Page 10 of Single Greatest Threat
He watched Shaw’s throat work as he swallowed. “I don’t know where to go.”
Shaw’s phone rang. “Dad” showed on the car’s system screen. Shaw angrily hit reject and then turned off his phone. Joesph’s phone rang.
He dug out his phone and stared at Shaw Sr’s name. Joesph didn’t know what to do. He wasn’t Shaw. Joesph couldn’t ignore his boss.
Shaw grabbed the phone from his hand and rejected the call before turning off Joesph’s phone. He climbed from the vehicle and circled the car. They swapped sides. As Joesph pulled back into traffic, he had no clue where he was headed or if he would still have a job when the day was done. He would be here for Shaw, though. It seemed the time had finally come to let Shaw completely destroy him.
The way Shaw’s mind swirled terrified him. He was so angry and hurt, he didn’t know where to start. They couldn’t go home. His dad had to know Shaw might choose to tell his mom everything. Since he couldn’t reach either of them by phone, Shaw imagined he would try their houses next. Thankfully, Joesph obviously had the same realization. He seemed to drive around town aimlessly.
An old idea took root and grew. Shaw just needed time and space to figure out a solid plan and find his footing before presenting it to Joesph. “How do you feel about Aspen?”
Joesph shot him an odd look. “What? Why? You know I’m too poor to have ever been to Aspen. What would I do there? It’s not like I can ski.”
Damn. He had sounded terrible. “Yeah. Sorry. I’m just trying to think of somewhere to go so I can have a few days to think and figure this out.”
Shaw watched Joesph’s shoulders relax. “Oh. We have to work tomorrow.”
He really didn’t want to point out the obvious. “I just rejected my dad’s call to you. We maybe don’t have to work tomorrow.”Joesph’s shoulders fell a little more. Guilt ate at him. Shaw couldn’t fail him. “Don’t worry. I know it’s asking a lot, considering how big of a fuck-up I am, but can you just trust me this one time? I promise I’ll make sure you’re fine. Okay?”
Joesph cast a quick glance his way. That was all it took to see the loyalty. “I’m always on your side. Don’t worry about me. I already had another job lined up before I came back. It’s less money, but whatever.”
Goddamn it. Joesph had already accepted Shaw would ruin him and had a backup plan. He didn’t get a chance to reassure him again.
“Your dad knows you. If you run away to any of your usual spots, he’ll just show up there. Why don’t we go stay with my mom? Of course, I need to grab my meds. We can’t avoid going to my place. Just leave me somewhere and I’ll take a cab home. You can go wherever you want.”
“No. We’ve probably got a couple of hours before he comes after me. He’s too used to me falling in line. There’s no reason for him to think I won’t this time too. Let’s be quick. Your place first. I’ll run in and grab everything. Then we’ll hit my place. Staying with your mom sounds great. My dad would never think of her. He’s used to parents being like him.”
Joesph reached over and took his hand. He squeezed. Once Shaw had him, he refused to let go. Maybe it was shitty to use a situation like this, but he couldn’t stop. Joesph willingly touched him. He needed that.
Joesph headed for his place, rattling off a list of what he would need. It got a little extensive. When he hit a list of toiletries, Shaw cut in. “Stick with your meds and clothes. I’ll grab all the toiletries from my place. There’s no sense in having two sets for one bathroom.”
Joesph bit his bottom lip.
Shaw wished he hadn’t pointed out that detail. Haven’s house was small. Two bedrooms and two bathrooms. One bathroom was in her room. They would have to sleep together in the spare bedroom and share the bathroom. He held his breath, expecting Joesph would take it back.
Joesph surprised him. “Yeah. That makes the most sense, especially since your stuff is way better than mine.”
Shaw wanted to growl. It was like Joesph only thought about their differences now. Almost like he constantly listed the ways Shaw was better in his head, and he couldn’t see Shaw was actually less. Shaw didn’t know how to say any of that.
Then words just fell out. “I don’t know. Maybe I should grab your stuff instead. You always smell amazing. Sometimes I hold my breath when you’re close, so I don’t forget we’re friends.” Even Shaw heard the longing in his voice. He wouldn’t take it back.
Joesph didn’t respond. He kept his gaze locked on the road like his life depended on it, but he still didn’t take back his hand. Shaw would take what he could get.
Chapter Five
It turned out goingto Haven’s house was exactly what Shaw needed. From the moment they walked through the door, the pressure eased in his chest. His smiles turned genuine. The knots left his shoulders. By two hours in, they were in their pjs and eating cookies like they were five and it wasn’t lunchtime. Joesph visibly swung between relaxed and embarrassed. Shaw couldn’t look away. It was almost a relief when Joesph disappeared inside the bathroom, giving his heart a rest.
“Thank you for bringing him to me. I don’t get to see him often any longer and never for long. You somehow talked him into staying a few days.”
Shaw couldn’t let Haven think it was him. “Actually, he brought me to you. I had a falling out with my dad this morning. We’re in hiding while I decide what to do. Plus, he knew I needed to be reminded good parents exist.”
Haven’s expression changed. At the kitchen table where they sat, she moved her chair closer and set her hand on his forearm. Her blue eyes were a mirror image of Joesph’s, making her even harder to resist. “What happened?”
As much as Shaw didn’t want to talk about it, he was enraged and didn’t know what to do. “I noticed our secretary has been skimming off the books. So I went to Dad to see how he wanted me to handle things. Turns out, he knew all along. It was his way of keeping their affair quiet.”
Haven’s shoulders fell. “Oh no.” She chewed her bottom lip for a second, as if biting back all the words. They obviously beat her. “What a bastard. I hope you plan to let your mom know. If it were me, I’d definitely want to know so I could take him for everything. Plus, if she finds out and then learns you knew and didn’t tell her, she’ll never forgive you.”
“Yeah. That’s what I figured.” Unfortunately, it wasn’t that simple. “No matter what I do, I’ll lose. If I stay quiet, I could lose my mom. If I say anything, I’ll definitely lose my dad, job, and Joesph’s job.”
