Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 3

the tent, but he didn't start moving right away. Everything he'd managed to forget last night had come rushing back this morning, worse than ever. He had no idea how he'd be able to face the rest of his life knowing he had to give up Jude.
    From now on, he'd only be able to content himself with the memory of one perfect night.
    He heard engines, doors slamming, and muted voices outside. The thought of being rescued failed to make him feel any better. It only meant that he'd have to go back to miserable reality. Still, he couldn't leave Jude to handle things with whoever was out there alone—even if leaving this place was the last thing he wanted.
    It took a few minutes to find his shoes and shove them on, especially with one foot swollen. At least it wasn't as bad this morning. He could probably get away with wrapping it for a few weeks, and he'd be fine. He made his way out of the tent and toward the road, which was clogged with pickup trucks.
    Hmm. Maybe Nikki had sent the Army out looking for Jude a little early.
    As he got closer, though, he knew something was wrong. He heard men's voices, harsh laughter. Thuds and scuffles. Then he saw them—a dozen or so, standing in a rough circle. Big guys. With baseball bats.
    And in the middle of the ring, Jude on the ground.
    Fear paralyzed him. One of you, twelve of them. It was happening all over again, right down to the bats. Just like Tom. But this was Jude, damn it—his best friend, the man he loved. He couldn't let the fear hold him back this time.
    And then he saw a familiar, sneering face. Mike. Who, with a chorus of encouragement from his buddies, strode over to Jude's crumpled form and kicked him.
    Fury broke the stranglehold of terror. Ethan pivoted and limped back to the tent as fast as he could manage. If he tried to confront them like this, he'd only get himself dragged into the beating, and maybe both of them killed. But he had something better than bats.
    He grabbed Jude's gun from the backpack and marched back toward the road, barely feeling the protests of his ankle.
    They were still going. No one had even noticed his approach. Jaw set in a snarl, Ethan checked the safety switch, flicked it off, and fired the gun into the air.
    The report echoed through the sudden silence that followed. Heads turned toward him. He pointed the gun at Mike and rested his finger on the trigger. "Get away from him."
    "Who the fuck..." Mike's eyes narrowed. "I know you. Ethan. The drinking buddy."
    "Back off." Ethan took a step forward, and the group shuffled back a little. He risked a glance at Jude, who'd started to stir. Relief almost made him fumble the gun. "I'll shoot every last one of you. Drop the bats and get away."
    Aluminum clunked on pavement almost immediately. Most of the men had raised their hands. One of them, a guy in a blue cap, had moved sideways and clear of the group. "Hey, man," he said. "Take it easy. We weren't gonna kill him or anything." The man shot a look at Mike. "Your friend here, he owes our cousin a lot of money."
    "Money!" The rasping shout came from Jude, who'd managed to sit up. "Is that what this bastard told you?"
    "Your cousin is lying." Ethan spoke to the blue-cap guy, but he kept his gaze—and the gun—on Mike. "My friend doesn't owe him shit."
    "Mike's bank account says he does. There's thousands missing."
    Jude let out a harsh, wheezing laugh. "If you want to know where his money went, look up his nose."
    "Shut the fuck up!" Mike's features flushed crimson, and he lunged in Jude's direction.
    Ethan fired. The bullet went into the road, a few feet in front of Mike. "Next one takes your balls off, you slimy son of a bitch."
    Mike froze and glared at him. "Don't listen to this sack of shit, Charlie."
    The man in the blue cap, apparently Charlie, subjected Mike to a long stare, and then looked over at Jude. "What about his nose?"
    "He's a coke-head." Jude winced and struggled to one knee. "I caught him doing it."
    Charlie's eyebrows went up. "Mike, man, I swear to God. If you're lying about the money..."
    "I'm not! I told you, he ripped me off when I paid for the business shit."
    "Jude doesn't work for him, or his company," Ethan said. "He lied to you about that, too."
    Mike pointed a finger at Ethan. "You're next, you little prick."
    "Hold on." Charlie cast a speculative look at Jude. "If you didn't do any work for him, why's he got a problem with you?"
    Jude sneered. "Because I stopped letting him fuck me."
    "Fucking faggot!" Mike