A Younger Man (42 page)

Too much love made Noah’s voice even raspier than usual. “We’ll make that happen as fast as we can.” He tucked Zane under his arm and led him to the car. “Let’s go.”

* * * *

“We’re almost there, honey.” Noah took a hand off the wheel for a moment to nudge Zane in the shoulder, where he lay with his eyes closed and his head resting against the window. “Start waking up.”

Just as Noah pulled onto the gravel road that circled the cabins on the lake, Zane blinked heavily, rubbed at his face, and then glanced at his new watch. “I think that might have been the first full hour I’ve slept since Patty texted me those photos.”

“You have a binding agreement in place now,” Noah reminded him. He couldn’t wait to see that truth sink in for Zane and for him to start breathing easily again. “You don’t have to worry anymore.”

Zane reached across the seating and got Noah’s attention with a hand on his thigh. When Noah glanced at him, Zane said, “From Patty’s window earlier, before I stepped outside, I saw your father holding your hand. I hope that means what it looked like it meant.”

Noah could still feel the imprint of his father’s big hand against the back of his. The phantom sensation still choked him up. “I think I understand now what his issue is with me. Now that I know it isn’t the fact that I’m gay itself, but rather helping him understand what was in my head and heart for so many years that feels so contradictory to him, I have hope that with time we can get back on the right track.” Noah looked to Zane again, and for the first time could genuinely see his father and Zane having the same kind of loving relationship Hoyt still maintained with Janice. “I think he wants the same.”

Zane squeezed Noah’s leg. “I’m happy for you.”

“Thank you.”

Noah pulled the car to a stop at his cabin, behind Seth’s. Just as both men got out of the vehicle, Seth yanked the front door open, yelling back inside, “If you’re going to keep being an asshole, I won’t take you and your buddy with me and Kim to the water park next weekend. Now decide if you’re going to apologize, or you’re gonna lose that weekend you’ve been begging me for. We’ve been away long enough, and we have to get back.”

Noah raced up the steps to the porch. “Whoa, whoa.” He pulled Seth back from the open doorway. “What’s going on?”

In a belligerent tone, Seth explained, “Matt was being a jerk to Duncan. He was being stubborn, and he wouldn’t let up—”

“No I wasn’t!” Matt shrieked from inside, in his cracking fourteen-year-old voice.

“Yes you were!” Seth bellowed back at his brother. Then he turned to Noah, and more calmly added, “I had to drag his ass out of there to have a talk with him before they came to blows. He’s pissed and been giving me the silent treatment for close to an hour. That ‘no I wasn’t’ was the first thing he’s said since we left.”

So much for thinking we might not have to worry too much about the kids getting along.
Noah opened his mouth to ask Matt to come out and give his side of the argument, when from next to the car, Zane said, “Let’s not worry about this right now. Let everyone cool off, and then we’ll all figure out what happened. I need to get back to the cabin anyway.” Backing up, Zane jerked his thumb toward the other side of the lake. “I don’t want Duncan and Hailey to be alone for too long.”

“It’s okay,” Seth called out. “Your friend from your work stopped by, and he said he would hang with them while I talked to Matt.”

Zane pulled a face. “Mickey?” He pulled his phone out of his pocket, presumably checking for messages. “A big, older guy with gray hair and beard?”

“Not Mickey,” Seth answered. “The guy said his name was Clint.”

Zane went ghost-white. “Oh God.” In a flash, he threw everything on the ground and started flying in a sprint around the lake toward his cabin.

“Shit,” Noah hissed.
That son of a bitch.

“Dad?” Seth paled. “He talked about the owner. He knew Zane and made it sound like he’d worked at the restaurant for a while.”

“Don’t worry about that right now. You stay here with Matt,” Noah ordered his oldest. “If you don’t get a call from me within five minutes of reaching that cabin, you call the police.”

Noah didn’t spare a second more in giving Seth an explanation. He took off after Zane, praying everything was okay with those two precious kids.

Chapter 21

Oh God. Oh my fucking God.
His heart pounding out of control, breathing loudly, Zane churned up dirt and fresh grass under his shoes, running as fast as his legs would carry him. How had he ever been so stupid as to think he could manage a situation with a bastard like Clint? The man had beaten Zane up and had threatened to rob the restaurant where he worked. Zane should have known a threat like this was coming and done something more to protect his brother and sister.

Maybe I’m not the best choice to take care of them after all.

Zane stumbled, but righted himself quickly and tore up the few steps to the front door. He would live with the guilt of his bad choices tomorrow; right now only saving Duncan and Hailey mattered. He turned the door handle and slammed inside, putting his shoulder to the wood. The eerily friendly sight that met him chilled him to the bone. Clint sat sprawled comfortably in the middle of the couch, with Duncan and Hailey on either side of him, his arms around the shoulders of both kids. Clint’s Stetson sat perched on his left knee, and Zane’s brother and sister were grinning and giggling so genuinely that they clearly had no clue of the terrible danger they were both in.
Thank God.
At least that meant Clint hadn’t hurt them in any way. Yet.

The couch faced the front door, and Clint looked up the second Zane bounded into the cabin. “Hey, you’re home,” Clint said with frightening, amiable ease. “We were just watching some cartoons. Why don’t you join us?”

Zane felt himself shaking inside, and could only hope it didn’t show on the exterior and alarm his siblings. “The kids should go,” he said to Clint. “Guys,” Zane forced a smile, and once again prayed it looked natural, “you have people waiting for you across the lake. Why don’t you go hook back up with Seth and Matt right now? Okay?”

As Duncan and Hailey both shifted to get up, Clint pressed against their shoulders and kept them on the couch. “I think they should stay.”

Right then a shadow grew under Zane’s feet and stretched into the cabin. “I really think you should listen to Zane and let them leave.” Noah drew alongside Zane like some Nordic avenging angel, and Zane just held himself from crying and falling to his knees. “Otherwise my son is going to start worrying about why they haven’t shown up and might decide to make a very specific call.”

Self-preservation clearly wouldn’t let Clint ignore that mile high and wide threat about getting the police involved. “Fine. Go ahead, kids.” Clint tousled their hair and pushed them to their feet. “It was nice to finally meet you. Go have fun now.” The scumbag winked at them, and Zane almost threw up.

Zane rushed to Duncan and Hailey, taking only a moment to give them each a fast hug and kiss. Squatting down, he brushed at their faces and hair. “Go on. Everything is okay.” He made himself look each of them in the eyes and show a steadiness he did not truly feel. “Run on over to Noah’s place and stay there with Seth until I come get you.” Zane gave each a nudge toward the open door.

Noah put his hand on Duncan’s shoulder as the kids moved past him. “Tell Seth to hold off on that call; he’ll know what I mean. I also want you to tell him I’d rather you guys all play inside until I talk to him in just a little while. All right?”

With a nod, Duncan took Hailey’s hand. “Okay.” As soon as he agreed, he dragged his sister out of the cabin.

Zane listened for their clomping steps to move down the stairs. Waiting until he could not hear them anymore, only then did he turn and run at Clint, momentum and adrenaline allowing him to rip the cowboy up from the couch and slam him into the wall. “How dare you come into my home and put your hands on my brother and sister.”

Clint jerked his body forward, at Zane, and Zane flinched and backed off. “This is what happens when you blow me off at your place of work,” Clint shared as he straightened his Western shirt. “I have to bring myself into your private little cabin sanctuary.”

Noah pushed in, grabbed Clint by the front of his shirt, and put brand-new wrinkles in the cotton fabric. “I don’t know who the fuck you think you are,” he bit off through his teeth as he walked Clint across the cabin to the door, “but if you come near this man one more time, at his work, or here—or at the fucking crosswalk, I don’t care where—I’ll beat you down so hard you’ll be two feet shorter by the time I’m done with you.” He finished by shoving the cowboy out onto the porch.

Once again, Clint bounced back up like one of those Weebles children’s toys that don’t stay down. “Now that’s gonna be kind of hard to agree to, considering this man you’re defending here owes me a hell of a lot of money.”

Noah swung that piercing stare onto Zane, and Zane died a little bit inside. Humiliation burned a hole through him. Zane could not look at Noah right now; he could not bear to see Noah’s disappointment in him or he might wither to the floor and expire.

Going for his money clip, Zane made a token gesture with the pathetic forty bucks he had left until his next payday. “Here, take this right now; it’s every penny I have.” He shoved the bills against Clint’s hand and forced his fingers to take hold of the cash. “I will pay you back every dollar I owe you, Clint; you already know I will. I have been paying you steadily ever since I got a second job.”

“But you got way, way behind before you did,” Clint reminded Zane. “You’re not nearly caught up, and you’re not opening yourself to other avenues to speed up the process.” The offer to aid him in robbing the restaurant lived in his beady eyes.

Zane clenched his teeth so that he didn’t scream. “No way. It’s never going to happen.”

Noah stepped forward and put himself at Zane’s side. Yanking a clip out of his pocket, he said, “Whatever Zane owes you on the balance of the loan, you will get in full tomorrow.” Horror filled Zane. He started to protest, but Noah spoke over him, adding, “Take everything I have,” he shoved another stack of bills at Clint, “and get the fuck out of here.”

As Clint thumbed through the bills Noah had given him, he looked up. “This doesn’t even make a noticeable dent in his bill.” Zane could see at least two one-hundred-dollar bills along with the smaller denominations, and it sickened him to know Clint spoke the truth.

“I don’t care how much the total is,” Noah replied, ice in his tone and coldness in his eyes. “I will go to the bank as soon as it opens tomorrow; you will have every dime he owes you, as well as every dollar you extorted through what I’m sure were shady contracts and outrageous interest rates.”

“It’s a private loan. It’s all legal.” Clint sauntered back into the cabin to pick his hat up off the floor.

“Just barely,” Noah replied, “I’m sure of that. All I have to do is look at you to know you’re just enough of a bottom-feeder to understand the courts aren’t going to go after a guy like you. You prey on the people politicians and lawmakers don’t much care about, and you probably get away with murder because of it.”

“Like I said,” Clint repeated, “what I do is legal.”

Noah grabbed Clint by the back of his neck and dragged him outside. “But threatening this man and entering his home without his permission isn’t, so unless you’d prefer to debate me about details, and make me change my mind about getting the cops involved, rather than just shutting your mouth and being happy you’re getting paid, I’d suggest you get the hell off this porch and don’t show your face to me again until I step into your establishment tomorrow with your money.”

“As long as I get paid,” Clint righted his hat on his head, “then we’re all friends here.”

Noah leaned forward and snarled, “No, we’re not.” With another low rumble, Noah muttered, “Fuck you.” He cocked his arm back and smashed his fist into Clint’s cheek, sending the guy reeling back to the steps. Clint sputtered and grabbed his face, but Noah only jabbed his finger at the man and said, “That’s for touching those children and even hinting that you would drag them into your sorry game. Come here again, and I’ll do worse next time.”

Clint glared, but he wisely kept his mouth shut and made his way to his truck. Before Zane could make a move, Noah whipped out his cell phone. “I’m calling Seth and telling him to keep the kids for a while.” Some of the mutiny still gripping Noah’s gaze shifted to Zane. “Should I get the cops involved with this?”

“No.” Even as Zane said that, though, he understood he would have to speak to Violet tomorrow about the veiled threats Clint continued to make against her restaurant. He would abide by whatever she wanted done—that is, if she still wanted him in her employ for withholding such information. “At least not right now.”

Noah made his call, and Zane listened in on his side of the conversation. Once it sounded as if Noah was near to completing his talk, Zane beckoned for the phone. He spoke to Duncan and Hailey, assuring them everything was cool and he’d be with them soon. Both sounded fine; Zane realized if he kept talking he would eventually spike curiosity and worry in Duncan, so he said his good-byes and hung up.

As soon as Zane handed the phone back to Noah, Noah exploded. “What the hell is going on? Who is that guy?” He pierced right through to Zane’s gut with one look. “And this time tell me the truth.”

Shame burned a hot line of fire straight down to Zane’s core. “I’m such an idiot.” He dropped to the couch, put his elbows on his knees, and his face in his hands.
No.
Nut up, man.
So terribly embarrassed, Zane forced himself to meet Noah’s scrutinizing stare, even as the gaping pit in his stomach widened.
You have to do this.

“Before I even met you,” Zane began, “I needed money, and Clint was the only one who would give it to me. I thought I could pay him back—I was paying him back—am paying him back. But the interest that kicked in if you were just one month late, one time, is insane, and before I knew it I owed him so far beyond what I’d ever borrowed in the first place that I was drowning.” Zane struggled not to drop his attention to the floor and hide. “God, Noah,” he pressed his folded hands against his mouth, “I never wanted you to know.”