At thirty-nine, Vin was the oldest of the four Barretti brothers and had inherited the mantle of patriarch when their father stabbed their mother to death after learning of her affair before taking his own life. The stoic, broody Vin had been just eighteen when they died and had assumed custody of all three brothers. Though at fifteen, Dom had ended up becoming more like a second father to the two younger brothers, Ren and Rafe. It wasn’t until a few weeks after the murder-suicide that the truth came to light that Rafe, the youngest, was proof of his mother’s infidelity and when his biological father had come calling, eight year old Rafe was stolen away from the only home and family he’d ever known.
Cade knew that Dom and Vin had searched for Rafe for years but even with all the resources they’d had available to them after founding Barretti Security Group, neither had ever managed to scrape up even the smallest clue as to Rafe’s whereabouts. But now the prodigal brother had returned and from the looks of it, he wasn’t in the mood for a family reunion.
“What did he say exactly?” Dom finally asked as he began fixing himself another drink.
“He said he’d see you soon.”
“Jesus,” Vin muttered.
Dom dumped some more whiskey in Cade’s glass before heading to the small seating area in the center of the huge office. Cade grabbed his glass and dropped down onto one of the side chairs while Vin sat stiffly on the expensive white leather couch. Dom continued his pacing.
“Why would he do this?” Dom asked to no one in particular.
Cade had his theories but kept his mouth shut.
“Maybe he’s just trying to learn more about us,” Dom said desperately.
“He wants to hurt us, Dom,” Vin said quietly as he swallowed the rest of his drink. “He’s playing with us.”
Dom finally sat down in the other chair and put his drink down. He dropped his head in his hands and Cade felt a surge of pity go through him. Of all the Barretti brothers, Dom had been searching for Rafe the longest and as year after year passed with no word, he’d agonized over not knowing what had happened to the little boy he’d promised to watch over.
Cade glanced out the window and settled his gaze on the snow-capped Olympic Mountain range. The only reason he was even in this place, had this life, was because Dom had taken a chance on him. And Cade had just ripped Dom’s heart out by telling him the baby brother he’d fought so hard to find was seeking vengeance. Because there was no other explanation for what Rafe was doing.
The first security breach had happened more than two months ago and had included sensitive information relating to Mia Hamilton, the young woman who’d been instrumental in saving the lives of two of Dom’s extended family members. It had been Mia’s father, Sam, who’d shot Logan the previous year and the reason Cade had been hired to protect the young man. With Logan and Sam’s main target, Logan’s sister Savannah, out of reach, Sam had gotten desperate and abducted Logan’s best friend’s girlfriend as well as Eli, a young man Dom had been helping to start a new life. Sam had been seconds from killing his two hostages when Mia intervened and beat him to death with a metal pipe. It was Dom who decided to protect Mia from the subsequent news frenzy by stashing her at Vin’s house, unbeknownst to his older brother who’d been out of the country.
Shortly after Vin’s arrival back in the States, Dom’s tech guys had discovered the first hack and realized details of Mia’s brief hospitalization in a mental ward had been stolen, along with the plans to hide her at Vin’s house. Everyone had been on edge for weeks after the hack but the information hadn’t been leaked and Dom and Vin had written it off as a random act. But then the second breach had happened, then the third. Always subtle and always aimed directly at Dom or Vin and the people they loved. And whatever extra security they installed, the hacker was good enough to get around it.
“He had to know we never stopped looking for him,” Dom whispered.
Cade remembered the cold, dead look in Rafe’s eyes. “He’s not the same little boy you remember, Dom,” Cade said as he put the drink down on the coffee table. Cade dug his cell phone out of his pocket and brought up the photo he’d managed to get of Rafe during one of his many coffee breaks. He found himself studying it for a moment, his gaze settling on the soft, perfect lips and the stormy, haunted eyes. God, what it would be like to see those beautiful eyes taken over once more by lust like they’d been for such a brief moment in that dark, quiet room.
“Here,” he said as he handed the phone to Dom.
Dom’s breath hitched at the sight and he could tell the man was trying to hold back his emotion. Thick fingers gilded over the picture briefly before Dom reached across the table and handed the phone to Vin.
“Did he say anything else?” Dom asked.
Certainly not anything Cade was going to share. “My guess is he made me right away. You should ask Desi to see if the personnel files were hacked.”
“She’s still trying to sift through the most recent hack,” Vin said as he handed the phone back to Cade.
“What did he get this time?” Cade asked.
Dom stood again, his agitation front and center once more. Vin was the one who spoke up.
“He got the research Dom did on Logan and his friends. And the stuff on Savannah.”
Cade sighed as he realized what Vin was saying. Logan and his best friends, Shane and Gabe, had been high class professional escorts for several years and their clients had included women from Seattle’s elite upper crust. The damage Rafe could inflict not only to the three men directly but to their former customers as well was mind boggling. Not to mention the details of each man’s personal life. Apparently even Savannah’s brutal rape at the hands of Mia’s father wasn’t off limits for the ruthless young man.
“And Ren?” Cade asked, referring to the fourth brother who’d been discovered alive in the Middle East after a year of captivity and torture after his Special Forces team had been ambushed. Vin had managed to bring the damaged man home but his mental stability had become such an issue that Ren had left again rather than risk hurting those around him. But not until after he’d killed a man stalking Mia.
Vin and Dom remained quiet which was the same as them answering in the affirmative.
“What the hell are we going to do?” Dom muttered.
Cade slammed the rest of his drink before getting up. “We wait. Whatever he wants, he’s just getting started.”
***
“Dom, please, don’t let him take me!”
“We’ll come get you soon, Rafe. I swear!”
“Dom, please! Vinny!”
“Be brave, Rafe!”
Rafe jolted awake and lurched up in the bed, his legs tangled in the bedding. He fought to catch his breath as he kicked the covers away and climbed unsteadily to his feet. He stumbled to the window air conditioner that he’d forgotten to turn on before drifting off to sleep and jammed his finger down on the power button. A few seconds of tepid air blew over him before cool air began to drift over his slick skin. Closing his eyes, he began to envision lines of code in his head, the numbers and letters falling perfectly into place as his fingers coasted over the keyboard. As line after line appeared, his breathing began to slow and he felt the constriction in his chest ease. He glanced at the dim numbers on the motel room clock and saw it was after two in the morning. He’d been asleep less than an hour.
Rafe let the cold air wash over him for a few more minutes, then went to the bathroom and turned the shower on. He braced himself and stepped under the cold spray of water, shuttering as the icy liquid rained down on him. Relief went through him as his overheated body began to stabilize and he leaned his head against the grimy tile of the shower stall.
Be brave, Rafe. The words had been spoken by Vin as he and Dom watched Gary Price drag Rafe to his waiting car. It was the last time he’d heard his name too since Gary had changed it. Too fucking exotic, Gary had said. He needed an American name. But he’d never gotten one. No, Gary had just called him ‘Boy’ instea
d and since Gary’s plans for him hadn’t required a real name, he’d kept his stashed away in his mind and waited until his brothers would come to take him home and he’d once again be Rafe Barretti.
Twenty years later and he still didn’t have a real name. At least he didn’t have to answer to ‘Boy’ anymore. He’d made sure of that when he was fourteen years old. He probably shouldn’t have bothered keeping Rafe as a first name but it was his last link to the mother who’d been taken from him and letting go of the name she’d given him was a line he hadn’t been able to cross. The few times he’d even considered it, his mother’s voice filtered through his head with stories of the beloved grandfather he’d been named after and he abandoned the idea of being anyone other than Rafe. But there was no Barretti anymore. And there was no other last name either. Only people with families needed last names.
As the tension slowly slid out of Rafe, he bent down and changed the temperature of the water and waited several long seconds for the warm water to drift over him. He was so close. So fucking close. He’d put his plan into motion months ago but now he’d finally get to see the results firsthand. He’d get to watch Dom and Vin lose everything that mattered to them and then he’d close this chapter in his life and build a new one. He’d still be Rafe, but a better one. A Rafe that wasn’t still waiting for his brothers to keep their promise and bring him home.
Rafe let his eyes slide closed and was immediately greeted with the memory of firm lips stroking over him as a wet tongue bathed him in warmth. He let his fingers close around his half hard cock and tugged lightly. Cade Gamble. The one wrench in his plan so far. The gorgeous, black haired man had been hard to miss when Rafe hacked the personnel files but he hadn’t been concerned that the former mercenary could potentially be the one his brothers would send to investigate him. In fact, when he’d spied the man trailing him that first day a thrill had gone through him at knowing he’d get to face off with the other man who represented everything Rafe despised. Dominant, aggressive, arrogant, take-what-you-want attitude. The guy had all of it rolling off him in spades.
But Gamble had managed to surprise him when he’d dismissed the twink he’d specifically picked out for him and set his sights on Rafe instead. Not that he’d been concerned though. Men like Gamble got so lost in the chase, they never figured out who the hunter really was.
Letting Gamble suck his dick hadn’t been part of the plan but he was nothing if not flexible. But he had been caught off guard by his body’s reaction to the other man and Gamble had managed to get his cock painfully hard within seconds whereas Jamie had been working him for a good ten minutes before Gamble’s arrival. Part of him had wanted to let the whole thing play out since he’d never experienced that level of desire before. But thankfully his common sense had won out and he’d managed to turn the tables on the other man before he’d given in to his baser needs. There’d been a brief resurgence of lust when he’d closed his hands around the man’s long, thick shaft but then luckily Gamble had opened his mouth and spoken.
Rafe gave his dick a few vicious tugs and pictured his hand wrapped around Gamble’s throat. He hadn’t missed the flash of lust that had gone through the other man’s forest green eyes as Rafe manhandled him. The bigger man, who had at least three inches on his own 6 foot frame and an additional fifty pounds of pure muscle, could have easily broken free but he’d chosen not to because he wanted what Rafe could give him. He’d wanted Rafe to be in control. An image of Gamble on his knees, shoulders pressed to the floor, hands bound behind his back flashed through his mind. And then Rafe was slamming into him.
“Fuck,” Rafe shouted as his release crashed through him without warning and he shot all over the shower wall. “Shit,” he muttered as he leaned back against the cold tile and let the water wash away the proof that he might not be as immune to Cade Gamble as he wanted to be…needed to be. Just another obstacle to overcome he told himself as he turned the shower off and reached for a towel. He’d been doing that his whole fucking life.
***
Rafe watched the dark-haired young man approach him, hand extended. A genuine smile that actually reached his pale blue eyes was plastered across his handsome face. His brother sure knew how to pick ‘em. Logan Bradshaw was stunning.
“Mr. Bowers?” Logan said as he shook Rafe’s hand.
“Call me Simon,” Rafe responded.
“I understand you’re interested in learning more about The Sylvie Barretti Hope for Life Foundation,” Logan said as he motioned to the small space teaming with people. Most sat behind desks talking on the phone or working at computers. He only saw a couple of kids – street kids likely based on their appearance and demeanor.
“Yes, I’ve heard your organization is off to a promising start,” Rafe said smoothly.
“Well, we’re still in the process of trying to get our satellite locations set up – that’s where we’ll be able to reach out to the kids directly,” Logan explained as he led Rafe around the small area. Fresh paint in warm, contrasting colors actually gave the place a homey feel and an area near the back of the building had partitioned walls, probably to offer privacy to the traumatized kids who were foolish enough to seek help in a place like this.
“Impressive,” Rafe managed to get out. Dom’s lover might be a real looker but he was an utter fool to think his efforts would be well received.
He cast a glance at Logan, expecting to see the man beaming with pride at his so called accomplishment but was caught off guard by the open curiosity on the man’s expression. “You don’t really believe that, do you, Simon?” Logan asked.
Rafe knew he needed to tread carefully but he couldn’t keep the disdain from his voice when he said, “You’re an optimist, Mr. Bradshaw. I understand that. But most of the kids you think you’re saving are already beyond redemption by the time you get to them. Fancy fundraisers and calling yourself a foundation won’t change that. Spend your money on something else – cure cancer or save the environment or whatever else is politically correct at the moment. This,” he said as he motioned to the people around them, “is a noble effort but a futile one.”
Logan watched him for a moment before chuckling softly. “Cade said you were a cold-hearted bastard.”
Rafe stiffened and actually took a step back, his eyes glancing around.
“He’s not here,” Logan said gently. “Neither are Dom or Vin.”
Rafe shifted his eyes back to Logan and his respect for the man went up a notch. A lot of notches actually. “Well played, Mr. Bradshaw.”
“It’s still Logan. May I call you Rafe or is Simon what you go by these days?” When Rafe didn’t answer, Logan continued. “I guess you weren’t aware that Cade was able to get a picture of you. That or you were thinking Dom wouldn’t share what was happening with me.”
It had been the latter.
“I have to admit, I’m a little surprised by the visit, Rafe,” Logan said. “Dom tells me you already have everything you need to do considerable damage to him, me, my sister, my friends…”
Rafe stiffened his resolve at the point blank comment. He didn’t owe this guy anything and he sure as shit wasn’t going to feel guilty.
Logan studied him for a long moment, then nodded his head as if in understanding. “It’s not enough to know you’re hurting Dom and Vin – you want to see it for yourself.”
“Smart and pretty,” Rafe said coldly. “I’ve enjoyed our little chat but since I expect my brothers will be walking through that door at any moment,” he said in a clipped tone as looked over his shoulder towards the entrance, “I should be going.”
“Here,” Logan said as he handed Rafe his phone. “Check my calls, texts. I haven’t talked to Dom since this morning.”
Rafe ignored the phone and crossed his arms. Logan tucked the phone back in his pocket. “Do you really believe that? What you said about the kids? That they’re beyond redemption?” Logan asked as he leaned back against an empty desk.
This was the conversation
the guy wanted to have?
“You can’t be naïve enough to think what you’re doing here will actually change anything? Even if you manage to get one kid off the streets, ten more will take his place. A guy like you shows up offering them a better life?” he quipped. “The ones that don’t kill you outright will be figuring out how to roll you for everything you have.”
Logan contemplated that for a long time, then finally said, “What if the one kid I do save figures out how to save the ten I couldn’t?”
Rafe laughed and shook his head. “Ever the optimist,” he muttered.
“Realist, actually,” Logan said. “You must know what your brother did for Eli Galvez.”
Anger flashed white hot through Rafe and it took everything in him not to react. Eli Galvez had been a teenage prostitute that Dom had taken off the streets, given a better life – the life Rafe should have had. He felt Logan’s intense gaze on him and knew the man was watching for some kind of response. Fucker was actually trying to psychoanalyze him?
“So that kid’s gonna be the game changer?” he said snidely. “He’s going to figure out how to eliminate poverty, abuse, crime, hate? Is he going to walk on water and turn blood into wine too?”
Logan ignored his tirade and his inability to ruffle the young man was pissing him off.
“Eli’s the only reason we found Cyrus Hamilton,” Logan said. “If you read up on me, you’d know him as Sam Reynolds.”
Rafe knew both names. Sam Reynolds had been the alias Cyrus Hamilton had used for years as he raped and murdered more than a dozen women.
“Hamilton was killed by his daughter.”
“Yes, but Eli was the one who gave us the information we needed to track him to Summer Hill. How many women were saved because that kid gave your brother a receipt that helped us pinpoint that bastard’s location?”
Redeeming Rafe Page 2