by Cree Storm
"For the love of...Rhys, that is Day and his mate Ethan!" Dain hissed.
Rhys felt his heart beating faster and his palms start to sweat. Ethan stepped forward holding out his hand. "It's nice to finally meet you, Rhys. My mate and I have heard some very interesting things about you."
Rhys could listen to this man talk all day and night. The sound was more lyrical than some of the best music Rhys had ever heard.
Day stepped forward and his voice brought chills of desire racing from the tips of his toes straight to his balls. "Hello, Rhys. Ethan and I came to talk with you."
"What are you here to talk to my son about?" Dain asked in confusion.
Rhys watched Day shake his head in annoyance. "Dain, I liked you from the moment I met you. However, right now I am really not sure how I feel."
"Day, let's just talk with Rhys, okay?" Ethan replied.
Day's features hardened. "I don't know if I can do that, Ethan. Right now, my dragon wants nothing more than to come out and beat the shit out of him."
"And my phoenix wants to toast him like a marshmallow, but we promised Twix we would help his cousin and that is exactly what we are going to do," Ethan stated.
Rhys wanted to curl up with a hot cup of cocoa and listen to Ethan speak and just stare at Day. Damn, these men were sexy.
"What the hell did I do to piss you off? And I can't believe Twix asked you guys to come here. I can take care of my own son," Dain snapped.
Day snorted, "You can now, can you? So, tell me, did Rhys tell you that his attacker has been following him since he came out of the hospital?"
"He mentioned it and I have doubled his guards since then," Dain replied.
Rhys' eyes widened in shock. "When in the hell did you do that? I haven't noticed anyone."
Dain sighed, "I did it the day after the attack when you told me you saw the man outside the club. I didn't tell you because it would only give you something else to be pissed at me about."
"Well, then I have a couple of questions. How did the guy know where Rhys lives? And if you did put guards on Rhys, then why is the man described to Twix at the coffee shop across from the club watching this place now?" Day replied drolly.
CHAPTER 2
Rhys took off outside and Day ran out after him. Ethan was right with him all the way, admonishingly saying, "You know you could have lead up to the guy we saw, Day."
"I know. Sorry," Day said, finally catching up to Rhys before he crossed the street. "Rhys, stop. We really need to talk. We need to figure out what might have set this guy off before we approach him."
Rhys struggled in Day's grasp. "I am sick of people blaming me for this sick fuck stalking me. I am sick of fucking talking about what happened. And, I am sick of this asshole disrupting my life. Now, let me go!"
Ethan came up behind Rhys and placed comforting hands on the man's shoulders, softly saying, "I understand, Rhys, but we want to help. We are not here to judge you, blame you, or fight with you. We really are only here to help."
Rhys stopped his struggles and turned his head enough to see Ethan's sincerity. "I just want him to go away and leave me alone."
"Let's go somewhere and talk. We can figure out what to do and how to proceed. If you go in there hot headed and causing a scene, he could turn that to his favor. Make it look like you are the one with the issue. With your history, Rhys, it wouldn't be hard for him to toss your credibility on its ass," Day stated.
Rhys couldn't believe what he was hearing. "But he's the one that attacked me! He's the one that followed me to Maddox!"
Ethan looked at him in what Rhys could only deem as pity. "We understand that. Let's just do as Day suggested. We can help you, but you need to trust us here. I've had some dealings with stalkers, Rhys. We need to make sure that we follow through on this situation slowly and cautiously."
Rhys jerked his arm away from Ethan. No one was going to pity him. He had done nothing wrong and he was not some damsel in distress that needed saving. "You know what? I don't need or want your help."
"Rhys!" Dain gasped.
Rhys turned to his father. "I may look like a woman, but I am all man! I have a dick, I scratch my balls, and I fart and burp like the rest of them. I can take care of myself. Just fucking leave me alone. I have work to do."
"Rhys, you're going to get yourself killed. You said yourself that he can siphon your powers," Dain argued.
Shrugging, Rhys replied, "Well then, I guess I have to go at this in the human way."
"What the hell does that even mean?" Dain yelled out in frustration.
Rhys turned away yelling back, "I'll just go get a gun. He can't siphon a bullet. Maybe one to Salem's dick will get him to understand that no means fucking no!"
Day gasped, then rushed towards Rhys before he entered the club. "Wait! You said this guy’s name is Salem, and he was built like a brick shit house?"
Rhys let out a harsh breath. "Yes, now leave me alone."
Rhys went to move but Day jumped in front of him. "Is he about seven feet tall, all muscle, dark wavy hair, and sea green eyes?"
Ethan walked up to Day. "That is pretty specific, Day."
Day ignored his mate, growling, "Answer me!"
Rhys was starting to feel a bit nervous by Day's intensity in regards to Salem, so he gave a jerky nod, rasping, "Yes, that's him."
"Day, what's going on?" Ethan asked in concern.
"Do you know his last name, Rhys? Did he give you a last name?" Day asked urgently.
Swallowing hard, Rhys whispered, "Brady. When he was kicking my ass, he said, that no one told Salem Brady no and lived to tell about it."
Ethan gasped and jerked his phone out of his case.
Completely at a loss to what in the hell was going on, Rhys asked, "What is it? Do you know this asshole?"
Day turned to Dain. "I need you to go get Zev right now. Bring him here, Dain."
"He's not answering his phone, Day," Ethan said fearfully.
Dain went to leave, but Day stopped him. "Wait. We need to go to Zev's place. I know he and Jett have the day off. I told you I thought he looked familiar. I'm going to go and see if Salem is still at that coffee shop and make sure I'm right on this. Baby, call dad. Let him know we may have a serious problem in Maddox."
Dain tried to stop Day. "What the fuck is going on? Do you know the guy harassing my son?"
* * * *
Ethan had heard horror stories about Salem Brady. If this was the same man as the one Ethan had been told about, Rhys was in some serious danger. Ethan didn't like people being bullied or harmed by others and had been working for years with men and women who were battered and abused. The thing is, something about Rhys being a victim of abuse sat even more badly with not only Ethan, but his phoenix, as well. It was a feeling he recognized as how he would feel if someone went after Day this way. He was very confused by his reaction to Rhys, as well as feeling guilty for thinking these thoughts, along with his body's reaction since meeting the man.
When Rhys had been talking to his father and telling him his deepest pain, Ethan felt almost an unbelievable urge to grab Rhys and comfort him. Somehow find a way to make the man's hurt go away. When he had touched Rhys, Ethan couldn't believe it when his cock hardened and lust filled his blood and mind. Something was wrong with him and he didn't know what to do. Ethan would never cheat on his mate, but these feelings were seriously powerful.
Placing the call Day ordered, Ethan tried to push away his thoughts so he could deal with this new threat.
"Illan here."
"Illan, we may have a problem. We're not sure, but Day is trying to make a positive ID right now."
"Ethan, you're not making sense. What's the problem and who is Day trying to get an ID on?"
"Salem Brady."
Nothing but silence was on the other end for a few moments and Ethan wasn't sure Illan had heard him. "Illan, did you hear me?"
"Don't go to Zev's. I'll have Destrain bring all of us to the club."
"
Yes, sir."
* * * *
"What the hell was so important that my mate and I were interrupted in our moment of blissful togetherness?" Jett grumbled as he walked into the club with Zev.
Finn scoffed, "If no one was allowed to interrupt your 'blissful togetherness' you would never be seen again."
Jett wiggled his brows. "But what a way to go. Have you seen my man?"
Marco growled, then hissed, "He better never, or I will tell Twixie."
“Before or after you rip off my balls?" Finn asked with a snort, lightly kissing his mate.
Day watched Rhys sitting there listening to the banter from brother to brother and mate to mate. Sadness filled the little man's eyes, and Day couldn't believe how sad his own heart became. He wanted nothing more than to console the man and that brought Day ramrod straight. Giving an anxious look at Ethan, guilt filled him to his core. How dare he look at another man the way he did Ethan? Ethan was his mate and everyone knew that no mate cheated on the other by action or thought. None of this shit made any sense to him, at all. However, he owed it to his mate to be open and clear, that even though he was having these feelings and thoughts, Ethan was his mate and he loved him more than life itself.
Illan walked in, bringing Day's attention to the here and now, and the possible new threat to his family and friends. Leaning to his mate, Day whispered, "We need to talk about Rhys when this meeting is over."
Ethan's eyes went huge and Day couldn't make out the look his mate was giving to him as the man nodded and then turned his attention back to Illan.
"Some of you may not know, but the night of Levi's attack on us, Rhys was brutally attacked at a club in Aspen. He was left for dead, but a passerby found him and called for help,” Illan said aloud, then his voice filled with remorse as he looked at Rhys. "Destrain, Dain, and I did not take his situation seriously and for that, I'm so very sorry, Rhys."
Pauly sat forward. "Wait, I'm confused, Rhys is a pixie. How in the hell could someone get close enough to hurt him, let alone damn near kill him? Besides that, if one of our own was attacked, why the hell would none of you take it seriously and inform me of the situation?"
Illan looked away guiltily and Rhys whispered, "Because they thought it was my fault and were angry with me."
Jett did a double take. "How could you getting your ass kicked be your fault? Did you strike first or something?"
Shaking his head, Rhys replied, "No."
Ryder sat up. "Rhys, will you explain to us what happened?"
Rhys went over the events from that night and once he finished, Ryder looked at Justice. "Justice, why didn't you contact me?"
Before Justice could say anything, Illan jumped in. "Because I asked him not to. I screwed up, Ryder."
"No, Dain and I fucked this one up, badly. We thought Rhys had led the man on and it brought on some ugly consequences. Rhys has always gone around kissing strangers and we had warned him time and time again about what could happen," Destrain replied in sadness.
Shaking his head, Ryder replied, "What's sad to me is that you all would judge his actions, basically saying that because you give someone a kiss it gives that person the right to beat the crap out of you, or even rape you if they want. I would expect better from men your ages."
"Look, we admit that we handled this situation poorly, but we are here on an even more important issue. One that we need to take care of as soon as possible," Illan stated.
"What's the issue, boss man?" Morgan asked, cuddling Angelo closer to his chest.
"Rhys, tell them the name of the man that attacked you," Day requested.
Rhys didn't understand what was really going on around here right now, but he figured he would just answer the man's request and then be able to get back to work. "Salem Brady."
"Say that again?" Zev said with wide eyes, and if Rhys was not mistaken, the man's breathing had begun to pick up in speed.
"Do you know him, Zev? Day and Ethan had the same reaction. If you all know this man, then tell me. He follows me everywhere. He sits across from my work and home. Please, just tell me," Rhys begged tearfully.
Illan sighed, softly saying, "Salem Brady is Zev's father. He is a cruel and nasty man that killed many people before finally being seen for who and what he is."
"A sadistic, murdering, rapist, son of a bitch is what he is," Zev snarled.
Angelo gasped and sat straight up trying to get air into his lungs. Morgan shook his mate, screaming, "Angelo! Angelo! Talk to me!"
CHAPTER 3
“Hey, Rhys, are you in here?” Jett called out as he stepped into the dimly lit club. Getting no response, Jett moved farther inside, letting the door close behind him. He crossed the room, stepping around piles of tarps and paint cans. Once he reached the bar, he called out again, “Hey, Rhys! You here buddy? I came as fast as I could!”
Still no answer. “Great. I rushed all the way here doing over ninety through the mountain pass, almost taking out a family of deer in the process, because Rhys called, crying, begging for help, and now the guy isn’t even here,” Jett mumbled to himself, then turned to leave, but then stopped. “No. There is no way Rhys would do that. Hell, I don’t know anyone who would do that. And with Zev’s psycho father roaming free…Rhys!”
Jett spun back around and headed toward the far end of the club as he continued to call out Rhys’ name. Jett was beginning to panic as he quickened his pace and turned toward the hall leading back to the offices.
Suddenly Rhys appeared, strolling out of the hall like nothing was wrong, while reading from a folder in his hands. He stopped short and looked up in surprise when Jett snarled, “What they fuck, dude? You scared the shit out of me.”
“Yeah, well, I could say the same thing to you,” Rhys bitched as he placed a hand on his chest and started breathing heavily. “What the fuck are you doing here and why are you yelling? I’m not deaf you know.”
Jett’s eyes went wide for a moment as annoyed shock crossed his face. “Why am I here? Oh gee, I don’t know. Getting a frantic phone call at midnight from a crying pixie who is being chased by a Mac truck carrying fruit loops and a shit ton of crazy might answer that,” Jett huffed.
“What the hell are you taking about? You got a call from Twix? But he’s not here,” Rhys stated as he walked toward the bar.
Jett took a deep calming breath and ran his fingers through his hair. Slowly letting the air out, he turned to follow Rhys. “No, not Twix, you.”
Rhys stopped at the long-polished bar and placed the folder down, then turned to face Jett. “Me? I didn’t call you.”
“Yes, you did, about half an hour ago. I just got off duty and was heading home when you called. You were panicking and crying, begging for help. Something about Salem being outside the club pounding to get in, and he was breaking the door down.”
“Jett, although I appreciate you rushing here to help me, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I did not call you. A half an hour ago, I was in a meeting with the new guy I hired to manage the club. He just left ten minutes ago.”
“You hold meetings at midnight?”
“In this business, you hold meetings, and even job interviews, whenever you can. The guy is managing another club a town over and this was the only time he had before he headed into work there.”
Jett stared at Rhys in confusion for a few minutes, then turned his head, looking around the deserted club. “Well, if it wasn’t you I talked to, then who was it?” Jett turned back around to face Rhys and saw a two-by-four coming his way. It was too late to duck, and the thing smashed him in the face. Everything went black.
Rhys’ eyes opened slowly and he moaned painfully. Rhys looked down and saw that his wrists and ankles were strapped to the arms and legs of a chair with duct tape. He tried to scream, but nothing came out. His mouth was taped closed with more duct tape.
A deep grunt echoed through the room and Rhys lifted his head. He blinked his eyes a few times, trying to clear his vision, when suddenly they
went wide. Jett was sitting about ten yards from him in another chair and he was strapped down as well. Not only did he have duct tape like Rhys, but heavy chains, too.
Jett raised his head, his face was covered in dried blood, and there was a piece of duct tape across his mouth. His head lolled to the right a little, as he blinked his eyes, then shook his head slightly. His gaze met Rhys’ and his eyes opened wider and filled with panic. Jett looked around frantically, then down his body as he tugged on his restraints.
Rhys looked around at their surroundings. They were in a large warehouse. A few piles of boxes were scattered around, shelves sat in the far corner with more boxes, but there wasn’t much else. None of the overhead lights were on. The only light was coming from three large skylights high above their heads, allowing the glow of the moon in.
Heavy footsteps sounded from far away, and as they grew closer, Rhys’s eyes widened. He looked toward the sound and watched as a large, dark figure appeared. Rhys began to scream behind the tape and wiggle around, trying to free himself, as Salem Brady stepped into the moonlight, disclosing who was there.
Salem stopped between them. He was huge and menacing looking. He wore ripped blue jeans, and a tight back tee, with big black combat boots on his feet. His dark hair was slicked back from his face and tied at the nape. A heavy goatee framed his lips. Slowly he looked left, then right, and a sinister smile stretched across his face as his eyes lit up. “Well, boys. It’s good to see that you are both awake,” Salem said in a very deep, husky voice. “Looks like play time has finally arrived.”
Salem turned toward Jett and walked to him, closing the distance between them. He thrust his fingers through the top of Jett’s hair, then gripped the back, snapping Jett’s head back so that he was looking up at Salem. Jett’s eyes filled with rage as his jaw clenched.
“Got myself two bottom boys for the price of one. Who would have guessed that finding that sweet morsel over there would bring me to you? I have waited a long time to get my hands on you, boy. I knew I should have killed you all those years ago, instead of letting you live. You are the only man in the world who could take my boy from me and stop me from teaching him his true calling in life. Still, Zev chose your ass over family. Over his own blood,” Salem sneered and released Jett’s head harshly.