“Yes, Denny. Tell your son how we met.”
I shudder at the cold sound of his voice.
“Troy,” my dad whispers. “His name is Troy Wolski.” He doesn’t realize I already know his name. “We met on a movie set, six years ago.”
“Six years?” I shout.
“Quiet,” Troy snaps, leveling his terrifying gaze my way.
“On one of my films. He was a trainer for military extras or for actors who needed to look authentic,” my dad explains.
“Continue, Denny. Don’t leave the boy hanging,” Troy says, his slimy voice taunting my father who is slumped in his seat, looking years older than even yesterday.
My eyes bounce back and forth, the silence hanging over the room. “Dad?” Something bigger than me is going on here. Something that has the small hairs on the back of my neck standing up.
“Don’t make me do this,” my dad pleads with Troy, who only laughs.
“Fine, I’ll do it.” The monster’s cold stare lands on me, sending an icy stab of fear to my heart. “You father is a dirty faggot, Gavin. I fucked his ass for many, many years.”
My mind must be playing tricks on me. None of this is real. I’m still asleep in my bed, huddled under the covers and Mitch is lying next to me.
An unexpected laugh erupts from my chest. “Right! You’re expecting me to believe my dad is gay?” I snort—honest to god fucking snort—while a psycho has a huge gun leveled at me.
I glance around and see that no one else is laughing. In fact, my dad is paler than a ghost and unable to meet my gaze.
“Dad? It’s not true, right? You wouldn’t be so cruel to me if you were gay.” Then I remember what Mitch said about the stalker.
“He’s a self-loathing, in denial, psychopathic, closeted gay man with a serious fixation on you. He thinks he’s in love with you, Gavin, but he hates you for it.”
But Mitch meant the stalker, not my dad.
“You sent those notes because you hate me for representing what you refuse to admit you are,” I guess. “That’s why it was so important for me to ‘be a man’ like you. So no one would see me and figure out that you were gay too.” My dad shifts uncomfortably on the couch and I know I’ve hit the nail on the head with my conclusion. “So what the hell does that have to do with you?” I snap at Troy. Gun or no gun, I want fucking answers.
“Denny lets me fuck him and he admitted what he was doing to you. I simply helped his cause.” The man says it like it’s no big deal to terrorize his lover’s adult son. “It’s not your father’s fault that you’re so fucking tempting.” His eyes roved up and down my body, making my dick practically crawl up inside me with revulsion.
“Gavin, I didn’t know he was doing those things until the media reported—”
“Shut the fuck up, Denny!”
In a heartbeat, Troy’s heated gaze turns cruel and angry. “Fucking fag!” He yells at my father. Then Troy stands up, looming over me like the specter of death. “Stupid blonde cocksucker!” Raising the hand with the gun, he brings it down to make contact with my cheek.
Pain explodes across my face, the sheer power of his hit sending me tumbling off the couch. My shoulder cracks against the tile floor at the same time my dad jumps up, shouting, “Leave my son the hell alone!”
“Sit down, Denny,” Troy growls, pointing the gun at my father. With his attention elsewhere, I swipe my foot out, hooking it under Troy’s. He topples to the ground next to me.
“Gavin!” My dad cries out, making a move to help, but he’s a split second too late. Wolski is already on his feet. Dad holds up a hand. “Stop, Gavin. He’s better trained and stronger than you, even if he is twenty years older.”
“Shut the fuck up!” Troy roars, his face a deep shade of purple. I freeze in place, twisted sideways on my knees. “Both of you goddamn cocksuckers shut up!”
Jesus, in denial much? I guess in his sick mind, if you’re the one fucking you’re not a fag.
“Troy…”
“Denny, keep your fucking mouth closed!” He uses the gun to gesture towards a hallway and smirks. “Now, we’re going to have some fun.”
Mitch
“Goddammit, Gavin!” The urge to roll down the window and chuck my phone as far as it will go is nearly overwhelming. Steadying my nerves, I hit redial. Voicemail clicks on again. “Son of a bitch!”