by RJ Scott
Gabriel reached for the bag and there was a little tug-of-war
Cam huffed that small laugh of his. “Dude, I was joking, I can open chips. Jesus, I’m not totally incapable.”
“Yeah, yeah, of course you can. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply…” Gabriel trailed off when he saw Cam’s smiling expression. “Asshole,” he added on the end.
“Sorry, couldn’t help myself.” Cam opened the bag and crunched the first handful of chips. “I went out with Adam once. He’s the ex who… Yeah, never mind, he’s the ex, which is the important thing. He took me out on our first date to this really cool restaurant, the ones where you eat in the dark.”
“You eat in the dark?”
“Yep, it’s all about sensory appreciation. Anyway, he freaked out, and whereas usually in restaurants people ask the guy I’m with what I want to eat—”
“You’re joking.”
“I promise you I’m not. It’s as if I can’t make decisions on my own. So Adam’s freaking out, he can’t see, he’s panicking, and he doesn’t like that it’s me helping him. I should have known he was a waste of time.”
The film started and they stopped talking to watch the first scenes, and before Gabriel knew it, the film had finished and they only had around two hours on the clock to go. He was feeling sleepy, warm from where Gidget had chosen to climb up between them, her head in Cam’s lap, her ass and tail sprawled over Gabriel.
“Want to take Gidget for a walk with me?”
Gabriel nodded. “I’m still on the clock,” he agreed.
He couldn’t fail to notice Cam’s subtle change in expression.
“And I’d like to,” he added, hoping that would lessen the impact of reminding them both what he was doing there.
It seemed to work, and they walked with Gidget in the middle to a small park that nestled hidden behind the old hotel. They talked about everything and nothing, and Gabriel ignored the fact that his phone had vibrated in his pocket on several occasions. He knew it would be Stefan, but as soon as he got home a thousand or more richer, Stefan would be so damn happy.
When they arrived back at the hotel, there was an hour remaining, and when Gabriel left, dead on midnight, Cam was blissed out and making him promise to do this again.
Cam was clearly rich enough to afford it, and he added the client to his mental list. He liked being paid to watch films and talk actors and walk the dog.
Back at his apartment, he opened the door, and Stefan was waiting for him, leaning against the counter.
“I was worried,” he said calmly.
“I had a job,” Gabriel answered, and pulled out the envelope fat with hundred-dollar bills.
Stefan walked over and leaned past Gabriel to shut the door.
“Who for?” He took the money and opened the envelope, and Gabriel’s chest puffed a little with pride.
“Cameron Stafford; paid for the whole afternoon and evening.”
“You didn’t call me.”
“You said you were out all day.”
“Still,” Stefan patted Gabriel’s cheek, “you should have called me, Angel. How can I look out for you if you don’t let me know where you are?”
“I’m sorry,” Gabriel said quickly. This could turn on a dime. Stefan could be happy because of the money, or get angry with him. Pride slid away from him and was replaced with fear, and he knew the moment when Stefan’s calm control snapped.
And thankfully Gabriel didn’t remain conscious for all of it.
CHAPTER TEN
Cam shrugged on his suit jacket and clipped the leash to Gidget’s harness. Today was D-day for hiring a new executive chef, and the last two interviews were part of his and the senior manager’s responsibility. He had a hand in every major decision in this hotel; nothing happened without him knowing, and the things that could have slipped by, Six had a handle on.
“Ready?” Six asked from the door. “Esther is already down in the kitchens.”
“Ready.” They left the apartment and headed for the elevator. Cam heard the elevator ascend, tracing his hand over the ornate doors while he waited. The Stafford coat of arms, or at least what his grandparents had created as the coat of arms—a lion and a crown befitting Chicago aristocracy—was everywhere. From the stylized design he could trace on the elevator doors to the soft embossed logo on napkins and in the carpet. When he’d decided to take a leap of faith and run this place, his inheritance, himself, he’d gone with tradition. If a person stayed in any of the Stafford Hotels, they would see the same coat of arms, but his had the touch of luxury, and he was damn proud of the feel of it even if he couldn’t see it.
The brand that he was integral to, despite the fact that no one had wanted him to be.
He’d worked damn hard to overcome everything, and he had Six to thank for a lot of it. That gave him pause, and he reached out to touch Six on the arm.
“Thank you,” he said. “I never say it enough.”
“What for?” Six asked.
“For everything,” Cam said expansively.
The soft ding of the approaching car made him jump enough to stop the conversation, and when the door opened he made to step in, only for Six to grab his arm and yank him back.
“Fuck,” Six cursed. “Jesus,” he added with feeling.
“What?” Cam snapped. “What is it?”
“Cam?”
That was Gabriel’s rough voice; he’d know it anywhere. “Can you help me?”
“Out of the way,” Six snapped, and shoved at Cam a little before pushing past him. “What the fuck happened to you?”
“I just need to borrow some money.”
“Fuck off, he’s not giving you money.”
“I’ll pay him back. Please, I wouldn’t ask—”
“I said no. Get out of here. Take yourself to a hospital, or a street corner, I don’t fucking care, but get out of this hotel.”
Cam couldn’t follow this. Gabriel sounded…wrong…and Six was shouting and saying things for Cam that he wouldn’t have said at all.
“Stop!” Cam snapped. The doors of the elevator tried to shut, but he was in the way and they moved back. “Someone tell me what’s happening.”
“What’s happening is this street trash needs to get his ass out of the hotel.”
“I just need to borrow enough to get some help,” Gabriel pleaded.
They spoke at the same time.
And then there was a thump and everything went quiet. Had Six hit Gabriel? Gidget was agitated, whining at his side.
“Six!”
“Move back, Cam,” Six ordered, and then there was more grunting, and noises that Cam couldn’t make out. “In your apartment. It’s Gabriel, he looks like he’s been mugged. Call 9-1-1.”
“No…” Gabriel said on a groan. “Jus’ need money.”
Cam pulled the door shut behind him. “Talk to me, Six.”
“He’s bleeding, not sure from where. Hold still, fuck’s sake.”
“Get off me.”
“Whatever,” Six snapped, and there was another flurry of activity, and Cam focused in on the sounds and scents. Antiseptic, soft curse words, the coppery smell of blood, and he stepped forward into a spot he knew was between Gabriel and Six, holding up his hands, Gidget right close to him.
“Six, give me a report.”
“One cut above the eye, bleeding through a bandage that looks like a child stuck it there. He’s bent over a bit, I’m thinking bruised ribs, a lot of marks on his neck, I can’t make them out. We need to call the police.”
“No police.” That came from Gabriel.
“Jesus, he’s spitting blood now.” Six yanked at Cam, who nearly toppled and righted himself with a hand to Six’s chest.
“Stop, Six. Gabriel, talk to me.”
“I just need to borrow some money.” There was the sound of something, material, Gidget moving, and then some soft words. “I’ll do anything.” Gabriel’s voice had moved. It was lower. Gabriel was lower.
“Six?” Cam asked a little desperately.
“He’s on his fucking knees in front of you.”
“What happened?” Cam asked. He wanted to see this; he desperately wanted to be in control of what was happening here.
“Probably took some other guy’s corner,” Six grumbled.
“I didn’t. Please, Cam, I’ll pay it back.”
“What do you need it for?”
“A bus, a cab, anything.”
Cam followed his instincts and went to a crouch, reaching for something to balance on, finding Gabriel’s shoulder. Gabriel hissed at the touch. “How much do you need?”
“I have an address I need to get to,” Gabriel said, and his voice was thick with tears. He coughed, and the motion moved Cam’s hand.
“Do you need a hospital?” he asked, but Gabriel stayed quiet. “Six, does he need a hospital?”
Six was suspiciously quiet as well.
“Someone fucking talk to me,” he snapped, and had to place a reassuring hand against Gidget, who whined again. He knew how Gidget felt; he didn’t understand what was going on either.
“Can you breathe?” Six asked, his voice calmer but still firm. He moved past Cam and lifted Cam’s hand from Gabriel. “Does it hurt when you breathe?”
“No.”
“Relax, I’m not going to hurt you,” Six snapped when Gabriel hissed.
Cam had to stay calm; Six was a trained professional and had to have seen firsthand his share of battlefield medicine. Right?
“When did this happen?” he asked, and Gabriel mumbled something that sounded like one a.m. After he’d left here last night? On his way home? Six ran through a whole gamut of questions and Cam stood up, a head rush making him sway a little. He listened to the answers. Yes, he’d lost consciousness. No, he hadn’t been sick. He didn’t have a headache, and please could he just have some money.
“You need to see a doctor to be sure,” Six said in conclusion.
“After I get where I need to be,” Gabriel snapped back.
Cam made a decision. “Six, get the car; we’ll take him where he needs to go.” He held up a hand, because he knew Six would hate that, and that Gabriel wouldn’t be happy. He didn’t have to know Gabriel well to assume that something huge enough had happened that he wouldn’t trust anyone.
The chaos around him made his head spin, but at least neither man said anything. God knew what kind of expressions they had on their faces right then, or what sort of death glare Six was giving Gabriel. The door slammed, and Cam crossed to the desk phone, pressing for reception and connecting to the hotel manager. He explained that he wouldn’t be at the meeting. Finally, he was back with Gabriel, who as far as he knew was still on his knees.
“What happened, Gabriel?” he asked gently.
Gabriel said nothing, but he did move, and his soft exhalation of pain cut Cam to the core.
“He didn’t like that I didn’t tell him where I was. I let him down.”
“Who?”
“Stefan. He’s my…” Silence.
Pimp? Friend? Lover? None of those labels sat well with Cam.
“He’s your what?”
“What am I doing? I can’t leave here. I need to go back to him. I don’t know what I was thinking… I can’t…”
Cam crossed to the door and stood with his back to it. “You’re not going back to the person who hurt you.”
Gabriel was pulling at him, but his movements were weak, and that didn’t bode well. “Let me out. I have to go back to him.”
Six knocked and said it was him, and Cam eased away from the door, keeping a hand on Gabriel’s arm.
“I’m taking you somewhere, anywhere but back to him.”
And Gabriel sagged against him, his fight gone. But, only when they were in the car did Cam relax a little.
“Where are we going?” Six asked.
“Legacy Ranch. It’s part of the Double D,” Gabriel murmured.
“I want it on record that I insisted we take Gabriel to the police.”
“Noted,” Cam agreed. “Is that the Campbell-Hayes place?”
“Kyle,” Gabriel murmured. “And Mistry.”
Cam felt a weight leaning against him, then the soft sounds of breathing. Had Gabriel fallen asleep on him, or was he unconscious? Whatever it was, Cam was worried, and he shook his shoulder a little.
“Sorry,” Gabriel murmured. Not unconscious or asleep, then, in which case he’d been looking for comfort; that Cam could do.
He searched for Gabriel’s hand and held it firmly, then tugged so Gabriel was leaning on him again.
“No need to be sorry,” he began, then thought he’d try one more time. “A doctor seems like a good idea.”
“No.”
“Or the cops?”
“No. Just Kyle.”
Whoever this Kyle was, he hoped that meeting the man would make sense of what had started as an ordinary day.
The Double D Ranch wasn’t that far out of Dallas, but enough of a distance for Gabriel to fall into a fitful sleep.
“I don’t like this,” Six said from up front. “This isn’t something I signed up for. I’m supposed to protect you, look out for you, not get pulled into crazy hooker shit.”
“Six—”
“Don’t, Cam, just don’t. This is the worst fucking idea I’ve ever been party to.”
There was a sign a few hundred yards past the main Double D ranch pointing a visitor to something called Legacy, which seemed to fit what Gabriel was looking for. Six clearly thought the same thing, turning off and parking up at the far end of the road. Cam could see a structure through the tinted windows—a long, low-slung building and some figures standing outside.
“Gabriel?” He gently shook the sleeping man, who curled closer to Cam then seemed to come awake in an instant.
He let out a moan of pain, but that was it, and it didn’t last long. “We’re here?” he asked. He gripped Cam’s hand.
“Yeah. You want to get out?”
“Not really,” Gabriel murmured, then he pulled himself away from Cam. “But I need to.”
Six opened the door on Cam’s side and Gidget jumped down. Cam followed her, his hand on the handle of the harness and Gabriel following.
“You don’t have to stay,” Gabriel said. But there was something in his tone that screamed fear, and right now, Cam didn’t want Gabriel being scared.
“I won’t go until I know you’re okay.” Cam wanted to find out who Kyle was, what he meant to Gabriel, and why the hell any kind of connection made Cam feel a twinge of jealousy.
For a hooker, for god’s sake.
Gabriel took his hand and began to walk, and he led Cam with him.
And suddenly Gabriel wasn’t a hooker that had crashed into Cam’s dark world and turned it on its head.
Gabriel was a friend.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Gabriel hurt. From the top of his head, which he knew had contacted the wall, to the little finger of his left hand, which he thought could be broken. Stefan hadn’t stopped, he’d been furious, and when Gabriel had come around, woken from whatever safe place his mind had escaped to, he’d known he had to leave until Stefan calmed down.
Only he hadn’t known where to go.
He’d disappointed Stefan, and he’d needed to go somewhere and make himself better, and all he’d been able to think had been that Kyle had a safe place for him. Legacy Ranch. They would help him, and he could go home and Stefan wouldn’t see him all broken up.
There were two men outside the main structure, one tall and rangy and blond, the other shorter with dark hair, and as they got closer Gabriel could make out a third man, partially obscured. He recognized that third man. Kyle. He wasn’t going to forget any details about the trial, and he certainly recalled stoic Kyle.
It was Kyle who stepped forward, an expression of puzzlement on his face, but it was Tall and Blond who spoke.
“Cam?” he said.
“Riley,” Cam said from Gabriel’s si
de.
“Is everything okay?”
Then realization dawned on Kyle’s face and he hurried to the other side of Gabriel, which was a good thing, because all the energy was leaving Gabriel in one big rush. Part of him didn’t want to let Cam go, but Cam was actually handing him to Kyle, and why wouldn’t he? Gabriel was just a mess of problems and issues and a tangled knot of pain.
Kyle didn’t say anything, just supported Gabriel and helped him inside the large structure, taking him through a kitchen and to a room at the back.
“Can I see?” he asked carefully, and Gabriel knew what he meant. Slowly, he eased off his shirt, the pain in his left shoulder hindering him. Kyle didn’t move to assist, and that was okay; he could do this himself.
Until he couldn’t.
“Can you help?” he asked, and Kyle moved quickly to tug the shirt off and help Gabriel with his jeans. In boxers, he deliberately turned around so Kyle could see his back, then half turned to expose the bruising on his side, and finally faced him so that every mark on his body was obvious.
This was mechanical, and he was beyond caring what another victim like Kyle was thinking. He was sure Kyle had suffered the same way he had at the hands of Hank. Why would anything he saw now be a shock?
But Kyle’s eyes were wet, like he was holding back tears and it wasn’t quite working.
“I just need somewhere to stay for a few days,” Gabriel said, shoulders back, however much that hurt. “I don’t want any questions, or a doctor, or any shit like that.”
Kyle nodded. “The man who helped you here—”
“Is no one.”
Kyle crossed his arms over his chest and looked concerned. “Is he the one hurting you?”
Just the idea of Cam hurting anyone with hands or words made Gabriel snort a laugh, which hurt like a freaking bitch.
“No, he’s nothing to do with me,” Gabriel lied.
Kyle narrowed his eyes. “He looked pretty invested in your welfare,” he said.
“He’s a fucking mark, okay? He’s nothing to me. Tell him to go.”
Thankfully, a knock at the door stopped the discussion about Cam, and also, abruptly, shame coiled inside Gabriel. He didn’t want anyone else to see him nearly naked, with every mark on his body on show. He didn’t know how to voice that, though.