Chapter 12
Dylan looked at his grandmother. “Do you really think Gabe’s in danger?”
She nodded. “I do. You go visit with him while we come up with a game plan. We’ll order a pizza or something while we go through this shit up here. Keep him busy, but I’m not sure it’ll be a good idea to let him leave.”
Dylan’s chest tightened. “What do you mean? It’s not like I can hold him prisoner here.”
She barked a laugh. “I know that, kiddo. But we need to know what we’re dealing with. I’d hate for the knowledge to be just as dangerous as that… thing we saw in your vision.”
“You mean the guy that runs Peggy’s?”
“I mean the thing that runs Peggy’s. Something just seemed…off about him. I’m not convinced he is a man now.” She shrugged. “We at least have a little experience and won’t be as caught off-guard by the bizarre stuff that’s likely to be in here.”
Tinah winked at him. “Go on. Just don’t think too hard about anything just yet. It’d be awkward to transform into a cat or something on your date .
Dylan cringed at the use of that word. He wasn’t sure what this was, but he certainly wouldn’t call it a date. He let out a sigh. Even if it wasn’t a date, Tinah was right. It would be awkward, and even worse, he had no clue how to process this for himself, let alone explain it to someone else. Someone he was fairly certain had a crush on him. He mumbled a response that caused her to smirk and headed down the hall toward the stairs.
Dylan could hear Gabriel wandering around the ground floor before he started his descent. He took each step silently; questioning what he would tell him. He didn’t feel like rehashing what went on in Washington, but they needed a distraction.
As his foot landed on the last step, Gabriel’s sigh made him pause.
“I need to tell you something and get it out before I make a fool of myself.”
Dylan chuckled. “If it’s about you watching me and your brother, I knew about that.”
Gabriel turned to face him, his cheeks flushed red. “That wasn’t what I meant, but for what it’s worth, I never said a word to anyone about that.”
Dylan gave him a soft smile through the heartache at the thought of that night. “I know. If you had, your dad wouldn’t have walked in on what he did.”
Gabriel dropped his head, his voice cracking. “Yeah. I’m still sorry about what happened. That’s the night everything went to shit. You weren’t around anymore, and Mike wasn’t the same person. He turned mean… more like dad.”
Dylan closed his eyes tight, chewing on his lips. He didn’t want things to be awkward with Gabriel. Not just because he felt responsible somehow for putting him in danger—even if he didn’t understand that yet himself.
“He started drinking heavy after you went away to school. If he hadn’t rolled his truck into the river, he probably would’ve gotten his third DUI that night.” Gabriel shrugged. “I guess he regretted how he fucked things up with you. The funny thing is, I always thought he didn’t deserve you. He was always a piece of shit.” He caught Dylan’s gaze. His emerald eyes shimmered on the edge of tears. “Anyways, I wanted you to know that even if he were still here, I’d be on your side. Not just because I’m gay. He was too. He just never allowed himself to be happy except for that summer with you.” Gabriel paused and looked away for a moment. “Will you be sticking around for a while?”
Dylan thought it looked like he wanted to say more. He wanted to push on and find out, but decided this might not be the best time. He sighed. “I’ll be around for a while, at least. Figure out…” He stopped, not knowing the right words, instead making a large waving gesture around the living room that elicited a cautious laugh from Gabriel.
“I wasn’t sure if you were just here to handle Homer’s estate or why you were back.”
Dylan attempted to run his fingers through his hair. He had always kept it shaggy, but had shorn most of the length after he’d left Derek. He’d stayed with old Mrs. Simmons down the hall for a couple of weeks after he’d discovered Derek in bed with Ronnie. She’d been the one he’d turned to, the closest thing he’d had to a mother on the west coast. After the first night, after nearly pulling it into knots, she’d come out of retirement long enough to give him a change. She’d said it made him a brand new man, and she’d wished she were thirty years younger. He let out a huff. “I’m here for the time being. Not sure how long yet.”
Gabriel closed the distance between them and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?”
Dylan bit back the ‘no’ he wanted to scream. Instead, he sat on the sofa and motioned for Gabriel to join him. They needed time upstairs to figure out their next move, and if it took reliving the worst day of his life ( so far , his mother’s voice rang in his head) then that’s the tale he would tell.
Once Gabriel had joined him, he let out all of his pain. How he’d met Derek, and all the happy years. How he’d been ready to propose and made a plan to surprise the love of his life. Gabriel soaked in the story with a stoic face. When he’d explained how he’d come home early—before Derek was supposed to even be home—to find him in bed with Ronnie, Gabriel’s mask slipped a little. Dylan saw murder in his eyes and felt an unexpected swelling of pride. He told about the two weeks where he made his plan in the kitchen of Mrs. Harriet Simmons, the most badass woman he’d ever met outside of his own family.
Gabriel chuckled and embraced him. “I’m sorry that happened, but if I can be a little selfish, I’m glad you’re home. It’s not been the same around here since you left. Though I do have a question. When did you call Homer and tell him about this?”
Dylan furrowed his brow. “I didn’t. Why did you think I did?”
Gabriel shook his head. “Something he said to me the last time he was in the store. He told me you might be back soon, and he asked me if I’d be there for you.”
Dylan’s jaw clenched as Gabriel’s words echoed in his head. “Gabe, I haven’t talked to him since I was too young to remember. After dad died, mom kept me from what little of dad’s family there was.” He heard footsteps on the stairs. “What else did he tell you?”
Gabriel shrugged. “Nothing really that made sense. Just that you’d need me. I assumed he meant when he died. Though come to think of it, he was old, but always seemed to be healthy.”
Merrin cleared her throat behind him. “Dylan. I think we’ve found something.”
He stood. “I’ll be right back Gabe, sit…”
“No.” His mother interrupted. “He needs to see this, too.”