Harrison wiped at his nose and sniffed, but it was clogged and his shaking hand came away covered in blood.
“Toby…”
“Shut up!”
“You’re going to have to talk to me eventually,” he said quietly, holding the back of his hand against his bleeding mouth.
“Why?” Toby growled.
“You’re my friend,” he said through a wave of nausea.
“No, I’m not.”
‘What are you talking about?” he whispered.
“You’re only my friend because I bumped into you. I’d been watching you for months before we met, and you never even saw me.” Toby started rocking.
“But we became friends after you bumped into me,” he said, pushing down a wave of terror.
Toby’s laugh sounded ugly. “You went out on dates with everyone but me.”
“I took you to events.”
“But you never let me fuck you.”
“We were friends,” he choked out, his heart lurching as tears sprung to his eyes.
“You let Edward Crane fuck you.”
“It was one time… wait. How did you know that?” He’d never told a soul outside of that police station room.
“I’ve been watching you a long time.” Toby rocked back and forth. “And then Shelby! Fucking Shelby always in the fucking way asking you out for date after date.”
“I never went out with him,” he said, softening his voice as Toby grew more agitated.
“And now you never will.”
“What did you do to Shelby?” he whispered.
Toby smiled cruelly. “He found out I was sabotaging the video upgrade. I made him beg before I killed him. He’s not really all that good of a fuck, kept crying like a fucking whiney bitch. You weren’t missing much.”
He stared in horror at Toby. For a moment, he couldn’t find his voice. The image of Shelby tied up and raped, then shot, made him gasp for breath.
“Oh god, you killed Shelby.”
“He was going to expose me,” Toby roared.
“But you killed him!”
“I did it for us!”
“You’re fucking sick!”
Toby reached over with his free hand and slapped him in the face before punching on him, using the butt of the gun. Harrison curled over, trying to protect his head.
Once the blows stopped, Toby sat back in the driver’s seat. Harrison’s ears rang and he swallowed blood. A long string of bloody spit hung from his lips and dropped to his bare feet. Struggling to breathe, he gasped through his mouth. Through a haze, he spotted a folded umbrella on the floorboard.
“Why do you say those things to make me mad?”
He didn’t respond. All he could do was hold on until Ryder found him. Somehow, Ryder would find him. They were still in his own parking garage. So close yet so fucking far.
“Sit up!” Toby screamed.
Drawing in a slow breath to stave off the pain in his face, he winced when his side and back where the number of blows had been the worst flared in pain. Leaning back against the seat, he panted for breath.
Toby started the engine of the SUV and backed violently out of the parking spot, crashing into the car behind them. Shoving the SUV in drive, the man tore down the parking structure.
The SUV careened down the garage and suddenly Ryder was there. Harrison held onto the handle and sobbed as Toby pressed the accelerator and gunned it.
Ryder was pointing the gun at the SUV, but pulled up and away before firing.
He had one split second to hold Ryder’s gaze as they approached.
Toby barreled toward Ryder, who waited until the last minute to jump and roll out of the way.
Harrison’s head whipped around and his eyes clung to his love. Ryder rolled to his feet and tore after them, before cutting over to the stairs.
Ryder!
Toby took the last parking garage corner and the tires squealed. The violent jerk of the wheel slammed his shoulder against the door.
Reaching the garage’s gated exit, Toby gunned it and crashed on through. The SUV tore through the metal, taking the gate with them and halfway down the street.
Harrison pressed a hand to the dashboard and grabbed the handle over his head. He whipped his head around and saw Felix come running out of the garage and down the street after them.
Toby floored it and the tires burned around the closest corner. Harrison kept looking over his shoulder and a few seconds later, Felix tore around the corner. Felix kept coming and a few moments later, Harrison saw Ryder come running from around the same corner, cell phone to his ear.
He turned back around in his seat and gripped whatever he could.
“Where are we going?” he shouted to keep Toby’s attention from going to the rearview mirror.
“My place,” Toby yelled at him.
Harrison eyed the door handle. How much would that hurt if he opened it and fell out? He casually glanced behind and could still see Felix and then Ryder running down the sidewalk. Did Toby even realize it?
Surprisingly, Toby slowed the SUV and whipped into a parking garage about a block away. His heart pounded in his chest. Ryder was minutes away.
Toby gunned the SUV up two levels in the parking structure and pulled into a parking spot.
“You live here?” he asked through numb lips, hands shaking, as he struggled to keep from throwing up in his lap.
“Yes, I fucking live here! Do you know how long it took me to get this place? I wanted to be close to you, but your building was full. Now that Shelby is gone, they’ll have an opening.” Toby’s laugh sounded diabolical.
“I won’t go into your home. I’ll scream.”
“Shut up!” Toby screamed at him.
“Toby…”
“Why? Just tell me that, fucking why?” Toby turned on him.
“I don’t know what you mean,” he whispered through swollen lips. Fear kept him from looking around.
“No? Why that bodyguard? Why fucking him?” Toby snarled.
“I didn’t plan it,” he whispered.
“I planned for us!” Toby screamed at him, spit flying from his mouth as veins bulged in his neck.
Harrison froze, goose bumps traveling down his back and sweat dripping down his nape.
“Toby.” He kept his voice even, and hid his shaking hands between his legs. “Please let me go.”
“It’s all because of him,” Toby raged, tears streaming down his red, blotchy face. “You were turning to me when you got my letters. I sent you the nice letters and flowers.”
“Did you send the angry ones too?”
“Yes,” Toby hissed. “After that fucker, Edward, I was so angry at you. You were supposed to turn back to me!” Toby’s head snapped up. “And you would have. But then that fucking bodyguard showed up!”
“I… you…”
Toby leaned forward and pressed the barrel of the gun to Harrison’s forehead. Rage swept over his tear ravaged face. Harrison gasped and closed his eyes, sending up a silent goodbye to Ryder.
“Why don’t you love me the way I love you?” The words were whispered in his face.
“Toby…” Fear crawled up his throat when the gun stroked down his cheek and nudged beneath his chin.
“Shut up,” the guy screamed and shoved away. “Just shut up and let me think.” Toby started repeatedly tapping the gun against his own forehead. At least the gun wasn’t aimed at him anymore.
He nudged the folded umbrella with his foot until the handle was free from beneath the seat. When Toby closed his eyes, tapping the gun against his head, Harrison reached down and gripped the soft side of the umbrella.
Swinging it up as hard as he could, he smacked the handle into Toby’s face with one hand and opened the SUV with his other.
He fell out of the vehicle and landed on his ass.
The concrete was hard and unforgiving. He cried out when his elbow cracked the asphalt and bruised his already throbbing back.
Toby fired, and the
bullet went over his head. Harrison slammed the passenger side door shut and lurched to his feet in a crouch.
Suddenly, strong arms closed around him from behind and a hand covered his mouth.
Ryder! The man’s muscled body covered him from behind, warm and hard.
He gasped, trying not to cry, but it was too late. Sobs were coming out only to be muffled beneath Ryder’s tight grip over his mouth.
“Harrison! Don’t run from me!”
Toby was out of the SUV, coming around the back end.
Ryder pushed him to the front of the vehicle just as Toby reached their side. From there, they dodged to the other side, keeping out of sight. Ryder kept guiding him farther until they were at least five vehicles away.
“Harrison!” Toby screamed.
Ryder held a finger to his lips. He nodded, holding the man’s gaze, never looking away. He lifted and placed his hands tightly over his mouth to keep his sobbing hiccups from being heard.
“Harrison! Come on, I won’t hurt you,” Toby yelled, his voice moving in the opposite direction.
Harrison clamped his hands harder to hold back the hysterical sob that wanted to escape.
“Stay here,” Ryder whispered, and he clutched at the man’s arm.
“No,” he hissed, not afraid to admit he was more terrified of losing Ryder than he was of Toby killing him.
“Hey,” Ryder whispered and folded him into his strong arms again. Harrison clung tightly. “I’ll be right back. Please stay here. Promise me.”
Harrison couldn’t stop shivering, but he finally nodded.
Through tears, Harrison watched as Ryder disappeared around the side of the van. The minute Ryder was gone, he regretted staying behind, but he’d promised.
Tugging his knees to his chest, he made himself as small as possible before resting his bloodied face on his arms and prayed.
Ryder
Moving at a good clip, Ryder covered the distance between him and Toby.
From his peripheral vision, he saw Felix and Jaxon closing in.
“He’s mine,” he snarled.
At the sound of his voice, Toby turned, but Ryder was already on him. He caught the fucker’s gun arm before it could swing around and delivered a blow to Toby’s diaphragm. Toby gasped and dropped the gun.
With the picture of Harrison’s beautiful face beaten and bloody, Ryder unleashed everything he had upon the sick fuck in front of him.
He hit the guy rapidly in the face until he felt the man’s nose break beneath his fist. His next several blows, aimed lower, broke a few ribs.
Toby stumbled backward, righted himself, and lunged at him. A fist caught Ryder in the mouth. Toby bounced back after delivering the blow.
“I’ll kill you!” Toby screamed and charged.
Ryder spit blood, dodged, and moved in. He planted a heavy fist into the guy’s already ruined mouth and aimed another hard blow to the ribs in the same spot.
Toby gasped and swung wide. Ryder ducked and came in with a quick kidney punch and another savage blow to the face.
Toby fell to his knees, gagging and spitting blood.
Ryder closed in. He gripped Toby’s hair and yanked back his head. Leaning in, he stared into the fucker’s bloody face.
“Be thankful I don’t fucking kill you,” he snarled and then brought the man’s chin down into his upraised knee.
He felt bones crack and heard teeth crunch and break before he released him with a hard shove that sent the guy flying backwards to land on the asphalt.
Ryder snatched Toby’s gun off the ground as the guy rolled to his side in a fetal position.
Spinning, he found Harrison with Jaxon and Felix standing several yards away. Thank fuck Felix was fast or he wouldn’t have found Harrison as quickly as they had.
Harrison stared wide eyed toward where Toby had finally stopped rolling and now only moaned. Good, he hoped the fucker had trouble walking permanently and ended up as somebody’s bitch in prison.
He stalked across the distance, raging inside at Harrison swollen and beaten face. He wanted to return to Toby and end the fucker, but Harrison was reaching for him.
Sirens filled the morning, and cop cars suddenly swarmed into the parking garage and screeched to a halt nearby.
He didn’t stop walking until he had Harrison wrapped up gently against his chest. His head dipped and he pressed his lips to the top of Harrison’s head when the man started sobbing softly.
It was only then that Ryder let his own tears fall.
The emergency triage was noisy, and Harrison looked so small beneath the white sheet. It made Ryder want to kill something. Preferably the fucker who lay a few rooms away, handcuffed to a gurney, having his nose and jaw reset.
He pulled his head away from the nurse who’d just finished applying the last butterfly bandage over the cut on his cheek where Toby had gotten in one of his two hits.
“It’s fine,” he grumbled and stood from where he was sitting on the bed across from Harrison.
Closing the distance, he sat in the chair next to the bed and lifted Harrison’s hand to his mouth. The nurse quietly left the room.
“I’m so fucking sorry I didn’t find you sooner.”
“I shouldn’t have opened the door. Not without getting you first. I thought it was August,” Harrison whispered.
He reached up with his free hand and gently brushed the hair from Harrison’s forehead.
“You couldn’t have known, baby,” he whispered tightly, bringing the man’s hand to his mouth and keeping it there.
“No more secret knocks,” Harrison whispered with a wobbling smile and traced trembling fingers over Ryder’s raw knuckles.
“I love you,” Ryder said gruffly. He couldn’t hold the words back any longer. “I know it’s too soon. I know there’s a shit ton of reasons why we shouldn’t. I know that it’s taking a risk because we don’t know each other that well, yet. I know—”
“Ryder.” Harrison interrupted his verbal vomit.
“Yeah?”
“I love you too.”
He closed his eyes against the onslaught of emotions and bowed his head, resting it against Harrison’s hand. Gentle fingers came up and stroked through his hair and he fought back the lump in his throat.
“I said let me through,” a man’s voice roared.
He turned and stood when August shoved his way through the curtain.
“Oh, honey,” August cried, racing to Harrison.
Ryder stepped back to let August get in closer. The pair clutched each other like long lost soulmates and started crying simultaneously.
He stood there unsure of what to do, especially when the small man plopped his butt into his chair and clung to Harrison.
“I was so worried!”
“How’s your head?” Harrison held onto August’s hand tightly.
“I’m fine.” August’s mouth trembled. “How’s your head?”
“I’m okay. Ryder saved me.”
August shot him a dark look. “Not soon enough to save your poor face.”
Ryder scowled back at August.
“Hey, none of that. Be nice to my man.”
“Oh sweetie, I’m so glad you’re safe!” August threw his arms around Harrison.
“Gently,” Harrison grimaced.
“Oh my god! Sorry. Now, tell me all about you and Ryder, and don’t leave anything out,” August said.
“I already told you.”
August rolled his eyes. “Well, tell me again. I have to live vicariously through you.”
Harrison laughed softly, catching his eyes over the top of August’s head and smiling.
“It wasn’t any one thing, it was a dozen moments weaved together,” Harrison said, holding Ryder’s gaze with a trembling smile.
Ryder’s eyes clung to Harrison, returning his love’s smile. Taking up a spot against the wall, he waited patiently while the pair talked. Some thirty minutes later, August left with a promise to be back when Harrison was assign
ed a room.
The nurse poked her head through the curtain before stepping inside.
“Your room is ready, Mr. Trudel.”
“I still don’t see why I need to stay overnight,” Harrison grumbled.
“Doctor’s orders,” she returned with a bright smile.
Harrison gave him a big-eyed “help me” look, and Ryder shook his head.
“Stay overnight, baby. Please?” Ryder begged.
Harrison sighed and nodded, reaching a hand out. Ryder took the hand and walked beside the bed as it was wheeled out of the room.
Harrison
“I still can’t believe it.”
“What’s that, baby?”
“That Toby killed Shelby.”
“I’m so sorry.” Ryder came to sit on the edge of his bed beside him.
He’d stayed in the hospital overnight and had been released the next day. That had been one week ago. Ryder had moved into his bedroom the day he’d come home, and hadn’t left.
Harrison didn’t mind one damned bit; he loved having Ryder in his apartment and bed. When he’d pressed the man about work or obligations, Ryder simply told him that he was his priority.
Carson had called them a few days ago and said that not only was Toby responsible for killing Shelby, but they found the original letters in the guy’s apartment he’d used to make copies in his attempt to frame Sheila and Shelby.
Toby had a copy of the news report that boasted of their location at the cabin. One reporter confirmed that Toby Grant had been the leak at Trudel Industries in an attempt to frame Shelby to take the focus off of himself.
Carson confirmed that John had interrupted Toby planting evidence in Shelby’s office, but since the strike came from behind, they’d all assumed it had been Shelby.
“I keep thinking this is my fault. I shouldn’t have encouraged Toby. I don’t think I did because I thought we were friends, but I can’t help feeling responsible for Shelby’s death.”
“No. Do not do that. This is that sick fuck’s fault, not yours,” Ryder told him sternly.
After a moment, he nodded. Carson had also confirmed that they had found Shelby’s body in an abandoned warehouse. Harrison had already sent money to the man’s sister to help with funeral expenses.
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