Hitman's Creed - 13

 

"He tried to murder her," Joey said angrily. "He might have killed Mom too if she hadn't called for help and someone heard her."

"That puts a different light on it. Has she heard anything from him since then, or have you for that matter, since you witnessed it?"

Joey shook his head. "I haven't, and she's never said she has. But…" He chewed his lip.

"But you're afraid he could show up sometime?" Glenn said, and Joey nodded. "And that's why you didn't want to go away to school?" Joey nodded again. "I presume both your uncle and the police know about him."

"Yeah, but what good does that do? Maybe I'm jumping at shadows but what if he decides to try to get back at Mom? What if he finds out where we are? He could just sneak into town and… well, you know."

"Does he know that you have family here?"

"How the hell would I know?" Joey replied angrily.

"If your mother has said something, for one thing."

"Well she hasn't. She never talks about it or him. It's like she's put it in some box in the back of her mind and locked it in there."

Glenn remembered Mrs. Fairburn's reaction when she mentioned Joey being like his father in his inquisitiveness and he seriously doubted she'd locked everything away. More than likely she didn't want Joey to worry. Not that her approach was working. "One thing to think about, Joey, he hasn't tried anything in seven years, so why would he start now?"

"'Cause like you said he might think he can come out of hiding now." Joey scrubbed a hand over his face. "And if he does…"

"Then we have to figure out a way to keep both of you safe. I presume you moving somewhere else would be out of the question."

"We?" Joey looked at him in surprise.

"I've worked in security, I know a bit about how to do that," Glenn pointed out, sticking with the story he'd told Joey.

"Yeah, but… I mean do you want to get involved, and why would you?"

"You're a good kid so I'd hate to see anything happen to you, or your mother."

"I'm not a kid!"

"Joey, you're thirteen years younger than me. You're a kid." Glenn watched as Joey's face fell at his words. "Why does it matter?"

"It doesn't," Joey replied, denial of those two words reflected in the way he dropped his eyes and in the downward cast of his mouth.

Glenn was about to say more when it hit him. He remembered Joey's saying, or hinting, that there had never been a girl in his life. Maybe a big jump in logic, but he'd bet his bottom dollar the kid was gay. This made Glenn wonder if he’d had any boyfriends or if he kept that part of his life deeply closeted. He leaned back as he studied Joey.

Joey felt Glenn's eyes on him and looked up. "What?" he asked with a frown.

Glenn took the oblique track. "Does your mother know?"

"Know what?"

"Okay, don't shoot me if I'm way off base here. Does she know you're gay?"

"Uh huh, and she's okay…" Joey stopped, shocked at himself for what had just come out of his mouth. "Sorry," he muttered. "I shouldn't have admitted that."

"Why not? Not a damned thing wrong with it."

"Says the straight man trying to be all 'I don't do prejudice'."

Glenn chuckled. "Says the bi man who doesn't do prejudice."

"You? Seriously?"

"Yeah I hate prejudice," Glenn replied, deliberately misunderstanding Joey's question.

"That's not what I meant."