Chapter 4

Chapter

Four

Bosley

The conversation in the gym with Cory this morning had been a great way to start my day. He'd been even more interesting in person than I'd expected him to be. Plus, fuck he was hot. He had to spend some serious time in Vigor for that body, and I approved.

Then there was that kicked-puppy aura that shrouded him like a cloak. When I'd noticed the framed photo of him and the older gentleman hanging in the hall, I'd gone right to the elevator and asked Everest about it. Sorrowfully, he'd informed me that Cory had lost his husband, Mac, in a car accident a year ago.

The sadness made sense now, and I wanted to do something to put a smile on his face before I moved on. Normally, men like him weren't my type. Not because he was older or as fit as me, but because I generally chose boys who would call me Daddy when I sought pleasure. That didn't matter with Cory, though. I didn't need him to look at me as a temporary Daddy as long as I found a way to make him truly smile.

Getting out of my car, I made my way toward the entrance to The Tap Tavern. I'd heard about this place so many times, it was a bit surreal to finally be here. Chip wouldn't be joining us, but Omar had said that Chip's Daddy, Olli, wanted to meet me. Hopefully, the guy didn't plan on punching me in the face. Although, he couldn't be too mad. I hadn't claimed and stayed with Chip like Omar had with Nigel. If that had been the case, Olli would've never ended up with the little cutie.

I barely made it through the front door when Omar stood from a table off to the left, back near the bar, and waved me over. As I got to the table, I saw that some of his Daddy friends had decided to join us for dinner. I held out a hand as I reached the tall Black man, which he gripped, then pulled me in and gave me one hard slap on the back. "Hey, Bosley. It's so good to see you, man."

I hugged him, giving him my own hard thump, and stepped back and looked him up and down. "Look at you. You'd never know so much time has passed. You're aging well."

He laughed. "Nigel keeps me young. But you look like you've got a little more silver there," he said, pointing at my beard.

"Hey." I scrubbed my hand down my beard. "I think it looks good. Distinguished."

"I agree," a silver fox with a thick mane of his own silver white hair said. He stood from the head of the table and held out a hand. "Hey, Bosley. I'm Christian. I've heard a lot about you."

Omar had given me the rundown on all his friends through the years, so I placed Christian immediately. "Nice to meet you. The bar owner, correct?"

"Guilty as charged."

I held up a finger. "And Cameron is a partner now, too, right?" Glancing at the faces staring at me curiously, I said asked, "Is he here?"

"No." Omar pointed at the chair to Christian's left. "Have a seat." Then he sat across from me. "Cameron worked all day, so he wanted to get home and spend some time with his boy."

"Plus," another man with thick black hair said. "They're entertaining some of Indie's friends, including my boy, Joey, and Chip."

Staring at him, I snapped my fingers. "You must be Tucker."

He nodded. "In the flesh."

"And Chip works for you, correct?"

He smiled, nodding. "He sure does. He's a great guy."

"That he is. I'm so happy he made his way here," I said sincerely. With my career, having a forever boy had never been in the cards for me, but Chip had been adorable, and I'd wanted the best for him.

"So am I," a deep, gravelly voice said from behind me. Turning in my chair, I looked up, then up some more. "You must be Ollie."

He stuck his hand down, and we shook. "I am. It's nice to finally meet you."

"Is it?" I asked suspiciously.

He chuckled, then took the seat next to me. "It is. Omar's had nothing but positive things to say about you, and my chocolate Chip credits you with him giving me a chance."

I hadn't seen Chip since the weekend I met him all those years ago so that didn't make sense to me. "How?"

"Being with you for that weekend gave Chip the confidence and motivation to find himself a full-time Daddy," Omar said.

I thought of the pictures that piece of shit Harry had under his bed of Chip and those other young men and felt a fresh wave of rage through me. "It doesn't sound like that worked out all that well. Didn't you say that piece of shit he found abused him?"

Ollie growled low in his throat. No wonder this guy was the head bouncer here. He didn't intimidate me, but I bet he scared the crap out of anyone he turned his anger on. "He did, but my boy's memories of how well you treated him were enough for him to give me a chance, and I'd die for that man."

"Good." I clapped my hand on his shoulder. "I'm happy to hear it. He deserved that kind of protectiveness."

Apparently, I'd kill for Chip, too, but that wasn't because I loved him or anything so foolhardy as that. I rarely stepped outside of paying jobs, but when I'd heard what Harry had done to Chip, I'd known he deserved a visit from me sooner or later. It never paid to hurt someone I'd taken a personal interest in. "So that asshole's never bothered Chip again, right?" I asked, like I didn't already know the answer.

"No, thank goodness," Tucker said. "We've never seen or heard from him again."

The ease with which he said that answered my biggest fear about showing up here. It was a relief to know they hadn't been checking in on Harry. Not that I thought Omar would've ever guessed that I'd been the one to slit the bastard's throat, but still… It would've felt awkward sitting here with them while they talked about his case being an unsolved murder.

"So, how long are you in town?" Ollie asked. "Chip would really like to see you."

Surprised, I whipped my head toward him. "Seriously? And you're okay with that?"

All the men at the table chuckled. "Why wouldn't he be?" Christian asked.

"They're as solid as you get," Omar added. "Sorry, my friend, but you'd be no competition for stealing Chip's affection from Ollie."

Tucker huffed. "That's for sure. He's head over heels for this big lug."

I wasn't sure I'd ever seen someone as big and tough looking as Ollie preen like a freaking peacock. It was hilarious. Apparently, he was just as smitten as Chip was, and that was all I wanted to know. "Yeah, we're tight. I have no concerns that you're going to try to run off with him or that he'd go if you did."

Waving my hands in the air, I said, "Most certainly not. I'm not a commitment kind of guy."

"That's because you're a workaholic," Omar said. "Surely with all this consulting you do, you can stick around for a week or two. Hang out with us a little, take a breather, and get to know everyone."

If this was anywhere but Takoda, I'd probably take him up on it. I had plenty of money to live out the rest of my days. But, alas, Takoda wasn't a safe place for me to be. And I really didn't want Omar, Nigel, or Chip to ever find out who I really was. "Ah, I get stir-crazy when I'm not working. If a job comes in, I've got to be ready to go."

"You're never going to get a boy that way," Omar said.

It was hard to explain why I didn't want a boy when it wasn't true. I did. I'd like nothing better than to take care of some sweet boy and smother him with love and affection. But where? The only connections I had were in this town, and most of them weren't the men at this table. I'd often wondered if Omar and his group knew how thick the threads of the mafia were here. No. I was a man without a home. Born into a way of life that I'd never escape, so it was better not to dream.

I opened my mouth to answer when my Spidey senses went off. Trying to be discreet, I leaned back and glanced around. I didn't have to look far before three Italians in nice suits were hovering over the table. Well, shit. This wasn't good. The Buccelli brothers. Fuck . If they acknowledged me, Omar would have questions that I didn't have answers to. That I couldn't answer. Which would mean I'd be heading out of Takoda tonight, and my plans of seducing the hotel owner went bye-bye.

"Nico. Rocco. Vin," Christian said, nodding his head at each one. "We don't want trouble."

With his fakest smile, the one he'd used as a teenager when dealing with his father, Nico held up his hands in surrender. "No worries. We had business to attend to and wanted to stop on our way out to congratulate you on your many successes. We hear your theme nights are going well."

Christian's lips tightened as he nodded. "They are. Is that a problem?"

"The Drag Nights, too? They're doing good, huh?" Rocco, the youngest of the Buccelli brothers, asked. The middle brother, Vin, shot Rocco a dirty look, and Rocco frowned, stepping back.

"They are," Christian said. "Look, I?—"

"You don't have to say another word, Christian. The Buccellis were leaving. Weren't you?" a hard, stern voice came from over my shoulder.

Not wanting to let the brothers out of my sight, but also not wanting someone with balls that big to speak to one of the ruling Families that way behind me where I couldn't see him, I pushed my chair back, angling it with my back toward Ollie. Ollie stood at the same time, going shoulder to shoulder with another large man with a goatee and the stance of a cop. What the fuck? How was this my life right now?

Nico snorted. "Of course, Detective Hutcherson. Like I said, we merely stopped for a friendly hello."

"Well, you have, now get the fuck out," the detective said.

Vin frowned, but Nico and Rocco smirked, nodding their heads and strolling out without so much as a backward glance.

"Everyone okay?" the detective asked.

There was a collective sigh of relief as the men around the table relaxed. I forced my shoulders down since I shouldn't even know who those men were.

"Yeah, thanks, Hutch," Christian said. Uh, Hutch. Omar had told me about him. Detective Hutcherson, went by Hutch, and one of Omar's Daddy friends. I'd kind of been hoping not to meet this one. Omar exchanged a glance with Ollie.

"What was that?" Hutch asked, pointing between the two of them. Ollie dropped back into his seat, and Hutch took the chair next to him. "Come on, guys. Don't hold out on me."

"There haven't been any issues," Ollie said. "But the Buccelli Family seems awfully interested in what happens Drag Nights. They haven't been in for one, but they've sent some of their guys in, poking around and asking questions."

The fuck? Why would Nico and his brothers give a shit about a themed night at a bar? That didn't make any sense.

Hutch grunted. "I'll let the chief know. We'll get a unit cruising by on those nights, just in case."

Christian huffed. "Sorry, Bosley. I don't want you to think this is normal."

"Who were those guys?" I asked because that would be the normal response, right?

Hutch groaned. "Mafioso. We have a new head for one of the Families, and it's stirring up trouble. We're hoping it doesn't lead to anything serious, but…" He trailed off.

Based on the faces around the table, he didn't have to finish. A new Boss was the perfect time for the other Families to try and shake things up, push boundaries, and redefine territory lines. I needed to get the fuck out of here.

Tucker clapped his hands together. "Enough of that. Nothing any of us can do about it tonight anyway. We're here to get to know Bosley."

Hutch ran a hand down his face. Even without knowing him, I saw the weary tiredness in how he held himself. "Sorry. I came in as I saw them approaching your table, and I saw red." He graced me with a strained smile. "Bosley, I'm Hutch. I've heard a lot about you."

I nodded. "Nice to meet you, too." Not.

"We're trying to convince him to stay around for a while," Omar said.

Even if I'd been tempted—which I had—running into the Buccellis was an absolute guarantee that I was out of here. We all chatted through dinner, and I got to know Ollie better, and he shared about his life with Chip, which I appreciated. The other men shared about their businesses and their boys, as well. Luckily, I was a multi-tasker, adept at monitoring my surroundings while making it appear like I was one hundred percent present in the conversation going on around me.

By the time I said goodbye, promising to think about extending my stay for another couple of days, even though I was lying, I felt like a live wire. Surprisingly, no one waited for me outside my vehicle, but I kept my gaze trained on the rearview mirror as I drove back to the hotel to grab my duffle. I was almost there when my phone chirped, and I looked down at my cellphone.

Unknown Number: Front parlor. 10 am tomorrow.

Fuck. No please. No conversation. It wasn't a choice. The Buccellis had seen me, and now I was being called to task. I'd hoped to make it out of town before I received this summons, but I hadn't. I'd known better than to come to this damn town.