Page 10 of Skin Game
“I’m not going to bother answering that.” Gabe turned to Casey. “So, what’s going on with you?”
Casey inhaled a deep breath, getting enough oxygen to start in on a decent safety lecture.
“Besides my face, I mean,” Gabe added hastily.
Casey deflated, letting his shoulders droop.
“I’m worried about Mickie. I’ve told both of you that. He asked me to give him some space, and I’m giving him space even if it kills me.” Casey tried not to cross his arms and pout. “This morning, Greta told me I’m helicoptering.”
Gabe wrinkled his nose, clearly thinking. “I mean, maybe? Not to me though, babe. He’s your brother and you love him. You’re the one who’s been there for him over the years, the one who believed. It was a lot for you to handle. But for what it’sworth, I also don’t think him asking for space means he’s cutting you out of his life.”
Factually, Gabe was right, but emotionally, Casey was having a hard time coming to terms with his brother’s need for emotional elbow room. He promised himself—again—that he would let Mickie be Mickie. If Mickie needed Casey, he had to trust that he’d reach out, even if it killed him to stay away until his brother asked.
Which left Casey with Gabriel to worry about. Who, if Casey was being honest with himself, was much more likely to induce some kind of medical emergency than Mickie, Elton, or Greta, although they all had their moments. Why couldn’t the people he cared for behave and stay where he put them?
“What exactly happened in Westfort this morning?” he asked, changing the subject away from him. “And I don’t want to hear the Cliffs Notes. Why aren’t the police here, ready to escort you to the county jail?”
FOUR
CASEY – MONDAY AFTERNOON TO EVENING
“Well.” Gabe glanced toward where Elton was standing in the kitchen and fiddling with glossy nobs. “Althea asked Elton to ask me if I could retrieve that necklace for her.”
“Keep talking, I know this part.”
“Yeah, so Hero’s douchebag?—”
Elton interrupted with a throat-clearing sound and Casey suppressed a chuckle.
“I can’t think of a better word. You come up with one, Elton, and I’ll start using it. Anyway.” He turned his attention back on Casey. “Hero’stoolof an ex-boyfriend took something that didn’t belong to him, and I took it back. It was almost like falling off a log.” He pursed his lips. “Actually, it was a lot like falling off a log. Long story short, he left for work, so I thought it was safe to go inside, but he must’ve forgotten something or been fired for being late. Anyway, he surprised me at his hovel and tried to take me down.” He nodded in Elton’s direction. “But I got it, didn’t I?”
Elton reached over and lifted a gold-colored necklace from where it had been sitting on the counter. A thumbnail-sized locket dangled from a gold chain and shone in the light. Setting itback down, he pressed a switch on the espresso machine, grunting as he did so. They listened to the hum and chug as hot caffeinated beverage dribbled into the hedgehog cup Gabe had found at a local thrift store.
From the pleased expression occupying Elton’s face, he at least thought Gabe’s adventure had been a success. Maybe hewasthe glass-half-empty guy, but Casey had the feeling that this morning’s undertaking was going to come back and bite Gabe in the butt. Or all of their collective asses, as Gabe would say.
Elton pushed the mug across the counter. “First one’s up.”
“You have that one, Casey. You look like you need a pick-me-up.”
“What I need is not to get phone calls that begin with ‘it’s not as bad as it looks.’” And not have his boyfriend breaking and entering.
“I assure you, it isn’t.” Gabe pointed at his forehead. “This here is just a memento that will soon fade into nothing.”
“That sounds like wishful thinking, but what do I know?” Rising to his feet, Casey crossed the room to lean his hip against the living room side of the counter.
From the bounce of Gabe’s knee and the barely suppressed grin, it seemed to Casey that he was riding high on adrenaline and the success of his undertaking in spite of the encounter with Hero’s ex. Shooting Elton a sideways glance, Casey saw that he too looked pleased with himself.
Great. Now Casey needed to keep his eye on both of them.
He watched Gabe push to his feet, then carry the bag of peas into the kitchen and toss them back into the freezer. Note to self: Don’t use the peas.
“Hey, not to change the subject or anything, but have there been any sightings of Calvin Perkins?” Gabe asked. He’d moved to stand next to Elton on kitchen side of the counter, leaning forward so his elbows rested against the countertop.
“Not that I’ve heard.” Casey was fine with Gabe changing thesubject if that’s what he wanted, but he was watching that bruise. “Why do you ask?”
“Huh. I could’ve sworn I saw his truck or one just like it on my way back here today. Mind, I’m no Calvin Perkins expert, thank god, but a massive tricked-out red truck like the one I remember him driving in the fall passed me heading north. It even had the offensive flags flying from the windows.”
“You didn’t get a good look at the driver?” Casey said, taking a careful sip of his java. The hunt for Perkins had ended before the turn of the year. The assumption was that the man was dead or well hidden. Casey figured it was fifty-fifty. Perkins was an idiot, but he had the skills to survive off grid for as long as he wanted. The forest was arguably the single place Perkins felt most comfortable. He wouldn’t have many issues subsisting as long as he wasn’t hurt.