Trust And Obey

by Ts McKinney

  “Maybe you should tell us what happened here,” Rory accused. “You’re the only imposter in this fucking room so that damned well puts you firmly in the bad guy column. Jericho Brookes, my fucking ass. Why? Why do this to Landry…to any of us? Sage is a fucking kid!”

  Brookes ignored Rory’s tirade. “He’s barely bleeding at all, which means his heart is barely pumping. How long before the paramedics should get here?” He looked at Riley and said, “Do you know CPR?”

  “Yeah, but I wasn’t sure if I needed to do any chest compressions…with his wound,” Riley answered. “It’s bad, isn’t it?”

  “He’s young and strong, so let’s not give up on him yet. You do the CPR and I’ll keep pressure on his chest to stop any more blood loss.” Riley immediately started puffing air into Sage’s mouth. To Riley, Brookes said, “Call 911 again and get their ETA. His pulse is weak and he’s lost a lot of blood. If the paramedics don’t get here in the next…”

  Before he could finish, paramedics burst through the door and chaos took over. Brookes and Riley were shoved out of the way as the men worked on trying to save Sage’s life. Unable to help with the young bartender, the three men stepped several yards away from the action. Since they were being ignored by the paramedics, Brookes asked, “What in the hell happened in here? Who shot Sage?” A look of horror flashed across his face. “Where’s Landry?” When neither man answered, Brookes roared, “Where’s Landry?”

  Rory bumped his chest against Brookes and said, “Who are you? Let’s start with that question before you expect any answers from us. Forgive me for not trusting you with my friend’s life, but since I know you’re a lying son of a bitch, I’m struggling with some trust issues right now!”

  Brookes glanced around the room and then back to Riley and Rory. “My name’s Landon Jericho Brookes. My brother, London Jericho Brookes, is the Dom that I’ve pretended to be. He’s my twin and, yes, I used his identity to get close to Landry. Through my brother, I knew enough about the lifestyle to properly fake it. Hell, I’m part of the BDSM world, but not in as deep as my brother.” He took a deep breath. “Now, tell me what happened here and please tell me that Landry is safe.”

  Ignoring his question, Rory asked, “Why did you need to lie to get close to Landry? What were you hoping to accomplish…and what does it have to do with Haven?”

  When Rory’s cell started ringing, Riley snatched it out of his pocket since he knew Rory was focused solely on Brookes. “Fuck, it’s Colton,” he whispered. “What do I tell him?”

  Rory growled as he turned away from Brookes. “Let me talk to him about what we found. He’s going to lose it.”

  He took the cell from Riley and took several steps away from them. Brookes could hear him murmuring something, but couldn’t make out the words. All he knew was that Rory was upset about something and it had to do with a hell of a lot more than his identity unveiling. Something had happened. Something bad. Sage was nearly dead and nobody would tell him where Landry was. He turned to Riley and pleaded, “Tell me what’s going on, Riley. I know I lied, but I’d never do anything to hurt Landry. You’ve got to believe me.” When Riley looked like he might be on the fence but could teeter in either direction, he added, “I’m in love with him, Riley. I swear to you that the first time I saw his picture, my heart did something funny inside my chest. After I met him, I was lost. He’s the one.”

  Riley looked unconvinced. “Why did you lie about who you are? No matter how hard I try to give you the benefit of the doubt, I can’t come up with a viable excuse for that shit.” He glanced back at Rory with a worried expression on his face. “Especially considering what’s happened.”

  Brookes sucked in a deep breath and tried to control the fear that was threatening to take over his body. Something had happened to Landry, he could feel it in his heart. Knowing he needed to get Riley and Rory on board before he would ever learn anything, he plunged ahead with the truth. “I was hired by a man to locate and then learn everything I could about Landry Evans. This man was a…old friend, and he wanted to make sure Landry was safe and living a good life.” He combed his fingers through his hair and added, “I was only supposed to take a peek into his life, ensure everything was good, and then move on. After I met Landry, I couldn’t walk away. My lies got deeper and deeper, but I wasn’t willing to expose myself for fear that Landry wouldn’t be able to forgive me…or accept me as a lover instead of a Dom.”

  “How well do you know this man you work for?” Rory growled in fury. He’d eavesdropped on the last of Brookes’ revelation.

  “I know him fairly well, but he’s a close acquaintance with my brother—it was actually London’s idea to use his identity once I found Landry and told my employer that he was planning on opening a BDSM club,” Brookes answered. His frustration was growing by the second, but he understood that he needed to convince Riley and Rory that he wasn’t the bad guy…if there was a bad guy. He hoped to hell that he was wrong and no bad guys existed in Landry’s world. “Why? Do you think he has something to do with what happened here with Sage?”

  “Who the hell knows?” Rory snapped. “All we know is that you’re a lying son of a bitch, Sage has been shot, Colton’s having a nervous breakdown, and Landry and Jagger have been abducted. There. That’s what’s going on around here, Brookes! Now, let me ask you again, how well do you know the man you’re working for?”

  “Landry and Jagger have been abducted? I couldn’t have you correctly. Surely the gods wouldn’t do this to me—help me find the man I love and then try to take him away.”

  “What happened here, Rory?” Detective Matthews asked, interrupting Brookes’ nervous breakdown.

  None of them had noticed that he’d entered the club. Rory tucked a piece of paper into his back pocket, looking as guilty as shit when he did it.

  “Riley and I came in to check on Sage because he’d texted Landry about an inventory problem. When we got here, the front door was unlocked, which is weird because we usually keep it locked if only one employee is on staff at the time. We found Sage on the floor, blood everywhere, and called 911. We, uh, we have no idea what happened, Detective,” Rory lied.

  Detective Matthews looked like he might have believed half of what Rory said…only half. With a frown, he asked, “Where’s Landry? Or Jagger? I thought they were usually here during the day.”

  “No, not today,” Rory answered. “Colton got called into Haven about a security breach and Jagger was left having to look at houses without him. They’re trying to find a house, you know?”

  “I don’t care if they’re trying to find a spaceship, Rory. Quit blowing smoke up my ass and tell me what’s going on,” Matthews demanded irritably. “I’ve got a twenty-two-year old kid that probably isn’t going to make it.” He glared at all three of them and stressed, “He’s a fucking kid and he may die. What the hell is going on around here?”

  “I believe that’s what you need to be telling us, Detective,” Colton said smoothly as he eased his body into their group.

  Brookes didn’t think that Detective Matthews noticed it, but he could see that Colton’s entire body was trembling and his clothes were damp with sweat. His hands were shaking but he shoved them into his pants pockets to hide the fact. The smile on his face could be described as pleasant and friendly. The tension oozing from his pores told Brookes that Colton wanted to kill somebody.

  “I thought you had an emergency at Haven?” Matthews said, completely unruffled by Colton’s attitude.

  Colton shrugged coolly. “Just needed to review some security tapes,” he answered. “Speaking of which, have you looked at Landry’s security tapes yet?”

  That got Detective Matthews attention. “Good point, Colton. Come with me, let’s have a look.”

  Colton started shaking his head. “Sorry, Detective, but I’m headed to the hospital to check on Sage.” He looked around at the rest of their group and added, “We all are. He’s more than an employee. He’s a friend. Let me show you where eve
rything is and leave you to it.”

  Ten minutes later, they were exiting the club and each man, for his own personal reasons, was on the verge of committing murder…if only they knew who to blame.

  “Where are we headed?” Rory asked as soon as they were out of earshot of the paramedics and cops.

  Colton’s jaw was set in stone as he walked toward the black van Haven often used to transport their residents. “We’re going back to Haven, since it is somehow connected to whatever this bastard is after.” He looked in Brookes’ direction and said, “You aren’t welcome, you lying son of a bitch. If you’re connected in any way, innocent or not, to the people who’ve taken Landry and Jagger, I’m going to kill you myself.” Tears of frustration, anger, and fear were in Colton’s eyes as he told Brookes to fuck off.

  “I can’t do that, Colton,” Brookes said. “I’m in love with Landry, and I have to be a part of this—I have to do something to help. I have six years in the Special Forces—I can help with this.”

  At the van, Colton turned around and snorted. “Special Forces? Really? How’d you have time to do that and become an expert in the BDSM world, traveling around to perform for crowds. Cruises, as a matter of fact. I hear you love to cruise this time of year.” Colton’s eyes darkened. “I’m not kidding with you, Brookes. Fuck off. You aren’t a part of this. You aren’t a part of us.”

  “I vote he comes with us,” Riley said quietly. “Brookes explained some things to me and I believe him.” He looked at Brookes and then Colton before adding, “Hell, Colton, he has the same look on his face that you do! The man he loves has been taken and he’s terrified. Let him help us…since we didn’t let the cops. What was that lie about?”

  Colton looked like he was still on the fence on whether he believed Brookes was on the good side of the law versus the side of the monsters that took Jagger and Landry, but then he nodded, finally catching on that Brookes being near them might be beneficial, regardless of which side he stood on. The whole keep-your-enemies-close really did make sense. He opened the van door and motioned for Brookes to get inside. “The first time you piss me off or do something questionable, you’re out. Understood?”

  “Understood,” Brookes muttered as he climbed into the van. He would have agreed to anything to be included in rescuing Landry. “Do you have a plan?” he asked once they’d all piled in.

  Colton tossed his phone to Rory. “Call Sin and ask him to go to the hospital and sit with Sage. I don’t want anybody else going in to see him. It was definitely him on the videos at Haven and we’re gonna need him to know what the fuck is going on. Tell Sin to make sure the hospital knows I’m taking care of everything.” As soon as Rory was on the phone, talking quietly with Sin, Colton answered Brookes. “I don’t have a plan other than to bring Jagger and Landry home safe. I’ll do whatever the kidnappers ask me to do…give them whatever they want.” His eyes narrowed when he looked at Brookes. “What do they want, Brookes? Maybe you could go ahead and tell me to end the suspense.”

  Brookes rolled his eyes. “The man I’m working for had absolutely nothing to do with Sage being shot or Jagger and Landry being taken. I assure you of that.” Closing his eyes in despair, he added, “So, cut the bullshit, Colton. Tell me what you know and let’s come up with something to bring the men we love back home to us. You can kick my ass when all this shit is over.”

  “Don’t worry, asshole. I plan on it,” Colton shot back.

  As they drove toward Haven, Colton shared everything he knew. They discussed the note that was left and tried their damndest to connect dots that just didn’t want to be connected. Not one damned thing added up.

  “What about the security tapes? Shouldn’t we have waited to see what they revealed?” Brookes asked. “We could be driving away from the best evidence available.”

  “The tapes didn’t show anything—they’d already been stripped clean,” Colton answered. “Whoever did this knew about the security cameras and knew how to disable them.” His eyes narrowed when he looked in Brookes’ direction. “You knew, didn’t you?”

  Chapter 13

  “Hey, there, Sleeping Beauty,” a low voice taunted. “Are you ever going to wake up? Jagger really needs you to wake up, Landry. With you passed out, he’s the only thing I have to play with.” There was a pause and then a grunt of pain. “I’m not sure how much more playtime he can handle…especially since he’s already suffering from a gunshot wound.” A fist knocked playfully on the side of his head. “Knock. Knock. If you’re there, openup, kiddo. We’ve got things to discuss. Important things.”

  Landry frowned. He felt like he was in a deep, dark hole and he was suffering from a fucking headache from hell. Through the murky sludge of his scrambled brain, he tried to make sense of the dream he was enduring. No, nightmare. It was definitely a nightmare. He and Jagger had been on their way to his club—some sort of inventory problem. Sage was dead…or nearly dead. Three men—men he’d never seen before. Oh, fuck! Jagger had been shot. He’d watched Jagger being shot! He struggled to make his eyes open.

  “Well, would you lookee there,” the voice said with a chuckle. “He’s finally waking up. You aren’t much of a friend, Landry Evans. You’ve been sleeping for over three hours. Do you have any idea how much Jagger’s suffered while you’ve enjoyed your peaceful slumber?” The voice got right against his ear and said, “Wake up, you employee stealing son of a fucking bitch. You’re about to pay for your past transgressions. Open those green eyes for me. Show me you aren’t a coward…or show me that you are. I don’t give a fuck which it is. Bottom line is that you’re about to pay for stealing from me and my friends.”

  Landry’s eyes opened all the way and the bright light caused him to blink in pain. When he was finally able to focus, he was looking at a middle-aged man with silver hair, bronzed skin, and the evilest black eyes he’d ever faced in his life. Bronson Tildare. He’d lived on the streets long enough to learn the bastard’s name…and to be terrified of him. By day, the man posed as an entrepreneur that rubbed elbows with some of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the country. By night, he lorded over a human trafficking and prostitution empire that included providing children prostitutes to the streets of New York…and overseas. On the streets, the kids had quivered in fear just from the mention of his name.

  Landry was no different. He was quivering in fear at that moment.

  A horrible realization crashed against his skull. Jagger! His eyes, still blurry from the bright lights and the blow to the back of his head, searched the room for Jagger. He gasped when he found his friend, the young man he’d grown to love and accept into his small family. He was propped against the wall and his face looked like he’d been used as a punching bag while Landry had been knocked out. There was dried blood and bruising marring his beautiful features but his blue eyes were bright with alertness and pure anger. When he saw Landry looking at him, he smiled weakly in a very feeble attempt to reassure him that everything was fine.

  Everything wasn’t fine. Nothing was fine! Landry could handle this shit—he could suffer and die at the hands of the brutal bastard holding them captive. Fuck, his death at the hands of the ‘street’ had been written into his destiny years ago. Jagger…Jagger didn’t deserve this fate. Sweet Jagger that finally found love, finally found the courage to open his heart. Jagger deserved his happy ending, not a brutal death alongside an ex-prostitute who wasn’t worth breathing the same air as his friend.

  Colton would be devastated.

  “Yeah, yeah,” Bronson said with a chuckle. “I was a tad rough on him while I waited on you to wake up, but he’s a big boy—he handled himself quite well. Cussed me like a sailor the entire time…especially when I’d stick my finger into that bullet hole in his shoulder.” Bronson leaned down and whispered, “That’s his trigger point. Stick your finger in there and he moans like a bitch in heat.”

  “Touch him again and I’ll kill you,” Landry hissed in disgust. He knew he wasn’t in any position to mak
e threats, but he couldn’t have stopped the words from leaving his mouth if his life had depended on it. He hated everything the man in front of him stood for. This man represented everything in his past, all the darkness he’d tried to walk away from.

  “That’s cute, Landry Evans. Really cute. You can’t protect yourself, much less your handsome friend.” Bronson sat down in the chair next to the bed where Landry was tied. “You’re a street boy, aren’t you, Landry? You have this…look about you that tells me you lived the nightmare.” He turned toward Jagger, studied him, and then gave Landry his full attention again. “Your friend, though…I don’t think he’s slept under bridges or sold his ass for food, has he? There’s a very pretty sadness to his face, but it doesn’t come from street living. No, I think it’s there for an entirely different reason altogether.” He leaned toward Landry again, and asked, “What do you think, streetboy? Could your friend survive being a plaything at one of my parties? He’s too old for the streets, so I couldn’t put him to work. Whatever will I do with him?”

  Bronson stood up and walked over toward Jagger. Landry watched as his friend stiffened in fear, but then raised his chin in defiance. Jagger, with all his struggles in life, was far from weak. As a tear slipped down Landry’s face, he realized that Jagger might be far from weak, but he was close to death.

  Close to death. Because of his friendship with Landry.

  Standing over Jagger, Bronson taunted, “He’s pretty enough, but he isn’t…delicate enough to be what most of my clients are looking for. He’s lean, but there’s still nice muscle formation and that will simply not do.” Bronson leaned over Jagger and said, “But those lips and eyes, they are to die for, aren’t they? Those lips may very well be the plumpest, sexiest marshmallows I’ve ever laid eyes on.” He made a tsking sound. “I don’t know, Landry. I simply don’t know what to do with your friend.”