Order (Tattoos and Ties Duet #2)(53)

“What happened tonight?” Alec didn’t wait for an answer, stepping back from his hold to get a good look at his knuckles. “You’ve been in a fight. Why did I get drunk tonight? You aren’t answering. This is why I hate that club. At some point, you’re seriously going to be injured. You can’t risk yourself like this.”

“What? It wasn’t a fight,” Keyes declared, watching Alec eye him then throw up his hands in indignation, his face contorting from anger to anguish in five seconds flat. Alec took another step away from him.

“Of course, it was. Your knuckles don’t just get torn-up for no reason. I know what a fight injury looks like.” Alec wheeled around, his hand going to his mouth as if he were at a loss for words. Without warning, he threw his hands in the air once again. “Why did I drink so much?”

Alec pivoted on his heels, stalking toward the kitchen. Keyes followed slowly, wondering what in the hell just happened.

“Alec…”

He noticed a first-aid kit his drunk lover had placed in the middle of the counter close to the coffee pot that started its drip as Alec downed gulp after gulp of water from a glass. When he was done, he pushed the glass under the coffee drip and took the cup. His foot bounced as he motioned for Keyes to take a seat. He didn’t. Alec had caused doubt and anxiety to rush through Keyes, and he came forward, trying to understand why Alec had gotten so angry.

“What happened?” Alec demanded.

“What’s goin’ on with you?” he asked, stopping about a foot and a half in front of Alec. “Did you cheat on me?”

“What?” Alec exclaimed, sounding like that was the most absurd suggestion he’d ever heard. He took a step backward as Keyes came forward. “I would never cheat on you. Why would you even ask such a thing?”

“I thought Janice knew you had a boyfriend,” he said and held his ground.

“No, you can’t divert me.” Alec shook his head, reaching for Keyes’s hand before pulling it under the cabinet lighting. “We’re not going there right now. You didn’t even clean the blood. It’s trailing down your hand and arm. What happened?”

“Alec, I’m sorry—”

Alec cut him off, throwing out an arm to block his retreat.

“Key, answer the question. What happened tonight? You can’t just go all willy-nilly anymore. It’s not just you you have to think about. What would happen to me if something happened to you? I wouldn’t even know if something happened to you until you didn’t come home and I had to search for you. I’m sick of the damn boundaries between us. You can trust me, tell me what happened.” Where Keyes had wanted to move away from Alec, Alec left him standing in the kitchen, pacing to the middle of the living room then spun around, squaring off with him. His guy was serious. The look etched on his face was a cross between anger and intense hurt. Alec folded his arms over his chest, his right leg bouncing. The only thing off was the Robin costume Alec still wore.

Keyes narrowed his eyes, trying to catch up. He took a couple of steps toward Alec who just tilted his head, his jaw tightened and one eyebrow cocked. He’d never been so effectively stopped in his tracks before.

“My father’s dyin’,” Keyes said after a deep exhale.

Silence held between them for several heartbeats.

“I can’t pretend to be sorry,” Alec blurted, his face going through a range of emotion. His unguarded words seemed to have startled him and his arms tightened over his chest. “I’m sorry I said it like that. What’s happened?”

“Lung cancer. He’s in hospice. He’s been there a few weeks, I guess. The party tonight was also a fundraiser for his medical bills.”

Alec didn’t lose his seriousness as Keyes took tentative steps closer.

“I’d been warrin’ over whether I should see him again. It’s been eatin’ at me, so I decided to go.”

“You were brave to do that to yourself,” Alec said, his gaze softening as he searched Keyes’s face. “So, you went. How did it go?”

“As expected. He hates me as much as I hate him, but he’s real sick—obviously. When he saw me, he somehow managed to get all agitated even doped up like he was,” he explained, slowly taking a few more steps toward Alec, encouraged when Alec didn’t move away. More than anything, he didn’t want to fight with Alec. He never wanted to fight with his guy. Alec was his solace in life.

“Then how did your knuckles get torn up like that?” Alec’s leg doubled time, the tap echoing in the silence between questions.

“The side of the house when I was leavin’. It wasn’t that big a deal. I didn’t even realize I’d drawn blood,” Keyes said, flexing and balling his hand. He looked down at his scarred, calloused hands. He’d fought his way through life. This was nothing but another day to him, at least the pain he’d felt had chased the numbness away.

“How did you feel?” Alec’s voice was softer now, causing him to look up and step forward again.

“I didn’t feel anything. I thought I’d feel differently.” Keyes placed his hand over his heart, the thump beneath his palm acknowledging the organ was there even with the complete lack of emotion he had about his old man. “Just emptiness. I was empty inside. Nothin’.”