The Brick Yard by Carol Lynne Read Free Book Online Page A

through the season,” Brick said. “That’s one thing I don’t want you to worry about.”
    “I’m not.” The cage was the farthest thing from his mind. “Are you going to call Dray?”
    When Brick didn’t answer, Lucky shook his head. “You want me to do it, don’t you?” Lucky guessed.
    “I’d just fuck it up like I did with you.”
    The last thing in the world Lucky wanted to do was make the phone call to Dray. “I’ll tell him,” he conceded. Although there was a lot he still needed to discuss with Brick, Lucky wanted to get his head on straight first. “I’m going out for a while. Do you need anything?”
    “Time.”
    “That’s what treatment could’ve given you,” Lucky snapped.
    “Yeah,” Brick agreed. “According to the doctor, I could’ve bought myself a month—two at most—but I would’ve been going through chemo and shit in the meantime.” He shook his head. “That’s not the way I wanna go.”
    Lucky sucked in a breath. “I guess I can understand that.” Given the same diagnosis, he wasn’t sure he wouldn’t have made the same decision. “I’ll go figure out what to tell Dray and check on you later.”
    “I don’t need a damn babysitter,” Brick said with a huff. “Just have your ass back in here at eight in the morning and be prepared to work. We’ve only got one more day of training before we leave for Indianapolis.”
    “Fuck the fight,” Lucky stared at Brick. “The last thing you need to do is travel right now.”
    Brick narrowed his eyes. “If I gotta leave this world, I plan to go out a winner.”
    What the hell could Lucky say to that? “We’ll see.”
     
     

Chapter Three
     
     
     
    Dray wiped the excess ink from the tramp stamp he’d just finished on a twenty-three year old woman named Amber. The young lady had a pretty ass, but the sight of it did absolutely nothing for him sexually, which was why her boyfriend had insisted Dray do the tat.
    “Phone,” Manny, one of the artists, said over the partition.
    “Get a name and number and tell ’em I’ll call them back,” Dray replied without taking his eyes off the fresh ink. Tramp stamps, in general, weren’t his favorite, but the intricate tree he’d designed for Amber was more a lower back piece. At first she’d thought it would be too big, but after discussing it with Dray, she’d finally agreed.
    “It’s gorgeous,” Brad, Amber’s boyfriend, commented.
    “Yeah,” Dray agreed.
    “Hey, Dray, the guy on the phone said his name was Lucky and that you should call him as soon as possible.”
    Dray’s gaze shot to Manny. “Did he sound upset?”
    Manny nodded.
    “Shit.” Dray stopped admiring his own work and finished cleaning and bandaging the tattoo. “Manny’ll give you a sheet for aftercare, but I assume you already know the drill.” He pulled off his latex gloves and tossed them into the trash. Brad had been Dray’s client for several years and had a myriad of tattoos on his body. Evidently, Brad wasn’t bothered by Dray’s out and proud status, but a lot of guys were. Dray didn’t mind. He’d rather not work on the assholes anyway.
    “Yeah, I’ll make sure it’s taken care of.” Brad held out his hand. “You’re the best, man.”
    “Thanks.” Dray grabbed his phone off his worktable. “Sorry, but I need to return a call.”
    “Sure,” Brad said, letting Dray go.
    “Thanks,” Amber called, as Dray pushed open the door to the break room.
    Dray grabbed a bottle of water out of the refrigerator and pressed speed dial.
    “Hey, sorry for bothering you at work,” Lucky answered.
    “Don’t worry about it. I was about done anyway.” Dray dropped into one of the chairs that surrounded the small kitchen table they’d set up. “This about Brick?” It was the call he’d hoped would never come, but one he’d expected.
    “Yeah. Jax found a bloody towel in Brick’s bottom drawer. I confronted the old bastard, and he finally laid it all out. Cancer in his stomach