A week into his latest tenure on the river, Dak settled back into the routine. He worked two six-hour watch duties a day. His assignment was midnight to 6:00 a.m. and then noon to 6:00 p.m. He chose to do most of his sleeping in the morning from 6:00 a.m. to noon. That left him with time in the evening to hang out with other crew members and talk to Brody.

Every other day they spoke for at least an hour over video chat on the phone. Occasionally, the calls ended abruptly when the boat moved out of cell phone range, but Brody was never upset about it. While they were apart, it was the most relaxed relationship Dak had experienced in years. Far too many of his ex-boyfriends were continuously wracked with jealousy and fear of him cheating.

He laughed when Brody decided to start taking him on virtual trips around town. They hung out together in the bar downtown. Brody had Dak talk to Jake, the bartender at the Corner Hitch. It was fun, but it all made Dak homesick. He could see the guys roar at the bar when the Twins scored a run, and he laughed so hard he nearly cried when Brody set up an extra beer across a little round table for his absent boyfriend.

The best Dak could do to match Brody’s efforts was letting him know when they hit New Orleans. Dak didn’t get time off the boat, but the engineer brought out Mardi Gras beads he had stowed away, and the cook surprised them with crawfish gumbo.

Brody said, “You know those crawl around in little creeks up here, too. They’re like big, oversized bugs.”

“And they are delicious!” exclaimed Dak as he ate from a bowl of gumbo on his bunk. He held up one of the crawfish and sucked the meat from the head like a Louisiana native.

Brody recoiled in horror. “That’s so disgusting, Dak! You’re not gonna see me do that.”

Dak grinned and said, “Be adventurous, Brody. You have no idea what I might make you try. I’ve had some crazy things on boats before.”

He watched as Brody shook his head. “I’ll try a lot, but there are limits.”

Dak asked, “So did you ever find out more about that uncle?”

“A few more bits here and there.”

Slurping the last spoonful of gumbo, Dak asked, “What kind of bits? Do you have any idea who his boyfriend was?”

“Seb, who works for me, said he spent a lot of weekends in the Twin Cities. I assume that was because he couldn’t be out of the closet at home.”

“I bet that’s where his boyfriend lived,” said Dak. “It makes sense that he would look for someone in the big city. I’ve been tempted by that on a lot of weekends in the past.”

“Are we gonna get a condo downtown in Minneapolis?” asked Brody.

“Unless Home Pro rakes in a lot more cash than I think it does, it’s probably not gonna happen right now,” laughed Dak. “What else do you know?”

“He was good friends with Wiley Tarrant.”

“Is that the Wiley Tarrant? One of the Tar-Mor kids?”

Brody said, “He’s the only Wiley Tarrant that I’m aware of. I don’t think it’s a common name. That reminds me, Dak. I’d meant to look up more information on Wiley Tarrant. There’s a possibility that they weren’t just friends. I think he might be the guy kissing Great-Uncle Clyde.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, Lacey, my secretary, said they went to the cities together on the weekends. I’m just trying to put two and two together.”

Dak rubbed his chin. “You know what’s even easier than trying to look it up online?”

“What’s that?”

“You said Lacey knew them. Why don’t you show one of those pictures you have. I bet that she can tell you whether it’s Wiley or not.”

“Damn, Dak, you need to get back home so you can help me think things through. I suck as a detective.”

“Less than three weeks,” said Dak. “Do you think you can wait for me?”

“I’ve waited twenty years.”

---

After the phone call ended, Dak left his room to hang out in the crew mess area. A Twins game was on TV, and Leo sat swigging a beer along with one of the newer deckhands. He raised the beer in acknowledgment of Dak.

Dak settled into a chair at a table that doubled up to serve for both desk purposes and dining. He opened up his laptop and began to mindlessly play a game. It required little enough concentration that he could glance back and forth and keep an eye on the Twins’ progress in the baseball game.

He barely noticed when the deckhand with Leo said goodnight and left the room. Leo stood up, beer in hand and ambled over to Dak’s table.

He seated himself in the chair opposite and gave the cover of the laptop a light push with two fingertips. Dak looked up and then pulled the cover the rest of the way closed. “Do you want something, Leo?”

Leo raised his hands up behind his head and asked, “How’s the celibate life, bud?”

Dak leaned forward and hissed in a voice just above a whisper, “What the fuck’s wrong with you? At least have the decency to whisper. Do we need to talk about this somewhere else?”

“What’s wrong, Dak?” He spoke the name in a long, drawling tone. “Is that dick lonely, Dak?”

Dak growled and stood up from the table. “I shouldn’t listen to any of this. You’re too shit-faced to be reasonable, but if you insist on hashing it out, you’re gonna have to follow me to my room. And no, it’s not an invitation.”

Leo stood and pitched his empty can into a trash bin from halfway across the room. He deliberately swaggered as he followed behind Dak. He whispered, “I knew you’d miss me sooner or later.”

Dak opened the door to his room and gripped Leo’s bicep tugging him inside. He pointed at the chair and said, “Sit.”

Leo’s voice was still louder than Dak preferred as he said, “I’m not half as drunk as you think. My tongue is still in good shape. Do you need a little attention?”

“I don’t need any fucking attention from you. I brought you in here to make sure you still understand. No one is sucking my dick on this boat. Those days are over.”

“Does your boyfriend keep it locked up in a cage?” asked Leo. He reached out for the waistband of Dak’s jeans. “Let me see.”

“That would make you happy, wouldn’t it? Then you wouldn’t have to feel hurt because I don’t want your fucking lips and tongue on my body anymore.”

Leo growled, “I don’t need it anymore. He gestured toward the door. You know those new guys out there? Both of them have better cocks than you, buddy. And you should see them when they cum. Their eyes practically roll back into their heads. They love it so fucking much. They’re practically begging me to do it again the next day.”

Dak laughed. “And you’re good at making up stories, Leo. Both of those guys are married, and they aren’t cheating on their wives.”

Leo lunged at Dak, but he was so intoxicated that his efforts to pin Dak to the bed were unsuccessful. Instead, he fell to the floor and Dak pinned him to the carpet with one hand clamped lightly around his neck. Dak growled, “Don’t you ever try to attack me. If you do, I’ll wring that scrawny neck.”

With a voice just above a whisper, Leo said, “And you’ll get us both thrown off the boat.”

“And you’ll be in prison for ten years for assault.”

Leo started to squirm. “Let me go.”

“I will, but first, here’s what you’re gonna do. You’re gonna go to your room, grab a towel, and then take a long shower. While you’re in there, you’re gonna jerk off that little dick of yours until you cum. You’re gonna do that every day while we’re still on the boat. You can’t handle it when that energy gets built up inside. Do you understand me?”

Leo stared back into Dak’s eyes. He didn’t say a word. Dak responded by pressing his thumb tighter into Leo’s neck until he heard a cough. He asked again, “Do you understand me?”

Leo coughed again, and Dak loosened the thumb. He whispered, “Okay, fuck, just let me up. I’ll leave you alone.” Then he tried a half smile and added, “We’re buddies, Dak. Remember that? We’re on the same side.”

Dak pulled his hand back and pointed to the door. “Now, get out of here. Go take that shower. Until you take care of your shit, you’re a hazard to this boat.”

Leo scrambled to his feet and shut the door carefully behind him. Dak picked up his laptop and settled back onto his bunk. He realized all of the talk about cocks made him wish that Brody was around. Dak gripped his own package and pulled up a photo of Brody on the computer taken from his Facebook page. Dak reached out and traced a fingertip down the side of Brody’s face.

He whispered to himself, “I’m springing for a hotel room for an overnight in the cities when I return. I don’t care what it costs. Just you and me away from everything. Away from the river, the town, the ghosts in your house. It’s just you, Brody, just you and me.”

Dak sighed as he relaxed into his pillow while staring at the computer screen. Then he laughed softly when he heard the water in the shower. Leo was obediently following instructions.