Frey (25 page)

The other pictures were taken from far away.
Someone had set up outside his home and taken them with a telephoto
lens. His previous home sat high on a hill, surrounded by woods.
Whoever it was had gone to a lot of trouble. Jasper had to consider
that his past was coming back to haunt him. If the one who had tied
him up, seduced him, and hurt him was the same one who tied Craig
up, were they working together? What if his old lover… no, that
wasn’t the right word. They hadn’t been lovers. Jasper had gone to
the man willingly at first, but what happened between them wasn’t
love. It was sadistic and painful. What if the man had found out
about Craig and him and was blackmailing his ex? Maybe Craig hadn’t
been the one to hack Jasper’s computer. Too many scenarios were
flitting through Jasper’s mind, and he couldn’t stop them because
they all led back to the hurt look on Trevor’s face. Fuck! Trevor
already had low self-esteem. These photos were going to do so much
harm to his wellbeing. Jasper didn’t have to be a psychiatrist to
realize that.

He slid farther down in his seat and sighed.
All the headway he’d made with his mate had just been tossed out
the window, landing in a deep mud puddle. It would take a whole
lotta rain to wash the gunk off Trevor’s psyche this time.

His phone vibrated. He hastily pulled it out
of the holder, hoping it was Trevor giving him a chance to explain.
The caller I.D. disappointed him. “Hello, Dante. Welcome back.”

“
Jasper, how are things?”
Dante didn’t sound happy which put Jasper on alert. Dante had just
returned from Greece after rescuing his mate and her son. Now
Dante’s son. He should be ecstatic.

“
Not too good, if you want
to know the truth.” He wouldn’t lie. Dante would know all of the
Clan’s business with one phone call to Rafael anyway.

“
I always want the truth.
Would you care to tell me what happened between you and my
assistant that has him leaving town?”

“
What? No, he can’t. Fuck!
Dante, you can’t let him leave. Godsdamnit! I’m going to fucking
kill Craig. That motherfucker has…”

“
Jasper!” Dante
interrupted his rant.

“
Sorry, but Dante you
can’t let him leave. Somebody sent Trevor some very incriminating
photos, and they somehow date stamped them this week. He doesn’t
believe me, though.”

“
The letter probably
didn’t help.”

“
What letter?” Jasper
hadn’t seen a letter. Trevor must have hidden it.

“
The letter he was staring
at when I walked in to the morgue. He probably didn’t realize I
could read it, but I could. It said ‘
Did
you honestly think someone like him would want someone like
you?
’ No wonder he looked like he’d lost
his best friend, because he feels like he has.”

Jasper closed his eyes. He wanted to hit
someone. He wanted to cry. He wanted to find Trevor and kiss him
senseless until he convinced him someone was out to sabotage their
relationship. “Dante, I swear to you, we were getting to a good
place. He’s my mate for fuck’s sake. I’m not going to let some past
piece of ass come between us.”

“
Trevor’s your mate? Are
you positive?”

“
Absolutely. I know I have
to take things slow, make him understand that it is totally
possible we are supposed to be together. I already had a long road
ahead of me without this shit popping up.”

“
I wish I could help. He
said he’ll be back in a week.”

“
I can’t wait a week! I
need him now. Need to see him, hold him. Fuck!”

“
I’m sorry, Jasper. I wish
I’d known before I told him he could have the time off.”

“
How long ago was this?”
Jasper would try to reach him before he got out of town.

“
About ten minutes.
Jasper, I really think you should give him the space.”

“
Fuck that. If he has a
week to shut himself inside his head, I’ll never reach him. No,
I’ve got to find him.”

“
Good luck, Brother.”
Dante disconnected, and Jasper immediately called his
partner.

“
Abbott.”

“
Dane, Jasper. Are you
home?”

“
No, I’m at the precinct
going over some case files, why?”

“
Fuck! Trevor’s running,
and I need to stop him.” Jasper had to get someone else to watch
Troy’s house. He couldn’t abandon his post, not even for love.
Wait, love? No, that wasn’t right. It was too soon to love his
mate.

“
Running? And you’re going
to chase him? You must have it bad, Partner.” Dane
chuckled.

“
You could say that.
Remember the pictures you saw? Well there are more, and someone
sent them to Trevor. The date stamp on the new ones is this week,
even though the pictures are old. I need to convince him I was not
with my ex.”

“
What can I do to help?”
Dane asked, realizing the seriousness of the situation.

“
Until I can get someone
to sit on Quinn’s house, I need you to go the apartment complex.
Stall him. Kidnap him if you have to, just don’t let him leave
before I get there.”

“
I’ll see what I can do. I
will call you when I get there.”

Jasper prayed to all the gods that Dane
could put a halt to Trevor’s plans, at least until he had time to
get there himself. A car turned into Troy’s driveway. A
twenty-something man got out, looked around, and headed to the side
door. Jasper took note of the man’s tag number and wrote it down.
If he couldn’t do right by his own mate, at least he could pay
attention and help Frey with his.

The longer he sat there, the more Jasper was
convinced he’d lost Trevor. Every second that passed was like a
needle stabbing his heart. Jasper lost track of time, thinking
about everything happening in his life. His phone rang. “Dane,
please tell me you have him.”

“
I’m sorry, Jasper. He’s
gone.” Jasper disconnected the phone and didn’t try to stop the
tears.

Chapter
Twenty-Three

Abbi fed Matthew his dinner so he didn’t
have to move. At first he refused her help stating he wasn’t a
baby. After the first few bites brought so much pain to his ribs,
he gave in. Dr. Mooneyham had stopped by, checking on both Matt and
Abbi. He made sure Abbi had something to eat as well knowing she
wouldn’t leave Matt’s room. Since they were going back to Frey’s
house, the doctor said he would release Matt the next day.

They were watching some sitcom they’d never
seen since they weren’t allowed to choose what to watch at home.
Both of them were laughing at the silliness of it, even if it
wasn’t really funny. They were enjoying the freedom to watch what
they wanted. Abbi caught movement out of the corner of her eye and
turned toward the door. Frey and another really large man were in
the hall talking to Uri. She couldn’t hear what they were saying,
but they looked serious.

She didn’t miss the fact that Frey had
changed clothes. Instead of wearing the faded blue jeans that fit
him like a glove, showing off his massive thighs, he was wearing a
pair of black fatigues. A tight black t-shirt was tucked in the
waist. Instead of his black motorcycle boots, he was wearing combat
boots. She thought he was hot before. This Frey was scorching. He
was holding a bag of some kind, almost like a woman’s overnight
bag. As if he planned it, Frey waited until the show was over
before coming into the room. She stood so she wouldn’t have to
crane her neck back so far to talk to him.

Frey’s eyes found hers. She didn’t know how
to feel, exactly. He was a gorgeous man who caused her heart to
race. He wanted to be with her, he’d made that clear. Frey had
taken her and Matt in, no questions asked, vowing to protect them.
Granted, her brother was in the hospital with broken ribs, but that
was on Troy. She knew she looked a mess, because she’d left his
house that morning with no makeup on. She’d thought she had plenty
of time to fix herself up before Frey returned from taking Matt to
work.

The man had seen her looking her worst, and
he still wanted her. So, while she was conflicted, she was also
flattered. She gave him a tentative smile. That must have been what
he was waiting for. He came farther into the room and took up
residence beside her. He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze before
turning his attention to Matthew.

“
I heard the good news.
Dr. Mooneyham said you get to come home tomorrow.”

“
Yeah. I can’t wait to get
back down to the lake. I guess fishing’s out of the question for a
while, though.”

“
You’ll be casting a line
before you know it. Besides, if I recall, you have some tests to
study for.” Frey turned to the new man in the door motioning him
inside. “Abbi, Matt, I’d like to introduce you to Lorenzo. Lor is
going to stand guard tonight.”

Abbi took in the new guy’s stature. He
wasn’t quite as tall as Frey or Uri, but he was just as broad. She
couldn’t help herself when she asked, “Is it a requirement for your
friends to be Amazons?”

Lorenzo huffed, “I’ll have you know the
Amazonians were all female. Are you saying I look like a girl?”

“
What? No. I just…” Abbi
stuttered then blushed when the newcomer started
chuckling.

“
You’ll have to forgive my
friend here. He’s full of himself.” Frey shoved Lorenzo’s arm
playfully.

“
He’s full of something,”
Uri muttered from behind them.

Grinning, Lorenzo apologized, “Abbi, I’m
sorry. It’s just my less than serious nature to joke around. It is
my honor to stand guard tonight. I will be right outside if you
need anything.” Just as Uri had done, Lorenzo placed his fist over
his heart and bowed his head. She really needed to ask Frey what
that was about.

“
Okay, then. Urijah and I
have work to do.” Holding out the bag, he said, “Abbi, I know
you’ve been stuck here all day, so I brought some things I thought
you might need.” Frey brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. The
touch was probably meant to be gentle, but it stirred something in
her core. Something she hadn’t felt in a long time.
Desire.

Her body automatically leaned toward his.
She took the bag from his hand, letting her fingers brush his.
“Thank you, that was very thoughtful.” He continued to worm his way
into her soul, one kind act at a time.

“
You’re welcome. If you
need anything else, just call. I have something to take care of,
but it shouldn’t take long. After that I’ll be home. Matthew, get
some rest, and I’ll pick you up tomorrow.”

Matthew yawned and muttered, “M’kay.” His
eyes fluttered and he was out.

Frey stopped at the door and turned back to
Abbi, giving her an odd look. It was quickly replaced with his
gorgeous smile and then he was gone. Lorenzo was at his post by the
door. Abbi wondered what items Frey thought she might need, so she
opened the new looking bag and peered in. He had brought a clean
pair of jeans, a long sleeve Henley, a new UGA sweatshirt, a pair
of panties, and her toiletries. The panties were a brand new sexy
lace number with the tags still on. Did he think she needed sexy
panties? It wasn’t lost on her that he’d gone shopping. She looked
into the bag again. What he didn’t bring was makeup. Did he not
want her to wear it? No, he said he brought things she needed. He
didn’t think she needed makeup. Her soul made room for one more
piece of him.

Rafael met up with Frey and Uri at Frey’s
house. It was rare that the King patrolled, but with so many of the
Clan taking care of other things, he was needed. He flew in and
landed beside the garage. “I’ve missed this,” Rafael said,
grinning. Frey knew if he was no longer part of the patrol
schedule, he would miss it, too. It was innately necessary for the
Gargoyles to spread their wings and soar as often as possible.

As they shook hands, Rafael asked, “So, what
did you want to speak to me about?”

“
I have an idea I wanted
to run by you. I want to build Abbi a dance studio, so she can
practice whenever she likes.”

“
I see. Where did you have
in mind?”

“
Here. I know I’m jumping
the gun, but if things turn out the way I want them to, she and
Matthew will not be moving out.” Frey toed a rock back and
forth.

Rafael cocked an eyebrow. “I take it she is
not going to be a visitor at the manor then?”

Frey looked up. “No. Matthew convinced her
to come back here. I think the kid’s in my corner.”