AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Nothing that would get him locked up if this turned out to be a set-up, either.
His eyes swept the street, but nothing seemed amiss. His lips pressed into a thin line as he approached the shop's entrance.
What did Zach want him for? Another meeting? But the kid knew where to find Wyatt, and there were better places for make-up sex than somewhere that smelled of cheese and grease.
If not for that… then what did Zach want him to do — or to see?
Wyatt stepped through the door and scanned the interior of the shop cautiously, alert for any signs of a trap. Just a few patrons sat eating at the tables at this early hour, and a bored-looking teenager manned the counter.
Wyatt's eyes narrowed as he studied the kid. Skinny, dark shaggy hair, a tongue stud glinting as he talked… He was a pretty close match for Zach. Clearly, whoever recruited for this place had certain tastes.
Wyatt approached the counter, affecting an air of casual nonchalance. "Let me get a couple slices of pepperoni," he rumbled.
"Sure." The kid — Ari, according to his name tag — turned to slide a few limp slices onto a paper plate. Wyatt went to sit at a table in the corner, picking the table that gave him the best vantage point to keep tabs on his surroundings: the store, the view through the front windows, and a line of sight that led past the counter and out to the kitchen.
Wyatt picked at his pizza, eyes casually roving the shop. What was he supposed to be seeing here? The current customers chowed down and left without revealing anything of note, and were soon replaced by a few more. The kid at the counter looked harmless enough. He didn't register as a threat. Just a standard-issue emo — though the resemblance to Zachwasuncanny.
Wyatt chewed slowly, mulling it over. He checked his watch. Nearly time…
Right on nine, someone emerged from the staff office behind the counter. Middle-aged, boring. The guy who ran the place, presumably. "Ari? We need to have a little talk. Step into my office for a moment, please. Chuck, take over at the registers — great, thanks."
Ari went stiff. No-one liked being called in by the boss, Wyatt guessed. Wyatt watched the kid disappear into Hal's office.
Fifteen minutes crawled by. Wyatt forced himself to slowly chew each bite of pizza, but his muscles grew tight.
Finally, the office door creaked open again. Ari shuffled out, eyes downcast. Wyatt's sharp gaze immediately zeroed in on the kid's face; it was splotchy and flushed, like he'd been crying. The boy's skinny shoulders were hunched, making him appear even smaller.
Without making eye contact with anyone, Ari hurried to the staff bathroom, and slipped inside.
Wyatt slowly wiped his mouth with a napkin, crumpling it tightly in his fist.
Things were becoming clear now.
After a few more minutes, the door creaked open. The boss emerged, whistling a jaunty tune, with a self-satisfied smirk plastered across his smug face. There was an energetic pep in his step, oblivious to Wyatt's presence.
That was the pleased look of a man who had just got his rocks off.
Wyatt's jaw clenched, molars grinding.
He sat there at the pizza shop table for a few more minutes, keeping up a calm and collected facade. Inside, though, his blood was boiling.
As he stood up to leave, walking past the counter, he casually pretended to remember something. "Oh, hey, is Zach working today?"
The other employee — tall, blond, cheerful, and seemingly oblivious to what had just happened — winced. "Ah, sorry, man. Zach got fired the other day."
"Really?" It was all coming together now. Wyatt scratched his chin. "That's too bad. How long had he been working here?"
Anyone else might have noticed that they were being interrogated, but this human golden retriever didn't catch on. "Oh, man. Years, I think? He started before me, and I've been here… what, three years now?"
Wyatt's jaw tightened. Years — and Zach was still, what, twenty-one?
That asshole had been taking advantage of him since he was a teenager.
Wyatt's eyes narrowed, cold. That guy had to pay for what he'd done — and Wyatt was just the man to collect that debt.
Wyatt turned towards the door abruptly. "Thanks, kid." His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides as he strode for the exit, nerves thrumming with tightly-leashed fury.
He needed to get out of here before he did something reckless. But as soon as he was clear of potential witnesses, that asshole was going to regret ever laying a hand on Zach.
