Page 32

Jon had just finished his work for the week. Levi was at the bar, and he was home alone on a Friday night. He was considering heading over to the bar to help out, hang out—or whatever excuse would get him out of the house—when he received a text from Gus.

Can you come help me with something this weekend?

The call that had followed had left him with more questions than answers.

Come tonight.

Tell Levi not to worry and you’ll be home tomorrow night or Sunday at the latest.

Gus’s evasiveness about what he needed concerned Jon, so he rushed to pack for a weekend trip. He didn’t bother to call or text Levi, choosing to swing by the bar on his way out of town to talk to him face to face. Levi had been ready to abandon the bar. His reaction didn’t surprise Jon, but he convinced him to stay by promising to call the moment he arrived, knowing that would allow him to relay that everything was fine. At least, that’s what he hoped.

The drive to Galveston felt longer. The weather was dismal. A storm was brewing. Jon was contemplating the way the weather seemed to mirror his mood. He was worried about Gus, and the knot growing in his stomach was making it worse. It rained as he merged onto the Gulf Freeway.

The door opened the moment he pulled into the drive. Jon ran inside, partly to avoid the rain, but mostly out of concern. Gus greeted him with open arms.

“It’s good to see you, Gus.” Jon felt the embrace tighten before it released. “So, what do you need help with?”

“Nothing that can’t wait first thing in the morning. The weather’s turned to shit. Have you had supper yet?”

His brow furrowed. “No…and if it can wait til tomorrow, why did you want me to rush down tonight?”

“Well, if the weather had held, we could start tonight, but for now we’ll see how things go tomorrow. I was getting ready to cook a burger. Want one?”

Gus seemed to be in good spirits. Jon felt his worry retreat into the recesses of his mind. Though the knot was still in his stomach, he thought it could just be hunger. Jon graciously accepted, before excusing himself to give Levi an update.

When he returned to the kitchen, Gus motioned for him to sit at the table.

“How’s Levi?”

“Good. He’s been going in early a lot this week to hear auditions for a ‘house performer’.”

“God, if I were a musician I’d hate to audition for Levi. He’s hard on himself, but he can be just as hard on other musicians. It’s probably the ‘I can do that better, so why not do it myself’ attitude or something.”

“I know. The bad part was that only one dude showed up. I made sure this one was at lunchtime, so I went down to listen. He was late but pretty good, so I talked Levi into giving him a shot.”

“That’s great! I know he’s hoping this’ll up business on the slower nights.”

“I think it will.” He paused, examining the man standing over the stove. “You sure you’re fine? You’re looking thinner than the last time I was here.”

Gus flipped the burgers and waved the spatula in Jon’s direction without turning to face him. “I’m fine.”

Jon thought he heard something in Gus’s voice, but dropped it. No matter the reason for the weight loss, even if it wasn’t serious, he knew he couldn’t force Gus to talk. Though he couldn’t help feeling the man in front of him was just a shadow of the man he was just a few weeks ago.

“Y’all get everything moved yet?”

“We sure did. We’re still working on getting everything settled in, but your guest suite is ready whenever you want to come up. James was instrumental in helping me get everything loaded while Levi was at work. I was trying to do as much as I could without him. He works so hard.”

Gus growled. “Did you say James?” His eyes flared wide.

Jon bit his lip. “Uh, yeah. Long story short, he was dating Alicia and heard her ranting about me and Levi. He came to the bar and talked to Levi, and then he came over for a bit. He dumped her and Levi got to give her a piece of his mind too.”

“I don’t like that fucker. Watch out for him. He’s a snake. Shit, that’s not fair to snakes…What’s worse than snakes?”

“It’s ok Gus. Levi was acting the same way, but I said we should give him a chance. He apologized, and it sounded honest to me. Besides, Levi told him if he fucks up, he might kill him.”

“I’m honestly surprised he didn’t shoot him when he walked into the bar. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad he didn’t, but what the fuck was he thinking showing his face there?”

“Said he thought you’d sold it and figured Levi had moved on.”

“He always was a dumbass.”

Jon smiled. “Yeah, but he let me get a few final words with Alicia. Besides, what’s the worst that could happen? He knows Levi doesn’t trust him. You still hate him, and he thinks I’m crazy. Granted, the fact that he was dating my idiot sister helps the last one.”

Gus cracked a smile. “I guess. Just promise me you’ll keep an eye on him if he’s around. Especially if he’s single. He doesn’t have any respect for relationships or people.”

“I gathered that. I trust Levi, and he trusts me. We love each other, so we know that even if he tried to pull that shit, he’d be barking up the wrong tree.”

Gus shook his head. “I know. He’s still trouble, though.”

Jon looked away. “So what exactly did you need my help with?”

“You’ll see tomorrow. Burgers are almost ready.”

Jon smiled. Still, there was something off about all of this. He decided to prowl through the medicine cabinet long after Gus was asleep to see if he could find anything that might help him figure it out.