Metamorphosis

By Timothy Lee

Kody Ramsy is a typical homophobic bully whose 24 years of life have been spent utilizing his fists instead of his mind. Hating gays is a hobby, a passion and a lifestyle, and his anger and blatant homophobia has gotten him to where he is today: nowhere. All that changes one day when he meets up with a man whose power is greater than his own - and the man is gay. That is when things begin to change for Kody whose eyes slowly begin to open, much to his dismay. Shortly after that, he leaves his job in a department store stockroom for a high-paid security position with a wealthy old man (who is also gay) and through a series of mind-expanding experiences Kody's metamorphosis begins. He is soon to discover some hidden gay tendencies within himself, and thus begins his journey to finding and accepting his true self. Kody is surprised to see that being gay is not as bad as he thought it would be. In fact, it is quite nice.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Timothy Lee
• Release date: Aug 3, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311557100

Timothy Lee

Timothy Lee was born in Concord, California, and raised in South Lake Tahoe, California. Eventually he migrated northward and finally settled down in Olympia, Washington, where he now resides with his two cats, Kodora and Koji. Timothy takes his yearly vacation to the Disneyland Resort where he is allowed to wear silly mouse ears hats and act like a 10 year old.

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Metamorphosis

Timothy Lee

Smashwords Edition

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Copyright 2015 Timothy Lee

Published by Smashwords

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

About the Author

Other Titles

Chapter 1

Kody Ramsey was mad. Again. Or still. Either way, he knew that it was only a matter of time before he blew sky high and began foaming at the mouth, throwing things around and generally exerting his authority over all other inferior human beings. Fortunately, recently exerting the energy to load a brand new washer and dryer onto a pickup truck helped to release some of that pent up pressure, but it was quickly building right back up to redline status.

The boss had been riding him hard all day. The department store in which he worked behind the scenes in the stockroom was doing phenomenal sales, today, forcing Kody to switch his normally-idle ass into work mode; a mode in which he was accustomed but was not today enjoying. Orders were coming across the work-desk printer fast and furious, allowing his tall skinny nerd of a weasel of a boss, Prentice Justice, the joy of treating Kody and his workmate and best friend, Jason Lockridge, like pack mules.

Granted, the majority of the items having to be fished off the high metal shelving via a portable ladder were lightweight and less-than-worthy of mention, let alone memorable at the end of a long day. There were, however, the heavier items that needed to be wrestled onto a cart and hand delivered to the awaiting vehicles on the loading dock. The forklift had been out of commission for a week, making their workloads that much more difficult - not to mention depriving Kody and Jason of a toy upon which they could play, drive recklessly throughout the stockroom and chase one another. Alas, the company was too cheap to rush any sort of repairs, thus remanding the heavier objects to elbow grease and brute strength.

Both Kody and Jason had the muscles to pull off the job, so that was not an issue. It was just that right now Kody wanted to go home. He did not necessarily hate his job, but due to today's workload and the boss' heavy-handed persistence, he wanted to kill Prentice, dispose of the body in a brand new freezer, walk off and call it a day. Anyplace was better than this one right now, especially knowing that he had some ice cold beer waiting for him in the fridge at home. It had been calling his name since lunch several hours ago and the nearer the clock drew to five the louder its voice in Kody's ears. Making it even more difficult to concentrate on his work was his need for some good old fashioned, non-technical, non-hectic, non-Prentice-barking silence. The stockroom had been bustling all day long and it was really getting on his nerves today - hence his bad mood.

Returning to the computer on the metal stand behind the desk near the double metal doors that led to the sales floor, Kody checked the printer for any new orders that might require yet another jaunt down the sizable and plentiful aisles of shelved merchandise. Finding nothing, he plopped himself down on the worn high-backed wooden office chair whose split red plastic cushion crackled beneath his weight. The coffee in his Styrofoam cup was cold and smelled like tar so he pushed it aside and placed his feet upon the desk, tilting the chair as far back as its squeaky hinge would allow.

This was the only way to work, he thought while knowing that the printer could at any minute spit out yet another order. This would require him to exert some energy and head back down the aisles, lit overhead by harsh fluorescent lighting that would be better tolerated with the use of sunglasses. Unfortunately, wearing dark glasses on the job was frowned upon for safety reasons. Kody would gladly have broken the rules just to exert his individualism and thumb his nose at authority had he not needed this job so much. His last few attempts to keep a job were ended by his quick temper which would bubble to the top at any moment and with such a red hot ferocity that, if those upon whom his ire was aimed did not stand back, they could very possibly become physically scorched.

Kody glanced down to his sturdy hands and balled them into tight fists briefly while admiring how they were loaded and ready for action should the occasion arise. Even so, he rarely had cause to use them. Kody had found that his quick temper, loud voice and verbal intimidation seemed to serve him well enough without the use of physical violence. This was unfortunate because Kody loved a good old fashioned fistfight. Certainly his work moving, carting and loading extremely heavy objects helped to build upon his already muscular physique, this adding yet another layer to his presence and intimidation. That would be the same physique that he showed off generously during summer months by wearing a tank top or even no shirt at all. Beneath the denim pants his legs were defined and toned, his arms thick and he was quite proud of his flat and rippled stomach. Indeed, Kody was a man; a man upon whom his twenty-four years of existence was spent successfully developing his body. His attitude, however, was another thing altogether. He was angry at the world, his boss, even the sales staff on the floor behind the metal doors. Admittedly, he was even angry at the dust upon the tabletop which was adding more dirt to his already filthy blue jeans.

Using a booted foot, he slid the brown chipped coffee cup containing pens and pencils aside, allowing him more room to stretch out his legs. Placing his hands behind his head, Kody closed his eyes and contemplated the rest period. Hell, he was getting paid for this so why not enjoy it while he could? Actually, when all was said and done, this was not a really bad place to work. Sure, he had to get up at the crack of dawn in order to catch the bus downtown to the store, and, yes, the boss was an asshole at times, but all in all the job was tolerable.

Holy fucking shit, Jason proclaimed as he burst through the doors from the sales floor, the untucked tail of his blue work shirt trailing behind him as if in a strong wind. Looking both excited and angry, he came to an abrupt standstill before the desk, his breath coming in short heaves. You won't believe what I just saw on the floor, man, he declared, raising a dark brown finger to the doors behind him.

I ain't in no mood for guessing games, Kody said flippantly, glancing up into the widened brown eyes that stared back down at him.

Come'ere, dude. You gotta see this for yourself, he prompted while gesturing with his right hand for Kody to get out of the chair.

Probably the very last thing that Kody wanted to do right now was to leave the seat upon which he had become so comfortable. Besides, unless this was some red-light emergency - like an order coming across the printer or the building catching on fire - he wanted to be afforded these sacred moments to sit on his butt.

Dude, get off your fucking lily-white ass and come on, Jason now demanded, shoving Kody's feet off the desk abruptly, forcefully.

Acquiescing to his friend's rather insistent request, though not liking it, Kody slowly rose and followed the man. Jason was only three inches taller than his own 5'10" frame, although to Kody it looked to be more than that from his perspective as he followed his friend out through the double doors. At this point, Jason stopped and looked around, as if to be scouting out his direction of travel. Finding an appropriate aisle; one laden with power tools, he forged ahead with Kody following behind.

At the end of this aisle Jason again ground to a halt and once more spied the territory before him with great anticipation. It was at this point that it once again struck Kody about his friend's blue shirt not being tucked inside his pants. This was a direct violation of the company's dress code and one for which he, himself, had been written up only three weeks ago. In the interest of overriding curiosity, however, he said nothing as he again followed the man, whose age trumped his own by one year, down the next aisle; this one sporting camping gear on either side.

With no advance warning, Jason unexpectedly ground to a halt at the light blue spotted linoleum crossroad, causing Kody to have to grab hold of a chain saw on display in order to catch himself before ramming into his friend. Kody then cast his eyes about, not knowing exactly what it was that he was supposed to be seeing.

Gazing out over the sea of washing machines, dryers, dishwashers and refrigerators, he initially determined that everything looked as it should, with the exception of himself and Jason; neither of whom were supposed to be on the sales floor at any time during business hours. On second glance, however, Kody zeroed in on a woman to the left in the stereo department who was looking and acting quite guilty, as if she had stolen something, or was on the verge of doing so. The beige handbag slung over her shoulder appeared as if it might be capable of concealing one of the more compact Blu-ray Disc players stacked below the display model - if not the display model itself.

Glancing ahead and finding Jason to be looking the opposite direction, Kody said, She's over there.

She? Jason said, his head turning in the direction indicated by Kody's upraised hand. What the fuck you talkin' about, man?

Now somewhat perplexed and disliking the bitter taste in his mouth of possibly having jumped the gun and assumed the wrong target, Kody balled up his fists if only as a reactionary response. "What the fuck you talking about, dude?"

Over there, Jason countered with a long slender finger pointed in the opposite direction.

This caused Kody to cast his dark blue eyes across the racks of men's clothing at the far left side of the store where several shoppers were browsing, one of them looking nearly as suspicious as the lady with the oversized purse. So? he asked somewhat bitterly.

That dude in the green shirt.

Spotting the young man slowly turning a rack of ties, Kody said, Yeah? What about him?

Fuck, man. You blind? Jason asked harshly with a quick turn to face his friend. He's a fucking fag. Just look at him.

This declaration immediately sparking Kody's interest, he again eyed the man with the short haircut and seemingly normal demeanor. What makes you think he's a homo? he asked while attempting to spot any obvious effeminate mannerisms in the man's motions - and thus far finding none.

I was over in Men's hittin' Belinda up and that faggot asked her about somethin' and I swear he sounded just like a little girl. Fuckin' faggot. Probably can't even throw a fuckin' ball.

Kody's dislike for the queer community, and queer men especially, was so intense that he instantly hated the man across the store, accepting Jason's judgmental word without question. After all, Jason had proven himself to be a genius at being able to spot that kind a mile away, his record unimpeachable. Therefore, his word was gold.

Showing no obvious signs of being a homosexual, the man in the green shirt continued to turn the round rack until finding a necktie that piqued his interest and plucking it off the metal peg for closer inspection. Again there were no peculiarities in his movements, looking just as ordinary and straight as Kody and Jason; two of the straightest men that ever walked the earth and damned proud of it.

Looks okay to me, Kody said, adding, C'mon, dude, if we're spotted on the floor it'll be our asses.

Relax, man. Prentice is in a meeting. Let's go over and have some fun with that fudge-packer, Jason said before heading across the main aisle to Men's.

With a mounting dislike for the young man in the green shirt, Kody followed quickly behind his friend while unsuccessfully determining how they might be able to harass the faggot without causing such a ruckus as to get his and Jason's butts fired. Still, the prospect of beating the guy to a pulp was enough to have both he and his friend rapidly closing in as they made their way around and through the many clothing racks, shelving units and cardboard displays.

Their target had, meanwhile, returned the necktie to the rack and was in the process of withdrawing another when he happened to glance up and spotted the two workers heading his way far too quickly to be that of casual employees. Kody took great joy in the rapidly growing expression of fear on the man's face right before he dropped the tie in his hand and turned to flee. This was a moment of great pride in Kody's life; a moment that he had cherished for years when confronting faggots. He hated those people with the heat of ten thousand white hot suns. They were an abomination, a mistake, a plague that needed to be eradicated and he and Jason had been placed on the planet in order to do justice to that ideal. They were the enforcers.

That's right, faggot! Run away! Jason called after the fleeing man. Fuckin' coward. Come back and fight like a fuckin' man when ya' grow some balls!

The two men stopped at the tie rack and watched the customer make his way hurriedly down the main aisle and out of the store before turning to one another, both wearing giant smiles. To Kody, this felt good. Damned good. The enemy had stepped foot on their territory and they confronted and eliminated the threat, this time without a physical confrontation. Several confrontations in the past had delivered their victims black eyes and bloody noses. This time was different, though, and in a way Kody felt somewhat empty in that the aspect of physical contact had been denied him. There was a deep gap inside that needed to be filled and this left him with sort of a hollow feeling.

Let's go after him and beat the crap outta him, Jason proclaimed. He had taken a single step before being stopped by Kody's grip upon his arm. What the fuck you doin', man?

You wanna keep your job? Kody asked. We leave the store and Prentice'll can both our asses.

I already told you, the fucker's in a meeting, Jason said, shaking off Kody's grip.

Yeah, but somebody else might rat us out. The faggot might complain and we'll be out of a job and I need this one. We got the asshole out of the store so we good.

Jason cast his eyes to the now-empty door at the far end of the aisle briefly before turning back to Kody. Yeah. Fuckin' cocksucker ain't worth it. Shit, I don't know why I waste my time on those homos. Damn, man, we could've nailed his ass to the wall in the parking lot.

Yeah, Kody replied, his mind reeling with assorted tortures for their victim, including, but not limited to, literally nailing the faggot to a tree. It was the threat of losing yet another job, however, that wrangled his mind back to the side of reason and sanity, causing him to turn and retrace their steps to the stockroom at the rear of the store.

Grumbling, Jason followed behind and the two crossed the main aisle and headed down the all-too-familiar aisle of camping equipment. Occasionally a recognizable word or phrase would slip out of Jason's mouth; Fuckin' faggot and Beat the living crap outta him, causing Kody to chuckle as his friend vocally mirrored his own disgust.

Passing into the next aisle of jigsaw and circular saws, their goal was now in sight and they were about to claim a victorious retreat behind the large swinging doors when all at once Prentice happened out from behind a shelving unit at the end of the aisle, blocking their path. As always, he looked like the consummate nerd with his thick black horn-rimmed glasses and greasy short black hair parted on the left. Hell, even the brown five o'clock shadow he maintained looked nerdly, although the ever-present bow tie spoke louder than any of his other features. His narrow nose seemed to be pleading with either Kody or Jason to slam a fist into it in order to broaden it, but that would end their employment in a big hurry.

Both men ground to a halt, Kody knowing immediately with an impending feeling of doom that their gooses were cooked. They had absolutely no reason to be on 'the floor', and as such, no plausible excuses could be offered.

What are you two doing out here? Prentice asked, folding his arms across his chest. His tall skinny frame was no match for the two muscled boys but his authority was unquestionably powerful.

Kody froze, and, lacking a believable excuse, found his mind turning to mush. Their gooses were definitely cooked - and all because of a stupid faggot. In light of their being caught, Kody figured that this was most definitely the straw that might break the camel's back. If he was fired, he was definitely going to hunt down that dirty ass-bandit in the green shirt and beat the living crap out of him, break a few ribs, perhaps a leg bone or two, and his jaw... and then he'd really get nasty!

Brady needed us to move something for him, Jason lied, stepping up before Kody.

The good news was that Jason was a rather large, rather dark, extremely intimidating man. The scruffy black beard that ran beneath the chin-line and pencil-thin mustache gave him a very menacing look, if the piercing dark brown eyes were not enough to make any thinking human back down immediately. The bad news was that Prentice, who was about 6 inches shorter than him, yielded a much higher authority. Therefore, he showed absolutely no signs of fear whenever being confronted by Kody's friend. Prentice ran a tight ship in the stockroom and the rules were strictly enforced, regardless of Jason's size and intimidation.

Looking between the two, Prentice peered across the floor in an apparent and futile attempt to locate the salesman in question, who Kody knew to be off this day. The lie would stick only if Prentice did not follow up on Brady's alleged request for help and it was Kody's hope that this incident would go unchallenged.

Well, Prentice said, again looking over the employees in his charge, get back in the stockroom where you belong.

Sure, man. You da' boss, Jason said and led Kody back through the swinging metal doors, all the while chuckling to himself (though loudly enough that Kody could hear him).

Once in the safety of the back room, the two men began laughing off the fear of actually having been caught outside of their allotted territory. It was a stupid rule, anyway, but Kody rationalized that the store apparently needed to keep up appearances by excluding those who may not look professional enough but actually lifted a finger around the place.

Kody again settled in the chair, lifting his legs upon the desk, still chuckling. Jason, however, began pacing before the desk anxiously, looking antsy and periodically glancing out to the open bay door through which a bright ray of sunshine was spilling upon the marred gray concrete floor. It appeared to Kody as if he was attempting to decide whether or not to go back and have a face-off with Prentice. That was quickly ruled out, however, due to the fact that the boss was in the store, not outside the loading dock where Jason's eyes continually drifted.

Quickly turning back, Jason told Kody, Hold down the fort, man. With this declaration he darted across the cement floor, disappearing as he jumped off the dock to the drive below and quickly bolted to the right.

Left with his own theories as to why his friend had disappeared so quickly, Kody remained in place pondering over the only rational conclusion: Jason was so mad that he needed some space in order to calm himself down. It was not the first time Jason had needed a cooling-off period and would most certainly not be his last. The man did have a short fuse so this seemed the only rational course of action for him. This left Kody to load refrigerators and other heavy appliances, beds and furniture, heavy shelving and the like by himself, should the printer come alive again. Unfortunately, he knew through experience that, lacking the mechanical lift, most of the heavier and bulkier items needed the muscle of two men.

As luck would have it, just then the printer was heard from behind. Kody slowly leaned back, threw an arm over the black woolen cap he wore on his head and grabbed the order off the device as soon as it was through printing. Hoping that it would be one of the lesser items; a lamp, small chair or table saw, Kody was disappointed to note the order claiming the need for him to load a freezer onto whatever vehicle might be appearing in the loading bay at any minute. This was not one of the lesser chest freezers, it was a 21 cubic foot upright and those suckers were heavier than hell! This was definitely a job for two, but with Jason gone Kody was going to be forced to try to wrangle the heavy cardboard boxed appliance onto the dolly and then load it on the vehicle by himself.

In his mind he figured that the odds of this order coming through when Jason had decided to abandon him were astronomical. Still, the more he thought about it as he headed down one aisle of tall metal shelving, kicking the flat dolly ahead of him as he went, the more he reasoned that Murphy's Law had come into play. This angered him. Angering him even more was the fact that he had less than fifteen minutes before quitting time and he was being made to fill such a large order at the end of his shift when he was tired. Kody wanted to slide through the remainder of the day, go home, drink a few beers and have dinner. Unfortunately, that would only happen after some back-breaking work with one of the heaviest appliances in the store. His luck took an even darker turn when Prentice pranced up to him from behind and demanded to know where Jason was and why he was not helping.

Thinking quickly, Kody told him that his working partner was in the john with diarrhea, a statement that brought a sour expression to Prentice's face. Rather than offering any physical assistance, the boss instructed Kody to get back to work and then stood with his arms folded across his chest. Supervising.

Now more pissed than ever, Kody continued down the necessary aisle with the printer paper in hand, grumbling under his breath as to how he was going to eliminate the boss's limp mangled body without being blamed for the death. After all, Kody predicted silently, nobody would miss the nerd, least of all Mrs. Nerd (or whatever woman was unfortunate enough to be dating him) who would undoubtedly thank Kody for eliminating the sorry-ass man once and for all.

With a great deal of effort, he managed to slide the boxed appliance onto the dolly, though almost tipping it over twice, and wheeled it to the open bay door where a small pickup truck awaited. The driver, a slender young woman, waited aside the truck. He greeted her pleasantly (this being more of a job-saving maneuver due to Prentice's continual and annoying presence) and then carefully lowered the freezer down on its side, a formidable task considering its weight and bulk. From there it was a matter of transferring it to the truck bed, which was actually made a bit easier by sliding it off the dolly and onto its new home.

Kody offered to tie it down after she provided some rope from within the cab, and then secured it while noting her perfume as he neared the woman. He knew that this was supposed to turn men on, but although it did smell exotic and feminine it really did very little for Kody. Naturally, being a straight man he assumed that it was expected of him to throw this woman to the ground and have his lusty way with her – maybe even drag her back to his cave by her hair. Sadly, with the mood he was in the allure of an available female was lost on him. Well, that and the fact that he did not find the slender woman to be all that attractive. He was still searching for just the right girl to come along, settle down with and start life on the sexual track. At the slow rate he was going this dream threatened to take a lifetime, but Kody assured himself that his time was coming.

She thanked him sweetly and then slowly drove off, leaving Kody to hop back upon the cement stockroom floor. Seemingly satisfied, Prentice nodded slightly, pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, turned and headed back to the sales floor. Kody glanced to the large round clock hanging on the wall behind the desk, noting that he had about two more minutes until quitting time. This made him smile while simultaneously casting the printer a deep dark glare, daring it to make him stay over to load a fucking refrigerator or bed and box spring or bulldozer or cruise ship. With only two minutes left he would gladly break the damned printer into a million pieces, and then hunt down the asshole salesman who dared make a sale so near to five o'clock.

Cornering the desk, he was about to plant himself in the chair again when he noted Jason round the tall brick wall separating the loading bay ramp from the parking lot. Kody stood with his hands on his hips, ready to let his friend have it for leaving him with such a monumental task. As Jason approached, though, Kody noticed more than had first met the eye. His friend's hands and blue work shirt were covered in blood, the liquid on his hands shining in the sunlight indicating its freshness.

Jason jumped up to the loading dock. You don't know shit, man, he proclaimed. I'm washing my hands and goin' home.

What the fuck happened to you? Kody asked, while entertaining humorous ideas of his friend having fallen down a flight of stairs.

Fucker had it comin' to him, he said sharply before heading back to the small bathroom beside the doors leading to the showroom.

This statement was quickly decoded and without hesitation Kody raced to the bay door, jumped down to the vehicle ramp and charged up the slight incline. Rounding the brick wall he had every expectation of finding a bloody victim against the opposite side. Noting nothing unusual, he continued his search at top speed, catapulting himself around the side of the building by grabbing hold of the concrete post and swinging himself to the right. Again he saw nothing unusual and at that point he began to wonder if maybe his friend actually had fallen down some stairs. After all, Jason was worked-up from the encounter with Prentice so it was entirely plausible that he had not noticed a staircase in time to react or stop himself. The biggest problem was that there were no stairs in the vicinity. None whatsoever. Plenty of curbs but no stairs. Had Jason tripped over a curb and fallen? That was possible, although it did not support Jason's words about some 'fucker having it coming to him'.

All at once, Kody heard what sounded like a soft distressed voice in the distance. He stopped and listened, again aware of the weak voice, although this time a little clearer without his boot steps hindering his hearing. The third time he was able to verify the direction from which it was coming and he began crossing the parking lot, peering between parked cars as he went.

It was about the fifth or sixth parking space, between two SUV's, where he found the source of the sound and Kody stopped cold and stared down in disbelief. Laying upon the ground was the man who had been looking at ties in the store not more than ten minutes ago. His green shirt was torn and bloody, his face, chest, arms and hands were bleeding. This was Jason's work, no doubt about it.

Holy fuck, Kody muttered quietly, his widening eyes taking in the extent of the man’s injuries. Simultaneously, he was angered that he had not been a part of the carnage.

The victim looked up to Kody through blackened, swollen and half shut eyes and asked for help in a pitiful and weak limp-wristed voice, but help was not to come. At least not from Kody whose first inclination was to start kicking the hell out of this pansy, maybe even kick the 'gay' right out of him. It was a sudden rush of fear that stopped him. If he did anything to add to the problem then he would become involved and that could, without question, put a stop to his employment (and his freedom) in one hell of a hurry.

Taking a single step forward, Kody looked down to the pitiful excuse of a human being and now felt a certain emotional pride of superiority come over him. This faggot had chosen his lifestyle and, thus, deserved to suffer. No, he deserved to die, and seeing as how Jason had begun the job Kody figured it was up to him to finish it, but it would have to be done in such a way as not to be fingered as a party to the assault. At the very least he could kick at the man's foot harshly and inflict enough pain that he would cry out in agony. Perhaps Jason had broken the fairy's leg as well which would make the pain that much worse - that was good. Break every fucking bone in the fudge-packer's body and make him think twice about sleeping with another man again.

Going against his baser instincts, though, Kody merely shook his head. You asshole. I should finish you off... he began before realizing that if he were spotted right now he could be held solely responsible and consume the full weight of the crime, himself. Therefore, it was infinitely better that he curb his temper and just walk away. I hope you die, fuckin' faggot, he said before spitting in the man's face and hurrying away.

Chapter 2

Following work, Kody headed directly over to Jason's place to congratulate him on a job well done, only to find that his friend was not home. Either that or he was locked inside the apartment with all the lights out and the curtains drawn. Considering what had transpired earlier, the absence came as no great surprise to Kody. Finally giving up on pounding and yelling at the front door, he walked the few blocks back to his own apartment where he could ponder and worry about the day's events in the privacy of his space without Prentice interrupting and barking orders.

The guy who Jason had pulverized in the parking lot earlier most definitely deserved his fate and it seemed to Kody that his friend should be proud of his accomplishment, not hiding from the world. Granted, the law might have a differing opinion, but to Kody's way of thinking Jason should