Page 16 of The Broker

“Here, I got you this. M said that you enjoyed skateboarding, and it didn’t seem like you owned one. So, I thought I would pick one up for you.”

Stunned, Isaac had no idea how to respond. Holding the sleek wooden board in his hands, he admired the detail painted on the surface. A skull, engulfed in flames, with roses intertwined along the edges.

Badass.

That was the only word he could use to describe it.

His skateboard.

Given to him.

For no reason.

By someone he didn’t even know.

But… why?

Speechless, he turned to face Jared.

“I… Umm… It’s… I… I love it. Thank you.” Isaac paused, still trying to wrap his mind around the kind gesture. Then he looked up at Jared. “But… why?”

He wasn’t used to people giving him presents unless they wanted something in return. But Jared didn’t seem to be looking for anything. It just didn’t make any sense to him.

A warm smile greeted Isaac. “I just thought that you might enjoy taking her for a ride whenever you get overwhelmed or are looking to have some fun. Think of it as a ‘welcome to the family’ gift.” Jared patted Isaac on the back, then got up and began to walk away.

A few steps away, Jared stopped, then glanced over his shoulder.

“If you end up staying, me and my buddy Diesel can build you a ramp or something to skate on. Beats rolling around in circles in this concrete jungle.” Jared let out a chuckle, then continued his walk back toward the mansion.

Isaac stared down at his gift and fought back tears. No one had ever given him such a thoughtful gift… just because.

Knowing that people like Matteo and Jared existed made Isaac want to stick around just a bit longer.

Staring down at the skateboard now, he refused to give up on her. He was going to make sure that this bitch-ass wheel stayed connected. This was his gift, and he wasn’t throwing it away.

“You know, it might be time to throw out that ratty old thing and just buy a new one,” a deep voice said over his shoulder.

Isaac smiled.

“You know, I keep throwing this junk away, but it magically keeps coming back. Kind of like your herpes… keeps coming back no matter how hard you try to get rid of it.” He refused to admit the real reason he didn’t want to get rid of his most prized possession.

“Suit yourself. Here, let me take a look.”

Isaac passed him the wheel and held up the screw. “I think we just need a new screw. The damn wheel keeps loosening.”

Turning the object around in his hand, he nodded. “Yeah, you might be right. Let’s go see if one of the maintenance guys has a spare.”

Jared turned and began walking toward the maintenance area, still checking out the screw as he walked.

Picking up his board, Isaac couldn’t help but stare at the two muscular globes that jiggled under Jared’s shorts as he walked.

Nowthatwas a fine piece of man-ass.

5

JARED

Nine Years Ago

---