Page 15 of Bear the Burden

They rode in silence back to town, their small moment of fun disappearing because Jackson had destroyed a simple nickname, causing Wesley to loathe even hearing it.

Hyett was probably already regretting even meeting him. What bothered Wesley the most was the fact he was acting just like his father when he lashed out at Hyett.

When they parked, he tried to jump out, but Hyett placed a hand on his arm. “Please, give me your phone number.”

What was the point since Hyett was about to wash his hands of him? But to help him escape faster, Wesley relented. He pulled out his phone and accessed the dial pad before handing it to Hyett.

The man called his own phone. “I want to see you again,” he said, handing back Wesley’s phone, and then he stored the number.

“Why?” He huffed at how badly he’d acted toward Hyett. “Are you into that kind of torture?”

“Mates don’t quit each other, Wesley. You’re it for me, and vice versa. We might hit snags, but I would never give up on you or let you push me away.”

Hyett said it so sincerely that Wesley could almost believe him. But a person could only handle someone’s mood swings for so long before they actually did give up. If mates couldn’t quit each other, Hyett was in for a miserable life, even if Wesley wanted the opposite.

He was turning into his father and felt like he couldn’t stop the inevitable, no matter how much he wanted to.

“I have to go.” Getting out, Wesley hurried to his car before Hyett could stop him, then he had to force himself not to look at the guy as he pulled away. It physically hurt to leave Hyett behind, but Wesley had to get the pills to his dad.

“Who are you trying to fool?” he asked himself. “Admit it, you’re running away like a coward.”

By the time he made it home, Wesley was in an even worse mood. If he’d just stayed on Hyett’s couch, his evening might have turned out differently. He wasn’t talking about sex, but he could have enjoyed an evening just chilling instead of coming home to Jackson’s rotten mood.

If his dad had been blowing up his phone, it meant he was out of pills and in a lot of pain. As he walked through the front door, Wesley braced himself for the onslaught of verbal abuse.

A hand grabbed him around the throat and slammed him into the wall. Wesley stared right into Morton’s cold, flat eyes. What in the hell was going on? What was the drug dealer and his creepy roommate doing at his house?

And why was his dad curled into a ball on the floor, bleeding from his nose and shivering and sweating?

Morton slowly tilted his head to crack it. “Your father has racked up quite a debt.”

Wesley’s heart was beating like crazy, and Morton’s hand was squeezing his neck a little tighter. “What are you talking about? I pay you every time I come over.”

His mind raced, but Wesley couldn’t figure out what debt Morton was referring to. There had to be some kind of mistake. Clearly the guy was using his own products.

A slow smile curled Morton’s lips. “You don’t know, do you? Or are you playing me?”

Wesley shook his head quickly, trembling so badly his limbs knocked against the wall behind him.

Seth, the guy’s creepy roommate, chuckled. He was seated casually on their couch, rolling a blunt, looking as if he owned the place.

Morton released him then backhanded Wesley so hard his head banged into the wall next to him. As he felt warm blood run from his nose, he wondered if the guy had broken his cheekbone.

“That’s in case you’re lying to me,” Morton said. “Daddy has been scoring on the side, running up a tab with me.”

As his face throbbed, Wesley glanced at his father covered in sweat and moaning. The sight of him lying there hurt Wesley’s heart. Before everything had gone to shit, his dad had been a strong, hardworking man. They hadn’t always gotten along, had rarely seen eye to eye, but he’d never looked like this.

“Jackson owes ten grand, since you seem unaware of his debt. Drugs, gambling, and a woman or two.” Morton winked. “Now, the bill comes due.”

Seth lit his blunt with a chuckle. He took a couple hits then got up and walked toward them. The smoke filled the space around them, causing Wesley to choke. A headache began to throb in the back of his skull from the nasty smell.

“See, we thought the pain pills were for you.” Seth pointed the blunt at him as if it was an extension of his finger. “Had we known they were for your dad, we would’ve just taken the money for his debt.”

Wesley prayed this wasn’t leading to what he suspected, but he was too terrified to open his mouth. Morton was a tall, heavyset guy with thinning hair and a nose too big for his face. Even worse, he also had an aura of evilness hugging him close.

Seth was tall, too, but he was lean with muscles and had a look that said he derived pure joy from hurting others.

“A family that does drugs together can pay the bill together,” Seth side, blowing the foul smoke directly into Wesley’s face.

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