Exposure Read online

  Jack sat on for a moment, and then slowly got up. His keys were upstairs. On his way up, he passed a window in the upstairs hall and saw Mike, headed west on Sebring Lane.

  Shit, he thought.

  He gathered his keys, slipped his shoes on, and then walked downstairs and out to his car. Before turning it over, he sat for a minute or so, staring at the house. Then he threw the car into reverse and backed out.

  On Sebring Lane, he caught sight of Mike immediately. He hadn’t yet reached the bridge, and as Jack advanced upon him, weaved from the right to the left hand side of the road and back again. Jack touched the accelerator a little, then forced it to the floor. The Lincoln lifted in front and roared ahead.

  Jack caught Mike on the bridge. He hit his rear tire, and the bike flipped into the air, catching Mike in the groin. He described an arc and then landed with a bounce, the bar between his legs.

  Jack slammed his foot on the brake. His car slid to a halt, gravel crunching beneath the tires. He got out and walked around the car. Mike was lying on the grassy slope. As Jack approached him, he groaned, and Jack figured it wasn’t all over. He glanced around, thought of a tire iron, but what could he do? He advanced upon him, reached the bike, reached for it, and tossed it aside.

  He breathed heavily, staring at Mike. And then took a few, menacing paces toward him. Perhaps Rafe ought to give him the money, he thought, or some money.

  Mike was cradling his genitals. “Yet another crime, Jack,” he said, his voice a croak. “You run people off the road now?”

  “You’re not telling the police, Mike.”

  “I’m not—what? You’ve got to be crazy.”

  Jack pounced on him and gripped his throat with both hands. He flipped Mike onto his back and sat on his hips, Mike’s genitals warm and soft. He bounced a little, threateningly, and began to choke Mike. Mike began writhing from side to side. He was young, and strong, and managed to break free, twisting onto his side.

  Jack clocked him in the side of the head with a fist, and his head ricocheted, hit the grass and bounced.

  Mike lifted his body and flipped Jack backward. He lost his balance and toppled over. Then Mike was on him. He was on his back, and Mike was on top of him, seated on his groin. Jack jerked his hips and managed to lift Mike, his cock jammed in the cleft of his ass. Mike rose into the air and Jack jerked again. Mike struck his face with an open hand, struck him again, and again, and again. Jack jerked with all his might, lifted Mike into the air, and managed to topple him. Mike scrambled to his feet and began to run, running not toward his bike, but blindly toward the stream. Jack struggled to his feet. He took off with a lurch and sprinted toward Mike, who didn’t seem to know where he was going. Jack jumped, caught him around the neck and brought him down.

  He had him from behind, around the waist. They rolled over and over, down the grassy hill and toward the stream, the whirlpool. All at once, it occurred to Jack how weak in the water Mike was. He twisted his body, toppled them over again, and again, and again. The grassy slope dipped down toward the bank, toward the edge of the cliff.

  Mike rolled over onto his back and stopped, the stream swirling in a vortex below him. Jack bit his lips, got up. He stared down at Mike, his breath rasping in his throat. He felt odd, disoriented, but Mike was going to tell. And with this thought. He struck out with a foot and kicked Mike in the side.

  Mike twisted away, lost his balance and fell, toppling over the cliff. He rolled over and over, and plunged down the steep bank in a series of awkward turns. He struck the water with a splash, but turned a final time until he was on his back, staring up at Jack. Then he was in the current. He struck out with an arm, twisted his body, and attempted to swim against it. He seemed to be making progress for a moment, but in fact he was drifting further and further from the bank.

  Jack held his breath.

  Mike struggled on, striking out freestyle now and thrashing in the water. But the turbulence caught him suddenly, and he was drawn backward in a rush. His body travelled quickly over a wave, and then he was swirling into the twisting water. He circled the whirlpool once in a wide arc. Then he was caught in the vortex and was spinning inward. His head went under once, again, and then his shoulders dipped beneath the surface. His hips jerked into the air, his legs, and Mike kicked. He reappeared again, but flipped over and vanished beneath the surface, his head and shoulders going down, then his hips, and finally his feet, with which he kicked a few times. A shoe came off and span in the water above the body. It floated on for minutes until it, too, disappeared.

  Jack crossed the road and returned to his car. He started the engine, and then sat with his head on the steering wheel wondering what had happened. Mike had gone.

  He turned the car around and headed for Rafe’s.

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  Also by Todd Young

  Obsidian

  James has a problem. He’s gay, but he doesn’t know it. He likes to hark back to his time with Tina in New York, but all his thoughts are about men. The only problem is, this never seems to occur to him.

  James has left New York in search of isolation. He’s rented a farmhouse miles from anywhere, one so remote he has no TV or Internet connection. The only people around are the farmer and his son, Ben, who takes a sudden interest in James.

  Ben is very obviously gay, and in James he seems to have found the perfect partner. The only problem is, James has other ideas. He isn’t going to let Ben close, not unless Ben pushes things, and sometimes you can push just a little too hard.

  Love Like Mine

  Matthew can’t stop thinking about Aaron. He can’t stop thinking about the games they played, the bondage and the discipline, the hurt and the comfort.

  Aaron broke up with Matthew weeks ago, but Matthew is determined to get him back. Then blond-haired Jaden appears on the scene, and Matthew has to fight for his love.

  Fracture

  At 33, Colin is still a virgin. He’s never questioned his sexuality, but when Alek arrives on Colin’s doorstep, he’s unexpectedly heartstruck by the young man’s beauty.

  Colin has done a crazy thing. He’s burned down his house and built a duplex, a house divided into two apartments. His reason for doing this is simple. He wants to spy on his tenant, the young girl he imagines renting the place to, but the arrival of Alek puts an unexpected twist on this plan.

  Is Colin gay? As he watches Alek through the two-way mirrors he’s installed in the bedroom and bathroom, he begins to wonder. In fact, he thinks he might just be falling in love with Alek Antonov, but with this tangled love comes a spiral toward madness, toward murder.

  Naked

  Leigh is young and blond and beautiful and living a quiet life on the farm with his family. Only his dad left at Easter, and considering how things are with Blake, his closest, most attractive and too affectionate brother, Leigh isn’t at all happy, though he perhaps doesn’t know it.

  It takes a ride into the hills, a skinny-dip in a stream and a meeting with a stranger before Leigh understands exactly where his life is going wrong. But by that time he’s locked in the attic of an old, twisted house, miles from anywhere, naked.

  Paul, his captor, has a story to tell Leigh, a story that will challenge what Leigh thought he knew about himself and his capacity for love.

  Dressing Up

  Skipper isn’t terribly bright. He’s made his way to college on a football scholarship, but no sooner has the year started than Skipper’s in a jam. He’s stuck at a party dressed as Tarzan, in a loincloth meant for a boy.

  Fortunately for Skipper, blond-haired Lake is on hand to help him out, and once the party’s over, Skipper’s admiration for Lake blossoms immeasurably. Soon they’re sharing a room, but as he watches Lake sleep, Skipper’s unable to keep his eyes or his hands to himself.

  Will Lake wake with Skipper beside him? And will these two ever be able to work it out?

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