Free Love Lies Bleeding by Remmy Duchene Page B

right Byung.
    "Anderson isn't there, is he?"
    "No. Why would he be here? He said he was staying with you."
    Leo wanted to cry. "We had an argument and he left. I have no idea where he went and I've spent the last few hours calling every place I can possibly think of."
    "So, in other words, you lost him."
    He could hear Byung's irritation. "Do you know where he could have gone?"
    "No," Byung replied tersely. "But I'll call around and let you know."
    Without another word, Leo heard click then the dial tone. He did lose his temper and slam his fist into his desk then. It was either that or the phone. Daniel walked back with two cups and handed him one. Thankfully, he took it and sipped from the dark liquid. It tasted horrible but was still welcomed.
    "Thanks."
    "Did you find him?"
    "No…"
    "What did you two argue about anyway?"
    "It's not important. It was stupid. It was about his father and so not important. What are you doing here this late?"
    "Couldn't sleep. Kept having nightmares about Mary sitting on my chest and holding my nose."
    Leo shook his head. "You two shouldn't be together."
    Daniel grunted and Leo let it go. He had bigger problems.

Chapter Nine
     
    Anderson spent the night in the Carter Hotel under his middle name and his mother's maiden name. He figured if Leo cared enough to look for him, it wouldn't dawn on him he would be using an alias. The room was small but clean, and after a long time sitting at the window watching the cars go by on Forty-Second Street, he climbed beneath the covers. He didn't really slept and by the time six in the morning rolled around, he was in his car heading out of town. It took him twenty-seven minutes but he made it to Bayonne, New Jersey, before his stomach was growling like mad. Nothing was open so he found a quiet place to park. He grabbed a blanket, a bottle of water, and some granola bars from the trunk before climbing into the backseat. He had a quick snack then tried settling in for some shut-eye. It wasn't easy to get comfortable back there, especially with his size, but soon he'd drifted off, but sleep didn't last long. Soon the nightmares swam through his head, causing him to wake up shouting for his father. A woman walking by the car stopped briefly to stare at him before hurrying off down the sidewalk.
    Anderson muttered a profanity under his breath and after packing up his things, he went on the hunt for food.
    On Broadway, close to West Twenty-Ninth Street, he came across Vinnie's Breakfast Hut and Pizzeria. He pulled into a parking space out front, fed the meter, and hurried inside.
    It took a moment for his eyes to get accustomed to the change in light but afterward, he read the menu. He settled for two slices of pepperoni, a bottle of water, and a cookie and sat by the window while he waited for them to warm up the pizza. His phone vibrated again. He took a deep breath and pulled it from his pocket. Anderson's eyes widened. There were eighteen new text messages—all of them from Byung.
    Deleting them all, Anderson dialed his number instead.
    "Hello?"
    "Byung? It's Andy."
    "Andy? Where are you? Are you all right?" Byung's Cantonese spilled from his lips, one word after another, one question after another until Anderson's head started throbbing slightly.
    "Byung! Dude!"
    "Sorry. Leo is freaking out. He's worried. I'm worried. You're not at home. You're not at his place. You're not at the university—what is going on?"
    "I did it again. I expected too much too fast in the worst case scenario."
    Byung groaned.
    "Don't worry about it," Anderson continued. "I need some time to mourn. I need to be away from people right now."
    "What do I tell the detective?"'
    Anderson went quiet for a moment while the server placed his meal before him. He pulled a pepperoni off his pizza and shoved it into his mouth. He wanted to tell Byung to tell Leo to go fuck himself or to take a long walk off a short pier, but he chewed the spicy meat thoughtfully.
    "Well, you don't have to