visited looking for Dill, but considering the Saturday night crowd, it wasn’t necessarily suspicious that the bartender hadn’t remembered Dill.
“Did you know him?”
“I’d seen him around but hadn’t talked to him before. I knew he was a vampire, so I thought he might do what I wanted if I explained. He seemed very understanding.”
Harvey snorted but refrained from commenting.
Gabe went on with his questioning, keeping his voice light and neutral. “Did he say his name?”
Dill looked up at him with an expression of gratitude—probably for not being scolded again. “He introduced himself as George, but I don’t think he was telling the truth. Funny thing…”
“What?” Gabe prodded him.
“He seemed really interested in Harvey. He kept asking about the ‘pretty Asian guy’ he’d seen me with before. How I knew him and stuff like that. I thought he had the hots for Harvey.”
“Hmm.”
“Anyway, he said he knew a place where we could do it safely and brought me here. You can figure out the rest.” Dill looked from Gabe to Harvey, and then at the trash-strewn street. “I’m really a bonehead, aren’t I?” he muttered, crestfallen.
Harvey sighed, shoving the phone back to his pocket. “We should go before Stan and Ray combust. I messaged them, but if we don’t get back soon, there’s no telling what they’ll do.”
The ride back was exceptionally quiet. Harvey seemed lost in his thoughts, and Gabe caught glimpses of Dill’s worried expression in the rearview mirror. They’d barely pulled up in front of the house when Ray burst out the door, Stan following closely on his heels. The moment Dill peeled out of the car, they surrounded him, alternately chiding and comforting the young man. It struck Gabe how they couldn’t keep their hands off Dill, how they gave and took comfort with caressing touches. It was almost embarrassingly intimate to watch. As he averted his gaze, Gabe’s eyes caught on Harvey, who was looking on the three men with a wistful expression. Gabe stepped up to him and, placing a hand around his waist, pulled Harvey close. Gabe leaned forward and brushed a light kiss on Harvey’s temple. Harvey went lax in Gabe’s arms and, tilting his head back, looked up at Gabe with a smile that was small but infinitely intimate. It was only a fleeting moment, but Gabe sensed that something solid and irrevocable had formed between them.
Once the initial excitement of the reunion died off, the attention turned to Gabe and Harvey. Stan thanked them profusely, backing up his words with generous embraces. Even Ray’s stance toward Gabe mellowed out enough to express his gratitude and offer his hand. Harvey and Gabe were invited in, but they tactfully declined. However, promises were made to stop by later and recount the events of the day. Handing over the bag of money they had all nearly forgotten about, Harvey and Gabe said their good-byes.
“They really care about Dill,” Gabe said, watching the two vampires ushering Dill into the house.
“Of course they do. Did you think he was just a lunch ticket for them?”
“A what?”
“You know, food.”
It had once crossed Gabe’s mind, but there was no point in bringing that up now.
Chapter Six
Harvey wrinkled his nose at the sight of the bacon next to the eggs on Gabe’s plate. It was four in the afternoon, but when one lived at night, that was breakfast time.
Gabe shoveled another forkful of food into his mouth, chewed and swallowed. “What?” he asked.
“I said nothing.” Harvey batted his eyelids, innocent as a newborn lamb.
Gabe wasn’t fooled. “But you were thinking it.” He picked up a piece of bacon and began to nibble it provocatively.
“Nuh-uh.”
“You said you weren’t militant about vegetarianism, but you’re full of compost.”
Harvey shrugged. “Hey, it’s not my problem; you’re the one who’ll be reincarnated as a pig.”
“I wouldn’t mind being a pig—you eat well, roll
“Did you know him?”
“I’d seen him around but hadn’t talked to him before. I knew he was a vampire, so I thought he might do what I wanted if I explained. He seemed very understanding.”
Harvey snorted but refrained from commenting.
Gabe went on with his questioning, keeping his voice light and neutral. “Did he say his name?”
Dill looked up at him with an expression of gratitude—probably for not being scolded again. “He introduced himself as George, but I don’t think he was telling the truth. Funny thing…”
“What?” Gabe prodded him.
“He seemed really interested in Harvey. He kept asking about the ‘pretty Asian guy’ he’d seen me with before. How I knew him and stuff like that. I thought he had the hots for Harvey.”
“Hmm.”
“Anyway, he said he knew a place where we could do it safely and brought me here. You can figure out the rest.” Dill looked from Gabe to Harvey, and then at the trash-strewn street. “I’m really a bonehead, aren’t I?” he muttered, crestfallen.
Harvey sighed, shoving the phone back to his pocket. “We should go before Stan and Ray combust. I messaged them, but if we don’t get back soon, there’s no telling what they’ll do.”
The ride back was exceptionally quiet. Harvey seemed lost in his thoughts, and Gabe caught glimpses of Dill’s worried expression in the rearview mirror. They’d barely pulled up in front of the house when Ray burst out the door, Stan following closely on his heels. The moment Dill peeled out of the car, they surrounded him, alternately chiding and comforting the young man. It struck Gabe how they couldn’t keep their hands off Dill, how they gave and took comfort with caressing touches. It was almost embarrassingly intimate to watch. As he averted his gaze, Gabe’s eyes caught on Harvey, who was looking on the three men with a wistful expression. Gabe stepped up to him and, placing a hand around his waist, pulled Harvey close. Gabe leaned forward and brushed a light kiss on Harvey’s temple. Harvey went lax in Gabe’s arms and, tilting his head back, looked up at Gabe with a smile that was small but infinitely intimate. It was only a fleeting moment, but Gabe sensed that something solid and irrevocable had formed between them.
Once the initial excitement of the reunion died off, the attention turned to Gabe and Harvey. Stan thanked them profusely, backing up his words with generous embraces. Even Ray’s stance toward Gabe mellowed out enough to express his gratitude and offer his hand. Harvey and Gabe were invited in, but they tactfully declined. However, promises were made to stop by later and recount the events of the day. Handing over the bag of money they had all nearly forgotten about, Harvey and Gabe said their good-byes.
“They really care about Dill,” Gabe said, watching the two vampires ushering Dill into the house.
“Of course they do. Did you think he was just a lunch ticket for them?”
“A what?”
“You know, food.”
It had once crossed Gabe’s mind, but there was no point in bringing that up now.
Chapter Six
Harvey wrinkled his nose at the sight of the bacon next to the eggs on Gabe’s plate. It was four in the afternoon, but when one lived at night, that was breakfast time.
Gabe shoveled another forkful of food into his mouth, chewed and swallowed. “What?” he asked.
“I said nothing.” Harvey batted his eyelids, innocent as a newborn lamb.
Gabe wasn’t fooled. “But you were thinking it.” He picked up a piece of bacon and began to nibble it provocatively.
“Nuh-uh.”
“You said you weren’t militant about vegetarianism, but you’re full of compost.”
Harvey shrugged. “Hey, it’s not my problem; you’re the one who’ll be reincarnated as a pig.”
“I wouldn’t mind being a pig—you eat well, roll
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