjoy a cigar before heading home for the night.
He pulled a Cuban cigar out from his shirt pocket and used his clippers to snip off the end.
Memories of the first time he and the guys had tried to light a cigar came rushing back. They had been in their late teens and had no idea what the heck they were doing. They kept trying to light the cigar but couldn’t understand why the damn thing wouldn’t light.
It wasn’t until one of the older guys caught them thatthey discovered the secret to lighting a cigar was to snip the tip before trying to suck your brains out.
To add to Marcus’s embarrassment, he tried to be all tough and macho by taking in deep puffs of smoke. All that ended up doing was causing him to choke and practically cough up a lung.
The guys got a good laugh out of that one.
Taking a deep breath, Marcus let the sweet and savory taste of the Cuban roll around on his tongue before slowly letting the smoke slip from his mouth.
Marcus wasn’t a regular cigar smoker, but he liked to enjoy one from time to time.
Tonight, he’d run into an old buddy by the name of Eddy. They reminisced about old times and got caught up with what was new in each other’s lives.
Marcus didn’t really have much new going on in his life—not that he could really tell Eddy even if he did. Eddy, on the other hand, had gotten married a few years ago and now had two young daughters he was trying not to fuck up.
It was disturbing how quickly time flew by.
Marcus was no spring chicken. He was thirty-nine, going on sixty-two in gay years, as Ace liked to remind him… constantly. He was still single and didn’t see that changing anytime soon.
In fact, he doubted that would ever change.
He didn’t want a partner.
Spouses made you weak. They changed you. Made youvulnerable in all the wrong places. Plus, they demanded way too much. It was like voluntarily having a probation officer move into your home just to monitor you and be a pain in your ass.
