Twisted (39 page)

One of the rodeo clowns ran out to distract the bull. Mike was conscious. He rolled up into a little ball. I knew how he felt, hoping that the clown would distract the bull so he could get up. The clown got the bull’s attention, and it began to run right at him. I looked around. Where in the hell was the other clown? Just then the rodeo clown vaulted over the arena wall. The bull rammed into it. He turned around. Supported by the other rodeo clown, Mike was up and limping to the side of the arena. The pickup men rode by, trying to distract the bull, but he had one thing on his mind: Mike, who he seemed to know he just bucked off.

He stood there pawing the ground, about to charge. Without even thinking, I leapt over the arena wall. I ran right up behind the bull and kicked him as hard as I could.

I heard the crowd collectively gasp at the same time I was yelling, “Move it, Mike!” The bull turned and began to charge straight at me. Hoping I wasn’t making a mistake, I waited and then jumped to the side. The bull grazed me lightly as he ran by. I started running in the other direction. I heard a commotion behind me. I was praying that it was the pickup men, herding the bull out of the arena, but I wasn’t about to stop and look. The arena fence and announcer’s box was right in front of me. I jumped up on the fence and then jumped higher to grab the edge of the announcer’s box. I felt several arms grab me, and I swung up and into the box. There was a huge crash below. The bull had rammed into the place I’d been standing just a second ago. The announcer looked at me as if I’d sprouted another head.

“First of all, let’s give a big round of applause to Mike Guidry for a great try.” I heard lots of clapping. The announcer continued. “Mike’s also a working cowboy outta Winslett, Washington. He’s sponsored by the Lucky Jeff Ranch. His partner Jeff is the man you just saw attack the bull as well as provide us with a stunning display of gymnastics. Jeff, any words for our spectators?” He handed me the mike, and I knew each of the rodeo clowns had a microphone also. One of them was still with Mike.

“You okay there, buddy?” I could see Mike from across the arena. The clown handed him a mike.

“Other than a few bruises, right as rain.”

“Hey, Mike, will you marry me? When we can get married, that is.” The crowd grew silent.

“If you don’t pull no damn fool stunt like that again, I will!” The crowd erupted in a loud cacophony of cheers, applause, laughter, and catcalls. I handed the mike back to the announcer.

I headed down the stairs from the box and around the arena to Mike.

“Just what in the hell were you thinkin’, Jeff? I was okay.”

“It just looked like the bull was gonna go after you and the guy helpin’ you rather than the other clown or the pickup men.”

He looked up at me and smiled. “Did you think I was gonna say no to you?”

“I just wanted to remind you how special you are to me and how I wanna spend the rest of my life with you.”

“I see that every time you look at me, silly. It is nice to hear, though.”

M
IKE
and I had a quick dinner and headed back to our room. The red message light was blinking on the hotel phone. Mike picked it up, pressed a couple of buttons, and then listened. His eyes grew wide and he put the phone down. “Jeffy, we gotta go right away. Holder showed up and took my dad in for questioning. He asked him to submit to a polygraph test.”

Although we’d had vacation plans, Mike’s dad was a lot more important.

Chapter Seventeen

T
HE
cold northern light filtered through the skylight. It took me a second to get my bearings as I woke up. I was waking up at home and Mike was cuddled up next to me. The light was stronger than it had been, and I realized that winter was winding down. It was still cold enough to be glad we had the down comforter. The last couple of days had been really hectic. Since Al had been staying in town at one of the motels, he really hadn’t been able to verify his whereabouts all the time. When Holder saw him stand up after his foot fell asleep—he had been sitting awhile—Holder got suspicious. I reckon he was thinking of Al’s past homophobia and his treatment of Mike. We’d packed up, talked to the rodeo folks, and headed to the airport, where we were able to get on a flight to San Francisco. By the time we got there, we were able to pick up Al at the FBI branch office on Golden Gate Street. Although the lie detector test had been inconclusive, the fact he had no leg injury was sufficient evidence that he wasn’t involved. I remembered our time with Al in San Francisco very well.

“Hey, Dad, how ya doin’?”

“I’m glad the last eight hours or so are over. I’m trying to see the whole experience as a good thing.”

“How in the hell can you see it as a good thing? That idiot Holder goin’ after you rather than lookin’ for real suspects is ridiculous. He needs to get his head out of his ass.” Mike was furious.

“Mike, you of all people should know I haven’t always been a friend to the gay community. Holder’s only doing his job. I can’t blame him for putting me on the suspect list after what I did to you. And with my work, I do go up and down the coast. If he’s checking out every clue like he did with me, I have no doubt he’ll eventually catch this guy. I’m really not looking forward to tomorrow.”

“Why’s that, Al?” I asked the question, as it still looked like Mike was fuming about Holder.

“I have a counseling session that is going to be very difficult. The family with whom I’ll be speaking had kicked their fourteen-year-old son out for being gay. That was seven years ago. He tried to contact them several times, but they rebuffed his efforts. His mother was a bit more open-minded than the father. She decided to reestablish contact with her son. It was too late, though. He disappeared about ten months ago. Some hikers found his body this weekend, along the coast, north of the Bay Area.” The pain on his face was obvious. Mike actually looked like he was at a loss as to what to say. I was waiting for him to make some sarcastic remark, but he didn’t.

“I reckon that’s a real nice thing you’re doin’, helpin’ those folks, Dad.”

Al got all choked up. “Thanks, Mike. You don’t know how much that means to me.”

“Another victim of the Cutter, eh? I hope they catch that maniac pretty quick, before he can hurt anyone else.”

“You and me both, Jeff.”

“Was this guy a new victim?” Mike asked.

“No, they were counting him among the victims. Now it’s been confirmed.”

“You okay, Jeffy? You look a little pale there.”

“I’m okay, buddy. I was just rememberin’ those pictures and the threat.” Mike’s dad looked from me to Mike.

“What pictures? What threat?”

I sighed. “I reckon it ain’t exactly a secret. Last week I got a letter from the Cutter sayin’ that I was on his list. There were pictures of some of his victims. It was pretty gruesome.”

Al looked very serious. “How are you two protecting yourselves?”

“I try to make sure I’m with Jeffy all the time. I enjoy that part. Jokin’ aside, we make sure the alarm is set at night, the guys and Jeanette in the bunkhouse are all on the lookout, and we’re real careful. Jeff’s always with somebody.”

“I don’t imagine there’s too much more you can do, other than be on the lookout and be observant all the time. Do you boys want me to come back up to Winslett after I’m done with the counseling here in San Francisco?”

“That’s awful nice of you, Al, but I don’t reckon it’s necessary. Damn maniac is bound to make a mistake sometime and get caught. Besides, we’re only a phone call away.”

“Yeah, thanks, Dad. It’s mighty nice of you to offer.”

“I imagine you’re going to hear about it on the news, but they found several bodies along with the one I mentioned. They think that it is someplace that the Cutter was familiar enough with to use as a dumping ground.”

“That’s what is so weird about this case, according to Agent Holder and the sheriff. It seems like the Cutter is familiar with quite a bit of territory, all up and down the West Coast.” I looked at Al when I spoke.

Al said quietly, “Yeah, I remember Holder telling me that.”

Mike added, really quickly, “They got DNA and evidence though. If they ever get a suspect, they can prove or disprove he’s the Cutter, right quick.”

“I heard from Mary Grace the other day that Spencer is asking folks to pray for the Cutter to give him success in his ‘God given mission’.”

Al looked very angry. “Spencer is one twisted and sick individual, Jeff.”

“You won’t get any argument from me on that.”

“Let’s talk about something more pleasant. How did you two do in the rodeo?”

“Mike and I both got at least one buckle, and we got some together too.”

“That’s great. Are you planning to compete in the San Francisco gay rodeo in the summer?”

Mike glanced up at his dad. “We’re plannin’ on it, why?”

“The committee putting on the rodeo asked me to give the invocation during the grand entry ceremonies.”

“That’s nice, Dad. Jeff and I’ll be there, and you can be there to cheer us on.”

“I’ll enjoy that, Mike. It will be nice to see you in action.”

“We’ll certainly miss havin’ you around. You know we’re never more than a phone call away, and you’re always welcome. Hell, next time please stay at the ranch instead of in town,” I said.

“If that’s okay with you guys, I will.” We both looked at Mike.

He actually smiled. “Yeah, you better stay with us. I don’t wanna have to bail you outta jail again for kickin’ the shit outta Spencer.”

“Thanks, Mike. I’ve learned a lot from you two about relationships and love and quite a bit from your friends also.”

“What do you mean, from our friends?”

“Well, Mike, I was speaking with Mary Grace about spirituality. She was explaining to me her beliefs. It’s refreshing to hear someone say that there are many paths to the divine. She did also mention that she should respect all religions equally, but she really has difficulty with respecting what Christianity has become.”

“I like her beliefs, Al. They make a lot more sense to me than the hatred Spencer and most fundies preach. The idea of ‘harm none’ is nice. It’s like the golden rule, but without any judgment or condemnation.”

Al looked at me seriously. “When I first started with PFLAG, I did a study about religion and people changing faiths. Most people who convert to Wicca or other pagan religions, or religions like Buddhism, have been so turned off by Christianity that they flee.”

“On a slightly different note, I asked Mike to marry me.”

“Sure did.” Mike turned red, but looked very pleased.

“That is fantastic!” Al gathered us both in a hug. After a second, he wiped his eyes. He had teared up. Then he added, “I hope gay marriage in the entire country is a reality soon. I know you’re domestic partners, but gay folks still need the protection of marriage. I’ve seen too many people lose everything because their partner had died unexpectedly, and the family would swoop down like vultures, trying to get everything.”

“Gay folks with kids need protection too. Remember the case back East where a grandmother took her daughter’s kids away from her because the daughter was a lesbian? The scary thing is that the court agreed with her. Morals based on any one religion have no place in the legal system. Ethics based on decency are different.”

“You won’t get any argument from me on that, Jeff. Are you two going to have a commitment ceremony, or something similar?”

“We talked about it a bit, Dad. We were thinkin’ of askin’ Mary Grace to perform the ceremony. We also thought that it would be real nice if you could say a blessing and prayer for us.” Al beamed. His eyes got moist again. I wasn’t about to tell him that it took quite a bit of convincing to get Mike to buy into that.

“I’d be honored, Mike. Have you set a date yet?”

“No, not yet.” We ended up staying the night at Al’s before heading back to the ranch.

M
IKE
let out a soft snore, bringing me back to the present. I lay back and thought about the rodeo. It was a lot of fun. It was great to see old friends, and especially to be there with Mike. It wasn’t unusual, though, for one or two good cowboys to win the majority of the buckles. I’d won several, and I also won the all-round-cowboy buckle.

I had to smile to myself, thinking on how much fun it was to hold hands with Mike, just walking through the rodeo grounds, or how nice it was to be able to kiss him or touch him in public. As far as we’d come as a community, we still had a ways to go. It was nice that now we could have our own events, like the rodeo, where we could be ourselves, but for the most part that was still denied to us by society in public places. All in good time, I guessed.

Mike snuggled closer to me and threw his hand across my lower belly. My body began to react immediately. I rubbed his head as he lay on my chest. He looked up at me, bleary-eyed from sleep, his blond hair all tousled. He looked incredible.

“Mornin’, sleepyhead.”

“Mornin’, Jeffy. You sleep well?”

“Sure did. It’s nice to be back in our bed.”

“It’s nice to wake up together, wherever we are.”

“Ain’t that the truth.” He worked his hand down and brushed across my bush and hard cock.

“Don’t you ever think of anythin’ else?” He laughed, and I could hear the teasing note in his voice. He pressed up against my thigh, letting me know he was rock hard also.

“Looks like I ain’t the only one.” I pulled him up even with me and gathered him in my arms. As I pressed my face to his, he opened his mouth. Our lips met and then our tongues touched, gently probing, exploring familiar territory and rejoicing in the feeling. I sat up and pulled him to a sitting position, maneuvering him until our legs were sprawled over one another, spread wide apart. Our cocks touched, hard and pointing at the ceiling, I reached over for the lube on the little table by the side of the bed.

“I have a feelin’ I’m gonna like what you got in mind, Jeffy.”

“That’s the point. I wanna make you feel good.” I lubed up my hands, and with one, grasped his cock, and with the other, his balls. He whimpered in pleasure.