Page 57 of Joey

Joey

Ethan’s wide eyes met Joey’s, and he immediately stepped closer, resting his hand on Ethan’s shoulder. He couldn’t hear what Alan was saying, but the lines on Ethan’s face deepened the more he listened.

“Okay. I’ll call Kole and, if he doesn’t answer, Christi. I can be there in a few hours.”

Joey’s heart skipped a beat. What had happened? When Ethan said goodbye and dropped his arm, his chin trembled, but his lips pursed. A sure sign that he was angry.

“Kole was attacked during a ghost tour. Dad doesn’t have much information, so I need to call Kole.” He punched at the screen of his phone and put it on speakerphone. It rang and rang. When the voicemail came on, Ethan left a brief message and hung up, and then called Christi. “Christi! Is Kole okay?”

“Hello to you, too.” She yawned. “God, sorry. I’m knackered. Yes, he’s fine. A little bruised, a lot pissed off, but he’s good.”

“Who was it, and did they catch them?”

“It was a guy who Kole had spent a night with. He didn’t want to take no for an answer about a second date. He jumped him during the tour. Initially, the customers thought it was part of it, but when the guy started screaming at Kole, some of them pulled the guy off and held him until the police came.”

“Jesus Christ.” Ethan swiped a hand over his face. “I’m glad they caught the fucker. I’ll get on the road tonight and be there in a few hours.”

“No, you won’t.”

Ethan frowned. “Why?”

“Because Kole is fine. He’s bruised, but he’s fine. He’s going out again tonight.”

“What?” Ethan stared at Joey as if he could smash some sense into Kole, which was exactly what Joey was thinking.

“He doesn’t want this one thing to affect him, Ethan. He believes if he doesn’t get out there again tonight, he never will.”

“That’s not true. He’s—”

“Isn’t it? It scared the fuck out of him, Ethan. If he doesn’t go back out there sooner rather than later, he’s going to make it a big thing, and then all we’d get is moaning and groaning from him.” She chuckled, though it sounded forced. “He needs this. I’ll be with him, and so will a plain-clothed police officer. Although they’ve caught the guy, they want to have someone with Kole for the next three days to make sure. Nobody knows this but us, though.”

Ethan sighed. “That’s something, at least.”

Joey slid his arm around Ethan’s shoulders, pulling him into his chest. “If you need anything at all, Christi—you or Kole—you let us know, okay?”

“Oh, hey, Joey. Yes, thank you. We appreciate it, but we’ll be just fine.”

“Ethan, why don’t you take this upstairs? I’ll finish up down here and be there soon,” Joey said, pressing his lips to Ethan’s temple.

Ethan nodded and lifted his head for a kiss before heading out of the reception area. Joey knew that Ethan being so far from his friends would come at a price—like that day when Ethan couldn’t get to them as quickly as he used to—and it was an added complication that Ethan would need to decide he was ready for.

“Stop frowning. You’ll end up with more lines,” Ani said.

Joey glared at her. “Do you need anything from me?”

Ani leaned on the counter and stared at him. “You know I don’t. You wanted to give Ethan some time alone with his friend, so sit your butt down and wait patiently.”

“Why did I ever employ you?” he grumbled as he sat.

“Because nothing would’ve ever got done if you hadn’t.”

She wasn’t wrong. Joey rested his head back against the window and closed his eyes. He didn’t have an appointment until the following day, so he had time to kill. The bell tinkled as someone entered the shop, and Joey glanced over. Two men entered wearing black suits and long coats, and he immediately recognised them as police officers. Or detectives, whatever they wanted to be called.

“Good afternoon. How can I help?” Ani said with a smile.

“We’d like to speak with…” The first man paused when he met Joey’s gaze. He turned towards him. “Joey Reynolds.” He moved closer, lifting his identification with one hand and holding out his other hand. “Detective Harmon. This is Detective Keith. Can we ask you some questions, please?”

Joey stood and shook hands. “What’s it about?”

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