14
ANTHONY
“You boys should go fishing,” Arthur said during dinner. “The weather’s perfect.”
“Didn’t you hear, Dad? Fishing’s boring. It was all over the news.” Ethan scooped more rice onto his plate.
“Fishing is the art of patience, my impatient son. Chris used to love fishing back in the day.”
“Chris tolerated fishing because it got him to spend time with you, the same way he was into knitting because of Mom.”
Ruth raised a warning finger. “Don’t drag my knitting into this. He made me the most beautiful sweater, although the right arm was shorter than the left. I still have it somewhere.”
Anthony drank from his water to hide a smile. He always loved how at ease he felt with Ethan’s parents, although he was feeling rather agitated sitting at their table this Friday evening. The last time he had been in a similar “coming out” situation, it had been with his religious family, and hadn’t that turned out wonderfully? He didn’t expect Ethan’s parents to react similarly—they still had a framed Hillary Clinton photo on the wall—but he was wary just the same, more for Ethan’s sake than his.
“So...” Ethan cleared his throat and rubbed his palms on his legs.
Anthony gave him a reassuring smile.
“On no!” Ruth covered her mouth. “You lost your job?”
“What? No! I just started this week.”
Ruth exhaled. Her brownish hair was graying, but her eyes were as green and vibrant as Ethan’s.
“Leave him alone,” Arthur said, an older version of Ethan. “If he loses his job, it’s fine. He’ll bounce back.”
“Jesus, I didn’t lose my job. I’m just dating Anthony.”
Silence spread across the cozy dining room. Anthony held his breath, counting until eleven before Ruth finally cleared her throat and said, “Well, good. Anthony’s a fine catch.” She smiled at him with such fondness, he couldn’t even say thank you.
“Hold on.” Arthur put down his fork. “In my days, dating meant... dating.”
“It hasn’t changed much,” Ethan said.
“Does this mean you’re a homosexual?”
“I’m bisexual.”
Arthur pursed his bottom lip at Ruth. “How ‘bout that?”
“Hush you. Don’t play games with him. You were sure he was gay when he was in high school.”
Ethan leaned forward. “Sorry, what?”
Arthur waved his hand dismissively. “You weren’t into sports, and you always kept your curfew—what was I supposed to think?”
“Many other things?”
“Don’t make a big deal out of it. I was fine with your possible homosexuality, and I’m fine with you dating Anthony. Hell, your mom and I were sure you’d end up marrying Chris!”
Ruth laughed. “We really were. Anyway, I’m happy for you two. Anthony, welcome to the family. If you ever need to bitch about my son, give me a call.”
“I... thank you.”
Arthur cleared his throat. “Anthony, I expect you to treat my son with respect and honesty.”
“Dad...”
“I’m speaking, Ethan.”
Anthony sat straighter. “Yes, sir.”
“We raised Ethan to be a good man, and whoever he ends up with should consider themselves lucky.”
“I do feel lucky.” He glanced at Ethan, who seemed about ready to hide under the table.
“Good. Is your business doing well?”
“Yes, sir. Never better.”
“And are you two planning on moving in together?”
“We just started talking about that.”
“I feel obligated to inform you that my Ethan can be a bit messy.”
“Dad!”
The conversation continued from there, and Anthony felt much lighter now that their truth was out in the open, fully accepted.
Once done with dinner, they moved into the living room to drink warm tea. Ethan and Anthony were to stay there the entire weekend, which would have been awkward if Ethan’s coming out hadn’t gone so well. Ruth brought out old photo albums to get Anthony better acquainted with the family, sharing funny stories as she flipped through the pages. In some of the newer photos, young Chris began to appear.
“I’ve never seen anyone as photogenic as Chris,” Ruth told Anthony.
“Thanks, Mom!”
“Oh, you know what I mean.” She narrowed her eyes as if remembering something. “It took some work to make him smile for the camera, though. Arthur, do you remember how serious he was the first time Ethan brought him for a visit?”
“I remember. A bit of fishing and I got him to open up.”
“Of course, dear.”
Both Ethan and Anthony’s phones rang with an incoming message, meaning it was either Chris or Jay in their group chat. Anthony didn’t bother checking since Ethan pulled out his phone. A frown grew on his face as he read the message.
“What’s wrong?” Anthony asked.
“It’s...” Ethan met his eyes. “Let’s step outside for a moment.”
“Is everything okay?” Ruth asked, holding the photo album to her chest.
“Yeah, I just need to speak with Anthony. We’ll be right back.”
Anthony followed Ethan outside into the quiet rural neighborhood. When they stopped at the end of the short path leading to the house, Ethan held up his phone for Anthony to see. The message in their group chat was from Chris. “I need to take some time away guys. Need some peace and quiet. Please don’t try to contact me until I figure things out.”
Anthony looked up. “What do you think happened?”
“No idea, but I need to find out who wrote this message.”
“What do you mean? Chris wrote it.”
Ethan shook his head. “He didn’t put a comma in front of ‘guys’. You know he’s a grammar freak.”
“Aren’t you reading too much into a single comma?”
“I know how he writes, Ant. He would’ve also likely added an ‘I’ before ‘need some peace’.”
Anthony was no grammar expert, but Ethan seemed confident.
“I’m calling him.” Ethan dialed and held the phone to his ear. After a few seconds, he lowered it back. “It’s going to voicemail. Should I call Melissa? If he hasn’t written her anything, I’ll end up worrying her.”
“Did Chris tell you anything lately that sounded off?”
Ethan frowned. “Not really, but the part about Melissa and the twins staying at her parents’ sounded strange.” He let out a breath. “I have a bad feeling about this.” His phone rang before Anthony could respond. “It’s Jay.”
“Put him on speaker.”
Ethan did. “Hi, have you seen Chris’s message?”
Jay didn’t answer immediately, and when he did, his strained voice made it clear something was wrong. “Yeah, I’ve seen the message. Are you and Anthony at your parents’?”
“Yes, but we can head back if we need to.”
Jay sighed. “Yeah, you should. We need to talk.”
*
Arthur and Ruth weren’t happy with them leaving so soon. Ethan didn’t mention that they were leaving because of Chris, saying instead that one of his neighbors had smelled gas from his apartment, and he needed to check it out.
They drove mostly in tense silence for over two hours until they reached Jay’s apartment in Brooklyn. Jay opened the door before they could knock. He looked stressed yet relieved to see them. He went to take three beers from the fridge and brought them to the small living room area. Ethan and Anthony sat on the couch, neither of them reaching for their drinks.
“I’m sure that Chris didn’t write that message,” Ethan said. “I tried calling him ten times and only got his voicemail.”
Jay took a long sip of his beer, his right leg resting on the small table between them. “Yeah, he didn’t write it—Trevor did, Chris’s adopted brother. It could also be the other brother, Andy.”
Ethan sat straighter. “You obviously know more about what’s going on than us.”
Jay ran his thumb over the cold bottle, a deep line between his brows. “Do you remember that day at the park when Chris got a phone call about his adoptive parents’ deaths?”
Ethan nodded. “I remember.”
“They left him their money—all of it. Chris told the lawyer he didn’t want it, but turns out that the money won’t officially be his for the next two years. Waiving the inheritance would give all the money to charity.”
“Why didn’t they leave the money to their biological children?” Anthony asked.
“We don’t know for sure, but Trevor’s apparently in debt, and he needed that money yesterday.” Jay rubbed his eyes, looking more drained with every passing minute.
“What is it?” Anthony hesitantly asked.
Jay exhaled. “If Chris dies during the next two years, all the money goes straight to Trevor and Andy. They have no other way of getting it.”
Tense silence filled the room. Anthony processed Jay’s words, realizing the implications.
Ethan shifted on the couch. “Did Trevor threaten Chris?”
“Yes, but subtly. Nothing on record that we can take to the police.”
“Is that why Chris convinced Melissa to stay at her parents’, and why you’ve been staying at his house?” Anthony asked.
“Yes. I’ve been staying there as backup. Chris has been trying to figure out a way to legally get out of that damn will, and Mickey’s been helping as well. Last I heard, it wasn’t looking promising.”
“Did you and Chris believe he was in danger?” Anthony asked, his anger growing underneath his skin. He could have watched Chris’s back as well. We promised no more secrets.
“Yes, we believed he was in danger. The brothers are pretending to be in Florida and building an alibi, but we knew it was an act.” Jay cleared his throat. “That was why we went to ask Oscar for help.”
“Oscar?” Ethan and Anthony said together.
“Relax, he’s on our side. He gave us Dima as a bodyguard when I wasn’t able to be with Chris during work hours.”
Anthony’s anger flared. “You got Dima involved instead of telling Ethan and me?”
“Chris didn’t want to tell you two, and I—”
“Preferred to get help from the man who’d tortured me!”
Ethan put his hand on Anthony’s trembling leg. “You’re right; they were idiots, but it’s too late to change that now.” He turned to Jay. “What happened?”
Jay wouldn’t meet Anthony’s eyes. “Dima claimed he was attacked while he and Chris arrived at a shooting range. Someone allegedly jumped him in the parking lot, hit his car, and then took off with Chris. He said that there were two attackers, both wearing masks.”
“Shit.” Ethan buried his face in his hands.
Anthony’s anger was overshadowed by cold numbness and fear. I would have told you never to trust that man.
“Do you think that Dima’s lying?” Ethan asked, doing a remarkable job of keeping himself composed, although Anthony could tell it was a fragile act.
“Yeah, I think he’s lying,” Jay said. “But someone did beat him up, so I can’t be completely sure. I mean, why would he risk going against Oscar? He doesn’t even know Trevor or Andy.”
“Dima was Tobias’s man,” Anthony said, remembering how close the two of them had been, in and out of the club. “Chris is one of the reasons Tobias is dead, and you two have given him a golden opportunity to get even.”
Anthony could see the effect of his words in Jay’s eyes, but that didn’t change the truth.
“Is there a way to question Dima?” Ethan asked. “I’m sure you tried, but—”
“Oh, I’m not done trying. I got Oscar to send him with his busted car to my garage tomorrow. I’m going to give that car a thorough look and poke Dima with questions until something slips out.”
“Anthony and I should come as well.”
Jay shook his head. “I won’t get anything out of him if he sees you two. Don’t worry, I’m not going to fight him; I’ll let Oscar handle the squeezing part once I know a bit more.”
“He’s dangerous, and you’ve already underestimated him,” Anthony said firmly.
“I know he is, and you have every right to be angry with me, but Dima got the shit beat out of him. If he tries anything, I’ll knock him out easily. But I can’t let it come to that, or we might lose the only link we have to where they’re keeping Chris.”
“Do you think...” Ethan exhaled, his green eyes glossy. “Do you think they might have already—?”
“No, I don’t. The brothers will need to be smart about this, or any investigation into Chris’s... death would lead straight to them. Not much to do with money when you’re in prison for the rest of your life. Besides, they wouldn’t have bothered sending that text message from his number if they had a quick death in mind.”
We don’t know that, Anthony thought bitterly. We don’t know anything.
“They’re setting the stage,” Ethan said quietly.
“Yes, which means we don’t have much time, but we do have some. Let me see what I can find out from Dima.”
“I want to call the police,” Ethan said. “We’re playing with fire. We can’t assume we know what those two psychopaths might do and when.”
“E, Oscar won’t let Dima speak with the cops, and we have a text message from Chris telling us he needed to get away. Keep in mind that if Trevor finds out that the cops are after him, he might do something stupid. I don’t want him with his back against the wall—I want him to think he’s getting away with this. Let me work on Dima tomorrow, then I’ll speak with you two about our next steps. Nothing is off the table, and whatever we do, we’ll do it together.”
A bit late for that, Anthony stopped himself from saying.
Ethan’s phone rang. “Shit. It’s Melissa. I... I can’t talk to her.”
Jay took the phone. “Let me.” He answered the call, putting Melissa on speaker. “Hi, it’s Jay. Ethan’s in the bathroom.”
“Jay, have you talked with Chris today?”
Anthony’s stomach twisted at the panic in her voice.
“Today? No, I haven’t. But we all got that message from him.”
“What did your message say?” In the background, Anthony could hear at least one of the twins crying.
Jay scratched his forehead. “Something about needing to get away, to have some peace.”
“I got the same thing! What the hell does that mean? I spoke with him this morning, and he didn’t say anything about needing to get away. He doesn’t even answer his phone!”
Jay pinched the bridge of his nose. “Listen, I’m sure he’s fine. He’s been working like crazy lately, so maybe he needed a few days to clear his head.”
“It’s not like him.” She took a breath. “Is he with another woman? Be honest with me.”
“Another... fuck no! Don’t let your head go there.”
“Then can you please drive over to our house to see if he’s there?”
“I... yeah, I’ll do that. No problem.”
“It’s not like him,” Melissa said again with a tired sigh.
“It’s going to be okay. Let me drive over there and check. Try not to stress out, okay?”
“Fat chance of that. Keep me posted, please. Thank you.”
Jay hung up and smashed his fist on the table, causing his beer bottle to tumble and shatter on the floor. “Fuck this!”
Anthony took a breath, knowing what all this meant.
They were going to war.