Page 25 of Blood and Bone
“You know I’ve lived all over the place, right?” Ari asked.
Eoghan nodded. “Army brat. Yeah, I gathered that.”
“Well, I don’t really travel, Eoghan, but…” He paused and glanced over.
“What?” Eoghan asked, flicking a glance over at him.
“Well, I always wondered what it would be like to go on one of those gay vacation destinations. I never could when I was in Kentucky just in case anyone found out where I was going. You know we get like half off if we book travel through the government website, but I didn’t want to risk making any type of reservations that kinda way.”
“Gay vacation destinations…you mean like Fire Island or Key West or something?”
Ari chuckled. “Well, I don’t know about that. I think I’m a little old to be prancing around in my skivvies, getting drunk, and waking up in a puddle of my own vomit, Eoghan.”
Eoghan laughed. “Okay, so what would you like to do then? A gay cruise or something?”
“I’m not that excited about a cruise,” Ari said. “The truth is, I get a little seasick.”
“Yeah, but those massive cruise ships are so heavy, they don’t really roll around like any other boat, so seasickness is rare. Besides, you could always take a pill to stop it.”
“I suppose,” Ari said, knowing he sounded skeptical.
“Well, what did you have in mind?”
“I don’t know.” He pointed out the window as they drove into town. “I like small towns like this one. I heard that the biker rally in Sturgis has a huge gay contingent.”
“Bikers?” Eoghan asked. “Are you serious? Do you even ride a motorcycle?”
“No,” Ari said with a grin.
Eoghan laughed “Isn’t that kind of the point of the Sturgis biker rally?”
“Is it?” Ari said on a laugh. He shook his head. “It was only a thought. You know, when I lived in Kentucky, I went down to Silver Dollar City in Missouri for a festival down there with a bunch of other marshals. That was fun. California has lots of small towns, right?”
“A ton of them. I should take you to Julian, Ojai, or Solvang some time,” Eoghan said. “You’d love Solvang. It’s a gay friendly Danish village. The houses are made with thatched roofs and their Danish pastry is legendary. They also have a winery in the nearby Santa Ynez Valley with daily wine tastings.”
Ari smiled at him. “Wow, you sound like an ad for Solvang.”
Eoghan squeezed his hand. “It’s fun.” He nodded. “That’s settled. The next time we get vacation time, we’re going to Solvang.”
“That sounds fun, partner.”
Eoghan nodded as he pulled into the tribal police parking lot and shut off the Charger. “It was. Besides, I always say you can’t beat a good wine tasting.”
Ari reached for his hand again, lifting it and kissing his knuckles which made Eoghan shiver. “You big romantic,” Ari said, just as Eoghan’s phone rang.
He picked it up from the center console but set it down after realizing it was still turned off. Frowning, he fished the burner out of his jeans. He flipped it open as he looked at Ari.
“Sapphire?” The chief’s voice came through as Eoghan put her on speaker.
“Here, Chief.”
“Good. Is your partner there?”
“Right here, boss,” Ari said.
“Good. Listen, we have a message from John Townsend. He’s getting restless and wants to see someone from the I.S.R. in person. He says he’s in Gilroy which is a little out of your way but still on the way back. I’ll text you the coordinates to the garlic farm where he’s been staying. If you leave now, you should make it before dark. You’re finished there, right?”
“We’re parked at the tribal police station, ma’am,” Eoghan replied.