Time Out of Mind (Suncoast Society #43)(23)

“Ah. Smart.” Another scowl. “What about the club? Does he know about that?”

“Not yet. I’ll tell him once we’re settled. Won’t be a problem.”

“Okay.”

“And one more question. There is no alcohol anywhere inside, either upstairs or downstairs, is there?”

Kel gave him a questioning look, but limited his response. “No.”

“Okay. Good.” They went back out and Doyle opened the passenger door.

Mevi glared.

“Malcolm Maynard, this is Askel Hansen, the building’s owner and our landlord for the next several weeks. He’s also a friend of mine.”

Kel stuck out his hand. “Call me Kel. Nice to meet you, Malcolm.”

“Mal,” Mevi said, finally unbuckling his seat belt and shaking with him.

Kel smiled. “I can remember that. My wife’s name is Mal. Short for Mallory.”

Kel helped them unload everything from the SUV and haul it upstairs, leaving it in the dining room part of the main area.

“I’m not using the downstairs as my office now,” Kel said. “Doyle told me you like to play guitar. If you wanted to use that as your practice room, that’s fine. The warehouse area is pretty full, though. Or practice up here. Either way.”

Mevi walked down the hall, glancing through the bedroom doors as he did but making no comment. Kel ran them through the basics, showed them where the washer and dryer were, and gave them a short list of info that included the Internet login and password, and the alarm code.

When Kel held out two keys, Doyle pocketed them both. Mevi would not be given a key to anything.

Except maybe a pair of handcuffs—

Okay, stop that right now.

Client. Off-limits.

Right.

Lather, rinse, repeat.





Mevi was actually pleasantly shocked that the apartment was as nice as it was. He’d expected some flophouse dump, but other than having no windows, it was nicer than many hotel rooms he’d stayed in, and way nicer than some of the apartments he’d lived in early on.

Not that he’d admit that.

And it would be private.

Plus he could practice without keeping it down.

Doyle glanced his way. “Any questions?”

Mevi shook his head. “I’m good.”

“Well, I’ll leave you to it,” Kel said. “Give me a call if you need anything, or have any questions.”

Doyle shook with him again. “Thanks, man.”

Doyle walked him downstairs to lock the door behind him, leaving Mevi alone upstairs. Mevi slumped back against the kitchen counter.

How’d I get here?

Not just the literal there, but the metaphorical, existential one.

He’d left Cheyenne for good, hoping to make a new, better, open life for himself. He’d had it all.

And he’d lost nearly all of it.

Meanwhile, he was buried deeper in the closet than ever.

Here he was, stuck in a warehouse apartment, hiding out and trying to stay sober in hopes of clawing his way back out of the swamp he’d mired himself in.

Doyle returned and Mevi pulled his mask back into place.

“Which bedroom do you want?” Doyle asked.

He shrugged. “Babysitter’s choice.”

Yeah, he was being an * and he knew it.

He couldn’t help it. The dark mood he’d felt upon Clark springing him from rehab had returned, and he damn sure couldn’t admit to Doyle he thought he was hot. Better to try to emotionally distance himself a little from the guy.

It didn’t help that he was finding himself adjusting his cock more and more around Doyle. There was just…something about him that really had dug in under his skin and wouldn’t go away.

“You take the back one, then,” Doyle said.

“Okay. But why?”

Doyle turned, arching his eyebrow in that way, the way that threatened to harden Mevi’s cock. “Because it’ll be easier for me to hear if you leave your bedroom.”





After a quick search through the kitchen, Doyle knew he’d need to leave to get them food. Publix would probably be closed already, but there was a nearby Walmart superstore that’d be open.

“I’m going to get us food. Same rules. Don’t go outside.”

“I won’t.”

Doyle headed downstairs, locking the door after him. Then he pulled a roll of scotch tape out of his pocket, one he’d found on the desk in the office.

He placed a small piece of it across the gap between the door and door frame down at the bottom and at the top. It looked like it’d stick. He tried a test strip and pulled on it.

Nope, it was secure.

If Mevi opened the door, if he even noticed the tape, there’d be no way for him to replace it himself.

Easiest way in the world to see if someone had not followed orders.

That didn’t mean he wanted to push things.

He hurried to the store and got what he’d need to cook them dinner, and for breakfast in the morning. Now that he was “home” he wanted to do the bulk of his shopping at his favorite grocery store chain. At least they could eat reasonably healthy.

I’d like to eat—

He shut that off.

The easy part of this job was over.