Trusting Cade (Custos Securities Series Book 1)

by Luna, David

  He didn’t want to appear weak to Cade, or perhaps more accurately, he didn’t want to appear any weaker to him than he already appeared. Cade was going to know every single skeleton in his closet and as much as he prided himself as being an honest man, there was quite a difference between being honest, and completely baring your every secret to a man you were not only interested in, but had only met a handful of days ago. He could feel the stress building, and he knew that he had only one option open to him right now. He needed to get it out, get it done, and run.

  Cade could see the wheels turning in Braden’s head. He had a feeling that he was about to hear about the abusive ex-boyfriend and as much as he knew he needed to hear it, he hated it as well. He hated that look of dread and embarrassment on Braden’s face. He hated having to put Braden through the retelling. He hated that someone was scaring Braden like this now, causing him to have to bare his soul to Cade before he was ready. God, his respect and admiration for Braden was growing every minute. He’d had to ask a lot of questions and have Braden tell him everything multiple times to be sure he learned all he needed to learn about his relationships. Throughout everything, Braden answered every single question and didn’t have a single negative reaction.

  Cade was used to people getting pissed off when he had to ask probing questions about their past. He’d had people run the gamut of emotions, from anger, to sorrow to embarrassment and lashing out with all of them. He was used to cataloguing people’s reactions, and he excelled at discerning facial micro expressions. As part of his military training, he’d learned all about interrogation techniques, and facial micro expressions were a large part of understanding people and what made them tick. Braden had yet to rehash his abusive relationship with him, but already Cade could tell that he would get it done. He was beginning to understand that Braden was brave as hell, and stronger than many men Cade had worked with in the military.

  Braden had done well when discussing Owen and Nick. Cade could tell that he was feeling worn out, but that he was also feeling resigned to getting everything done and over with. Cade was about to suggest a break, when Braden spoke up, cementing Cade’s utter respect for Braden’s inner fortitude.

  “OK, so I know you need to hear about Eric next. I have to be honest with you and say that it’s going to fucking suck for me. So I’m going to tell you what I need to do in order to get through this. Is that OK?”

  “Whatever you need, Braden. If you need to take a break and tell me later or after a run, that’s OK. You tell me how it’s going to go, and I’ll work around your needs.”

  “I want to get this over with as fast as possible. I’m already on edge and stressed about it. I’ll tell you what you need to know, and you can ask what you need to ask. First, I’m going to grab a snack, and then keep working through our discussion because the more I work and keep busy, the easier it will be for me to get through it. Afterwards, I’m going to have to get the hell out of here and run. At this point, I can’t tell you how many miles I’m going to need to go to run it off, but the four miles we ran this morning will be a cakewalk. So do what you need to do to be able to follow me. I’m going to ask that however you do it, you do it behind me so that I can at least have the illusion of privacy.”

  “Are you going to grab your snack here? I need to place a call but want to be sure you’re not leaving.”

  “I’m not leaving.”

  “OK, I’ll be back in a few.”

  Cade walked to the office and placed his call to Cooper.

  “Where are you?”

  “As always, you have impeccable timing, Cade. I’m just parking outside of Maya’s house. Was gonna change into some gear and visit Vaughn’s gym.”

  “I’m gonna need you here instead. You ready to get a good, long run in?”

  “Uh, sure, I could stand a run. You need me right now? What’s going on?”

  “Braden’s going to be talking me through some hard shit and knows that afterwards he’s going to want to run to help get through it. So after he talks to me, he’ll want to go right away. We ran four miles this morning, which he said will be a cakewalk, compared to what he’ll need to run tonight. My guess is more than ten miles, but that’s just a guess. I mean, fuck, he runs ultra-marathons. Which, can I just say, I didn’t even know existed until I met Braden. When I looked them up, I found out that they range from 30 to 100 miles.”

  “So what you’re saying is that we’re fucked six ways from Sunday when it comes to keeping up with him, and that Maya wasn’t even joking when she suggested that he could run circles around us.”

  “Pretty much, but we need to do what we need to do to ensure he’s safe tonight. As much as I don’t want to do it, I might have to ask Jackson and Sawyer to spell us once they get here, if he needs to run too far in the future. I could push myself, but I won’t be at my best to protect him if I’m exhausted from just following him.”

  “Well, we don’t have access to them right now, so we’ll have to relay it tonight, just you and me. Since you ran this morning already, why don’t you let me run a big chunk of it tonight? I’ll call you when I’ve got about a mile or two left in me before I’m done, so that you can take over from where I leave off. I’ll skip the gym and just wait around until he’s ready to go.”

  “Yeah, that was my thought. Glad we’re on the same page. Make sure you’re well-armed, though. I don’t expect the guy will make a move today, out in broad daylight in public, but I want him covered.”

  “That goes without saying, Cade. Do you want me to come over and help with the questioning?”

  “No, this is hard enough for him to do without having someone else here. I’ll call you when he’s headed over to change for a run.”

  Braden was finishing up with a big pan of coffee cake when Cade came back in eating a banana and drinking a coffee.

  His brows rose in interest. “Is that coffee cake?”

  Smiling slightly at Cade’s hopeful question, he held a knife to one side of the pan. “Yeah, tell me how big of a slice you want.”

  As he moved the knife further and further out, he started laughing. “You’re gonna eat this much cake?”

  Cade looked at him as if his question was ridiculous. “Braden, coffee cake is my favorite, and I’d be willing to bet from just smelling it, that yours is going to be the best I’ve ever eaten. I could eat that whole damn thing, so whatever you’re willing to give me is what I’ll take.”

  Chuckling, despite his shitty mood, he cut off a gigantic portion of the cake and set it on a plate in front of Cade. Thinking he’d be told it was too much, he laughed harder when Cade looked at him with wonder in his eyes and a huge grin. “Will you marry me?”

  Braden smirked and raised his eyebrows. “How about we wait until we get to know each other a bit better before I agree to marriage? I will, however, bake another coffee cake for the front, and bring the rest of this one home for you. If I’d known it was your favorite, I would have done that from the get go. You gotta keep me informed of your preferences, so I can make you what you want.”

  Cade’s mouth dropped open. “What? You mean I can make requests? Are you even kidding me right now?”

  Braden chuckled. “Nope, not kidding. I love baking for people. I’m happiest when I know that I’m baking something specific for someone that really loves it, so all you really gotta do is tell me what you like, and I’ll get to work. Keep in mind, you may gain 50 pounds while you’re protecting me.”

  Cade shook his head. “Nah, I eat anything and everything and don’t gain a pound. Pisses my mom and sister right off.”

  “I don’t doubt it.”

  Cade, foregoing the use of utensils, lifted the enormous piece of coffee cake to his lips and took a massive bite. His eyes closed in bliss and he moaned, loud and long. “Oh god, Bray, this is one of the best things I’ve ever tasted.”

  He took another bite and mumbled incoherently. Sexy noises that sounded suspiciously like the type he’d make in bed, tumbled fro
m his lips. “Mmmm. This is better than my mom’s, but if you tell her I said that, I’ll call you a liar.” Cade grinned, but then saw Braden’s expression. “Sorry, is it OK that I called you Bray? I know it’s Maya’s nickname for you, but it suits you.”

  Braden blushed. He was glad Cade thought the expression on his face was because of his use of the nickname, and not because Braden was half hard and very close to jumping over the kitchen island to feast on Cade’s lips. He cleared his throat. “No, I don’t mind if you call me Bray, and your secret is safe with me.”

  Cade looked up and his face went from pure enjoyment to very serious. “You know your secrets are safe with me too, right, Braden? I’m running your investigation and will be the one closest to you at all times. I’ll be sharing some of your info with Cooper, but I won’t be sharing it all. I’ll make sure he knows enough to be informed, but the rest I will keep to myself, if that’s what you would prefer.”

  Braden’s breath caught in relief. “Yeah, I would really appreciate that. I know you guys need the info, but I’d prefer it if all of my personal history wasn’t being shared with others. I guess, on that note, we should probably get down to it, right?”

  “At your pace, Braden.”

  Braden shook his head. “My pace is warp speed, at this point. I don’t like talking about it, and I want to get it over with.”

  Braden then started telling Cade about Eric. He began with all of the contact info he had and all of the other pertinent data Cade would need for what Braden assumed would be ridiculously thorough background checks, if Cade’s professional behavior was anything to go by. He talked about the length of their relationship and the timing at which it went from bad to worse. He ended telling him most of the story of the final time he had been beaten. Cade took him through everything several more times, asking many questions and coming at it from different angles. Braden knew he was holding back a lot of the info, the minor details, the emotional pain and abuse portion of the relationship, even some of the worst of the physical abuse, but he couldn’t help it. He had to keep some of that in or he’d fall apart. He didn’t really feel it was all that necessary to tell Cade every single detail, because he wanted Cade to know that Eric wasn’t really a suspect, as much as he seemed like the perfect one.

  Braden leaned his weight on the counter. “Look, Zavier, I know that you think he’s a great suspect for being the stalker, but I need you to know that it’s extremely unlikely that it’s him.”

  Cade tilted his head, his expression quizzical. “Why do you think that?”

  Braden shrugged. “Besides the fact that all of the notes talk as if I’ve never actually even met the guy? Because, I kind of have an insurance policy.”

  Cade drew his head back and his brows furrowed. “What the fuck does that mean, Braden?”

  Braden broke eye contract and stared at his hands. “I knew that when I told him I wanted to leave him, that he’d beat the shit out of me, so I….”

  “You what?” Cade spit out as he stood up, planted his hands on the countertop and leaned towards Braden, anger etched across his features.

  Braden bit his lip and crossed his hands over his chest. “I, uh, videotaped it.”

  Cade’s hands fisted on the countertop, knuckles going white. “You knew he’d beat you, and yet you stayed and told him face to face you were leaving him, so you could videotape it?”

  Braden had never seen Cade angry. He took a small step away from him. He could practically see the anger pulsing off of him in waves. He didn’t think Cade would ever hurt him, in fact, he knew he wouldn’t, so he took a deep breath and answered him. “Yes. I knew if I ran, he’d find me, and I’d have to keep running. I wasn’t going to do that. My life is here and fuck if he was gonna run me off. I knew I’d need something to bring him down, so I taped it and sent him a copy and told him there were more where that came from and if he ever came near me again, I’d bring up charges against him and he’d lose not only his job but his reputation in the community. His job and reputation mean everything to him. When it comes down to it, he ties his self-worth and his identity directly to his job as a CEO. So, now you know why it can’t be him.”

  Cade stared at Braden for several long minutes trying to get himself under control. All he could do was picture the danger that Braden had been in. He had a feeling that Braden wasn’t telling him all of the details and he was positive that the details he wasn’t sharing were the worst of all. He took several deep breaths to calm his heart rate and knew, from the wary expression on Braden’s face, that he’d failed at hiding his feelings from him. He’d always excelled at masking his emotions. However, he hadn’t ever needed to use those skills with someone he had feelings for.

  The last thing Braden needed was someone with a temper exploding anywhere near him. He knew that before he allowed himself to work off the anger, he wanted to be far away from Braden. When he thought he could talk, he raised his phone, and dialed Cooper’s number. “Get ready to run. We’ll be over at Braden’s in ten minutes.”

  Cade looked at Braden when he hung up the phone. “Cooper will be ready to run with you when you can get your kitchen shut down for the night. Do you need help?”

  Braden was a little taken aback by Cade’s demeanor. He didn’t know what he expected, but the seething anger that morphed into this sudden wall of eerie calm, was very unsettling. “No. I’ll be done in a few minutes.”

  “I’ll be just on the other side of the door when you come out.”

  Braden watched as Cade left the kitchen with quiet measured steps and went out the back door. Braden worked fast at getting everything cleaned up and put away. He called up to the front and told Maya he was leaving to take a run and that he’d talk to her later. He walked out the back door and found Cade there, arms crossed over his chest as he waited calmly.

  Braden’s brows drew together. “Cooper is going to run with me?”

  “You said you’d need to run for a long time tonight, so he’s going to take the first leg and call me when he’s got only a few miles left in him, so I can meet you and handle the final leg.”

  They walked together across the street to Braden’s house. He was watching Cade who was in turn watching the street around them, keeping his eyes attentive for anything that might cause Braden harm. It was humbling in a way, seeing what type of diligence it took to always be on guard for someone else. Knowing that Cade was pissed off, despite his ability to mask that anger and remain so laser focused on protecting him, made him respect Cade all the more.

  Funny, his own frustration and embarrassment had dissipated with the knowledge that something he’d said had set Cade off. Sure, Cade had covered up his reaction very quickly, using his calm façade to gloss over his response, but Braden knew deep down that the anger festered.

  They reached Braden’s door where Cooper stood in his running gear, waiting patiently. He smiled at Braden and then looked at Cade, and the smile he’d had on a second before was wiped away. That same sort of calm that came over Cade slid over Cooper’s features. What the fuck was with these guys? He could only assume the military had taught them the ability to mask any and all emotions they may feel at any given time.

  Cooper glanced at Cade again. “Vaughn’s?”

  “Yeah. Call me when you need me to take over the last leg and I’ll be there.”

  He turned to Braden, making sure to make eye contact with him, even though his eyes were devoid of emotion and their usual warmth. “Cooper will be running the first leg with you. You’ll be safe with him. He’ll run behind you, as you asked, not beside you. You can run as long as you need to run, we’ll make do with the relay system, until you feel like you’re ready to stop. I’ll see you later.”

  With that, Cade was gone, and Braden was left speechless in the hallway outside his door. He turned to Cooper, not quite knowing what to say, so he went with the truth. “I think something I told him really, really pissed him off. He looked angrier than I’ve ever seen anyone look, and then
he turned emotionless, and he’s been like that since.”

  Cooper narrowed his eyes. “Cade’s fine, Braden, you don’t need to worry about him. I know him well, so you can believe me when I say he’s OK, and you’ll see him later. Now, let’s get you inside so you can change and get ready to run.”

  Braden let Cooper into his place and left him to his own devices while he got himself another quick snack, tested his blood, and changed for his run. He stretched as much as he could stand before he had to get the hell outside to jog off the stress.

  Six miles in, he motioned to Cooper to come up and join him. “I’m ready to head back; I’m not going to go as far as I thought I’d need to tonight. Do you have about three miles left in you, or do you need to call Cade?”

  Cooper wiped sweat from his brow. “We’ve been running for over six miles; it won’t take that long to return?”

  Braden shook his head. “Not going the route that I’ll take us to get back. It’s a shortcut. Can you stick it out?”

  “Yeah, I’m doing fine. It’s not that we can’t go for lengthy runs without issues, it’s more that if we get fatigued we aren’t at our best to be able to protect you. We won’t allow ourselves to be impaired at all while we’re covering you.”

  Braden nodded. “That makes sense. I’m glad you won’t need to call Cade. I have a feeling he needs the time to do whatever he needs to let out his anger. I don’t want to interrupt that.”

  “You don’t need to be worried about him, Braden; if that’s the reason you’re not going to run farther. He wouldn’t be happy knowing you were cutting your run short because you feel he needs time to get control of himself. In fact, he’ll be pretty damn pissed off that you aren’t taking care of your needs, if that’s the case. For Cade, your needs come first, his are secondary.”