Page 26 of Bully for Sale
“Shut up,” Ned muttered, ignoring the slight to his family, not even sure if Braden was talking about his father’s penchant for auction heats, or Heath’s scandal with his lover’s son, or maybe even his own dead omega parent. “Why do you pick on Ezer so much? He’s not important. He’s not even shit on your shoe. So what’s your deal?”
“Interesting change of pace,” Braden said, laughing. “Where’s your usual refrain? ‘He’s George Fersee’s son, Braden, you can’t do that to him!’ Which is it? Is he unimportant or is he important as hell? Here’s a scoop for you, Ned. He’s no Fersee, that’s for sure, and that’s why he’s trash, andthat’swhy we can do whatever we want to him. Don’t you get it?”
Ned shook his head.
Finch snarled a laugh. “He hasn’t heard. No gossipy omegas live in his house, remember?”
“Tsk, tsk, such a shame. Should we enlighten him?”
“Nah. Let him find out on his own.”
Ned worked his jaw and tried to keep calm. He was about to ask more questions when Guffin held up a paper bag with the baggies of powder inside. “Don’t use it all at once, boys. Or do. I’ve got a fresh batch that’ll be ready to go day after tomorrow.” He grinned as he pocketed their cash. “Feel free to come back.”
Finch couldn’t even wait until they were out of the building to get into his bag of powder. He opened it on the stairwell, spilling some down the front of his sweater as he took a deep sniff of the white stuff. He hummed and then blew a raspberry through his lips, his eyes rolling up. “Fuck yeah. Let’s find a hot hole to share.”
“‘Share’?” Braden said, laughing. “No way. I don’t want your sloppy seconds.”
Ned lingered behind them on the stairwell, passing Amos’s door, tempted to press his ear against it to listen for Ezer’s voice. He heard rusty door hinges squeal below as Braden and Finch exited. He lingered on Amos’s ratty welcome mat. Raising his hand, he touched the knocker, and waited for his heart to tell him what to do.
Another shriek of door hinges screeched up the stairwell.
“Ned!” Braden’s voice shouted. “Get your lovesick ass down here. We’re getting a car to Show City. Plenty of paid fun to go around.”
Ned loathed these boys, loathed their voices, their laughter, their ideas of fun. He wished he could knock on Amos’s door and be invited in for tea. He’d love to sit there in Amos’s filthy but warm apartment, gazing at Ezer’s eyes, and making some sort of headway with him, forging a path to forgiveness.
“Ned!” Finch this time. “C’mon!”
Ned dragged his feet but reached the bottom of the stairs with a new determination in his gut. “Go on without me,” he said. “I don’t feel so well.”
“One of the rats bite you?” Braden asked, nudging him manically in the ribs. He’d hit the powder now, too. “Need rabies shots?”
“Yeah,” Ned said, and lunged with a growl and grimace, pretending to be infected.
Braden laughed. “Whatever, dude. Just don’t go back in that apartment building. Nothing good will come of it. Stay away from that omega unless you plan to use him and lose him. In which case, have a go.”
Both Braden and Finch sniggered as they climbed into the car they’d hired to take them to the omega and beta prostitutes of Show City. Ned walked toward the bus stop that would take him to the subway station he needed for his trip home, but he ended up walking around the block instead. Back by the chain link fence, he stood outside the building and gazed up to the fourth-floor light he knew came from Amos’s rooms.
He wondered what Ezer was doing there and if he was all right.
The lights flickered with a pop, and the power in the building went out. Various windows began to light up again with the glow of candles, and Ned hustled down the block as people spilled from the entrance, not wanting to be caught by Amos standing there like a stalker. He’d made it as far as the bus stop again before he heard the shuddering boom.
Heart pounding, Ned turned and ran back toward the apartment building, finding it awash in flames. “Ezer! Mr. Elson!” He yelled, trying to push past the tenants running from the burning building. He rushed to the doorway, trying to get inside.
But there was no way he could. Just as he had almost breached the entrance, he was gripped from behind and hauled back by a tall, strong police officer. “Get back from the building, boy! Out of our way!”
Panting and miserable, Ned huddled in the dirty, stinky crowd of residents and watched, spellbound, as the firetrucks arrived, and the hoses began to pump plumes of water into the raging building.
Gray dizziness sank in as Ned overheard the words of the officers and firefighters nearby: There was no hope for anyone inside.
None at all.
Chapter Nine
Ezer sat, numband empty, on his da’s sofa, the hot cup of tea scalding his palms, but he was too shaken to put it aside.
“Talk to me, Ezer,” Da said.
“You betrayed me,” Ezer said. “You told Father I’ve been coming to see you.”
