“Fuck.”I opened the email.It was a long block of text, but I didn’t bother with it, because there was an attachment.A video.“Fuck.”I clicked on it, the sinking feeling in my stomach threatening to make me throw up.
Two years ago on Halloween, Steven had convinced me to push beyond my comfort level in the bedroom.I hadn’t enjoyed it, but he had.It showed on the video, even if I couldn’t see his face.I could hear him.Enjoying himself.
I started shaking and dropped the phone.A second later, Dominic and Lincoln burst through the door.
“Marcus,” Lincoln said.
“What the fuck’s happening?”Dominic asked.It was an excellent question.
The video was still running, and of course there was sound,of coursethere had to be sound.Lincoln bent to grab the phone.
“Don’t look at it!Turn it off!”I sounded frenzied.Panicked.Pathetic.
Lincoln’s confused gaze wandered from me to the phone.He did take a brief glimpse before turning it off.I saw it on his face.Anger.Disgust?Disgust.
“I…I had no idea he was filming that.I—” I was trembling.“He…he sent it to people.”
My throat felt even rawer than before, and the moment Dominic sat down on the bed and put an arm around me, I burst into slobbering tears.
“What the fuck’s going on?”Dominic hissed.
Lincoln’s voice sounded flat.“Steven is going on.”He knelt in front of me.“Marcus, would you allow me to handle this from here on out?”
“He sent it.To people.” Lincoln didn’t seem to get that.That people would—had seen and…and heard, and… “He’s…fuck.Did he send it to my work contacts?”I reached for the phone, but Lincoln pulled it away from my grasp.
“Let me handle it,” he repeated, calm as you please.His eyes were full of green sparks.Fire.His eyes were alight with an angry glow.
“But this—I need to…I don’t know.Tell people what happened.”I was sobbing, which didn’t help with the shaking.The bath had warmed me, but my hands were cold, and I felt freezing where Dominic’s body wasn’t pressed against mine.
“Right now, you should focus on staying calm while we figure out what exactly he did, apart from the obvious, and then we can consider options.Okay?”
Lincoln sounded calm and so certain.He had seen though.He’d seen me on the bed, seen me like that.
Dominic stroked my back.“Let Linc do whatever he does, Marcus.He loves that kind of shit.”
Lincoln growled.“I don’t love revenge porn, Dom, thank you very much.Marcus?”
“Fine.”I bobbed my head.“Just…don’t look at it, okay?”
He sighed.“I can’t promise you that, Marcus.Dom’ll stay with you.And don’t worry.I’ll take care of this.”
I wanted to believe that.Maybe none of this was real.Maybe I was still out there in the forest, delirious, and imagining the true face of Steven.Which meant that, deep down, I’d known that face for much longer than I’d realized.
10
It felt odd being away from our mate, especially when I knew he was sick.The issue wasn’t really that I thought he’d need my medical skills, and of course Dom and Linc were back at home with him, but without him near, there was a constant itch at the back of my mind, urging me to go to Marcus.
During my lunch break, I sat at my normal place in the cafeteria.I liked it here, a wide-open space with lots of light flooding in, a tall ceiling, and round white tables that encouraged groups and families to spend their time in this more relaxed space with their loved ones, unless they couldn’t leave their beds.
I’d gotten mashed potatoes and spinach; a stupid comfort food for me.I checked for any texts from Dom or Linc while beginning to mechanically shovel a few bites of the food into my mouth.
There was no news waiting for me, so I texted Linc for an update.He texted back right away.
>>He’s sleeping.
I breathed a sigh of relief before taking another bite.
“What is with you?”
