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

“Could I walk you home?” the man asked.


They left the square, heading down one of the sidewalks in the direction of Garner’s apartment. After they had been walking several minutes, Garner stopped and faced his companion, whom, he noticed, stopped at exactly the same instant—a fact that momentarily took him aback. But he shook his head and gathered his thoughts.


“I’m sorry,” he said. “But I don’t know your name.”


“Alonzo,” Garner repeated the name, savoring its sound. “I’m Garner,” he said and held out his hand.


They shook, Garner savoring the odd, but wonderful sensation produced by physical contact with this beautiful man. He held onto the other’s hand rather longer than necessary.


They resumed their walk, and Garner felt a sense of pleasant companionship from walking side by side with Alonzo. He had never felt anything quite like it before. It felt, quite simply, profoundly right


Chapter 30