“Can you believe this asshole tried to escape?” Miles said.
“Oh, no,” Connor said. “I’m sorry you had to use force to restrain him.”
“Yeah, me too.”
In the distance, police sirens were closing in. Miles removed his foot, squatted down. “I need you to listen carefully, Waitley, because this is the part you need to remember. There will be charges, and there will be a lawsuit, and Charlie will testify to every little thing you did against him, including statutory rape. If you deny the charges, any of them, I will find you, and I will shove a baseball bat so far up your ass it will end up in your stomach. And I’m not talking about the handle, you feel me?” He got back up, coolly put his foot back on the man’s neck. “Glad we had that conversation.”
Connor nodded with satisfaction at the pure terror in Waitley’s eyes.
Two cops from the local Sheriff’s Department arrived, none that Connor knew. That made sense, because these were local cops, not Albany PD. They got out, their faces none too friendly. Connor spotted the body cams on them. Good, that could work in their favor. He was confident Miles would notice, too. The guy usually didn’t miss much.
“Special Agent Miles Hampton, Washington Bureau of the FBI. Thank you for coming, officers. I appreciate your assistance.”
Being professional went a long way with these guys, and Miles was smart showing them proper respect. They quickly introduced themselves.
“O’Connor. I was with the Albany PD until recently.”
He got a respectful nod. It was how they rolled, the boys in blue.
“Get him up and handcuff him for now,” the oldest cop gestured toward Waitley. His colleague dragged Waitley up. His face was looking a little worse than it had before, with dried blood on his nose and bruises starting to form on his dirtied face. He swayed as he stood, looking dazed as they handcuffed him and positioned him between them.
“So what happened? I understand he’s one of us?”
“Zachary James Waitley, he’s with Albany PD,” Miles said business-like. “Over a month ago, he beat up his boyfriend, Charlie DiAngelo. Charlie has been staying at this residence to recover. Waitley had contacted him multiple times since, but Charlie refused to see him. Waitley has been trying to find him, going so far as to pull over and threaten Charlie’s best friend. We have a dash cam video of that conversation.”
The cop nodded. “We’d like to receive that, obviously. What happened this morning?”
“Around eleven, Officer Waitley rang the doorbell,” Connor took over. “When I answered, he told me he wanted to see Charlie. I refused and informed him Charlie did not want to see him. At that point he pulled his gun and aimed it at me, demanding entrance into my home.”
“This is your home?” the cop asked.
“Yes,” Connor said, straightening his shoulders. He was not denying who he was. “I own it with my boyfriend and two friends of ours. We’re roommates.” Roommates with benefits, but he was pretty sure he should skip that part.
“I heard the commotion at the door,” Miles said. “I proceeded to procure my gun and vest, exited from the back door. Connor managed to stall him long enough for me to surprise him from the other side. At first, he refused to put down his gun, but in the end, he surrendered. However, I asked Connor to step inside, see if he could find handcuffs, when Officer Waitley tried to overpower me. We had a short struggle, but I managed to subdue him.”
Connor shot Waitley a quick look to see if he would contest it, but he kept silent. He was looking more alert, though.
The cop nodded. “Where’s his gun?”
Connor pointed. “We left it where he kicked it away, to preserve finger prints. You’ll find it’s his service weapon.”
The cop who’d been asking the question gestured to his colleague to get it. The guy used gloves to pick it up, put it in a bag. At least that was preserved. Connor felt the cops were pretty neutral at this point, not choosing a clear side.
“Where does the statutory rape charge come in?”
“Waitley has coerced Charlie into having sex with him since Charlie was fifteen,” Miles said.
For the first time, Connor noted a clear reaction on the older cop’s face, and it came pretty damn close to contempt. He quickly pulled his face back to a more neutral look, though. “Why were you at this residence?” he asked Miles.
“I was injured in a recent FBI operation and am recovering here. Connor’s roommate Indy is a friend of mine.”
“And Waitley’s boyfriend, Charlie…”
“Ex-boyfriend,” Miles interrupted him. “You don’t think he’d stay with a guy who beat him, do you?”
The cop nodded. “Okay, ex-boyfriend. Is he here? Can he corroborate this?”
Connor was sure Miles had hoped to avoid this step, but Charlie would have to testify anyway. “I’ll get him,” he said.
The cop asked more questions as Connor walked back inside. “Charlie, the cops need to speak with you for a second.”
He was pale as a sheet, but he nodded. Brad got up, too. “You’ll have to sit this one out, Brad. We don’t wanna make it more complicated than it already is. Stay inside for now, okay? I’ll take care of Charlie, I promise.”
Connor felt like a giant compared to the frail body next to him. Charlie trembled slightly, and Connor put a soft hand on his shoulder. “Stay calm, kid, okay? Simply answer the questions.”
Charlie nodded, still shaking. He walked up to the cops, Connor beside him, ignoring Waitley.
“You Charlie DiAngelo?” the same cop asked.
“Yes, sir.”
“And you were in a relationship with Officer Waitley?”
“Yes, sir. Since I was fifteen.”
It was a smart move from Charlie, immediately positioning himself as so much younger. With his small body and his young age, the cops would immediately spot the age difference. It suggested a certain mind set, one that would help Charlie. His polite deference to the cop didn’t hurt either. Kid had smarts.
“Can you tell us what happened, Charlie?” The cop’s tone was softer, kinder.
“Zack… He beat me up violently, sir, six weeks ago. Busted my eye, bruised a few ribs.”
Waitley opened his mouth to say something, but Miles shot him a look that was so deadly, he must have thought better of it. The man had not been joking about that baseball bat. And Connor would fucking hold his beer while he did it.
“I’m so sorry to hear that, Charlie.” The cop studied Charlie, seemed to gauge how seriously to take him.
“We have pictures, sir. Of what he did to me. I was afraid to go to the hospital, because he’s a cop, and he’d threatened me before. But I was examined by a medical professional, and he took pictures, sir.”
“Okay, we have enough to take him in. We’ll sort out the exact charges later. Charlie, are you prepared to come down to the station later to give your statement?”
Charlie raised his head, straightened his back almost imperceptibly. “Yes, sir. He should be held accountable for what he did to me, sir.”
The cop’s eyes softened. “Call us in a bit to set up an appointment, okay?” He turned toward the other cop. “Take him in. Read him his rights, according to the letter. We don’t want any room on this one.”
He waited till his coworker was out of earshot, turned his body cam off. “It’s a fucking sad day when we have to arrest one of our own for something like this. Fucking disgrace to the uniform.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Connor said. “Thank you for your assistance. I know this is hard.”
The cop nodded. He placed a gentle hand on Charlie’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, kid. Real sorry. You’re doing the right thing, pressing charges. Stick to ‘em, okay? Don’t let anybody pressure you into dropping ‘em.” He sighed. “My oldest son is gay. Fucking got beat up at school for that. Middle school. They’re brutal at that age.”
“What middle school does he go to?” Charlie asked.
“Trenton Park. Wh
y?”
“Tell him to talk to Mr. Kent, the math teacher. He’ll help him find his way.”
“I think that’s who he has for math. Name sounds familiar.”
Charlie smiled. “Tell your son to find him, he’ll have his back.”
“Thank you, Charlie. I appreciate that.”
He gave Connor a strong hand shake, then turned to Miles. “Tried to escape, huh?”
Miles kept his face carefully blank. “Yes, Officer. Can you believe that?”
The cop laughed. “Oh, I totally can. I’ll make sure to mention it in my report. We need the two of you to come by the station as well for your statements. Maybe you could bring in young Charlie here, give him the mental support he needs.”
Connor dropped a soft hand on Charlie’s shoulder, knowing that’s what Miles wanted to do, but couldn’t. “Don’t worry, we’ve got his back.”
17
When Charlie woke up, the room was brightly lit by the sun forcing itself through the curtains. He stretched, yawned. He’d slept surprisingly well the last week since Zack’s crazy ass stunt.
Charlie still couldn’t believe what had gotten into Zack that he’d been so incredibly stupid as to show up with a gun—his service weapon, more specifically—and threaten not just a former cop, but an FBI agent as well. Charlie had gone down to the station to make a statement, accompanied by Connor and Miles. It had been Connor who had held his hand—literally—as he cried his way through his detailed statement, since Miles had to stay in role to prevent from muddying the waters.
Charlie had told them everything, every little detail he could remember about what Zack had done to him, He’d shown them emails, texts, and direct messages from when he’d still been a minor, clearly showing Zack had been fucking him. He’d given them the pictures Noah had taken, presenting every bruise Zack had caused. And Connor had submitted a video Charlie had known nothing about. Apparently, Brad had been pulled over by Zack and had recorded how the cop had threatened him, too.
The cops he’d been talking to had been sympathetic, more than he had expected. He knew this was probably due to Miles’ and Connor’s presence. He’d heard enough stories to know that not every gay teen or man reporting a crime was taken this seriously. Still, he was grateful.
He formally pressed charges, assured them he would not change his mind and would testify against Zack when it came to trial—unless Zack took a plea bargain, which according to Connor was a realistic option. Cops didn’t usually do well in the prison system, so Zack would most likely do anything to lessen his time, Connor had explained. Since there was a good chance Zack would be released on bail, Charlie had filed a restraining order.
He’d been completely exhausted when he’d gotten home, where Brad had been anxiously waiting for him. One look at Charlie’s face, and Brad had taken him into their bedroom, had undressed him, and had held him so tenderly it had made Charlie’s heart soar. Miles had quickly joined them, cuddling him from the other side, until Charlie had fallen asleep. He’d woken up twice in between to Brad sucking off Miles, but had slept through the night.
Ever since, his nightmares had been gone. It was as if the act of reporting them had freed his mind, or something, He wasn’t sure, but he was damn grateful. It had been seven weeks since Zack had assaulted him, and for the first time, Charlie felt like himself again.
He’d even ventured outside again, though not alone. Restraining order or not, he still feared running into Zack. But at least he wasn’t the sad hermit anymore he’d become the last few weeks. Though admittedly, being holed up with Miles and Brad hadn’t exactly been a hardship. He smiled as he thought of his men.
They were slowly finding their groove, the three of them. Brad pleasured them every chance he got—and thoroughly loved it. His erectile issues seemed to get better, as he usually got hard during their sexual activities. He still wouldn’t allow Miles to touch his cock, but Charlie got him off easily—if Miles allowed it.
So far, he and Miles hadn’t done anything else but kissing without Brad being present. They’d had ample opportunity for more, since Brad was gone on weekdays, but for some reason it hadn’t happened. Charlie wasn’t sure what held them back. Maybe it would take time to figure out who they were without Brad. He liked Miles and was definitely attracted to him, but he wasn’t sure if it really was mutual. Miles seemed to be focused more on Brad, though he did clearly love hanging out with Charlie.
Charlie sighed. It was complicated, this threesome-shit, but exhilarating at the same time.
Miles and Brad were up already, of course. Both were early risers, though Miles more out of habit than by nature, Charlie suspected. He was a night owl himself—no wonder with his shows at Flirt.
The door opened softly, Brad sticking his head around the corner. A smile lit up his face. “Oh, good, you’re awake.”
He came into the room, jumped on the bed to hug Charlie. Charlie smiled as he was thoroughly kissed. “Are you happy to see me, babe?” he teased Brad.
Brad’s smile faded a little. “I’m antsy,” he said.
Charlie brushed a curl off his forehead. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know.” Brad hid his face against Charlie’s neck, which told Charlie he damn well knew what the issue was but was afraid to put it into words.
“Do I need to get Miles so he can spank it out of you?”
Fuck, Charlie loved it when Miles spanked Brad. The man seemed to have a finely tuned sensor when it came to Brad. He knew exactly where to draw the line and what Brad needed. It was amazing, considering how short they’d known each other.
“No,” Brad protested. “Please, don’t say anything.”
Charlie held him, caressed his curls. “Tell me what’s bothering you.”
Brad let out a shuddering sigh. “Miles has been cleared for desk duty.”
Well, that was to be expected. The guy hadn’t fully recovered yet, but surely he’d be able to do paper work behind a desk. “Yeah, so?”
Brad moved his head, looked up at him with big eyes. “Charlie, that means he’s going back to Washington.”
Oh, damn. Charlie’s face fell. He hadn’t let the implications sink in. Miles didn’t live here, technically. He was only staying with Indy and the others to recover. Now that he was back on duty, he’d have to return to DC. “Oh,” he said. Then again, “Oh.”
Brad hid his face against Charlie’s neck again.
“Well,” Charlie said. “I’m sure he’s thought of something already.”
“Yeah, like how fast he can get on a plane.”
“Brad!”
Brad leaned back again, his face scowling. “Seriously, did you really think this was gonna last? He’s gonna walk out on us, Charlie. They always do.” A heavy shudder rippled through his body, and he buried his face again. “Nobody ever stays with me.”
Charlie’s heart broke, right then and there. The pain behind Brad’s words was so overwhelming, that he felt it physically.
“I’ll stay with you.” He said it quietly, but with determination.
“Oh, Charlie, you too will grow tired of me. Especially after Miles is gone.”
The fact that Brad said it with such casual certainty hit Charlie more than anything else. Despite everything they had experienced together and with Miles, Brad was still convinced it would not last.
“No, I won’t. I know you don’t believe me, sweetie, but I won’t. I love you, and it’s the real thing. It always has been.”
“I’m so tired…” Brad said, shuddering again. “Without Miles, I don’t know how to go on.”
He tensed, probably realizing how his words had to sound after Charlie’s declaration. He disentangled himself, cupped Charlie’s cheek. “I didn’t mean it like that… I’m not saying you’re not enough… It’s just that… Oh, damn, I’m fucking this up. I’m sorry, Charlie.”
He looked crestfallen. Charlie kissed the hand on his cheek. “It’s okay, baby. I understand. You need Miles. He provides somethin
g you crave right now, maybe always.”
He wasn’t lying. He truly did understand. Bit by bit, Miles was breaking through Brad’s defenses. Brad was fighting him every step of the way, but every time he surrendered to Miles, he revealed a little more of himself. The fact that he’d even opened up to Charlie right now, that was all because of Miles.
“I need you, too. I need both of you. God, I’m such a selfish piece of shit.”
Charlie shook his head vehemently. “No, you’re not. You’re about the least selfish person I know. Damn it, babe, you’re always trying to take care of everyone else. You’re entitled to needing us. And we need you, too.”
Brad sighed, fidgeted with his hands. “I hear you,” he finally said. “I hear your words, but I find it hard to believe.”
“I know. Wanna do something to cheer you up?”
Brad’s eyes rose to meet Charlie’s, lit up. ‘Yes, please.”
Unceremoniously, Charlie shoved his pajama pants down, revealing his morning wood. “Suck me off. I need to pee, but you can get rid of my woody first.”
The eagerness on Brad’s face was endearing. Charlie had never met anyone who got such deep contentment and satisfaction from pleasuring others. In less than two seconds, he had deep throated Charlie’s cock.
Charlie shivered with pleasure, goosebumps forming on his arms. “Damn, babe, nobody sucks cock like you.”
Brad moved his head back a little, used his tongue to follow the veins that wrapped around Charlie’s cock all the way to the crown. He gently scraped the head with his teeth, a sensation that never failed to make Charlie moan. Fuck, Brad had his number down pat, didn’t he?
With a slurping sound, his cock was sucked back into that mouth, that slick, hot throat. He let out another deep groan.
“Good morning, love,” Miles said, stepping into the room. “I see you found good use for that mouth.”
Charlie opened his eyes, let his head fall sideways and smiled. Miles kneeled on the bed, took Charlie’s mouth in a kiss that was far too gentle and tame for Charlie’s taste. He dragged Miles’ head closer, pushed his tongue in the man’s sweet mouth, and kissed him for real. Mmm, Miles tasted so good. He’d had strawberries in his granola for breakfast, the subtle taste still lingering in his mouth.
No Shame: The Complete Series: Including exclusive bonus materials and deleted scenes Page 102
