He actually gave a shit about family.
Well, most of his family. His parents could go fuck themselves for all he cared.
The last time one of them had reached out to Marcus or even Ace was six months ago to let them know they were cruising around the West Coast.
Like Marcus or Ace even gave a shit anymore.
“Fuck your parents,” Marcus said, slapping Gavin hard on the thigh.
Gavin grunted.
“Come on. Get dressed. We are heading out for a bit.”
Gavin’s eyes lit up.
“Really? But I thought we were under lock and key?”
Marcus shook his head. He pulled out his cell and pressed Call on Ace’s number.
“Hey, what are you guys up to?” Marcus asked.
Ace, Blade, and a few of the other guys were staying in a cottage about fifteen minutes away. They were close enough to get to Marcus if, and when, the killer decided to show up, but far enough away that the killer wouldn’t spot them while doing recon.
“Any sign of him yet?” Marcus asked, his eye still on Gavin. “No? Okay, cool. Look, Gavin and I are going tohead out for a bit. We’ll call you guys if we need you. Yup. Okay. Tell Blade I’m going to shoot him in the face if I hear that shit again. Yup. Violence is always the answer.”
Jabbing his finger on his phone, he ended the call with his brother, still threatening murder if he so much as touches his husband and lover.
Marcus chuckled.
“So?” Gavin asked, pulling Marcus from his happy thoughts of murdering the man who was sticking it to his little brother.
“Oh. Sorry. Yeah. No sign ofnumb nuts. But don’t worry. We have time. He won’t attack yet. It’ll take him a day or two to scope out the new environment—or at least that’s what I would do. And he won’t attack in broad daylight. So that means we have until sundown tomorrow at least before we can expect an attack. So for now, we can head out and enjoy some of the town. There’s apparently an apple festival going on this weekend that Ace had seen fliers posted about. Thought we could check that out.”
“Yes!” Gavin shouted, leaping from the sofa and charging up the stairs to get ready.
Puppy dashed after him, all excited, most likely assuming he would be going wherever it was they were going as well.
Poor Puppy. Sorry to disappoint.
The festival was quite large considering the population of the small town around it.
There were booths selling homemade quilts, crafts, and other knick-knacky things, while food vendors sold every apple-inspired baked good and dish imaginable.
“This influencer crap that you do, why do you do it?” Marcus asked, as they walked through the row of vendors, each trying to sell their greatest apple-infused creation.
Gavin stole a glance at Marcus before shrugging his shoulders and picking up a figurine of a little girl eating an apple. He turned it around in his hand, examining each side, before placing it back down on the table and moving on to the next vendor.
“I don’t know. At first, it was a constant need for attention and validation. Somehow, every time a follower messaged me to say how much they enjoyed my post or how much my opinion meant to them, it made me feel seen and valued. Then, over time, my followers somehow became more. It was like, as long as I had their worship and adoration, it didn’t matter that my parents had totally forgotten about me and that I didn’t seem to matter in their eyes. I know it might sound silly to those who aren’t social media friendly, but to me, it fills a gap inside me that I couldn’t live without.”
Hearing Gavin’s sad explanation tore at Marcus’s heart. How could one person feel so alone that they turn to faceless profiles and user tags for companionship and validation?
Gavin didn’t seem to realize how special he really was and how much he was adored by the people around him. Ace and Lucas, and the rest of the crew, had fallen in love with Gavin the moment he opened his mouth and locked his sensitive eyes on theirs. He was sweet, ballsy, and always ready to help those in need.
Placing his hand on Gavin’s shoulder, Marcus gave it a squeeze, then continued walking with him to the next booth.
“I don’t think you realize just how special you are. I’ll never understand it, but the second you open your mouth or smile at someone, that person seems to instantly fall in love with you.”
Gavin turned and smiled up at him.
