Kinged(63)

The crowd went insane. They converged on Rex and lifted him into the air. It was complete chaos in the room. I glanced at Michael, but he was gone. I looked around, but couldn’t find him in all the chaos. I could feel Spud and Clutch still looming near me, and decided that it was time. I turned toward Spud and smiled big for him.

“That was amazing,” I yelled over the crowd. Spud grinned at me. I took a step closer to Spud, stood on my tiptoes, and put my lips near his horrible ear.

“I hope you never touch another woman again you fuck,” I said, and then I kneed him in the balls with all my strength.

Spud immediately doubled over, holding his crotch, then fell onto his side. I kicked him again for good measure, body full of adrenaline and rage.

Clutch looked at me blankly for a second, and then shrugged and looked away. I immediately scanned the room for Rex and spotted him nearby being congratulated by a bunch of different men. I pushed my way toward him, through the mass of yelling and cheering bodies, and broke free, running directly into him. I threw my arms around his neck and was kissing him before I knew what I was doing. Relief flooded through me, pure relief washed over my body as I hugged him, tears coming to my eyes. I knew we had won, I knew Rex was free and I was free, and we would have a chance together. Part of me thought it was over, and all I could think about was how unfair it was that I wouldn’t get more time with him. And yet there we were, hugging, alive, and victorious.

He kissed me back, his arms around me, and when we pulled apart we laughed harder than we had ever laughed before.

Finally the commotion died down, and Rex held me in his arms.

“Did they hurt you?” he said.

“No, I’m okay.”

“I’m so fucking sorry. Michael is going to pay for this.”

“Where did he go?” I asked.

Rex looked around, but we couldn’t find him. He grabbed a nearby man, a heavyset guy with a closely trimmed beard, and said something in his ear. The guy nodded at Rex, grabbed a few more men, and ran up the stairs. I noticed that certain groups of men were dragging others outside, either up into the bar or out through the loading bay. Spud and Clutch were among the men being dragged. I didn’t know what was happening to them, and I didn’t want to know. Whatever it was, those two pig-faced pieces of shit deserved it.

“Did you just order them?” I asked.

Rex shrugged. “Not really. I only suggested they find Michael before he gets away.”

I laughed and kissed him again.

He grimaced. “Let’s get the fuck out of here,” he said.

“And never look the fuck back,” I said. He grinned at me. I helped him hobble toward the stairs, up into the bar, and out the front door into the city I felt like we owned, our personal paradise of concrete and people and noise. We walked slowly, breathing in the night and each other, happy to be together, and happy to be free. Rex was his own person, and I was ready to find out who that new man was going to be. I was happy, and I felt more alive than I ever imagined possible, the entire night alive and buzzing, alive with energy and sound, alive in my core and my heart, alive with the heat of summer, alive with the body of the man I wanted to be around forever, alive with love and lust and more, alive with sweat and blood and our future and our freedom, more alive, more.





EPILOGUE


I reached up and gripped the rough cliff face. I felt the sweat rolling down my back as my muscles flexed along my forearms, getting a decent grip on the tiny cracks in the rock. My fingers dug in, and I slowly shifted my weight upwards, reaching with my right foot and left arm. I found another small ledge with my foot, dug it in, and then pushed myself upwards.

In the city, there was nothing to climb other than brick façades and crumbling fire escapes. I felt the wind whip through my hair, and my eyes ran down the tattoos along my arms, no longer as meaningful as they once were. Back then, before my life changed, each one held something, a remembered moment in time or a warning to those looking at me. I didn’t hate the tattoos or regret them, but out there in Colorado, far away from anything that resembled my former life, in the clean Western air thousands of feet above the ground, they were just ink on skin, and nothing more.

“How’s it going?” I called out. I adjusted my grip with my right hand and scanned the rock above me. I wasn’t far from the top.

“Fine, and stop asking,” Darcy called out below me. I risked a glance down to make sure she really was fine, and saw her expertly pull herself up the sheer cliff face, body wrapped in the safety harness and rope system we used. The last spike was punched into the wall, and we were on the final climb of the day.