Page 9 of Skin Game
“I warned you. You can’t just go breaking and entering, Gabe,”Casey repeated. He doubted his admonishment was going to be acknowledged or possibly even heard.
Gabe rolled his eyes. “Not even to retrieve an irreplaceable treasured necklace with great sentimental value?”
That was a first. Casey tried not to show his surprise at Gabe almost admitting to breaking the law and refused to think that maybe Gabe’s values were changing slightly.
The bag of frozen peas being held against Gabe’s forehead didn’t fully conceal the purple bump and scrape underneath it, and a previously frozen droplet rolled down the side of his face. He swiped at it with his free hand while waiting for Casey to respond.
“You look like you were dragged through a hedge backward,” Casey added, knowing the retort was pathetic.
“It was this close to being a hedge drag.” Gabe raised his hand, index and thumb about an inch apart. “Randy wasn’t fucking around. I slipped and had to slow down when I went through the gate. He managed to shove me into an inconveniently placed evergreen shrub, made me trip, and I stumbled. That’s when my face hit the holly tree branch. The guy was set to commence with the violence, lots of yelling and profanity floating around. Good thing no small children were nearby. Luckily, he was distracted by a car going by or something and let go. Too bad for Randy though. I kicked him in the kneecap, scrambled off to the Honda, and drove away before he could get me again.”
Blowing out another breath, Casey ran that imagery through his head. Then he added it to the fact that Gabe was proud of his breaking and entering. “I give up. Did someone call the police?”
“Maybe,” replied Gabe. “But if they did, I didn’t see them. I sure didn’t call them on myself.”
Casey stared at Gabe’s off-white, sparkly sprayed ceiling, sucked some air into his lungs, and let it out slowly. In the past, Elton had hosted these post-disaster tête-à-têtes at his place. But with the demise ofThe Golden Ticket, Gabe had his own addressnow, 183 Bayview Drive, just down from Gordon MacDonald’s place at Smitty’s RV Park. Casey was surprised Gordon hadn’t shown up for this debrief.
The park hosted fewer recreational vehicles these days, but the name stayed the same from when it first opened. Since learning this fact, Gabriel had started a low-key campaign to change it to something more appropriate. But the names he’d come up with—Shady Acres, Riddle Hollow—were no better. Casey thought they sounded like cemeteries.
“Look, I got the locket for Althea, didn’t I? You can’t deny the success of my mission.”
Across the room from Casey, Elton smirked. Ignoring them all, Bowie stood up, turned three times, and lay down again.
Casey jabbed a finger in Elton’s direction. “You’ve created a monster. Breaking and entering? For crying out loud. I just—” His attention drifted to the bag of defrosting produce covering Gabe’s forehead. “That looks nasty. Have you cleaned it up yet?” He shifted his butt off the windowsill to start toward the bathroom where Gabe stored the basic first aid kit Casey had given him as a housewarming present.
“It looks worse than it is, I promise,” Elton said before Casey could take a step. “I checked.”
Fine.
Casey settled his butt back against the sill.
Gabe shook his head. “I didn’t break anything. Besides, it looked like someone who was not me really did break in the house fairly recently and Randy hasn’t bothered to clean it up. I didn’t add to the chaos. Honestly, it was disgusting.” Gabe glanced over to where Elton had made himself comfortable on the other end of the couch. “How did Hero meet him anyway? Did she stay overnight there? Maybe she needs a tetanus shot.Ineed a shower, and I was in there less than five minutes.”
Casey took in Gabriel’s general state of dishevelment. Theholly tree had done a real number on him. He supposed he should be glad; at least he wasn’t posting bail.
As he ran his eyes over Gabe again, the scrape, the deepening bruise, and the bag of defrosting peas told Casey he hadn’t been wrong. Gabe was in pain. Maybe he should grab the first aid kit anyway.
“You didn’t need to rush over here. I told you, it’s not as bad as it looks. Elton took a look at it, and I don’t need stitches. I even let him pour an ungodly amount of hydrogen peroxide on the cut. If I get an infection, it will be some kind of bacterial miracle. A second coming, a bacterial rapture. You do know I’m not that breakable, right?”
Instead of answering him with words, Casey huffed and turned to look out the window. Gabe was, in fact, entirely too breakable.
A Steller’s jay, its feathers so black that the blue was merely a hint, flew past the window. It careened downward to land on a stump and loudly announced its displeasure with the world in general. Casey could relate. The jay cocked its head and seemed to look directly at Casey, its beady eyes glittering as if to sayGet it together, big guybefore it fluttered off with a loud squawk toward a stand of trees.
Sucking in a breath, Casey tried to marshal his thoughts. He didn’t need Greta’s Real Talk to tell him the emotion he was feeling was fear. Fear because he’d let Gabe past his barriers, and caring for Gabriel Karne was fucking frightening. Fear because he had no control over the chaotic bumper car ride that was Charming Fucker, a man for whom rules were suggestions and not regulations.
The few times in his life before now that Casey’d envisioned being in a relationship, he’d seen himself as part of a safe—on the cusp of boring—couple. Fictional days off together spent hiking or planning hikes. Maybe volunteering to count that year’ssalmon run or helping to rebuild the boardwalks at the local wetlands.
Gabe was not safe. There was no control switch. Casey just needed to hang the hell on. And, for reasons he hadn’t quite figured out yet, he wanted to.
Gabe patted the seat cushion next to his thigh. “You’re looming again.”
“Greta said the same thing,” he said with a halfhearted grumble. Crossing the room, Casey took the spot next to Gabe. Elton rose to his feet with a “Coffee?” and headed toward the kitchen.
“The answer is almost always yes, as you are fully aware. Do you need me to demonstrate how to use the espresso maker again?” Gabriel asked.
“No, I think I’ve got the damn thing figured out. Why you had to buy a coffee machine that costs more than your rent and has more buttons than the space shuttle, I will never understand.”
They watched Elton trundle out of the living room into the open concept kitchen, where he’d be able to make the hot beverages and still participate in the conversation.