At that point, Simon joined in the conversation. “The only thing I worry about in having that many warriors in one place is that it will put a target on us. The rumor of us amassing an army could be misconstrued with gathering the warriors.”
“I was serious before. If our people come after us with the intent of harming any of the warriors, I will make damn sure my warriors are all battle-trained and ready. We will wipe out every last person who comes against us,” Tagh declared.
Simon shook his head. “It won’t come to war if we can help it, but, so you know, if it does come about, we’ll be standing right behind you. We’ll knock the ignorance out of them.”
Okay—that make me feel a bit better. “You get the shelter set up and I’ll go and fill in everyone at the house. We’ll come up with a plan. We’ll go in and free them, and everyone will be able to move forward.”
“Do you think it will be as easy as that?” Simon asked.
“No, I don’t. I think it’ll be damn hard. I think it will take everyone working together to be able to pull off hitting all three at once. Timing is going to be everything. We’ll need to have people we trust in charge of each group. I don’t want this fucked up because someone goes off on their own tangent. We’ve got to get this right before a lot of innocent people get hurt.” Tagh stood up and walked out of guild headquarters.
He needed to go home to his mates.
Most of all, he needed a sense of normality before everything went to shit again.
Also available from Pride Publishing:
The Connelly Chronicles: Beautiful Goodbyes
N.J. Nielsen
Excerpt
Chapter One
Ray listened to the conversation going on around him. He was excited that everyone was finally pulling together as they should have all along. It still amazed him that it had never once clicked in his mind what their connection was to Antonio and his family. The man was his uncle, and Ray had been oblivious until Grandma’s conscience had her admitting the truth. His attention was caught by Tony entering the room, and he wasn’t alone. There was an older teenager with him, dressed up in gothic attire and, for some reason, Ray could only stare at him. His eyes were the exact same color as Viv’s. Hell, the guy was almost a mirror image of his husband.
“I’m looking for Christopher Vivvens.” The young man sounded nervous.
“That’s me.” Viv placed Layla on the bunny rug and stood.
“Then…I think you’re my father,” the guy said softly. “My name is Declan—Declan Vivvens.”
Christ on a pogo stick.
Ray couldn’t believe what was currently happening. He hoped like all get out he had been able to keep a straight face when Declan made his mind-blowing announcement. The uncertainty on the boy’s face didn’t sit well with Ray. Some part of him wanted to reach out and haul the poor kid into his arms for a hug, and tell him everything was going to be all right. Glancing toward his husband, he caught the look of astonishment on Viv’s face. He knew without a doubt this was all news to him.
“Who is your mother?” Viv asked a little warily. Guilt and something akin to hurt swept over Viv’s face.
The boy rifled through the ratty bag he held and pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper and a pendant necklace, and offered them to Viv. “After she died I found these hidden among her belongings. My mother’s name was Susan Whitely.” He swallowed loudly. “My name is Declan, Declan Vivvens. My mother told me I’m named after my grandfather.” Sighing heavily, he went on, “Never mind, you seem to be way too young to be my father. I guess my parentage was just something else Mum lied about.”
The defeat in the boy’s voice clutched at Ray’s heart. Ray got to his feet then ushered Declan from the room before the tears in Declan’s eyes could spill over. He could tell Declan didn’t appear too comfortable as the center of attention and wanted to give him a little bit of privacy so he could sort through his emotions. By the time they reached the kitchen, the tension seemed to be leaving the young man’s body.
“Let me make you something to eat.” Ray was pretty sure Declan wasn’t eating properly, because in Ray’s eyes, he was one skinny-as-hell kid. He didn’t look any older than fifteen or so. “If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you?”
Declan gazed around the room as he sat on a stool at the kitchen bench. “I’m seventeen.”
Doing the math in his head, he realized Viv would have only been sixteen when he’d gotten Susan pregnant. There was no doubt in his mind Viv was indeed his father. Declan was too much like Viv for them not to be closely related. They both had the same slightly curled, glossy black hair, and those beautiful stunningly green eyes. Pain twinged in his heart at Viv having missed so much of his son’s life, and for Declan missing out on his father.
“How long ago did Susan pass away?” Both Ray and Declan jumped as Viv spoke from the doorway.
“Hi.” Ray smiled at his husband. “Come, join us. Make yourself useful and grab some sodas from the fridge.”
“Mum died about a year ago. Uncle Ryan came to live in the house and after a while, he kicked me out.”
“Where have you been living since he kicked you out?” Viv demanded a little more brusquely than Ray would have liked.
Ray sighed as Declan shrugged without answering. He knew that sometimes Viv wasn’t crash-hot when it came to using his people skills. He didn’t want Viv to scare the boy off before Ray had convinced him to stay. “Viv, not now. Let Declan have a chance to eat and unwind before you start grilling him.” Turning to Declan, he winked. “Fathers think they have to know everything about their kid’s lives. You’ll get used to it eventually.”
The smile he got in return was reward enough.
“I wasn’t trying to be bossy. I just wanted to know where we had to go and pick up his stuff so we could bring him home,” Viv explained.
The shock on Declan’s face was almost comical. “You want me to live here with you?”
“Isn’t this why you found me?” Viv asked.
Declan shook his head. “Actually no, though I did want to ask for your help, but not for me. I’m trying to find my friend. He’s gone missing, and I can’t find him anywhere. Believe me, I’ve tried. I just couldn’t think of what else to do.”
“Why come here? Not that we don’t want you here. Do you need us to hire a private detective to find your friend?” Ray asked, genuinely curious as to what this was all about.
“I only came here because I think Nathan—Nate—is related to you somehow.” Declan sighed. “He once showed me a picture he carries in his wallet of a girl. He told me she was his sister. Well, his half-sister. They have the same father, but different mothers. The girl in the picture was Sara Connelly. Your daughter.”
The air rushed out of Ray’s body as shock rocketed through him. “What’s Nate’s last name?”
“Burkhart, his parents are Enid and Larry. From what Nate told me, Larry died when he was a kid. His mother re-married, but Nate never got on with the step-father. He’s some kind of religious nut, and he wanted to pray the gay out of Nate. His mother didn’t try to stop the man, so Nate took off. He hasn’t seen either of them since.”
“Are you gay? Were you involved with this Nate? How old is he?” Viv demanded.
“Viv!” Ray snapped in exasperation as he set the plate of sandwiches in front of Declan. “Nate is the same age as Girly. Enid was pregnant at the same time as Izzy. In the end, Larry chose Izzy.” Taking a gulp of his Coke Zero and wishing like hell it was something stronger, he added, “If this is Girly’s brother, we have to find him—he’s family.”
They ate in silence, more so Declan could eat his fill.
“I think you need to tell us everything if we’re going to help. We need to know where you’ve been living. When was the last time you saw Nate? It will give us a starting place at least.” Ray also noticed Viv never once denied Declan was his son, which was a very good thing. He hoped Viv relaxed around the boy, or it was goin
g to make for some pretty strained times ahead.
After he’d swallowed what was in his mouth, Declan spoke. “When Uncle Ryan kicked me out, I didn’t have anywhere else to go. I was on the street for a couple of weeks when I met this guy. His name was Beau. Never did find out his last name. He took me back to where he was staying, and I met Nate. I think he was kind of like Beau’s part-time boyfriend or something. Mind you, to me, Beau seemed to have a lot of boyfriends at the house we were staying at.”
Ray sensed Declan wasn’t exactly telling the truth, but he could get to that later. Maybe the boy would open up if his father wasn’t sitting there listening.
“Why didn’t you come to me as soon as your mother died?” Viv seemed perplexed. “We would have gladly taken you in.”
Again Declan shrugged. “Uncle Ryan told me the reason you weren’t in my life was because you didn’t want to have anything to do with me. I believed him. Nate tried to convince me otherwise, but I wasn’t ready to listen. Now I’m here begging for help because I’m desperate to find Nate.”
Ray reached across and patted Declan’s hand. “I’m positive if Viv had known about you, he would have been in your life.”
“Of course I would have. I just didn’t know.” Viv sighed. “Please, go on with your story so we can figure out what we need to do first.”
Declan took a deep breath before he said, “Just so you know. I’m not Nate’s boyfriend. We formed a very close bond, but there has never been anything sexual or romantic between us. We lived in the same house and as the months passed, we became as close as two people can get. Almost like brothers. I’ll admit at one time I wanted more, but Nate only ever saw me as a younger brother. Beau hated how close Nate and I were. One day he sent me on some stupid errand to buy him something, and when I came home, Nate was gone. All his belongings were gone as well. That first night I went to bed, and one of the other guys came in and gave me a message from Nate. He said I needed to come and find you, and that he would come for me.”
“How long ago was that?” Ray asked.
“Two weeks ago. I’ve been trying to find him on my own, but I’ve run out of places to look. Has he shown up here at all? I was kind of hoping he made it here before me.” Sadness settled in Declan’s eyes as he spoke.
“No, I’m afraid not.”
“When I questioned Beau as to what happened to Nate, he refused to talk to me. All he did was backhand me and tell me Nate had broken the rules. The more I kept pushing, the more he ended up talking to me with his fists. So, in the end, I stopped talking about it and have been searching for Nate.”
“Are you hurt?” Ray asked worriedly. “Do you need to see a doctor? I can grab my keys and drive you to a hospital if needed.”
“I have some bruises on my chest and back. Beau never hit us where the marks would show.” Declan stood and carefully took his jacket off. “He didn’t want anybody asking questions. He probably didn’t want anyone going to the police about the abuse he was dishing out.”
He lifted up his shirt and turned full circle, showing the dark smudges littering his body. Fury filled Ray at the sadistic thrashing Declan must have taken, and by the varying degrees in color, Ray surmised he’d endured more than one beating.
“Where do I find this Beau?” Viv demanded icily.
“Why do you need to find Beau?” Declan sounded scared.
To Ray, the stone-cold, burning anger in Viv’s eyes was understandable.
“So I can go and teach him an object lesson about laying his hands on my son,” Viv snarled.
“Wait here. I’ll just go and let everyone know we have to go out for a moment.” Ray didn’t wait for them to answer as he hurried back to where the rest of the family waited.
Their questions started flying before he could get a word out.
Ray held up a hand. “I’ll fill you all in when I get back. Viv and I need to sort something out first.”
“Where are you going?” Girly demanded. “I know your angry face when I see it, and you’re wearing it right now.”
She would be the one to see and know exactly how he was feeling. Girly understood him just as well as he did himself. He knew he wouldn’t get out of there without telling her something. Ever since she was little, he had sworn to always tell her the truth. “I’m going with Viv to knock some sense into the guy who beat up Declan for asking questions about his friend’s disappearance.”
“Someone beat him up?” GG asked. She seemed almost as pissed off as he was.
Girly watched him shrewdly. “Tell me the rest.”
“Declan’s friend is a guy called Nathan Burkhart,” Ray stated.
“Hey, that’s Larry’s last name,” Girly blurted. She never had been one to call Larry Dad. That honor had only ever been for Ray.
Ray went on to say, “If what Declan told us is true, then Nate is your half-brother.”
“I have a brother?” Girly’s eyes widened in shock. “He’s missing?” She jumped to her feet. “I’m coming with you. I want to talk to this douchebag you’re going to see. If he knows where my brother is, I want to know what he does, before I kick his ass.”
Ray’s father, Liam, said, “Go. We’ll take care of the kids until you get back. I’ll call Byron and fill him in on what’s going on.”
“I’ll make up a room for the boy. By his appearance, I’m assuming he really is Viv’s son, and he’ll be staying,” Antonio said.
God, Ray loved that his family jumped in to help without him even having to ask, though he wished Girly would stay home. He knew he wasn’t going to talk her out of it. And if she came, so would Daniel. He wasn’t surprised when the man in question stood and followed.
By the time they made it back to the kitchen, Ray could see Viv was ready to go. Since becoming a father, Viv had become an overprotective person to all of their kids. “Looks like we’ll have company,” Ray said. He grabbed a set of keys from the pegboard and walked out the kitchen door.
If the situation wasn’t so serious, Ray would have chuckled at how Declan kept sneaking peeks at Girly. He seemed to be in awe of her. Maybe Nate and Girly resembled each other a lot. Viv drove through the streets, following Declan’s instructions, until they pulled up in front of a rundown house in one of the worst areas of town. Fuck! Ray was thankful that they were bringing Declan home with them and taking him away from this horrid place. There was old furniture and debris littering the front yard. The grass itself obviously hadn’t been mowed in years. There were broken windows. Ray knew whoever lived there must be squatting. A real-estate owner wouldn’t put up with this sort of mess for long. Then again, he’d watched some of those shows where people were addicted to rubbish and hoarded whatever they could get their hands on.
Getting his mind back in the here and now, Ray followed the others as they stormed up to the front door. If door was what it could even be called—one good gust of wind and it would fall right off of its hinges. While they moved through the house, young men of varying ages came to meet them.
“Where’s Beau?” Viv demanded gruffly.
Ray winced.
More than a few of those present took a step back, worry filling their eyes.
“It’s rent day. He’s on his way. He won’t be happy if he finds you here. Dec, what were you thinking in bringing strangers here? You’ll cop it from Beau for sure now.”
Rent day?
Ray was becoming more confused and a little suspicious as time passed. They didn’t have long to wait until a well-dressed man in his mid-fifties walked in demanding to know who the hell was parked in his spot.
Ray saw red the very second everything clicked into place inside his head. This man was taking the kids off the street and using them for his own perverse pleasure. By the ring clearly seen on his left hand, the scumbag didn’t even try to hide the fact he was a married man.
“Who the hell are you?” he shouted when he finally saw them standing there. He looked from Declan to Viv and back. Seeing the resemblance, he pa
led. “I never touched the kid.”
“Liar,” Viv said coldly. “I’ve seen the bruises. Tell me again that you never hit my son.”
Beau paled further, if that were possible. “I meant that I haven’t fucked him.”
The coarse language turned Ray’s stomach. He wondered how many of the others Beau had demanded that they pay for their rent through intercourse. Judging by how many of them had bruises of their own, he could tell they’d been abused in other ways as well. The men—boys, really—in question, all seemed to shrink away from Beau.
“What exactly is rent day?” Ray asked. When Beau remained silent, Ray turned and asked the same question of the young men gathered.
Finally, it was Declan who answered. “Rent day is when Beau comes around to choose who he fucks for us living here. He can choose one or more. I was never chosen, but Nate was one of his favorites. Beau likes rough sex, so usually those chosen are hurt in some way.”
Before Beau could make his denial, Ray cocked his arm back and let it fly. The punch landed in the center of Beau’s face. The crunch of bone was a telling sign the asshole’s nose was broken. And Ray couldn’t have been happier.
“You fucking broke my nose. I’m going to sue the hell out of you.” Beau spat a mouthful of blood on the floor.
Ray shrugged. “Go ahead. I’d like to see how you talk your way out of the prostitution suit I’ll bring against you. I may not be able to help everyone you’ve fucked up over the years, but I can damn well help these guys right here. I’ll make you pay for the way you treated them if it’s the last thing I do. I wonder what your wife has to say about your extra-marital activities. Maybe when I find out who she is, I’ll give her a call and tell her what a charmer she has for a husband.”
Anger flooded him as he turned to Daniel. “Call for some maxi taxis or hire a bus and get these guys some medical attention. I’ll organize someplace for them to stay as this cesspit is disgusting.” Turning back to Beau, he added, “If this really is your place, I’ll also be suing you for negligence and bodily harm of this group of young men. As a landlord, it was your duty to keep the place habitable and not let the building fall down around their ears. What the hell is wrong with you?”
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