Double Full (Nice Guys 1)

“Son, you can’t hide well enough. Look what just happened.”

“Were you watching me?” Colt asked. He searched his shorts, looking for his phone. It wasn’t there.

“None of that matters. You just got the shit beat out of you by your family. Wait until you get on the field. You’ll be more of a target than you’ll ever understand. No team’s gonna pick you up and watch their quarterback be targeted. Ain’t gonna happen, son. Homosexuality’s frowned upon in the sports world.” Johnny drained his glass but didn’t move. He sat there staring at Colt. All Colt cared about was his phone. It wasn’t on him. He looked around the couch and then around the floor to see if it fell out when his dad attacked.

Colt started to ask, but the agent interrupted him.

“Son, you aren’t hearing me. Listen to me closely. When we first found out, your own father was ready to take the cheerleader out of the equation… Do you get my meaning?” That caused Colt to stop searching and stare at Johnny. His heart panicked at the words. To have his father put this kind of whoop ass on Jace. God please no…

“His name’s Jace Montgomery. I think that’s the name on the report. It took about thirty seconds to find out who you were with. Colton, this isn’t just about you, it’s not gonna be good for him, either. What happened to you is nothing compared to what will happen to him. Your daddy loves you. Imagine if he paid someone to go after Jace. And it would be all your fault. You’ll be painting a big red target right on his back.”

“No, no, not Jace,” Colt shook his head as dread filled him. Where was Jace now? Colt stood, the room started to spin around him. He was weak, but he had to go find Jace and warn him. Colt was wobbly on his feet, and he stumbled until the agent stood in front of him, blocking him, and forced him back down on the couch.

“Calm down, I stopped your dad. The boy isn’t going to be touched, at least not right now, but if you don’t stop this, I can’t protect him or you. You know how your dad is, and he’s serious. You’re throwing away too much by keeping this going.” Anger shot through Colt, and he fisted Johnny’s dress shirt, drawing him in closer. Colt wasn’t in any condition to make this show of brute force, but that didn’t stop the fear from building rage inside him.

“Yeah, you’re right to be concerned, that boy’s life rests in your hands.” Somewhere in the back of Colt’s mind, he knew Johnny was playing him, but the dread was already taking up residence in his gut. This couldn’t be happening. Jace was too beautiful of a person to go through something like this. Johnny held his position, right there in Colt’s face, letting Colt keep a hold of him even though he could have easily broken away.

“Your family’s name has too much ridin’ on you right now. And remember they love you. Let some unsuspecting team sign you and find out you’re gay. You won’t be able to keep either of you safe. Is it worth that risk? I wouldn’t let the person I care for go through that.”

Colt was silent for several minutes. He released his hold as his heart shattered, now becoming the most painful part of his battered and broken body. All his hopes and dreams of starting a new life with Jace crumbled down around him. Colt picked up the glass, staring down at the amber liquid, thinking things over. He was so confused, what was he going to do? He wanted Jace. Colt drained the glass. Another glass appeared in front of him, along with the bottle. He downed the whisky in a few gulps and poured another. An undetermined amount of time passed as Colt sat there warring with himself.

“I love him, I love him so much,” Colt said in defeat.

“Then protect him. You need to take the high road and be what you need to be at this stage in your life, unattached and focused on your future. It’ll save his life.”

“He’s not gonna understand. There has to be a way,” Colt said, emotion clogging his throat.

“Clean break, Colton. I’m not supposed to tell you, but your father’s havin’ you followed. The cheerleader will be followed, too. He’s prepared to do whatever it takes to keep you from makin’ this mistake. I hope you understand what I’m gettin’ at.”

“Fuck it,” Colt said and bypassed the glass, opting for the bottle.

“End it, now, before this ends him, and I promise it will end him.”

Colt couldn’t let Jace be hurt. He had to protect him, no matter how badly his heart broke. Jace was too good for this, too perfect for Colt’s world. He gripped the crystal glass, fighting the conflicting emotions pouring through him. The glass went flying across the room, shattering against the farthest wall. Colt watched the broken pieces fall to the floor, along with his dreams of a life with Jace.

Chapter 10

Early Wednesday morning, Colt sat slumped in a chair at the Shaggy Dawg, a local bar targeting athletes. Country music played in the background. Little female barflies sat like groupies ripe for the picking. This place was like a home to him. Colt spent more time here over the last four years than anywhere else, including the football field.

His teammates and buddies were all there, hanging out at his table. Colt had stayed drunk pretty much since leaving Johnny’s office, and the drinks hadn’t stopped flowing all night long. They dulled the ache of his body, but not so much the one in his heart. His one good eye focused on the clock against the back wall of the bar. Already close to two o’clock in the morning—closing time. And that scared the shit out of him. Did he have enough alcohol at his apartment to get through the night?