Free Love in La Terraza by Ethan Day Page A

at some point. “I’m giving Henry a tour of the property, so we’ll be heading down to the cellar later. I’ll let you know if we find anything.”
    “Thank you so much, Cain.” Ruth glanced over at Henry. “Nice to see you back so soon, Mr…?”
    “Sorry, this is Henry Abrams, Ruth.”
    “Lovely to meet you, ma’am,” Henry said.
    Ruth glanced back and forth between the two of them as she and Henry shook hands. “Charmed.”
    With a knowing smirk, she turned and headed out the door, leaving them in peace.
    Henry whistled. “That one’s certainly holding a grudge.”
    “You think?” Cain buried his face in his hands, groaning in misery and praying she was just old and smelling shit that wasn’t really there.
    Henry kneaded the muscles in Cain’s shoulders, eliciting a groan of pleasure from him.
    “Didn’t mean for my little tour to create extra work for you, baby.”
    “If there’s something wrong, it’s usually better—and cheaper—if you catch it early. Need to run upstairs to Snead’s apartment to see if I can find the leak currently fucking up the ceiling here. It’s weird, but the longer a space sits empty the more things seem to go wrong with it.”
    “Spaces are meant to be lived in,” Henry crossed the room, taking one last look at the kitchen cabinets.
    “I really need to get someone in here.” The truth was he hadn’t had the money to spend on the newspaper ad.
    He glanced over at Henry, thinking he could do a hell of a lot worse for a tenant. Then he recalled Eddie’s U-Haul crack and thought better of it, knowing he’d never live it down.
    Henry ran his fingertips along the wood grain. “So well built, beautifully crafted, yet simple and unassuming.”
    “You talking about me or the cabinets?” Cain asked.
    “Both.” Henry winked, following him out the door.
    As they headed upstairs and made their way to Snead’s door, Henry took Cain’s hand, the pad of his thumb massaging Cain’s palm.
    Something else that was so simple and unassuming, yet still beautiful, Cain thought, knocking on the door.
    After waiting and having no one answer, Cain unlocked the door, praying they wouldn’t find tortured and dissected animals inside. He hadn’t wanted to rent to Ned Snead, but he was too desperate for the income to be picky. The guy gave him the creeps, though.
    “I don’t normally let myself in like this, but he’s usually gone the entire weekend and I need to check for the leak,” Cain admitted, opening the door and heading inside.
    He was stunned by what he saw, turning in a circle as he surveyed the interiors. From the look on Henry’s face, it wasn’t only him.
    “How long has he lived here?” Henry asked.
    “Almost six months.” Cain went farther inside, calling out to make sure no one was home.
    The apartment was nearly empty aside from the simple cot in the living room and the TV sitting atop the side table that had been left there by the previous tenant.
    “Gives a whole new meaning to living without the excess,” Henry said.
    “This is weird, right?” Cain felt odd being in here all of a sudden. “Not just me being weird.”
    “Not just you.” Henry thumbed back toward the doorway. “Should I wait in the hall?”
    Cain’s eyes widened. “Fuck, no! You aren’t leaving me in here by myself.”
    Henry laughed, seeming to understand how creepy that might be.
    Making a beeline for the bathroom, Cain was down on all fours in seconds. He popped out the access panel in the wall to check the pipes then clicked on the flashlight he’d pulled out of his back pocket and scowled at the water dripping from one of the fittings. He reached down and twisted the shut-off valve to prevent further leakage.
    “Have to come back up and see if I can tighten it myself,” Cain said, turning when Henry made no comment. “Where’d you go?”
    Cain sighed in relief, hearing Henry in the other room. “You gotta see this.”
    Cain rounded the corner into the bedroom.