Bonds of Love

going on they could pursue?Another robbery, a terrorist threat, a car wreck,anything?
Ahead of Vic, the garage’s front gate stretchedacross the road like a barricade, keeping the reporters at bay. Ashe rolled to a stop at the guard house, he flashed the employee IDhe wore on a lanyard around his neck, but the guard recognized himand motioned him through. Vic waited for the yellow riser to lift,then inched the car forward as the chain link fence rattled open.Around him, the air prickled with sudden interest as the reportersand their crews watched him drive into work. Here’s a newsflashfor you guys. He guided his car through the already fullparking lot, his thoughts bitter. Man reports for work todayfive minutes early. How does he do it? Find out when we bring youthe full story at eleven.
He found a place to park at the far end of the lot.But as he yanked up the parking brake, he glanced at the car besidehis and groaned. This was officially not his day.
Parked next to him was Kyle Munley, a co-worker Victried to avoid. On his lunch break now, Kyle took vicious bitesfrom an over-stuffed sub as he bobbed his head, listening to theradio. Even through the rolled up windows, Vic could hear thesteady beat of that hip-hop shit Kyle called music. Vic wonderedjust how quiet he could be—sure, Kyle would hear the slamming ofthe car door, but if Vic got a good enough lead, he might be ableto avoid him altogether. If he could just get a running start…
But Kyle glanced over just as Vic opened the door,and for one brief second, their eyes locked. Then a wolfish smilecrept across Kyle’s face. Vic sighed in disgust, partly at the foodKyle tried to swallow but mostly at himself for not being quickenough. When he climbed out of the car, he wasn’t the least bitsurprised to find that Kyle did the same. “Vic, my man!” he criedout, slapping his open palm on the hood of Vic’s car. “Just theugly fugly I wanted to see.”
Leaning through the open door to snag his metallunchbox off the passenger seat, Vic growled, “Don’t hit mycar.”
Kyle laughed. The guy was as thick as they came, andseemed oblivious to the fact that he annoyed the shit out of Vic.They weren’t buddies, no matter what Kyle thought. They were hiredat the same time, years ago, and they worked out at the same gym,and yeah, they both liked dick, but that didn’t mean they had topal around. The first time Kyle invited him out for a drink afterwork, Vic had thought nothing of it. Halfway through the evening,Kyle’s hand had found its way to Vic’s upper thigh. He didn’t cluein when Vic knocked it off, and a few minutes later, those damnfingers were pawing at Vic’s crotch. When Vic confronted him, Kylesqueezed the stiffening cock in his hand and laughed that samebraying donkey-ass laugh of his. A well-aimed punch sent himstaggering back off his barstool, bloodied his nose, and split hisupper lip.
In the parking lot, beneath a clear sky and brightsummer sun, Vic thought he still saw a shadow of that scar onKyle’s mouth. He stepped away from his car, hoping that was enoughto make it clear he didn’t want to talk, but Kyle wasn’t one to bebrushed off. “Yo Vic,” he called out. “Wait up, man! I’ll walk youinside.”
“Don’t bother,” Vic grumbled.
Two yards later, Kyle fell into step beside him, therest of his lunch in his hands. Taking a huge bite from his sub,Kyle talked around a mouthful of food. “Saw you in the paper today.That was you, right? On the front page?”
Shit. Just when Vic was sure things couldn’tget any worse. A dozen different responses flickered through hishead, but hell, this was Kyle here. No need to waste energy beinginventive; he’d settle for playing dumb. With a look of angryconfusion on his face, Vic growled, “What are you talkingabout?”
“This morning,” Kyle explained. “Front page, man.Some shootout at a 7-11 last night, guy gets all shot up andfucking stands like he wasn’t hit. Looked kind of like you.Ugly son of a bitch.”
Vic didn’t take the bait. Instead, he picked up thepace, hoping to widen the distance between them, but Kyle hurriedto keep up. “Had to be you,” he insisted. “Matt was mentioned. Youtwo still going at it hot and heavy, right?”
Oh no, you didn’t just go there.
Kyle knew Matt, all too well. When Vic first met himat the gym, Matt had been dating Kyle for some reason Vic had notyet begun to fathom. Maybe he’d been lonely, or desperate, or wasjust killing time. Vic had no clue, and the relationship hadn’tlasted long. The moment Vic had seen Matt, the rest of the worldceased to exist. No super power could have kept them apart. Kylehadn’t stood a chance.
Part of Kyle’s current interest was Vic’s own fault.When he’d met Matt, Vic knew he wanted him, and no one could standin his way. A few times he’d approached Kyle after work, hoping touse him to get to Matt. Yes, a desperate ploy, but for the firsttime in his life, he was desperately in love. Though he’d nevermanaged to hook up with Matt that way, his persistence—and Matt’slack of interest in sex with Kyle, to be honest—helped break thetwo apart. A few months later, when Vic met up with Matt again,they’d both been free men, each ready to fall for the other. NowKyle insisted that he was the one who’d gotten them together, afact he never wanted Vic to forget.
“So that was you,” Kyle persisted, “right?Last night? Unless Matt’s with someone else now—”
In mid-stride, Vic whirled on him, his face purplewith suppressed rage. How hard would he have to concentrate to snapthis fucker’s neck right here? He narrowed his eyes, his mindablaze. ::Give me one reason,:: he threatened silently.
Hearing that thought loud and clear, Kyle tooka step back and raised his hands in a placating gesture. “Hey man,just kidding!”
Vic uttered one word. “Don’t.”
“I wasn’t…” Kyle started.
Vic turned on his heel and stormed across the parkinglot, dismissing his co-worker.
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