Nightcrawler (Trackers #1)

Chapter Thirteen

MIGUEL

After we split the check, we all walked out of Mel’s, headed to our vehicles. I knew I had to get home to Stanley, but Raven had dark circles under his eyes, and I had the overwhelming urge to see that he got home safely. We waved as everyone drove out of the lot. When I turned to look at Raven, he was smiling at me.

He’d had a shave this morning and his square jaw stood out strongly with those blue eyes twinkling, crinkling at the corners along with his smile. He looked like one of those fierce Native American warriors ready to go into battle. My heart did that flip-flop thing as I imagined how he’d look, stripped down and rolling in satin sheets like those guys I read about in books. He stepped close to me, circling my waist with both hands, and bringing his body close to mine. I could feel the heat coming off him and once again, I realized how badly I wanted him.

“Come home with me, Miguel,” he said, softly, laying the palm of his hand on my chest. “Have some dinner with me.”

“I’m gonna see to it that you get home but then I have to check on Stanley, make sure he has enough food, Raven.”

He smiled. “You’re so sweet, Miguel.” He looked into my eyes. “Why don’t you go home and bring him back with you? My nana loves animals, and I bet she’d adore Stanley. That way—” He licked his lips. “Maybe you can stay over.”

“Sleep at your house?” I wasn’t sure what he was saying. If he was talking about sleeping, that was one thing but if he was talking about something more, I wasn’t even sure what to say about that. Besides, he was in no condition to be rolling around in the sheets with anyone.

“Yeah, sleep at my house. I have a spare bedroom.”

“And…Ned? He’s not going to like that.”

He snorted. “Ned is my grandmother’s nurse and that’s all he ever was to me, Miguel.” He cupped my cheek. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

My heart was pounding so hard inside my chest, I thought I’d pass out. “Yeah,” I replied, hesitantly. “But he’s there and—”

“He doesn’t live with us. He stays over if I’m not at home…out of town on a job or something.” He smiled. “It just so happens that this last job ended up being a forty-eight-hour shift for him. I’m sure he’s going to like seeing the overtime in his paycheck but if he doesn’t, he’s out. Frankly, I’ve known for a while that he wanted me, especially considering how I’m single and I guess so is he, but I honestly couldn’t give a shit about how he feels. I’ve told him I have no interest in pursuing a social relationship with him beyond the niceties. It is what it is. When I get home, I’ll send him home for the night. I’ll see to it that my nana’s comfortable and then we’ll have the whole house to ourselves.”

I didn’t know what to say. The hottest man on the planet was offering more than I could have ever imagined. Who was I to argue with that? “Okay,” I said. “But, I’m going to follow you home just to make sure you get there okay.”

He looked deeply into my eyes. “You really are the epitome of a protector, aren’t you?”

I smirked. “It’s in my DNA, Raven. I hope you understand. Anyway, I’ll see that you make it home before running back to my apartment.”

He scoffed, shaking his head. “That’s so unnecessary, Miguel.”

I shook my head. “Sorry, I’m not backing down on this.” He must have seen my determination in my eyes because he finally nodded.

“Fine. Follow me home.”

I waited until he got into his big truck, and then climbed behind the wheel in my own, feeling lighter about everything than I had in days.

RAVEN

Miguel did just as he’d promised, following me all the way into the Hollywood Hills and seeing to it that I didn’t pass out behind the wheel before saluting as I parked in front of the house, and driving off with a thumbs up. I walked into the house and encountered Ned standing in front of the big picture window which looked out onto the street, apparently waiting for me. He must have seen Miguel, and I felt violated somehow.

“What’s up?” I asked, noticing the petulant expression on his face. Honestly, I was getting tired of being spied on.

“Oh, nothing much. Your grandmother misses you, that’s all.”

His tone was nasty and dismissive, and I didn’t like it. I frowned as I hung my keys on the rack by the door before bending at the waist with a little wince to untie my boots. I almost smiled when I remembered Miguel insisting on helping me in and out of them. I pulled them off and straightened, looking at Ned who stood there with his hands on both narrow hips, giving me a dirty look. “She missed me? I was gone like a sum total of three hours.”

“And she’s an old lady whom you completely ignore,” he said.

I felt anger surge through me, and I didn’t appreciate the undertone of his words. Who the hell was this guy to tell me something like that? I adored my nana and spent all my time with her when I was at home and this jerk wasn’t around. He had no idea what went on when he wasn’t here. I barely held onto my temper as I glared at him. “That’s total bullshit.” When he opened his mouth to protest, I continued. “You know what, Ned? This situation is becoming unsustainable.”

“What situation?” he asked, looking worried.

I waved my hand between his chest and my own. “This situation. You are her nurse. That’s it. I don’t need you to tell me crap like I ignore my grandmother when I don’t do that at all. You already know this. When you’re not here, who do you think she spends time with?”

“Well, I imagine it’s you…when you’re not otherwise occupied,” he shot back.

My anger erupted as I pointed a finger at him. “And that’s another thing. You insulted Miguel earlier and called him names. Fuck, Ned, you even tried to spray him with pepper spray. You do realize that’s a chemical weapon, right?”

Ned laughed. “He deserved it for threatening me.”

I wanted to scream but I had to keep my voice down so that I didn’t upset my nana. “He did not threaten you,” I said through gritted teeth. “He may have insulted you but not before you started it.”

“He isn’t exactly the type of person you should be bringing home, Raven, and you know that,” he said, lifting his chin. I was a lot taller than he was, so looking down his nose at me took a lot of effort on his part; he somehow managed to do it anyway.

“You have no idea what type of person he is because you don’t know him or do you have a problem with him because his name is Miguel?”

“You don’t usually slum it with those types.”

His audacity was mind-blowing. I shot daggers at him. “Hispanics? Is that what you’re getting at, you prejudiced piece of crap?”

“I didn’t say that. I’m only saying that I wouldn’t be surprised if the neighborhood watch called the police the next time he comes around. I mean, just look at the battered, old truck he drives.” He pointed to the front window before turning back around. The malicious grin on his face was on full display. I was about to say something worse than he was a piece of crap when he kept on talking. “Frankly, I’m surprised there’s no lawnmower in the back. Tell him to put one in there and maybe he won’t be questioned by anyone when he comes back to the neighborhood. And maybe you should tell him to only show up for his booty calls at night…when it’s dark.”

“That’s it! Get your shit and get out of my house,” I said, barely able to keep hold of my restraint.

His eyes flew wide as he opened and closed his mouth several times. Finally, he found the words he’d been searching for as he spluttered. “You can’t be serious, Raven,” he whined. “Who will take care of your nana?”

I pulled out my phone as I stared him down, holding it up for him to see. “I’m calling the agency right now. They’ll have someone new tomorrow morning. I’m done being judged by you and I’m certainly not going to let you insult my friend or toss in racial epithets when you talk to me about him. It’s a good thing he’s not here.”

“I’ll tell them your friend threatened me.” He paused and then found his words again. “I’ll—I’ll call the police if you fire me!” His voice was shaking.

“And you forget I have friends in the police department who will set you straight if it comes to that, Ned. You’re not going to make trouble for me or for Miguel again. Now, get your shit and get out.”

He straightened, lifting his chin, and smoothing his finely boned hands down his sides. “Fine, Raven. I’ll do as you ask...but this isn’t the last you’ve heard from me!” He spun on his heel and headed down the hall to the spare bedroom where he had some clothes stored for his infrequent overnights.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, pursuing him down the hall. I noticed my grandmother’s door stood open as it usually did, so I lowered my voice as I followed him into the bedroom across from hers.

“What I mean is, expect repercussions for firing me,” he said, going to the closet and pulling out a small, Louis Vuitton suitcase. He went to the bureau and opened a drawer, pulling out clothes. “You can’t treat people like this, and you’ll find out soon enough exactly what I plan on doing about it, you—you bastard.”

“And I’ll make sure to tell the agency all about your behavior if you make a big deal about it.” I was seething with anger.

He whirled on me, holding a bright pink jockstrap in his hand. He shook it at me. “I’ll say you came on to me. I’ll—I’ll sue you for sexual harassment on the job. I’ll—”

I stepped up close to him, lowering my voice menacingly. “Try it, you piece of shit. Miguel can testify to the way you assaulted him earlier today, and I will make your life miserable if you dare to sue me.”

Tears sprang into his eyes. “I just wanted to make a good home for you and your nana, Raven. I’ve tried at every turn.”

I wasn’t sure if the tears and the whine in his voice were a put on or not. He’d never acted like an emo jackass before, so if this was all an act, he was giving me an Oscar winning performance. I forced my words to sound flat. “You’re a nurse, Ned. That’s all that you ever were in this house. I never led you on sexually. I certainly never made any inappropriate insinuations with you and if you recall, I rejected your advances every chance I got. That’s what this is really about, isn’t it? You can’t have me, so I can’t have anyone else?” Of course that’s what this was.

He made an exaggerated sniff. “I could have made you love me if you gave me even half a chance but instead—” He waved in the general direction of the front door. “You want that!”

I backed up as he lowered the jockstrap. “Just take your stuff and go. Don’t make more of a scene, and I’ll give you a good reference. You were very good with my grandmother, and I’ll make sure the agency knows it.”

“But you’re going to ask for a replacement. What are they going to think?”

“Tell them I was making you work double shifts all the time. Your last timecard will no doubt reflect just that. It’s not a lie. I won’t contradict it. Just do me a favor and let bygones be bygones. We’ll leave it at that. What do you say?”

He sobbed. “Do I have a choice?”

I felt sorry for him but his pathetic display was over the top…one minute threatening me and the next minute whining. I blew out a long breath so that I wouldn’t tell him off and extend this pathetic conversation any longer than it had to be. He seemed almost fragile now that he’d cooled down slightly. “No. You don’t.” I turned and glanced at the open door, wanting to go to my nana. “I’m going to see her,” I said as I turned back to see him putting more things in his bag.

He looked up. “I want to say goodbye to her.”

“Fine. Why don’t you do that first…while I make a call?” I was still holding my phone.

“You’ll give me a good reference?”

“I will, as long as you go now and don’t come back,” I said.

“Fine.” He brushed by me, walking out of the bedroom and leaving his half-packed suitcase on the bed. I looked down into it and noticed more fluorescent-colored jockstraps, then laughed as I walked out of the room. I shifted my thoughts to Miguel and the evening ahead. I went into the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water before checking to see if we had all the ingredients I’d need for the pasta I intended on making for dinner.

I’d been absolutely serious when I’d hinted that I wanted the man. There was something so sweet about him…one minute crabby, one minute vulnerable as he talked about his sweet kitten, one minute sexy as hell as his lips blended with mine. I hadn’t come right out and told him what was on my mind, which was that I really wanted to see his naked body lounging back on the sheets of my bed. But that had been exactly what I wanted. He was just too fucking beautiful for his own good and was probably too humble to even realize it. Most of all, I wanted to explore every muscle in his tight abdomen with my tongue…hell, I wanted to lick his tattoo.

When I walked back to my grandmother’s room, Ned was standing at her desk, closing a drawer there. Nana was asleep in bed. I frowned, walking over. “What are you doing?”

He held up his timecard. “I needed to retrieve this so you can sign it.”

“Oh.” I stepped forward and took the pen he offered before writing my initials beside the days he’d worked that week and signing the bottom of it. I handed it back to him. “Thanks.”

“I need to finish packing now,” he said nastily before spinning on his heel and walking out of the room.

I watched him go and then went over to my nana, bending over to brush her gray hair away from her forehead. Her rheumy gray eyes opened, and she smiled. “Raven.” She sighed in pleasure, holding out a delicate, bony hand and I took it, knowing she couldn’t see me. “How are you, dear?”

“I’m just fine, sweetheart.” I bent and kissed her cheek. “Go back to sleep, my love.”

“Is your dear Miguel here? He’s such a nice man.”

I couldn’t help but smile as her arthritic fingers squeezed mine. “He had to go home for a little while but he’s coming back for dinner tonight, Nana.”

“Good, she’ashkii. I like him very much.”

I smiled at the Navajo word for sweetheart. “You just met him.”

“And you know I can sense the worth of a man’s soul when I meet him, don’t you, dear?”

I smiled. She had an uncanny way of knowing everything that went on in this house but that’s what made her such a very special person. “I think you’re very perceptive because you’re right about Miguel. He’s an honorable man. In fact, he’s one of the most decent men I’ve ever known, Nana.”

“But he’s been terribly hurt, Raven. His heart is aching. You must always treat him with great care. He deserves happiness and good things.” She squeezed my hand again.

I had no idea how she knew the things she knew about people. How she could have sensed the hurt Miguel kept buried, surprised the hell out of me. Until he’d seen my grandmother’s china pattern, and he’d told me the story, I hadn’t sensed despair or hurt in him, other than having to deal with the current state of his finances. The other things that made him amazing were right there out in the open, but knowing something that intimate about someone seemed impossible. And yet, she’d known. She never ceased to amaze me.

“Yes, Nana. I promise to take care of him. And you’re right, he deserves good things. He’s a good person.”

“That’s good, Raven. You deserve to be happy too.”

“I’m ready to leave.”

I turned and found Ned hovering in the doorway, angry that he’d been standing there quietly and obviously listening to our conversation. “Good. I’ll see you out,” I snapped before turning back to her. She let go of my hand and beckoned me to come closer. I bent down and turned my ear to her lips.

“I never liked him.”

I grinned and whispered in her ear, “You need to tell me these things. I promise the next nurse will be better and if she isn’t, you’d better tell me.” I straightened as she nodded.

“Goodbye, Angelica,” Ned called out from the doorway.

She raised her hand and waved. “Goodbye.”

I followed Ned into the hall, noting the suitcase he dragged behind him. He stepped out onto the porch, saying nothing to me as he trudged down the short walk to his car which had been parked on the sidewalk in front of my neighbor’s house. Moments later, Ned was gone and I breathed out a sigh of relief at his departure. What a fucked-up scene that had been.

I checked my watch and called the agency to let them know I’d fired Ned, requesting a new nurse. They said it was late in the day, but they’d do what they could to find a replacement on such short notice. As I waited for the charge nurse to check availability, by the time I’d hung up, they’d promised to send a nurse to help out first thing in the morning.

I felt relief for the second time today. The first had been when I’d seen Jarrett, Thayne, Cassidy, and Mike sitting at the table with Miguel. At that moment, I’d known that Miguel would be assured safety when he went to retrieve that goliath Howell dude. When I’d insisted that I be part of the takedown, Miguel had nearly turned purple. In the scheme of things, that hadn’t mattered. If he wanted to be mad at me a little while, I didn’t care. He’d be safe and that’s all that counted.

I went into my room and pulled off my shirt. I unwrapped my midsection and checked the bandage. There was no leakage and when I gingerly prodded it with my fingers, I felt only slight discomfort. A glimpse of my back in the full-length dressing mirror told me that the exit wound from Passantino’s gunshot looked fine too. Just like Vonne promised, the wounds were knitting themselves together nicely. I felt relief again.

I left my shirt off and crawled onto the bed, picking up the paperback sitting on the bedside table, and lounged back on the pillows. The meal I planned wouldn’t take more than half an hour to prepare. It was five o’clock and I knew Miguel wouldn’t make it until nearly seven due to heavy traffic. I had time to finish up the book I’d been reading and write a review. I already knew the gist of it and grinned as I read the last few lines of the book before beginning my review.

Book title: Catcher in my Eye

Author: Brian Scofield

Publisher: Self-published

Genre: M/M Erotic Romance

Review/rating by Nightcrawler: Two and a half stars, rounded up to three.

Synopsis:

This is a timeless novel, one set in New York City, telling of a curious soul who is making his own way in the underground of the giant metropolis the only way he can, using his questioning nature to find the meaning of life. Truly, it is a story told through discovery of art, of love, and of the men he finds along the way.

My Review:

To borrow a phrase from the author’s synopsis of the book… truly , this is the story of a young man whose discovery of adult life in all its gay…ity, and everything that brings along with it, can’t exactly be called art. In this reviewer’s opinion, there’s no art about getting a cumshot in your eye. It’s just bad aim.

Bwahahaha.

Unfortunately for me, humble readers, this is a manual for brief sexual escapades between the hero of the author’s story, Jamison Richards, and a bunch of horny men. Not that the idea of being screwed by multiple partners is a problem for me if the mood suits, it’s just that the book lacks anything adjacent to art…

…unless you consider cream pies to be lurve.

As far as the young man finding the meaning of life, well, I guess if you’re looking for a book where a young dude gets his cherry popped when he stumbles into a busy New York bathhouse, then this is the book for you. But if the idea of your first time is getting gang banged by towel-wearing grunters isn’t your thing, then I’d steer clear of it. In the opening scene, Jamison Richards talks his way into a bathhouse by blowing the attendant and then, starry-eyed, is led to the back where the real fun begins. I’ll leave the rest to your imagination, but I’ll just say here, I hope you have popcorn and several bottles of lube on hand for the festivities.

In conclusion, if the three days Jamison spends being a spunk receptacle can be considered timeless, then the author should be called Shakespeare.

I chuckled as I posted my review, wondering if somewhere out there a real man was reading my reviews and contemplating art.