Man in the Middle [Wolf Creek Pack 9] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour ManLove)

by Stormy Glenn

  Taylor couldn’t let Chase know how much he was affected by the man’s mere presence. He wanted to throw himself into Chase’s arms and wail at the world, to have Chase comfort him and tell him that everything would be okay. He wanted Chase to be the strong one so that he could fall apart.

  But he knew he couldn’t. Giving in to the tumultuous emotions racing through him wasn’t an option that he had. Justin was still out there somewhere, and he needed rescuing. Taylor couldn’t rest until he found his lover and brought him home.

  “I can’t claim you or Justin, Taylor. It’s too dangerous.”

  Taylor didn’t know what to say to that. Chase had never shared anything about his life with either him or Justin. They knew nothing about the shifter except that he was their mate. And suddenly, Taylor wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

  “Fine, you can’t claim us.” Taylor yanked his arm out of Chase’s grasp and backed away. “Message received loud and clear.”

  Taylor heard Chase’s loud sigh and tried not to let it affect him. He didn’t have the extra emotion to expend on Chase, not when Justin was missing. His entire world revolved around finding the man he loved.

  Chase was on his own.

  “We need to talk about this, Taylor.”

  “No, we don’t.” Taylor had no intention of listening to anything that Chase had to say, not anymore. Yesterday, if Chase had started talking, Taylor would have been all ears. But that was yesterday, before Taylor’s world fell apart.

  Now, he just didn’t care.

  Taylor rubbed his hand over his face as he sniffled. Okay, he did care, but he didn’t want to care. Every time he looked at Chase, or even thought about him, he remembered the overwhelming fear he felt when Justin didn’t come home.

  There were very few times in his life when he had been nearly paralyzed with fear. When the Teacher had discovered that he and Justin were lovers and made his demands. When the Teacher had confronted Nate and Taylor had stabbed the man in the back. And, when he sat on the bed all night long and waited for Justin to come home, only to realize that he wasn’t.

  Taylor never wanted to experience that type of fear again. It was agonizing, like his entire world depended on one little man. Justin loved him. Taylor knew that. But he didn’t think Justin understood how much Taylor actually needed him. Taylor’s entire world was Justin. The emptiness inside his chest felt like a gaping hole had opened up. He wanted Justin back. Taylor felt like he couldn’t breathe without the small man at his side. He wanted his world back.

  He had thought for a while that Chase might be brought into that world, but now he knew differently. Whatever hang-ups Chase had, it was enough to keep the man from claiming either Taylor and Justin.

  Fine.

  Chase didn’t need him.

  Taylor would learn to live with that if he had to. He couldn't learn to live without his angel.

  “Have you found anything?” Taylor asked as he walked into Joe’s office. The sheriff was on the phone, putting out an all-points bulletin on Justin and calling in favors from all over the state to try and locate Justin.

  Nate’s eyes were filled with sadness when he turned to look at Taylor, slowly shaking his head. “No, I’m sorry, Taylor. There’s been no word.”

  Taylor’s shoulder slumped. He was starting to think that he would never find Justin, and then what would happen to him? He had nothing without Justin—no purpose in life, no happiness, and no chance of ever touching heaven again.

  “Thank you,” Taylor whispered.

  He knew his friends were doing everything that they could to find Justin. Nate, at least, understood the things that Taylor had done to keep Justin alive, and he had forgiven Taylor. Not everyone had.

  There were still people that avoided him or left the room when Taylor walked in. He tried not to let it show how much it hurt when people ignored him or pretended he wasn’t there, but Nate knew. Nate always knew. That was his ability.

  “We’ll find him, Taylor.”

  “And if we don’t?” Taylor asked softly. “What then?”

  Taylor was pretty sure he would find the nearest cliff and gratefully throw himself right over the edge. Without Justin, he really did have nothing. No one to care for, no reason to go on living. He’d be an empty husk without Justin’s love to fill him up.

  “I need to know exactly what happened,” Chase said, reminding Taylor that the man had followed him into the room.

  Taylor turned toward the window, staring out into the dawning light. “Go away, Chase.”

  He yelped when he was suddenly grabbed and spun around, Chase leaning down right in his face.

  “Now you listen to me, Taylor Foyt, and you listen well. I didn’t claim you or Justin because it wouldn’t be safe for either of you if I did. It had nothing to do with how much I want you both. But that same danger may be the key to finding Justin. I need to know everything you know so I can bring him home.”

  Taylor’s teeth rattled as Chase shook him, the man’s face scarier than Taylor had ever seen. It wasn’t something he never wanted to see again either. And it terrified Taylor that it was aimed in his direction.

  “Do you understand me?”

  Taylor nodded slowly. “What danger?”

  Chapter 4

  The urge to draw Taylor into his arms was overwhelming. Chase's arms actually ached to feel his mate in them. And as much as he wanted to, Chase knew he needed to keep a distance between them. It would be too easy to let Taylor and Justin into his life.

  And they would be in danger.

  And fuck if he wasn’t sick of the danger. Chase wished it would all go away so he could claim the pair. He knew how frustrated his mates were, but their frustration wasn’t as strong as Chase’s.

  The chances were too great that someone from his past would find out about Taylor or Justin and seek to hurt Chase by hurting one of his mates. Chase had tried to look at every angle, anything that would make it safe for him to claim Taylor and Justin, but he never found a solution. Any way that he looked at it, they ended up hurt.

  “It’s just better that you don’t know, Taylor.” Chase turned away from Taylor’s eyes, eyes that begged for an explanation. He didn’t have one that he could give. “Just tell me everything you know.”

  “Justin is gone.”

  “I know that, Taylor. What else do you know?”

  “Nothing,” Taylor cried out. “Don’t you get it, I don’t know anything. He left to go run some errands, and he never came home. That’s it. That’s all I know.”

  Fuck!

  The tension growing in Chase’s body settled in the back of his neck, and no matter how hard he rubbed, it wouldn’t go away long enough for him to piece the puzzle together. All he could think about was who might have his sweet little mate.

  Chase jerked when he felt another set of hands brush his out of the way and then start kneading his tight muscles. And then Taylor’s aromatic scent filled his senses. Chase groaned and dropped his head forward, allowing the light touch, needing it even if it was just for a moment.

  He had been denying himself the touch of his mates, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to keep himself from claiming them if they got to close. But just for a second, he wanted that closeness.

  When his body started to sink into the feeling of Taylor touching him, Chase straightened and stepped away. If he allowed the touch to go on longer, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from claiming Taylor, and then both of his mates would be in trouble.

  “Thank you, Taylor,” he said to lessen the disappointment on the man’s face. “Can you answer a few other questions for me?”

  Taylor pressed his lips together but nodded.

  “Did he take anything with him?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Didn’t you say he had a small bag with him, Taylor?” Nate asked.

  “Yes!” Taylor swung away from looking at Nate when he spoke and back to Chase. “He had a small bag with him.”

  “How sma
ll?” Chase asked, latching on to the bit of information. “Like purse little or overnight bag little?”

  “Justin uses a backpack as his carryall. He keeps a spare set of clothes in there along with his medication, some bottled water and juice, and snacks. He always has it on him.”

  “Is that the bag he took with him?”

  “Yeah.” Taylor’s eyebrows scrunched together. “But it looked fuller than it normally did, like he had put something else in it. I didn’t think about it at the time because Justin always has his bag with him. He puts everything in it.”

  Taylor looked up when Chase walked toward him.

  “Listen to me, Taylor, is there any way that Justin could have left of his own free will?”

  “No!” Taylor snapped. “Why would he do that?” Taylor suddenly bent over and wrapped his arms around his stomach. “Oh, gods.”

  “What, baby?” Chase asked as he dropped to his knees and then smoothed the hair back from Taylor’s face. “What is it?”

  “He left me,” Taylor whispered. Chase caught him as his legs gave out. “He left me.”

  “Taylor—”

  “Now, I have no one.”

  Chases heart shattered, and his gut clenched at the agonizing pain in Taylor’s eyes. He had never seen anyone look so dejected or lost, and he had seen some horrors in his life. Taylor’s eyes were haunted as his entire body almost shook apart.

  “You have the pack,” Chase pointed out and then regretted his words when Taylor slowly lifted his head and stared at him with something close to empty eyes. Chase’s blood ran cold.

  “I. Have. No. One.” Taylor pushed from his arms. Chase knelt on the floor and felt overwhelming pain enter his body at Taylor’s words. “You drove away the only reason I had to be happy.”

  Chase watched helplessly as Taylor walked out of the room. Fuck! It wasn’t supposed to be this way. It wasn’t…Chase growled, unsure how he expected things to be. He had pushed them away, dodging their every advance. But he had good reason, damn it.

  Pushing to a standing position, Chase followed after Taylor. He knew he had to get the man to come to some sort of middle ground. They had to set aside what was going on between them and find Justin. Just the thought of the small man out there alone made Chase’s wolf howl in anger and fear.

  “Taylor.”

  “Boy,” Taylor said as he spun around at the kitchen sink. “First, I couldn’t get you to come anywhere near us, and now I can’t get your sorry ass to leave. If I had known treating you like shit would have brought you running to our side, I would have treated you like a doormat months ago.”

  “Taylor!”

  “What do you expect from me, Chase? Am I supposed to fall into your arms because you are here and willing to help?” Taylor let go of an undignified snort. “Sorry, buddy, but my days of chasing behind you are over.”

  Chase was across the room in under a second, grabbing Taylor around his arms. “You’ll never understand, Taylor. But I’m not expecting you to. Let’s put our differences aside and work together to find Justin. After that, you can forget all about me, and you and Justin can live a long and happy life together.” And those words were the hardest thing Chase had ever said in his life. He didn’t want his mates to forget about him. He didn’t want them to go on without him.

  But he had no choice if he didn’t want them hurt.

  “Fine,” Taylor said as he slung his arms out to his sides, breaking Chase’s hold. “We’ll find Justin together. And after that, I never want to see your face again, Chase.”

  Chase knew he would always remember the exact moment his heart died. It was right here, right now, in this very kitchen as Taylor’s words sank in and he stared at Chase with so much hate in his pale-blue eyes that Chase’s very soul shattered.

  “Then we need to go.” Chase turned, walking out of the kitchen and feeling as if he would never be warm again.

  His mate hated him.

  It was what he deserved after everything he had put them through, and it was all in the name of protecting them. He headed for the front door, praying he could find Justin, and praying he wouldn’t curl up somewhere and die from the pain in his heart right now.

  He slid into his truck and started the motor, watching as Taylor stiffly walked around the truck and got into the passenger’s side, not saying a word as he buckled himself into place. This was going to be one frosty-ass ride. His mate’s eyes were narrowed in anger, but Chase could see the underlying hurt in them as well.

  “Where should we start?” Chase asked.

  Taylor gazed out of the window for so long that Chase wasn’t sure the man was going to answer him. He finally shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess we could start with the bus terminals or the train station.”

  “He would leave town?” Chase asked.

  “I’m not sure what’s going on in Justin’s head right now. He won’t let me in.”

  Chase nodded as he tossed his arm over the back of the seat and pulled the truck from the driveway. He put it in gear and headed down to the bus terminal. When he pulled into the parking lot of the bus terminal, Taylor jumped out before Chase even brought the truck to a complete stop.

  “Taylor!” Chase shouted as he turned the engine off and then jumped out of the truck and took off after the man. He caught up with Taylor just as the man reached the main doors. “Taylor, damn it, slow the fuck down.”

  “You fucking slow down,” Taylor snapped as he yanked his arm free and stormed into the bus depot.

  Chase rolled his eyes and followed. He could see the middle ground was going to be somewhere in the arctic from the way Taylor was acting. He was being so cold that Chase was getting frostbite.

  At least when they got inside, Taylor seemed to be willing to work as a team. He took one side of the room while Chase took the other. The checked the entire main room, the bathrooms, and a utility closet. They searched the food court and the vending area. They even checked the outside of the terminal where the buses parked.

  Nothing.

  No one had seen Justin.

  Chase waited by the main doors as Taylor caught up with him. “Train station?”

  Taylor shrugged and headed out, looking more downtrodden with every step. Chase’s heart went out to the man. He knew exactly what it felt like to lose someone close to him. He had lost both of his mates in his quiet campaign to keep them safe.

  “We’ll find him, Taylor.” Chase tried to reassure his mate. He hated to see Taylor look so distraught.

  “Will we?” Taylor asked in a deadpan voice. “How? He’s fallen off the face of the earth, Chase. It’s like he just disappeared. There’s no sign of him. If he did indeed leave of his own free will, then where in the hell is he? He couldn’t have gone far without someone seeing him. And it’s not like he is easily overlooked. He’s too beautiful to be missed.”

  Yes, he was. Justin was breathtaking, but so was Taylor. Chase just couldn’t understand how Taylor couldn’t see that. Both men were gorgeous in Chase’s eyes.

  “If we can’t find him by looking tonight, I have a few favors I can call in.”

  “Favors?” Taylor’s head swung around as his eyes narrowed to tiny slits. “You can call in help and you haven’t already? What in the hell is wrong with you? Justin is out there all alone. We need to find him anyway that we can.”

  “Taylor, it’s not that simple.”

  “The hell it’s not!”

  Chase sighed deeply. “You don’t understand.”

  “I’m getting really fucking tired of you saying that.”

  “And I’m getting really fucking tired of you yelling at me all of the time!” Chase knew that was the wrong thing to say almost instantly when Taylor’s eyes narrowed. Or maybe it was the wrong tone. He had shouted it at Taylor. But he was getting fucking tired of being yelled at. There were things at play here that neither Justin or Taylor understood.

  “Look, Taylor, there are things about me that you don’t understand.” Chase ignored the
small snort that came from Taylor. “And I’m not in a position where I can explain them to you. Needless to say, both you and Justin would be in grave danger if word got out that you were my mates. I can only use these favors as a last resort, and believe me, the second I feel I need to, I will. But I’m hoping we find Justin first.”

  “Wouldn’t it just be easier to cut out the drama and call in some favors now and find Justin?”

  Chase chuckled, although he felt anything but amused. “You would think so, wouldn’t you? But no, once I call in these favors, it will start the wheels turning on something I can’t stop.”

  “Can you for once just stop speaking in riddles?”

  Chase growled as he turned to face Taylor. The man was standing there with his hands clenched into fists, his face wrinkled with anger lines. Chase sighed and rubbed his hand over his face, and then started walking toward the truck.

  There was no way he could explain to Taylor what was going on. He really didn’t think the man would understand. He suspected that the second he gave his secret away, Justin and Taylor would demand that he claim them despite the danger.

  Or they would look at him like a monster and demand he get the hell away from them and never speak to either man again. He wasn’t sure at the moment which outcome he would prefer. Chase just knew he was becoming bone weary trying to keep his secrets from his mates. They just didn’t understand how great the danger was.

  Chase hoped they never did.

  Even if that made him out to be a complete asshole. As long as Taylor and Justin were safe, nothing else mattered. Except Justin wasn’t safe, and Chase didn’t know if the man had left on his own or had been kidnapped. And that scared Chase almost as much as the idea of never having the two sweet men as his own.

  Chase climbed into his truck and slammed the door closed, anger over his inability to claim the two men riding him hard. He went to turn on the engine but let his hand fall as he leaned back in the seat and stared out the front window. He was sunk so deep right now that maybe it didn’t matter if his enemies knew where he was.