Final Encore (28 page)

we get there.”

“Oh, Jean, I’ve got to find Bily. I’ve made a huge

mistake. I’ve got to get to him.”

“Okay, honey, calm down,” Jean said. “We’l

meet you there; we’re about twenty minutes away.”

Ian said, “Jean, if you see Bily before I get there,

tel him I love him and I was so wrong.”

“Okay, honey, I wil.”

BUCK had a fuel can in each hand when he walked in

the door. He kicked the door shut with his right foot,

and it closed with a loud thud.

“What do we have here?” he said. “Are you

ladies awake?”

Tina was the first to speak. “Buck, please let me

go. I promise I won’t leave you.” She looked at Bily

with a pleading look and added, “I love you, Buck.”

“You don’t love me,” Buck shouted. “You want

to be away from me? Wel, you’l be as far away from

me as possible, very soon.”

Bily thought for a second before he spoke. He

knew the only chance they had to get out of this was to

convince Buck that Tina loved him and that he would

help her make it in the business.

“Buck, what’s this al about?”

“You know exactly what this is about, you little

queer.” Bily could see the hate in Buck’s eyes. “Al you

sick queers do is please yourself. You take whatever it

is you want at the time. Do you worry about anyone

else? Hel, no. Wel the buck, so to speak, stops here,

Bily. You’l take nothing away from anyone ever

again.”

“Buck,” Bily said in a very calm voice. “What

have I taken from you?”

“
What
?”

Buck

shouted.

“You’ve

taken

everything away from Tina and me. You took my

foreman job at the ranch. You took Tina’s chance for

success. And you ultimately took her away from me.”

“Buck, I didn’t know you wanted the foreman

job. I didn’t even know you then.”

“That wouldn’t have mattered. You wanted the

job and you didn’t care who you stomped on to get it.”

“As far as Tina’s career, I didn’t take it. She

performed at open mic night every month and she never

won. Why do you think I’m the one who took her

career away?” Bily pleaded.

Buck looked as if he thought Bily had a point, but

he quickly shook his head and said, “Don’t try to sweet

talk your way out of this, you little sissy, because it’s

not going to work.”

“Buck, if you let us go I’l do my best to help

Tina’s career. You know I have a record deal and the

label’s attention when it comes to talent. I promise you I

wil get Ian to help her as wel.” He knew this was a lie,

because Ian didn’t want anything to do with him, but he

said, “He used to be a talent scout, and he stil has

connections.”

“Too little too late,” Buck said. “Besides, Tina

never wanted to be a star. It was al me, always pushing

her. She knew she would never make it, and now I

know that as wel. She’s no use to me now.”

Buck picked up the first fuel can and poured

gasoline al around the inside perimeter of the cabin.

When the first can was empty, he poured the second

can around each of the beds and over the split-rail

fence posts across the room.

Looking around at his handiwork, Buck said,

“That should send you both up in a blaze of glory in no

time at al.”

Tina screamed, “No, Buck, please don’t do this,

please.”

Bily listened to her plead with Buck to let them

go, but he knew Buck had already made up his mind.

Just then, Bily remembered he’d left Jules a message

about the smoke alarms going off. He knew if Jules got

the message, he would head straight to the ranch.

Maybe there was hope.

I’ve got to give Jules time to get here
, he

thought.
I’ve got to stall
.

Bily took a deep breath and said, “Buck, you

know you won’t get away with this.”

“Says who?” Buck replied.

“We’l be missed,” Bily barked. “Besides, where

wil you go after you set the cabin on fire? Ian knows

you hate me, and I think Jules and Jean are on to you as

wel.”

“Who cares about your fairy boyfriend and those

other twits,” Buck snarled. “By the time they find your

ashes, I’l be long gone.”

Buck reached into his pocket, puled out a smal

box of matches, slid the box open, and puled out a

match.

“Wait,” Bily shouted.

“What now, sissy?”

“There are people looking for us right now,” he

yeled.

“Okay, queer boy, I’l bite,” Buck said. “Who’s

looking for you?”

“I left a message for Jules right after you caled

me, explaining about the smoke alarms and that I was

coming out here to help you. I’m sure he’s here right

now looking for us.”

“Oh realy,” Buck said. “Even if you did cal him,

which I seriously doubt, and even if he is looking for

you, he won’t have any idea where to look. And

besides, by the time he sees the flames, you both wil be

toast. Say goodbye, ladies,” Buck said as he struck the

match and held it in front of him.

IAN and Todd arrived at the ranch and saw Jules and

Jean running towards them. Jules had something in his

hand.

Ian got out of the car and ran to meet them with

Todd on his heels. Ian could see the stress on both of

their faces, even from a distance.

“What’s wrong?” Ian said. They looked at Todd.

Ian said, “This is Todd, a long story, but I’l explain it al

later. Now, what’s wrong?”

“Okay, honey,” Jean said. “We have problems.”

“What do you mean?” Ian asked with a quizzical

look.

“Don’t panic, honey,” Jean said. “But we found

this basebal bat in the barn, and it’s covered with

blood.”

Jules held the bat up for Ian and Todd to see.

Ian felt his knees about to give out. “Oh my

God,” he groaned as Todd and Jules caught him before

he hit the ground.

Ian took a second to right himself and said, “I’m

okay, but we need to find Bily
now
.”

“I’ve already caled the police and they’re on their

way. I don’t like this at al. This is my fault,” Jules said.

“I knew that guy was no good. Why did I keep him

around? If anything happens to Bily, I wil never forgive

myself.”

Ian heard the wail of sirens in the distance and

turned in the direction of the sound. Just over the hil he

saw the sky was iluminated.

“What’s that?” he screamed.

“Oh, my heavens,” Jean said.

“That’s the old cabin,” Jules replied.

Ian shouted Bily’s name. “Jules, Bily’s in that

cabin, I can feel it. He’s going to burn to death. We’ve

got to get up there.”

Jules told Jean to stay put and direct the police to

the cabin when they arrived. Jules, Ian, and Todd

jumped into Jules’s truck and sped in the direction of

the cabin.

When they arrived, the cabin was engulfed in

flames. The wals were burning halfway up the sides and

the fire was nearing the roofline. Ian jumped out of the

truck before Jules or Todd could stop him and burst

through the door of the cabin. Smoke filed the smal

room, and Ian dropped to the floor. He began caling

for Bily.

“I’m over here,” Bily yeled back.

“Bily, keep yeling so I can folow your voice,”

Ian shouted.

As Bily continued to cal Ian’s name, Ian crawled

his way to the bed. Ian immediately tried to lift Bily off

the bed, but he couldn’t.

“My hands and feet are tied to the bed,” Bily

yeled.

Ian fumbled with the rope that bound Bily’s

hands and soon got one free. The fire was raging, and

now the roof was totaly engulfed.

Ian and Bily heard Jules and Todd screaming for

them. The rafters were creaking and burning and about

to give way.

“Stay out of here, guys,” Bily shouted. “It’s too

dangerous; the roof is going to give.”

Ian freed Bily’s other hand and moved to his feet.

Bily stopped him and said, “Tina, get Tina.”

Ian didn’t understand what Bily was talking

about. Bily pointed to the other bed, and Ian saw a

woman lying on it. She wasn’t moving.

While Bily untied his feet, Ian started working on

getting Tina free.

Just then, Jules appeared and started to help untie

Tina.

As the last rope was untied, Jules lifted Tina off

the bed and headed back toward the door. Todd was

there to meet him. He took Tina and carried her to

safety. Bily and Ian folowed, and they barely reached

the door jamb when the roof gave way and imploded.

Jean and the police arrived at the inflamed cabin.

Jean jumped out of the squad car and ran to Jules.

“I’m fine,” Jules said. “Check on the boys.”

As the fire trucks were speeding up the hil, Bily

and Ian helped each other away from the burning cabin

and to safety.

The paramedics took Tina to the hospital with

minor burns and smoke inhalation but said they thought

she would make a ful recovery. Jules, Bily, and Ian al

had minor burns, but none of them would agree to go to

the hospital. Bily told the police the ful story, and they

put out an al points buletin for Buck and assured Bily

they would apprehend him before he crossed the state

line.

Ian and Bily walked away from the crowd arm in

arm, and Ian finaly broke the silence.

“I thought I’d lost you, Bily. I love you. Can you

ever forgive me?”

“I love you too, Ian. Can we go home now?”

Bily asked.

“Anything you want,” Ian replied.

WHEN al was said and done, Jules and Jean hugged

the boys and expressed their deep appreciation to

Todd for his help. Although they had a clue, they stil

didn’t know he was Ian’s Todd, but as far as they were

concerned, Todd was a man they could trust and there

would be time enough to get the ful story later.

Todd drove Bily and Ian back to Ian’s house.

During the entire ride home, Ian didn’t let Bily go. For

the first time in eight years, he had something to lose,

and he felt alive.

When they arrived, Bily went straight upstairs to

shower. Ian offered Todd the guestroom and gave him

some clean clothes. Ian went to the bedroom to shower

as wel and talk to Bily, but when he got to the door,

Bily was sound asleep on the bed.

Ian thought how exhausted and gorgeous he

looked. He grabbed some clothes, tiptoed to the

bathroom, and took a long, hot shower. This was the

first time he had to reflect on what had happened in the

last twenty-four hours. Even he had trouble believing

everything he now knew, but it was real, al of it was

real.

When Ian finished showering, Bily was stil

asleep. Ian tiptoed out of the bedroom and went

downstairs, where he found Todd sitting on the couch

with a beer in his hand.

“I hope you don’t mind,” Todd said, “but I

helped myself.”

“No problem, it’s the least I can do. Let me get

one and I’l join you,” Ian replied.

Ian returned from the kitchen with a cold beer

and sat on the couch next to Todd.

“What a day,” Todd said.

“You’re not kidding,” said Ian. “Todd, I stil can’t

believe the stuff our parents did to us. We’ve wasted so

many years hating each other. If we had just made the

effort to find one another, this could have al been

cleared up.”

“Do you think we didn’t make the effort because

we knew it wouldn’t last? Was it easier to hate each

other than work through the problems we would have

faced if we proceeded with the relationship?” Todd