Breaking Free (The Den Boys Book 3)

by A. T Brennan

  He’d had someone take it before the club opened again, and it was the night they put up cages for the guys to dance in.

  There was something so hot about watching Kai shimmy and work the bars in nothing but an orange jock. He was an incredible dancer, and so fucking sexy. Cage nights also meant that the customers couldn’t touch him to give him tips and instead had to drop them on the floor of the cage. I had no problem with his job and knew that casual touching like that was part of it, but it was nice to think that no one except me would be touching him today.

  Thankfully, I’d already put my phone away when Evan walked in. That could have been awkward.

  “I feel good. I slept well.”

  Evan perched on the edge of the desk and looked at me closely. “Things with Kai are good?”

  “Amazing.” I flushed as I thought about the night before. I could tell that he’d been nervous, but he’d been an incredible lover. I was glad he’d been my first.

  “You love him.” Evan grinned. “And he loves you.”

  “I do, and he does.” I nodded, trying not to grin too wide.

  “I’m happy for you, Zander.”

  “Thanks. He’s incredible.”

  “He’d have to be to put up with your ass.”

  “Asshole.” I laughed at Evan’s teasing and was about to shoot back my own dig when my phone beeped. Thinking it was Kai, I pulled it out of my pocket and looked at the screen.

  “Do you need to check that?” Evan asked when I paused.

  The number wasn’t a real number, but a line of zeros. I didn’t know how that was possible, but whoever it was had sent me three texts in a row.

  “I’m not sure. I don’t know who it is.” I opened my messages and almost dropped my phone when I saw the two pictures and one video in the thread.

  “Zander?”

  The first picture was of Kai sitting in a café with his friend Levi. They were drinking coffee and laughing at something. The second picture looked like a screenshot from one of Kai’s cam shows. He was smiling at the camera, naked and looking flushed and happy.

  The thumbnail for the video was dark, and I tapped it so it would start playing.

  It was hard to make out, but by the noise and lights, I knew it was Chimera. I could see two people standing together, and by their silhouettes, I instinctively knew it was Kai and me. The figures on the screen began walking toward the camera and confirmed what I’d thought. It was us.

  “Zander?”

  “I have to go.” I jumped up. “I have to go to Kai.”

  “Is he okay?”

  “I don’t know.” I waved my phone in Evan’s face, and he grabbed it out of my hand to see what I’d been looking at. “The first is him and his friend, the second is from a cam show he does, and that video is us. It’s me and him leaving his club.”

  “Who sent them?” Evan looked up at me sharply, handing me back my phone.

  “No fucking clue. The number was a line of zeros.”

  “Go. Get to your man and make sure he’s safe.”

  “Thanks, sorry to leave you like this—”

  “Don’t even think about that. Go. We’ve got this.” Evan waved off my apology. “Just be careful. If this guy is stalking him, he could be dangerous.”

  “If he so much as breathes on Kai, I’ll kill him.”

  “Don’t think about that. Just focus on getting to Kai and watching your back.”

  My phone beeped again, and I pulled it out of my pocket. It was a message from the same weird number.

  “I need you to stay away from Skylar. He and I are meant to be together.” I read the message out loud and looked up at Evan. “Skylar is Kai’s stage name.”

  “Go. You need to go now.”

  Without another word, I shoved my phone in my pocket and ran out of the office. I didn’t pause or slow down when I reached the main part of the bar. I just ducked around anyone who was in my way and made a beeline for the door.

  I was in my car and driving toward Chimera in less than a minute, and I quickly hit call on Kai’s contact info, not caring that it was illegal to talk and drive.

  “Hey, it’s Kai. Leave me a message.”

  “Fuck. Kai. Babe. Call me as soon as you get this. Don’t go anywhere alone. Please, babe. Call me the second you get this.”

  I resisted the urge to throw my phone at the dashboard and checked my speed. I was going too fast, and the last thing I needed was to get pulled over.

  It felt like it took forever to get to the club, and by the time I’d parked and jumped out of my car, I was almost sick with worry.

  “Kai?” I answered my phone as soon as it began to ring. “Baby?”

  “What’s wrong? I just got off stage? Are you okay?”

  “I’m two minutes away. I can’t explain everything, just stick with someone and wait for me somewhere safe. Okay?”

  “You’re freaking me out. What’s going on?”

  “Please, just do this. Where are you going to be? I’m coming to you.”

  “The back smoking pit. Only staff can get to it. I’ll tell Jake you’re coming. Just give him your name at the dancer’s door, and he’ll let you in.”

  “Okay. Do that now.”

  “Okay.”

  I cut the connection and sped up. I looked like a crazy person running down the street, but all I cared about was getting to Kai and making sure he was okay.

  “Shit!”

  It was Friday night, of course there would be a lineup to get in.

  “Fuck this.”

  I rushed up to the front of the line and waited until the bouncer looked at me.

  “Back of the line, bud.”

  “I have to get in.”

  “Of course, you do.”

  “No, it’s an emergency. My boyfriend is a dancer here. I need to see him.”

  “A lot of men say the same thing. It seems these boys have lots of boyfriends.”

  “Wait,” I begged as he turned away. “Jake. My boyfriend said that he’d tell Jake I was coming.”

  “What’s your name?”

  “Zander.”

  The bouncer pulled out his phone and dialed a number. I wanted to grab him and scream that I didn’t have time for this shit, but I figured that was a sure fire way to not get in.

  “I’ve got a guy named Zander here, says he’s meeting one of your boys. Oh. Okay.”

  The bouncer put his phone back in his pocket and nodded. “Go ahead. Jake’s waiting for you.”

  “Thanks.” I rushed through the doors and headed to the dancer’s entrance. I saw someone I assumed was Jake standing in front of it.

  “Jake?”

  “Zander?”

  “Yes.”

  “Angel, take Zander back to the pit,” Jake called out as he opened the door for me.

  “You got it.”

  The guy Kai did his partnered dance shifts with appeared in front of me as I stepped into the back area.

  “This way.”

  I followed him to the back door and almost sagged in relief when I saw Kai standing in a small fenced-off area wearing a pair of athletic shorts and a hoodie.

  “Zander?” Kai asked as I rushed up to him and pulled him into a tight hug. “Oof.”

  “Sorry.”

  “What’s wrong? What happened?” he asked against my chest as I continued to hold him.

  “I got some messages from a weird number.”

  I felt Kai stiffen in my arms, and the reality of the situation hit me like a ton of bricks. “You knew someone has been following you?”

  “I...”

  “How long has this been going on?” I pulled him away from my body so I could look into his eyes.

  “Since before we met. It started with calls. Heavy breathing, then music, then voice clips from my cam shows. A few weeks ago I started getting messages— pictures from my shows, then pictures from the club.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I didn’t want to worry you. I thought
it was harmless, just some lonely guy with too much time on his hands.”

  “It’s obviously not if he’s following you. He sent me a photo of you and Levi together, one from your shows and a video of you and me leaving here together. Then he sent me a message telling me to stay away because you and he are meant to be together. That’s not harmless.”

  “I only figured out he was local this week.”

  “And you didn’t tell me?”

  “With everything going on? No. I didn’t want to—”

  “It doesn’t matter. I know now, and we need to get you somewhere safe.”

  “I have to finish my dance shifts.”

  “I think you can beg off considering the circumstances. This is serious, Kai. We need to deal with it.”

  “You’re right. Let’s go talk to Jake.”

  My mind was reeling as we went back inside the club to talk to Kai’s manager. Kai had known that someone was stalking him, and he hadn’t told me? That’s what had been going on with his phone. Every time he’d looked at it and reacted, it had been because of a message from whoever the hell was following him.

  “Tell me everything so we can figure out what to do,” I said as we made our way to Kai’s locker so he could change.

  “It started with weird messages and private chats during my shows a few months ago. Levi started banning him every time a new message would pop up, or his names would appear, but he kept making new accounts, so it was impossible to completely block him.”

  “And then the phone calls started?”

  “Yeah. It started with one or two a night; then it was dozens. Then came the texts and the photos.”

  “Did you keep them? If you can show the police, they might be able to help.”

  “Only the last few days’ worth. The cam site doesn’t save chat or messages, so that’s not an option either.”

  Kai pulled on the hoodie he’d been wearing outside and shivered.

  “When this guy found your phone number, you didn’t think that was the time to get some help?”

  “I don’t know why.” He bit his lip and slammed his locker door closed. “It should have set the warning bells off, but I just wanted it to go away.”

  “Kai—”

  “I know. I was stupid and naïve, and this is my fault. The internet is such a big place I figured he couldn’t possibly be local. I mean, what are the odds? So fucking stupid.”

  “I wasn’t going to say any of that.” I put my hands on his shoulders and turned him so I could look down into his eyes. “You’re not stupid or naïve, and this isn’t your fault. We’ll figure this out so you can put it behind you and move forward. Okay?”

  “Thank you.”

  I pressed my lips against his, needing to feel his kiss for a moment. I had no idea what we were going to do, what we could do, but we’d figure something out. It was my turn to be there for him.

  “Ready to go?” I asked once we’d pulled apart.

  Kai nodded and shouldered his bag. I took his hand in mine, and he led me to the back exit.

  I was hyperaware of everything around us. The route we took was deserted, and it opened up into an alley. I would have preferred to leave through a door and be on the street, but I was thankful not to have to walk through crowds of people when Kai’s stalker could be out among them.

  “My mom is home tonight.” Kai looked at me in horror. “Do you think she’s safe?”

  “We’ll go pick her up and bring her to my place.” I squeezed his hand. “Have you told her?”

  “No, I only told Levi. Fuck! What about Levi? You said one of the pictures was of him.”

  “Call him. If he’s alone, we can go get him too.”

  Kai let go of my hand so he could pull his phone out of his pocket. As he was lifting the phone to unlock it, I saw a strange flash of light out of the corner of my eye. Almost like a light was glinting off something metallic.

  Even as I was turning to see what had caught my attention, I heard Kai cry out.

  “Kai!”

  My eyes widened, and my blood ran cold when I saw Kai being held in a sort of headlock by a man dressed mostly in black. The flash I’d seen had come from the reflective surface of the hunting knife the man was holding close to Kai’s throat.

  “His name is Skylar, and I told you to stay away from him.”

  The man’s voice was higher pitched than I would have thought. He was big, but not muscular. It was more like he was a husky guy who carried a few extra pounds. His hair was brown, and his features were ordinary. He was what I’d heard Tristan call a “gray man,” meaning he blended in and wouldn’t stand out in a crowd.

  “Zander—” Kai cut himself off when the man moved the knife closer to his neck.

  “Don’t say his name! He’s nothing. It’s you and me, Skylar. Tell him to leave.”

  “Please don’t do this,” Kai begged.

  “Tell him to leave.”

  “Go. Please go now.” Kai looked at me, tears rolling down his cheeks as he struggled to keep some control. “Leave us.”

  “No.” I shook my head vehemently. There was no way in hell I was leaving Kai alone with this freak, not even for a second to go get help.

  “Leave now!” the man shouted, the knife inching closer to Kai’s skin.

  “You won’t hurt Skylar.” I tried to keep my voice steady as I stared at the man holding my boyfriend hostage. “You love him, don’t you?”

  “Of course I love him. That’s why you need to leave us alone.”

  “Okay, I get it.” I had no idea if I was making the situation worse, but I needed to buy some time. “But if you love him, why would you threaten to hurt him?”

  “Because I need you to leave us alone.”

  “You’re scaring him. Can you please lower the knife?”

  “Why are you still here? Go. Leave us alone.”

  “What’s your name?” Kai cut in, his voice surprisingly strong considering how terrified he must be.

  “Jeremy.”

  “Jeremy, can you please lower the knife? You’re scaring me.”

  “Don’t be afraid, Skylar. It’s just until he leaves.”

  “Please, Jeremy. I’ll go with you, I promise. Just please, lower the knife.”

  “I will, babe. As soon as he leaves us be.”

  My skin crawled when Jeremy used the same nickname for Kai as I did. My mind was running through every conceivable scenario that I could think of, and without getting help or getting Jeremy to lower the knife, I couldn’t figure out a way to help Kai.

  “Do you remember that first message you sent me? During my show?” Kai asked desperately. “The one I answered?”

  “I said I love you, and you said you love me too.” Jeremy’s hand began shaking slightly. Kai was getting to him.

  “Remember how I blew a kiss to you? I meant it. You don’t need to hurt anyone, Jeremy. Just lower the knife, and we’ll leave together.”

  I had no idea what Kai was doing, but if he thought I was going to let him walk away with the man who’d been stalking him, he was fucking nuts.

  “Come on, Jeremy. Let’s go. Just you and me.”

  “And he stays here?” Jeremy nodded to me, and I bit my tongue. Kai obviously had a plan. I just hoped whatever it was worked.

  “Yes. He stays here.”

  After a moment of deliberation Jeremy lowered the knife so it was level with Kai’s stomach, and as soon as it drifted to the side, Kai was on the move.

  He ducked out of the headlock and lurched toward me. It was almost as though the entire scene played out in slow motion, and I watched in horror as Jeremy swung the knife back toward Kai, aiming for his back.

  I wasn’t aware of any conscious decision on my part to move but found myself grabbing Kai and throwing my body between him and his attacker, my free arm swinging for the knife.

  I managed to get Kai out of the way but wasn’t quick enough to block the knife, and instead felt it slice through the skin on my forearm.
/>   “Zander!” Kai screamed from behind me.

  I was very aware of the fact that I’d just been cut with a hunting blade, but I didn’t feel any pain. My instincts kicked in, and my other arm cocked back, even as Jeremy was attempting to slash at me again.

  My hit was direct, and my aim was true. I hit that fucker right in the nose, feeling it crunch as blood gushed over my hand.

  Jeremy dropped like a stone, the knife falling free as his hands covered his bleeding face.

  “Zander!”

  I felt something tugging at my shirt, and it was at that moment that time went back to normal and everything hit me at once.

  My arm burned and ached, even as blinding pain shot up into my shoulder and right down my back. My hand felt sticky and wet, and then the alley shifted to the left, then the right as my focus started to go out.

  “Help!” Kai screamed, his hands covering the gash on my arm as he materialized in front of me. “Help us, please!”

  “Kai?”

  “It’s okay, you’re okay, baby. I’ve got you.” He let go of my arm and ripped off his hoodie. “Just wipe the back of your other hand on your pants and focus on me, okay?”

  I did as he said, not really sure why he wanted me to wipe my hand, but I wasn’t about to argue.

  I could hear voices and footsteps coming closer to us, but I kept all of my attention on Kai.

  “We’re going to get you to the hospital, okay? You’re going to need some stitches, but you’ll be fine.”

  “You’re okay?” I asked, looking him up and down as he wrapped his hoodie around my arm and pulled the sleeves to tighten it against my wound.

  “I’m fine. You saved me.”

  “Good.”

  Between blood loss and an adrenaline crash, I was barely aware of anything happening around us. There were people and voices, and eventually, there were flashing lights, but all I could focus on was Kai.

  Someone helped us into an ambulance, and then we were at the hospital. A doctor cleaned and stitched up my arm, and they gave me some sort of shot. Both Kai and I were given some scrubs to change into since our clothes were bloody, and then we were talking to the police.