Chapter 15
Nate
Today, Nate is going to do something dangerous. It can backfire horribly, but he’s willing to take the risk for the possible reward.
He tells the sheriff he won’t make it to work because he and Owen are going to do some undercover work. The sheriff is eager enough to see any sort of progress that he agrees immediately, even though he needs to find someone to take over Nate’s shift.
The remaining hurdle is getting Owen to agree. Nate doesn’t know if the man has plans or if he’s even home. The only thing he knows for sure is that Sheryl is at work, so she won’t get in the way.
He drives over to Justin Avenue, where Sheryl has a nice house that she was able to afford with her late husband’s life insurance payout.
Poor guy was shot while trying to arrest two burglars.
That happened almost twenty years ago, but Nate still remembers thinking how stupid it was to risk your life for others.
As the years passed, he realized that being a policeman had other perks that spoke to him, like being able to arrest anyone who might give him crap.
He’s relieved to find Owen sitting on his aunt’s porch, his bare feet resting on another chair. He’s reading a thick book, as if he’s trying to make every passerby know how smart he is. When he notices Nate’s car, he sits straighter, a hard look on his face.
Did Will tell him something about me? It’s hard to imagine Will sharing with anyone what he and Nate were up to until recently, but maybe he did.
“Good morning!” He tries to sound chipper as he shuts his car door behind him. “Good book?”
“It’s a biography about Churchill.”
“Afraid I’m not familiar with any of his films. Ready for another go at saving the world?”
Owen puts the book down and stands up. “I need to make more posters for my new book club, and I promised my aunt I’d clean around the house.”
Nate crosses his arms and sighs. “Yeah, I get it. It’s just that we’re running out of time.”
Owen frowns. “Meaning?”
“There’s so much pressure on the sheriff; he’s going to arrest those dealers soon.”
“What’s the problem with that? You want them to give you names, don’t you? They’ll speak in jail.”
Nate climbs the stairs and leans with his back against the wooden railing.
“We’ve tried that before, and it never worked.
They always get great lawyers who take care of them.
If we want to climb higher up the food chain, we need them to trust you and open up.
” He sighs. “It feels like we’re so close. ”
“I don’t know if I should trust you.”
“Why can’t you trust me? Wasn’t I right about everything I told you?”
“Not about everything.”
He means Will. “I think I know what this is about, and you have the right to know more. Let’s head over to Eminence, then you and I will have an honest talk. I’ll be an open book, for sure more interesting than Churchill.”
Owen looks down at his feet as he thinks, and Nate wonders what he’ll do if Owen refuses to come. He might just tell him the story of Will and Joel right here if he must, but he hopes to do it somewhere else—somewhere more strategic.
“Okay,” Owen finally says. “But it’s already pretty late, so let’s make it quick. I have plans this evening.”
Nate forces a smile, knowing what those plans are. “Sure thing, buddy.”
*
Nate has been sitting in his car for over an hour, waiting in the usual spot for Owen to return.
He knows it’s a good sign that it’s taking him time to buy drugs, but he’s still anxious.
He slides his hand into his pocket, feeling the small bag where he’s keeping the cocaine Owen brought last time.
Making him take some won’t be easy, but Nate has a plan for that, and based on the way Owen is walking toward the car, the guy is already somewhat high.
Nate smiles and nods to himself. He can always count on drug addicts—even supposedly former ones—to say yes to free drugs. He reaches for the water bottle on the back seat.
Owen enters the car, looking pale. “I can’t go there anymore. Joe always wants me to try the stuff I’m buying, and he talks so much. His brother scares me.”
“What did you take?”
“Just weed, but it’s strong. They offered me coke, but I didn’t want to. Here.” Owen reaches for his pocket and pulls out a bag of weed, which Nate shoves into the glove compartment.
“Can I have some water?”
“Sure thing.” He watches as Owen drinks, the same way that Will drank that spiked beer at Rodie’s. The stuff he used this time is not as strong. He doesn’t want Owen to turn into a vegetable, just more relaxed and less sharp.
“Ready to head back?”
Owen nods and puts the bottle down. “They asked me questions about Van Buren and if I had friends there.”
“They’ve been trying to get someone to work there for a long time, but the sheriff managed to put a stop to it. You’re doing a hell of a job.”
“I’m not going to sell drugs to anyone.”
Nate rolls his eyes as he begins to drive. “You don’t need to sell drugs; just make them believe you’re willing to.”
“Okay. Are we going to talk now?”
“Soon.”
“Why not now?”
Nate turns on the radio. “It’s going to be a serious conversation, and I have the right spot in mind for us to have it. Just relax until we get there.”
As expected, Owen dozes off during the drive.
When they reach a traffic light, Nate turns to watch Owen’s pretty face.
His lips are parted as he sleeps, and Nate thinks of how good they must feel to Will when they’re wrapped around his cock.
He’s tempted to slip his fingers between those lips to check how deep down his throat he can reach before Owen gags.
Focus on the job at hand.
The closer they get to Van Buren, the more Nate begins to have doubts. If he pulls off his plan, he’ll be a world-class asshole. He doesn’t mind the title, but he does have reservations about hurting Owen.
He’ll be better off without Will. The man has too many scars and skeletons in his closet.
Hell, Nate might turn out to be the hero of this story.
They arrive back in town in the late afternoon. Since Nate needs to wait for a specific time for his plan to succeed, he drives around with a sleeping Owen until he notices the closed sign on Town Square Cuts, the only barber shop in town. He parks close to the shop and nudges Owen. “Morning.”
Owen looks around with a frown, his pupils dilated. “Where are we?”
“Back in town. Ready to have that talk?”
Owen watches Nate as if he’s not sure why he’s here. “I feel strange.”
“You smoked weed.”
Owen shakes his head. “It’s not like weed.”
“Well, do you feel sick?”
“No… not sick.”
Nate kills the engine and takes out the keys. “Don’t worry about it, then. Come on. We’ve got a lot to talk about.”
“Maybe you should take me home. I’m… yeah, I think I should be home.”
“Nah, not yet. You wanted this talk, didn’t you?” He exits the car before Owen can further argue. The air smells of the nearby bakery. Nate goes to open Owen’s door and waits for him to get out. He leans against the car, his eyes foggy.
Did I give him too much?
If Owen doesn’t remember this conversation, it will be a problem, but as long as he does what Nate brought him here to do, it won’t be a total waste of time.
“I told you about this spot.” He holds Owen’s elbow and guides him around the shop, where there’s a tattered couch in front of a small table under an awning. “Sit there.”
Owen slumps onto the old couch, making the springs creak.
Nate grabs the single chair next to the shop’s back door and drags it to the other side of the table, where he sits in front of Owen.
“This is the secret spot you told me about?” Owen glances around, unimpressed.
“Yep, this is it. Feeling better?”
“Don’t know. Maybe.” He shakes his head. “That weed was awful.”
Nate chuckles. “Seems like it. This will make it pass quicker.” He reaches inside his pocket and pulls out the bag of coke.
“What’s that?”
“Some of the coke you bought last time.”
“Why the hell are you walking around with that? It’s evidence.”
“Like we’re lacking evidence.” He throws the small bag at Owen’s lap. “Take some.”
“What the hell is wrong with you? I’m done with drugs.”
Nate can’t help but laugh. “You’re high right now!”
Owen grimaces. “You know why. Snorting coke when I’m not undercover is different.”
“Considering the shit that I’m about to drop on you about your boyfriend, I think that a bit of coke would make it easier to digest.”
Owen looks away. “He’s not my boyfriend.”
“Look at me. Hey, look at me. If you want me to be honest, then you better be honest with me. That’s the only way for this to work. You and Will are fucking, right?”
Owen looks at his hands. “We’re not fucking. We’re… something.”
“Something?”
“Yes. Something that isn’t just fucking.” Owen gives Nate a hard look, as if he’s daring him to challenge his claim.
Nate raises his hands in peace. “Whatever it is, you’re making a mistake. I’ll tell you all about how Will was responsible for his ex-boyfriend’s death.”
Owen shakes his head. “You’re lying.”
“It’s not for you to make such a claim. I lived through it, as well as many others here, including the sheriff and your aunt. It’s a bit disrespectful to call all of us liars, don’t you think?”
Owen seems lost for an answer, so instead, he looks at the bag in his lap. “I shouldn’t be high for a conversation like this.”
“Sorry, buddy. My story, my rules.”
“I don’t want to play by your rules.”
Nate takes a breath. “If you’re going to be difficult, I’ll have to share with Sheryl what’s going on between you and Will. I know that you’ve been lying to her about seeing someone out of town. That’s no way to treat the woman who took you in.”
Owen seems more hurt than angry. “You really are a bastard.”
“If having your best interest at heart makes me a bastard, I’m okay with that.”
“I think you only have your best interest at heart.”
“Snort the coke, Owen. Now.”