Instead…”Theo, is W-Wills there? Please be there. It’s…it’s JR.”
What the…? Why was Wills’s brother calling here? I grabbed the handset. “JR, it’s Theo. Wills is at work. What’s wrong?”
“We’re in so much trouble.”
“Who’s we?”
“Me and Pat. We’re at the bus depot here in DC, and there are a couple of old guys who are watching us. I called Dad, but he’s up in Cambridge and can’t do anything, so I…I tried to call Wills, but it went to his voicemail.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Pat said he was leaving home, and I couldn’t let him go by himself. He’s my friend.”
When Wills found out Pat had dragged his brother into this mess, he was going to hit the ceiling. Pat wasn’t called Damien for nothing. He really was like the kid from The Omen who was the antichrist.
“Okay, stay by the ticket counter, and whatever you do, don’t let those men get their hands on you! Do you understand me?” I had visions of a DC version of Franky getting his hands on my lover’s brother and sending him out on the streets to hustle. “I’ll call Wills.”
“Thank you.”
“Just stay put!” I hung up, flipped open my cell phone, and pressed “one” for Wills. “Please pick up. Please pick up.”
“What’s up, Theo?”
Thank God! “We’ve got a problem. JR’s in the bus station.”
“What? Where?”
“Where do you think? Here in DC. He’s in trouble. He tried to call you but—”
“That was him? Shit. I’m at a meeting. I had to let it go to voicemail.”
“He needs you, Wills. It’s Damien.”
“Shit,” he said again.
“JR said he called your Dad to let him know where they are, but Wills, he sounded so—”
“I’m on my way.” Dead air told me he’d disconnected the call.
I couldn’t stay here twiddling my thumbs. JR was close enough to being my brother-in-law, but more than that, I liked him.
I grabbed my car keys and my jacket. I didn’t know how long it would take Wills to get to the bus depot, but I was damn well going there myself.
“Miss Su, be a good girl. I expect that cake to be in one piece when we get home.”
“Mrrow.” She stropped herself against my leg, then turned her back to me, sat down, and began to industriously lick her hind leg.
* * * *
Fortunately, traffic wasn’t too heavy, and it only took about fifteen minutes to get to the bus depot. I pulled into the parking lot and spotted Wills’s Dodge. He had managed to arrive before me, not that I was surprised, since family was involved. What did surprise me was that the Dodge was parked in a handicapped spot with a tag dangling from the rearview mirror. I didn’t bother asking myself if that was legal, just parked a few spaces away and ran for the depot.
I’d told JR to wait by the ticket counter, so that was where I headed. A few people hurried in my direction, looking over their shoulders uneasily.
I rounded the corner and skidded to a stop.
A man was on the floor, mewling sounds coming from his mouth. Wills had his foot on the man’s spine, his left arm twisted high behind his back and Wills’s gun pointed at the base of his skull.
“Is everything okay?” I felt like a dope asking that, but I didn’t know what else to say.
“Yes. Geez, is everyone showing up? Mr. Vincent, Theo. Who’s next? Dad?”
I glanced around, and sure enough, there was Vince, holding what looked like a cannon on two sullen-faced men. There was something about them that reminded me of my first days in this city.
I turned back and got a good look at the guy under Wills’s foot. He was a vice cop, kind of an okay guy in spite of it. At least he never coerced the boys into his bed that I had heard. “Jim?”
“Sweetcheeks? What are you doing here? Are you running chickens now? Ow!”
Wills had yanked on his arm. “That isn’t his name anymore. And he doesn’t do that.”
“Let him go, Matheson,” Vince said. “Detective Jim and his cohorts are going to leave now, aren’t you?”
The other two scowled at him but nodded. They didn’t help Jim to his feet. “I’m gonna catch you alone one day,” Jim snarled at Wills. “And when I do, you’re dead meat.”
“Yeah, you already said that.” Wills didn’t seem too impressed.
Jim had a hair-trigger temper. None of the rent boys had ever challenged his authority, but I’d happened to see him once when a perp gave him grief, and it hasn’t been pretty.
Before I could beg Wills to watch his step, Vince said, “Theo, get the boys out of here.”
“Okay, Vince.” His tone of voice didn’t give me any choice. “Wills, I’ll take them home.”
“Okay. And Jar, call Dad and let him know you’re with us.”
“Yes, Wills.” The poor kid looked scared spitless, and Pat looked even worse, and only part of that was due to a black eye and bruised cheek. They’d need something hot and sweet to drink.