by Roni Loren
But the sounds had quieted a while ago and there was no sign of Gordon. He had no idea if Cora was still here or how badly hurt she was or if she was alive at all. If Gordon knew she was the daughter of the police captain he wouldn’t let her leave. How could he?
And that’s when Ren realized exactly what this was. Gordon had promised to break him. This was how he’d do it. He’d tried to do it by putting Hayes behind bars. But Ren had fought back, fixed it. He wouldn’t be able to fix this.
This time Gordon had made sure of it. He would win. Gordon would always win.
Tears dampened the cloth over Ren’s eyes, mixing in with the sweat and making his eyes burn. He could feel his mind starting to break, the need to scream and scream and not stop pushing at him. She couldn’t be dead. He couldn’t let that thought enter his head. But in his gut, he didn’t know how things could turn out any other way.
Cora had been right. Gordon knew the ultimate torture—hurting and taking away the people you loved. That was what was worse than death.
Footsteps sounded against the concrete and Ren braced himself for the cool blade of Gordon’s voice, the words that would officially kill Ren for good.
But when the sound came, it wasn’t what he expected.
“Get an ambulance,” the female voice called out.
A male voice responded and a radio squawked.
Ren lifted his head.
“Mr. Muroya, I’m Captain Benning of the Dallas PD. You’re going to be okay. Just stay calm and we’re going to get you some help.”
Instantly, his voice scraped past his throat in protest, and he started to shake his head. No. No. Things were not okay.
“Please, sir, calm down. I’ll get the gag and blindfold off. Just try to be still. You’re hurt, and I don’t want you making it worse.”
Cool hands touched him. He jumped instinctively but tried to take a breath to keep ahold of his panic. Captain Benning wrapped something around him—a blanket, maybe—and carefully removed the blindfold.
Her expression was businesslike as she tucked the blanket around him, but her eyes were tense, worried. She unhooked the gag.
“Cora,” he gasped, once he could find his voice. “He has Cora. She’s . . . hurt. Please.”
The woman’s eyebrows dipped and she shook her head. “Cora?”
Ren closed his eyes, anguish rising up again. “He hurt her. Please. Help her. Find her.”
A gentle hand landed on his shoulder and squeezed. “Ren, take a breath. It’s okay. Cora’s okay.” Her voice had slid from businesslike to a soothing, motherly tone. “She’s the one who helped us find you. I made her stay at the station, but she’ll be at the hospital as soon as we get you there.”
The words didn’t make sense. He opened his eyes, searching her gaze. “But I heard . . .”
Her expression turned grim. “There was a woman here at the house. She was roughed up, but tried to block us from coming inside. We believe she worked for the suspect. Officers have cleared the house. She was the only other person who was here. I swear to you, my daughter is safely at the station, worried sick about you and pissed at me for not letting her come along.”
Relief welled up inside him and he felt the cracks go through him like a sheet of ice in spring. He couldn’t hold it together anymore. Cora was safe. Gordon had mindfucked him one last time. But she was okay.
They would all be okay.
He bent his head and let the exhaustion and the pain and the stress pull him under. Cora’s mother stayed by his side until the EMTs came and started working on him. He heard their voices, talking about blood loss and broken things and shock. They kept saying his name, but he couldn’t respond, couldn’t do anything but let them handle him.
The pain became a thing he could only recognize from a distance. A hum.
He closed his eyes and let the relief of oblivion take him.
THIRTY-TWO
Cora leaned into Hayes, his big arm gathering her next to him, and she put her head on his shoulder. It’d been hours since they’d first seen Ren wheeled in, and the doctors weren’t allowing visitors. All they’d gotten word of was that he was hurt and needed a blood transfusion but was not in critical danger.
That’d been a relief, but the not knowing and not being able to see him for themselves had put both her and Hayes on edge. When she’d gotten to the police station with the photos, she’d been worried about Ren, worried that Gordon was somewhere watching him. What she hadn’t considered was that Gordon would kidnap him. But when Ren wasn’t home or at the office, true fear had set in. And her mother, thankfully, had finally believed her and taken action.
She’d told them to release Hayes from his cell and had him watch the surveillance tape of Ren’s “lawyer” coming inside. The guy had been smart. Had worn a hat and had kept his face angled away from the camera, but Hayes had been able to identify at least one thing—it wasn’t their lawyer.
So without wasting any more time, her mom had gone along with two squad cars to the location Cora had pinpointed from Gordon’s phone. They hadn’t expected to find what they’d found. Ren bleeding out and tied up in the garage. Cora didn’t want to think about what would’ve happened if they’d been delayed any longer or if her mom would’ve questioned her again. The possibilities would give her nightmares for a long time.
Hayes rubbed his hand along her arm, chasing the goose bumps. He’d been quiet, his thoughts probably running the same routes hers were. Despite his stoic expression, she could feel the quick pound of his heart against her cheek.
She blew out a breath. “He’s going to be okay. That’s what we need to keep reminding ourselves.”
Hayes gave a stiff nod. “As okay as you can be after the person you fear the most beats you, tries to kill you, and . . . whatever else he put Ren through.”
She shivered. That was hovering at the edge of her thoughts, too. They didn’t know details. But she couldn’t imagine Gordon would have left any lines uncrossed. Her stomach twisted. Sexy, funny, lighthearted Ren. What kind of monster would want to hurt someone like that? But she knew the answer. Someone who couldn’t tolerate that kind of joy in a person unless he was the owner and controller of it. “He would’ve killed him.”
The words slipped out, her scariest thought escaping the confines of her mind. She knew enough about obsession. Gordon would’ve been satisfied by only two conclusions. Owning Ren’s love. Or killing Ren so that no one else could have him.
“I know.” Hayes pulled her a little more tightly against him and kissed the top of her head. “You saved him. Saved us both. I’m not sure I would’ve been able to live in a world that doesn’t have him in it.”
She heard the catch in his throat, but when she looked up at him, he covered the chink in his armor quickly. He was trying to be strong for her. She turned in his hold and lifted her hand to brush along the stubble that had grown there. “Hey, it’s okay that you’re freaked out. You can lean on me, too. I care about Ren. But I won’t pretend to know what you’re going through right now. What you guys have runs deeper than I’ll ever know.”
He met her gaze at that, his eyes softening. “I don’t know if I’d say ever.” He brushed her hair away from her face. “I’m not that old. We’ve got time. You know, to get deep.”
“To get deep?” She smirked. “If Ren were here, he’d jump all over that one. Let’s go find a closet and get deep right now.”
Hayes chuckled under his breath. “That’s exactly what’d he say, the fucker.”
She smiled but then looked down, the eye contact too much, her thoughts all over the place. “All I’m saying is that we’ve gotten thrown into serious shit really quickly. It feels intense. Emotions are high. But I’m one hundred percent aware that I’m the third wheel in this picture. I don’t want there to be, like, this obligation to continue things just because I got involved in all this. I w
ould’ve tried to help regardless of how I feel about you two because it’s the right thing to do.”
“So you think in exchange for your concern about our well-being and use of your brilliant hacking skills, we’ll feel the need to repay you with dates and sexual favors?”
She sniffed. “You make it sound ridiculous when you say it like that.”
“Because it’s ridiculous.”
She looked up.
He gave her a soft smile. “You know what kept me from losing my mind in that jail cell this time?”
“Hmm?”
“I kept thinking about the other night. Replaying it in my head. There were so many great things about that night, but most of all I remembered standing in the shower and listening to you and Ren teasing and horsing around in the bathroom as you dried each other off. Y’all were loud, the laughter bouncing off the walls, everything so silly and light. And I found myself smiling like an idiot. I couldn’t believe that after everything I’d been through in the last few years, I’d somehow found not just one but two people who lit me up. Each of you alone is more than I deserve. But both of you? It was like the universe was somehow paying me back with interest. And that if it took three miserable years in prison to be able to get what I had right there in that moment then it was worth it. That I’d do it all again.”
Cora’s breath caught.
“You’re not obligated to us. That street goes both ways. And Ren will have his own feelings and thoughts on all of this.” His hand slid to the back her neck, a light touch. “But I fell for Lenore a long time ago. Not her body or her image, but her words, her humor. You, Cora. And after the other night, how right everything felt?” He shook his head. “I knew then that even though part of me knows we’ve just met, the other part is already gone on you. I don’t want you to walk away. I want this to be the beginning for all of us. Not the end. But only if you want that, too.”
Cora didn’t realize she was crying until he wiped a tear off her cheek with the back of his hand. The words were so big, open, and heartfelt from such a stoic man that she could barely breathe them in. What he was suggesting was so much more than sex or kink or even friendship. He was inviting her into his life, his relationship with Ren, his heart.
It was a lot. Everything she wanted but terrifying at the same time. Her whole life, she’d plodded along so carefully. Every move had been calculated. Even looking back now, she realized why she’d stayed with Kevin so long. Not because of insecurity or convenience or hope it would turn into more. None of the labels she’d put on it. She’d stayed because it was safe. She and Kevin would’ve never fallen in love. They didn’t fit that way. She could get hurt, but only a little. A surface scratch.
But with this, with Ren and Hayes, this would be tearing open her collar and offering her throat up to a sword that could slice right through her. She didn’t remember all of their night together. But she remembered the feeling of it, the utter sense of rightness, that sense of finally finding a place in the world that didn’t require her to adjust or tweak anything about herself. These men wanted her just as she was. And if it didn’t work out, if the two of them decided they just wanted each other, that this kind of complicated relationship wasn’t worth the trouble, she’d be flayed by it.
That was the risk. That was the danger.
She dipped her head, pressing her forehead to Hayes. But before she could say anything else, a throat was cleared somewhere behind her. A familiar throat-clearing. Cora lifted her head and turned.
Her mom stood there, her gaze darting between Cora and Hayes but offering no clue as to how she felt about what she was seeing. “The doctors said you can both go in now. He’s stabilized, but is on painkillers so may be in and out.”
Cora got to her feet, Hayes right behind her. Her heart began to pound. She’d only seen a glimpse of Ren when they’d wheeled him in. She needed to brace herself for how he might look, try not to let her worry show on her face. Ren didn’t need to see her freaked out.
Hayes put a steadying hand on her lower back and they walked down two hallways to get to the room. The lights were low when they went in and the nurse who’d been adjusting Ren’s IV gave them both a nod. “You can only stay a few minutes. He needs rest.”
“Of course,” Hayes said, his voice library-quiet.
But Cora couldn’t respond. Instead she froze in the doorway, her focus glued on the bruised and battered man lying on the bed. Ren’s face was pale, his cheek swollen and bruised and his lip cut. The sheets covered him to his shoulders, so she couldn’t see the extent of his injuries, but just the bits she could see sent her stomach into a tumble. Ren.
She wanted to cry, wanted to run to him and curl her arms around him, take the pain from him. The rush of emotion was so thick and blinding that it almost took her knees out from under her.
Hayes grasped her around the waist, obviously sensing the shift in her. “Easy, now. It’s okay. He’s okay. We need to be strong for him.”
Tears jumped to her eyes. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s— I’m sorry.”
Hayes squeezed her side, but a tremor went through him. “I know. I’m right there with you.”
She glanced over, saw the anguish in his face, knew it reflected what she was feeling. She’d known she’d be upset, but this . . . this was something different. This was how you felt when someone you loved was hurt.
The realization stole the breath from her. And she knew without a doubt that if roles were reversed, she’d have the same reaction if Hayes were lying in that bed. She didn’t know how to fully explain that feeling or justify it after such a short time of knowing these men, but there it was. The beginnings of love. Something real and scary and undeniable.
“Are you assholes just going to stand there and gawk or actually come and visit me?”
The hoarse voice broke through Cora’s pounding heart and tore her from her thoughts. Relief moved through her. She stepped inside. “We didn’t want to wake you.”
“No way to sleep through that nurse poking and prodding at me. I think she’s a closet sadist.” Ren turned his head, his eyelids lifting halfway. “Hey, gorgeous.”
Cora’s lips rolled together as she tried not to start crying again. “Hey, yourself.”
“Sounds like they’re giving you the good stuff,” Hayes said, his gruff voice belying his emotion.
Ren’s mouth curled into a lopsided half smile. “Man, I’m super high right now. The only bonus of getting bested by my psycho ex.”
“You weren’t bested,” Hayes said, his tone brooking no argument. “Captain Benning said you went with him to save Cora. You were a hero.”
“What?” Cora blurted, turning to look at Hayes. Her mother hadn’t told her anything about that.
Hayes nodded at Ren. “Gordon made him think he had you.”
Ren closed his eyes, a flicker of pain flashing there. “I thought he’d hurt you, killed you.”
“Jesus,” she whispered. She reached out and gently brushed Ren’s hair away from his forehead.
Ren trembled beneath her touch as he took a shuddering breath, but then he opened his eyes again. “I don’t want to talk about it. Maybe not ever.”
“That’s fine,” she said, her heart hurting for him. “But thank you for trying to save me.”
“Some superhero I am. I get myself kidnapped and you weren’t even there. My comic book would suck.” Some of the light came back into his eyes. “But yours wouldn’t. I heard you helped find me.”
She smiled, trying to keep the mood easy even though imagining what’d he’d been through kept running through her mind. “Yeah. Turns out my ex-boyfriend is good for something.”
“Ex-boyfriend?”
“She spent the night over there,” Hayes added.
Ren’s gaze narrowed. “It’s not fair to make an injured man jealous when he can’t do anything about it.
Fox, go put the fear of God into this ex-boyfriend.”
She laughed. “Not necessary.”
“I’ve been informed all hands were kept on keyboards,” Hayes said with a faux-businesslike tone.
“Oh, I have no doubt. Like what’s-his-face could compete with this?” Ren swept a hand in front of himself and winced at the effort. “But seriously, thank you, to you and to whatever that shithead did to help.”
Hayes poured a cup of water and brought it to Ren’s lips for him to sip.
Ren groaned. “Fuck, it feels like I swallowed razor blades.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t talk,” Hayes suggested.
“Always trying to shut me up.” He sent Hayes a smirk. “But I can at least use the sore throat as an excuse to delay the grilling by the police a little longer. I’d rather not talk to the good captain ever again.”
Cora’s eyebrows lifted. “Why? Was my mom rude to you?”
“Your mom was amazing. But she’s the one who found me. I was hoping to meet her over Thanksgiving dinner or something. Not tied up and naked and freaking out.”
Cora frowned. “My mom’s been a cop for a long time. She’s seen more naked people freaking out than you can count. And once you get to know her, you’ll see that when she’s on the job, she’s all business. She won’t let it be awkward.”
“Oh, it’s going to be awkward.” Ren’s gaze turned sly. “But does this mean I’ve landed an invite to Thanksgiving dinner?”
She crossed her arms and cocked her head. “Are you fishing, Ren Muroya?”
“With big-ass bait.”
She shook her head and smiled. “Once my mom gets over the fact that her upstanding daughter has gone to the dark side and is falling for not just one but two kinky-ass men, maybe you’ll get a turkey invite. Maybe.”
Ren’s eyebrow arched at that. “Falling for us, huh?”
Cora’s cheeks heated. Hayes had expressed how he felt about her, but she had no idea where Ren stood. And once again, her mouth had gotten ahead of her good sense and she’d blurted out feelings all over the place.
