With Caution

by J. L. Langley

  “Thank you.” Remi stepped away from Jake. “I’m going to have to ask you all to leave now.”

  Ignoring the gang’s reaction, Jake reached for Remi and turned him back around. This news should have made him feel better. It sure as hell had made Jake’s anxiety lessen. “What gives? Rhys is watching after him.”

  “It doesn’t change anything. The fact that Dirk is at work makes it worse. You all have to leave. What if he comes by and sees all the bikes?”

  What if he did? No way in hell was Jake leaving Remi, knowing Dirk was out there. And if Remi thought otherwise, he’d lost his damn mind.

  The guys all got up and gathered around Matt, talking at once, but Jake tuned them out. “Remi, don’t do this.” He smelled tears, but Remi never let them fall.

  Blinking them back, Remi looked at the ceiling. “Sterling needs me.”

  So do I. “So do we.” Jake pointed to their pack, his anger growing despite his promise to remain clam. Remi was being stubborn and he wasn’t thinking straight.

  Shaking his head, Remi went to the couch. “Get out.” He didn’t say it with much conviction but he dropped his head in his hands, dismissing Jake.

  Caught between the urge to shake the shit out of Remi and start punching things, Jake turned back to their pack.

  They stood gathered around the door, looking like they’d gone to a funeral. Matt was gone.

  “Where’s Matt?”

  “He went to go back and help Rhys,” Tank answered.

  If Jake hadn’t been so pissed at his mate, he’d have smiled. It appeared Matt had found something more important than his fear of Rhys. Jake bobbed his head. “Listen, why don’t you guys split for right now and let—”

  Dago was already opening the door, his head hanging.

  Fuck. Jake ground his teeth together.

  “Hi. We came to check on Remi, is he—” Gadget stepped in the door, Eddie on his hip. Frowning at the guys, he met Jake’s gaze. “What’s wrong?”

  “Remi wants us to leave,” Zack mumbled.

  The pack’s mood pressed in on Jake’s anger. He was starting to sense their depression, their feeling of rejection from their omega.

  Eddie squirmed in Gadget’s arms, making little grunting sounds, and reached toward Remi.

  Jake just stared. The boy’s hands weren’t twisted up in pain, his color was normal. Before, even when his arthritis wasn’t bothering him, he had a grayish cast to his skin. Remi had truly healed him.

  Jake smiled in spite of the situation. He couldn’t ever remember seeing the child do that, he always clung to whoever was holding him.

  “Shh…” Gadget patted his leg and hefted Eddie up higher on his hip.

  Jake held his arms out to Eddie.

  Gadget frowned, but handed him over.

  Setting him on the ground, Jake let him go where he wanted.

  All the men watched. There were several soft gasps as Eddie ran to Remi. The baby wasn’t limping and favoring his legs like he normally did.

  Eddie stood in front of Remi for several seconds, waiting. When Remi didn’t lift his head, Eddie crawled down into Remi’s sight and peeked up at him. “Remi? Okay, Remi?”

  “What are you doing here?” Remi sounded surprised.

  “Come to see you.” Eddie climbed into Remi’s lap. It was awkward as little as he was, but he managed it nicely.

  Remi steadied Eddie on his leg. His eyes widened. Catching Eddie’s hands in one of his, he studied them. Tears ran down his cheeks and a smile crept over his lips. He glanced at Jake, then at their pack.

  Jake smiled back, aware of some of the guys tearing up. “We need you too, pup.”

  Eddie pulled his hands free and hugged Remi.

  Remi nodded. “I’m sorry. Please shut the door and come back in here.”

  “We’re going to go hide our bikes first. But we’ll be back if you really don’t mind,” Tank said.

  Remi hugged Eddie harder. “I don’t mind.”

  They all filed out the door, their unease gone.

  Gadget grinned. “Looks like we made it just in time.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  “They did cover for Dirk, but not for murdering Billy—”

  “What?” Remi stopped his pacing, his green eyes wide, his gaze boring into Rhys’. “Sorry, go on.” He continued to pace a rut in Jake’s carpet.

  “The story was that Dirk killed a pedophile who attacked the boys.”

  “He told them he killed an attacker?” Remi threw his hands in the air then let them fall. He gripped his hair, pulled, and made a sound caught halfway between a groan and a yell. “What the fuck? So these great wondrous civil servants took it upon themselves to play judge? Didn’t they think it was a little odd there wasn’t another body?”

  Jake watched his mate. Fearing for Remi’s safety was only half of his dilemma, albeit the most troubling. “Remi, come sit down.”

  Remi turned and glared.

  Groaning in frustration, Jake got up from the couch and went to fetch him. “Cops, oh hell law enforcement of all kinds, hate child predators. Think about it, especially one who’d prey on young boys.” He caught Remi’s hand, guiding him to the couch cattycorner to the chair Rhys was sitting in.

  As badly as Jake wanted to get rid of the threat to Remi and their happiness, he didn’t dare rush something like this. He wanted to make certain everything would stand up in court. But at the same time the urge to get things rolling was paramount. To do that he needed to keep a clear head and hear the rest of what Rhys had learned.

  “They had a body,” Rhys added.

  “What?” Remi and Jake both stopped at the end of the couch.

  Jake sat.

  “There was a body, a Geoff Clifton.” Rhys leaned forward, his gaze focused on Remi. “According to the story Caspari uncovered, Dirk went to pick you and Billy up. The two of you had gone to the movies, with Dirk’s permission, to kill time while waiting for Sterling to be born. Dirk had gone to the movie theater first. When he didn’t find the two of you there, he assumed you’d started walking back home. He got back to the house and neither of you were there, so he traced his way back to the theater. He was about to go see if the two of you had gone to Billy’s house when he heard you yelling.”

  Growling, Remi flopped on the couch next to Jake. “Heard me yelling?”

  “Yes.” Rhys held up his hand.

  Jake rested his hand on Remi’s thigh because hearing this made his blood boil. “Let him finish, pup.”

  Rhys took a drink of his water. “He heard yelling and parked the car. He didn’t see anything at first, but followed the direction of the cries for help. Upon searching the field, he stumbled over Billy’s body, at which point he panicked and called out to Remi. Allegedly, Remi called back and then went silent in the middle of yelling ‘Dad’.”

  Remi scoffed, his back going rigid. “I’ve never called Dirk dad.”

  Jake patted Remi’s leg, trying to get him to quiet. He did his damnedest to remain calm, but Remi’s anger was infectious.

  “Finally, Dirk said he saw something in the knee-high grass. He raced forward, pistol drawn, but only found Remi unconscious and unresponsive. The day after, a drunk they were holding in the pen had an accident and fell down the stairs on his way to questioning. According to what Caspari heard, the man confessed to raping the boys, killing Billy and leaving Remi for dead.”

  “Un-fucking-believable.” Jake leaned back on the couch. Goddamn, he’d love to get his hands on Lassiter. “You’re telling me that the FBI found this out and let it drop? Instead of investigating the prisoner’s murder as well?”

  Rhys nodded. “You said it yourself about law enforcement and pedophiles. And with a cop’s kid being involved…” Rhys shook his head. “Cops take care of their own.”

  Remi leaned closer to Jake and Jake wondered if he realized he’d done it. Probably not, it seemed automatic, but it gave Jake a bit of reassurance. Some of his own tension ebbed away with Remi’s nearnes
s.

  “What’s the word on the alleged pedophile?” Remi sounded tired and defeated.

  Rhys shrugged. “I’m looking into that now, trying to find out who the man was. I’m looking for a report. I’m anxious to see how his death was explained and where they supposedly found him.”

  Running his hands through his hair, Jake huffed out a breath. Dirk was a fucking genius. If they dug stuff up on the son of a bitch, they’d find this cover-up story. They were going to have their work cut out for them proving Dirk set that scene up to cover for himself.

  Apparently, Remi drew the same conclusion. His shoulders slumped, his head hung and the scent of fear poured off of him again. “What a clusterfuck.” Standing again, Remi paced in front of the coffee table. “So basically, it’s my word against his and he has not only the rez police on his side but the fucking FBI too. There is no way in hell all those cops are going to admit to being duped and covering a crime.” He walked over to Jake’s fireplace and ran his hands over the mantle. His gaze was unfocused and far away. “There is nothing else I can do.” He sounded as if he’d given up all hope.

  Jake’s chest felt like it was being crushed. Any minute Remi would turn to him and break off all ties in hopes he’d be able to see Sterling again. With tremendous effort, Jake swallowed the urge to scream and yell. Why couldn’t Remi love him as much as he did Sterling? No, that wasn’t fair. Remi would do whatever it took to take care of anyone he cared about who was in trouble, Jake knew that as sure as he breathed. He even understood Remi’s logic, but it still hurt. He wasn’t being at all rational. Dirk wouldn’t let Remi see Sterling just because Remi was no longer hanging out with Jake. Hell, Dirk had no idea they were lovers. It came down to the fact that Dirk was concerned Remi remembered something…or at least that was Jake’s take on things. And Dirk knew his son well enough to know Sterling was the key to keeping Remi quiet. He was dangling Sterling as bait until Remi came clean, telling Dirk what he knew and promising to keep it secret.

  And Remi would do just that, if Jake allowed him. But it wouldn’t solve anything. It wouldn’t keep either of them from danger, even if it would allow him to see Sterling.

  Okay think, Jake, think. Which was way easier said than done. He had to fight back. Now that he had Remi, he wasn’t letting go. Remi had done well with what he had to work with, but Jake was here now and it was up to him to break this cycle. If he didn’t, Remi would always be under Dirk Lassiter’s thumb.

  There was a file folder sitting next to Rhys. Rhys had glanced at the folder a few times but hadn’t opened it. Why? “What’s in the folder?”

  “Crime scene photos.” Rhys shook his head. “You don’t want to see, trust me. Hell, I don’t want to see them again.” Rhys’ voice sounded rougher than normal.

  Swallowing the lump in his throat, Jake held out his hand. “Let me see them. Maybe we can find something that doesn’t add up.”

  “Jake…”

  He continued to hold out his hand, glancing at Remi, who was still lost in thought by the fireplace. “Rhys.”

  “Fine. But I warned you.” Rhys slapped the folder into Jake’s palm, got up and stalked to the kitchen.

  Staring at the manila file folder, Jake heard the refrigerator door open and noticed the water bottle Rhys had been drinking from sitting on the coffee table empty. The fridge door shut and a can popped open. Okay, he was being ridiculous. Stalling wasn’t going to make what was in the folders less harsh. The descriptions from Remi’s dream painted a horrendously vivid picture, how much worse could the actual pictures be?

  Flipping open the folder, he found what he recognized as an official report. He scanned it. It was what Remi had told him to begin with. The boys were walking back from the movies and attacked by unknown assailants, for unknown reasons. He set the document aside. A boy’s sightless eyes stared back at him.

  He was Apache from the looks of it. In spite of the ugly bruise on one cheek, he was handsome, with tanned skin, big brown eyes, short black hair and a hawk-like nose. This was Billy. Remi’s first love. The kid looked so innocent, almost peaceful with his red shirt open just enough to show off his bruised throat.

  Jake flipped to the next picture. Another of Billy. He lay in the yellowing grass, arms and legs spread like he’d been positioned there.

  Rhys came back and set a beer in front of him. “You’re going to need this.”

  Great. Ignoring the beer, Jake picked up the picture of Billy and moved it.

  The first thing he saw was the slender back, legs and buttocks covered with bloody welts. Remi’s long hair fanned out around him and his head was turned, leaving one side of his face clearly visible. Dried blood covered his cheek and chin, his nose was purplish black and swollen. Jesus. He was barely recognizable.

  “My God,” Jake whispered to himself. Tears threatened his eyes. It was like being punched in the stomach so hard he lost his breath. How could anyone do this? To Remi? Remi, who always thought of others before himself.

  Jake moved to the next picture.

  It was a closeup of Remi’s battered face. Jake closed his eyes, trying to hide his overwhelming anger from his mate. Before Remi, Jake had thought he, Rhys and their group were some tough sons of bitches. Now he realized they were nothing compared to Remi. Remi took what life dished out and never once complained. Even his abusive upbringing he tried to ignore, except when it came to Sterling.

  Remi’s cell phone rang.

  Snapping open his eyes, Jake watched as Remi fumbled for the phone.

  Turning toward Jake and Rhys, he flipped it open. “Hello?” His eyebrows pulled together like he was trying to hear. “Sterling? I can’t hear you. You’re breaking up.” He walked closer to the front window. “Sterling?”

  Jake was on his feet in a second. Tossing the folder aside, he hurdled the coffee table and caught Remi’s shoulders. “What is it?”

  Remi’s face went blank. “I don’t know. I could barely hear him. He sounded like…” Pulling away from Jake, Remi stuffed his phone back onto his belt and dug out his keys, running toward the kitchen door.

  Jake caught him before he made it to the garage. “Sounded like what?”

  “Like he was crying.”

  Oh fuck. The pictures of Remi’s beaten face flashed through Jake’s brain. It gave Remi enough time to hit the garage door opener and go to his bike.

  Jake ran back inside and grabbed his keys and helmet off the kitchen counter. Putting his helmet on, he passed Rhys on his way to the garage. “Stay here in case Sterling calls.”

  “Fuck that.” Rhys had his keys out and phone in hand, already heading out the front door.

  The sound of Remi’s bike motor echoed through the house and Jake didn’t have time to think, much less argue. He shook his head and ran out the garage door, trying to keep up with his mate. “Remi. Wait!” Damn.

  Remi took off.

  Jake started his bike, hit the garage door opener, then jumped on and headed out of the garage with the door closing behind him. His heart leapt into his throat. Remi shouldn’t be driving. He didn’t think straight when it came to his brother.

  He drove onto reservation land, and Remi was still nowhere in sight. Had he taken a different way? He hadn’t said anything, but Jake was certain he’d go to his parents’ house. That’s where Sterling would be.

  Rounding the first of three curves on the way to the Lassiter house, Jake hit the dirt road. Feeling the bike try and get away from him on the dirt and loose gravel, he slowed a little. That’s when he saw the cloud of dust and Remi’s bike laying in the middle of the road, the tank and front wheel crumpled, the back wheel still turning.

  Oh God no. Jake stopped so abruptly his bike almost slid out from under him. Alarm stabbed through him. Everything went still and quiet. It was like watching a movie in slow motion with the volume turned down. He scanned the area for Remi and inhaled, trying to find him through the dust. “Remi!”

  * * *

  Rhys watched Jake’s taill
ight speed away as he put his car into reverse. It was getting dark out. He’d been taking nightly trips to the Lassiter house in wolf form and so far Sterling had come to no harm, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t concerned now. He was tempted to try and call the kid’s cell phone, but he didn’t want to chance Dirk Lassiter hearing it.

  Those pictures of Remi as a teen haunted Rhys. Even knowing they were Remi, when Rhys had first seen them he’d envisioned Sterling lying there. He’d been so unsettled, he’d shifted and gone to the Lassiter house in broad daylight just to check on the kid. Luckily, Sterling had been unharmed. Which was a damn good thing. Rhys wasn’t sure he had Jake’s restraint. He’d have to kill Lassiter for harming the boy.

  His cell phone rang as he drove onto the reservation. Recognizing Sterling’s number, he hit the talk button. “Sterling?”

  “Rhys? I…can’t…get…Remi.” His voice was soft and slow, like he was having a hard time talking.

  Rhys didn’t like the wheezing sound of his voice. Something was very wrong. “I’m on my way, tell me where you are.”

  “There’s a fiel—” He coughed, the sound almost gurgling. When the coughing ceased, a long, pain-filled moan started.

  Fuck. Rhys stepped on the gas. “What are you closest to? Did you walk toward town or toward the Winston’s house?” He tried to reach that inner calm he always obtained in a dangerous situation, but it wouldn’t come.

  “I don’t…know. I went str—” There was more coughing. When Sterling spoke again, his voice was softer. “—out the back door and kept going.”

  A field. Out the back door. Rhys racked his brain. There were a lot of fields on the reservation. Turning onto the road behind the Lassiter house, Rhys rolled down all his windows and slowed. He concentrated on making his eyes shift so he could see better. Taking a deep breath, he pulled the outside air in through his nose and made his voice calm and stern. “Keep talking to me, kid. Are you walking in the field?”