by Nicky James
He chuckled and his mouth was gone. With a whine, I glanced over my shoulder as Remy retreated to the door.
“Ah, come on, come back. We can be quick. Abel is always late.”
“You are insatiable. Tonight, at the hotel, you can have all you can handle. I’ll need a distraction from my surroundings or I may drive you crazy.”
I smiled to myself as he disappeared down the hall.
I’ll hold you to that.
With a reluctant groan, I sat up and stretched. Only then was I reminded what our weekend entailed. My shoulders slumped and I frowned. I was not looking forward to any of it.
With less than an ounce of pep, I found some clothes and dressed before making my way to the bathroom to get ready. I could smell coffee coming from the kitchen and hurried through making my hair acceptable. Snagging my toothbrush, and a few other necessities that I didn’t want to forget to add to our suitcase, I returned to the bedroom to fit them in our shared bag.
The door buzzer sounded down the hall and I jerked my head up, startled.
“You have to be kidding me.”
I zipped the bag and flew down the hall to the living room. Remy was buzzing them in and turned to me with a smirk. “Bet you’re glad we didn’t get involved now, huh?”
“He’s never on time. That has to be Kieran’s doing.”
“To be fair, they are late. They said nine and it is half-past.”
I gave him a deadpan look. “Yeah well we aren’t all you.”
“Good thing.”
The reality of my brother meeting Remy hit me suddenly, causing a shot of anxiety to rise to the surface. They were two vastly different people and I could only imagine how it might go over.
“So just a quick rundown. Abel’s kinda a mouthpiece and doesn’t always think before he speaks. Umm… Don’t mention his late husband, I have no idea how he’s doing with all that, but it’s a soft spot and it used to make him pretty upset. And…” I thought a moment if there was any more last minute items that warranted being mentioned. “Oh! Let me tell him about Donny’s and all that stuff.” My cheeks heated and I flipped my gaze to the door. “I’m not sure how he’ll take it, so I need to feel it out first.”
Remy clasped my chin and turned me back. “You have nothing to be ashamed of. You are the victim, Caro, and you got away from it. You did the right thing.”
I nodded, knowing what he said was true but feeling a little unsure nonetheless about telling Abel about the pending trial against Donny.
A sharp, rapid knock sprung me from my thoughts and I darted a glance to Remy. He waited patiently for me to open the door, so I did.
The moment the door was partway ajar, Abel barreled in and shot passed me in a flurry. “Move! Jesus fuck I have to piss! Bathroom. Now!” He danced a moment and darted panic stricken eyes from me to Remy before giving up on getting an answer and flew down the hall. “Never mind. I’ll find it.”
We watched after him with matching looks of shock.
I had conjured up a hundred scenarios in my mind of how that first meeting might go between Abel and Remy, but that wasn’t one of them.
“Yeah, so that’s my brother.”
“I’m sorry, I told him to pee before we left, but he didn’t listen and then we got held up at the border for a half and hour. Sorry we’re late.”
Remy and I turned in unison to find Kieran looking sheepishly back at us. Blond hair styled in a swoop like he always wore it and standing tall with his hands shoved in the pockets of his dark jacket.
“So, hi. I’m Kieran, Abel’s better half… or rather less explosive half. You must be Remy.”
To my surprise, Remy accepted his hand to shake. “Nice to meet you. Come on in, can I get you a coffee before we head out?”
Kieran entered and kicked his shoes off, unlike Abel who’d shot down the hall shoes and all. “That’d be great, thanks.”
We retreated to the kitchen where Remy took a few mugs from the cupboard. Abel joined us a moment later, seemingly more relaxed just as Remy pulled the carton of milk from the fridge and set it alongside the mugs on the counter.
I took Remy’s arm at Abel’s entrance and indicated to my brother. “This… is my brother Abel.”
Abel wore a navy basketball hoodie and torn blue jeans. His light brown hair was spiked off his face how he always wore it, green eyes glowing with amusement. He posed with his thickly muscled arms crossed over his chest as he eyed Remy up and down, a smirk growing on his face. One I knew all too well.
“Abel, this is Remy,” I finished, giving him the death glare, trying to warn him to behave.
Abel pressed his lips together, clearly fighting off a comment he knew better than to voice before finally offering a hand to shake.
“Nice to meet you.”
There was tension in their greeting. Both of them spent a moment analysing the other before it broke and Remy motioned to the counter. “Coffee before we hit the road?”
“Sure.”
Remy turned to the counter and began filling the mugs with fresh steaming coffee. Not waiting a beat, or even caring that Remy was right there, Abel smacked my shoulder and mumbled, “I always knew you had daddy issues.”
I jerked my head toward him and my jaw came unhinged just as Kieran snapped.
“Abel!”
He held his hands up and chuckled. “Kidding. Kidding.”
My face flushed as I spun back to Remy to see if he’d heard. How could he not have? He was standing right there and he wasn’t deaf.
With two mugs of coffee in his hands, he turned and handed one to Kieran and one to me, not taking his eyes from Abel the entire time. Before he grabbed the last two off the counter, he squared himself with Abel, standing at least an inch taller and matching his stance. Dark brown eyes pierced green.
“We have a very long car ride ahead of us today and I’d prefer we did our best to get through it peacefully. I’ve been given to understand that where we are headed may not be the most promising of situations for any of us, and that we will likely be swimming in an exorbitant amount of tension when we arrive. So, can we do this amicably, or must we iron out some things before we leave? I’d prefer we were on the same side.”
Abel never faltered, he stood his ground as always, but I was surprised when he nodded and forced a smile to his face. “I didn’t mean anything by it. Soren knows that. We always mess around. He didn’t tell you?”
“He’s shared plenty. I look forward to getting to know you better.”
With that Remy spun and retrieved the remaining two coffees from the counter. As his back was turned, Abel dashed a look of confusion to Kieran who could only smirk into his mug.
Wow… I’d never seen anyone put Abel in his place so efficiently. It was almost fun to watch. And the fact that Remy was sticking up for me only made my chest swell and I stood a little taller, grinning like an idiot at the whole scene.
We drank through our coffees and shared some light, “what do you do for a living”, type of conversation. Because my story was a little too far on the serious side, I let them talk while I hovered in the background. Remy and Kieran clicked right away and although Abel had relaxed, he didn’t say much and I could feel his analytical gaze pass between Remy and I constantly.
“We should probably head out. It’s a good seven-hour drive and it’d be nice to get there before dark,” Remy stated.
“You sure you want to drive?” Kieran asked. “I don’t mind. My cars not huge, but we can squish in.”
I knew the answer to that before Remy even responded and I smirked as a look of deep foreboding passed over his eyes. Yeah, not a chance. “I don’t mind at all.”
He and Kieran grabbed our bags and I held Abel back as they went ahead to pack the car. “Can you at least try to be nice to him? I like him, Abel. A lot.”
Abel’s gaze trailed the living room before landing on me. “Are you living here?”
My shoulders slumped. “Yeah, but there is a story behind it.
Let me explain before you judge me.” I paused. Abel stared with question in his eyes like I was going to blurt it out right then and there. “Not now! But we can talk later. I have a lot of stuff to tell you. It’s important.”
Abel smiled and shook his head. “All right. Well… I have stuff to share with you too. We haven’t really talked in a while, have we?”
I followed him out the door and locked it behind me. As we made our way to the elevator, Abel couldn’t resist.
“So, how old is he?”
“None of your business. And it doesn’t matter. Be nice.”
Abel chuckled. “So defensive. He’s not what I expected.”
“Me either.”
We rode down the elevator together. Out front, Remy had the car idling in the turn around. The moment Abel saw his car, he whistled. “Nice work, Sor. You’ve got yourself a sugar daddy.”
I smacked him on the shoulder, glad we were still inside the building and Remy couldn’t hear him.
“I swear to God, Abel—”
“I’ll be good, relax.”
We made our way outside as Remy rounded the car and came toward me. “I just need to run back up and check a few things. I’ll be back.”
I snagged his arm before he could pass and pulled him down to kiss his cheek. “It’s all good. Trust me. I checked everything for you.”
He hesitated and looked from me to Kieran and Abel who were huddled by the car waiting, fighting his own indecision.
“The stove?”
“Did you cook this morning?”
His brow furrowed. “No.”
“Then it’s fine, because you checked last night.”
He wet his lips and passed a look to the front doors. “Garbage?”
“I took it out after dinner last night. It’s empty.”
“Coffee pot?”
“You cleaned it out and checked it twice already. I watched you.”
Eventually his gaze found mine, but there was still unease on his face.
“Do you trust me?” I asked.
He nodded.
“Then let it go. Everything is fine.”
He pursed his lips and with difficulty, turned back to the car. I was proud of him. He fought with his internal compulsions daily… hourly, and it was a big moment when I could help him break free of their constraints.
Four hours into the car ride, we pulled off the interstate to eat at a little diner. Abel had been complaining of hunger for over an hour and we all needed to stretch our legs.
After we parked, everyone jumped out and headed inside. Remy took a minute longer to compose himself, so Kieran and Abel went ahead of us, hand in hand to find a seat. They were clingy. I’d never seen my brother that way with anyone in his life, so it was odd. But I couldn’t deny the love that passed between them. They looked happy and considering how he was the last time I’d spent any time with him, I was glad to see it.
“Is this place going to be okay?” I asked Remy once Kieran and Abel disappeared inside.
“Yes. I’m not incapable of venturing to new places, it just takes me a minute to work up to it. You should have seen me going into The Escape the first night with Alessio.”
I laughed. “I can imagine.”
Surprising me, Remy took my hand and guided me to the doors.
We found Abel and Kieran in a booth by a back corner. While Kieran studied a menu, we slid into the booth across from them. Abel stood beside the table, removing his hoodie while bitching.
“Fuck it, I’m way too hot to keep this on. I tried, but I’m done caring.” Abel tossed his sweatshirt onto the booth beside Kieran and pointed a sharp finger in my face. “Not one comment.”
I flinched, confused. But, when he sat and rested his arms on the table, I noticed immediately that they were shredded. Dozens of flaming red scratches covered each arm, criss-crossing and inflamed. A few were scabbed over and looked older, but most of them were fresh and raw.
I grabbed his arm as my eyebrows shot up. “What the fuck happened to you?”
Kieran tried to covert a snort of laughter and received a death glare from my brother. “Did you do this?” I asked him.
Kieran’s mouth fell open in shock. “No!” He kept laughing. “I got him a kitten so he’d stop stealing Tuck from me. They don’t get along very well.”
“We do so,” Abel defended, shoving Kieran.
Tucker, I knew, was Kieran’s older, fat orange tabby.
“Seriously? A cat did this?” I examined Abel’s arms again. “Jesus, did you piss it off?”
Abel rubbed at his inflamed marks, smirking. “No, we just like to play and he’s kinda spastic… and mean. Kitten brain, you know?”
I shook my head and dashed a look to Remy who watched the whole interaction with humor. I flipped Abel’s arms around and examined them. “Wow, that’s rough. I thought maybe Kieran got a little wild on you or something.”
Kieran grinned mischievously. “I leave my marks down his back.” Then he winked.
I scrunched up my nose and batted Abel’s arm away at the thought. “Okay TMI, I don’t need to know these things.”
All through our meal, we talked amicably and made predictions on how the weekend might play out. We kept it light and injected humor so the weight of the truth wouldn’t bring us down. Abel and Remy continued to keep an eye on one another, saying little but both clearly taking notes.
We enjoyed a filling meal and eventually returned to the car. For the final stretch of our journey, I convinced Kieran to ride up front with Remy so I could talk to Abel. There wasn’t going to be a better time. Once we arrived, we’d be occupied with other things.
When Kieran and Remy were involved in conversation about travel and Remy’s recent trip home to Italy, I blew out a breath and turned to Abel.
“I have to tell you something. It’s serious, so I need you to be serious for five minutes, okay?”
Abel looked at me intently before passing a glance to Remy. “Okay, what’s up?”
I could read the mistrust in his eyes.
“Something happened at the club. I don’t work there anymore and it’s been shut down.”
Abel’s eyes narrowed. “You know I always hated that fucking place. Donny was a low life piece of shit and I never trusted him. What happened?”
He’d always made that clear and I knew he wouldn’t like what I had to say. I swallowed and stared at my hands a minute.
“Well…”
I didn’t know where to start. Knowing and understanding what had happened at Donny’s for all those years had been a hard thing to accept. I’d never seen myself as a victim because I always thought it was my choice to be there. Only since being away from it, and listening to Remy and Alessio talk did I realize how manipulated I’d been.
I’d had no idea.
“Well,” I tried again, “All that stuff you used to believe was true. Donny basically sold us out to customers and… Well… Donny is being investigated for what went on there.”
The number of times Abel had made passing comments about Donny’s club were countless. He wasn’t stupid and I’d gone out of my way to divert his attention from the truth. “I… I’ll be testifying eventually. Because… well… everything that went on there started when I was sixteen. Some of the other guys were even younger.”
Abel flinched and stared like he hadn’t heard right.
“What did he do to you, Soren?” His lips pursed and I saw anger flare behind his eyes. Despite him spending a lifetime picking on me, Abel had always been an overprotective brother when it came down to it.
I dropped my gaze again, unable to hold his. “You can probably guess. But I’m out now and he’s probably going to go away for it. There is more than me who are going to testify.”
Abel was silent, but I could feel his penetrating gaze. When I looked up again, there was concern and despair on his face. “Are you okay?” he asked.
I nodded. Shame filled me up, even though Remy had said a million times I h
ad nothing to be ashamed of. Abel’s opinion of me mattered more than I could express and I’d always hated that he thought so lowly of me.
“I’m not a whore, Abel. I never wanted to be. I just got mixed up in it all and didn’t know any better. When I figured out how wrong it was, I couldn’t get away. I’m sorting everything out now. I have a new job and in January I’m starting dance school.”
Abel’s eyebrow shot up at that and his deep concern softened slightly. “No shit. Really? You always wanted to do that.”
“I know. I’m excited.”
There was pride on his face and it was directed at me. It felt good and I soaked it up.
“Where are you working?” he asked.
“Remy helped me get a job at his magazine. I work alongside a photographer as his assistant. I’m learning all kinds of stuff. He’s even brought me into his studio for a photoshoot for another magazine he works for. It was a lot of fun, so I might be doing that too sometimes.”
Abel smiled and his gaze wandered to Remy and back.
“He’s a good guy,” I assured him. “He helped me get out. I love him. Please be nice.”
Abel’s jaw shifted as he considered, passing another glance to Remy. When he turned back, he drew me into a bear hug, messing up my hair. “You are so different, Sor. I’m proud of you.” He let me go and his look turned serious again. “If I’d had any idea…”
“Even I didn’t know. What matters now is it’s over.”
He nodded and looked thoughtful for a moment. “Well, I have no idea how this whole weekend is going to play out, but if Dad somehow manages to fucking shred our self-esteem, just know that I really am proud.”
The warmth that filled my chest made me smile and I leaned back feeling like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. “Thanks, Abel.” On a thought, I turned my head and peered side long at him. “How are you and Kieran doing? You said you had news?”
He adopted a dreamy half-smile before responding. “Things are great. Like really great.” He tilted his head and winked. “I’ll tell you later.”