by M. Tasia
Jesse followed the group and was stunned by how differently the inside of the house was decorated compared to the austere exterior. Large comfy furnishings filled the living room, various gaming systems crowded around the massive television, and leather couches and chairs were arranged neatly throughout with thick wooden coffee tables and side tables.
“I know that look, not exactly what you expected from the outside. But when you have this many men living in the same house with a woman who managed to break the last coffee table practicing Krav Maga with Coop, you need durable, not fancy,” Sam said as he joined the group. “Come in and sit down. Jesse, you have to be going crazy with stress and fear. I’ve brought you an herbal tea; it will help calm you.”
Jesse didn’t think anything could calm him other than having Royce in his arms again, but he sat and drank. Victor stayed in the room with him and Sam standing guard; the Sentinels weren’t risking anything or anyone. The rest of the team and the police were just down the hall in a meeting room and Jesse was getting a bit frustrated at being left out of something that meant everything to him.
“You want to go in?” Sam asked.
“Yes, I need to be involved in the search somehow,” Jesse answered honestly.
“Okay, you’ve calmed down enough that I don’t think shock’s a possibility any longer. You honestly were white as a ghost when you first got here and I was worried. I didn’t intend to keep you away from the search,” Sam admitted.
“Thank you for thinking about me. Honestly, I barely remember the drive here. I guess I needed the time to calm down.” Jesse hadn’t realized how close he was to going into shock but Sam was a nurse and knew the signs.
“Let’s go see what they’ve found.”
Jesse and Sam walked down the hall and into a large meeting room. Laptops were flashing maps up on a screen as Matthew and Shannon did their magic. Officers and Sentinels were gearing up, and Jesse felt hope for the first time in hours.
“Matthew, did you find him?” Jesse asked as he approached the table.
“You bet we did, he’s a couple miles outside town,” Matthew answered. “The team will get him back for you, Jesse, they’re the best. Trust me when I say that.”
Coop was blushing nicely by now. Jesse hadn’t ever seen him blush, but a single compliment from Matthew caused such a reaction. Jesse would have thought it was cute on any other day but not today; he needed his Royce back safe and unhurt.
“Victor and Shannon will stay here and watch over the three of you; we’ll call in the moment we have him safe,” Dante explained as the team checked and rechecked their gear and weapons.
Jesse walked up to the group. “Please be safe and bring Royce home to me.”
Spider placed his huge hand on Jesse’s shoulder. “We will, Jesse, I promise.”
“You stay in the house until this is over,” Coop ordered Matthew as he walked by.
“Yes, sir!” Matthew huffed.
“You just remember that, sweetheart.” Coop smiled and walked out of the room.
“God help me.” Matthew groaned before lowering his head to the tabletop and banging it a few times for good measure. “He’s driving me insane.”
“Yeah, well get used to it,” Coop yelled from the hallway, and Matthew groaned even louder.
Chapter Twelve
The smell of musty, damp carpet filled Royce’s senses and made him nauseous. His hands were numb and his head was throbbing as he looked up. The large, rusted hook his handcuffed wrists were hanging from was surely reinjuring his throbbing shoulder as he hung a foot off the floor. He slowly turned his aching head to look around the room for anyone else but he was alone. He had no idea how long he’d been unconscious, but the room was dark. He could hear people talking in another part of the dilapidated house, but he couldn’t understand what was being said. There were old boards across the windows and stained, splintered furniture shoved against the mold-covered walls. Royce shook his head to clear his mind, but it wouldn’t clear; everything seemed fuzzy and far away at the same time. What did they do to me?
The door squealed in complaint as it was opened, and three figures entered the room. It was too dark to see their faces until one of them decided to turn on a large flashlight. The trio who’d entered didn’t shock Royce; unfortunately, he already knew who’d kidnapped him. But one damn thing did surprise him: Frank and the woman who he assumed was Jesse’s aunt were holding hands as they came closer to him. He knew Jesse’s mother was already in custody so this was a new development.
“I see you’re coming around, we’ll have to double the dose next time,” Frank said with a cruel sneer.
“What the hell did you give me?” Royce growled.
“Oh, just a little something to keep you docile until we get our money.” Frank confirmed what Royce had already suspected—he’d been drugged.
“Bastards, you’ll never make it out of Brighton.”
“Already have, sweetie,” the bleached-blonde woman hissed as she approached. “We’re miles away from that disgusting hick town.”
Shit, if they made it out of Brighton how would anyone find him?
“Let me guess, you must be Jesse’s aunt, Jerry’s mother, and Frank’s piece on the side.” The flash of anger in her eyes disappeared as quickly as it had arrived.
“Good guess, young man, too bad the information will do you no good.” Jesse’s aunt leaned forward and kissed Jesse’s father like her life depended on it. What the hell! Disgusting. “But I’m not the mistress. I may have married Frank’s brother, but all I’ve ever wanted was Frank.” Royce couldn’t imagine why. “Once we have the money we’ll start over someplace far away from here, our own little family.”
Royce looked over at Jerry to see how he was taking the news that his mom and uncle were lovers, but the man seemed unfazed by it. How can you watch your mother kissing your uncle without showing some sort of emotion? Then Jerry laughed, shocking Royce further.
“You thought I would be offended or upset, why would I?” Jerry asked. “After all he’s my dad.”
Oh shit! That means Jerry is Jesse’s biological half-brother.
“Enough! Jesse will pay anything we ask to get his ‘boyfriend’ back.” Frank sneered; it seemed to be his natural expression. “You’re the one who made Jesse believe he’s more than the sniveling little shit he always was. I think it’s time you learned your lesson, the same way Jesse did.” Frank lifted his filthy right hand to reveal a thick black belt.
Royce knew what was coming; he’d seen Jesse’s scarred back. Royce had no way of escaping or fighting back; this must have been how Jesse felt. He was hanging from the ceiling with his shoulder screaming in pain and on some sort of drug, so Royce doubted he could even walk if he managed to get free. Jerry came toward him brandishing a knife, and he proceeded to cut Royce’s shirt off him and leave random shallow cuts across his skin.
“Now we’ll see how long it’ll take you to scream.” Frank’s eyes gleamed as he let the belt fly, landing a violent blow to Royce’s right shoulder blade. His hanging body swayed forward from the blow. Royce held back his pain-filled cry; he would give them nothing.
Another blow landed dead center across his spine, slicing Royce’s skin like butter. He could feel something wet sliding down his back and knew it had to be blood. One more blow and Royce had to grind his teeth together to stop from screaming.
“Silence? Trust me, you’ll be a whimpering mess when I get done with you,” Frank growled.
The door crashed open and glass shattered, interrupting the next strike, as the room seemed to explode into chaos. People were yelling, Jesse’s aunt was screaming, and Frank was being slammed onto the floor. Royce’s head was spinning, he assumed from the drugs and the pain, but he knew he saw Coop in the fray, confirming he was being rescued.
“Royce, Royce, look at me. Open your eyes.” When did I close them?
He was having a hard time prying them open. He felt himself being lifted off the hook; h
e groaned in pain as his arms were lowered and then he was carried outside.
“You’ll be okay, Royce. We’ll get you to the hospital.” He had no idea who was talking, his eyes wouldn’t open and his senses were dimming.
“Drugs…put drugs in me,” Royce slurred. He was so tired.
“Come on, Royce, open your eyes, Jesse’s waiting for you.” A deep voice said the magic word, “Jesse,” and Royce forced his eyes open. “Good, keep them open, we’ll get you to Jesse.”
He was lying on his side in an SUV, a large first aid kit at his side. Someone pushed on his back, making Royce groan in pain, but he wouldn’t scream. He refused.
“What drug did they use?”
“Don’t… know,” Royce barely got out before the world around him began to spin. He immediately closed his eyes. More pressure on his back made his head swim even further until blessed unconsciousness took him.
*****
Jesse sat in the hospital waiting for word on Royce; they’d brought him in over two hours ago. The doctor said his kidnappers had given him a heavy sedative and that they’d have to stitch a few of the wounds on his back because they were fairly deep. They also had to go back in and repair the damage done to his reinjured shoulder. The pain at learning that Royce had been whipped the same as he’d been all those years ago sent Jesse into a rage to hunt his dad down and make him pay for all the pain he’d caused. Jesse knew that was impossible because his father was in a jail cell but the urge was still strong.
His love had suffered a pain Jesse knew so well, and the guilt was suffocating. Royce had been so concerned with protecting him that he’d left himself open to Jesse’s family. Matthew had come to the hospital with him along with Sam, Coop, Dante, Spider, the White Hair Crew, Bo, and Travis. Dante had apologized again for not being able to predict Frank’s move. No matter how many times Jesse said it wasn’t his fault, Dante didn’t seem to accept it.
They sat in silence until the doctor came walking down the hall and then the questions began to fly.
“How is he?” Dante asked.
“Is he awake?” Sam asked.
“Can I see him?” Jesse asked, desperate to get to Royce.
“Okay, okay… He’s conscious, we’ve repaired his shoulder, but he’ll have to go through rehab again, and his back lacerations took just over forty stitches to close. Yes, you may see him now, he’s been asking for you, Jesse,” Doctor Green answered. “We want to keep him for a few days until we’re sure the drug is completely out of his system and to fight any possible infection.”
“Will there be any lasting effects on Royce?” Jesse asked, fearful that Royce would be left with even more permanent injuries above and beyond his scars.
“None. The sedative will work its way out of his system quickly,” Doctor Green answered.
Thank god, though Royce would still have to live with the scars, at least there wouldn’t be any damage done by the drugs. The team and his friends grudgingly left with a promise to return in the morning. Royce’s parents had moved to Arizona after they retired and would be arriving by morning as well. Jesse followed Doctor Green to Royce’s room, his heart heavy. The lights were dimmed and Royce was sleeping, his handsome face peaceful. Jesse quietly sat down in the chair beside the bed. His troubling thoughts kept him company, and after a few hours the beeping of machines began to lull him to sleep. He laid his head down on the side of the bed; soon the world slipped away and Jesse fell into a restless sleep.
*****
Royce woke to the soft snores of his love, his hand in Jesse’s. Royce was lying on his uninjured side. The burning pain in his back and injured shoulder were intense but all he could think about was Jesse.
Jesse’s head lay on the bed and Royce lifted his hand to run his fingers through Jesse’s hair. He noticed the bruises around his wrist from the handcuffs; his other arm was back in a sling. Jesse’s eyes flew open at the slight touch and his head popped up off the bed.
“Hi,” was all Jesse managed to get out as his eyes filled with tears. Royce could see the guilt in those watery brown beauties. There was no damn way he was letting Jesse take any responsibility for what had happened.
“Baby, come on up here.” Royce patted the spot beside him. The bed he was in was actually quite large.
“I’ll hurt you.” Jesse looked almost panicked.
“It will hurt me if you don’t, besides there’s lots of room.” Even if there wasn’t, Royce would do anything to be close to the man he loved, the man he was afraid he’d never see again.
Slowly, Jesse slid onto the bed, staying close to the edge, as if afraid to touch or get close to Royce. That wouldn’t do. No matter how much pain he was in, his need to seek comfort and to comfort Jesse was all that was important. “None of this is your fault; remember what I’ve told you.”
“But if it weren’t for me, my family wouldn’t have come after you. Wouldn’t have hurt you.” Jesse’s tears began to fall as he spoke.
“If I had to choose between going through today one hundred times over or to have you, I’d gladly take the pain every time. You mean everything to me, Jesse. Do you understand that?” Royce swore every word he said was the absolute truth, hoping Jesse would believe him.
“I love you so much and it’s killing me that you’re hurt. You shouldn’t have to go through any pain.” Jesse still held on to his guilt like a vise.
“If anything I have a whole new respect for what you went through, and you were only a child. I always knew you were strong, but now that I had a little taste of what you suffered, and you being so young, I’m amazed by you.” Every word was the truth. How a child had survived, let alone to come out as wonderful as Jesse, truly was a miracle.
Jesse inched a bit closer, carefully navigating all the wires and Royce’s injuries, but the movement of the bed still made Royce groan in pain.
“I’m hurting you; I’ll sit in the chair,” Jesse said as he tried to scoot away.
“No! I need you beside me, baby. Please don’t leave.”
“I would never leave you,” Jesse said before kissing Royce gently.
“Damn right, never,” Royce agreed before falling into a restful sleep in Jesse’s arms. Safe and loved.
Chapter Thirteen
The night was warm and the patio was packed, which was unusual for a Thursday night at Lucky’s. Their large group took up half the outside space: Royce, Jesse, the Sentinel team, Matthew, Bear, Rick, Gabe, Johnny, Chief Graham, and his wife. They’d enjoyed a wonderful steak dinner and were now waiting for the band to start playing. They’d closed the diner early so that everyone all together could have an evening out. They were celebrating Jesse’s recent purchase of a plot of land inside Brighton. It was the first step of his plans; he intended to build a group home for homeless LGBTQ teenagers from across the state.
His dream was beginning to take shape, and life had finally calmed enough for him to breathe easy again. Jesse took another gulp of his beer; he would try to dance with Royce tonight. Jesse hoped he didn’t make a fool of himself or, more importantly, Royce. Again, no matter how scared he was, Jesse had dreamed of dancing at Lucky’s with his love for a long time and he wasn’t about to back out now.
It had been just over a month since his family had been arrested. They were being held in custody without bail in a Federal prison in Idaho. In that time, Mr. Foster had been working hard setting things to rights, organizing and retrieving all of Jesse’s inheritance. It would take several more months to sell the rest of the land, but according to his lawyer, the farmers in the area had already inquired as to purchasing several hundred acres. Jesse had made sure to set the prices at fair market value. He wasn’t about to gouge the hard-working people of his old town; he was sure his father had already overcharged them in rent for years.
Royce’s injuries were healing well, even though his arm was back in a sling. He’d spent three days in the hospital; an infection caused by Frank’s dirty belt had delayed his release. The stitches
had been removed but the scars would be a permanent reminder of the cruelty of Jesse’s father. A few days after Royce had been released he’d told Jesse what had been said in that old, rundown house. He had a brother. Jerry was his brother, not his cousin as he’d been led to believe his entire life.
Jesse was unsure how he felt about that discovery. With everything Jerry had done to him, it was hard to comprehend that through every beating Jerry had handed out he knew that Jesse was his brother. Jerry had taken great joy in hurting others, especially Jesse, and brother or not, some things couldn’t be forgotten or forgiven.
Royce did the right thing by telling him the truth, although Jesse hadn’t been all that surprised by the affair between his father and aunt. They’d always been extremely “close.” Once when he was young, Jesse had caught them kissing. He’d been severely whipped for witnessing it.
“So when are you breaking ground on the new center?” Sam asked before taking a drink of his Coke; Sam was a designated driver tonight along with Royce, Chief Graham, and Gabe.
“Should be in the next couple weeks, once we finalize the rest of the estate. Over half has already been dealt with so Mr. Foster doesn’t believe it will take too much longer,” Jesse answered, his excitement evident in every word.
“It’s going to be amazing,” Matthew agreed. “It’s a brilliant idea.”
“I’m glad you think so because I have something important to ask you, Sam and Johnny,” Jesse said. He leaned his elbows on the table and Royce laid one hand on Jesse’s arm in support. The man was everything he’d ever wanted. “This may not be the best time to ask, but you know I need people I can trust to help me run the center, and I was hoping the three of you would…would want to take up positions within the center to help make it a safe and comforting place.”
