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“Thank you so much, you made my day. What are you even doing here, dude?”
Tyler smiled viciously to himself. He was glad Holden Maddison’s day was turning out to be as shit as his own. He popped the pills in his mouth and took a long drink of the iced tea, then dipped the cloth in the cold water again and rested it along his stump. He leaned back against the couch and closed his eyes.
Footsteps sounded and he looked up, expecting it to be Finn or his boyfriend. Instead, Holden stood there holding a cup of coffee. “Can I join you?” His face was carefully controlled, but he still looked pissed off with Tyler.
“No,” Tyler said. “Go away.” Holden ignored him. He slid onto the couch opposite and faced Tyler over the table. He didn’t speak and Tyler became annoyed. “I’m not in the mood, man.”
“Look…” Holden said. His tone was soft.
Tyler hated the idea so much that the guy felt sorry for him, that he burst in. “Does the press know you’re hiding out here?” The author’s face turned cold as stone. “Would they be interested to know?”
Holden stared at him. Between his teeth, he said, “What do you want?”
“To keep my home.”
Holden looked at him for a long moment, those dark eyes locked on his, sparking with anger. “Sure,” he said. “Why not? You look like you need the charity.”
He rose from his seat leaving Tyler open-mouthed. He had returned to the counter before the anger and humiliation rose in Tyler to boiling point. He sat with his fist clenched in impotent rage, cursing the bastard. A year ago, before his injury, he would have taken the puny old dude down with one fucking punch. Now he was apparently relegated to dealing with these insults from a guy twenty years older than him. He swallowed. Once more, tears of self-pity burned his eyes. Get a grip, man. You need to get a grip before you lose it right here and have a full fucking public meltdown.
He looked up as Finn slid into the seat opposite. “You okay, man?” His face was filled with concern. Maybe he could see how close to breakdown Tyler was.
“Yeah.”
“You know that guy?”
Tyler lowered his voice. “He’s my landlord.”
“Oh, right. Is that a bad thing?”
“He wants me out.”
“Shit. Sorry. He’s new in town. I’ve got a couple of his books at home. He’s good.”
“Did you hear what happened to him?”
Finn frowned. “No. what?”
Maybe folks in Clear Water didn’t watch the news so often. Tyler felt bad for gossiping, but he couldn’t forget what Holden had just said to him. He leaned over the table. “His agent ran off with all his money. He’s bankrupt.”
Finn opened his mouth, glancing at Holden. “No! Poor guy.” His sympathy seemed genuine and made Tyler feel like a shit. Finn was a good man. Tyler had been once. Now he was too bitter and self-obsessed to give a shit, looking to blame everyone else for the IED that had taken his leg.
He gulped some iced tea and fished in his pocket for some change. “I’m going to get going. Thanks for your help.”
“No problem, man. And it’s on the house. Put your money away. I’ll tell Brandon you’re ready.”
“No, it’s fine.” Tyler pulled the sweat soaked liner over his stump. He meant both the iced tea and the ride.
“No, it’s not. He’ll…” Finn looked towards Brandon as the sheriff hurried past with his cell glued to his ear.
“I have to go, love.” He kissed Finn as he passed, stroking his hip briefly in a gesture that spoke of deep intimacy between the two of them. “Call Tyler a cab.”
Bracing himself, Tyler clicked the prosthesis in place. Money for a cab he definitely didn’t have and he wasn’t sure his few coins added up to the price of the tea either. The pain of the prosthesis overwhelmed him, but he shoved to his right foot and leaned on the table. “I’m fine,” he told Finn. “Thanks for everything.”
He locked gazes with Holden Maddison as the writer turned away from the counter and slid from his stool. “I’m just leaving,” he said. “I’ll give you a ride.”
“No, thanks,” Tyler said. He grasped Finn’s hand and shook it, then set off to the door, limping even worse than he usually did and cursing himself.
Finn called his name, but Tyler didn’t look back. The door swung shut behind him and he breathed easier even though the pain threatened to overwhelm him. He set off across the square in the blinding afternoon sun.
