RacerBear
Slut
Part 19
“Oh, man, I been there. Did it creep you out?” Brady asked.
“Not really, I actually started getting turned on,” Rodney answered. “After a while, I was totally hard, and he just stood there stroking his meat. He reached over to grab me, and I blurted out, ‘No touching till I see some cash.’ He looked at me for a few seconds and I figured he was gonna go away. So, I told him he could touch it for five bucks. He asked me how much to suck me off. I’d been jerkin’ off since I was twelve, so I knew about that, but I had never had anybody suck me off before. I needed the money, so I said I’d let him do it for twenty bucks. He pulled out his wallet and handed me a twenty and we went into a stall and he sucked me off right there in the Greyhound Bus Station.”
“I understand how that is.” Brady offered. “I let a guy blow me one time for a tank of gas.”
“So, you know where I’m coming from?” It was really more of a statement than a question.
“Sure do,” Brady replied, recalling his trip west. He had run out of money near Amarillo and needed just enough to get the rest of the way to Big Sky. It was a spur of the moment decision at a truck stop. He had asked the attendant, a young man about his age, if there was anywhere, he could get some work to earn enough for a tank of gas. The attendant had smiled at him and assured him that there were ways of earning as much cash as he wanted but he didn’t elaborate. He told him to have a seat in the lounge and he would see if he could help him out. A few minutes later, an older man approached him as he was watching television in the lounge. The man asked him if he had eaten that day and Brady confessed that he had not. Putting his hand on Brady’s shoulder, the man ushered him to the restaurant and ordered the daily special for them both. After they had eaten, the man went to the same attendant that Brady had talked to earlier, at the fuel desk, and paid for a shower. Walking toward the shower area, he asked Brady to join him. When he realized what was about to happen, Brady hesitated. The man told him that he was under no obligation to join him but, if he did, he would make it worth his while. With some reservations, Brady had agreed and, once inside the shower room, the man had slowly undressed him and, while the shower sprayed over them both, had given him one of the most satisfying blowjobs he had ever had. After Brady had shot a huge load all over the trucker’s rugged face, the man stood up and proceeded to churn out a rather substantial load of his own all over the floor. He then set about lathering them both and sent Brady on his way with enough cash for a tank of fuel and something to eat later in the day. He had arrived in Big Sky with less than an eighth of a tank of gas and had immediately looked up Tim who gave him a place to stay and got him settled.
“Well, anyway, I left there with twenty bucks in my pocket,” Rodney continued, “And I got to thinking there must be other guys out there who would pay to suck my dick. I went back to the bus station the next day and got blown by two different guys. One was really old and disgusting, but he gave good head.”
Shaking his head, Brady asked, “Weren’t you afraid of getting caught?”
“Those guys weren’t gonna turn me in ‘cause I told them, up front, I was only sixteen. I was a small kid for my age, but I had a big dick. Once they got a look at that, I coulda been five and they’d have sucked me off anyway. I figured I needed the money more than they did so, what the hell.”
“I don’t think I could do that,” Brady stated, shaking his head again. Recalling that day in Amarillo he added, “But, then I guess desperate times call for desperate measures.”
“I started going to the bus station every day after school. Some days, I didn’t find anybody who wanted to suck me but plenty that wanted me to suck them. Finally, one day, this guy offered me fifty bucks to let him fuck me. I had never been fucked before but I always wanted to try it so I told him I would as long as he used a rubber. He agreed and we did it right there, in the stall where the first guy had sucked me off.”
“Didn’t it hurt a lot that first time? My first time sure did,” Brady recalled.
Rodney nodded. “A little but I had been practicing with an old broom handle that I had cut off” he said. “It didn’t feel quite the same, but he was really gentle, and I really liked it a lot. We had to keep stopping because guys were coming in to use the restroom, but it was really hot. After that, I’d let a guy give me a hand job for ten, a blowjob for twenty; I’d suck him off for twenty-five or fuck him for forty. If he wanted to fuck me, it was an easy fifty.”
“Weren’t you afraid of catching something?”
“Yeah, that’s why I never let a guy fuck me without a rubber. And I never swallowed a guy’s load.”
“So, how did you meet this guy you said Darin reminded you of?”
“Oh, that was later on. I had started ditching school to go to the bus station because lunchtime was the best time for getting tricks. One day, I was hanging around and the manager got shitty with me and told me I couldn’t hang out there anymore. He said that if I didn’t move on, he’d call the cops. Since I didn’t want anyone to find out about my mom being gone, I took off. I had a good thing going there too. I was making like, a couple hundred bucks a day, sometimes more. I could hook up with up to ten or more guys during the lunch rush.”
“In an hour?”
“More like three or four hours, eleven till around three. Some days, I’d just sit in a stall and the guys would come to me. I’d lock the door and we’d go at it. When we were done, they’d pay me, slip out and then the next guy would come in.”
“So, where did you go after that?”
“One of the guys I had tricked with came up to me and told me about a park he knew that was really cruisy and said I could find action there. He took me there and, just like he said, there was plenty of horny guys who wanted to play with a hot little sixteen-year-old like me.”
Brady put his hand on Rodney’s arm and asked, “Did Randi ever find out?”
“Not for a while. At least not until I got kicked out of school for missing so much. She was really pissed. It was a week before our seventeenth birthday and the school sent a letter to our mom telling her that I was suspended for skipping classes. I had told her I was working at the A&P hauling groceries to people’s cars and stuff. She waited for me to come home that night and jumped me the minute I walked in the door. I finally showed her all the money I had saved, almost twelve hundred, and she calmed down a little. She told me I had to stop doing it or she would make Misses Sims kick me out. She was the lady who owned our building. I told her I was gonna continue to do what I wanted, and she couldn’t stop me. She was so pissed at me.”
“I bet. She doesn’t strike me as the kind that would tolerate that kind of thing.”
“Oh, not at all. We had this huge fight over it and I left.” Rodney took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “We’ve only been on speaking terms the past couple years.”
“That must have been really hard for you.”
Shrugging his shoulders, Rodney replied, “Not really. At the time, I was too hooked on the thrill of it all. Anyway, I left the next morning; with a few clothes and the money I had saved. I went to the park to see who I could hook up with. I had just finished blowing this guy behind one of the buildings when the cops showed up. I took off running into the woods.”
“Did they catch you?”
“No, they caught the other guy, but they never even came after me.”
“You must have been terrified.”
“I was a little but, mostly I was pissed because I had left my duffel bag behind with my clothes and most of my money in it. Now I had the guy’s cum all over the front of my shirt plus I didn’t even have clean underwear. When I went back to look for it, it was gone.”
“That sucks.”
“Yeah, and not in the good way,” Rodney chuckled.
“So, where did you go then?”
“Well, it started getting dark and I was sitting on a picnic table thinking about what I was gonna do when this car pulled up. A tall guy, with dark hair and a moustache, got out and walked over to me. He asked me if I was available for a little fun. I asked him if he was a cop and he told me he wasn’t. Since I had no pressing plans, I told him I was up for some fun. He said his name was Wes and that he wanted me to come back to his place with him.”
“I’d have been scared to death to go anywhere with him.”
“I was scared but I was also hungry and tired. So, I agreed to go to his place. Now, I realize he could have been some John Wayne Dalmer kinda guy or something, but I didn’t care. When we got in the car, he told me he’d give me a hundred bucks if I’d spend the night with him. Since I had lost most of my money, I agreed. I figured, at least I’d have a warm place to sleep that night. When we got to his place, he asked me if I was hungry. I was, so I said yes. He fixed us both a nice dinner and then he showed me where I could clean up. He even took my clothes while I was in the shower and washed them for me. When I got out of the shower, he gave me a robe and a clean pair of shorts to wear. We watched some tee vee and went to bed. He didn’t even do anything that night, he just held me in his big strong arms until I fell asleep. When I woke up the next morning, he was still holding me. I never felt safer in my life.”
“I know that feeling. So, did you stay with him after that?”
“No, he paid me and then took me back to the park on his way to work that next morning and I figured I’d never see him again. I hooked up with a few guys and made about sixty bucks but nothing like the bus station. I was thinking about going back to the apartment when he pulled up around five in the afternoon. He asked me if I had any plans for that night and I told him I didn’t. We went back to his place and did the same thing we did the night before. Except, this time, he made love to me. The next morning, he paid me the hundred and took me back to the park.”
“Wow! How long did this go on?”
“For almost a year. He bought me some clothes, fed me, and gave me a warm bed to sleep in every night. I even spent weekends at his place. Most nights he’d just hold me while I slept. I got to where I told him I didn’t’ want him to pay me anymore. Every morning, he dropped me off at the park. He never asked what I did during the day, just if I had plans for the night. I got to where I would just sit at the park and not even try to find guys to hook up with. One day I asked him if I could just stay with him. He said he’d think about it. Then, a few days later, he dropped me off at the park and never came back. It was two days after my eighteenth birthday. I never saw him again.”
“I’m so sorry,” Brady said putting his hand on Rodney’s arm. “You never saw him again?”
“Nope. I honestly thought Darin was Wes when he pulled into the station that night. It brought back so many wonderful memories. And, when we went to bed, oh my God! He is exactly like Wes, except Wes was circumcised.”
“I just love his hairy chest. It’s so soft.”
“I know, that was Wes too. Almost exactly like Darin. The next morning, things were going well and then I got hassled by my landlord and it made me feel so bad about what had happened with Wes all those years ago that I could barely look at Darin.” He paused, wiping a tear from his left eye. “Then, when he offered to help me with my rent, I felt like I was sixteen again and hustling for rent money. I couldn’t even look at him.”
“He told me about that. He couldn’t understand why you reacted the way you did. Have you told him?”
“No, we haven’t really talked about that.”
“You should probably tell him.”
“I was afraid I’d never see him again either.”
“I know, but I promise you, Darin will understand if you tell him.”
“Tell me what?” Darin asked as he and Adam entered the room carrying four soft drinks.
****
As had been expected, Brady was quite upset when he learned the news about his job. He was more concerned, about what would happen to all of the animals that were housed at the shelter than what he would do with regards to income. Most of the day on Monday and Tuesday was filled with trying to locate alternate housing for the bulk of those animals. A call had gone out to one of the local radio stations asking for potential adopters. A large number of kittens and puppies had been found new homes but many of the adult animals had been overlooked. Of particular concern were some of the special needs animals that the staff had become particularly fond of. It appeared that no one would come forward to adopt them and none of the other shelters were anxious to take them either. It was almost closing time on Tuesday when Brady’s cel phone rang. He looked to see who might be calling but did not recognize the number. He decided to ignore the call and allow it to go to voicemail.
When Brady and Tim arrived at work on Wednesday morning, there were almost fifty people waiting outside the front door, all anxious to take home a furry friend. Around noon, a large truck arrived with a generous donation of food from a major department store in town. Throughout the day, the steady stream of potential adopters continued with most taking their new pet with them. Those who did not find a suitable companion simply made a cash donation. Late in the day, a well-dressed woman, in her sixties, entered the office. She announced that she would like to pay the fifty dollars adoption fee for ten animals plus a cash donation of a thousand dollars. Several people in the office applauded and shook her hand. Brady and Tim greeted her and thanked her for her generosity.
“It’s too bad, we couldn’t have this kind of response when we knew we were gonna be here a while,” Tim had said as he and Brady took a break between adoptions.
“I know,” Brady agreed as his cel phone rang for the third time that day. “Who is this that keeps calling me?” he asked as the same, unknown number appeared.
“Maybe you should answer it,” Tim advised.
“No, if it’s really important, they’ll leave a message,” Brady countered as they returned to work.
By close of business that evening, nearly half of the remaining animals had found new homes.
****
Darin had spent most of Wednesday making final preparations for Brady’s birthday surprise. Around noon, Spencer had called to see if there was anything that needed his attention. Darin had assured him that he had everything under control. They discussed the remainder of Spencer’s hospital stay and that his treatment was going well. Spencer expressed how well Mary had done during the entire ordeal and that the two were drawing much closer as a result. “I had honestly thought we were just going through the motions,” Spencer had stated. “But, when I saw how frightened she was when I was in that coma, I knew she still loved me. We’ve both learned a valuable lesson through all this.”
“What’s that?” Darin asked.
Spencer cleared his throat and replied, “I think we had come to take each other for granted. This helped us both see what we mean to each other.” He sighed. “I don’t know if I could have come through this without her,” he added. “She’s waited on me hand and foot since I got home.”
“It’s good to hear the happiness in your voice,” Darin had said. “There were a lot of folks offering prayers on your behalf.”
“Tell everyone I appreciate their prayers and that I’ll be in to see them soon,” the older man said. “I miss you all very much.”
“I look forward to your coming back,” Darin assured him. “It’s not quite the same without you barking orders at everyone,” he added with a laugh.
“I’m afraid those days are over,” Spencer said. “From now on, if I can borrow from Bush the first, you’ll see a kinder, gentler Spencer Morgan.”
They shared a laugh as Darin replied, “We’ll be happy to have you back, no matter what form you take.”
Spencer then inquired about Rodney and Darin told him that he was making steady improvements but that he would require a substantial amount of therapy before he would be able to return to work. Darin related how Lillian had hired the man who had hurt Rodney and that she was facing some serious charges as a result.
“I always knew she was a little high strung,” Spencer opined, “But I never thought she’d be capable of something so horrible.”
“She’s a very sad, lonely, bitter woman,” Darin replied.
As the conversation continued, Darin also shared the news about the impending closure of the shelter and Spencer had expressed a desire to help out in any way possible. “Is there anything the boys need?” he asked when he heard about the bank accounts having been frozen and how that had made it difficult to keep the shelter open.
“I think they’re doing well,” Darin assured, “Although I think they’re worried that not all the animals will find homes.”
“I’m going to send Mary down there with a donation,” he stated. “That should help them some. Your young friend sounds like he’s deeply passionate about his work.”
“Oh, he’s very passionate,” Darin confirmed. “I have to admit, I never realized there was such need for people like him.”
“I’ve always gone through a breeder,” Spencer said, “I didn’t realize there were so many animals who ended up in places like that.”
“And most that end up in the local shelters end up being put down because there are just not enough people willing to adopt,” Darin said sadly.
“Well, you sound like you’re starting to share his passion,” Spencer pointed out.
“It’s hard not to.”
“Perhaps you should consider the possibility of going into that business with him,” Spencer suggested.
“Believe me,” Darin assured, “I’ve certainly thought about it.”
****
It was the day before Brady’s twenty-sixth birthday, and he waited for Darin to pick him up. Darin had called and asked that he meet him at the curb because he was running late, and they would just be able to make their reservation. As he stood there, waiting, a white Ford van rounded the corner and headed toward him. The driver brought the vehicle to a screeching stop right in front of where Brady stood. Terrified, Brady watched as two men leapt from the side doors of the van and dragged him inside. He heard the doors slam as the vehicle sped away. He lay on the floor; hoping and praying this was a dream. His mind flashed through a thousand possible scenes of what could be happening to him, not the least of which was what had happened to Rodney a short time before. As he slowly looked around, he noted that the van had no windows and that there was a divider between the driver and the cargo area. He was completely unaware of where he was being taken. Both of his abductors were wearing ski masks and were dressed entirely in black. Noticing that he was looking around, one of them leaned down, his face inches from Brady’s and whispered to him, “Don’t worry, we won’t hurt you. Just be still and we’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Where are you taking me?” Brady demanded. He realized that he was neither restrained nor was either of his abductors carrying any type of weapon. “Where are you taking me?” he repeated.
“Just relax and you’ll find out in a few minutes,” the other one replied. Neither voice was familiar to him.
“Damn it! Tell me where you’re taking me!” he screamed one last time.
“Oh, man, I been there. Did it creep you out?” Brady asked.
“Not really, I actually started getting turned on,” Rodney answered. “After a while, I was totally hard, and he just stood there stroking his meat. He reached over to grab me, and I blurted out, ‘No touching till I see some cash.’ He looked at me for a few seconds and I figured he was gonna go away. So, I told him he could touch it for five bucks. He asked me how much to suck me off. I’d been jerkin’ off since I was twelve, so I knew about that, but I had never had anybody suck me off before. I needed the money, so I said I’d let him do it for twenty bucks. He pulled out his wallet and handed me a twenty and we went into a stall and he sucked me off right there in the Greyhound Bus Station.”
“I understand how that is.” Brady offered. “I let a guy blow me one time for a tank of gas.”
“So, you know where I’m coming from?” It was really more of a statement than a question.
“Sure do,” Brady replied, recalling his trip west. He had run out of money near Amarillo and needed just enough to get the rest of the way to Big Sky. It was a spur of the moment decision at a truck stop. He had asked the attendant, a young man about his age, if there was anywhere, he could get some work to earn enough for a tank of gas. The attendant had smiled at him and assured him that there were ways of earning as much cash as he wanted but he didn’t elaborate. He told him to have a seat in the lounge and he would see if he could help him out. A few minutes later, an older man approached him as he was watching television in the lounge. The man asked him if he had eaten that day and Brady confessed that he had not. Putting his hand on Brady’s shoulder, the man ushered him to the restaurant and ordered the daily special for them both. After they had eaten, the man went to the same attendant that Brady had talked to earlier, at the fuel desk, and paid for a shower. Walking toward the shower area, he asked Brady to join him. When he realized what was about to happen, Brady hesitated. The man told him that he was under no obligation to join him but, if he did, he would make it worth his while. With some reservations, Brady had agreed and, once inside the shower room, the man had slowly undressed him and, while the shower sprayed over them both, had given him one of the most satisfying blowjobs he had ever had. After Brady had shot a huge load all over the trucker’s rugged face, the man stood up and proceeded to churn out a rather substantial load of his own all over the floor. He then set about lathering them both and sent Brady on his way with enough cash for a tank of fuel and something to eat later in the day. He had arrived in Big Sky with less than an eighth of a tank of gas and had immediately looked up Tim who gave him a place to stay and got him settled.
“Well, anyway, I left there with twenty bucks in my pocket,” Rodney continued, “And I got to thinking there must be other guys out there who would pay to suck my dick. I went back to the bus station the next day and got blown by two different guys. One was really old and disgusting, but he gave good head.”
Shaking his head, Brady asked, “Weren’t you afraid of getting caught?”
“Those guys weren’t gonna turn me in ‘cause I told them, up front, I was only sixteen. I was a small kid for my age, but I had a big dick. Once they got a look at that, I coulda been five and they’d have sucked me off anyway. I figured I needed the money more than they did so, what the hell.”
“I don’t think I could do that,” Brady stated, shaking his head again. Recalling that day in Amarillo he added, “But, then I guess desperate times call for desperate measures.”
“I started going to the bus station every day after school. Some days, I didn’t find anybody who wanted to suck me but plenty that wanted me to suck them. Finally, one day, this guy offered me fifty bucks to let him fuck me. I had never been fucked before but I always wanted to try it so I told him I would as long as he used a rubber. He agreed and we did it right there, in the stall where the first guy had sucked me off.”
“Didn’t it hurt a lot that first time? My first time sure did,” Brady recalled.
Rodney nodded. “A little but I had been practicing with an old broom handle that I had cut off” he said. “It didn’t feel quite the same, but he was really gentle, and I really liked it a lot. We had to keep stopping because guys were coming in to use the restroom, but it was really hot. After that, I’d let a guy give me a hand job for ten, a blowjob for twenty; I’d suck him off for twenty-five or fuck him for forty. If he wanted to fuck me, it was an easy fifty.”
“Weren’t you afraid of catching something?”
“Yeah, that’s why I never let a guy fuck me without a rubber. And I never swallowed a guy’s load.”
“So, how did you meet this guy you said Darin reminded you of?”
“Oh, that was later on. I had started ditching school to go to the bus station because lunchtime was the best time for getting tricks. One day, I was hanging around and the manager got shitty with me and told me I couldn’t hang out there anymore. He said that if I didn’t move on, he’d call the cops. Since I didn’t want anyone to find out about my mom being gone, I took off. I had a good thing going there too. I was making like, a couple hundred bucks a day, sometimes more. I could hook up with up to ten or more guys during the lunch rush.”
“In an hour?”
“More like three or four hours, eleven till around three. Some days, I’d just sit in a stall and the guys would come to me. I’d lock the door and we’d go at it. When we were done, they’d pay me, slip out and then the next guy would come in.”
“So, where did you go after that?”
“One of the guys I had tricked with came up to me and told me about a park he knew that was really cruisy and said I could find action there. He took me there and, just like he said, there was plenty of horny guys who wanted to play with a hot little sixteen-year-old like me.”
Brady put his hand on Rodney’s arm and asked, “Did Randi ever find out?”
“Not for a while. At least not until I got kicked out of school for missing so much. She was really pissed. It was a week before our seventeenth birthday and the school sent a letter to our mom telling her that I was suspended for skipping classes. I had told her I was working at the A&P hauling groceries to people’s cars and stuff. She waited for me to come home that night and jumped me the minute I walked in the door. I finally showed her all the money I had saved, almost twelve hundred, and she calmed down a little. She told me I had to stop doing it or she would make Misses Sims kick me out. She was the lady who owned our building. I told her I was gonna continue to do what I wanted, and she couldn’t stop me. She was so pissed at me.”
“I bet. She doesn’t strike me as the kind that would tolerate that kind of thing.”
“Oh, not at all. We had this huge fight over it and I left.” Rodney took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “We’ve only been on speaking terms the past couple years.”
“That must have been really hard for you.”
Shrugging his shoulders, Rodney replied, “Not really. At the time, I was too hooked on the thrill of it all. Anyway, I left the next morning; with a few clothes and the money I had saved. I went to the park to see who I could hook up with. I had just finished blowing this guy behind one of the buildings when the cops showed up. I took off running into the woods.”
“Did they catch you?”
“No, they caught the other guy, but they never even came after me.”
“You must have been terrified.”
“I was a little but, mostly I was pissed because I had left my duffel bag behind with my clothes and most of my money in it. Now I had the guy’s cum all over the front of my shirt plus I didn’t even have clean underwear. When I went back to look for it, it was gone.”
“That sucks.”
“Yeah, and not in the good way,” Rodney chuckled.
“So, where did you go then?”
“Well, it started getting dark and I was sitting on a picnic table thinking about what I was gonna do when this car pulled up. A tall guy, with dark hair and a moustache, got out and walked over to me. He asked me if I was available for a little fun. I asked him if he was a cop and he told me he wasn’t. Since I had no pressing plans, I told him I was up for some fun. He said his name was Wes and that he wanted me to come back to his place with him.”
“I’d have been scared to death to go anywhere with him.”
“I was scared but I was also hungry and tired. So, I agreed to go to his place. Now, I realize he could have been some John Wayne Dalmer kinda guy or something, but I didn’t care. When we got in the car, he told me he’d give me a hundred bucks if I’d spend the night with him. Since I had lost most of my money, I agreed. I figured, at least I’d have a warm place to sleep that night. When we got to his place, he asked me if I was hungry. I was, so I said yes. He fixed us both a nice dinner and then he showed me where I could clean up. He even took my clothes while I was in the shower and washed them for me. When I got out of the shower, he gave me a robe and a clean pair of shorts to wear. We watched some tee vee and went to bed. He didn’t even do anything that night, he just held me in his big strong arms until I fell asleep. When I woke up the next morning, he was still holding me. I never felt safer in my life.”
“I know that feeling. So, did you stay with him after that?”
“No, he paid me and then took me back to the park on his way to work that next morning and I figured I’d never see him again. I hooked up with a few guys and made about sixty bucks but nothing like the bus station. I was thinking about going back to the apartment when he pulled up around five in the afternoon. He asked me if I had any plans for that night and I told him I didn’t. We went back to his place and did the same thing we did the night before. Except, this time, he made love to me. The next morning, he paid me the hundred and took me back to the park.”
“Wow! How long did this go on?”
“For almost a year. He bought me some clothes, fed me, and gave me a warm bed to sleep in every night. I even spent weekends at his place. Most nights he’d just hold me while I slept. I got to where I told him I didn’t’ want him to pay me anymore. Every morning, he dropped me off at the park. He never asked what I did during the day, just if I had plans for the night. I got to where I would just sit at the park and not even try to find guys to hook up with. One day I asked him if I could just stay with him. He said he’d think about it. Then, a few days later, he dropped me off at the park and never came back. It was two days after my eighteenth birthday. I never saw him again.”
“I’m so sorry,” Brady said putting his hand on Rodney’s arm. “You never saw him again?”
“Nope. I honestly thought Darin was Wes when he pulled into the station that night. It brought back so many wonderful memories. And, when we went to bed, oh my God! He is exactly like Wes, except Wes was circumcised.”
“I just love his hairy chest. It’s so soft.”
“I know, that was Wes too. Almost exactly like Darin. The next morning, things were going well and then I got hassled by my landlord and it made me feel so bad about what had happened with Wes all those years ago that I could barely look at Darin.” He paused, wiping a tear from his left eye. “Then, when he offered to help me with my rent, I felt like I was sixteen again and hustling for rent money. I couldn’t even look at him.”
“He told me about that. He couldn’t understand why you reacted the way you did. Have you told him?”
“No, we haven’t really talked about that.”
“You should probably tell him.”
“I was afraid I’d never see him again either.”
“I know, but I promise you, Darin will understand if you tell him.”
“Tell me what?” Darin asked as he and Adam entered the room carrying four soft drinks.
****
As had been expected, Brady was quite upset when he learned the news about his job. He was more concerned, about what would happen to all of the animals that were housed at the shelter than what he would do with regards to income. Most of the day on Monday and Tuesday was filled with trying to locate alternate housing for the bulk of those animals. A call had gone out to one of the local radio stations asking for potential adopters. A large number of kittens and puppies had been found new homes but many of the adult animals had been overlooked. Of particular concern were some of the special needs animals that the staff had become particularly fond of. It appeared that no one would come forward to adopt them and none of the other shelters were anxious to take them either. It was almost closing time on Tuesday when Brady’s cel phone rang. He looked to see who might be calling but did not recognize the number. He decided to ignore the call and allow it to go to voicemail.
When Brady and Tim arrived at work on Wednesday morning, there were almost fifty people waiting outside the front door, all anxious to take home a furry friend. Around noon, a large truck arrived with a generous donation of food from a major department store in town. Throughout the day, the steady stream of potential adopters continued with most taking their new pet with them. Those who did not find a suitable companion simply made a cash donation. Late in the day, a well-dressed woman, in her sixties, entered the office. She announced that she would like to pay the fifty dollars adoption fee for ten animals plus a cash donation of a thousand dollars. Several people in the office applauded and shook her hand. Brady and Tim greeted her and thanked her for her generosity.
“It’s too bad, we couldn’t have this kind of response when we knew we were gonna be here a while,” Tim had said as he and Brady took a break between adoptions.
“I know,” Brady agreed as his cel phone rang for the third time that day. “Who is this that keeps calling me?” he asked as the same, unknown number appeared.
“Maybe you should answer it,” Tim advised.
“No, if it’s really important, they’ll leave a message,” Brady countered as they returned to work.
By close of business that evening, nearly half of the remaining animals had found new homes.
****
Darin had spent most of Wednesday making final preparations for Brady’s birthday surprise. Around noon, Spencer had called to see if there was anything that needed his attention. Darin had assured him that he had everything under control. They discussed the remainder of Spencer’s hospital stay and that his treatment was going well. Spencer expressed how well Mary had done during the entire ordeal and that the two were drawing much closer as a result. “I had honestly thought we were just going through the motions,” Spencer had stated. “But, when I saw how frightened she was when I was in that coma, I knew she still loved me. We’ve both learned a valuable lesson through all this.”
“What’s that?” Darin asked.
Spencer cleared his throat and replied, “I think we had come to take each other for granted. This helped us both see what we mean to each other.” He sighed. “I don’t know if I could have come through this without her,” he added. “She’s waited on me hand and foot since I got home.”
“It’s good to hear the happiness in your voice,” Darin had said. “There were a lot of folks offering prayers on your behalf.”
“Tell everyone I appreciate their prayers and that I’ll be in to see them soon,” the older man said. “I miss you all very much.”
“I look forward to your coming back,” Darin assured him. “It’s not quite the same without you barking orders at everyone,” he added with a laugh.
“I’m afraid those days are over,” Spencer said. “From now on, if I can borrow from Bush the first, you’ll see a kinder, gentler Spencer Morgan.”
They shared a laugh as Darin replied, “We’ll be happy to have you back, no matter what form you take.”
Spencer then inquired about Rodney and Darin told him that he was making steady improvements but that he would require a substantial amount of therapy before he would be able to return to work. Darin related how Lillian had hired the man who had hurt Rodney and that she was facing some serious charges as a result.
“I always knew she was a little high strung,” Spencer opined, “But I never thought she’d be capable of something so horrible.”
“She’s a very sad, lonely, bitter woman,” Darin replied.
As the conversation continued, Darin also shared the news about the impending closure of the shelter and Spencer had expressed a desire to help out in any way possible. “Is there anything the boys need?” he asked when he heard about the bank accounts having been frozen and how that had made it difficult to keep the shelter open.
“I think they’re doing well,” Darin assured, “Although I think they’re worried that not all the animals will find homes.”
“I’m going to send Mary down there with a donation,” he stated. “That should help them some. Your young friend sounds like he’s deeply passionate about his work.”
“Oh, he’s very passionate,” Darin confirmed. “I have to admit, I never realized there was such need for people like him.”
“I’ve always gone through a breeder,” Spencer said, “I didn’t realize there were so many animals who ended up in places like that.”
“And most that end up in the local shelters end up being put down because there are just not enough people willing to adopt,” Darin said sadly.
“Well, you sound like you’re starting to share his passion,” Spencer pointed out.
“It’s hard not to.”
“Perhaps you should consider the possibility of going into that business with him,” Spencer suggested.
“Believe me,” Darin assured, “I’ve certainly thought about it.”
****
It was the day before Brady’s twenty-sixth birthday, and he waited for Darin to pick him up. Darin had called and asked that he meet him at the curb because he was running late, and they would just be able to make their reservation. As he stood there, waiting, a white Ford van rounded the corner and headed toward him. The driver brought the vehicle to a screeching stop right in front of where Brady stood. Terrified, Brady watched as two men leapt from the side doors of the van and dragged him inside. He heard the doors slam as the vehicle sped away. He lay on the floor; hoping and praying this was a dream. His mind flashed through a thousand possible scenes of what could be happening to him, not the least of which was what had happened to Rodney a short time before. As he slowly looked around, he noted that the van had no windows and that there was a divider between the driver and the cargo area. He was completely unaware of where he was being taken. Both of his abductors were wearing ski masks and were dressed entirely in black. Noticing that he was looking around, one of them leaned down, his face inches from Brady’s and whispered to him, “Don’t worry, we won’t hurt you. Just be still and we’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Where are you taking me?” Brady demanded. He realized that he was neither restrained nor was either of his abductors carrying any type of weapon. “Where are you taking me?” he repeated.
“Just relax and you’ll find out in a few minutes,” the other one replied. Neither voice was familiar to him.
“Damn it! Tell me where you’re taking me!” he screamed one last time.
