“Can’t—breathe—”
There was a thump, and then Niko released him, allowing August to draw in some much-needed oxygen.
“Want me to call Diana?” Quinn asked. “Tell me what you need, baby.”
Niko hadn’t let go of him, and Haas was draped over his back like a weighted blanket while he played with August’s hair. He didn’t think he needed anything because everything he wanted was within reach.
“Just sit with me for a minute,” August said through lightly chattering teeth. “I’m sorry if I scared you guys. I didn’t mean to.”
Nollan tightened his arms around August’s neck and rested his chin on his shoulder. “We weren’t scared—or maybe Niko was, but Quinn and I are fine.”
“Fuck off.”
“You take all the time you need, big guy. We won’t leave your side until you’re ready.”
August nodded and began working on his breathing techniques to calm himself, while Niko and Nollan joined in. It was a very strange form ofteamwork, but between them and the feeling of Quinn tying his restraints, August eventually calmed his heart down enough to feel regulated again.
“What are we going to do about you needing this while playing tonight?” Quinn mused, mostly to himself as he tugged on the laces.
August’s dumb knee was burning from the awkward position he had put it in, but he was reluctant to move because he felt contented where he was.
“Maybe exchange the laces for silk during games,” said Nollan. “It will lie flat against his skin, and he can wrap it and tape it to keep it in place.
“I’m right here,” Niko groused. “Can you keep the shibuya talk to a minimum while I’m hugging the guy?”
“Shibuya is a town in Tokyo,” Nollan said, elbowing Niko’s cheek. “Shibari is what you meant to say, and it doesn’t always have to be for sexy times. Don’t hate on Gusty’s anxiety management.”
August moaned and wiggled his arms, and all three of them took the hint and let go. He was helped onto his feet by Niko and Nollan, while Quinn took the job of reaching into the hole to retrieve the tin from the dirt.
It took a lot of pulling to get it out, but neither of his teammates was willing to let go of him, and there wasn’t enough room for two people to remove it.
Quinn got it after he called it every bad word in the book, and August looked away before he could catch a glimpse of the dented metal. He used the excuse of stopping his nosebleed so he could tip his head back and pretend nothing was happening.
“Quinn, please don’t open it,” he begged.
The sound of Quinn dusting the tin off was loud in the silence, and August’s pulse began racing when he received no answer.
“This is going straight to the detectives,” said Quinn. “I would never look—for my own sanity, and yours.”
Nollan let out a shuddering breath and tightened his grip on August’s arm. “That sick fuck. Half of me hopes there’s nothing in there because I don’t want to think about what was done to August, but the other part hopes there’s evidence so you can put that pedophile behind bars for life.”
The jovial mood in the room was long dead now that the gravity of what they were doing had sunk in. All August wanted was to go to his room, shower, and then crash before he had to go to the arena for the game that night, but there was so muchworkto do.
“Hey, look at me.”
August let his head fall, and his eyes landed on Quinn’s beautiful, smiling face. “You did so good. Do you know how many people are going to heal because you decided to take this from your parents’ attic? I know you’re always worried about what’s real and what’s not, but I’m holding the proof of it in my hands, August. It’s the heaviest thing in the fucking world, but itexists.”
Burning in his eyes signalled the oncoming rush of tears, and August inhaled deeply.
“Can you guys get him and yourselves in the shower and watch him until I come upstairs?” Quinn asked Nollan, obviously putting him in charge. “I’m going to call my lawyer and have him take this from my possession and bring it in for processing. I don’t want to let it out of my sight until I know it’s in safe hands.”
Nollan smacked himself on the chest, making August sway against Niko. “Nothing better than a bro date in the shower to rinse off the daily trauma. But I still want the metal detector when it shows up because I bet there are some awesome coins or buttons in the dirt around here.”
Quinn turned to August, and the expression on his face was one of revelation when he said, “Goalies are fucking weird.”
Chapter 39
Quinn
