by G. R. Lyons
“You…But I…There's…” Jarvis began, then burst out, “How could you possibly know all that?”
Audrey gasped again. “Mr. Jarvis?”
Jarvis glanced at her and paled, clearly realizing what he'd just admitted.
The sight made Vic smile. Fifteen years of unknowns finally came to an end. Finally, he and Cam could get some closure. Cam's attacker had been found, and now the man had inadvertently confessed to what he'd done.
Vic pulled a folded stack of papers out of his inside jacket pocket, smoothed them out, and tossed them on the desk, pointing at them as he explained, “Your semen was collected from the victim's body, but no DNA match was ever found. Until now.” Vic paused, watching Jarvis turn the pages, the man barely touching them as he did so. “You recently opened a new life insurance policy with my company, and standard procedure at Sturmwyn is to demand a DNA sample to attach to the client file for identification purposes. Our computer system is programmed to automatically analyze all new DNA samples to compare to all other samples in the system, looking for blood relatives or exact matches, to see if there are any relevant cases. Your sample was a ninety-nine-point-nine percent match to the sample taken from the victim.”
Jarvis gasped for breath, still staring at the pages, then looked up at Vic with wide eyes. He glanced helplessly at Audrey, then swallowed hard and looked at Vic again. “Wh-What now?”
Vic hesitated. Now, he was sorely tempted to throttle the man. To beat him half to death. To subject him to all the same tortures he'd made Cam suffer.
But Vic wasn't Jarvis's victim. Not directly, anyway. It wasn't his choice what happened to the man.
“That's entirely up to him,” Vic said.
Cam jostled Vic's arm, so Vic pulled out his phone and opened the texting app, then held the phone behind his back so Cam could write him a message.
At the same time, Jarvis gave a shaky nod. “So he's your client, I take it.” He swallowed hard again. “Alright, then–”
“Actually,” Vic interrupted, and felt Cam tap his arm again, letting him know he was done typing, “he's my brother.” He caught the sight of Jarvis going pale again, then read what was on his phone screen: Tell him I'm here. Vic smiled and looked up.
“And,” Jarvis said, dragging out the word as he eyed Vic uncertainly, towering over the man's desk. “You want me to meet with him and make amends.”
Vic paused, then said, “You're already meeting with him.”
Jarvis frowned. “What?”
A stack of papers on the corner of the man's desk suddenly flew off the edge, a flurry of paper showering down on the floor. Audrey shrieked and jumped back, and Jarvis clutched the edge of his desk, staring with wide eyes.
“What the fuck?” the man yelled.
Vic just stopped himself from laughing. Fifteen years, he'd hoped for and dreaded this moment, and now that it was happening, and in this way, the relief was indescribable.
“Logan Jarvis,” Vic said, “this is Cam Lucius, my little brother. And your victim.”
A pen moved across Jarvis's desk, and the man jerked back in his chair, gasping as he stared.
“What in all seven hells is going on?” Jarvis demanded, shooting to his feet and glaring at Vic. “Surely, we can have a civilized discussion about this without you resorting to…” He waved his hand helplessly. “Magic or parlor tricks or whatever this is.”
“It's not magic,” Vic told him.
Before he could say more, the pen moved across Jarvis's desk again, then a piece of paper shifted over. Vic watched in silence, reading upside-down as Cam wrote a message to his attacker.
I'm dead, in no small part thanks to you.
Jarvis read the words, then shook his head. “I don't know how you're doing this, but–”
I woke up with a gag in my mouth and your cock in my ass, Cam continued.
Vic tensed. He knew all the details of Cam's assault already, but seeing his brother write them again still hurt.
Jarvis paled.
I tried to struggle, to get away, but you grabbed my arm and twisted it behind my back before you punched me in the head and yelled at me to stay quiet.
“Alright, enough!” Jarvis gasped, staring at the words in horror. “Gods, please…” He sank into his chair, and Cam set down the pen, but those awful words were still there, heavy with accusation. The man looked all around the room, then gave a start as he looked at his assistant. “Audrey, get out.”
“Mr. Jarvis–”
“I said get out!” he shrieked.
Audrey fled the room.
“And don't–” Jarvis started to yell, but the door shut behind her. He sighed, and finished in a mumble, “Tell anyone.”
Silence settled over the office, and Jarvis sat there for a moment, shaking his head.
Finally, he looked up at Vic. “What do you want?” he asked in a defeated tone. “What do you want me to do?”
Vic considered the question, but before he could answer, Cam took up the pen again.
I want you to know that I know, Cam told his attacker. I want you to live with the knowledge that you didn't get away with it. That I know who you are, and so does Vic, as well as anyone else in his company who happens to come across your file. I want you to know that, being a ghost, I can follow you anywhere. I know where you work now, and I can find out where you live, where you go, who your friends are. I can make your life a living hell.
Jarvis paled again, glancing at the mess of papers all over the floor, his eyes darting about as though he were imagining all sorts of other things Cam could do.
And he'd never see it coming.
I want you afraid that everyone who looks at you, works with you, or loves you will find out what you've done. Maybe we'll tell them. Maybe we won't. Maybe your girl there has already started the gossip and it's too late. Either way, I want you to live out the rest of your days in guilt and fear. Guilt, to make up for all the guilt my brother has suffered, and fear, to make up for mine.
The pen dropped, and a heavy silence filled the room once more, broken only by the sound of Jarvis's rapid breaths.
After a moment, Jarvis slowly looked up at Vic from under his eyelashes.
Vic held the man's gaze, then gave a sharp nod and turned to leave. It was enough. He'd gotten to finally meet the man, look him in the eye, and hear him admit what he'd done. And Cam had gotten to face his attacker. Maybe his brother would want more retribution someday, but at least Cam had gotten the satisfaction of telling Jarvis, more or less to his face, that he wasn't going to live the rest of his life with a presumption of innocence. Jarvis now knew that others knew what he'd done. If Cam was content with that much punishment for the man, even if only for now, then Vic was happy.
He got into his car, shut the door, and sat back with a sigh.
“Cam? Are you still there?”
In answer, his brother leaned against him, resting his head on Vic's shoulder.
The next moment, Cam burrowed in closer and shook as though he'd burst into tears. Vic wrapped his arms around the ghost and hugged him tight.
“I am so proud of you,” Vic murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of Cam's head. “You won, Cam. You know that? Just the fact that you could face him, that you could survive it all, means you won.”
Cam nodded against him.
Vic let his brother cry as long as he wanted, sitting there in silence until Cam was ready to let go. Eventually, Cam pulled slightly away, and dug out his notepad again.
Thank you so much. For everything.
“You're welcome, kiddo.”
Was it enough? For you, I mean. Did you get what you came for?
“Yeah, I did. He knows we know, and that's enough for now.”
It's such a relief. Gods, I was so scared before, but now that I've seen him again, and especially after you made me write it out…
Vic smiled. “I'm so glad, kiddo.”
It feels weird to say I survived it, considering I'm dead, but…Yeah.
You're right. I finally feel like I did survive it all.
“Good,” Vic murmured, and gave Cam's shoulder a squeeze. He paused, then said, “I'm gonna go see Dad next.”
Cam stiffened.
“Not today. I think we've had enough for one day. But maybe tomorrow?”
Cam's pen wavered, then wrote, I don't want to see him, Vic. I'm not ready. Not for that. Not yet.
“That's fine,” Vic said, and felt Cam heave a sigh of relief. “Hey, I understand. You'll face him when you're ready. But, right now, I need to do this. For myself. For–”
For Colby? Cam asked when Vic didn't finish.
Vic blew out a breath. “Yeah.” He paused. “I can't very well keep hiding from my own nightmares after he's been facing his.”
And worse, Cam wrote. I can't even imagine surviving what he's been through.
“Don't discount what happened to you–”
No, I know. And I'm not. I'm just saying…he's a tough little guy, isn't he? In his own way.
“Yeah, he is,” Vic murmured.
I'm glad you found him, Vic. I'm glad you can help him. Cam paused, then added, I'm glad we can all kinda heal together.
Vic slowly nodded.
Alright, Cam went on after a moment. Go see The Asshole, if that's what you need. Maybe, someday, I'll be able to do the same. I'm just sorry I can't be there for you.
“Don't apologize for that,” Vic said, squeezing his brother's shoulder again. “Don't even worry about it. I know you're there for me even if you won't physically be present. It's alright.”
Thanks, Vic.
“Anytime.”
Cam mimed taking a deep breath and letting it out as a heavy sigh, his shoulders lifting and dropping under Vic's hand. Let's go home.
Vic smiled and started the car.
Chapter 25
VIC SAT in the rocking chair with Colby in his lap, fast asleep. He'd come home from his encounter with Jarvis to find the boy all bundled up and hiding under his comforter in his bedroom, the shades pulled and the lights off.
All Colby would say about it was that he wasn't scared, and wasn't necessarily hiding, but that he'd needed the comfort of the dark. No matter how Vic tried, he couldn't get anything more out of the boy than that. Colby seemed determined about something, but he insisted he couldn't talk about it until he was done.
Done with what, Vic could only guess, but whatever it was, it had so thoroughly drained the poor boy that he'd started falling asleep in the middle of lunch, right there at the table. For the first time since he could remember, Vic left the dishes for later, and held the boy instead, rocking him as he slept.
Patches bounced around the living room, playing with Cam, while Sharma lay at Vic's feet, being the silent guard dog, glancing up at Colby every few seconds.
Vic smiled. Getting the dogs had definitely been a good decision. Even considering yesterday's panic, and knowing that Patches was going to need a bit more training when it came to obedience, Vic was glad for them. His boys were happy. That was all that mattered.
Sharma perked up a moment before Colby stirred. The dog sat, wagging his tail as he watched his boy, then shifted closer and rested his head on Colby's leg.
Colby gave a sleepy grunt and opened his eyes. He looked up at Vic, smiled, and snuggled in closer, scratching behind Sharma's ears as he closed his eyes again.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Vic murmured.
“Hi,” Colby whispered back.
“Still tired? You could go lie down if you want a proper nap,” Vic suggested, though he was reluctant to let the boy go.
Colby shook his head and blinked his eyes open again. “No, I should be awake.”
“You don't have to be.”
Colby nodded. “I have more to do.”
“Yeah?” Vic asked, hoping Colby would tell him.
Vic's phone rang, stopping Colby from responding. Colby lifted his head away from Vic's chest so Vic could reach his phone, though Vic hesitated before answering. He was tempted to let it go to voicemail and keep enjoying this quiet moment.
He pulled out his phone just to check the screen, then saw that it was his boss calling.
“Mace?” he answered. Maybe there was another case. He didn't relish the idea of leaving town again so soon, but he couldn't very well leave a lost kid out there, all alone in the world.
“Hey, Vic.” Mace's tone was all wrong. It wasn't serious enough to be about a case. If anything, the man sounded amused. “The weirdest thing just happened.”
Cam wandered over—rather, his notepad did—and wrote, What's wrong?
Vic shook his head, then asked Mace, “What's that?”
“I just got a notification from the bank,” Mace said. “Seems someone just made a rather generous donation to your department's account.” Mace paused, and Vic heard keys clicking. “One Logan Jarvis, who appears to be a client of ours, but he's never used your services as far as I can tell.”
Cam's pen jerked back before it wrote, The hells?
Vic scowled. “If he thinks throwing money at it is going to ease his guilt–”
“So you do know something about this?” Mace asked when Vic broke off. “Not that I'm going to complain about money coming in, of course, but it's just such a sudden, large amount.”
Vic sighed. “If you check his file for links to other cases…”
He immediately heard clicking, followed by a brief, heavy silence before Mace said, “Oh.”
“Yeah.”
“Did you…”
“I didn't extort him,” Vic rushed to assure his boss. “But, yes, I did meet with him this morning. I needed to finally face the man, now that we knew who he was.”
“I see. Well.” Mace paused. “Considering the severity of his crime against your brother…I suppose this is a start,” he finished with a chuckle.
Vic blinked, then breathed a laugh. “Yeah. I was happy with him just knowing I knew, but…Yeah, I'm not gonna argue with him making amends in some way.”
“I'm sorry there's nothing he can really do for your brother now, but…”
“But it'll help me find and take care of other kids, so that's something.”
“Indeed.” Mace paused again. “Are you alright?”
Vic blew out a breath. “I am, sir. Thank you.”
“Good. Good. Well, that was all. And I'm sorry to hear about Hunter. I saw the preliminary case notes you sent in.”
Vic nodded to himself. “He may still call.”
“Here's hoping he does,” Mace said, and Vic made a sound of agreement. “Well, I won't keep you.”
They said their goodbyes, and Vic set his phone aside.
Wow, Cam wrote.
“No kidding.” Vic looked at Colby, and saw the boy frowning in thought. “What's wrong?”
“Is Hunter gonna be alright?”
“I sure hope so.”
Colby nodded slowly, then frowned again. “Vic?”
“Yeah, sweetheart?”
Colby was silent for a moment, then asked, “Are there a lot of boys out there like me?”
Vic hesitated before answering. “Not a lot who go through what you did, but…Yeah, there are always kids out there who need help. Runaways, or kidnappings, or kicked out of their homes for various reasons. Boys and girls.”
Colby nodded again. “Why can't we make all the bad men go away?” he whispered.
Vic held him close. “It's human nature, unfortunately. There will always be bad people. It's just a fact of life. No matter what you do, there will always be bad people. But there are so many more good people in the world. Lots and lots of good people.”
Colby smiled. “Like you.”
Vic's heart swelled. “Thank you, sweetheart.”
Then Colby sighed. “I just wish I could help. I wish there was something I could do. But everything's still so big and scary.”
“Well, you've got time. Let's get you a little further down the road to healing, and if something comes up, if you find some
thing you want to do, we'll look into it. How does that sound?”
Colby looked at him carefully. “That sounds like a long time.”
Vic shrugged. “So? What matters is that you're happy, and that you feel safe.”
Colby started to smile softly, then ducked his head and snuggled in closer again. When Vic looked down, the boy was blushing and fighting a grin.
Vic wasn't sure what to make of that, but he wasn't going to press the boy. Besides, he still had another confrontation to mentally prepare for, one that would be even harder than what he'd experienced that morning.
Facing Cam's attacker had been one thing. Facing the man who had taken Cam's life—stolen away Cam's chance at recovery—was an entirely different matter.
* * *
VIC PROCRASTINATED for a week before he finally got into his car and drove across town to confront his parents. First, he claimed he had too many contracts piling up in his inbox, in need of processing, and sat down to get them all done. Then, he found the household in need of groceries and dog food, just for a start, and took the time to run a few errands. Finally, he ran a search on his family's old address, only to discover his parents no longer lived there, so he had to spend a few hours tracking them down.
Once he knew where they lived, though, he no longer had any excuses. Besides, they'd all barely been on speaking terms since Cam's attack fifteen years ago, and it had been nearly three years since Cam had died. It was well past time they had it out.
Vic found the house, parked his car on the street, and spent several, long minutes just trying to convince himself to keep calm before he managed to get out and walk up to the front door.
He rang the doorbell, held fast to Cam's bracelet, and counted his breaths as he waited. If the latter worked for Ryley, maybe it would work for him, too.
The door opened, and Vic heard a gasp before he looked up to see his father standing there.
“Victor,” his father spat, staring at him. “What in the gods' names are you doing here?”
Vic scowled. “We need to talk.” He pushed past his father and entered the house.
