Defined By Deceit

As soon as they cleared most of the active site, he turned to look at her. “Don’t let me see you out there like that again.”

“Llew, listen to me.” Jessie huffed out in between breaths, since Llew had practically made her run behind him.

“Jessie, it’s way too dangerous for you to go out there like that, Shane would have—”

“Llew, shut up and listen,” she yelled, yanking the hard hat off her head and shoving it at his chest.

He stood there staring down at her, wondering what the hell was going on.

“You need to get to the trailer Shane is going crazy on some guy and Jack is trying to hold him back and Big Daddy Smith will be here any minute,” she said, all in one long breath.

Llew took off towards the trailer, not bothering to wait for the rest of her explanation. If someone was messing with Shane, he was going to kill ‘em: end of story. He cleared the parking lot with long quick strides, barely registering the black Mercedes with the Virginia license plate right outside the door.

He took the four stairs leading up to the trailer in one jump and threw open the door to the sound of the loud voices. Jack was yelling, and so was Shane. What the fuck?

Llew shouldered past the man in the charcoal gray suit standing with his back to him and went straight for Shane. His face was crimson and sweat poured down the sides and into his shirt collar. Jack looked just as angry, but he didn’t know at who. He could be mad at Llew. Fuck. Llew took hold of Shane, and Jack looked more than happy to let him go. He bent at the knees putting him eye to eye with his lover. “Baby, what’s going on?”

“Llewellyn.”

Llew stiffened instantly at the sound of that voice. A voice that had invaded his thoughts, his nightmares for more than nine years. No fuckin’ way. Impossible. He didn’t turn yet, his body wouldn’t do it. The look Shane was giving him was doing a number on him. His lover looked like he was in so much pain, like he couldn’t stomach the feelings waging war inside of him. Understandably so. Shane had an easygoing spirit, a light carefree life; the last thing he wanted Shane to do was hurt for him. When Shane spoke to him, his voice was hoarse and strained. “I tried to get him to leave, Llewell, but he said not until he saw you.”

Even being held in Llew’s arms, Shane’s body shook with rage. He looked over Llew’s shoulder, his voice raised to an all-new high. “I told him he doesn’t deserve to see you! Ever! Get out of my goddamn trailer!”

“Shane, calm down,” Jack said, from beside them.

“Llewellyn, please. I just want to talk to you for a few minutes.”

Llew stood up straight and slowly turned around, his heart hammering in his chest. “Why are you here Moss?”

Moss cleared his throat, a very thin and bony throat. He looked nothing like the athletic young man Llew had once loved. Hell, he looked even worse than when he’d seen him right before he left Emporia. Moss’ suit was clearly too big, like he’d lost a shit-ton of weight over a very short period of time. His eyes had sunken in and were surrounded by dark shadows, like he’d been awake for many nights running. Jesus. He looked like walkin’ death. Was Moss here to tell him he was dying?

“Llewellyn if we could just go somewhere and talk,” Moss said quietly, his murky eyes pleading as clearly as his words.

“Fuck no,” Shane spat from behind Llew.

“I wasn’t talking to you. Stay out of our business,” Moss snapped back, and that was all it took for Shane to unleash all the pent up fury that was raging inside him.

“He is my fuckin’ business, not yours!” Shane barked. Before Llew or Jack could react, Shane was around Llew and charging at Moss full speed, his face contorted with rage, and his hands out-stretched, locking around Moss’ narrow throat. There was no time for Moss to raise his guard. He was pushed backwards until the both of them went flying out of the trailer door and down the stairs, hitting hard and rolling across the dirt.

“Shit!” Jack yelled, running behind Llew.

Llew bounded down the steps and pulled Shane off of a still-choking Moss. Those once beautiful green eyes were now wild and terrified. Though they quickly returned to dull and pain-filled… or could that be sorrow Llew was seeing in them? Llew didn’t know and he didn’t care. All he cared about was Shane. He got Shane to his feet, pulling him away from Moss. “Shane, please calm down. I don’t want you fighting him.”

Shane’s chest heaved up and down, and the look he shot Llew had him quickly clarifying what he meant. “He ain’t worth you hurting yourself or getting into trouble. He ain’t shit to me, my only concern is you. Please calm down.” Llew turned back around, noticing that several of the crew had run over to see who the hell the boss was fighting. Great, he didn’t need this right now. Things were actually starting to look okay for him, now this.