Dirty Kiss (25 page)

“God, you are the stupidest asshole I know.” Bobby hissed at me through the phone.

“I seriously doubt that.” I laughed at him. “I’ve seen the guys you take home, old man. I’m going to go running.”

My cell phone weighted down a pocket of my sweats, and with luck, I’d be back before Jae woke up. I didn’t have a lot of faith that his cat wouldn’t chew on the piece of paper I’d left on the nightstand, obliterating the number into illegibility. Closing the door behind me, I shook the tired off my body.

The air outside smelled of asphalt and puke, a perfume wafting over from the bar across the street. Tar glistened from its wash, black smears left on the sidewalk from a failed roofing attempt by the Indian restaurant a few doors down. Hooking my foot against the stoop, I stretched, letting the burn of my muscles try to warn me off, but I sternly told my legs we were going for a run no matter what they said.

I wasn’t even going to acknowledge the suggestions my cock whispered at me.

The pound of the sidewalk on my feet felt good. Falling into a steady pace, I let my mind go, feeling only the rush of air in my lungs and on my face. The scar along my ribs started to ache, seizing up. I worked through it, pressing the flat of my hand against my side. A cramp began to spasm under my palm after another mile, and I finally gave in, slowing to a trot before stopping, bending over to gain control of my breathing.

I was just about to head back when gravel hit the sidewalk next to me, popped up by wide tires. Lifting my eyes, I grimaced at Bobby’s wide grin and nonchalant wave. The sides of his truck were caked with mud, drying chunks falling off and landing in the gutter by my feet. Dressed in a flannel shirt and ball cap, all he was missing was a coonhound riding in the bed and maybe a gun rack to complete the picture. The passenger window rolled down smoothly, and his grin got wider when I eyed him suspiciously.

“You look like a redneck,” I said, steadying my breathing. I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me heaving to catch air.

“Get in, Princess. And I come from fine redneck stock,” he shot back, reaching over to unlock the door for me. “Nothing to be ashamed of. Peaches and hunting, that’s what makes America the fine, proud country that it is.”

“You were in the closet way too long.” I slid gratefully into the truck’s cab. The air conditioning felt good on my heat-soaked skin. Grabbing the towel he offered me, I wiped at the sweat on my face and neck and cracked open a bottle of water he had in the cup holder, draining half of it down my dusty throat. “Next, you’ll be listening to country western.”

“Young boys don’t get as sweaty dancing to country music as they do techno,” Bobby pointed out. “Sweaty boys lead to half-naked boys, which is a thing of beauty to a gay man. In case you forgot.”

“I haven’t forgotten.” How could I forget? I had a thing of beauty in my bed which I’d left to go running. “God, I’m an idiot.”

“Glad you’ve finally realized what we’ve all known.” Bobby swore at the Mini that cut in front of him. “Damn specks. Now, why are you an idiot this time?”

“Because I’ve got Jae-Min in my bed and no damned idea who killed his cousin.” I wanted to rub the tired out of my skin, but it was nothing a strong cup of coffee couldn’t take care of. “I’ve got no suspects.”

“Did you tell the cops?” Bobby slanted me a look before pulling into a drive-through coffee hut. He ordered two black coffees with sugar, pulling up to the window to pay.

“It was ruled a suicide, remember? As far as they’re concerned, he did it to himself,” I responded, taking one of the paper cups. The steam smelled great, invigorating my senses. “Shit, I don’t know that he didn’t kill himself. It’s a whole bunch of maybes.”

“Those are good maybes.” The truck bumbled out into traffic, hitting a speed bump, more than likely dislodging more chunks of dirt. “The suicide note is from a Dear John letter he gave to some Korean boy who then was murdered right after you spoke to the deceased’s family. Those are some good maybes, Princess.”

“Don’t forget the cousin,” I reminded him.

“Definitely haven’t forgotten the cousin.” Bobby took the top off his coffee, blowing on the hot liquid before sipping carefully. “Shot in the head and then blown up. And who is now asleep in your bed waiting for a gentle kiss to wake him up.”

“I’m going to kick your ass.” Muttering, I slouched down in the seat. “When you’re done driving me home.”

“Yeah, that’s going to happen.” Bobby mocked me sometimes. It was a righteous mocking, but it was mocking just the same. He pulled up behind my car and whistled low at the sight of it. “I’ll be fucking damned.”

My Range Rover sat on punctured tires, tilting to one side where the road sloped in toward the sidewalk. Something red had been splattered over the hood and roof, dripping in long trails down its sides, pooling in the dents. I got out and walked around to the front of the car, shaking my head at its smashed headlights and battered hood.

A tire iron lay on the grass, its blunt end scraped with my Rover’s paint. I didn’t have high hopes for fingerprints. Its brushed-carbon surface wouldn’t hold dust, and the cops wouldn’t spend the time or money to drop it off at a forensics lab. They’d write it off as a gay-bashing and go about their business. Maybe even laugh in front of me, depending on their mood.

“That’s a lot of rage there,” Bobby said, finishing his coffee with a noisy slurp. “I think someone’s trying to tell you something.”

Panic hit me, closing in the air in my lungs. “Fuck. Jae. I’ve got to check on Jae.”

I sprinted up to the back of the house. The door was unlocked, the knob turning in my hand before I could fit the key into it. Did I leave it open? I didn’t stop to check the jamb, scrambling up the stairs and calling for Jae. Bobby was behind me, his heavier footsteps a thunder on the hardwood floors.

“Jae!” I couldn’t find him. The bed was empty, the sheets holding his scent. Screaming down the stairs, I headed to the den, praying he’d gotten bored and gone to look for something to read. “Bobby! He’s not up here!”

“Cole, he’s down here!” Bobby called to me from downstairs. “He’s okay.”

Relief dried my mouth, and I stumbled to get down to the first floor without falling on my face. Jae stood in the kitchen, a quizzical look on his face and a cup of tea in his hand. His fingers played with the white tag dangling from a string over the cup’s lip, folding its edge as he stared at me.

“What’s wrong?” Jae stirred the tea with a spoon. His tousled black hair stood up away from his face, a fringe falling over into his eyes, and the damp ends spotted a T-shirt he’d borrowed from my dresser drawer. Its stark whiteness glowed against his skin and turned the bruises along his neck and collarbone a vivid purple. Startled, his eyes got big in his face. “What happened?”

I couldn’t answer, not with the panic blocking my words. The cup went flying, dashed to the ground when I grabbed Jae, pulling him to me. I didn’t care if the tea made a mess or if Bobby laughed in my face. I needed to kiss him, anything to reassure me that he was real and whole.

He tasted like sex and wonder, his mouth opening under mine. My hand found his hair, cradling his head as he tilted back into my palm, arching his body against mine. With his palms flattened against my back, he molded into me, his hips rocking against me, sliding into me until we fit together. The kiss burned away the taste of coffee in my mouth, leaving Jae behind on my tongue.

“I’m okay, Cole.” Jae broke it off first, twisting slightly and touching my face. I held on to his waist, breathing the kiss into my belly where it burned hot. “I’m here.”

“You two are so cute,” Bobby commented, stepping around the ceramic shards on the floor. “There’s a room upstairs. I’ll clean up the mess.”

I was saved from having to come up with a snappy rejoinder when an enormous boom shook the house. The noise was deafening, rattling the windows in the kitchen. The dishes I’d left in the drainer toppled over, and I heard glass shattering from the front of the building, loud pinging noises followed by the rushing sound of panes falling into tiny pieces. Up and down the street, car alarms started to scream, whooping loudly from the blast.

“You okay, baby?” I checked Jae over, trembling when I ran my hands over his shoulders and arms. “Stay here, okay?”

“I’m not helpless,” Jae said, frowning. “I can go with you.”

“No.” I ran my thumb over the pout of his mouth, taking the taste of him with me on my fingers. “I need you to call the cops. And stay in the house. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“What if something happens to you?” he asked, turning his pout onto Bobby. “Are you going to take care of him?”

My supposed best friend melted under Jae’s sensual parted lips and soft brown eyes. He turned to me, halfway beseeching me to help him. He was on his own. After teasing me that I’d gone soft for Jae, I let him stew in that erotic mouth and pretty face. See how he liked it. Scratch that. From the cow-eyed look on Bobby’s face, he’d like it a lot.

I poked Bobby in the ribs to get him going. “Jae, find Neko. If we’ve got to get out, I don’t want to hunt for her.”

“Cops first, cat next,” Jae agreed with a nod. “Go.”

Sirens were echoing against the buildings, a fire truck heading in our direction. The Range Rover was a smoking mess, scattered apart into little bits of metal and glass. People were gathering around the carnage, staying a few feet away in case something else happened. Bobby’s truck had taken collateral damage. A large piece of the Rover’s ski rack jutted up from his hood, a giant phallic kiss-off to the world in general. The blast had shaken off most of the dirt, but the truck’s windows were gone, sparkling bits of glitter on the sidewalk, road, and all over the interior.

“Fuck.” At times, Bobby’s clear vision and succinct words astounded me. I repeated his wisdom with an answering echo of profanity, staring at the shattered windows in the front of the brownstone. He stepped back onto the sidewalk, watching the fire truck pull in next to the smoking front end of my car. “Cole, I think you pissed someone off.”

The second explosive went off before the firefighters could get off the truck. A fireball erupted from the remains of the Rover, blowing up the rear axle and shooting flames straight up in the air. The gas tank ruptured, sending me flying.

I hit the bushes hard, tearing through the branches and slamming into the cement facing on the stoop. Tasting blood, I tried to stand, my legs buckling under me. The air was still, a slight wind carrying off the plumes of black smoke rising from my ruined car. People were talking, or shouting by the looks of their faces, but I heard none of it. Their voices were lost in a rush of ocean waves in my ears.

Blinking, I tried standing again, looking frantically about for Bobby. He grabbed at me, nearly yanking my arm out of its socket as he pulled me up. Soundlessly yelling, he furiously patted at me, and a hot sear sliced over my shoulder as he put out the flames on my shirt.

“I can’t hear you,” I shouted back, wondering if he was as deaf as I was. Except for the tenderness in my knee and the aches forming over my thighs and back, I was in one piece.

The same couldn’t be said for the Rover. Or, sadly, Bobby’s truck.

Flashing lights cut through the smoke, and an ambulance jerked to a stop. Its siren could have been on full volume for all I knew, but nothing was slicing through the buzzing in my head. My back felt alive with scratches. The mock orange branches had scraped me raw when I’d hit, and my shirt was now beginning to soak through with blood. I tried moving again, felled by the stinging pain in my left knee.

Jae appeared, shoving at Bobby as if his husky body was nothing. Cupping my face, he spoke to me, soundlessly worried and strained. He gave Bobby a poisonous look, and I tried to explain that it wasn’t his fault, that we couldn’t have known there was another device under the Rover, but Jae wasn’t having any of it. I knew what he was saying, his mouth moving around a word that I should have known. I mimicked the motion of his lips, and a wide grin spread over my face. I couldn’t help but smile, the ends of my mouth tugging upward until I was sure they hit my eyebrows. If I still had eyebrows.