by Ts McKinney
“Don’t be silly,” Landry reprimanded. “If it was something major, Colton would’ve told you. Hell, even if it was something major and he didn’t tell you, that’s no big deal either. The stuff that goes on at Haven usually stays at Haven. We all love those kids, but nobody can live it twenty-four, seven. It’ll eat you up inside.” As they kept walking, speaking to familiar faces or nodding to tourists, Landry went back to the original conversation. “I wasn’t referring to the inventory question, Jag. There’s something else going on—something that has the hair on the back of my neck standing up.” He didn’t want to admit to himself or anybody else that he knew there was something that Brookes was keeping from him or that Brookes was leaving him. Trusting a man and allowing that man destroy his heart was one thing. Trusting a man and allowing that man to hurt his friends was something totally different. Had he brought danger into their group?
When they reached the door to the club, he stopped Jagger and asked, “Do you trust Brookes?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” Jagger asked. “He’s made you happy. That’s all I care about.” Frowning, Jagger asked, “He has made you happy, hasn’t he?”
Landry studied for a moment and then answered, “Yes, he’s definitely made me happy. He’s made me feel things that I didn’t know I was capable of feeling.” With every word he spoke, his heart broke a little more.
“Sooooo, what’s the problem?” Jagger asked. “Please don’t tell me you’re listening to that bullshit Riley and Rory are whispering? They’re just being overprotective, Landry. I told them to mind their own business, but neither would listen. I think it’s going to take you drawing a line in the sand to get them to back their shit down. Investigating people? What a bunch of dumb asses,” he muttered as he slipped his key into lock on the door.
Landry grabbed his hand and hissed, “What did you say? What the fuck are Rory and Riley doing?” As if he didn’t have enough to drag him down, with Brookes walking out on him, but now he had to deal with his friends betraying him?
Jagger’s newly bronzed skin paled beneath Landry’s icy glare. “Uh oh. I thought you must’ve heard what they were doing. Sorry. That’s on me. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
Jagger looked like he was about to puke. Landry didn’t care. “What. Have. They. Done?” He demanded.
“They mentioned that they might research Jericho Brookes on the internet…and hire a private investigator to see what he could dig up,” Jagger mumbled. “They were just worried, Landry. I don’t agree with how they handled it, but try to give them the benefit of the doubt—they love you and want to protect you.”
“Fuck them both,” Landry hissed. “And you know what? Fuck you for not telling me! We’re supposed to be friends, Jag. You, more than anybody, knew I was falling in love with Brookes. Why would you let my friends betray him and me this way?” What did it matter? He was leaving, anyway.
Jagger huffed out a frustrated breath. “Stop yelling at me, Landry. I didn’t do it. Hell, I wasn’t even sure they were going to move ahead with their stupid ideas. They mentioned it days ago. I wasn’t involved!”
Landry’s cell phone started ringing and when he dug it out of his pocket, a Grinch smile spread across his face—Rory was calling him. Instead of attacking Jagger, he could go straight to the source. He motioned for Jagger to go ahead and unlock the door. “This is Rory calling now. I’m going to chew his ass off and feed it to the gators. Investigating the man that I’m fucking? Fuck that shit,” he mumbled as he punched the button to answer the phone at the same time Jagger got the door unlocked. He watched Jagger’s eyebrows draw together in a frown when he referred to Brookes as the man he was fucking. Too bad. The kid was going to have to face the ugly truth soon enough. Fairytales, other than Jagger and Colton’s, didn’t really exist.
As he stepped into the coolness of the club and out of the heat of Key West, the temperature of his fury remained off the charts. Investigating Brookes without him knowing about it—he was going to kick their sorry asses into sometime next year. He grew up on the fucking streets of New York. The last thing he needed was a bunch of rich kids trying to protect him. Hell, they wouldn’t have the street sense to fight their way out of a fucking paper bag.
“Hey, Rory! How’s it going? How’s my best friend today?” He made sure his voice was dripping with sugary sweet bullshit. “How’s the investigative life treating you? Asshole!” He yelled into his cell.
Jagger frowned at Landry’s outburst but then tried to focus his attention on Sage. As if Landry’s outburst wasn’t enough, Sage was looking at him like he’d just come face to face with a dead person. “What’s up, Sage? Landry said there was a problem with the inventory.”
Sage looked confused…then terrified. “Why would he say that?” He whispered.
“Uhhhh…because you texted him and said there was a problem,” Jagger answered as he frowned at Sage’s look of horror. “You did text him, didn’t you?”
Landry wasn’t paying any attention to the words coming from Sage’s mouth, but he could tell from the look on the kid’s face that there was something wrong—something bad. Before Rory could even try to defend his stupid actions, he said, “Listen, Rory. I’ve got to go. Something’s come up.”
“No! Wait, Landry!” Rory’s voice roared through the phone. “Listen to me, Brookes isn’t who he says he is. We got a picture faxed from the DMV office, and the man that’s been with us is not Jericho Brookes. I don’t know who the hell he is, but he’s not who he’s claiming to be. I don’t want you anywhere near him. Do you hear me? Stay away from Brookes until we can figure out what the fuck is going on!”
Landry heard Rory yelling something to Riley. He saw the look of horror on Sage’s face. Jagger looked confused and worried. None of that shit mattered, though. Brookes had lied to him. Brookes, the man that had stolen his heart, had lied to him. Everything was a lie…
He pushed the button to hang up on Rory and then turned to Jagger and said, “Can you take care of this, Jag? I’ve got to…I’ve got to…”
“What’s wrong?” Jagger demanded as he grabbed Landry’s arms. “What’s happened? Are you just pissed at Rory and Riley or is it something else?”
Sage stepped up and said, “I didn’t text you, Landry.” He looked nervously around the club. “You guys need to leave. Now. Hurry!” He urged as he pushed them back toward the door. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t have any other choice but to do what they told me to do. Just walk away and don’t look back.”
Jagger frowned and dug his feet into the floor, refusing to let Sage shuffle them back out into the heat. Something was seriously wrong with the kid. No choice? Walk away? What in the hell was going on?
“Easy now, Sagey-Boy,” a voice warned from the darkness. “You aren’t getting cold feet on us now, are you?”
Landry watched as first one man, then two, and then three stepped out from the darkness. They were surrounded. Each man held a gun and the guns were all pointed in their direction. He watched as Sage’s thin body started to shiver in fear. Jagger was tense as he surveyed the men surrounding me. Knowing he was wasting his time, he said, “We’re closed and we don’t keep any money on the premises unless we’re open. You fellas need to move along. We don’t need any trouble.”
“Let them go, Murphy,” Sage whined. “You don’t have to do this. They’re good people. Please don’t do this.”
Without thinking, Jagger positioned his body between Sage and the man called Murphy. It was apparent that the kid was terrified of the men, especially the one he’d talked to.
“Let them go? Are you kidding me, Sage? I thought you wanted to see your kid brother again?” The man shrugged and a huge grin spread across his face. “Wait a minute. Wait just one minute. I remember something that I was supposed to tell you, Sagey-Boy.”
“Wh-what?” Sage stuttered.
Landry reached out and took Sage’s hand and squeezed it tightly. Whatever was happening, they were all in this together. Deep in hi
s heart, Landry knew Brookes was probably involved. He wasn’t who he said he was…
“I was supposed to tell you that your baby brother, God bless him, was a party favor at one of the boss’s parties and…well…he didn’t do so well.” The man grinned even bigger. “He’s dead, Sage. As it turns out, he was an even bigger pussy than you.” He winked at the man standing across from him—the one with the gun pointed at Landry.
“No!” Sage whispered as he crumbled to his knees. “Please be lying, Murphy. You promised you would take care of him until I could get his freedom! You promised!”
“I know I did, Sagey-Boy,” Murphy answered with a sneer. “Trust me, kid. That ain’t the first lie I’ve told and it won’t be the last. But, look at the bright side.” He winked at the other man again. “You’ll be seeing him real soon. Give him a kiss for me.”
A gunshot rang out, causing Landry and Jagger to jerk in shock. Sage’s body jerked for an entirely different reason. It was like everything moved in slow motion. The surprised expression on Sage’s beautiful face. The confusion. The way his hand slowly moved to touch the spot on the front of his shirt where blood was already soaking through. The saddest, though, was how he turned to Landry and whispered, “I’m sorry, Landry. So sorry. I was only trying to save my brother.” After those words, he collapsed onto the floor. His eyes were open, but life was fading fast.
Landry dropped to his knees, ripped off his shirt, and started applying pressure to Sage’s wound. While doing that, he reached into his pocket to grab his cell phone to call 911. Jagger turned to the man that shot Sage and leapt through the air in an attempt to tackle the bastard. Another shot rang out and Landry gasped when he saw Jagger’s body jerk midair and then his friend’s body fall to the ground with a seemingly lifeless thud. Landry screamed in horror when Jagger hit the floor but before he could react, he felt something crash into the back of his skull. The cell in his palm, his lifeline for someone to help them, became blurry…and then turned black, altogether.
****
“He hung up on me! Landry hung up on me,” Rory roared. “There’s something going on, Riley.”
“Yeah, there’s something going on,” Riley answered. “You just told him something earthshattering and you did it over the phone…like a total dumbass. That shit you just dumped in his lap is something that needed to be handled face to face, Rory. I’m sure Landry’s devastated right now…and pissed. He’s devastated over Brookes, but pissed at us.”
Rory kept staring at the phone and then at the picture of the real Jericho Brookes staring up at him from his desk. There was a resemblance, but the man in the picture was not Landry’s Brookes. Why lie about it? Someone was murdered. Shit was happening that didn’t need to be happening…and it was all connected to Brookes.
He yelped in surprise when his cell started ringing and nearly flung it across the table. Thinking it was Landry calling him back, he pushed the button and said, “I’m sorry, Landry. I shouldn’t have told you the way I did. Where are you? Riley and I need to talk to you about what we found out.”
“Rory?” Colton’s voice came from the other end of the line. “What in the hell are you talking about?”
Rory started massaging his temple as a tsunami of a headache started building. “I thought you were Landry. I just called and told him that Jericho Brookes, the real Jericho Brookes, BDSM Dom extraordinaire, is not the man that’s been holding hands and spooning with our boy. Rory and I got a picture from a friend of a friend, and the dude’s an imposter. The real Jericho Brookes has been on a BDSM cruise for the past month.”
Dead silence came from Colton’s end of the phone. Rory could practically hear the wheels turning in his friend’s head. Finally, Colton said, “Haven called me out here because of another security threat. Somebody that looked a hell of a lot like Sage tried to climb the fencing last night. I’ve been reviewing the videos for the past hour and I swear to you that I think it’s our Sage. Do you think there might be a connection between Sage and Brookes…or whoever the hell he is?”
Rory felt his blood begin to boil. Not only had the bastard toyed with one of his best friend’s hearts, but now he was dragging innocent kids into the picture. He couldn’t wait to kick the fake Dom’s ass. “I think there are too many coincidences for there not to be a connection,” he answered. “Are you still there? Is Jagger with you?”
Terror seized Rory. “Oh, fuck. Where is Landry? Is he with Brookes?”
“Landry’s with Jagger. Jagger said something about there being an inventory discrepancy and they were going to check on things at the club. Oh, fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. How fast can you get there, Rory? I’m nearly an hour away.”
Colton’s voice broke as terror for Jagger and Landry’s safety washed over him.
“Riley and I are on our way now. We’ll be there in no more than ten minutes. I’ll call you to let you know everything’s okay. Don’t panic on me. We can handle this.” Rory and Riley were already on Riley’s scooter before he finished assuring Colton that Landry and Jagger would be safe.
When he hung up, Riley said, “Brookes won’t hurt Landry. I’ve seen how he looks at him, Rory. The man’s in love with him. We’ve got this all wrong.”
“The man’s a liar, Rory. Stop arguing with me and get us to the club. Something’s wrong…I can feel it in my soul.”
Less than four minutes later, Riley cut the engine to the scooter and they were both off and bursting through the door of the club in record time. Rory went in first, protecting Riley with his big body without even thinking about it. The club was eerily quiet and dark. An odd smell tickled Rory’s nose—a coppery smell.
“Oh, fuck, no,” Riley whispered from behind him milliseconds before shoving Rory out of his way. “Call 911, Rory. Now!” Riley raced across the room and knelt down next to what looked like Sage’s lifeless body. A shirt that he recognized as belonging to Landry still rested on top of Sage’s chest, but blood soaked through. Sage’s skin was a pale gray color and there were no signs of life coming from the young man. Riley felt for a pulse and nearly screamed hallelujah when he felt a very faint, painfully weak flutter beneath his fingertip. He didn’t have a clue what medical efforts he needed to make with someone so obviously close to death. From behind him, he could hear Rory giving the address to the club and demanding that they hurry. As soon as he hung up, he was kneeling next to Riley.
“What happened to him?”
Riley lifted the shirt and saw the hole in Sage’s chest. Gunshot. His eyes darted around the room and then to Rory. “Search the place, Riley. Landry and Jagger were coming here to meet Sage.” He didn’t need to say it—their friends might very well be dead in one of the back offices. Landry with all his sass and sadness and Jagger with all his shy sweetness…could be dead.
“Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck.”
Riley heard Rory saying the words over and over as he crept around the club, looking in every dark corner. There was a mixture of fuck, fuck, fuck and then some heavy praying for the safety of their friends. When Rory went back toward the offices, Riley held his breath. He couldn’t imagine life without Landry or Jagger in it. They both had so much love to offer. Surely God hadn’t taken them away so soon…
“They aren’t here,” Rory said in a cold voice that didn’t match with the wondrous words.
Riley looked up and one look at Rory’s face told him that Landry and Jagger, although not lying dead in one of their offices, still weren’t safe. Rory held a piece of paper in his hand.
“What’s that?”
“A note from the man that shot Sage and took Landry and Jagger,” Rory answered in that same dead tone. “They said if the police got involved, Landry and Jagger would be dead before nightfall.” His hands tugged at his hair as he said, “I’ve already called 911, Riley. I called the police and by doing that, I’ve sealed their fate. The bastard’s going to kill them because of me!”
“Calm down, Rory,” Riley snapped. “We had to call the police. You know this. Sag
e is still alive and he needs help.” He looked around the club and thought of how happy the place had made Landry—how alive his friend looked the last few days…because of Brookes. Had Brookes done this? Had he tried to kill Sage and kidnapped Landry and Jagger? Why? What would be his motive?
“Fuck, Sage,” Rory hissed. “Colton said Sage was the person on the video, trying to break into Haven last night. I hope the pisser dies. He’s connected to Landry and Jagger’s disappearance!”
“You don’t mean that, Rory. Stop talking if that’s the only bullshit you can come up with. Your heart’s too soft to wish anybody dead. You’re mad at Sage. I get that. I’m mad, too. But, we don’t want him dead. He’s a kid, Rory.”
Before Rory could argue or admit Riley was right, the door to the club opened. Thinking it was the paramedics, Riley yelled, “Over here! We need help!” He looked over his shoulder and then cursed when he saw it was Brookes that entered the club instead of the paramedics.
When the big man started toward Riley and Sage, a shocked expression on his face, Rory stepped in front of him and blocked his movement. “You need to get the fuck out of here…whoever the fuck you are! The police are on their way and so help me Jesus, I’ll tell them to shoot you without the slightest hesitation.”
From his spot on the floor, Riley saw Brookes tense when Rory said ‘whoever the fuck you are’ but then returned his attention to Sage. In a low voice, he said, “Rory, you need to get out of my way. Sage needs help. I assume you called 911 to get the paramedics here.” He politely pushed against Rory and added, “I can help him. I’ve had some training.”
Rory didn’t budge.
“Let him help, Rory,” Riley ordered. “We can sort out the rest later, but right now, Sage needs help.” To Brookes, he said, “Hurt him more than he’s hurt and I’ll kill you myself.”
“Deal,” Brookes mumbled as he pushed past Rory and joined Riley on the floor. His big hands immediately started touching Sage’s chest and then hissed when he found the gunshot wound. Grabbing the shirt Landry had left behind, he applied pressure to the small hole the bullet had left. “That’s a gunshot wound, Riley. What happened here?”