Atonement (The Protectors #6)(55)

Bruises I'd seen more times than I could count when I was a child.

Whoever had put the marks on his neck hadn't just been trying to hurt him … they'd been trying to choke him. Either into submission … or worse.

I knew without a shadow of a doubt that at least some of the blood Ronan and I had found in the house had come from this man. And I knew Ronan had likely been right … he wasn't running from the law. He was running from something much, much worse.

"Do it," the man whispered harshly, his voice sounding scratchy … an aftereffect of being strangled probably.

I forced my eyes to his. His hands were fisted by his sides and he was sucking in deep breaths.

"Do it," he repeated. I stiffened when I saw his hand reach for my gun, but I knew by the way he was moving that he wasn't trying to disarm me. His cold fingers closed over my hand and I felt one finger press against the one I had resting on the trigger. I could say that after all the things I'd seen in my life, not much surprised me, but between the girl holding a gun on me and this moment, I was pretty much incapable of speech.

"Because that's the only way I'm going back to him this time," he declared. His voice dripped with a curious mix of determination, fear and resignation.

Before I could respond, I heard the girl yell, "Ethan!" and then she was coming at me, though her moves were sluggish as she continued to struggle to catch her breath. I easily caught her arm as she took a swing at me and I shifted off the man in one swift move and dragged the girl back against my chest, pinning her arms by wrapping one of mine around her.



       
         
       
        

"No!" the man shouted and he struggled to his feet, though he swayed wildly once he managed to stand. "Please," he whispered.

The girl struggled in my grasp. My patience was nearing its end and I snapped, "Be still."

I had no idea what the fuck was going on and I was freezing my ass off.

"Please," the man implored. "Don't hurt her … just … just leave her here and I'll go back with you. Tell … tell Eric I won't run again. I swear it."

"Ethan, no," the girl cried out.

"Sweetheart, stay still, okay? It'll be over soon."

The girl was shaking her head against me and I could hear her crying. Frustration coursed through me as I tried to ignore the girl's anguish and the terror in the man's eyes as he silently begged me.

I was about to explain to both of them that I wasn't whoever it was they believed me to be, but the man  –  Ethan  –  suddenly lost his balance and crumpled to his knees. His eyes rolled backwards just as the girl shouted "Ethan!" and I quickly released her and lunged forward to catch him before his head could make contact with the ground. The girl was by my side in an instant, tears streaming down her face.

"Ethan," she cried as she brought her hands up to his face, but seemed to struggle with where to put them.

"Lucy," I said as I tucked my gun in my waistband and lifted Ethan enough so his face lolled against my chest. "Lucy, look at me," I said when the girl didn't respond to me.

Her wet eyes lifted to mine and I felt my gut clench at the unspoken plea there. Whoever this man was to her, she obviously cared about him a great deal.

"I'm not here to hurt you," I said as I put my free arm beneath Ethan's legs. While I knew it would be easier to carry him over my shoulder in a fireman's carry, I didn't want to risk injuring him more. "I need you to open the door for me," I said as I motioned to the cabin. "We need to get him warm and dry."

I didn't wait for her to answer as I lurched to my feet. Ethan wasn't a small man and with my numb hands and the deepening snow, I knew it would be a struggle just to get him the short distance to the cabin.

Lucy hesitated and then ran towards the cabin, glancing over her shoulder at me every few seconds. I followed at a much slower pace and dropped my eyes to Ethan's battered face, hoping like hell he'd wake up.

But he didn't.

And I was fucking clueless what to do next.



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Finding Hope (Finding Series, Book 5) (M/M/M)

Sloane Kennedy

© 2017 by Sloane Kennedy





Prologue



Quinn



The kid definitely didn't belong here. No question about it.

My eyes tracked his every move as he shifted past a couple of big bears who'd been loitering near the front door in hopes of snagging the freshest meat. And the kid was as close to fresh meat as you could find in a club like The Blue Door. Not only was there absolutely no chance he was over twenty-one, he barely looked like he was even legal. But he was trying his damnedest to play the game as he calmly made his way to the bar, ignoring the countless eyes on him.

He settled on one of the few empty barstools and pushed his shaggy brown hair out of his face as the bartender sauntered to a stop in front of him. Davey eyed the kid and I could tell he was on the same page as me when it came to the kid's age. But that didn't stop him from sliding a shot glass in front of him and filling it with what looked like the cheapest vodka Davey kept on the shelf. Only one of the barstools around the kid had been empty, but I knew it wouldn't last long. And sure enough, within a matter of seconds, a tall, scrawny looking guy with jeans that might as well have been painted on settled on the stool, only to skulk off when one of the bears from the front door ambled over and motioned to him with a jerk of his thick neck. Once the guy was gone, the bear leaned against the bar so his beefy body was practically brushing up against the kid's.

For his part, the kid seemed unconcerned as he glanced at his new neighbor just before he downed the shot. He tapped the bar and Davey was right there to refill the glass. He started putting the bottle away when the bear grabbed it and took a swig as he watched the young man swallow his second shot. I watched as the bear filled the shot glass yet again, but I didn't see if the kid drank it because I felt a hand stroking up my arm. I glanced to my right and saw a petite little blond number sizing me up. I was standing near the doorway leading to the back of the club, a clear signal of what I was looking for. I'd already been there for a few minutes and been approached by no less than three guys, but none had been my type and I'd dismissed them without a second thought. I didn't come to the city often to scratch my itch, so I was damn well going to make it worth my time and shop around for exactly what I wanted.

Like the cute little blond twink who had, by now, sidled up to me. I ignored the need to shift my gaze back to the bar to check on the kid and focused on the small hand that was sliding over my abdomen.

"Never seen you here before," the guy said, his voice a well-practiced purr.

I didn't respond because there was no point. I hadn't come here for conversation and I certainly wasn't going to entertain the guy with useless foreplay.

I was about to tell him to follow me when I felt a shiver snake down my spine. I lifted my eyes and saw the kid's gaze on me. The bear was still with him, but he seemed irritated that he hadn't managed to hold the kid's attention.

Fuck, he was gorgeous. Even from across the room, I could make out his lithe body and striking features. I couldn't see the color of his eyes, but they sat beneath full, perfectly shaped eyebrows that peeked out from the guy's hair. A slight five o'clock shadow covered a square jawline, but it was his lips that were holding my attention … and making my cock finally wake up. They were full and wide with the bottom one just a little plumper than the top.

I heard the twink next to me hum appreciatively and I had no doubt it was because he could see my cock thickening in my jeans. Too bad it had nothing to do with him and everything to do with the young man who was watching me hungrily from the bar.



       
         
       
        

Too fucking young, I reminded myself even as I fought the urge to shove the hand away that was now pressing against my crotch, grazing my hardness. I needed to just grab the little shit and take him in back and fuck him until it was his face I finally saw, not the jailbait still watching me from the bar. I saw the bear lean down to say something to him, but if the kid heard him, he didn't acknowledge it. Instead, he rose to his feet and started towards me, his gaze holding mine.

The rest of the occupants of the club disappeared as he reached me and I finally got to see that his eyes were a stunning combination of green and gold. He was shorter than me by a few inches and I knew that his age wasn't the only thing about him that didn't fit in the place. He was a city boy through and through, but not a city like Missoula. Because in Missoula, the city kids still looked like the country bumpkins they were. This kid belonged in a big place like New York with his skinny jeans, designer shirt, fancy sneakers that probably cost more than my piece of shit truck and a leather jacket that hung carelessly from his narrow shoulders.

The kid didn't speak when he reached me and I waited to see what he'd do. My twink was still feeling me up, but the kid didn't seem bothered by that fact. His eyes traveled the length of my body and I knew he liked what he saw. I suspected I fit the bill in terms of what he'd been hoping to find in an off-the-wall gay club in Montana. I hadn't bothered changing from my work clothes before heading to Missoula so I more than likely had horse shit on my boots and my hair was probably still showing the circular ring from where my cowboy hat had been pressing it down all day, despite my efforts to get rid of it by running my fingers through my dark locks. The only reason I hadn't kept the hat on was because I liked being able to see the guy I was fucking and hadn't wanted to worry about it shifting on my head and obscuring my view.