Two of a Kind (Fool's Gold #11)(92)

There was going to be hell to pay, Gideon thought, more than ready to take whatever the other man offered. He wouldn’t defend himself. He would accept it, and maybe when it was over, he would feel better.

Justice stopped in front of him. “Come on,” he said, pointing down the street. “We need to talk.”

Gideon nodded and fell into step with him. He didn’t know where they were headed, and he didn’t care. Maybe back to CDS where Justice could work him over in the quiet of the gym. Or somewhere in the woods. He wasn’t concerned. There was nothing Justice could do that hadn’t been done to him already times a thousand, and in this case, he deserved it.

But instead of a dark alley—something tough to find in Fool’s Gold on a Wednesday afternoon—Justice stepped into Jo’s Bar and led the way into the back room.

Gideon avoided Jo’s. Too many people, too many lights, and during the day, a play area for small children. Justice walked past all that. When he stopped, they were in a much smaller space. One with only a couple of windows up high on the wall. Flat-screen TVs were tuned to ESPN and a car auction. A couple of old guys sat at the bar, nursing beers.

“What can I get you?” the man behind the bar asked.

He looked familiar, but it took him a second to place the old guy. “Morgan? Shouldn’t you be at your bookstore?”

“I will be,” the white-haired man said with a smile. “I have some work to do here, first.”

Justice took a seat on one of the stools. “What they’re having.”

Morgan poured two beers and pushed the glasses across the bar. Justice took one. Gideon ignored the other.

“You brought me here for a reason,” he said.

Morgan nodded. “Good. You’re not stupid. I’d hate to think of Felicia with an idiot.”

Gideon felt his mouth drop open. “You know Felicia?”

“Sure. She comes to my store all the time. She likes to read paper books rather than electronic books. I like that in a woman.” Morgan’s smile returned. “She has eclectic tastes.”

“That’s one way of putting it,” Justice murmured.

Morgan rolled up his sleeve, exposing a tattoo of a girl in a bikini. “Got that in the Philippines. They do good work. That was after my time in Vietnam. Tough place to be for a farm kid from Georgia. Hell, before Uncle Sam drafted me, I’d never been past the county line.”

“My brother went over there, too,” one of the old guys said. “My number never got called.” He gave a grin and picked up his beer.

Whatever was going on, Gideon wasn’t interested. He started to get up. Justice clamped his hand around Gideon’s forearm, holding him in place.

Breaking free would have been easy enough. Gideon knew all the moves. He could have had them all gasping for breath in ten seconds. He eyed Justice. Okay, maybe that would be a more difficult fight, but he figured he had a fifty-fifty chance. But was that what he wanted?

Gideon relaxed on the stool, and Justice released his arm.

“Civilian life was tough,” Morgan continued. “My old girlfriend had married someone else. I hated the farm. I didn’t know what to do with myself, so I took off. Hitchhiked around the country, did drugs, became a drunk. Somebody pulled me out of the gutter, and I started to get better. Then I met Audrey.”

Morgan smiled, his gaze looking past them to something only he could see. “Beautiful girl. Too good for me, which is who every man should marry. She was patient with my failings and loved me more than I deserved. But I couldn’t love her back. I couldn’t go there. The scars went too deep.”

He looked at Gideon. “I was a fool, and I nearly lost her. Came to my senses facedown in a gutter, barely remembering my name. I nearly died from alcohol poisoning.” He smiled. “That was thirty-five years ago. I have loved her every day since. We only had seventeen years together, then cancer took her. On her deathbed she made me promise I wouldn’t give in to my demons again. I’ve kept that promise.”

“I know what love does,” Gideon said, figuring the truth was all he had left.

“No, you don’t,” Morgan told him. “If you did, you’d be with that pretty girl of yours and not here drinking with us. Love makes you strong. If you’re brave enough to hand over everything you have and take that leap of faith. For me it was either love Audrey or stay in the gutter and die. You’re in the gutter, my friend. The difference is, you can’t see it.”

He could see it all right, Gideon thought. What they didn’t get was he didn’t care. He belonged here.

Justice tossed a couple of bills on the bar and stood.

“Patience told you?” Gideon asked as the other man turned to leave.

Justice nodded. “Felicia told her yesterday. The women had one of their get-togethers last night. From what I heard, it was lots of margaritas and ice cream and calling you a bastard. They’re all hungover this morning, so I’d stay clear if I were you.” He started to leave.

“Wait.” Gideon rose. “Aren’t you going to hit me or something?”

“No need to hit a man when he’s already down.”

* * *

GIDEON PUSHED THE button and started the CD track. The Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows” played in the studio. The same song went out on the airwaves, but he cared less about that. Tonight was about searching and hopefully finding.