Where There's a Will (9 page)

Will was saved from a potentially humiliating conversation by the arrival of a shiny yellow Jeep Wrangler. Glenn lifted his hand away as the Jeep came to a stop in the empty parking slot beside them. When he spotted Troy behind the wheel, Will’s heart did a weird, tingling, bucking thing in his chest. Then he saw the angry expression Troy wore and Will went cold inside.

Troy knew, as soon as he saw Xavier’s number on the caller ID. The certainty that Martine had narc’d smacked into him like he’d been whalloped with a lead pipe, but Troy had still answered the phone. The clipped, “Get your ass down here,” pretty much confirmed he was busted. He’d been horny and stupid and he’d forgotten about the new cameras in the storage room, and…and damn it, he didn’t think he’d
not
do last night all over again if given a chance!

“Yes sir,” Troy had snapped out, a burst of anger splintering inside him. Xavier had no right to judge him, not when Xavier himself had fucked around at the club. Admittedly, it’d been a good while back, but he’d still done it, and so had Billy, the man Xavier had raised www.total-e-bound.com

WHERE THERE’S A WILL

Bailey Bradford

54

like he was his own son. So Xavier had no grounds for throwing a fit. Troy had even docked his time card an hour, unwilling to do something so low as to fuck on Xavier’s dime.

Troy built up a good head of steam on the drive to the club, but seeing Will there, and Glenn Shearing
touching
Will just twisted the anger that had been increasing in Troy into an unbearable hot spike. Carlos touching Will was one thing, but anyone else, just no, fuck that.

Troy was out of the Jeep and around the side of it in three strides. Glenn wasn’t touching Will now, and both men were giving him worried looks. It didn’t occur to Troy to wonder why Will was even there until he was only a foot away from the man, his arms aching to reach for his sexy, lithe body. Troy clenched his hands into fists and asked Will,

“What’re you doing here? And what’s going on with him?” He cocked his head towards Glenn. “How do you know him?” Troy knew Glenn a few different ways, one of which had been when a drunk and miserable Glenn had thrown himself at Troy months back.

When Will looked away, Troy knew he wasn’t going to like the answer. “I don’t, exactly. And I’m here every Wednesday, when James Stratton has his appointment.”

Troy frowned so hard he thought his eyebrows were probably high fiving each other.

And since Will’s answer wasn’t so clear, he looked to Glenn for a better explanation. But Glenn was looking at Will.

“You need to tell him, Will.”

Glenn’s words made something shrivel inside Troy, some hope or something that had helped him keep from totally being despondent over being busted by Xavier. He didn’t know which disappointed him more, Will being involved with someone else, or the fact that the someone else was Glenn Shearing, supposedly loving boyfriend to James Stratton.

“I don’t want to,” Will said, whining slightly and still not looking at Troy. When Glenn started to reach for Will’s shoulder, Troy wanted to snarl and slap the man’s hand away. The possessiveness was so unlike him it froze Troy in place. He hadn’t felt violent when Carlos was touching Will. Watching them had been incredibly erotic.

Then something clicked in Troy’s brain. He didn’t know the whole story about James Stratton, but he knew enough. And there was only one reason why Will would be here on the same days, at the same time, as James was. “You’re the PI who’s been following James around.”

Will’s shoulders slumped as he nodded. Troy wanted to go over and wrap the smaller man in his arms, but he needed to think. All the people who knew James here, who cared for www.total-e-bound.com

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him, were protective, to say the least. And he figured Xavier was more pissed over who Troy had fucked around with—or at least over one of those men being Will—than over Troy having done it in the first place.

“Shit.” Troy closed his eyes for a moment. If push came to shove, which he was afraid it might, would he have to stop seeing Will? Was Will even interested? And what about Carlos? Troy had been a bit pissed last night, which had been ridiculous. Carlos had been right not to go sharing Nick’s business with everyone. Why Troy had wanted the man to trust him after nothing more than a hot session of fucking—

“He’s leaving.”

Troy’s eyes popped open at Glenn’s words. “What?” He blinked at where Will had been standing just as he heard a car door slam. Jesus Christ, he was thick-headed today! Troy swiveled around and started to dart towards the little Mini Cooper only to have Glenn step in front of him. It was like slamming two sledgehammers together, and both men grunted, arms flailing for balance.

A useless attempt, because they both ended up tangled and kicking on the ground.

“Get off of me!” Troy snapped, pushing at Glenn, who was probably trying to do just that around Troy’s squirming. An engine kicked in and tyres crunched on the asphalt. “God damn it!” He all but threw Glenn off him and rolled to his knees just in time to see the little car turn out of the parking lot. “Shit!” Even the bad words didn’t seem bad enough to convey the turmoil he felt as he watched Will’s car grow smaller the farther away it got.

He figured the entire day was shot. He’d blown his chance at something he’d hoped might become more, at least for a short while if nothing else, and his boss was going to want to skin him alive. Then Glenn made a little spot of hope blossom in Troy’s chest.

“I know where he lives.”

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WHERE THERE’S A WILL

Bailey Bradford

56

Being put on light chores wasn’t necessary to Carlos’ way of thinking. He just had some bruises and those damned scratches, but the antibiotics would clear those up in no time. He hadn’t argued about it, though.

When Josh brought him back and told Chance and Rory that Carlos needed to take it easy for a few days, Carlos had started to protest. One glare from Chance and Carlos had snapped his mouth shut. He’d lived long enough to know when he was facing a losing battle.

Carlos started the dishwasher then wiped down the counter tops. Cooking wasn’t his favourite thing to do, but it beat being bored out of his head. His bunkhouse mates had seemed to enjoy the meal, too. Bo and his husband Max had practically sung praises about the fluffy buttermilk biscuits and the rest of the food Carlos had fixed. Nick and Josh had just inhaled, moaning around a forkful every now and then.

The triple chocolate cake had all but made the four men his slaves. Carlos snickered and immediately thought of the two men he’d had on their knees. Those memories caused a heat inside him that rivalled any fever he’d ever had. He wondered when he could get back to The Xxchange and whether Troy would still be working there. Carlos wouldn’t have been surprised if the jealous little waiter had tattled to Troy’s boss. And what about Will? How would he find the sexy little man?

The creaking of the floorboards in the hall alerted him to someone approaching. Carlos wiped the counter off one last time before turning to find Josh standing in the doorway.

Carlos gaped. He thought it was Josh, anyway.

The maybe-Josh smirked and jutted out one hip, slapping a hand over it. “Well? What do you think about my costume?”

Yeah, it’s Josh all right.
Carlos took a few minutes to study Josh. The tiny zippered jacket the man wore was made out of some sort of sweat shirt material and ended right below his pecs, leaving a very nice display of lean, muscled torso, ending at baggy jeans so low Carlos didn’t know why there wasn’t pubes sticking out past the waistband. The pants themselves had pockets and chains, and thickly soled army boots topped off the costume from that end.

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WHERE THERE’S A WILL

Bailey Bradford

57

Carlos’ gaze worked back up to the hoop in Josh’s nostril and the shock of white hair on his head—

“What’d you do to your hair?” was the only thing Carlos could get out. He was kind of stunned.

Josh’s grin ratcheted up a notch. “It’s a wig, calm down. Nick would shit bricks if I really bleached it. So do you know who I am?”

Carlos racked his brain trying to figure that one out. He didn’t even know why Josh was wearing a costume and said as much.

“Duh,” Josh huffed, “It’s Halloween! And I’m Pink!”

Carlos shook his head. “You don’t look pink to me.” He wasn’t commenting on the Halloween bit—he hadn’t bothered with celebrating stuff since he’d been a kid.

Josh rolled his eyes and sauntered into the kitchen. “Not the colour pink, the singer Pink!” Then he launched into some song about slamming and damning and understanding.

Carlos watched the little performance, amused and chagrined all at once. He had no idea who Josh was supposed to be, but he was definitely entertaining.

Josh stopped and batted his lashes at Carlos. “So, you wanna go with me and Nick to The Xxchange for the Halloween party there? I’m sure we can come up with a costume for you. Nick is my hubby Carey Hart.”

Carlos’ heart slammed in his chest but Nick walked in, dressed like some sorta skater boy or something, Carlos wasn’t sure what.

“Carlos wouldn’t want to go to The Xxchange, honey, it’s a gay club.” Nick blushed when he said it, but he looped an arm around Josh’s middle and pulled him close. “Carlos is straight.”

Carlos opened his mouth to refute the absurd claim. Nick and he hadn’t really known each other long, so he could understand Nick having it wrong. Josh beat Carlos to the punch.

“No he isn’t, Nick. A straight guy would have run off this ranch screaming yesterday.

And besides,” Josh shot a look at him Carlos couldn’t interpret. “I got a call from Adam, who had a chat with Xavier, the owner of The Xxchange. Seems their new security cameras they put up
everywhere
work pretty good.”

Carlos had never swooned a day in his life, but he came pretty damn close then.

“What?” he croaked, one hand going behind him to hold onto the counter.

“What?” Nick echoed, looking confused as hell.

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Bailey Bradford

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Carlos’ mind swam with the idea of that scene being on film. He wasn’t a bashful man by any means, but he sure hadn’t ever wanted to make a sex tape! “Who saw it?” Anger began to stamp out the shock. “Tell me who I need to kill to get every copy of the tape!”

“What tape?” Nick glared at him, then at Josh, who giggled. “Josh, what the fuck is he talking about?”

Josh patted Nick’s shoulder. “It’s not really my place to say.”

“You done said too much,” Carlos snapped, glowering at Josh and Nick both. “Now I want a God damned name!”

Nick turned an angry glare on Carlos. “Don’t snap at him.”

“Oh, stop it, all ready,” Josh huffed. “Carlos has a right to be pissed. That wasn’t my most tactful moment, but I figured he should know The Xxchange has cameras, even in the storage room.”

“What?” Nick all but shouted. “What do security cameras or The Xxchange have to do with Carlos? I told you, he’s—”

“Gay,” Carlos said. He shrugged when Nick gaped at him. “Ain’t never said I wasn’t, Nick. And Josh has got a point. Not many straight guys would be comfortable living with four gay men. Six, counting Rory and Chance. I thought it was obvious.”

Nick groaned and closed his eyes. “So the sex tape thing, then. That’s real?”

“Unfortunately.” Carlos’ stomach pulled tight, burning with a mix of anger and arousal. Maybe he wouldn’t destroy e
very
copy of the tape. “I stopped by there for directions and met a couple guys, Troy and Will.” He didn’t think he needed to elaborate any more than that.

Nick cracked his eyes open. “Two?” His flush darkened to an almost purple colour.

Josh snickered.

“Yup,” Carlos admitted easily. “The bartender and Will, dunno what he does, but he’s a hot little stud. Only, not so little where it counts.”

For the first time since he entered the kitchen, Josh looked nervous. “Uhm…about the Will guy?”

Will had never been the easiest person to get along with, and he had a temper and could be a brat. He knew those things about himself and accepted them, though he hoped he www.total-e-bound.com

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tempered all the bad shit with good shit. Still, he was pissed off, that’s all there was to it.

Troy hadn’t wanted to even look at him once he found out who Will was.

It had hurt, and being hurt just made Will angry. Being angry tended to make him stupid. He did things he usually had more sense than to do when he wasn’t all pissy, and he
knew
that about himself even as he prepared to do another ‘not real bright thing’.

Shaving off the sideburns brought tears to his eyes, but he could grow those patches of hair back. Watching the clippers run through them, though, only made him madder. He shouldn’t have to do shit like this just to get into the club.

“Fucking Xavier Talbot and his fucking killer boyfriend.” Will was more scared of Chase Murphy than he’d ever be of Xavier Talbot. He couldn’t explain why exactly. There was just something about Chase’s eyes, a seriousness there, a stillness, and it creeped Will out. “And scares me, can’t forget about being scared shitless.”

Will finished removing his sideburns then he opened up the box of dye. It was supposed to wash out after a few shampoos. He hoped so, otherwise he was gonna be stuck running around with purple hair. Then he’d have to wear a ball cap. Those stupid things always sat funny on his head and made his ears stick out like great big flippers or something.

By the time Will was finished with his costume-disguise, he barely recognised himself.

Purple hair spiked and a good couple of inches shorter than it had been, contacts that turned his eyes a nearly matching shade of purple. He’d lined his eyes with thick black liner and even used some mascara, though he really didn’t need it. A bit of concealer to even out his skin tone and a slick purple tinged lip gloss—he looked pretty damned hot, even if he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to be.