Page 26 of Gold Rush
Quickly, Goldie told him what was going on, and Haze said what Goldie was thinking. “This is over tonight.”
They both headed down the next block to where Cosmo and Mims were. Goldie told them to head back to the pub. “I’ll go back to where I was and wait for Abs, and we’ll get a rideshare home.”
Jogging back to the street he and Abs were assigned for the night Goldie got on his phone and called Murphy.
“Hey, Gold, what’s up?”
After explaining his thoughts on all the Johns that night that had wanted to take him up on the thousand dollar an hour fee, Murphy was as concerned as him. “Yeah, get back here. We’re cutting it short. In fact, we may have to rethink the whole thing.”
“I thought the same. I’m waiting for Abs, then heading home.”
“Where’s Abs? Don’t tell me he found and all-night boutique.”
His entire body felt like it had been dunked in ice water. “What? Wait, he’s not with one of the fake Johns? I thought he was still with that Joe you guys were sending tonight.”
“Goldie, tell me you’re fucking with me. Talan was the last one. The other two, including Joey DeMarco had to split for the night. He called me when he dropped Abs off five minutes or so ago.”
“Murphy, he’s not here.”
“I’m coming to get you all right now. Stay where you are!”
Before Murphy got there, Eazy was running across the street. “My phone died. Goldie, some van pulled up and grabbed Abs right after Joey dropped him off. My phone just…died! It was fully charged. Fucking thing!”
Goldie was shaking all over, and his rage was threatening to take over. “Fuck! Where is he?”
Eazy tried to calm him. “I’m sure he’s fine. You know him, Goldie, he can fake his way out of anything.”
“If it’s them, they might dose him like they did to Dean!”
Just then, Murphy pulled up, and they jumped in the SUV. “No one has seen him? What if he goes back to that street?”
Goldie shook his head. “He’ll call if he can. Just head over to that pimp, now.”
“Not until we get backup.”
They picked up Hippy just as the ride share came for him and Haze. “Haze, you take that, and head back to the pub, get everyone, Talan, everyone!”
“I’m on it. Just get Abs!”
Goldie was ready to lose his mind, but just when they turned the corner near where Dane’s building was located, Murphy’s phone rang and Abs’s voice, weak, was playing over the speakers. “Come get me. I need…I need help.”
“Where are you, baby?” Goldie yelled.
“Same place he dropped Dean. Hurry. This shit is…strong.”
After Eazy got on his phone to the ambulance, Goldie told Murphy where to drive, and once they were on the road, Goldie could barely sit still. Hippy told him, “We’re going on a drive once we make sure Abs is okay.”
Goldie turned his head to see how pissed off Hippy was, a mirror of his own fury. “Hip, Murphy won’t like it,” he whispered.
“He won’t know.”
Goldie knew that could get them fired and thrown from the pub, but in that moment, he didn’t care. All he wanted was to tear that pimp apart.
They got to Abs just as the ambulance did, and Murphy and Goldie were telling the EMTs what happened to Abs as Goldie carried him to the gurney.
“Baby boy, you are gonna be okay, or I will kill every single mother fucker in this city.”
Abs’s eyes opened to him as Goldie placed him on the gurney. “Love you. I’m okay.”
