The Neverending Hangover

Chapter Twenty-One

My week went by in a very normal and boring way. I didn't believe I was being followed anywhere, but I drove Andy's red Jeep Gladiator instead of my Durango, to make everyone happier.  I craved Rev and everything I did with him. I practiced everything he had taught me, alone and with Brad, but it wasn't the same. Rev was still in town until Wednesday. I knew that because he told Brad, and I knew why he was telling Brad instead of me, but I still wished I could talk to him.

I went to the humane society, I practiced with the church band, and I ran through the wedding songs one more time. We picked up Brad's tux for the wedding and made sure it fit.

Brad and I spent time talking about me performing. I got ahold of the bandleader, Tommy, and he provided me with some more details.  Brad and I discussed it some more, and by Friday I had decided to drop the church band and become part of the band Eclectic Cover, which is exactly what it was. They could play a huge variety of hit songs from all genres, which was right up my alley, and why they were booked nearly every weekend.  All four band members were male and two of them were gay. They had female vocals off and on over the ten years they had played together, but no one seemed to stick very long. Tommy said I was exactly what they were looking for, and on Friday I told him I would start practicing with them Tuesday next week.  I also let Adam know I would have to stop volunteering for church, and why.

I wished I could share my news with Rev.

Brad got done with work at one on Friday. When he walked in he told me Rev was coming back tonight, but not until late, so I was expected to stay in the house and call if anything happened.

I felt a huge weight of disappointment.  I wanted to do something outside. The weather was beautiful, a spurt of Indian summer, just like when Brad and I had started dating. I had laid outside after volunteering at the shelter, but I kept my music off, my eyes open, and my gun next to me.

Rev would have been proud. 

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Rev had gone back to the city to look up his contact, Harry, and see what was going on in that leg of Jay's network.

When he arrived at Harry's garage, he got a bad vibe. He noticed a couple mechanics stop working while he was talking to Harry, who was being close-lipped and unfriendly.

They were going to jump him.

They must have suspected him of being an informant. At least they didn't suspect him of being an agent, or he would already have been dead.

Rev felt, rather than saw, one of the surly mechanics coming at him from his right. He kicked Harry in the chest, catapulting him through the office window, and spun to the right, sweeping his leg across the ground and kicking the mechanic's feet out from underneath him. As he went down, Rev was on him, pounding his face with both hands.

The second mechanic hit Rev in the ribs with something heavy and metal.

That was stupid, he thought. Should have gone for my head.

Luckily for him, he hadn't. Rev stood, blocked another hit with the wrench on his forearm, took it from him, and whacked him in the temple hard enough for him to go down but not die. He tossed the wrench aside and looked to Harry, who was standing in the office, bleeding from multiple wounds, nothing life threatening.

Rev gave him the bird and left.

Guess Dave is done. Hopefully Travis has better luck, he thought, heading back for the border and back toward Paige.

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Brad watched Paige's face fall when he said Rev wasn't coming. It nagged at him and made his blood boil. He didn't enjoy how much she seemed to like spending time with him. When Rev was around, he felt like he had with Steve when she was pregnant. Like he was an outsider even though she was with him, like he had to fight to keep her attention, and like he was suddenly the bad guy.