He felt Jagger stiffen behind him but was glad when Jagger kept quiet.
“The paramedics said his nose is broken and he’ll probably need to be monitored for a head injury since he lost consciousness. He says he wants to press charges.”
“Escort him to the hospital and stay on him. He violated the restraining order Mr. Talbot had on him. I’ll take statements from everyone else and talk to the D.A. about charges.”
“Yes sir,” Gerard said and hurried off.
Declan turned his attention to Zane. “What happened?”
Zane glanced at Connor for a moment and then focused his attention on Declan. “I ran into your boy out front,” he said. “We heard yelling and found Mr. Sutter had Mr. Talbot pinned against the shelves in there” – he pointed to the storeroom – “and was kissing and fondling him.”
“It wasn’t consensual?” Declan forced himself to ask even though he already knew the answer.
“No fucking way,” Zane said. The fury caught Declan off guard but Zane quickly brought himself under control again. “Mr. Talbot seemed confused by what was happening. He kept asking about a backpack. I pulled Mr. Sutter off of him while Ren checked on Mr. Talbot. It also sounded like someone struck someone else but neither of us witnessed it.”
The red mark on Connor’s face was proof enough of who’d struck who. “Okay, I need you to come down to the precinct and give me a formal statement. You good with that?”
Zane nodded. “I’ll head down there now.” He cast Connor one last look and turned to leave when Jagger suddenly stepped in front of him. Pride surged through Declan as Jagger stuck out his hand. Zane seemed reluctant to take it at first, but finally did.
“Thank you,” Jagger said softly.
Zane gave him a curt nod and then left. Declan went back to where Ren was sitting with Connor. “Connor, I need you to come down to the precinct to give your statement so we can press charges against Jason.”
Connor nodded and Jagger wrapped an arm around his shoulders as he climbed unsteadily to his feet. As they headed towards the entrance, Declan reached for Ren and dragged him into his arms. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m good,” Ren said.
“What were you doing here?”
“I came to ask Connor about Sutter. I was worried about the lawsuit and I wanted to find out what he knew about it.”
Declan made himself release Ren and nodded in understanding. “We’ll need to get your statement too.”
Ren’s eyes widened as he realized that meant he’d have to go to the precinct. “Will you be the one taking it?” Ren asked.
“No. We need to be able to show impartiality so Sutter can’t claim I was biased. Another officer will have to do it.”
Ren nodded. “Okay.”
“You sure?” Declan asked.
“If it helps put that fucker behind bars, yeah, I’m sure.”
***
“Don’t think I’ve forgotten our deal,” Jagger said as Declan snuggled back against him.
“What deal?” Ren asked. His head was resting on Declan’s chest and his fingers were stroking up and down Declan’s side.
“It’s nothing,” Declan murmured.
“Declan has some explaining to do about a few things.”
He felt Declan sigh. It had been a long day between dealing with things at the bar and the fiasco at the station afterwards and Jagger had actually forgotten the promise he’d finagled out of Declan until he saw Mitchell sitting sullenly in his office as he stared daggers at Jagger as Jagger and Declan had waited for Ren’s statement to be taken. By now Mitchell had to know he and Declan were lovers, but he hadn’t used that or the fact that Jagger was once again involved in an assault on Sutter – albeit indirectly – to confront him. Whatever Declan had said to the man had clearly scared him.
“My grandfather was big in commercial development back in the 1950’s. It made him a lot of money and a lot of friends. My father helped him run the business for a while before he and my mom decided it would be more fun to jet off to foreign countries and hang with the rich and famous. My father eventually became an ambassador and my mother kept busy throwing lavish parties and dinners.”
“Wait, are you saying you’re one of the Hales in Hale Development Services?” Jagger asked.
Declan nodded. “I don’t have anything to do with the day to day operations but I still have a seat on the Board. My grandfather had always hoped I’d take over the business someday but after I told him I was gay, he never brought it up again.”
“Shit, Declan, I’m sorry,” Jagger whispered. He hadn’t intended to bring up Declan’s painful childhood.
“It’s okay,” Declan murmured. “It turned out to be a good thing. I can’t imagine being anything other than a cop.”
“So that’s how you know all those people?” Ren asked.
“Some, but not all. My grandfather was very well connected politically and that ended up helping my career in law enforcement. One of his fishing buddies had been the Captain of the department I joined when I got out of the academy. He was the one who suggested I become a detective and he looked out for me once he became Chief and Mitchell took over as Captain.” Declan hedged.
Jagger couldn’t hide his surprise. “Was he protecting you from Mitchell?”
Declan nodded. “The first thing Mitchell did when he became Captain was get rid of any of the cops who wouldn’t side with him. I knew he was garbage as soon as I met him and I made sure he knew it too. He’s been trying to talk the Chief into getting rid of me for years.”
“Fuck,” Jagger murmured. “What about all the others? The mayor?”
“I met the mayor and his wife after I donated some money to a few hospitals in the area.”
“A few?” Jagger asked. “Jesus, how much money do you have?”
“None beyond my detective’s salary,” Declan said.
“But if you own part of your grandfather’s company-” Ren said.
“I give it all away.” The bitterness in Declan’s voice was clear and Jagger knew exactly what he wasn’t saying – he didn’t want a penny from the man who’d so cruelly dismissed him because Declan hadn’t turned out to be the perfect version of the grandson the old man had wanted him to be.
“To charity?” Ren asked gently.
Declan nodded. “Sylvie and I each inherited a quarter of our grandfather’s estate when he died. It came out to almost 6 million dollars for each of us. I wasn’t interested in the money so I just pretended it didn’t exist. When I found out Sylvie was sick again and that she wouldn’t get better, I donated all of it to charities that helped kids with cancer. I realized I could do some good with the profits from my grandfather’s company so I started donating that too. Homeless shelters, organizations that helped gay and transgender kids, hospitals…I tried to do it all anonymously but it got out what I was doing and people like the mayor started reaching out to me. Part of me wanted to tell them all to fuck off because I knew it was all just part of their game, but then I realized that I could use the connections to help others.”
Declan’s eyes shifted so they were staring at the ceiling. “Every time I’m around those people I feel like I’m still living my grandfather’s lie. I hate it,” he whispered.
Ren leaned over Declan and kissed him. “Then let it go, Declan. Put the lie in the past where it belongs.”
Declan closed his eyes. “They won’t accept us. They’ll say what we have is unnatural and wrong.”
Jagger spread his palm over Declan’s face and waited until Declan opened his yes. “Only the people that don’t matter will say that. The people who really care about us will see that what we have is amazing and perfect. That it’s what we’ve been searching for our whole lives.”
“Soulmates,” Ren said softly as he glanced at Jagger.
A smile spread across Jagger’s lips as he remembered his and Ren’s conversation about having more than one soulmate in life. He almost laughed as he remembered Ren
’s comment about not believing in soulmates.
“Soulmates,” Jagger agreed.
Chapter 11
“Did you talk to him?” Jagger asked as he tucked the phone under his chin and began searching out his keys.
“Yeah. He said it’s a good time to tell Ren. He suggested we do it at Ren’s next session so he’s there to give Ren some extra support if he needs it,” Declan said.
“His next session’s tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Fuck,” Jagger muttered. “I’m nervous.”
Declan was silent for a moment too and Jagger guessed he was thinking the same things as Jagger – that all the trust they’d been able to build up with Ren would be decimated. But their bigger concern had been making sure Ren was strong enough to deal with learning the truth about Rafe’s childhood and they’d decided that approaching Ren’s therapist to find out how best to break the news to Ren would be the wisest course of action.
“He’ll understand,” Declan said firmly. “He’ll see that we were protecting him.”
God, Jagger hoped like hell that Declan was right.
“How’s Connor?” Declan asked.
“Struggling. He finally managed to talk Mags into letting him go home last night but I know he’s frustrated with how things played out.”
“At least he won’t need to testify since Sutter was smart enough to take a plea.”
“Thirty days in jail and two years probation? Fucker got off lucky,” Jagger snapped.
“Yeah, but if he so much as even looks at Connor, he’s back in for the full two years.”
Jagger knew it was better than nothing. And at least the lawsuit had been dropped as soon as Zane threatened Lionel Sutter with a massive countersuit.
“Are you on your way home?” Jagger asked as he finally managed to get the door open.
“Yeah, be there in fifteen.”
“Okay, see you in a bit. I’ll make sure Ren looks real nice for you when you get here,” Jagger added and he heard Declan let out a sharp breath.
“Be there in ten,” Declan amended and then he hung up.
Jagger found Ren in the garage working on his car. He had music playing on the stereo so he hadn’t heard Jagger come in. As much as Jagger would have liked to sneak in and place his body over Ren’s where it was leaning over the engine, he wasn’t willing to risk scaring Ren, so he called out his name instead. Ren’s physical appearance had changed dramatically in the three months since he and Declan had found him at the cabin. His body had filled out as a result of good nutrition and using the weights Jagger kept in the homemade gym in his basement had given Ren’s muscles some definition. His skin looked healthy and even had a touch of color from the sun and his hair had grown thick and lush. And while he still struggled with occasional nightmares, they were coming less often. Crowds continued to be his biggest challenge, so things like going down to the waterfront or the Market Place to walk around were still off limits. Loud sounds got his attention, but didn’t set him off like they used to and he’d even managed to start watching some lighter action movies as long as they didn’t have too much gunfire and bombs going off.
Since Ren hadn’t heard him, Jagger went to the stereo and turned it off. Ren looked up from what he was doing and Jagger smiled at the sight of the grease on his hands and smeared across his forehead.
“Hey,” Ren said with smile.
Ren’s smile was the biggest proof of his recovery. It was almost always present now and he wasn’t content until he had the people around him smiling too. If Declan had a bad day at work, Ren used every ploy to drag a smile out of him. And if that didn’t work, he unabashedly used his body which always did the trick. Ren had also started testing himself more by running errands like picking up groceries or gassing up their cars. The only thing he hadn’t done yet was talk about when he was ready to see his brothers.
“What are you doing?” Jagger asked as Ren bent under the hood of the car once more, leaving his ass on perfect display for Jagger.
“Just checking a few things,” Ren said as his ass shifted back and forth slightly. Jagger cursed - little fucker was playing with him. Jagger began unbuttoning his shirt as he moved closer to the car and he let his hands smooth over the denim covering Ren’s ass.
“Was there something you needed?” Ren asked from under the hood as he pushed his ass back against Jagger’s touch.
“Little shit,” Jagger murmured as he yanked Ren free from the car and slammed the hood down. He pushed Ren down face first on the hood and leaned over him. His hands covered Ren’s as he began rubbing his cock against Ren’s ass. “I think there’s something you need, isn’t there?” Jagger asked as he leaned down and nipped Ren’s ear.
“Yes,” Ren moaned.
“Do you want me to fuck you up against your pretty little car, Ren?” He skimmed his lips down Ren’s neck and then bit down gently.
“Yes, Jagger. Please!”
Jagger stood and yanked his shirt off. Ren made a move to stand but Jagger shoved him back down. Ren got the silent message and stayed where he was though his head was turned enough so he could see what Jagger was doing. Jagger nearly came when Ren licked his lips as Jagger freed his cock from his pants.
Jagger pushed Ren’s pants down and then searched out his wallet and found the packet of lube he needed. He slathered some on his dick and put a little on Ren’s hole. He leaned back over Ren and said, “I’m going to fuck you so hard that you’re going to beg me to come but you won’t, do you understand me?” He grabbed his dick and ran it up and down Ren’s crease.
“Yes,” Ren moaned.
“And when Declan gets here you’re going to suck his cock for as long as he wants and then you’re going to let him fuck you any way he wants.”
“Jesus,” Ren muttered. Jagger smiled as Ren’s body shook beneath his.
Jagger pulled Ren’s hips back so the angle was perfect and began pushing into him.
“God, yes,” Ren snarled as he drove his hips backwards to meet Jagger’s shallow thrusts. Once Jagger was fully seated, he pressed Ren back down on the hood of the car and began driving into him. He used his weight to hold Ren down and pinned his wrists when Ren tried to reach for him. Ren was begging for relief within minutes but Jagger kept up his brutal pace. But whenever Ren started to crest, Jagger slowed his pace dramatically. And then he started all over again.
By the time Declan got home, Ren’s shirt was covered in sweat and sticking to his back and he was whimpering in need as Jagger slammed into him.
“Look who’s home, baby,” Jagger whispered against Ren’s ear.
Ren managed to turn his head enough to see Declan but he was incapable of speech. Declan’s eyes were heavy with lust and he was already peeling off his shirt.
“Remember what I said,” Jagger said to Ren. Ren managed a nod and bit down on his lip. Jagger ruthlessly pounded into Ren over and over until his orgasm hit him and his come flooded Ren’s channel. He stayed inside of Ren until the last aftershock eased and then slowly pulled his dick out. Declan came up next to him and they both watched as Jagger’s semen began to trickle out of Ren’s ass.
Declan dropped to his knees and licked his way up Ren’s inner thigh before closing his mouth over Ren’s hole and sucking gently. Ren moaned at the contact and tried to push back on Declan’s face but Jagger placed his hand on Ren’s back to keep him still. Declan kept eating Ren for several long seconds and then he stood and turned Ren over and kissed him. Jagger’s breath nearly stopped at the sight of his come transferring from Declan’s tongue to Ren’s. The kiss turned hungry and impatient and Declan reared back and pushed his pants down. He grabbed Ren’s legs and dragged him forward a bit before ramming into him. Ren screamed in pleasure at the harsh treatment and Jagger felt his own dick stirring as he heard the sound of his come squishing inside of Ren as Declan thrust into him over and over again.
“Please, I need to come!” Ren yelled.
Declan kept up his b
rutal pace and Jagger angled around Declan and Ren’s body and closed his mouth over Ren’s dick. As he sucked on Ren hard, he watched Declan’s dick slide into Ren’s body and couldn’t hide the feeling of satisfaction that it was his own come that was glistening on Declan’s dick and easing the way for Declan to torment Ren with thrust after vicious thrust.
Declan came first but Ren was only seconds behind and Jagger happily swallowed every bitter drop of release that shot down his throat. He released Ren with a pop and then Declan was tipping his head up for a kiss while Ren lay unmoving beneath them.
***
“I’ll get it,” Ren called over his shoulder when the doorbell rang.
He thought he’d been smart by claiming first dibs on the shower but he’d barely managed to get any of the grease off his hands before Jagger and Declan were joining him. But at least the grease had come off a lot faster with three pairs of hands instead of just one and he’d managed to sneak out while Declan and Jagger were focused on each other. He’d lost track of time as he’d been working on his car so he hadn’t made the call to the restaurant to set up a dinner reservation like he’d planned before Jagger and Declan got home. His plan was to take them to dinner so he could finally tell them he was ready to see his brothers and that he wanted them there when he saw them. Ren had no doubt that his brothers would be confused to find him in a relationship with two men, but he was more concerned that they’d be upset with Declan and Jagger for keeping the truth from them for so long. Dom and Vin were the only family Declan had and Jagger needed the security of working for his brothers so he could finally put down roots in the city he’d spent so many years trying to stay away from.
Ren reached for the door and opened it. A man in his mid to late twenties with streaky blonde hair and blue eyes stood on the other side.
“Hi, can I help you?” Ren asked.
“Yeah, hi, I’m here to see Jagger. I’ve been trying to catch him at the office but I keep missing him and I didn’t want to do this over the phone,” the man said nervously.
Saving Ren (Barretti Security Series, Book 3) Page 18
