Freeing Zane (Barretti Security Series, Book 4)

by Sloane Kennedy

  Dear Mr. Devereaux,

  I have recently learned what a terrible thing my husband had been doing to you since we lost Blake. While I cannot excuse what he did, I hope you will understand that he did it out of grief. As you know, Blake was our only child and he and his father were very close. We knew Blake was sick from a very early age but it wasn’t until he turned eighteen that he was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. I will not bore you with all the details of his illness but I do want you to know that you weren’t the first man he became obsessed with and he tried on three other occasions to take his own life. We tried many times to get him the help he needed but every time he got better, he believed himself to be cured and stopped taking the medication that he so desperately needed. We knew in our hearts that it would just be a matter of time before we lost him to his disease.

  I am deeply sorry for the harm my husband’s actions undoubtedly caused. Like Blake, he too is finally at peace now and as I lay the past to rest, I hope you will do the same. Blame does nothing but cause more pain and I think we have all had enough of that to last a lifetime.

  Victoria Thomas

  “Did Blake tell you he was Bipolar?” Connor asked as he folded the letter back up.

  Zane shook his head. “No, but it makes sense now. He was up one day, down the next. Most of the time there was just no way to know what side of Blake you were going to get.”

  “Does it help?” Connor asked.

  Zane took the letter and nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, it does,” he said as he leaned down to brush a kiss over Connor’s lips. “Have I told you today that I love you?”

  “Only a half a dozen times or so,” Connor murmured just before Zane’s tongue licked over the seam of his lips.

  “I guess I’ll have to find some way to make it up to you tonight,” Zane whispered as he continued to tease Connor with half-kisses. “Any thoughts on that?”

  “A few,” Connor replied. “Make sure you’re wearing your tool belt.”

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  Epilogue

  Six months later

  “You nervous about tomorrow?” Zane asked as he reached across the console to hold Connor’s hand.

  “A little,” Connor admitted. “My professors seem pretty cool and they were all really understanding. They said I could get up in front of the class and explain my condition to my classmates if I want to.”

  “You’re going to do great,” Zane said.

  It was in the weeks following Brennan and Hannah’s joining their family that Connor had finally accepted that bartending wasn’t the future he wanted and he’d had a long, heartfelt conversation with Mags about stepping away from the bar. Mags’ only condition had been that Connor bring Zane and the kids by regularly for dinner and visits, which he’d readily agreed to as long as she promised not to make him eat her Haggis anymore.

  Zane knew that one of the hardest things Connor had ever had to do was to accept that Zane would provide the initial financial support for their family while Connor pursued his career as an educator. Connor had remained adamant that he would never be comfortable teaching small children but he’d had the opportunity to talk to the principal and several teachers at the school where Dom Barretti’s sister-in-law taught and none of them had seen any issues with Connor teaching older students who would be able to react appropriately if Connor did have an episode. While it would take time for Connor to get his degree, the principal had offered him a part-time job as a teaching assistant for fifth grade students starting the following semester.

  The biggest change had come when Connor finally agreed to let Zane pay for a new prosthesis but his condition had been that he would pay Zane back. Zane hadn’t bothered to point out that Connor would just be paying himself back since everything Zane had belonged to Connor as well. In truth, Zane would have said and done anything to finally see Connor move without pain.

  Zane’s own career had taken a dramatic shift after he’d dealt with Brennan and Hannah’s custody issues. Switching his practice to family law had somehow seemed like the most natural thing to do and while he’d never get rich doing it, it was a hell of a lot easier to sleep at night. The best part of his job was that he got be an advocate for kids who otherwise wouldn’t have anyone and while he couldn’t save them all, he made sure that each kid he worked with knew he was there for them and he did everything in his power to make sure they didn’t get lost in the same system that had taken so much from him.

  “Are we going to my school?” Connor asked as he recognized the neighborhood where the school he would be teaching at was located.

  “Not quite,” was all Zane said as he drove past the school and turned down the very next road. The houses that lined the quiet street were modern but not overly flashy. He pulled into the driveway of the last house before the cul-de-sac and got out.

  “Whose house is this?” Connor asked.

  “Ours hopefully,” Zane said. “If you like it, that is.” Connor’s eyes widened as he turned back to look at the large blue house. “It’s within walking distance of the school and the bus stop is at the end of the block,” Zane added. He’d been surprised to learn that Connor had actually owned a car at one point before they met but that he had decided that he didn’t want to risk potentially hurting others if he had an episode while driving and had opted to rely on public transportation instead.

  “It’s beautiful,” Connor murmured as he walked farther up the driveway. “Is it a duplex?” he asked as he saw the separate entrances.

  “It is. You think Mrs. Finney will like her side?” Zane asked as he pointed to the slightly smaller part of the house that had a single car garage and a small porch by the entryway.

  Connor smiled. “I don’t know. Does it have a working toilet and a rain shower showerhead?”

  Zane laughed and pulled Connor into his arms. “It will by the time she moves in.” He trailed his fingers down Connor’s face. “Our side has four bedrooms. Just in case.”

  “Just in case what?” Connor said as his hands slipped around Zane’s waist.

  “Just in case we turn out to be good at this whole dad thing,” he said softly before brushing a chaste kiss over Connor’s mouth. He felt Connor sigh just before he leaned his head against Zane’s chest.

  ***

  “Hannah go down okay?” Connor asked as he put his toothbrush back in the holder.

  “She’s nervous about tomorrow,” Zane said.

  Connor watched Zane’s reflection in the mirror as Zane walked into the bathroom and then closed the door behind him. That move, along with the way Zane was staring at his ass, had Connor staying exactly where he was. “She couldn’t figure out what she’s supposed to wear for her first day. Apparently fashion is all the rage in pre-school these days,” Zane said dryly.

  Connor laughed but the sound died a quick death when Zane stepped behind him. The bulge pressing against Connor’s ass had him instantly hard and he braced both hands on the counter when Zane’s fingers skimmed over his sides and caught on the fabric of his sweats. Cool air brushed over his body as Zane shoved the pants down but then he was surrounded in delicious heat as Zane’s front pressed up against his back.

  “Watch yourself,” Zane murmured as he nodded at their reflections in the mirror. “I want you to see what I see when you come apart in my arms.”

  Connor focused his attention on the mirror and forced in a deep breath as Zane tugged his own shirt off. His pants quickly followed and Connor couldn’t help but shift his eyes to Zane’s reflection so he could enjoy the sight of firm, tanned flesh and rippling muscles.

  Lips trailed across his neck and blazed a path down and over his shoulder and along his back until all Connor saw was a pair of hands sliding down his hips. He watched himself in the mirror as he felt Zane’s hands open him up and when Zane licked over the entrance to his body, it was all Connor could do to even keep his eyes open, let alone on his own reflection. What he saw w
as parted lips, eyes that had gone dark with passion and flushed skin that was already starting to get slick as heat built in his body. When Zane’s tongue breached him, Connor actually saw his teeth bite into his lower lip but that was it because his eyes slid shut as Zane began alternating thrusts of his tongue with long, deep sucks that had Connor leaning hard against the counter.

  “Oh God, Zane, it’s too good,” he groaned as he reached down and began tugging on his dick.

  Zane tortured him a bit more before he stood and pressed his whole body up against Connor’s once more. When Zane’s lubricated dick began pressing between his cheeks, Connor heard Zane whisper, “Open your eyes, baby.”

  ***

  Zane knew as soon as he pushed into Connor that Connor would have trouble focusing on himself. Even in this position, Connor wanted the connection with him so his eyes kept straying to Zane’s in the mirror.

  “More?” Zane asked once he was about halfway inside of Connor’s body. Connor nodded desperately. “Say it,” he ordered.

  “More,” Connor pleaded. “Please Zane, I can’t take it. Fuck me.”

  “Eyes, Connor,” Zane said as he held himself still. The moment Connor finally looked at himself, Zane surged into him the rest of the way and Connor let out a shout of satisfaction. His hand slammed against the mirror so he could brace himself as Zane began pumping into him with long, deep strokes and his eyes bore into his reflection as he began gasping for air. Zane wrapped his arms around Connor’s chest and stomach and he gave Connor a few more thrusts before he dropped his hand and closed it around Connor’s dick.

  “You see it?” Zane ground out as he leaned forward and ran his tongue along Connor’s outer ear.

  Connor only managed to nod but his eyes did stay on himself and the sight of Connor watching his own orgasm build had Zane increasing the pace as he felt his spine tingle in warning. Within seconds, Connor’s free hand clutched at the arm Zane had wrapped around his chest.

  “Zane!” Connor cried out as his release washed over him. His body began convulsing in Zane’s arms as come splashed against the cabinet. Zane’s own orgasm slammed into him so hard that he ended up bending Connor completely over and pinning him in place with his body as his hips rammed into Connor again and again. When his tremors began to ease, Zane pulled Connor upright and sought out his lips with his mouth. As soon as his dick slipped free of Connor’s body, Connor turned around and dragged Zane down for a raw, needy kiss that went on forever. When they were both forced to come up for air, Zane ran his hands over Connor’s cheeks and then down his neck and let them rest there.

  “Will you marry me, Connor?”

  “Yes.”

  Zane smiled at the simple answer. No hesitation, no surprise. “Don’t you want to hear the rules first?”

  “How many are there?” Connor asked contentedly as he pressed his head against Zane’s chest.

  “Just one.”

  “Okay, lay it on me.”

  “Love me forever.”

  “Done.”

  Eight years later

  “Come on, we’re gonna be late!”

  Zane felt Connor groan against his lips even as his hands kept palming Zane’s ass.

  “I thought she was making sure Mrs. Finney was ready to go,” Zane said as he kissed Connor’s neck and pressed him further into the mattress.

  “That was” – Connor craned his neck to look at the clock on the nightstand – “twenty minutes ago.” His eyes shifted back to Zane. “If you’d shared your shower with me liked I asked, this wouldn’t be an issue,” Connor said as he rubbed his very hard dick against Zane’s.

  “If I’d let you shower with me, we’d still be in there,” Zane said with a chuckle as he forced himself to climb off of Connor and sit up. He dragged Connor up to a sitting position as well and kissed him hard and then ran his fingers through Connor’s hair to try and straighten the parts he’d messed up when he’d fisted it so he could hold Connor in place for his gentle assault.

  “Daddy Zane! Daddy Connor!” Hannah shouted. A light pounding on the door accompanied her annoyed voice. “I know what you’re doing in there!”

  “We’re coming,” Connor called as he surged to his feet but Zane snatched his hand before he could get too far. His eyes fell on the simple gold band on Connor’s left hand and he fingered the smooth piece of jewelry that was an exact replica of his own.

  “Love you,” Zane said as he snagged his hand around Connor’s head and pulled him down for a kiss. Within seconds, Connor was climbing onto his lap but then a heavier pounding rattled the door.

  “Hey guys, Leo just took all his clothes off and is racing Mrs. Finney’s wheelchair down the sidewalk.”

  Connor dropped his head against Zane and shook it as Zane said, “We’ll be right there Brennan. Can you go after them and we’ll meet you with the car?”

  “Sure thing,” Brennan said with a chuckle. They could hear Brennan walking away but then he called, “Five minutes!”

  “Five minutes,” Connor whispered as he lifted his head. “We can get a lot done in five minutes if we put our minds to it,” he said suggestively as he pushed Zane back down on the mattress.

  “Game on,” Zane said with a smile and then he yanked Connor down for a kiss.

  ***

  “Honey, what are you doing?”

  “I wanted to see her, Daddy.”

  “Remember what Papa and I told you about standing on that chair?”

  “Not to.”

  Logan Barretti couldn’t help but smile at his daughter’s pout because her sorrowful act was just that – an act. Unfortunately, he was the only one in the Barretti household who seemed to be immune to it, which meant his youngest used it at every opportunity with everyone else.

  “Does that sad face work on me?” he said as he entered the room and lifted the little girl into his arms. She gave him a sheepish smile and shook her head as she wrapped her legs around his middle.

  “Who does it work on?”

  “Papa,” she answered proudly. Her pale blue eyes drifted back to the picture on the wall and her arms went around his neck as she dropped her head to his chest. “Tell the story, Daddy,” she whispered.

  He ran his hand up and down her back as he said, “We’ve told you the story at least a hundred times,” he said with mock irritation.

  “It’s not for me,” she said as she pulled back from him. “It’s for Sweetie.”

  Logan followed her gaze down to the huge German Shepherd that was still sitting next to the chair, its soulful brown eyes on the little girl.

  “Sweetie has heard it a hundred times too.”

  His daughter gave him a shake of her head and then cupped her hands around his ear. “She’s old, Daddy. She doesn’t remember it.”

  Logan glanced again at the dog. At eight, the dog was hardly old but he did see a hint of silver along her muzzle. But he supposed to his three-year old daughter who’d been around Sweetie her entire life, the dog could very well seem ancient.

  “Why are you smiling, Daddy?”

  Logan looked up at his daughter. “I was just thinking about when Uncle Vin gave Sweetie to us.”

  “You and Papa?”

  Logan nodded.

  “He was real mad,” she said with a giggle.

  Logan laughed because he knew she was referring to how irritated Vin had been to learn the name they’d been bestowed on the puppy.

  “He was,” Logan agreed.

  “’Cause you named her Sweetie.” The sound and feel of his daughter giggling nearly stole Logan’s breath.

  “That’s right,” Logan managed to get out, though his voice sounded hoarse. He glanced at the picture of Sylvie Barretti and he could still hear the soft lilt to her voice when she’d said his name for the first time.

  “Tell the story, Daddy,” his daughter whispered again as her eyes focused on the picture. Her voice snapped him out of his reverie. Before he could speak, Sweetie let out a sharp bark and took off out of t
he room.

  “They’re here,” his daughter said excitedly.

  “Who do you think it is?” Logan asked as he carried her from the room.

  “I dunno,” she answered with an exaggerated lift of her shoulders.

  “Uncle Vin and Aunt Mia maybe?” Logan offered.

  “And Nicholas and Katie?” his daughter chimed in.

  “Aren’t you forgetting someone?” Logan asked.

  “Oh yeah, and Ella and Ronin. I don’t like Ronin, he’s a baby.”

  “Ronin’s the same age as you,” Logan pointed out. At three, Ronin was the youngest of Vin and Mia’s children but since Mia had recently announced that she was expecting, his crown wouldn’t last long. And considering what kind of trouble Ronin managed to get into, Logan could only hope that Mia and Vin would be blessed with another girl who was more like six-year-old Ella who was as sweet as they came.

  “He says he can run faster than me,” his daughter said unhappily.

  “Maybe it’s Uncle Rafe and Uncle Cade,” Logan said.

  That wiped the frown from his little girl’s face. “Is Toby coming?”

  “Yep,” Logan said. At 12, Toby had somehow managed to garner his daughter’s complete and absolute devotion. He was Rafe and Cade’s middle child with Beck being the oldest at 16 and Rebecca the baby of the family at 10 – and the only girl. While Rafe and Cade had never openly mentioned wanting children after their marriage, they’d ended up taking in the three siblings after Beck was arrested for solicitation when he was only 12.

  It was Declan who had tipped Rafe and Logan off to the arrest and discovery that Beck was supporting his younger brother and sister after their mother had died of a drug overdose. Kids like Beck were exactly why Logan and Rafe had worked so hard to keep their foundation growing year after year and they considered every kid they got off the street a success. Rafe’s own background had proven invaluable time and time again, and was what had allowed him to connect to Beck when they’d met him. But it was Cade who had been the one to suggest they foster all three children so they wouldn’t be separated and the adoption had been formalized less than a year later.