by Jon Keys
A large hand grabbed his thigh and squeezed it. “Come on, Sara will be checking constantly, and when she sees us, all hell will break loose.”
Dustin wiped his sweaty hands on his pressed Wranglers again. He swung his legs out the door and took the slight hop needed to hit the ground. He followed Shane to the door, which burst open like a chute gate. A high-pitched squeal assaulted his ears.
“Shane!”
A lanky girl grabbed Shane in a tight hug. He let out a grunt of pain but still held on to her.
After a few seconds, she let go and caught Dustin in her gaze. “Hey, I’m Shane’s sister, Sara, in case you haven’t figured it out.”
“Hey, I’m Dustin Lewis. I’m Shane’s—”
Dustin glanced at Shane, not wanting to be the one to deliver the news to his family.
“He’s my boyfriend. Don’t ask me what he sees in me, but he keeps sticking around.”
Sara winked at Dustin. “Isn’t it cute when they don’t even realize how hot they are?”
Anxiety and delight flooded Dustin when Sara repeated his thoughts almost exactly. But he recognized an ally when he saw one, and leaned in close to Sara. “It is cute, isn’t it? He still doesn’t get it.”
Sara laughed, a melodic sound that matched her perfectly. “My big brother doesn’t listen very well.”
Dustin winked at her. “Men.”
The interplay stopped when someone cleared their throat. They looked back to find the guy Dustin saw hugging Shane earlier. “You three wanna bring it inside, or do we need to divide up teams for flag football?”
Sara let out a very unladylike snort. “Flag football is for wimps. If I’m gonna play, it’s gonna be tackle.”
“And that’s why half the boys at school are afraid of you, Sara.” A short but sturdy woman pushed her way through the family. “All of you, get inside. My goodness, the children I’ve raised have spent far too much time in barns.”
“Come on, kids. You heard your mom.” The newest arrival stuck out his hand to Dustin. “I’m Matt, Shane’s dad. Good to meet you, Dustin.”
Dustin gripped the man’s massive hand and shook it. Ready acceptance was a new experience for Dustin. While it caught him off guard, he realized Matt’s open nature was a pleasant surprise. Still taking his cues from Shane, he followed them inside. Once they were in the room, everyone spread out onto chairs, couches and beds. Shane took Dustin by the arm and guided him to the couch and sat down beside him. Dustin squeezed Shane’s hand, needing his support.
“Hello, Dustin. My name’s Laura. I’m sure you’ve figured out that I’m Shane’s mother.”
“Yes, ma’am. I did. I’m pleased to meet ya, ma’am.”
“Yes, it’s nice to meet you too. I like to know the people my children are with.” Her eyebrows lifted as she looked at Shane. “Even when they don’t tell me they’re with someone.”
Shane squirmed in his seat, his gaze locked on the floor. “Sorry, Mom.”
She lifted an eyebrow, then turned back to Dustin. “How long have you two been dating?”
“A month,” said Dustin.
“A few months,” said Shane.
Laura let out a laugh, and the tension in the room disappeared. “So, for a while. Well, I don’t want you to feel like I’m quizzing you. I think it’s time to get some food.” She turned to her husband. “Matt, you taking us to Saltgrass?”
“Yes, hon. I know how you love the steaks there.”
Laura winked at Dustin. “They think I don’t know they take me there to soften me up for something. Wonder what they think I need softening up about this time?”
Shane slid his fork into the piece of cake he shared with Dustin. The meal had been quiet as everyone ordered their Saltgrass favorites and then fell on them like they were starving. At least there’d been no shit grenades lobbed at them. Dustin was keeping his hyperactivity under wraps too. Shane felt a little guilty that Dustin felt the need to act different. Dustin made sure Shane saw him take his medication before they’d left the trailer. Shane didn’t understand what it did for Dustin, and he didn’t want his boyfriend to feel like he had to be drugged for Shane to be around him, but it did seem to help him control what he said and did.
Shane lifted the bite of cake and slipped it in his mouth. In spite of the Adderall Dustin had taken, Shane could still feel him bouncing his leg. In an attempt to relax him, Shane slid his hand over Dustin’s and squeezed. His reward was a quick smile.
“That was delicious, as always,” said Laura.
Shane’s focus shifted to his mother, knowing this would be the make-it-or-break-it maneuver.
“But ya’ll wasted your money on the bribe part.”
Concern and confusion flashed around the table.
“Yes, delicious, but a waste of a perfectly good bribe.” Laura grinned at Dustin. “See, Dustin. They think I’m going to throw a hissy fit about you and Shane being together.” She held up her hand to stall any potential arguments. “I didn’t handle it well when Shane first told us. And I haven’t told him this, but I should have.”
She met Shane’s eyes with a slight wetness around her own. “Son, I’m ashamed of myself for how I treated you. I’ve done a lot of praying and a lot of talking to people who should know the bible.” She inhaled deeply. “This should be easy, but I guess faith is never easy if you look at it for yourself. I’ve changed, Shane. I don’t have all the answers. But I want my son to be happy, and if Dustin makes you happy then you have my blessing.”
Shane collapsed into his chair, a weight lifted from him. Unable to control himself, he flung his arms around Dustin and kissed him until there were groans from the table.
“Jeez! Get a room!” Sam waved them away, beaming the whole time.
Sara reached over and nudged Shane. “Ah, big brother. The ’rents are still at the table.”
Dustin struggled to pull away, and Shane released him from the kiss. The fear and apprehension on his face would make you think he expected the world to open up and swallow him. But then his eyes settled on Shane, and a calm seemed to settle on him.
“This is crazy…”
Shane started laughing and leaned his forehead against Dustin’s as relief washed over him. He looked around the table to a sea of happy faces. When he met eyes with his mother, long-absent understanding passed between them.
I won’t forget this night anytime soon.
Chapter Eleven
Something was wrong. Dustin couldn’t put his finger on it, but he had the same sensation he got before a big storm. He tugged the sheet over them and pressed himself against Shane. Shane made the little snort he always made when he woke up suddenly, and that was the best remedy for his sense of impending disaster Dustin could imagine. Being with Shane usually made everything all right. Today, Dustin couldn’t shake his concern. Shane rolled toward him and pulled them tight against each other.
“What’s up?” Shane asked in a morning grumble.
“Just still nervous.”
Shane stretched, his arms almost touching the sides of the trailer as he did. Dustin loved Shane’s muscles coiling and uncoiling beneath his head. When they came back, Shane’s muscular arm curled around him, and he found himself back in a warm embrace. When Shane’s other arm joined the first, he couldn’t help but feel safe. Dustin leaned in and kissed Shane’s rough cheek.
“You know I’m usually right about these kinds of things. Something’s going wrong.”
Shane brushed his fingers along Dustin’s back. “You’ve been fretting since we got to Greeley. What’s going on? I don’t see any problem. Tonight’s the last round, and we’ll be outta here.”
Dustin threw up his hands in exasperation. “I don’t know! I can’t figure out why. It seems like we’re being watched. Like something’s about to happen. Like those townies who kept staring at us. What about t
hem?”
“You’re a worrywart. You need to stop watching all those werewolf shows, and then you won’t have nightmares.”
Dustin elbowed Shane in the ribs, getting a sharp grunt of pain in response. “Sorry. Forgot the ribs are still kinda touchy. But don’t mess with my intuition. I’m telling you, something’s coming, and we’re not gonna like it.”
Shane pulled Dustin tighter, leaned in and nibbled on his ear. “Babe, you need to relax. Life is good for once. My family likes you. Sara loves you. You’re just not used to things going right.”
Dustin shuddered as Shane kissed down his neck. “Stop it. You’re not going to distract me. I tell you—ohhh…”
Shane flicked his tongue across Dustin’s nipple a few more times before they kissed again. “You still want to worry, or do you want to play?”
Shane’s fingers slid down Dustin’s chest and then into his pubes. The tug on them made his worries dissolve into nothing. “Harder. More.”
Dustin’s eyes rolled back at Shane’s next maneuver, and soon the conversation was forgotten.
Dustin was at the trailer, lacing his chaps, when his phone went off. He saw “Todd’s Parents” across his screen and answered the call. “Hey…”
“Hi, Dustin. It’s Todd’s dad.”
“Yeah, hi. What’s going on?”
“I got a chance to check out your pickup. It’s pretty well shot.”
“That bad, huh?”
“Yeah, not much I can do to patch the problems this time. It’ll take a couple thousand bucks to fix it.”
“Really? Wow. I don’t have that kind of money.”
Shane stopped applying the clown makeup, his face a portrait of concern as he stared at Dustin.
“Okay, Mr. Martin. What do you think I should do?”
“Do you have a way to get to the rest of the rodeos?”
Dustin’s gaze flicked to Shane. “Yeah, I think so.”
“Maybe you’ll win enough this fall. I’ll just park it out back until you decide what you want to do.”
“Okay. Take good care of her, please. She’s kind of important.”
“It’ll be fine, Dustin. Nothing will happen to your truck.”
“That’s good. Well, I better go. My round is comin’ up.”
“Tell Todd good luck from us. You be sure and be careful too, Dustin.”
“Yeah, I’ll be sure and do that.”
“Okay, take care.”
“You too.”
Dustin sat staring at the phone, lost in his thoughts.
“Well?”
Dustin glanced at Shane with a solemn expression. “It’ll be okay. He’ll take care of her.”
“Her who? Him who? What the hell’s going on? Is everyone okay?”
Surprise washed over Dustin, and then he realized Shane had only gotten his side of the conversation. “Everything’s fine. She is my pickup. That was Todd’s dad letting me know how much it was going to cost to fix her.”
Relief washed through Shane. “Your pickup! Well, shit! I thought someone was hurt.”
Dustin shook his head. “Nope, but she is important. I left home in her and slept a lot of nights in the bed when I didn’t have money for a room.”
Shane nodded. “Yeah, I get that. So what are you going to do?”
“Well—” A flush of heat slid up Dustin’s face. “I wanted to keep traveling with you—”
Shane popped Dustin on the shoulder. “Of course, dumbass. I like having my boyfriend with me.”
Dustin thought he caught movement from the corner of his eye, but when he checked the area around their campsite, he didn’t find anything. His gaze shifted back to Shane, and he winked. “Me too. Never had a boyfriend before.”
Shane returned the wink and went back to putting on his makeup. Shane’s movements slowed, and he turned to Dustin. “Hey, this was your bad thing. You know. Your pickup breaking down and not being fixable, that was the stuff that’s been worrying you.”
Dustin considered the possibility for a minute, then shrugged. “Could be. That would explain a few things. I’d sure be happy if the whole thing was just my pickup.”
Shane dropped the makeup sponge into his box. “It is. Now you can stop worrying.”
Dustin fastened the last buckle on his chaps, stood up and stomped his boots to make sure they were on tight. “Okay, well, I’m ready.”
Shane tossed the last of his equipment into the trailer and locked the door. “Me too. I’ll go save your ass again tonight.”
Dustin glanced at him with humor-filled eyes and blew him a raspberry before they headed toward the arena.
Shane wasn’t clear from Dustin’s directions where they were meeting. He’d found Dustin’s note on the trailer door when he came back to clean up after the last event for the afternoon ended. It hadn’t seemed too unusual until he found himself wandering in a deserted part of the fairgrounds. The fading sunlight made it difficult to see clearly. This looked like where all the crap they didn’t know what to do with was sent to die.
Why in the hell would Dustin want to meet here? If this is for some time to mess around, I’m going to be pissed. This is ridiculous. Shane jumped when something shot across the ground. He calmed down when the tip of a rat’s tail disappeared as it scurried under another pile. The mounds of junk grew in size as he wandered deeper into the pile until only narrow trails snaked between them. Shane began to worry as the light slipped away.
“Hey! Dustin! Where the hell are you?” he yelled.
His call was met with dead silence, not even a comforting echo as the piles absorbed his voice. I don’t like this. Shane turned to leave when he was hit from behind, tackled face-first into the gravel. He slammed into the ground, leaving him breathless. His vision began to narrow when air refused to enter his lungs. He started to push himself up, but a kick delivered by a heavy boot landed in his ribs, the searing pain overwhelming him as his healing ribs were rebroken.
“You stay put, you fuckin’ fag! We’re gonna make sure you never come back to Greeley again.”
Shane figured out what was happening and struggled to escape. His efforts earned him another vicious kick. This one hit more stomach than ribs, for which Shane was distantly thankful, but the blow to his gut still doubled him over. He crawled to his hands and knees, his body responding as if he were moving through cold molasses. He stopped, his head spinning from the shock and blinding pain, then collapsed.
“Get’m up, guys. The stupid fag doesn’t know worthless queers like him shouldn’t be alive.”
Overwhelmed by agony, Shane wanted to curl up in a misery-filled ball to contain the pain. The two silent attackers jerked him up. They held him immobile, one on each arm. Shane tried to fight back when a hand grabbed his hair and yanked his head backward.
“We’re gonna fuck you up! When we’re done with you, you won’t have a dick left for your sick boyfriend.” Shane struggled as his fear that they’d already jumped Dustin built. He tried to stand, but his body refused to cooperate. He wished he’d put more credence in Dustin’s “feelings”.
Shane squinted to see the attackers face, trying to place his torturer and failing. Someone I’ve never met is willing to kill me for being gay. The lunatic’s eyes glinted as he licked his lips and formed a vile grin.
“Hold him still. I’m gonna fix this faggot.”
Shane saw the blow coming, but they held him so he couldn’t dodge, and the boot slammed into his nuts. Unbearable pain flooded Shane’s body, and his stomach roiled. He crashed against the hard ground when they dropped him, the blinding pain overwhelming him as he waited to die.
Dustin paced outside the arena as his concern built. “I’m telling you, something’s wrong. Everything just feels off. I called him and texted him. He doesn’t answer anything.” Dustin was so frazzled that he practically vibrate
d with nervous energy.
“Calm down. Did you take your Adderall?” Todd asked.
“Fuck you! Something’s wrong.”
Todd held his hands out to deflect Dustin’s rage. “Okay, okay. You’re right a scary amount of the time. Maybe it’s this town? The rodeo’s over. Find Shane, and we’ll get the hell outta here.”
Panic built in Dustin as he tried to hurry Todd. “Oh God. Something happened to him. I just know it. I told you about that bunch of locals who kept staring at us.” Dustin took a step and then broke into a run, desperate to find Shane.
Todd ran after him and yelled, “Where you headed?”
“To the trailer park down by the river.”
Todd peeled away. Dustin yelled at his friend, “Where’re you going?”
“For reinforcements!”
Dustin turned his focus toward the race to find Shane.
Blood trickled down the side of Shane’s face from the cut above his eye. He tried to spit dirt from his mouth but couldn’t manage to do more than focus on continuing to breathe. They’re going to kill me.
A scream pierced the air. The boot pinning Shane’s neck to the ground vanished. It sounded like a mad animal had descended on the three attackers.
“Get him off! Get the motherfucker off! Ahh! He’s biting my damn ear!”
Shane managed to turn his head toward the screaming. He struggled to stand. He needed to escape while they were distracted. Head swimming, he lifted himself from the ground. He stayed on one knee for what seemed like eons while the fight raged around him. Shane’s vision narrowed as his rage began to build, walling away his pain. Snatching up a fist-size rock, he staggered forward as two of the men fought to peel Dustin off the third.
Shane regained control of his muscles, but he was still glad his target was focused on Dustin. Shane forced himself forward, driven by Dustin’s tenacity as he hammered his fist into the head of the biggest of the three, clinging to him like he was riding a bull. Shane focused all his willpower on lifting the rock, and then gravity and the weight of the stone helped him land a hard blow against the head of the guy who’d been kicking him.
The one he’d hit staggered sideways. “Motherfucker!”