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

Garner arrived at the park that night feeling slightly confused. He had taken another half-pill near the end of his shift, so he was a bit insulated. On the other hand, he still felt anxiety mixed in with the excitement. What if Alonzo didn’t appear? What if it had, after all, been a fantasy, or delusion?


He sat on the bench, exactly where he had been before, and leaned back, trying to calm himself.


It was only about a minute later that he started—aware of someone sitting at the other end of the bench. Fighting a renewed reticence, Garner turned and looked. Taking in the dimly lit features he had come to adore so much, he felt a wash of relief that almost brought on tears. There was Alonzo, just like the previous evening: sitting motionless, looking straight ahead.


Garner waited for the man to turn and look at him, then unexpectedly broke the silence with a question that came out of nowhere.


Chapter 35