Twisted (25 page)

“I just hope that he gets infection and blood poisoning from my stabbin’ him with my ski pole.”

Just then there was a knock at the door. I heard it open and close and then Sandy called out. A minute or so later, she rushed into the living room, followed by Maria, Smitty, José, and Jason. She immediately ran over to Mike.

“Mike, are you all right?” She leaned over him and the couch and hugged him to her chest. She didn’t let go, and I was beginning to worry she’d suffocate him.

“Dad told me what happened. I’m so happy you’re all right. I was so worried after he told me. I was worried for the whole drive out here.”

“I’m okay, Sandy. Jeffy was there, and he got the asshole good with his ski pole.” Sandy turned to me.

“It’s a good thing you didn’t jump in the van. I suppose you’re going to try to hunt this murderer down.”

I glanced at Smitty. He gave me a wry grin from behind Sandy’s back. I could hear his line of thinking—better you than me. Sandy tended to get a bit emotional. The time when we were dealing with the rustlers and I’d run outside to chase after one of them and got trapped outside in the rain, I had gotten’ hypothermia really bad. When I was better, Sandy hugged me, cried into my shoulder, and then slapped me for not taking the time to get dressed.

“Sandy, I learned my lesson last year. I’m gonna let your dad and Agent Holder handle this.”

“You almost got hypothermia again. You’ve got to stop trying to play the hero.”

“One second here, darlin’. I took off my jacket and sat on the ice to protect Mike. I’d already called 911, and I’d do the same thing again. Important thing is we’re both fine.” Maria had been talking with Mike and turned to me.

“I am very happy nothing bad happened to Mike or you, Jeff. José and I are going to fix dinner for everyone.” José smiled and nodded. “Is posole okay with everyone? I brought some fresh tortillas from Wenatchee when I came this morning.”

“Sounds great to me.” Mike looked better than he had all day.

“You’re going to stay, aren’t you, Al?” Sandy was looking at Mike when she spoke, rather than at Al.

“If it’s okay with everyone.” He was now looking at Mike. Mike sighed.

“Fine by me. Just don’t go cryin’ over me like I was dead or somethin’. And that goes for everyone.”

José chuckled. “It is nice to see that the old Mike is back, amigo. We are all happy you have such a thick head.” Everyone laughed at that, even Mike. Jason was being awful quiet.

“You all right there, Jason?” He seemed sheepish as he answered me.

“I’m just freaked out. I lost one friend to this maniac, and now almost Mike.” He looked as if he was about to start crying. I noticed he’d lost the piercing in his lip and some more of his earrings.

Al stood up. “Jason, would it help to talk about it? If so, we can go in the bunkhouse and talk, if you’d like.”

“Yeah, that would be nice, Al.”

Al stood up and almost fell over. He caught his balance and winced as he put his leg down. “My leg seems to have fallen asleep. Jason took hold of his arm until he seemed to steady himself. They walked out together. Smitty turned to Mike.

“I’m really glad your dad was here, Mike. Jason has been having a lot of trouble dealing with his friend being murdered, and when we heard what happened to you guys, I thought he would have a breakdown.”

“Yeah, he ain’t quite the monster he used to be, or I thought he was, or whatever.”

“In any case, I’m much obliged.” Maria beckoned to José. They headed out to the kitchen. Agent Holder excused himself, leaving Mike, myself, Sandy, and Smitty. I had an idea.

“You guys up for a game of UNO after dinner? I’m assumin’ you’re plannin’ on stayin’.”

“Maria and I were plannin’ on stayin’ here tonight.”

Before I could answer, Smitty spoke up. “When are you planning on getting the horses you’re gonna buy, Jeff?”

“I’d reckoned on callin’ tomorrow and headin’ over tomorrow or the next day.”

“You want to keep them in the pasture or in the barn?”

“I think we got room in the barn. Snow’s several feet deep in the pasture.”

“I meant the pasture toward the top of the bluff. The wind’s swept it pretty clean of snow.”

“I’d rather keep ’em in the barn to start, Smitty.”

“Do you mind if I go along, Jeff? It would be fun to go with you and Mike.” Sandy looked at me hopefully.

“Sure, no problem with me. Mike?”

“That would be real nice.”

“Great, since you’re here, I’ll call first thing in the mornin’, and if it’s okay with the horse farm, we can go look at horses.”

“What type of horse did you say you wanted to buy, Jeff?” Sandy looked at me curiously.

“It’s a type called an Akhal Teke from Turkmenistan in Central Asia. They’re ancestor to Arabian horses. When the Chinese began going westward over two thousand years ago, it was to try and get some Akhal Teke horses. They used to call them ‘Heavenly Horses’. They believed that the horses actually sweated blood. They’re real fast, gentle, and not high strung like Arabians. They also got this real beautiful gold kinda sheen to their coats.”

“I’ve been lookin’ at pictures of them since Jeffy told me about ’em. They’re really beautiful, Sandy. If they look as nice in person as they do in the pics, they really must be somethin’.” Mike had been spending a great deal of time learning about Akhal Teke horses.

“I worked with some on a ranch in the Big Bend country in Texas. They really do look golden, Sandy. They’re really something special.” Smitty was smiling at Sandy. It was pretty clear the horses weren’t the only thing he thought was beautiful.

“You guys sound like a bunch of horse traders.” She laughed at us.

“We’re cowboys, darlin’. We’re supposed to like horses.” I smiled back at her.

“I think it’s nice to see you three all excited about buyin’ horses. I’m really looking forward to seeing them in person.”

Smitty looked at me. “You wouldn’t happen to have room for one more in the truck when you go to the horse farm, would you, Jeff?”

“Sure, Smitty, and if we need more room, Sandy can always ride in the horse trailer.” This got laughs from everyone but Sandy.

“I’m sure you would volunteer to ride in the horse trailer instead of me, wouldn’t you, Bert?” She batted her eyes at Smitty. I had gotten so used to calling him Smitty, I had forgotten his name was Albert. He turned bright red.

“It’d be an honor.”

“Mike, you feel like we just walked onto the set of the
Love Boat
or somethin’?”

“Reckon so, Jeffy. It is kinda saccharine sweet in here all of a sudden.” Now Sandy turned red. Smitty had stayed red.

“I guess I deserve that after all the quips I’ve made about walkin’ onto the set of
Brokeback Mountain
.” Sandy gave me a grin.

“It’s all in fun, Sandy. We laugh when you tease us about bein’ affectionate, don’t we, Mike?”

“That we do.”

Just about then, I heard conversation in Spanish from the kitchen. José and Maria were making posole. Posole is a great Mexican dish of pork and hominy soup with mild red chile. There’d be plates of chopped cabbage and onion to garnish the soup with, as well as limes and hot sauce. It was going to be a good meal. A while later I noticed a delicious smell from the kitchen. A bit after that I heard Jose call out, “Amigos, amiga, dinner is ready.” We all walked into the kitchen. Maria had headed out to the bunkhouse to get Al and Jason. We had a nice dinner. I was happy to have all my friends around me, and Mike was getting a good deal of the attention. I heard him talking with Maria. He mentioned his headache was gone and he felt pretty much normal. That made me really happy. Now I just hoped that they would catch the bastard who’d tried to take Mike.

T
HE
moon was shining through the skylight, coating our room in a soft, silvery light. It was about midnight. We’d had a few nice games of UNO, and then Maria and Sandy had headed off to bed. The guys had headed out to the bunkhouse, and Al had refused our invitation to stay and headed back to Winslett. Mike had his head on my chest. He turned to look up at me.

“Jeff?”

“What’s up?”

“Do you think that what Holder was sayin’ earlier was right? That it was the Cutter and he’s after you?”

“To be honest, I really don’t know. I hope not. I didn’t like havin’ to look over our shoulders last year, durin’ the rustlin’, and I sure as hell don’t want to now.”

“How could he have known we was goin’ skiin’?”

“That’s got me worried too, buddy. Either it was just us bein’ in the wrong place at the wrong time, or he’s watchin’. I’d rather we were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“I hope so.”

“Me too, Mike, me too. If ya don’t mind, I really don’t want to think about it much more. I don’t wanna have nightmares.”

“I know of something that will get your mind off that.” He pulled up and kissed me. I opened my mouth, and we began to touch tongues, at first a gentle connection, and then with more insistence. He pulled his tongue back a bit and gave me full access, full control. I felt his hand move down and grasp my already hard dick. It felt great. I thrust into his grip as I assaulted his mouth with my tongue. I moved my free hand down to his cock and returned the favor. I felt a drop of precum oozing from his piss slit, and I used my finger to trap it and rub gently the back side of the head of his dick. He bucked into me.

“You like that, huh?”

“Oh yeah, that feels good, Jeff, really good.” I moved my hand down to his balls and cupped them. I began to fondle and rub them.

“You’ve been keepin’ these nice and smooth haven’t ya, bud?”

“I never knew that the skin would feel more sensitive. I like it.”

“I do too, Mike. I didn’t think I would, but I do. It looks hot, especially with all that fur you got.”

“Why don’t you shave down there, Jeffy?”

“Would that turn you on?”

“I reckon so.”

“I’ll think on it then.” I moved in and continued to kiss him. He broke the kiss and moved his head down to my crotch.

“I’m gonna make you feel real good, Jeffy. I want that big cock of yours in my mouth.”

“Go for it. And how about we make each other feel real good.” With that I grabbed his hips and pulled him up so we were in a sixty-nine position. He engulfed my cock in his warm, wet and soft mouth. It felt fantastic.

“That feels so good, buddy. Go for it. Suck your Jeffy’s big cock. Drink up all that precum.” He liked it when I talked to him like that. He worked his tongue against the back of the head of my dick with a little more force. I pushed his legs apart and began to lick his smooth balls. He moaned in appreciation around my shaft. The feel of his smooth sack against my tongue was incredible. I hadn’t been so sure when he first wanted to shave below the belt, but he’d had a great idea. I continued to lick his balls and gently rub his cock. I felt him work his tongue around the head of my dick, licking the ridge, and then zero in on my piss slit. It felt great. I sucked his balls into my mouth. He gave a strangled little sound around my cock and sucked it all in.

“You like that, huh?”

“Feels great. I keep thinkin’ about you shavin’ my nuts, Jeffy. That was hot. Really hot.”

“I aim to please.”

“You do. I like it when you suck my dick. It shows me how much you care.”

“I’m glad you like it. Once in a while I like it too.”

“That’s what I mean, mostly you’re a top dude. But when you suck on me or let me fuck you or play with your ass, it makes me feel real special.”

“You are special. Now get your mouth back on my dick.”

“Yes sir!” I felt that warm, wet, slickness envelop me again. He used one of his hands to work my balls. I turned my attention back to his dick. I pulled his balls down and began rubbing them. They were slick from my licking them. After a while, I let loose of his balls, got a finger all wet, and worked up his ass. I found his gland and began a gentle massage. He was making happy little whimpering sounds around my cock. As I fingered his ass, he was trying to buck his hips to fuck my face. That sounded like a good idea to me, so I began to move my rod in and out of his mouth. He used his hand to make a tube around my shaft and jerked me as he sucked.

“That’s good, buddy, real good. Keep it up and I’m gonna shoot one hell of a big load down your throat.”

“Mmmm. Mhuh….” I reckoned he was in agreement with me.

“Those smooth nuts of yours are pullin’ up, gettin’ tight. Precum is just flowin’ from that big dick of yours, Mike. Your ass is twitchin’ like crazy. You’re gonna cum for me, ain’t ya?” He moaned in response. I could feel that I was getting close. I felt the tightening between my legs at the base of my balls that meant I was about to shoot. Mike had my cock down his throat to the hilt. I ain’t exactly small, but lately he’d been able to take the entire length down his throat. It felt fantastic.

“That’s good, Mike. Fuckin’ great.” I took him in my mouth again. He whimpered and pushed his nose into my bush, the entire length of my dick was in him. I moved up and down his shaft a couple of times and felt him tense. His gland began twitching, and my mouth filled with his juice. It was creamy and a bit salty with a tangy bittersweetness to it. His shooting got me so excited, I lost it. I began pumping down his throat. We both began a very gentle tonguing of each other, drawing out our orgasms, just enjoying the feeling of making one another feel so good. After a few minutes, we finally pulled apart. He turned around and lay against me, with his head on my chest. I put my arm around him.

“That was real nice, Jeff, thanks.”

“Thank
you
, buddy. I love the way you can deep throat me now.”

“It gets me off just as much.”

“Good. Now let’s get some shuteye. We done used up this day.” He snuggled into me, and we were sound asleep in just a few minutes.

Chapter Eleven

W
E
DECIDED
to stop for breakfast in Leavenworth, a little German-themed tourist town on Highway 2. The horse farm that we wanted to visit was in Snohomish, a little town on the other side of the mountains. All we had to do was keep going straight down Highway 2. We hit Leavenworth at about eight in the morning. We all needed coffee. Sandy still wasn’t convinced about the type of horses I wanted.