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

Returning his attention to the people, he decided to choose a single person and focus exclusively on them. He had to fight a certain reticence; he never liked to intrude on people’s space. He chose a man in his forties, in a tie, probably a businessman. When he focused on the man, he saw the guy shrug his shoulder irritably, whereupon Garner immediately shifted his gaze.


He shifted his attention to a twenty-something woman. She wore shoes with something of a heel, and was dressed to show her rather pleasing figure—not ostentatiously, but decidedly. When he focused on her face, he saw slight facial movements. She frowned, and shook her head slightly, as if driving away a fly. Again, he withdrew.


Chapter 33