Fucking hell, he really hated himself right now.
“Here,” Vaughn said as he set a glass of ice water in front of him.
He stared at it then glanced at the bucket of ice in the middle of the table. “When did you go get ice?”
Vaughn smiled as he cupped the back of Cay’s neck, “You zoned out there for a minute, babe,” he said just before he pressed a kiss to the top of his head.
Vaughn started to pull away, but Cay clasped his wrist, keeping him in place.
“What?” Vaughn said.
“Rosa,” he whispered.
“Who’s that?”
“She was O’Toole’s housekeeper for years. She retired just before I left. If anyone would know, it’s her.”
“Where is she now?”
“She mentioned something about going to live with her sister in, um, southern Arizona I think?”
“Do you have a number for her?”
“I dumped my phone.”
Vaughn tried not to act disappointed, but it was hard not to.
“I’d need a computer to access my cloud.”
“What?” Vaughn whispered.
Cay looked up at him, “My cloud? I stored everything from my phone there.”
Vaughn took a step and collapsed into the chair, “You scared the shit outta me.”
“Why?”
“When you said you got rid of your phone, I thought that was it.”
He snorted a laugh, “You give up that easily when you’re on a case?”
“Fucker,” Vaughn said but he couldn’t hide his smile. He got up and walked over to his bag. After searching through the contents, he came back with a tablet and keyboard.
“Here,” he said, setting it down in front of Cay.
He pushed the button and as it woke up he looked at Vaughn, “This work or personal equipment?”
“Personal.”
“It’s asking for a code.”
When Vaughn didn’t move or say anything, Cay lifted his eyes, “Babe?”
Tears were swimming in Vaughn’s eyes, “I’m a horrible brother.”
“What? How can you say that?”
“Because I’m sitting here wondering which would be worse: finding him dead or finding him alive after being held for six months now. It was bad enough when he went to work for O’Toole. I knew he was into something bad, but he refused to tell me what it was because he knew I’d try to do something to get him out. I haven’t seen him in five years, Cay. Five fucking years. And we only spoke to each other a handful of times during those five years because that was what he wanted. He didn’t want to put me in an awkward position because of my job.
What if he hates me? What if he is so messed up he doesn’t remember me? What if he never remembers me? What if he never forgives me?”
“Forgives you for what, Vaughn?”
“For not keeping him safe. I’m his big brother, Cay. I was supposed to keep him safe.”
“Yeah, when he was a kid. But he’s not a kid anymore, Cay. He hasn’t been in a long time.”
“But”
“No, Vaughn. He wasn’t your responsibility anymore. He made his own choices, his own decisions. Where he is now is not on you, it’s on him….and me.”
Vaughn’s eyes snapped up and Cay could tell the moment that he remembered that Casey was missing now because he’d covered for Cay.
“I was weak, Vaughn. He’s missing or gone now because I couldn’t control my fucking dick.”
Vaughn pushed to his feet, walked over and cupped Cay’s face between his meaty palms, “No. He’s missing now because he covered for you being human, Cay. And I have no doubt that you would’ve done the same thing for him if the roles were reversed. And if that had happened, I know for a fact he’d be right here, right now, getting all up in my face to help me find his friend.”
Cay smiled, “He would, wouldn’t he?”
“Yes,” he whispered as he leaned down to press their lips together, “he would. Code is four-five-seven-two.”
As Cay pressed those buttons, he said, “You could’ve punched that in yourself, Vaughn. You shouldn’t trust me yet.”
“I know, but I do.”
Cay hummed as he watched the screen, “How did you find me, anyways?”
“Dumb luck. I stopped in that bar on my way home from getting someone set up in their new location.”
Cay’s eyebrow shot up, “Seriously?”
Vaughn nodded, “Yep.”
“Wow,” he mumbled and then he concentrated on the tablet in front of him. “Okay, here’s the number I have for her.”
As he rattled it off, Vaughn stored it in his phone, then he held it out to Caysun.
As he took a few deep breaths, he dialed the number and put it on speaker phone.
“Hola?”
“Rosa? It’s Caysun.”
“Caysun? Como está, mi angel.”
Vaughn watched Caysun’s body sag in relief, “I’m doing okay, Rosa. How are you?”
“Eh, my sister es loco.”
“She is?”
“Not really, she’s just crazy with worry about her son, mi sobrino.”
“Why?”
“She believes he’s working for that man.”
“In Denver?”
“No. In Mexico.”
“Why there?”
“No se. But when he does visit, his eyes, they’re haunted, like yours were.”
“Rosa, I need your help.”
“Of course, mi angel. What do you need?”
“Can you tell me where you are? I need to come visit you.”
“Of course, but can I ask why?”
“I need to talk to you and your sister about your nephew. I want to make sure he’s not in trouble, mamacita.”
“Si. Do you want me to call him?”
“No, please don’t do that. Wait until we get there.”
“We?”
Cay’s eyes found Vaughn watching him as words lodged in his throat. He wanted to say them, all of them. But not only was it too soon, it would also be the first time he’d said them out loud.
But when Vaughn slid his hand over to cover Cay’s and he dipped his chin in a nod, suddenly that lump in his throat was gone and he couldn’t say them fast enough.
“My boyfriend, Rosa. I’m, um, I’m gay.”
Okay, maybe he was still just a smidge nervous.
Especially when there was only silence on the phone.
“Are you still there, Rosa?”
“Si, mi angel. I’m so proud of you,” she said, the wobble in her voice letting him know that she was crying.
“Gracias, mamacita.”
They finished the call with her giving him the address of her sister’s house and the promise to see each other in a few days.
When he hit end call, he looked up at Vaughn. “Road trip?” he said.
“Road trip.”
He glanced out the window, “I need to put my bike in storage.”
“We can store it in Brent and JD’s garage.”
“So, we’re going to do this?”
“Yep, we’re gonna do this,” Vaughn said but then he held out his hand. Cay frowned at it until Vaughn said, “But first we’re gonna shower.” Cay’s frown turned into a huge grin.
And he couldn’t get his feet to move fast enough.
Twenty-Six
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Miguel
His heart was pounding in his chest as he carried the unconscious man back into the room and set him gently onto the clean sheets.
The voice behind him had him yelping in surprise.
“You’re too gentle with him,” the demon said.
“His skin, it is raw from lying in the bed. I didn’t want to cause it more stress.”
The demon hummed as he leaned forward in his chair.
“So, like I said, we’re going to change things up.”
“Okay. How?”
The demon walked over and stared dow
n at the man. His cold, dead eyes sent a chill through Miguel’s bones. His fists squeezed tight, dreading whatever was going to come out of the man’s mouth. Because something had shifted now between him and the man asleep on the bed. He didn’t know what it meant yet, but he did know that he wasn’t going to hurt the man anymore, he couldn’t.
“Did you hear me?” the man snapped at him.
“I apologize, Sir. My mind wandered.”
“No more drugs.”
“Okay, I’ll wean him off.”
The demon glared at him, “No. Cold turkey.”
Miguel’s eyes went wide, “C-c-c-cold turkey?” he whispered.
The demon glared down at the man and Miguel swore he could see fire glowing in his evil eyes, “Yes. I want him to hurt. I’ll be back in three weeks to collect him.”
He wanted to trip the demon on his way out the door, knock him onto the floor, jump on his back and pound his face into the concrete.
But he knew he’d be a dead man if he did.
He felt like a coward as he watched the man’s long black coat flutter with the wind as he turned and stomped out of the room.
He didn’t move until he heard the crunch of gravel as the SUV the demon had been brought in slowly made its way down the driveway.
Only then did he turn to look at the man on the bed. He knew what he had to do. And he also knew he wasn’t strong enough to do it alone.
With one final glance, he turned from the room and walked outside before he pulled his phone from his pocket. He was afraid about ears listening to him in the house. He figured he was safe standing outside under the buzz of the powerlines.
Ironic that there were miles and miles of powerlines pretty much in the backyard and yet no power to the house.
“Miguel?” his Tia Maria said, “Como está?”
“I’m good, Tia, but I need a favor.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Casey
He felt like he was trying to swim in a lake of black tar. His body felt thick and heavy, weighted down, his brain was muddled, he couldn’t see anything, and it was hard to breathe.
But despite all of that, he could tell that he was in a moving vehicle.
He groaned when it hit a pothole hard and he flew up off the seat that he was lying on and landed back down with a hard thud.
“Lo siento, sorry, sorry,” said a voice from in front of him.
He recognized that voice, he knew it. That was the voice of the man who had apologized over and over every time he inserted a needle into Casey’s arm. It was the same voice that had read stories about love to Casey. And it was the same voice that belonged to the person who had been so tender with him in the bath.
“M-m-m-miguel?”
“Sí, sí, yes, it is me, mi amigo.”
“Where?” he whispered, unable to unclench his jaw long enough to form anymore words.
“Away,” was all Miguel answered.
“Away?”
“Sí. Away from El Diablo.”
He opened his mouth to ask something else but then every muscle in his body seemed to cramp up at the same time. He cried out. He’d known a lot of pain in his life, but nothing was like this. The muscles squeezing too tight it felt like his bones were going to shatter. He screamed as blackness began to shadow the corners of his mind and he welcomed it, especially when the pain became so excruciating that he felt his bladder let go. Embarrassment and shame were the last emotions to flicker through him before he succumbed to the darkness.
Twenty-Seven
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sylas
“You’re quiet today, Sy,” Dr Celia said.
Sy’s attention came away from the window he was staring out of and he glanced at Cece’s face, her concerned face, “I am?”
“Yeah, is everything okay? I mean, other than the fire and your mum.”
“Sorry. No, it’s fine. I’m just kind of wondering why I’m not freaking out.”
“Freaking out at what?”
He waved his hand, “This. I’m in a strange house, your brother’s house no less, and I’m not having a complete meltdown. I’m not surrounded by my familiar stuff, not in my comfortable bubble and yet I’m okay with that. In fact, I’m comfortable here. I feel well taken care of and I like it. Me. I’m in a new environment surrounded by unfamiliar things and a man I barely know and I’m not panicking, Cece. I guess I’m just having a hard time figuring out what that means.”
“Do you need to?” she said.
He frowned, “Do I need to what?”
“Figure out what it means. Maybe it’s okay to just be okay with it without figuring out why.”
His frown deepened as he digested her words. Was he okay with not knowing why? He moved his gaze away from her and his eyes landed on the open bathroom door. The memory of the bath they’d taken the night before flooded into his brain. He remembered the steam filling the room, Grainger’s gentle touch as he washed him, and he remembered the man’s lips on his neck when he pressed them there in a sweet kiss - not a kiss that would lead to more but rather one that said ‘I’m here for you, however you need me to be’
“What put that smile on your face?” Cece said.
“Your brother,” he whispered before realizing what he said. He gasped and slapped his hand over his mouth, “Shit, I shouldn’t have said that.”
Now it was Cece’s turn to frown, “Sy, you can tell me anything, that’s the only way this works. Even if it involves my bloody brother.”
Sy grinned, “He’s not bloody, at least he wasn’t the last time I saw him.”
“Not something I need to hear, Sy. But as a trained medical professional, I must tell you that being sexually active with your injuries is not the best idea.”
Sy blushed bright red, “We, um, we haven’t done anything yet.”
“That best for now. Was that your decision or his?”
“Both?”
She lifted an eyebrow, letting him know she was waiting for him to elaborate.
He took a deep breath and sighed it out, “My nerves stopped us sometimes and he stopped others because of my injuries.”
She glanced towards the closed door, “Good. I’d hate to have to beat his arse due to him risking the health of my patient.”
Sy snorted a laugh but snapped his mouth shut when her head snapped around and she glared at him. “Sorry. I just, it’s just that he’s so big and you’re, um, not. I can’t imagine you, um….”
“I’m a third degree blackbelt, Sy. But even before I started training I could take him. He’s a wimp.”
“I heard that, sis!” Grainger’s voice floated through from outside the door.
She shoved to her feet, stomped over to the door and yanked it open, “Are you bloody eavesdropping on my session, brother?”
Grainger’s blushing, grinning face poked inside. “No?”
She crossed her arms over her chest, “Is that an answer or a question, twit.”
“It’s an answer. No, I was not eavesdropping on purpose. I was just walking past to my office when I heard what you said,” he said with a shrug of his shoulder then he peaked over at Sylas, winked and said, “Hi, babe.”
Sylas blushed and raised a hand in a wave, “Hi.”
Cece rolled her eyes and then she slammed the door in her brother’s face.
“You may be able to shut me out, sis, but you can’t shut me up!” he yelled through the door.
“Wanna bet?” she hollered back.
When she turned back to look at Sy, “I’m so sorry. That was completely unprofessional.”
He shrugged a shoulder, “It’s okay. It’s kind of nice to see you looking human.”
“Human? What am I usually? A robot?”
He gasped, “Oh god no, I’m so sorry. I just meant that you’re always so confident and put together.”
“Oh. Well, thank you.”
They talked for another fifteen minutes or so until Cece had to lea
ve to get back to her office for her next appointment. Just before she walked out the door, she looked back at him, “You’ve made good progress, Sy. I hope this isn’t going to set you back some.”
He shook his head, “It won’t.”
“So, I’ll see you back in my office once you’re cleared?”
He swallowed hard before he nodded once, “Yes, I’ll be there.”
“Good on you,” she said with a smile and then she was gone.
With a sigh, he leaned back in the pillows and glanced out the windows. He felt a twinge of anxiety as he did because the world out there always made him nervous, but he forced that down. “Nothing bad will happen to me out there,” he whispered.
“I won’t let it,” Grainger said from the doorway.
He swung his head back and smiled, “I appreciate that, but I need to learn how to do this for myself. I can’t spend my life relying on others to protect me, Grainger. I need to learn how to protect myself.”
Hurt washed across Grainger’s face, “I understand. Would you care for some soup?”
He frowned, “Sure, but did I say something wrong?”
Grainger gave him a sad smile, “I’ll get over it, Sy. Let me just get your lunch,” he said then he turned towards the door.
“Grainger, wait. Please?”
When Grainger paused, Sy took that moment to replay the words he’d said in his head. When he thought about how they must’ve sounded to Grainger, he squeezed his eyes shut, “Fuck,” he whispered.
“Are you okay? Do you need pain meds?” Grainger said as he stepped forward.
“No,” he whispered and then he opened his eyes and held his hand out, “Sit with me for a minute?”
“Oh, um, sure,” Grainger said and Sy could’ve punched himself for putting that uncertainty in Grainger’s eyes.
Grainger sat down on the edge of the bed, as far from Sy as he could get without falling off. And he didn’t take Sy’s hand.
He turned his fingers over and began tracing the burn marks on his thighs through the dark blue sheet. They were so much a part of him that he didn’t even need to see them to know where they were. And despite what they were and what they represented, they still brought him comfort sometimes when he was anxious. Because they were familiar.
Whiteout Conditions Page 10
