Page 6 of Finding Jeremy
“Well shit,” Gray muttered. “Did any of the band’s gear get damaged?”
“Fortunately, no, we were looking for the fair manager when everything went to shit.”
A chill ran through him as he eyed Jeremy up and down. There was dirt on his knees, and his T-shirt was gashed along the bottom. Grayson crossed the room in long strides and seized him by the arm, gently turning him so he could inspect the rest of him.
“Were you actually running away from the bulls?” Gray asked as he noticed a smudge of dirt on the side of Jeremy’s neck and another at the bend of his elbow.
“Holy shit, were you?” Haven screeched, charging over to inspect Jeremy himself, which led to a lot of turning, tugging, and pulling at Jeremy’s shirt.
Where Gray had stopped himself at assessing what he could see, Haven had no qualms about peeling Jeremy’s shirt up so he could inspect the toned back and chest hidden beneath it. Fortunately for all their nerves, there wasn’t a mark on him save for a fresh bruise along his hip. It peeked out over the edge of his jeans in an angry blue shade that would probably grow darker before it began to fade.
“There was some running and diving over a counter to hide behind the balloon booth involved when we saw the bulls headed our way, but we were never in any danger,” Jeremy explained. “There was a huge carny with a bat hiding back there with us, and none of us was stupid enough to risk poking our heads over the edge of the counter to watch what was going on. There was a ton of screaming, and a few people did get hurt before they caught the first bull. The other one ripped through the bingo tent and sent a bunch of pastries and people flying before it turned its attention on the cotton candy cart and overturned it. That part we watched from around the back corner of the balloon booth, at a nice, safe distance where we’d have plenty of time to drop down if it started heading our way.”
“Only you can go to a fair and wind up hiding from the bulls,” Haven declared, squishing him against Grayson in a hug that allowed Gray to get in on the action too. “Glad you’re okayandhome early. I missed you.”
“Why, do you need a hand?” Jeremy asked.
There was a hopeful note in his voice that made Grayson wonder if he had another reason for wanting to hang out.
“I’d love one,” Haven replied, cutting his gaze over to bay three. “Got an SUV over there with a crumpled hood and fucked-up front end. Who knows what I’ll find once I get the hood off? If I ever get the hood off.”
“Awesome, let me stash these in the fridge; they’re for the barbeque tonight.”
“No problem, there should be enough space, and if there isn’t, just kill off whatever is in the takeout container; that should give you any extra room you need.”
“Thanks, I’m starving. Fuckin’ Brian was so pissed about losing the payout on the gig that he swore all the way back here and refused to stop for anything. I had to take a piss so bad I nearly ran River over when I got to the shop since no one would let me piss out the window,” Jeremy explained.
“They drop you off here?” Grayson asked.
“Yeah, since I only had my backpack with me,” Jeremy explained. “I figured I could hitch a ride home with Haven, Maddox, and Loki-Bear when they headed out after work.”
“Any reason you’re avoiding your old man until you’ve got a bunch of bodies around to run interference?” Gray asked.
As he’d expected, Jeremy froze, a fork full of beef and broccoli poised midway to his open mouth as he knelt in front of the fridge with the takeout carton in hand.
“How…” he sputtered before shoving his bag in the fridge and straightening up.
Gray raised an eyebrow at him and stood waiting for him to put the pieces together.
“Yeah, okay, I guess I made it pretty fuckin’ obvious,” Jeremy muttered as he toed the door closed. “The old man was expecting me to come back with enough money for the dirt bike repairs. Today’s gig getting canceled means I’m a little short, which he’s not gonna be thrilled about. Figured he wouldn’t ask about it with everyone around, so…”
“You decided to get dropped off here,” Gray finished for him.
“Pretty much.”
“What were you gonna do when he did ask?” Haven said.
“Have it,” Jeremy replied.
“Yeah, and how did you expect to manage that little feat?” Gray asked, studying him as he fidgeted, staring down into the carton.
“Run The Gauntlet at the track tomorrow on the backup bike I picked up the day before I left,” Jeremy admitted. “Figured I’d load it up first thing in the morning and see if I couldn’t make a few modifications before the first freestyle.”
Gray slammed his hand on the counter, catching the edge of it on a wrench, which stung like a son of a bitch and pissed him off almost as much as Jeremy’s fool hearted admission.
“What the hell, man? I haven’t even gone over the goddamned thing yet, and I doubt your dad has had time to look at it either!” Haven snapped before Gray could say anything. “Told you when you dragged it home that you should have let one of us check it out before you bought it. Now you wanna ride it in The Gauntlet untested? Do you have a death wish?”
“He must if he really thought either of us was going to allow that to happen!” Gray snapped. “I’ll take the goddamned thing apart tonight before I let you do something so reckless.”
