by A M Snead
“Do…” Scotty hugged himself, his chin trembling. “Do you wish I would leave…just go away like Royal did, and not come back?”
If he were totally honest, Garrett had to admit there was a time when he did wish it. But he realized now it had more to do with himself and his own feelings of guilt, than it did with Scotty. “No, I don’t.” He sat down next to the kid and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees as he stared at the floor. “I don’t wish you would leave.” He twisted his head and looked at Scotty. “You’re a good guy, Scotty,” he said softly. “You just need to see it for yourself.”
“I’m not good,” he whispered and averted his eyes. “I…I lied to Jack…about us. I told him that…that we’d been together, recently. I think…” His lips tightened, and throat worked. “I think I wanted it to be true so bad that…that a part of me believed it was the truth, when it wasn’t really you I was with—” He cut himself off abruptly and hugged himself tighter, instant tension stiffening his body.
Garrett stared at him. “What do you mean, Scotty? Are you involved with one of the guys here at the house?” Garrett couldn’t imagine who that would be. “If so…is it possible they were the one who took my knife and gave it to you?”
“I’m…I’m not.” Scotty shook his head but refused to look at Garrett. He stood up and moved toward the door. “I-I didn’t mean it like that.” He stopped at the doorway, silently urging Garrett to leave. “I just meant that I fantasized about it, that’s all. There isn’t anyone.”
He was speaking a little too fast and evasively, and suddenly seemed anxious for Garrett to get out of there. Garrett left the bed and walked to the door, stepping out into the hall. He turned and looked at Scotty. “I don’t know if you’re telling the truth about there not being someone else, but if there is, just…be careful, okay?” He released a slow breath. “Anyone who knows what you’ve been through, and cares about you…” Garrett shook his head. “They wouldn’t consider a knife to be an appropriate gift.”
Shifting his eyes, Scotty nodded silently as he slowly closed the door.
Garrett stared at the door for a moment before he retreated back down the hall toward his own room.
“Hey. Garrett.” Pratt walked toward him from the direction of Gideon’s office. “I just talked to the boss and he says we’re shooting your and Jack’s piece tomorrow, instead of the following day.”
“Tomorrow?”
“He said to let you know, if I saw you before he did.”
Garrett nodded slowly. “Okay,” he murmured. “Does…Jack know?”
“Jack’s idea, apparently.” Pratt smirked. “Guess he couldn’t wait to get at you again.”
“Yeah,” Garrett mumbled with a short, clipped laugh that bore very little humor.
Pratt nodded down the hallway. “Did you just come from Scotty’s room?”
Garrett glanced in that direction. “Yeah…”
“I didn’t know you and Scotty were even talking to each other.”
“This is the first time in quite a while,” Garrett admitted.
“Hmm.” Pratt’s stare rested on Scotty’s bedroom door. “What broke the silence?”
Garrett shrugged. “He just stepped out to tell me something and…we started talking.”
“Tell you what?” Pratt shifted his eyes from the door to Garrett’s face.
“Just…something about Jack,” Garrett said low. “Apparently he’d come by to talk to me while I was gone. And Scotty spoke to him.”
“Hmm,” Pratt murmured. “Wasn’t aware Scotty was on speaking terms with Jack, either. He seemed kind of frigid toward Jack.”
Garrett sighed. “Yeah, well…I don’t know. But it’s good that he’s showing himself friendly. It isn’t healthy for him to stay so withdrawn from everyone.”
“You’re right,” Pratt mumbled with a nod.
Garrett started to open his bedroom door then looked at Pratt. “By the way, you haven’t by any chance seen Scotty hanging out with anyone lately, have you?”
A frown knit the man’s brow. “No, I haven’t. Why? Did he say something about seeing someone?”
Garrett cleared his throat. “No, not really. It’s just…” He looked down toward Scotty’s room then turned back to Pratt and shrugged. “It’s nothing. But if you happen to see him with someone, in a personal way, could you let me know?”
“Yeah, no problem,” he said slowly. “But why? Is there a problem?”
“No.” Garrett shook his head and opened his bedroom door. “No problem. Just need to ask them something.”
“Ask them something?” Pratt frowned uncertainly.
Garrett shook his head. “Nothing trivial,” he said, but offered no more. He didn’t want it getting spread around he was looking for whoever stole his knife. He stepped into his room. “I should try to catch some extra Z’s if we’re shooting tomorrow.”
“Yeah.” Pratt smirked. “That Jack can be quite…enthusiastic.” A look crept through his eyes that didn’t set well with Garrett, but he didn’t dwell on it; could he blame the guy if he got a crush now and then—filming all of them constantly fucking each other while he had to stand on the sidelines and just “watch”?
Any man would have his share of fantasies.
“He can be,” Garrett murmured and made a show of closing the door.
“Well, get yourself lots of rest.” Pratt winked then cast one more glance in the direction of Scotty’s room before walking off.
69 “The Surprise”
The twins attached themselves to the new kid and the flow of bodies streamed back inside the rec room, taking the three boys with them. Bailey started to follow then paused as Lucas hung back, a troubled look on his face.
“Is something wrong?” Bailey asked and stepped closer to Lucas. He touched his arm and lightly caressed his hard bicep.
Lucas stared at the doorway of the rec room, though the boys were all out of sight now, their laughter and loud talk surged out into the large foyer. There was no way to rationalize Mickey’s reaction to Marcus’ absence. The boy was hiding something, and it wasn’t good. Lucas shifted his eyes to Bailey. “I need to ask you something,” he said. “And I need you to tell me the truth.”
“Okay…” Bailey frowned, puzzled. “What?”
Lucas slid his tongue absently over his lower lip. “Surely you’ve noticed that something is off with Mickey?”
“Yeah,” Bailey murmured and visibly tensed. “He seems…preoccupied.”
“It’s more than that,” Lucas insisted and held his stare. “And I think you know it.”
Bailey pursed his lips and shifted. “I’m not sure what you’re getting at.”
“Have you talked to Mickey at all about what’s bothering him?” The hesitation in Bailey and shift of his eyes was answer enough. Lucas gripped his arm. “Something is wrong with Mickey. If you know anything—anything at all—you need to tell me.” Bailey stared at him silently, uncertainty in his eyes. “Babe, does it have anything to do with the BDSM questions you were asking me?”
“Lucas…” Bailey glanced anxiously to the rec room doorway. “I promised Mickey I wouldn’t…”
“Bailey.” Lucas squeezed his arm a fraction. “Listen to me. If Mickey is caught up in something bad, you have to know it isn’t doing him any favors by keeping quiet. Something is seriously wrong. Marcus is really worried about him.” He pulled Bailey closer and kissed him. “Come on, babe, talk to me. We need to help Mickey, so if you know anything…”
Nodding slowly, Bailey drew back. “I did talk to him, a few days ago. He…” His hand slid over his mouth then dropped away. “He had…bruises on his neck. Like someone had…” He swallowed thickly and met Lucas’ stare. “Choked him.”
“What?” Lucas hissed, his pulse quickening. “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me? Tell someone?”
“He said it was an accident,” Bailey told him. “He swore it wouldn’t happen again and begged me not to tell anyone. I told him if I saw any more evi
dence that someone was hurting him, I would go straight to Gideon.”
“You should have then,” Lucas insisted tightly. “What the hell? Someone fucking choked him and you don’t do anything?”
“Look, I wanted to,” Bailey returned defensively. “But you didn’t see him. I asked about the BDSM thing because I thought maybe he had experimented with someone here at the house, and it got out of hand. But he promised it wouldn’t happen again and that everything was okay. I figured maybe he was feeling a little humiliated and embarrassed about it. I didn’t want to make it worse for him.” His brow pinched, and guilt shadowed his eyes. “But you’re right, I should have told Gideon. But I’ve been watching him, keeping an eye out for any other signs of abuse. So far, there’s none.”
Lucas turned away and raked his fingers agitatedly through his hair. “Fuck. That isn’t something you keep quiet about.”
“You’re right.” Bailey’s voice lowered, subdued. “I really…dropped the ball on this one. I don’t know what the fuck I was thinking.”
Sighing, Lucas faced him. The remorse in the young man’s eyes squeezed Lucas’ heart with a viselike pressure. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply…” He groaned and pulled Bailey into his arms, crushing him in his embrace. “I know how much Mickey and Marcus mean to you,” he murmured in his ear and kissed his neck. “I didn’t mean for it to sound like I thought you were being irresponsible about this. I’m just worried about Mickey, is all.”
“I know,” Bailey whispered and hugged him hard. “But you're right, I should have said something.” He drew back a little and kissed Lucas on the mouth. “Maybe we should talk to Mickey, together. Before we bring anyone else into it. See if we can get him to tell us what’s really going on.”
Lucas nodded. “Maybe have Garrett join us, too. They seem to have an extra-special bond with Garrett, he could surely help us persuade Mickey to talk.”
“Good idea.”
Lucas kissed him with a soft passion, and both their bodies responded alike. “We’ll let him and Marcus get acquainted with the new boy first, then talk to him later tonight.” He lathered Bailey’s lower lip with his tongue then nibbled with invitation. “Until then, maybe you and I could…” He bumped his crotch purposefully against Bailey’s swelling erection.
“You are truly a sex machine.” Bailey grinned. “First Jack, then the twins…do you ever run out of steam?”
“Let’s test it.” Lucas smiled darkly and held onto Bailey as he nudged him toward the stairs.
♥
Scotty descended the stairs one slow step at a time. The sounds filtering out of the rec room were light and playful, full of laughter. When he reached the bottom of the staircase, he drifted toward the sounds, pausing before he reached the doorway, yet still close enough to see inside. A boy he didn’t recognize was trapped between Mickey and Marcus, though he didn’t appear unhappy about the twins’ attention.
His gaze settling on Mickey, he could detect the tension in him even when he was playing. Scotty hadn’t meant for them to get caught up in his own mess. He already missed the carefree Mickey from before the incident in the woods. And because Mickey was troubled, it filtered over into Marcus. To see Marcus lose even an ounce of his free spirit and childlike enjoyment of life broke Scotty’s heart. It had hurt to lose Marcus to Mickey, but the boy’s spell over him had never really faded.
Fear for the twins lay like a lead weight in the bottom of Scotty’s heart. How long could Mickey keep silent? Just today—Garrett, Bailey, and Lucas had spent time alone with them. The guys here weren’t stupid. They were already noticing that something wasn’t right with Mickey. And that wasn’t something they would leave alone for long. But if Mickey talked…
Nausea churned in his gut and fear twisted his heart. The threats against Marcus hadn’t been empty ones. The man would make good on them.
Scotty lowered his eyes and stared at the floor. What Garrett had said about the pocket knife…didn’t it make sense? Scotty was desperate to believe it was a token of love, but the man had given it to him for an express purpose. Even helped him use it.
The polished floor blurred. Both Garrett and Bailey had warned him to be careful, to understand the signs of someone who cared for him…and someone who didn’t.
The man didn’t love him, he understood that now. But he felt powerless in his presence…because his heart still wanted to believe he did. And he was afraid of the man, afraid of what he would do once he didn’t want Scotty anymore. And even if Mickey didn’t tell…would the man hurt Mickey anyway? Or Marcus?
Scotty had been terrified when he’d made him coax Marcus outside, but he hadn’t shown himself to Marcus. It had been a warning to Mickey. The man was getting uneasy about all of the twins’ “visitors” lately, and he wanted Mickey to see how vulnerable Marcus really was.
He’s getting worse. Getting more violent. He’s already hurting you—he’s going to hurt them, too, even worse. You have to tell someone.
He backed away slowly and walked toward the staircase. Scotty didn’t know if his intention was to just go back to his room…or to Gideon’s office.
“Scotty…”
His foot froze on the first step, hand gripping the rail. The man’s voice drifted across the entrance hall like a ghostly apparition, wrapping his heart in tendrils of fear. A part of him wanted to run—race up the stairs and rush to Gideon. Gideon would protect him, and make the man stop hurting him—make him go away.
But his feet wouldn’t move. What if he couldn’t run fast enough? Would the man chase him and catch him? Or would he just go straight for the twins?
“Scotty.” The man spoke low, yet his voice boomed in Scotty’s ears. “Come here.”
Scotty hesitated then turned slowly. The man withdrew into the kitchen. Had he sensed what Scotty was thinking?
Casting a quick glance toward the rec room, Scotty withdrew from the staircase and walked to the kitchen. His legs trembled, and heart thundered as he paced slowly through the doorway—and gasped when he was suddenly grabbed and slammed against the counter. The air burst from his lungs as the edge of the countertop hit hard against his lower back, and tears sprang to his eyes.
“What the fuck did you tell Garrett?” the man hissed in his face. His hand slipped around Scotty’s neck as he stared into the man’s enraged eyes.
He’s crazy. Oh God, he’s really crazy.
“I-I didn’t tell him anything,” Scotty rasped and grabbed at his hands, struggling to pull them off his throat. “I swear, I didn’t.”
“You told him about Jack,” the man accused. “Why?”
Scotty choked on a sob and tried to swallow, but the man squeezed tighter. “I-I don’t want to…to do this anymore. I don’t want to hurt them.” He coughed and clawed the man’s hands. “Please…let me go…”
“Don’t you want Garrett anymore?”
Scotty shook his head and tried to suck in air. “He…he doesn’t love me. He loves Jack.”
“I don’t give a fuck who he loves,” the man snarled. “I. Want. Jack.”
“Why?” Scotty cried. His nails dug into the man’s flesh as tears streaked his face. “Why…why do you want Jack so much?”
The man chuckled, low and cold. His grip loosened enough for Scotty to gain a breath. “If I tell you”—he leaned close until his lips touched Scotty’s mouth—“it will ruin the surprise.”
“What…what surprise?” Scotty choked on a sob. What the hell was he talking about?
Scotty swallowed hard as the man’s thumb slowly rubbed up and down the front of his throat. “Well, it wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you, now would it?” He pressed the pad of his thumb firmly against Scotty’s throat, impairing his breathing once more. “Now go to your room and wait for me.” He pinned Scotty hard against the counter. “I’m going to fuck you until you understand who’s in control here.” His fingers curled around Scotty’s neck and he slithered his tongue around the shell of Scotty’s ear. “And if you eve
n think of taking a detour to Gideon’s office…Thing One and Thing Two will be sorely punished for the error of your ways.”
The man withdrew and released Scotty.
Scotty rubbed his throat, tears streaming. “I-I’ll go to my room, just…just leave them alone, please.”
A cold smile twisted the man’s lips. “You can beg me on your knees,” he said dryly. “In your bedroom.”
70 “The Intervention”
“Stay right here,” Mickey said. “I’ll be right back.” He looked at Benjamin and smiled as Marcus wrapped the boy’s arm around his shoulders. “Make sure he doesn’t go anywhere, I’m gonna grab us something to drink.” The two boys smiled back at him from the sofa.
“I don’t have a problem with holding onto him.” Benjamin grinned and hugged Marcus against him.
Mickey chuckled and experienced some relief in knowing Benjamin would keep Marcus by his side. Mickey had also instructed Marcus not to go anywhere with Scotty, and though the boy didn’t understand his reasons, he did understand that Mickey was serious.
Weaving through the other bodies milling around the rec room, Mickey exited through the doorway. Unease settled over him as soon as he was alone in the large foyer. His eyes darted around anxiously as he walked quickly to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. He grabbed three sodas and set them on the counter then closed the fridge.