“The flu?” Niko asked, staring at him with wide eyes.
“Yup. He called the pharmacy and asked them to deliver his medicine. He insisted that they leave the meds behind the door, and when he thought the coast was clear, he had me open the door to retrieve them. He had a gun pointed at me the whole time, of course. But what the guy didn’t realize was that the deliveryman was still sitting in his car at the end of the driveway,staring up at the house. I guess the delivery guy must have seen the scared look on my face because, a few hours later, the police showed up and raided the house.”
Reid stared down at his hands as he fidgeted with his fingers.
“It’s taken me years of therapy to get over the trauma that I suffered while being held captive in that man’s house. It wasn’t the forced sex that got him off, but the humiliation that he liked to put me through. He used to have me wear a leash around my neck as he ordered me to service him, or he would have me sleep in the corner of his bedroom on the cold floor in the dead of winter. It was only after years of therapy that I was finally able to reconnect with people physically. After I escaped and went back to New York to find you, you were already gone. I learned that Mikhail’s operation had been dismantled, and he and his boss had been arrested. I searched for you, but no one knew where you had run off to.”
Telling his story, Reid finally felt as if a weight had been lifted off his chest. He’d always felt like things had been unresolved, never having had a chance to say goodbye to Nikolai or let him know that he was okay.He really cared for the man and hoped that this confession might help him move forward with his life.
A growl next to Reid caught his attention.
“Oh, I’m going to kill that son of a bitch,” Nikolai snarled, his eyes wild with murderous rage.
Reid let out a chuckle.
“He might be hard to get to. He’s in a prison just outside Boston.” He appreciated that Niko wanted to defend him and take out all his rage and anger on the man who had caused him so much pain. “But seriously, dude, I’ve spent years working through my anger and issues and have finally found a way to help calm the rage and make the world a little bit safer.”
“What do you mean?” Niko asked, his eyes softening just a little, but still as dangerous as ever.
“Well, now I work?—”
“Where’s the music?” a voice shouted from somewhere behind them.
They both turned to see Ace and Blade walking toward them.
Blade was carrying a blanket under one arm, a massive knapsack on his back, and two large bags filled with chips and junk food.
Ace skipped along empty-handed, smiling from ear to ear as he approached.
“Seriously, guys. You look like you're on a romantic date or something. Sitting around, just waiting for someone to pull down their pants and pull out their dick. Seriously, is this supposed to be a party? Where are the tunes?” Ace asked, staring down at them.
“Don’t worry about it, babe. I don’t need a hand carrying anything,” Blade huffed as he dropped the bags and blanket he was carrying onto the sand.
“Well, you wanted to be the alpha male. So put those muscles and hot body to good use,” Ace chirped, always the sarcastic hyena.
“These muscles and hot body better be getting some action later tonight,” Blade returned.
“Caden, pass me my gun. Blade needs to be shot in the face,” Marcus barked from further up the sand.
“Always with the violence,” Blade responded. “I’m starting to think that perhaps you don’t like me.”
“Marcus, don’t answer that,” Lucas chimed in. “He’s going to be your brother soon.”
“Yeah, don’t remind me,” Marcus shot back. “I’m still hoping I’ll wake up from this nightmare.”
“So, who’s ready for a swim?” Ace asked, already pulling down his shorts and showing off his hot-pink Speedo with lime-green kisses.
“Reid’s ready to go in. He’s already got his swimsuit on and everything,” Nikolai offered a bit too quickly.
“Really? Come, let’s check it out!” Ace shouted, grabbing Reid by the hands and pulling him to his feet.
Taking a breath, Reid prepared himself for the great “fallout.”
Gathering his courage, he pulled off his shirt and shorts and stood there in all his glory.
The first one to burst out laughing was Ace, followed by Lucas and then Caden. Blade stood there looking horrified, while Marcus was busy glancing everywhere but at Reid’s junk.
“Dude! I can see your man meat and everything!” Blade blurted, looking like he had just sucked on something sour.
