Page 64 of Broken Wheels
Gary smirked. “Oh, so you have feelings? It’s more than just getting laid?”
Dix growled. “Fuck you, Cross. Of course I care for Doc. Why the fuck would you say something like that?”
Gary held up a finger, then grabbed his phone. He tapped the screen and brought it to his ear. A moment later he gave a gooey smile, and Dix knew it had to be Michael on the other end. “He’s angry that I’m questioning his motives … Yeah, it’s obvious he has feelings …We good? … Okay.” Then he closed the phone and slid it back into his pocket before regarding Dix with a smile. “You have our blessing.”
What the….
Dix folded his arms. “And why would I need your blessing?”
He shrugged. “You know how special Josh is. To me, he’s doubly so. Without him, there wouldn’t be a CrossBow.”
A question rose in Dix’s mind, one he’d considered asking for a long time but hadn’t wanted to push. “How did you even get involved with him?”
Gary drummed his fingers on the tabletop, a faraway look in his eyes. “After I returned stateside and got out of the hospital, I was looking for something to do. You know what happened to Eric, so there’s no sense in going through that all over again. Honestly, when he died, I thought the dream we were planning had died with him.” His face took on a grim expression. “But I was determined not only to realize that dream, but to make it a success. I started working out of a tiny office, just me and two other guys.” He smiled. “We weren’t staffed to be a good bodyguard agency by any means, but we took whatever jobs came our way. Then I decided if we were going to actually do something with the business, we needed capital, way more than my benefits were paying.” Gary gave a shrug. “So I figured I’d look for a loan. I sat down with the guys, and we made a list of what we needed. It was mostly things like guns, a bigger office, a receptionist, bulletproof vests, and the like. Of course, the stuff we wanted was high-end expensive. We wrote up a business plan, made all the calculations for what we needed, and I set off.”
Dixon reached over and took the rest of the muffin from Gary’s hand and popped it into his mouth.
“Hey!” Gary glared at him.
“Show me a note from your doctor or Michael that says you’re allowed to have it, and I’ll get you another. Until then, I’ve seen your dietary requirements, and something this sweet is definitely not on it.” Dix wagged his finger.
Gary rolled his eyes. “You and Michael, I swear. Pains in the ass, both of you. Anyway, there I was, pounding the pavement, trying to line up investors, searching for the capital I needed to start what would become CrossBow.” A faint frown creased his brow. “Except no one was really interested, which wasn’t all that surprising considering the amount of money I required. And then one day I thought I’d pulled it off. I met with a group of bankers who wanted to know everything—what we needed the money for, how it would pay for itself in the future—and I was doing my damnedest to convince them the idea was feasible.” His face fell. “In the end, they said no. Talk about a waste of time. I left the bank in a funk, dejected enough that I was certain I was never going to find a backer. Then someone came up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder.”
“That was Doc?”
Gary nodded. “I turned and we gave each other a once-over.” He snorted. “I wasn’t impressed. He was dressed like a schlub. A T-shirt with a big stain on the front, blue jeans that had a hole in the knee, and tennis shoes that probably could have walked to the trash by themselves.” His eyes sparkled. “Of course, I don’t know what he was thinking when he looked at me. Then he held out his hand and said, ‘Hi, I’m Wheels. I heard you talking with the bankers, and I wanted to say I think your idea is amazing.’” He smiled. ‘I want to help you.’”
“How old was he then?”
“Twenty-four or so. He didn’t look as though he had two nickels to rub together. Before I could question him, he grabbed my wrist and dragged me away from the bank onto the sidewalk.”
Yeah, that sounded like Doc. “What happened?”
“He led me to a limousine, and that was it, I knew I was being punked. I expected to hear laughter any minute. But the driver opened our doors and Josh got in.” Gary chuckled. “I think my jaw hit the sidewalk at that point. Josh told him to take us to a lawyer’s office. Once there, he told the guy to give us all the financial help we needed.”
“It sounds like something out of a movie,” Dix commented.
Gary nodded, eyes wide. “I know, right? I mean, who the hell does something like that, especially to someone they don’t know? When I asked him about repayment, he waved a hand at me. ‘I don’t need it, trust me. What impressed me was when you said you’d take jobs for people who couldn’t afford it, in order to help them out. That told me something vital.’ Josh smiled. ‘This is more than a business for you. It’s personal.’”
“Which of course it was,” Dix confirmed.
Another nod. “We got to talking, and the more I told him about the ultimate goal for the dream, the more excited he got. Finally, after all was said and done, he said he’d make me a deal. He would give us—free and clear—everything we needed to create CrossBow, including purchasing the land to put up the building. All he wanted from me was a promise that he could have a few rooms to do his experiments.” Gary chuckled. “Only an idiot would say no to that, right? When we sat down with the architect, we told him what we wanted, and I added that I needed one of the floors to be labeled as research and development, under the direction of Dr. Wheels Malone. Swear to God, Josh cried.”
“He’s a soft-hearted kind of guy,” Dixon said gently.
“He is.” Gary swiped a finger under his eye, his voice choked with emotion. “Josh gave me my dream. There is nothing I wouldn’t do to pay him back.” He aimed a hard stare at Dix. “So you’ll have to forgive me if we want to make sure your intentions are honorable. Just think of us as his fathers.”
It was that which made Dix realize Josh, Gary, and Michael were more than just coworkers or friends.
They were a family.
Josh rolled over with a happy little sigh. He was so freaking comfortable, except for that delicious twinge in his ass from their extracurricular activities last night. If that was how Dixon got him to sleep, Josh was all for it. The apartment was quiet, so Josh figured Dixon was either in another room or had left. He got up and padded naked into the living room. The note on the table was so big, Josh couldn’t have missed it.
Hey, Doc! I’m hoping you’re still sleeping. I went down to the cafeteria so I could be there when they pulled all those delicious baked goodies out of the ovens. I want to be sure to get you a piping-hot fritter, a nice pat of butter, and some coffee. If you’re reading this, why don’t you go back to bed for a while? You need some sleep. The other stuff will wait until you’re awake.
Heat pooled in his belly at the realization that Dixon was once again taking care of him. Not that Josh needed it, but he appreciated the effort. Besides, he had work to do, and the sooner he started, the sooner they could put this mess behind them and start working toward… well, whatever it was they were looking to do moving forward.
He grabbed his pad from the charger and placed it on the table. He would have preferred to use his laptop, but this required layers of secrecy and encryption he wasn’t about to find on an Apple device, and Josh had no desire to spend time rooting around his computer when his pad would do the job just fine. Better, even.