by Harte, Marie
What the hell had happened in the three hours Aidan had been gone? Even the fact that Aidan remained partially clothed didn’t lessen Gavin’s upset.
Aidan snarled, “Fuck you, Kerr. I told you before, and I’ll tell you again. I don’t know what the hell this is supposed to prove, but I have no idea what you’re talking about. Of course I know who Owen Stallbridge is. He was on the cover of Money Now and five other newspapers this month. He’s a millionaire, in the public eye, and he’s everywhere in the Northwest. But I’m not working for him.” Aidan managed a snort. “If I was, I sure the hell wouldn’t be here with you. And I would have admitted it long before now. My ribs fucking hurt.” He glared at Samson through a swollen eye.
“Maybe, maybe not. I think you like it when I hurt you,” Samson said in a low voice. He nodded to the crumpled men near the far wall Gavin hadn’t noticed before. “And you’re a lot more than an independent arms guy. You took those three out like it was nothing.”
“Until you tased me. Asshole.”
Samson chuckled. Tyler stood back, his club at the ready.
“Holy hell. What happened?” Gavin thought as hard as he could.
“Somehow, they found out about me. The phone call Carl took before was some damning info. But they know nothing about you. You have to get the hell out of here and warn Jack. I think Samson might have tracked me back to the gym.”
Gavin shook, not acting at all. “Mr. Kerr? What’s going on?”
“Your Master has been telling lies. He works for a man I’d like to go away—forever.” Kerr smiled through his teeth. “Apparently, my opponent has a few aces in the hole. Did you know Aidan Castle is really Aidan Marshall, a man who claims to be telepathic?”
“What?” Oh shit.
“I never claimed anything at all, Kerr,” Aidan denied through a hiss when Samson grabbed his balls and held tight. “I thought I was here to do some business with you, but after tonight, you can forget it. In fact, you’d better let me out of here right the hell now. And then you can start sweetening any deal we might have made, ’cause no way I’m not after some payback after this shit.” He snorted. “Telepathy? Dickhead, if I could read your mind, I wouldn’t have walked in here with you and been beaten down by your lapdogs.”
Tyler frowned and nudged Samson away. Then he swung the club at Aidan’s thigh. The sharp impact had Gavin flinching back—into Kerr’s arms.
“Shh. It’s okay, Gavin. I’ll protect you from the big bad men.” He laughed. Samson and Tyler snickered. But through it all, Aidan glared at Kerr and didn’t make a sound. Kerr continued, “I can’t figure out if Gavin is part of your plan or an innocent bystander.” He wrapped his arms around Gavin’s stiff body. “What should we do with him?”
Aidan clenched his fists, unable to move because of his restraints. “I don’t give a shit. Keep him. Fuck him. Who cares? I want out of here. Now. And I want a fucker of an apology.”
Gavin blinked, feeling betrayed, though he recognized Aidan was acting. “But, Master—”
“Shut up, you little slut. I saw you eyeing him earlier tonight.” Aidan growled, “You just want someone to coddle you through life. You think I didn’t see you looking for a sugar daddy two weeks ago? If that ass wasn’t so tight and those lips so soft, I would have fucked you and dumped you days ago. Hell, Kerr. You want him? Take him. But get me the fuck down.”
“I thought you wanted the book.” Kerr hugged Gavin tighter.
Though Gavin knew Aidan didn’t mean what he said, a part of him felt the truth like a shocking blow. Gavin did want to be taken care of. He did like others watching him get off.
“The book is in the other room, in the bottom drawer of his desk, hidden. There’s a button under the left side of the middle drawer. You push it to access the bottom drawer. Get it and go. Then warn the team.”
“Okay.” Gavin wanted to ease Aidan’s worry, so he agreed, though he had no intention of leaving without Aidan. But first he’d grab that stupid book. He let some tears fall, worried about Aidan and nervous about Kerr. “Mr. Kerr? I don’t understand any of this.” He cried harder. “I just wanted my Master to love me.”
“It’s okay. Come with me. You can show me how innocent you really are.” Kerr grabbed Gavin’s crotch and rubbed. “Not hard yet. But that’s okay. I’m hard enough for both of us.” He shoved himself against Gavin’s ass, and Gavin more than felt his erection.
“Fucker likes the sight of blood,” Aidan whispered in his mind. “Go, Gavin. I’ll distract these two. You can take Kerr. Then hustle the hell out of here. You need to get to safety. Don’t wait for anything. Just go.”
Gavin let Carl lead him away.
Over his shoulder, Carl ordered, “Don’t kill him yet. You can play with him, though. Soften him up some. Still too much piss and vinegar in our blond spy.”
“No problem, boss.” Samson sounded way too happy about the command.
Gavin walked through to the office again, hating the slaps, pounding, and groans indicating Aidan’s abuse. Kerr left the door open between his office and the other room, no doubt to hear the pain better.
“Now, Gavin. I’m going to sit down, and you’re going to suck me off. Just the way you did your old Master. And if you please me, I’ll treat you like the treasure you are. That beautiful skin, those deep blue eyes.” Kerr sighed and dragged Gavin with him to his large chair…right behind his desk.
He pulled the chair out, sat, and turned it to give Gavin access. Then he spread his legs wide and waited.
Gavin bit his lip. “Please don’t hurt me, Sir.”
“I won’t unless I have to. Take off your clothes.” Kerr studied Gavin through shuttered lids. “I want to see that cock again.”
Gavin knew he had to make his move soon. This was turning into a nightmare. Kerr was a freak of the first order, and his monsters in the other room were having way too much fun beating on Aidan.
As he eased out of his shirt and toed off his shoes, he hesitated at the waistband of his pants. He leaned forward slightly, his hands on his waist. “Sir, can I ask you something?”
Kerr shrugged. “I don’t care. But ease those trousers down, slow.” Gavin nudged one side of his pants down while he readied to spring.
“It’s just, I don’t understand—”
He shot forward and used the flat of his hand to chop Kerr in the throat. While Kerr gagged and grabbed at his neck, Gavin continued to talk and pressed down hard, choking the man. “I don’t know how my Master could have lied to me like that.” He mentioned how they’d met and how special Aidan had made him feel while pushing down on the pressure points in Kerr’s neck.
Once Kerr went limp, Gavin hustled to find the hidden button on the desk Aidan had mentioned. He found it and pressed. A little snick, and then he reached for the bottom drawer on the left-hand side of the desk and opened it. Way in the back, past some hanging files, he felt a piece of wood jutting up. He moved it and accessed a deeper, hidden bottom. He withdrew the book he’d held in his hands just three short weeks ago.
Thank God. He quickly leafed through it, content this was the same volume he’d nearly bought before it had been sold out from under him. Then he looked down at Kerr.
Gavin continued the one-sided conversation, just in case anyone was listening. After unplugging a nearby lamp and using the cord to tie Kerr’s hands together, he shoved his shirt in the man’s mouth, thankful Carl had yet to awake. Unfortunately, he had a pulse. As much as Gavin wanted to kill him for what he’d done to Aidan, Gavin couldn’t in good conscience commit murder.
He heard a low groan, recognized it as Aidan’s, and hustled to the door, the book in hand.
Just as he opened the door wider, he came face-to-face with Tyler.
Shit. “Mr. Tyler? Mr. Kerr fainted. I was coming to get you.” His voice shook. When Tyler moved past him, Gavin turned and slugged him in the head with the book. Tyler dropped the club he’d been holding, and Gavin tossed the book and hurried to grab the club. But
Tyler was faster. He fought with Gavin for it and managed a kidney shot that hurt like hell.
As they grappled, the larger, tougher man got the upper hand and rolled over Gavin, pinning Gavin to the floor on his back. Tyler grabbed the club and raised it over his head, the promise of death in his eyes.
Gavin instinctively cried out to Aidan in his mind.
And then to Gavin’s shock, Tyler’s eyes rolled back in his head, and he seized, falling flat onto Gavin’s chest.
With a grunt, Gavin tried to catch his breath and pushed the dead weight from his body. What the hell? He didn’t have time to worry about Tyler, though, not with Aidan still at Samson’s mercy.
Gavin ignored his aches, picked up the book, and raced into the room, where he saw Aidan sagging in his chains, a mass of bloodied bruises. Scared and furious at the scumbag still pounding on his partner, Gavin didn’t think. He reacted. He knocked into Samson hard, shoving the bigger man aside. Before Samson could retaliate, Gavin shot into the air, his energy revving to be let go.
“Holy shit.” Samson stared, wide-eyed, at Gavin floating high above him. The expansive ceiling provided some respite, but Gavin would need to find a way to disarm Samson before he hurt Aidan again.
Then Samson grabbed a smaller knife from the small of his back and waved it. “You’re a real treat, aren’t you, boy?” He laughed, and Gavin wondered how he’d ever thought Samson and Aidan were alike, even physically. “I thought Kerr was off his rocker, but I guess there’s something to Stallbridge sending freaks to do his dirty work. You, I get. But no way in hell is your Master a telepath. Though I’m impressed he’s held out as long as he has. He’ll make a fun fuck toy, that’s for sure.”
Before Gavin could react, Samson threw the knife. Gavin tried to dodge, but the knife lodged in his shoulder, and he fumbled the book. The pain interrupted his concentration, and he dropped like a stone. He hit the stone floor hard, fucking up his knee. But at least the fall managed to dislodge the knife when he rolled.
Samson was on him in a heartbeat. But like Tyler before, he too twitched and fell forward. He didn’t pass out, but he didn’t attack either. It was like he was frozen, staring at something only he could see.
“Hurry. Can’t…hold him…much…longer…” Aidan’s weak summons spurred Gavin to action. An image of keys in Samson’s pants flashed in his mind’s eye, and he followed Aidan’s instructions, fetching the keys and crawling to his partner. But after he’d freed Aidan from his restraints and stood, Gavin encountered yet another problem.
He hobbled like a lame horse, and Aidan didn’t move from the wall.
“Aidan, you’re going to have to help me.” Gavin stumbled over to the book lying on the floor and grabbed it, then returned to Aidan.
“Hard to move. Tie Samson up. Gimme a minute.”
“Shit. You’re slurring.” Gavin knew he’d lost a lot of blood, but it was Aidan’s mind that had taken a hit. Somehow his lover had felled both Tyler and Sampson with mind powers he wasn’t supposed to have. “It’s okay, partner. We’ll work our way out. Somehow.” Gavin wondered what the hell to do now. Guards were still posted outside in the hall, and who knew when Kerr, Samson, or Tyler might revive?
“Samson. Tie him up.”
Gavin nodded and found some duct tape—surprise, surprise—that he used to tie up the creep on the floor. He put a generous amount over Samson’s mouth as well, knowing how much it would hurt to be ripped off.
“Go out this door to the left,” Aidan whispered, his voice hoarse. “There’s another hallway leading to an underground tunnel, one that wasn’t on the blueprints.”
“Aidan?” Gavin touched his shoulder and felt a huge wave of relief when Aidan opened his eyes. “I’m not leaving without you.”
“Stubborn boy. No discipline.” Aidan blew out a shaky breath. “You’ll have to help me. I used up a lot of my reserves already. But I looked into Samson before he started in on me. I know exactly how we’ll get gone.” Aidan grinned, and Gavin joined him, but inside, he wanted to cry.
Chapter Ten
Aidan didn’t recall much about their escape, only that he’d instructed Gavin on where to go when prodded. Somehow Gavin had found them a car and a cell phone, and now, two days later, Aidan lay in Dr. Cannon’s clinic, safe and warm. He felt awash in a dreamy lassitude that made perfect sense with Gavin nearby. Time seemed suspended when his lover neared, love and serenity so close, he could almost touch it. Visions from his past rose to haunt him, but then Gavin would touch him or talk to him, and the bad things vanished.
Unfortunately, someone continued to intrude on his calm. The woman standing in front of him refused to go away, no matter how many times he closed his eyes or turned his head. She just wouldn’t shut up.
“Damn it. You have to eat, you big dunderhead. Gavin will be back in another hour. He’s fine. Relax.”
He grimaced. “Aren’t you supposed to be empathic?” Gazing at the worried redhead with his good eye, he felt a psychic rush of relief settle his nerves. Normally he didn’t like anyone tampering with his psyche, but Kitty sometimes unconsciously employed her empathy to keep the peace. She wanted him at ease.
Kitty frowned. “I feel your pain, literally. So yeah, I’m empathic. Take your meds and eat, idiot. I know you’re worried about Gavin, but—”
He forced a laugh. “I’m not worried about the pencil pusher. From what I hear, he saved the day.” Two days ago, when he’d risen to consciousness the first time, he’d let Jack know everything about their escape—well, everything except how he’d manipulated minds—giving credit where credit was due.
“No. You both did. Gavin told us how, without you, he’d never have gotten the book or escaped. Good work.”
Pleased with her praise, Aidan nevertheless wanted to make sure Gavin took his fair share of recognition for a job well done. “Yeah, well, if Gavin hadn’t come to find me when he did, I’d be a trophy on Kerr’s wall.” Of torture. He shivered inside, recalling how dark the place had been. The menace and evil thoughts pouring through Tyler, Samson, and Carl had been brutal, to say the least.
He glanced up when Jack entered the room. The small clinic, run by Julia Cannon, catered to anyone needing medical attention. Cost was no object. But she also specifically helped out people like him—those with psychic abilities who had certain anomalies regular hospitals would notice. Aidan, though hurt, would heal three times as fast as a normal guy getting sliced and diced. Already his swollen eye had nearly faded, and he’d only been back for forty-eight hours.
To Jack, Aidan asked, “Any word on them yet?”
“No. That story you made up about an undercover agent at the house turned out to actually be true. Feds have been circling Kerr for months. We just happened to be in the right place at the wrong time, I guess. They bagged Tyler Barnes. A real piece of crap, by all accounts. He’s wanted in several states for killing and torturing police officers. Weird fucker—ah, guy.” He amended with a side glance at Kitty.
“My ears are burning. I’m leaving him with you,” she said to Jack. “I have my own problems to deal with.”
Jack frowned. “That guy at the gym bothering you again?”
“What guy?” Aidan asked. Kitty brought out the protector in all of them. Pretty, funny, and genuinely nice, she had a bevy of friends. Yet to Aidan, used to solitude, she always seemed kind of alone. Then again, what the hell did he know?
“It’s not the guy that’s the problem. It’s his sister and her fiancé.” Kitty blew out a breath. “Nothing I can’t handle. It’s not a big deal.”
“Let me know if it is,” Jack ordered. “And that’s not a request.”
Kitty rolled her eyes. Not many fucked with Jack, but she tested him on a regular basis. And she was the only one Jack seemed to tolerate.
“Yes, master.” She winked at Aidan. “Sorry, didn’t mean to bring up any bad memories.”
“Witch.”
She laughed and left him with Jack. Oh joy.
Jack turned and stared down at him, his muscles bursting from his clothes.
“Are you getting bigger?” Aidan hadn’t thought that could be possible.
Jack let out a breath. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“It was our intel that was compromised. No way they should’ve known who you were, but somehow they piggybacked on to that fifty grand we gave you.”
“So they tracked the money to Stallbridge. Now I get it.”
“We’re fixing the problem as we speak.” Jack grimaced, and Aidan was just glad he hadn’t been responsible for the financial mistake. “As far as the others… No word yet on Kerr or Ruelle. They rounded up the other dickheads at the party. Nearly half of them had outstanding warrants.”
“Good.”
“Feds took them away. The others went free, unfortunately. I’m bothered about Kerr and this Samson character. Samson Ruelle doesn’t exist, that we can find.”
“I was afraid of that.”
“Yeah, well, I have a bad feeling you haven’t seen the last of him either. Avery told me to put someone on you.” Avery, the clairvoyant. “Gavin’s your shadow until this is done.”
“Wait. What?” Aidan sat up and groaned when his body protested. Vehemently. “Gavin isn’t the bodyguard type.”
“He saved your ass.”
Aidan swore. “Yeah, okay. He did. But he can’t handle a guy like Samson. Fucker is as big as me. And Samson’s not right in the head. Seriously.”
Jack looked behind him and, seeing no one there, leaned closer to Aidan. “You’re right; he’s not. Avery had a vision of the guy tagging Gavin. Shot him with a tranq. Now would you rather that asshole just met with Gavin alone, or would you like to be around when it goes down?”
Aidan blinked. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. I’m not dicking with you for my health. I want Gavin watched. He’s feeling good that he succeeded, and I want to foster that. I don’t want him to leave the team.”
