Capricorn Read online

  4

  Tad

  Tad didn’t hate living with his sister. In fact, he loved the times the two of them were home together, especially if his sister was cooking.

  “Dinner’s going to be ready soon. I hope you’re ready for my attempt at calzones.” As soon as the words left her mouth, Tad’s phone went off.

  “Can’t wait.”

  He glanced down and saw the “PB” on his screen, which was Bay’s code for meeting up at the man’s penthouse. It had always bothered Tad that Bay called him Pretty Boy, and he knew that’s what the letters had meant.

  “Shit, I have to go out for a bit.”

  “Oh no. I thought you had the evening free?” Hannah looked disappointed, and Tad felt like a real piece of shit.

  “Can you save me some? I’m so sorry.” He didn’t know what to say, so he didn’t bother giving an excuse or explaining where he was going. He got his keys and found his shoes before going back to the living room where she was.

  “You know, when you used to rush off with no good explanation, you were using. Please tell me that’s not the case, Tad. You’re doing so well.”

  He couldn’t believe she thought that he could do something like that, but then realized she was right. He’d gone through a hard time of not being able to admit what he was up to. “It’s nothing like that; I just have to run up to Bakes for a bit. Sorry, I didn’t mean to be vague.” He walked over and gave her a hug. “I won’t be long, sis. Thanks for worrying. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  “Okay.” She lifted a shoulder in a half-shrug and then got up to go back to the kitchen as Tad left.

  He went out to his car, and as he headed down to Bay’s private penthouse, his mind drifted back to that first trip to Camp Victory.

  When he’d met Bay there that summer, Tad was just a scrawny little shit. His mother had met a new man, and they’d finally left his uncle’s house a month earlier, which to him was both the best and worst thing to happen to him. The new man, Curtis, had enough money that they didn’t have to worry about anything, but having no use for children, he’d shipped Tad off to Camp Victory as soon as possible.

  He remembered the long ride to Camp V and how the old man had told him how the opportunity was going to wonderful. He’d learn how to be a man and go camping and build fires. He could swim in the lake, meet other boys his age, make friends. It had all sounded so good at the time, and it was. For a while.

  The first week, some of the others could already tell that he was different, and they’d started to make life hell for him there. That was when he met Bay.

  “What’s your story, Tad?” The guy had walked up to Tad in the mess hall after a week of being a quiet observer, along with his friends who were always hanging around him, night and day, any chance they could get. They were an exclusive club, more like some kind of cult, and Bay was their leader. Tad couldn’t believe the guy knew his name.

  Tad had taken one look at the boy with the platinum-blond hair and thought he was some kind of special kid, too. If he could fit into the guy’s group, then no one would ever mess with him.

  “Nothing, really,” Tad had answered. “My mom got remarried, and he didn’t want me around all summer.”

  “I mean, are the rumors true? Are you gay?” The questions held no hint of implied criticism. Bay didn’t seem to have a judgmental bone in his body.

  “Hell no. I like tits and ass as much as the next guy.” He had made up his mind long before going to the place that he would stand up for himself and try to make friends no matter what it took.

  “I wouldn’t say ass, dude. Just saying. You like tits, huh?”

  “Sure, and pussy. The others think I’m gay because of the way I look.”

  “Nah, I think they’re calling you that because of the way that you act, but don’t worry, we’ll show them. So, what do you do for fun?”

  Tad had thought of the things he’d done with his uncle. The photographs he’d posed for were the burning shame within him he hoped no one would ever know about. He’d been used. Used as a tool for other men, strangers even, to get off. If they knew that, then they’d really think he was gay, even though he hadn’t ever had sex with anyone. Not even his uncle had laid a hand on him.

  Tad shrugged. “I don’t know. The usual, I guess. My uncle and I used to fix things, and then we’d watch a lot of sports.”

  “Your uncle? Is he cool?”

  “He can be. You know, for an old guy.” Tad had despised his uncle by then, and even though he’d adored him for the first few months he’d lived with him, that adoration had turned sour.

  Bay talked to him for a bit about his uncle and the things they’d do, and then the kid did something Tad didn’t expect. “Do you want to hang with me and my friends?”

  Tad tried not to be too excited. “Sure, thanks.” He smiled but hoped the guy couldn’t sense the fear inside of him—his coward’s heart, as his mother used to say—but looking back, he was certain Bay knew exactly what he was feeling inside. The guy didn’t miss much.

  “Awesome, then you can help us with our first order of business after you’re sworn in.”

  “Sworn in?”

  “Yeah, we take things pretty seriously. But I can tell you’re a guy who would be loyal, not like those homophobic assholes.” He’d motioned to the group of boys who sat across the room staring at him like he had a third eye and four horns on his head.

  “You can count on me.”

  “Yeah? I wonder if you’d be up to a task. An initiation of sorts?”

  Tad’s tiny heart had nearly thrummed out of his chest, and he couldn’t help but feel that way now. “Sure, I’d do anything.” He had been too damned eager for someone to like him.

  “That’s the spirit. You say you like tits, right?” Bay had the smile of a serpent when Tad nodded. “Well then, you should get us a picture of Tits in her tent. Here’s the camera.”

  Tad took the camera. He had already agreed to do the task, and now he’d have to do something to the female counselor that he’d had done to him. But Bay didn’t know that. How could Bay know?

  He’d given him specific instructions and told him exactly where to meet them once he performed the task. He even gave him the place and time and how to get the job done.

  He’d gone into the showers after all of the boys were supposed to be dining, and sure enough, he found her in the showers, her big heavy tits glistening under the shower spray. They didn’t call her tits for no reason, and though she was a plain Jane, for the most part, her body was slamming beneath those camp counselor khakis. He took a picture, and when she didn’t notice, he snapped a few more. One had her washing between her legs, and it looked like she was playing with herself. Another had her holding both hands up to wash her hair, the suds trailing down her body in thick, frothy trails.

  Bay had been pleased, and once he made copies of the photographs on a printer he’d stolen access to in the office, he passed them out to the circle at Tad’s first meeting. “Put this in your spank banks, boys. And let’s all welcome Tad to the circle.”

  Tad had thought this initiation was over, but by the end of that night, he realized he was part of something bigger. And when he got his mark, for the first time in his life, he felt like he belonged to a real circle of friends. That summer had been the best summer of his life.

  He pulled into the parking garage, and then after finding a spot on the top level, he took the elevator up to the penthouse.

  Bay answered the door after one knock. “What the fuck took you so long?”

  “I was at home with my sister, and we were about to enjoy our first dinner together in a while. So, I hope this is good.” Tad hadn’t realized he had taken a long time.

  “Watch it. The last person who got mouthy tonight got her face slapped. I’ll spare you what I did to her next, but let’s just say, you’ll be walking funny for a different reason.”

  Same old Bay, he thought. Muscling people around. “Come on, man. Hanna
h’s waiting, and I’m starved.”

  “Yeah, well I bet you lose your appetite after what I tell you.” He walked over to the couch and kicked his feet up, looking as cool as a cucumber. He took his drink off the side table and then after taking a sip, gestured to the seat next to him.

  Tad crossed the room and lowered himself to the other end of the black leather sofa. “What? Is it the case? Did it take a turn?”

  “A body was found, Tad. It’s all over the news. I’m surprised you didn’t see it.”

  “No, Hannah doesn’t keep the TV on. She says she sees enough horrible shit at work.”

  “I thought I told you to keep your eyes and ears open. If you had, you’d know that another body was found in a storage container down at the docks. It was the body of the only suspect Darek had in the other murder investigation, and that’s not the worst part.”

  “Well, are you going to tell me, or leave me in suspense?”

  “The man had a brand on his forehead, and Darek says it’s a perfect match to yours.”

  “What? How could it be a perfect match? That’s not even possible, is it?”

  “If Logan didn’t destroy those brands, it’s more than possible. It’s likely. Darek seems to think it was a perfect match, but that’s just going by memory. He wants to make sure and is going to keep me in the loop. He’s starting to get suspicious it’s one of us.”

  “It could be Logan. If he’s doing this to fuck with us, I swear, I’ll kill him.”

  “Whoever is doing this is going to sit back and laugh as we scramble to find out who they are and accuse one another. It’s not Logan. He’s too much of a mama’s boy.”

  “Well, someone is doing this shit. And I’m sick of my fucking sign popping up all over dead bodies.”

  “Well, I’m afraid there’s something else I should warn you about. Darek said the police are going to be showing the mark all over town and TV. So if I were you, I’d make sure my sister or anyone else you know doesn’t start to wonder if it’s you.”

  Tad’s blood pumped so fast that he thought the vein in his neck would explode. “I have always been pretty careful with the mark. I mean, I hated to show it, but it’s not like you can cover it up with anything, and where it’s at, there’s not much we can do about it.”

  “Maybe Darek’s wrong. I just thought you should know. You should know what you’re up against.”

  What he wanted to know was why it was only him and none of the others, but he didn’t say anything else. He needed to get out of there, to think, to drown his sorrows with the only addiction he could feed: sex.

  “I’ve got to go, man.” He got to his feet, and Bay followed as he went to the door.

  “Don’t go do anything stupid. Now is the time for cooler heads to prevail. I need you focused, sharp.”

  “Don’t worry, man. There are other things I need more than cocaine.” He wanted to drown his sorrows in the arm of a good woman, someone who would suck and fuck him and make the rest of the world go away. He couldn’t even tell the guy what he was doing, not this time. He’d never approve.

  He finished up at Bay’s, and then once he hit the parking garage, he called one of his favorite older women who’d slipped him her number. He knew his sister was going to be expecting him, but he just couldn’t cope. With any luck, he’d get off, ease his stress, and make a few bucks in the process.

  5

  Tad

  He was excited that his favorite client, Estelle, had agreed to meet for a hookup, and as it turned out, she had missed him and was eager to reunite. She was an older woman, blonde, probably in her early fifties if he had to guess, but certainly fit with a tight pussy and tits that didn’t quit. At least, not since she’d bought them about twenty years earlier.

  He’d chosen the woman not only because he liked her company and she was available to see him tonight, but because she always wanted the lights out and she loved to suck his cock. Winner, winner.

  He lay there in the dark, staring up at the ceiling as she worked him over, and he escaped the world. It felt amazing, especially when he came down her throat and she didn’t even miss a beat. She gulped it down and then kept sucking, even as his cock shrank a bit and went limp in her mouth. Once she had him semi-hard moments later, she pulled her head away and caressed him. “I’ve missed your taste.”

  It was a wonder he was the one being paid.

  “There’s plenty more where that came from if you’re so inclined.” He reached down and stroked her hair.

  “You know, I think I am.” She let out a cackling laugh and then went back to work on his cock.

  It took him much longer to come this time, but she kept on him like a champ until she finally slipped on his condom for him and climbed on top. He was her playground, and she loved to get the most out of all the equipment. She spent the next half hour riding him slowly and coming her brains out.

  At the end of the night, she not only paid him for his services, tipping him the difference he normally would have given Arm Candies, but she’d asked to make this a recurring engagement. Tad told her that with his other job, he was never sure when he was available, but she was the only one on his to-do list, and he promised they’d discuss the terms of an arrangement later.

  The possibility was exciting to him. Not only did he not have to get anyone else involved, but he could make good money just fucking Estelle. And best of all, no one had to know but the two of them.

  Estelle lived in a nicer part of town, and although her townhouses were supposed to be guarded, there was never anyone in the booth. That night was no exception, and when he walked to his car, he found a white slip of paper wedged under his windshield wiper. He wondered who he’d pissed off. He didn’t think he’d taken anyone’s parking spot, but when he opened the little square of paper, he realized it was not a disgruntled resident.

  There was a bullseye printed on the card, and then below, it read: You’re up.

  Anger washed through him like lava in his veins, and after looking around to see if he was being watched, he got in his car and put the little card into his wallet. Someone was doing a really fucking good job of getting personal with him, and he was sick of it.

  He started home, but the more he thought about it, the more it pissed him off. He took the next exit, headed back to go across the city, and hoped that when he got where he was going, Logan still lived there.

  He pulled up to the old firehouse that Logan had turned into his home. He used the garage part for his metal sculpting, and the upstairs was his personal home. He’d even managed to have a small rental space downstairs where someone opened a donut shop. Tad parked in the lot out front and then walked around to the front door.

  Logan answered. “Tad?” He stepped forward.

  Tad pushed the guy back into the building and shut the door behind them. Tad roughly shoved the white card with the bullseye into Logan’s face. “What the fuck is this shit? Are you fucking with me, man?”

  Logan swatted Tad’s hand away and pushed him back. “Whoa, whoa! Don’t come to my house acting like a fucking fool. I haven’t done shit, man. What the hell has gotten into you?” Logan wasn’t the smallest person in the world, but where Tad was tall and lean, he was short and stocky.

  Tad turned and paced the room, gripping the white card in his fist. “What did you do with my branding iron?”

  “What? Why?”

  “There was another murder. The only lead in the first fucking murder investigation is dead. Found with a brand on his forehead that Darek Blake claims is a perfect fucking match to mine.”

  “Holy shit. That’s why Bay messaged me earlier. I just got home, but I was busy. I had no idea.”

  “Looks like you picked the wrong fucking time to ignore him. You know he won’t like that.”

  “I didn’t have much of a choice; I was with a client. We’re talking millions, so yeah, fuck Bay Collins.” Logan walked to the bar across the room and poured them each a drink. He threw his back and poured another
before offering Tad his.

  “Thanks.” Tad took the drink and drained it in one go.

  “Tell me everything. And I don’t want some Bay Collins snow job; I want the whole story.”

  Tad spent the next few minutes explaining, and when he was done, Logan got up to pour himself another drink. “Look, Bay told me to get rid of the brands, to melt them, whatever, but I couldn’t just melt them. They were too sentimental.”

  “So, what the fuck did you do with them?” Tad couldn’t believe he’d not done exactly as Bay had asked. Bay wasn’t used to not having things his way.

  “I sold them online. They were worth quite a bit of money, and at the time, I needed it.” Tad knew the guy had fallen on hard times, but this was a time he wished he’d been able to help the guy out so he could have melted the irons down.

  “Did you think to melt them down and recreate something from the metal? Something bigger you could have sold?”

  “I didn’t have the time to do that, or I would have. Besides, most of my sculptures are from finer materials than those.”

  “So, who did you sell them to? Do you even know?”

  “I have the names somewhere, and I made sure that when I sold them, I scattered them to the winds. The only one I kept is my own, and that’s for sentimental reasons, and it’s not any of Bay’s damned business. All we have to do is see who bought your brand, and we can give Darek the lead.”

  “Yeah, and then I can find out who is stalking me. That card I tried to shove down your throat? It has a bullseye on it. And I’m guessing that little, ‘You’re up’ message is a threat. Whoever this is, they’re coming for me next.”

  A stormy expression clouded Logan’s face. “Fuck. Next time you’re being stalked by a fucking serial killer, go to the police, motherfucker. This isn’t a safe haven. If I were you, I’d go buy a ticket and leave town tonight.”