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They showered and changed in the locker room, Chris into a suit and Ethan into a simple t-shirt and shorts. They walked out into a sunny morning that was supposed to turn much hotter later.
Chris had decided in advance in which spot he would ruin Ethan’s morning: in front of the small indie bookstore they usually passed by on their way to the restaurant. He hoped the short distance would help persuade Ethan not to leave in anger. They used to have a tradition where they would go into bookstores and each would choose a book for the other one to read. Ethan loved science fiction and the occasional thriller, while Chris was into history and biographies. Some of his favorite books had been chosen by Ethan.
As they reached the front of the bookstore, Chris held Ethan’s hand, bringing him to a halt. “E, listen, Jay’s meeting us at the restaurant.”
Ethan yanked his hand back. “I’m out of here.”
Chris blocked his way. “I know you’re angry, but I need you two to work together. I can beg if you want me to.”
“Don’t beg,” Ethan muttered. “Damn, we were having such a nice morning.”
“I’m sorry, but the four of us need to go to Fire Island this weekend.”
“So soon?”
“Yes, and there’s no point going there if we’re unable to communicate.”
“I can’t just forgive him.”
“I’m not asking for that.”
Ethan nodded. “Fine, but I hate this.”
“I know.”
When they reached the restaurant, the waitress led them to the table Chris had reserved in advance, next to a small fountain in the garden area. Jay was already there, sitting with his arms crossed and his face bruised. Chris and Ethan took their seats around the small table.
“Did you order anything?” Chris asked.
“No.” Jay glanced at Ethan, who was looking at the fountain, his jaw set.
Chris signaled the waitress, and the three of them ordered drinks. He debated whether to try making small talk, but it felt like a waste of time, so he jumped right in. “This Saturday, we will be going to Fire Island. We’ll take a ferry to a place called Cherry Grove, then go by foot to Tobias’s house. I have the address.”
“Mickey sent me the recording equipment yesterday,” Jay said. “It’s small, but I’ll still need to find a creative way to hide it ‘cause we’ll probably be searched.”
“Are you okay with planting it in Tobias’s office?” Chris asked, knowing his ability to move freely would be limited.
“Yeah, I’ll take care of it.”
“Okay.” Chris turned to Ethan. “There will be two people there we need to keep distracted: Tobias and Oscar. Tobias will focus on Anthony, and Oscar will focus on me.”
“Who’s Oscar?”
“Tobias’s partner. They both own the club.”
“How do you know he’ll want to focus on you?”
Jay snickered. “He made it pretty clear.”
“I wasn’t talking to you,” Ethan snapped.
Chris quickly said, “We may need to separate while we’re there, to provide backup in case of trouble.”
“Makes sense,” Jay said. “I’ll stick with you, and Ethan will be with Ant.”
“No, that won’t work.” Chris turned to Ethan. “I don’t trust you in that situation. Wait, let me finish. When we’re there, you mustn’t show any affection to either Anthony or me. You’ll need to pretend you’re cool with us getting hurt, whether sexually or plain violence—anything can happen. I don’t want you anywhere near Anthony when things go down. You’ll stay with me for as long as Oscar allows it.”
Ethan narrowed his eyes in anger. “You think that seeing you hurt will be a walk in the park?”
