Garner working as a waiter at an upscale restaurant with a growing attraction to a man named Alonzo, who always asks to be put in his section for dinner. One night after work, the man is assaulted while trailing Garner. Garner goes to his aid, but is shot for his trouble.<br><br>Taking time off from work to recover, Garner is resting on a park bench when Alonzo suddenly appears at the other end of the bench. Garner never saw him approach. He asks why Alonzo is trailing him.<br><br>After some hesitation, Alonzo explains he wants to recruit Garner to help fight against others who systematically hunt people like himself. Garner isn’t inclined to get involved in anything dangerous, but he does finds Alonzo more and more attractive, so he agrees to consider the idea. As he learns more about Alonzo’s bizarre and dangerous subculture, what Garner really wants to know is whether Alonzo is romantically interested in him at all.

Call to Love

He groaned quietly and lowered his head as he walked. He didn’t likeconfrontations. He avoidedconflict. And yet tonight he had somehow become a willing participant in both.


He wondered if he had reacted so strongly because of his concern for the man at table twelve, his regular. An image of the man rose before him, and with it a rush of intoxicated appreciation. So beautiful—and mysterious!


This was unsettling, so he tried to be cynical. Certainly, he had found the guy attractive, and interesting. But so what? The man had not shown anyinterest in him as far as he could tell. And, there was his own history with relationships. They didn’t work.


Chapter 9