Long Way Home by Carolyn Gray (6 page)

“Sure, let’s leave,” he said. He wasn’t sure he wanted to see Gev dance again. “I’m

hungry.”

Nick rubbed his stomach. “Me too. It’s not too late; maybe we can find a McDonald’s or

something.”

Mutt groaned at that. “Please. I’d rather have a steak, myself.”

“I thought you wanted pancakes,” Lee said, not really caring where they went, as long as it

was out of there.

“Oh hell yeah.”

Lee stood, but at that moment an usher walked into their box. “Lee Nelson?”

Lee stilled. “I’m Lee Nelson.”

The usher waved him out. Mutt and Nick immediately followed. “What is it?” Nick said.

She handed Lee an envelope. “This is for you.” It wasn’t anything remarkable, only a

regular white envelope.

“Open it,” Nick said.

He slid it open, his heart beating faster. Briefly he wondered if he should be careful about

prints. Too many episodes of
Criminal Minds
, he supposed.

He removed the piece of paper that was inside. The handwriting was unfamiliar, but the

message somehow didn’t surprise him.

“So?”

Lee handed it to him. Nick moved under a light so he could see better. “‘Dressing room

ten. Gev.’” Nick handed back the note, then repeated, “Gev. That dancer.”

Mutt said, “It was you he recognized, then.”

The usher interrupted. “If you’ll follow this hallway, there’s a red door at the end. Open it,

and tell the guard your name. He’ll know you’re expected.” The usher stopped Nick and Mutt.

“Not you.”

Lee stiffened. “They’ll come with me.”

He hadn’t realized it until that second, but he really wasn’t up to facing Gev alone. Yet he

realized, as the usher hesitated, then walked briskly off, that the second he turned to face Nick,

there would be questions. Lots of questions.

He wasn’t wrong about that.

“What’s going on, Lee? How do you know him? Why the shock and surprise? What—”

Mutt laid a hand on Nick’s shoulder. “Let the man think. He’s in shock, like you said.”

Nick looked at Lee. “Sorry. You know me.” He touched Lee’s arm. “Lee?”

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Carolyn Gray

Lee tucked the note back into the envelope, folded it, and stuck it in his back pocket. He

wasn’t sure how much to tell them nor how long they had. He didn’t want to say anything here,

but there wasn’t anywhere else to go. The box was secluded, but with all the music and dancing

going on—a rousing number, from the sound of it—that wasn’t the place to go.

“If you don’t want to say…” Nick said, his words encased by a please-tell-me sigh.

“No. It’s all right.”

“The dancer, Gev?” At Lee’s nod, Mutt went on. “He obviously had no idea you were

coming.”

Lee took a few steps toward the other side of the hall. There were a few people around but

not many. That was good. “I had no idea he was here, either.”

“Well, who is he?” Nick demanded.

Lee closed his eyes for a moment, then decided to tell them the easy stuff. Delving deeper

was impossible. He opened his eyes, ran a hand through his hair. Hell. He looked at Nick, the

singer’s eyes dancing with curiosity. No avoiding it now, but the words—how to find the right

words? Make them come out when they’d been trapped for too many years? Articulating the first

seemed impossible.

Nick looked like he was about to burst. Lee took a deep breath. “His brother was a

childhood friend of mine. That’s how I recognized him. He hasn’t changed much.” He took

another deep breath, looking at Nick now.

Nick stilled, his normally animated face going intentionally bland.

Lee looked away. It would make saying what he was about to say easier. “When we were

thirteen—I think Gev was ten, maybe eleven—Stefan disappeared.”

Nick flinched. “Oh, God, no. That’s horrible. Did he run away? Did they find him?”

Lee didn’t say anything for a moment. Couldn’t through the lump in his throat. He shoved

it angrily aside. He had no intention of ever admitting the full truth of what Stefan’s

disappearance had done to him.

Nick’s hand squeezed his arm. He hadn’t realized Nick was touching him. He cleared his

throat. “No. He didn’t run away. They never found him.”

Nick’s eyes went blank, then darkened in the dim hallway light. “You were there?”

“I was. I wasn’t the target, though. I happened on the whole thing accidentally. The man

saw me, and…I blacked out. There’s a lot I don’t remember.”

“Oh, God, were you okay?”

Lee snorted softly. No. Hell no. He hadn’t been okay since.

Mutt crossed his arms over his broad chest. “He wanted Stefan.”

Lee cleared his throat, relieved when he almost sounded normal. “He played every day in

the park, exercising his dog. He was teaching him obedience. I was going to guitar lessons when

I saw him. The man had picked up his dog.”

“It must’ve been terrible for you,” Nick said, reaching for Lee’s hand and squeezing it.

Nick was the only person he’d ever let do that. Guilt stabbed him when he tried to pull away.

Nick held tighter.

“I’m sorry I never told you, Nick.”

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25

Nick squeezed his hand once more before releasing it. “No. No, I’m not surprised you

didn’t. Damn, when I was kidnapped, you must’ve been insane.”

Lee smiled. “A little, yes.”

“Never caught, I assume,” Mutt said.

“No. Never caught. Stefan’s presumed dead.”

Mutt stroked his chin, his expression thoughtful. “So, now tickets enticing you to meet

with Gev were delivered to you. Not from Gev, who obviously was shocked as hell to see you.

Do you keep in touch with authorities? His family?”

“No. It’s been too long. His family moved on, I guess.”

“What happened to you after, Lee?” Nick asked.

“Moved away, poured myself into my music. Got into trouble a lot.”

“You?”

“Believe it or not, yes.

A dreamy look came over Nick’s face. “Yeah. And then you found me and Brandon.”

Lee took a deep breath. “Yes. You have no idea how much I needed you guys back then.”

Nick punched him in the arm with surprising force. “No, we didn’t! Geesh, man, you

could’ve told us. We never knew—” He cringed when Lee rubbed his arm. “Sorry about that.”

To Mutt he said, “I can’t believe I did that.”

Lee shook his arm out. For a small guy, Nick had a hell of a lot of force. And he’d needed

that smack anyway. “No problem. Actually, I might ask you to do that again. It helps clear my

head.”

At that moment, people started to come out of the theater.

“Over,” Nick said, then jerked his head toward the door they’d been told to go through.

“Ready for this?”

Lee headed for the door. “Ready as I ever will be.”

Mutt stopped him. The bodyguard’s casual demeanor from earlier in the evening was gone.

“I think it might be a good idea if you tell me all you can about the situation later. This might be

nothing—”

“Or it could be the start of something bad,” Nick pointed out.

Lee gave his name to the guard, who let them pass into the back of the theater. They’d

stepped into a different world now, one that was familiar in many ways but surreal in its

differences.

Dancers rushed around, chattering and hugging each other over a job well done. The

theater’s musty smell faded, replaced by the scents of sweat and old flowers and, he swore,

french fries. The male dancers had stripped off their tops, their well-toned chests gleaming in the

backstage lights. Quite a feast for the eyes, one Lee would’ve enjoyed in different circumstances.

“Great job, everyone!” a voice called out. It was the ballet director who had invited them

for drinks. Margot. She saw them standing at the fringe and waved, though she looked slightly

surprised to see them there. But she turned away when someone distracted her—two female

dancers, half-undressed, sharing some private joke. One of them looked their way, smiling shyly.

The whole atmosphere of celebration was familiar to Lee, but it was completely different too.

The way the dancers moved—glided—along the floor, so subtle and graceful he didn’t have the

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Carolyn Gray

words really to describe it. But as they took off their shoes, and costumes started to be replaced

by street clothes, casualness took over, a loose ease as the atmosphere began to shift. They

became normal people once again.

It was fascinating, but there was no time to dawdle around backstage and watch. “Room

ten?” Mutt asked the group in general.

“This way,” one of the dancers said, smiling broadly at Mutt. He looked the bodyguard up

and down, eyes dancing appreciatively. He was the one Gev had danced with. Lee wondered if

Gev had danced again or if that was the only number he’d been in all evening.

“Thanks,” Nick said.

The dancer nodded at Lee. “You’re here to see Gev, right?”

Lee startled. “How’d you know?”

The dancer elbowed him. “You think I didn’t see that look he gave you? Man, you’re so

his type.”

“Sorry, Lee’s not into boys,” Nick said. His gaze traveled down the dancer. “But I am.”

The dancer leaned forward like he was going to kiss Nick, then stopped and pulled back in

mock suspicion. “Oh no. I know who you are! You’re taken.” He turned back to Mutt. “What

about you, though, big boy?”

“He’s taken too,” Nick said with a pout, making the dancer laugh. He strode away, leaving

Nick staring appreciatively after him, and Lee still wondering what the hell was happening here.

That the dancer had caught Gev’s shock didn’t surprise him. He imagined his own face had

looked exactly the same when their eyes had met. A poetic moment that could’ve been, if only,

as the dancer had assumed, it had been a glance of desire.

More like a mutual glance of terror.

Lee was glad for the distraction, but now he wanted nothing more than to get on with

whatever the heck was going to happen.

Leaving Nick and Mutt to follow, Lee walked down the hallway as indicated, looking for

number ten. It was at the end of the hall, the door closed. He waited for the others to catch up,

then took a deep breath and knocked.

Nothing happened for a moment. Then a terse “Come in” came through the door.

Lee opened the door and walked in, Mutt and Nick behind him. Gev sat on the dresser,

wearing ratty sweats, chest bare, feet bare, his dark blond hair damp from dancing, Lee

supposed. He looked as he had in the poster, same narrow beard, but without the makeup that

made him appear older. Costumes were piled here and there, some hanging in colorful array on a

hanging bar. The room was tiny, cell-like, but warm and bright. Lights surrounded the mirror,

and assorted containers full of makeup were placed out. The room smelled like powder-scented

sweat.

Gev had his arms crossed over his smooth bare chest and was watching them warily. An

open bottle of wine sat next to him.

“Why are you here?” was the first thing Gev said, directed to Lee. He picked up the bottle.

“I have no idea,” Lee said. “I was sent the tickets anonymously.” He put one hand out.

“This is Nick—”

“I know who he is. Who’s
he
?”

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27

“Mutt. Nick’s bodyguard.” With that, Mutt leaned against the door.

Gev looked back at Lee. “Anonymously, huh?” He blinked, pressed his lips together.

“When I saw you up there, I about shit onstage. Damn good thing I didn’t see you until I was

through.”

He lifted the bottle and chugged some down, but his wince proved to Lee immediately he

wasn’t usually a drinker. Couldn’t be, not with that body. The price would be too damn high.

“So you had no idea about this,” Lee said, though it was obvious Gev hadn’t.

“How could I?” He set the bottle down, reached for a shirt, and slowly pulled it on,

stomach muscles rippling. Lee yanked his gaze away. “I can’t imagine who would send you

those tickets. No one knows I know you.”

“No one knows I knew you either, Gev.”

Gev straightened at that, and for the first time the light was angled correctly and Lee could

see Gev’s eyes. They looked scared before he schooled himself.
As practiced as me.

Lee realized the dancer was taller than he’d thought, only a couple of inches shorter than

Lee was. Not bulky but obviously strong. There was no shadow of the pudgy little boy he’d once

been. It was amazing how he’d hurled himself into the air with such exquisite height, such

incredible control. Almost like magic, the amount of power that took.

Lee tore his gaze away guiltily when Gev gestured to Nick, who had somehow refrained

from saying anything. “What about them, then? You must’ve told them about my brother and

what happened.”

“Only what they needed to know.”

Gev stared at him. “So, you think we’ve been set up to find each other for some twisted

reason?” He turned to Mutt. “You a cop?”

“I retired from the force to provide services to Mr. Kilmain.”

Gev shifted his attention back to Lee, expression grim. “You had to have done something,