Page 22 of Nightcrawler
My eyes widened as I looked at Trigg over my coffee cup. He was standing there with both arms crossed over his chest, eyesnarrowed, giving Vonne a half smile. When his lips turned up into the tiniest of smiles, I knew Vonne might be stretching the truth, but not by much.
“Anyway, we’re all covered in slime and mud, but we stayed right where we was so as not to be spotted by one of the enemy, and all the while this headless snake was hangin’ limp from a tree branch, bleedin’ into the mud. After a while, we kept goin’, knowin’ it wasn’t anythin’ but the Staff Sergeant takin’ care of us like he aways done.”
Warmth flooded my chest as Trigg’s face reddened.
“Anyway, after that, we all called him Trigg, ’cause he was the fastest gun in the west.” Vonne fluttered his long lashes at Trigg. “And he wasallours,” he singsonged.
Trigg and I just laughed. As we finished up our coffee, Vonne told a couple more stories, only stopping when he could tell my side was beginning to hurt from laughing. Before he left, my caregiver hugged me gently and wished me well, asking Trigg to follow him out.
TRIGG
“Thanks, man,” I said as we stepped out into the hall.
Vonne turned his thousand-watt smile on me. “I think you like him.”
“What?” I frowned at my best friend. “Him? Raven?”
“Raven, is it? You called him by his first name,” Vonne said, smiling as he stood there swaying back and forth with his backpack on his shoulder like we were two girlfriends sharing some fucking gossip or something. He poked me in the chest. “Youlikelike him.”
“You’re full of shit,” I groused, looking down at my feet.
“Uh uh, don’t do that. You can’t lie to me, Miguel. I ain’t seen anyone ever make your face light up like when you look at him.”
I looked up, narrowing my eyes at him. “You’re so full of it.”
“No, man, I’m not.” He shrugged. “And what’s not to like about him? He’s nice as hell, he’s easy on the eyes, and he’s got a dick, don’t he?”
“I haven’t seen it.”
“Don’t he?”
I snorted. “You’re an asshole.”
“Did I mention he’s got a dick?”
“Vonne—”
“And because of somethin’ terrible that happened to you when you was a kid, Miguel, you can’t let anyone get close to you.”
I said nothing, just stared at him.
“I have known you since we was comin’ up, boy. You can’t fool me. I knew you back before they died. You forget I saw what it done to you and if it hadn’t been for Cassidy and Mike, you coulda taken a very different path.” When he suddenly dropped his pack and pulled me into a hard hug, I melted against his shorter frame. I hugged him back but still, he wouldn’t let me go. “Let yourself be happy, boy. It’s time you let yourself be happy.”
I felt tears well up in my eyes and because I didn’t want to start blubbering in the hall, I turned him loose. “Thanks again, brother. You know how much I love you, right?”
“Love you too,” Vonne said, bending to pick up his medic’s bag.
“Hey…ah…thanks for everything you did for him, Vonne.”
“No problem, brother. Anytime. Just keep him safe and I won’t have to do it again.” At my nod, he slung his bag over one shoulder and grinned widely. “See you later.” He lifted his hand and waved, and I returned it, watching him as he walked down the hallway, the same hallway I’d practically carried Raven down twenty-four hours ago. He waved one last time before going through the fire door to head downstairs.
I turned and walked back into the apartment. Raven was sitting on the edge of the bed in his boxer briefs and the T-shirt I’d given him. His jeans were halfway up his legs but when he saw me, he held up a hand as if to stop whatever it was I was going to say.
“I have to get home, Trigg. I can’t stay here and impose on you anymore.”
I walked over, trying not to frown at his stubbornness. “You need to rest. You heard Vonne. He said you have to rest for a couple of more days.”
“And that’s what I’m gonna do but I’m gonna do it from my own house. I have to talk to my assistant Judy, who’s been blowing up my phone with messages, so that I can rest. I promise, I’m going to be okay to take care of myself for a couple of days.”