Page 67 of Guitars and Cages

“That’s what I’m giving him the chance to do.”

Cole tapped his boot in annoyance, eyes looking from Morgan to me. “And?”

“And I’m goin’ with you,” I told him.

Cole’s grin was triumphant; even I couldn’t miss that.

Morgan scowled and gripped the edge of the table in frustration. “You ain’t told him where you’re goin’ yet.”

If it was possible, Cole’s grin grew even bigger. “California. So pack light, little brother, and get some sleep; we’re leaving at noon.”

“I... I can’t,” I said, looking at Cole with pleading eyes. “I have to get Ghost from the vet the day after tomorrow.”

“What the fuck is Ghost?”

“A cat I found. She was hurt; she needed her paws fixed. The vet operated on her, but she’s gonna need to be cared for while she heals. I can’t take her to California on a Harley.”

“A goddamned cat is gonna stop you from going to California with me? This is bullshit, Asher; you can’t be serious. It’s not even your goddamn cat, it’s just a stupid stray.”

I flinched, because for a second, he sounded exactly like Dad. “Cole, I’m... I’m sorry, but I’m not gonna leave her there. I found her; she’s mine now.”

He threw up his hands in frustration and glared at Morgan. “You put him up to this, didn’t you? There prolly isn’t even a goddamned cat; you just don’t want him to leave. Why, Morgan? You can hire better bartenders and bigger guys to take care of the door. He’s my brother; he belongs with me, not with you. I should have drug his ass down to Mexico with me the first time I went. All you’ve ever done was try to fill his head with impossible fucking ideas.”

“They aren’t so impossible for either one of you if you would stop being so stubborn, Colton. Your fight isn’t with me right now, it’s not with that cat, and it’s not with Asher. You’re pissed off at Alexia and you want to hurt her to try to get your way. Grow the fuck up. You’re not kids anymore; either be the big brother that both of them need, or fuck off and don’t come back here.”

“No!” I said, standing, afraid Cole would do just that and leave. “I’m sorry I didn’t go with you to Mexico; you were right when you said I should have gone. I’ll go with you to California, but only if we can get an apartment here in the city first, so I can take care of Ghost until she’s ready to travel.”

“That doesn’t solve how you’re gonna get a cat to California on the back of a Harley.”

“I’m not,” I said, trying to think. “I’ll have to get a car, some piece of crap we can use if we need to. I’ll leave my bike here for now and follow you to Cali in the car.”

Cole’s triumphant grin returned. “Fine, problem solved. We can start looking for apartments in the morning. Hell, maybe the place you moved out of is still open; we can move right back in.”

Morgan threw up his hands. “Yeah, ’cause that makes all the sense in the world; that damn place only had one bedroom.”

Cole ignored Morgan and looked at me. “But it was cheap, right?”

“Yeah, it was real cheap, but they don’t allow pets.”

“So we’ll sneak the cat in. It’s not like a dog—they’re quiet, and if this one is laid up, she’ll be really quiet. How long does it take a cat’s paws to heal?”

“Six to eight weeks.”

“So we’d only need the place for two months tops. It was month to month, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then it’s settled. We’ll go see if it’s still open in the morning, and then we can get the hell out of here.”

Morgan seethed with barely controlled fury and glared at Cole. “You know, I expect this sort of shit from you. The only goddamned person you’ve ever given a shit about is yourself.”

Then his eyes swung to me. “But you, Asher, I thought better of you. What are you going to tell Rory when he asks why you’re not going to be around? What are you going to say to Alexia, when she asks if it’s her fault that you’re leaving?”

“Why the hell would she think it was her fault?” I said at the same time Cole yelled, “Itishis goddamned fault we’re leaving. And stop calling him a her! He is a he! No way in hell I’mma stay here around that fucked-up little fag!”

I rubbed my temples. As if my head wasn’t pounding before, now it sounded like I had a drum battle going on in my mind. I stared at the floor until I’d counted every line, every streak from where Morgan had mopped it.

“Cole...” I began, my voice low, hesitant. I had to tell him.