Ex's and O'S (3 page)

Dragging, because it seemed the young man’s legs weren’t capable of holding him up.

“Fucking asshole.” Adam wasn’t the heroic type, not really, but he wasn’t going to stand here and do nothing while Mitch lugged some innocent, dumb kid off to be raped.

He’d been an innocent dumb horny kid once, too, but he’d been lucky enough to be caught out by a man who’d lectured Adam until his ears burned. This young guy wouldn’t be so lucky.

Adam jerked out of the blond’s hold only to snarl and turn on the man when he was grabbed and held in a steely grip. “What the fuck? Do you know who that son of a bitch is?

What he’s gonna do to the kid?”

The blond nodded, his gaze locked on the scene unfolding before them. “I do, and I know who you are, Adam, and what Mitch tried to do to you. Good job flattening his perverted ass, by the way,” he added, cutting an amused glance at Adam. The amusement vanished when he turned his attention back to Mitch while Adam gaped and sputtered.

“What? How do you—who the fuck are you?” And how the hell had his simple plan

to get laid turned into something so friggin’ bizarre?

“Chase Murphy, private investigator. James called me and asked if I could do some investigating for him.” Chase nodded towards Mitch. “He knows I have a…a thing for sexual predators. I’d see every one of the fuckers shot if I could.”

Adam reeled back as much as he could and wondered how he’d managed to find

another psycho. Something in Chase’s voice leant a measure of truth to his words that sent a shiver of fear through Adam. He could understand wanting justice, but this man spoke with a fury that was palpable. Chase wasn’t speaking of justice, he was talking about vengeance, plain and simple.

“These fucking rich pricks are the worst,” Chase continued, as Mitch neared the door with his prey. “They think they can do whatever they want, hurt whoever, just because they EX’S AND O’S

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have a rich daddy who’ll buy their kids’ way out of trouble. It’s bullshit and it needs to stop.”

He let go of Adam and pushed him aside, not sparing Adam a glance as he headed after Mitch.

This was not good; Adam decided as he flung out an arm and caught himself on the

edge of a table. He wanted Mitch stopped as much as anyone else, but this Chase guy was a little…unhinged, and Adam wasn’t anywhere near sure Chase would give a shit about the kid Mitch took off with. He seemed focused on Mitch and that whole vengeance crap. Adam ran after Chase, catching him by the wrist before the blond cleared the door.

Chase shot him a furious look but didn’t stop moving. “You can either let go or—”

“Oh shut the fuck up!” Adam snapped. “You’re a goddamned psycho and I am not

staying here and trusting that you’ll keep that kid safe! I’ll call the police—”

“Call them, call James, I don’t give a shit, but I am not letting that bastard hurt that kid.”

Adam didn’t believe him, not when Chase was ploughing along with Adam latched

on like a hundred and thirty pound anchor. And not slowing down at all. And who—

“Who the hell is James? What are you going to do? You can’t just kill someone, you know!”

Chase snorted as he stopped at a sleek black sports car, his gaze trained on the

Hummer Mitch was trying to pour the kid into. “You’re one of those babblers. Figures. James Stratton, and I’m going to follow Mitch Rollins and call the police, believe it or not, once he’s had a few minutes alone with the boy—and I’m aware of the fact I can’t kill the fucker, as much as I’d like to.” Chase clicked a button and unlocked the car. “Are you coming or not?”

Stratton knew this nutcase? Adam scrambled around to the passenger door, his heart racing while his head swirled with chaotic thoughts. He fumbled with the door then dived in when Chase leaned over and opened it for him.

“Do you think you could manage to hurry?” Chase snarled, “I’d like to get there

before Mitch rapes the kid.”

“Asshole.” Adam buckled his seatbelt as Chase peeled out of the parking lot after Mitch’s Hummer. Adam grabbed the dashboard and glared at Chase. It was a shame such an attractive man was so mentally unbalanced. “You can’t stay on Mitch’s ass the whole way to his place.”

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Chase rolled his eyes—well, Adam assumed it was both eyes, he could really only see part of the right. “No shit. Believe it or not, I do know what I’m doing, and I am not going to go off half-cocked and murder anyone—although, it is tempting.” The way he cut his eye at Adam made it clear Chase wasn’t talking about Mitch, either. The slight curve of a smile ghosted over Chase’s lips, but Adam didn’t find the joke amusing at all. He sat back and crossed his arms over his chest as Chase slowed the car down to a speed less likely to end in their deaths if they wrecked.

“How long are you leaving them alone?”

Whatever he was, Chase obviously wasn’t stupid, at least not entirely. “How long was it once you got to his place before you got naked?”

Adam silently cursed the embarrassment that caused his cheeks to flush. He couldn’t stop blaming himself for being so stupid for getting himself in that mess with Mitch in the first place. “Maybe five minutes before I decked him. I was…uh.”

Chase snickered. “Horny? Hot and ready for a big cock like you were a few minutes ago?”

“Jesus, you’re a dick!” The fact that he was also right just made Adam madder. “It didn’t have to be big”—he gave Chase a scathing look—“obviously I’m not picky enough.

I’ve got to work on that.”

Chase ignored the jibe as he turned onto Mitch’s street. “Yeah I heard about Rollins’

little dick from some of the men I talked to.”

“Some of the men you talked to?” Hearing his suspicions confirmed made his gut

burn.

“Surely you didn’t think you were the only one,” Chase said as he parked his car a block from where Mitch was getting out of the Hummer. “You’re cute and all, and that ass just begs to be fucked, but don’t think that’s what drove Rollins to come after you. He’d have found someone else that night. You’re just one of many.”

Adam’s jaws tingled as he struggled to control his temper. The urge to punch

something was almost overwhelming. He uncrossed his arms and gripped his thighs,

clenching tight enough to send jolts of pain up his fingers and legs. “I didn’t think I was the only one, but hearing you confirm that I wasn’t, it just makes me wish I’d put an end to EX’S AND O’S

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Mitch.” Adam had to swallow twice before he could get the question out that was wedged in his throat. “How many?”

“Three so far, but there’ll be more willing to come forward once Rollins is arrested.”

Chase unbuckled and pushed a button on the dash. “So the overhead light won’t come on.

Stay here.”

“Oh I don’t think so, you insane bag of rage,” Adam muttered as Chase got out. Adam unsnapped his seatbelt and clambered out of the car. Chase opened his mouth and Adam shook his head. “Unless you are going to shoot me—and I didn’t feel a gun anywhere on you when we were dancing—I’m going with you. I don’t trust you.”

“I didn’t have a gun on me in the club. It was under my seat.” Chase reached in his jacket and tapped the butt of a gun secured in a holster. “Still want to come?”

“Jesus.” Crazy man was armed. This could not get any worse. Adam thought of the

boy, stumbling and almost certainly drugged. Things could get a lot worse. “Wait up.”

Adam caught up to Chase and tried to keep himself from breaking out in nervous

shudders. “What are we doing?”

“You’re going to put this on.” Chase shrugged out of his jacket, the moonlight

gleaming on the gun as he tossed the jacket to Adam. “
We
aren’t doing anything,” Chase said succinctly. “
I
am going to make sure Rollins doesn’t tuck the kid in and leave him alone. It’d be best if Rollins were caught with his pants down, so to speak.”

Adam was poleaxed. He stumbled over a crack in the sidewalk as images of Mitch

touching the kid slammed into his brain. “You’re going to wait until he’s…he’s…” Adam shoved his arms in the warm jacket. He would kill Chase first!
Okay, maybe not kill him, but I
can probably get his gun and—God I’m a fucking idiot!

“No, I won’t let it go that far,” Chase said as Adam began working his cell phone from the front pocket of his jeans. He’d forgotten about it in his panic.

“Don’t.”

Adam’s finger hovered over the keypad, the cold tone in Chase’s voice spiking his fear. “I won’t let the kid be hurt.”

Chase nodded and continued walking. “I said I wouldn’t either, but if you call and the cops arrive to find Rollins on his ass watching TV while letting the boy he ‘rescued’ sleep it off, then what?”

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“Fuck fuck fuck!” Adam tucked the phone in the jacket pocket and hurried after

Chase. “Fine. But if I think you’re doing anything—”

“Whatever.” Chase slowed down and touched Adam’s wrist. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

Adam wanted to protest but Chase had gone, leaving him in the shadows beside the

building. He caught glimpses of the man moving through the darkness, then the door to the apartments opened and Chase slipped inside leaving Adam to wonder how the man had got through a secured door.

Though it felt like hours, it was only minutes later Adam saw the flashing blue and red lights as several police cars rounded the corner, their sirens off he guessed so as not to alert Mitch. Chase appeared out of the darkness beside him, his face grim. “I hope they hurry.”

Adam sank to the ground and watched as the cars screeched to a stop and a small

army of uniformed officers approached the building. The officers entered as more engines rumbled. Adam tore his gaze from the building, chills creeping over his skin as two ambulances pulled in behind the police cars. He didn’t want to know—did he?

A surprisingly gentle brush against his shoulder drew Adam’s attention to Chase.

Stark lines were etched into the man’s face, pulling at the corners of his mouth. Chase lifted his hand and hesitated before he gently settled it on Adam’s shoulder. He felt the fine trembling of Chase’s hand, saw the bleakness in the man’s expression.

No, he didn’t want to know. Better to go home, tell himself he’d done the best he could and take what comfort that thought gave him. Let Chase deal with the reality on his own, whatever memories from tonight haunted him…

“Tell me.” The words slipped out, shoved, Adam was sure, up from his diaphragm by his tensing muscles and the ball of guilt that seemed to be growing exponentially in his belly.

Chase’s expression shuttered as he jerked his hand back. Adam thought he might be insulted-- the man would rather stroke the butt of his gun than keep touching him. “I don’t know,” Chase muttered, his voice flat, “I just kept hearing the kid scream.”

God! Adam surged up on trembling legs and held his hand out to Chase. “Come on.”

Adam wiggled his fingers as Chase stared at him blankly. “We’re going to see if someone EX’S AND O’S

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will tell us anything when they come out, and I’m sure the police will want to talk to both of us.”

Grumbling, Chase took his hand and stood, tipping his chin towards the building.

Adam peered over and caught a glimpse of the first cop leading a cuffed Mitch Rollins from the building. Releasing Chase’s hand, Adam turned and watched the procession as Rollins, clothed in the same jeans he’d been wearing at the club, was escorted—yelling curses and threats of his daddy’s retribution—down the sidewalk and towards one of the police cars.

“He still has his boots on, laced up, too,” Chase murmured. Adam gave the man a

startled look then squinted at Rollins. How the hell could Chase tell the perverted bastard’s boots were laced from so far away?

Chase sighed heavily and nudged Adam hard enough in the ribs that he stumbled to

the side. “What the hell’d you—oh.” Adam sighed as well, as a new set of yells reached his ears. These ones made him smile with the beginning of hope as the EMTs rolled a figure on the stretcher out onto the sidewalk. The kid was shirtless, the harsh lights from the apartment building gleaming off skin so pale as to appear white as snow. But the kid was arguing with the EMTs, waving a hand in the air. Adam felt a surge of relief and he thought the kid would be okay.

“Doesn’t mean he’s not hurt,” Chase muttered. Adam didn’t waste his energy glaring at Chase or acknowledging his statement. Fuck Chase. He could be a downer if he wanted to, but Adam was going to count this as a win. A double win, he told himself, since he hadn’t ended up screwing an unhinged man in the bathroom at the Turtle.

Chase mumbled something, distracting Adam from his musing, pulling him off his

little cloud of elation at having kept the kid from being more of a victim than he’d already been. “What are you mumbling about?”

“I said, Detective Bishop is waiting to talk to us.” Chase gestured and Adam visually followed the movement, spotting a shortish, heavy set man with a thinning thatch of white hair standing by one of the cars. “He’s not real patient.”

Adam wasn’t dense. “Okay,” he said, already heading for Detective Bishop. The man turned a dark look on them that made Adam feel like a criminal himself. What was up with that? They’d done something good—

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Or foolish, according to Bishop, who proceeded to rip them both new asses for the next couple of minutes. Adam was too busy being utterly shocked by Chase’s silence, and, even more, the droop of the guy’s shoulders as the detective lit into him for bringing Adam along. When Adam would have intervened Bishop pointed one meaty finger at him and Adam snapped his mouth shut, his own shoulders slouching before he realised it. Once the detective wound down, Adam dared to ask about the young man.

Detective Bishop grunted—or maybe he was huffing, trying to catch his breath after that rapid-fire ass chewing, Adam thought—and the corners of his mouth actually turned up.