Beneath the Stain - Part 7 Read Online Free

stopped obediently, but throughout the rest of their conversation, he rubbed Trav’s stomach, his ribs, his pecs, his neck. It was like he was feeding himself on Trav’s skin, and Trav couldn’t make him stop.
    “You can’t protect us from this,” Mackey said after a moment of rolling his face on Trav’s chest. “But we got things—not just drugs, Trav, just… like Jefferson and Stevie. They ain’t been apart—hell, they probably go to the bathroom together. With Shelia there it’s even tighter. Kell laid down the law with Cheever—he got to be the man of the house. Blake, he ain’t said two words—he had his own small town. He knows to lie low and figure out the local customs if you don’t want to find yourself getting beat the fuck up.”
    “And you?” Trav asked, letting a little of his worry out, a little of it rest on Mackey’s shoulders.
    Mackey grinned at him, showing his canines. “Were we or were we not arrested for being in a bar fight?”
    Trav blinked. “You are so proud of yourself,” he said, horrified.
    “Oh yeah.” Mackey nodded with complete satisfaction. “ That was probably the best moment I’ve had in this piece of shit town.”
    Trav had to laugh. He was helpless to do anything else. “Thank you for making me a part of that,” he said, irony dripping from every syllable.
    Mackey nestled into him again, his naked body stretched out and rubbing all over Trav’s. Trav was too sexed out to be horny, but it did make him sublimely happy to be touching Mackey again.
    “My pleasure,” Mackey said, purring, with no irony at all.
    They dozed for an hour and then got up, dressed from the contents of Mackey’s bag, and checked out.
    “Where’s Heath?” Mackey asked as Debra pulled the rental car around for them.
    “Left around six,” Trav said. “Never went to sleep—said he’d sleep on the plane.”
    “I like a man who can party like a rock star,” Mackey said with a grin.
    Trav rolled his eyes. “Since I live with them, I guess I’m not as impressed.”
    Mackey laughed as they slid into the car. By the time they got back to his mother’s house, he was still chuckling. Trav didn’t think it was that funny, but then, he really didn’t always get Mackey’s sense of humor.
    That was okay. Apparently h e got Mackey.

Take Another Little Piece of My Heart
     
     
    G RANT CALLED that evening and said he’d needed to rest the whole day, but he was glad they’d gotten out of jail. He thanked Trav personally, apparently because Trav had made sure he got out of there so he wouldn’t get hurt.
    His voice broke a lot, rasped, and he was probably stoned to the gills for pain. Mackey hadn’t said anything to Trav or Kell, but he’d had dreams when they’d set up the gig at the Nugget. He’d wanted Grant up with them one last time. But Grant’s fingers—they’d been so fine and strong and sure—were now swollen and clubbed and sore.
    “Besides, Mackey,” Grant said when Mackey suggested it, “I haven’t played guitar in months. You guys play every day.”
    He’d been the best of them after Mackey.
    Now he was telling them he would probably be down the next day—but the day after that, he wanted them out to his parents’ house for a visit.
    “To your house ?” Kell said on the conference call, stunned. “Grant, we didn’t go out to your house when we were kids!”
    Grant made a humorless sound on the other side of the line. “I know. That was my folks. I sort of bypassed their consent here—which reminds me. Mackey, is Mr. Ford there?”
    “Yeah, I’m here,” Trav said, sounding surprised. “What do you need, Grant?”
    “I’m going to be talking to the guys, showing them the place since they never saw it when we were kids. I need you to talk to my dad and my lawyer. There’s stuff there I need you to make sure Mackey’s going to get. Are you a lawyer?”
    Trav grunted no. “A business major. But I can have a lawyer on standby so I can text him