The sharp intake of breath from both Adrian and Patrick seemed to almost drown out every other sound in the club.
“Jacob—” Adrian nearly choked out.
“It’s fine,” Jacob managed to force out the response.
“I’m so sorry.”
Jacob lifted a hand to ward off any more apologies, immediately regretting the offer to take Lucas home. He just wanted to get out of here as fast as he could.
“Have you got a coat?” he managed to get out through gritted teeth. Lucas still looked terrified.
“Really, sir. I can—”
“Nonsense,” Jacob interrupted. “I’m ready to go, and you said you didn’t live far.” He turned and shook hands with Adrian and Patrick.
“The cut just needs keeping clean,” Patrick advised, although why Patrick was telling him, Jacob didn’t know. He was giving Lucas a ride home, and he would never see him again. If Patrick wanted to meet one more time, they could go to a bar or grab a coffee somewhere. Ignoring everyone else, he calmly put a hand on Lucas’s back and ushered him out of the door. Coming tonight had been a huge mistake, and one he wouldn’t make again.
Chapter Two
If Lucas could have physically disappeared into the car seat, he would have done. He didn’t dare even look at Sir, and when the terse voice asked him where he lived, Lucas didn’t know what to say. He had to think of something. He couldn’t take the risk of being humiliated further.
“Where to?”
Lucas cringed. It was obvious he didn’t want to take him anywhere. “It’s just off Culver Street. I don’t know if you know it?” Sir nodded and turned onto Lansing Square. “Just here is fine, thank you,” Lucas said after ten minutes’ awkward silence. He could walk the rest of the way. He could already see the row of cars and hear the music outside his—Terry’s—house. His friends would be in there drinking, and he would be expected to clear up after them. He couldn’t let Sir see them. Terry was having his friends there tonight for the first of what was probably going to be one endless party after another. Lucas had only gotten away with it last week because Terry had been invited to someone else’s house for Thanksgiving.
He’d even been given a plate of leftovers by their neighbor.
Ten years ago up they would have just been starting his mom’s “twelve days of Christmas surprises” as she used to call it. To say his mom was spontaneous would have been an understatement. Although being dragged out of bed at 3:00 a.m. when he had school the next day, because the stars were “beautiful” he could have done without. Not that he would have swapped anything, and he’d needed the buffer of all the good memories to get him through the last seven years of some incredibly awful ones.
Sir pulled up behind the row of cars, and Lucas turned to thank him, only to panic as he unbuckled his seat belt and put his hand on the handle.
“I’m good, thank you.” Lucas scrambled out quickly, wincing as he caught his finger, and Sir hesitated.
“You’re sure?”
But Lucas was already closing the door and practically jogging down the sidewalk with one ear out for Sir driving away. He ran up the steps and knocked as Terry had insisted on, starting the day they had come home from the funeral three months ago. He was allowed to stay, but in doing so he’d practically become Terry’s slave.
He’d just started his nursing degree when he’d gotten a call from Terry. Said his mom had gone batshit crazy and he’d had enough of her bullshit and she was his problem now. Lucas had immediately driven home from college. He’d only seen his mom at Thanksgiving, but the difference between now and four months prior was soon obvious. He’d moved back home and changed colleges, but in another seven months the days she knew who he was were few and far between, and he had given up college entirely and become his mom’s care giver.
Fast forward another six years and he was twenty-nine and completely broke. He didn’t even have a car anymore as Terry had totaled it last week.
“Where the fuck have you been?” Terry yanked open the door before he even got the chance to say anything. Terry got hold of his collar to drag him inside when a deep voice behind him spoke.
“It’s actually my fault Lucas is delayed.”
Terry gaped at Sir, as he stepped up with his hand out. “Jacob Morrison.” And Terry was so startled he actually let go.
Lucas froze. Normally if he came in and got to work right away, Terry would soon be distracted and go back to his friends. The trouble was Terry seemed to have many friends, and they all hung out most weekends, which was why Lucas tried to disappear if he could. And he needed money. He couldn’t get away from Terry without money.
“Well,” Terry said expansively. “Come along in.” He shot a speaking look at Lucas. “Get Jacob a beer.”
For some reason Lucas didn’t understand, Sir let Terry pull him into the hallway. Rick and Gemma, two of Terry’s friends that Lucas had seen before, were locked together. Rick looked like he had Gemma nearly half undressed. Terry scowled. “Take it upstairs.” He shoved Rick, and Rick simply grinned and took Gemma’s hand and led her upstairs. Gemma paused and grabbed the half-empty bottle of wine from the hall table as she went and giggled.
Lucas didn’t bother looking at the small table, now scratched and stained, that used to be one of his mom’s favorite pieces.
“So what do you do, Jacob? How do you know Lucas?” Lucas came back in the room with a beer for Terry and looked at Jacob.
“I go—”
“To Adrian’s bar,” Lucas interrupted. He’d been deliberately vague to Terry, not trusting him to make trouble. “I told you I was starting there tonight.”
“And Lucas cut his hand on some glass, so I said I would give him a ride home,” Jacob said without missing a beat.
Terry sneered. “Clumsy oaf, aren’t you, Chubby?”
Lucas reddened and turned away. It was no use arguing; it just made Terry worse. And he’d lost weight. He hadn’t had any choice. “Thanks for giving me a ride.” Sir took the hint and stood up. Lucas glanced at Terry. “I’ll just show Jacob out and go to bed.”
Lucas walked to the front door, and Jacob had no choice but to follow him. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
Lucas nodded. “Thank you for the ride, S-Jacob.”
Jacob left just as two more of Terry’s friends arrived, and Lucas took a step toward the stairs, but Terry yelled, “Where d’ya think you’re going? There’s a ton of glasses to wash.”
“I’ll clear up tomorrow. I just want to go to bed,” Lucas said as patiently as he could.
Terry snorted. “Not upstairs you won’t. I think Manda and TJ are up there.”
Lucas froze. “In my room?”
“Don’t you mean my room?” Terry shot back. “My house. My room. You’re staying here because you’re too useless to get a place of your own.”
“Actually, that’s what Lucas was just coming to tell you originally.”
Lucas turned in shock at Jacob’s voice. Lucas bit his lip, and shame washed over him. He’d thought Jacob had gone.