A Mended Man (The Men of Halfway House Book 4) (58 page)

This was Aidan making love to him.

Aidan slowed his pace to a near stop, still buried deep within Jessie's body. "Did you…want me to stop?"

Jessie swallowed heavily and vehemently shook his head, rubbing Aidan's arms around him, trying to control the emotions tightening his chest and throat at the hesitation in Aidan's voice. This was Aidan's silent way of telling him how much he needed and wanted him, how much he cherished their private connection. He spoke tonight as he usually did—through his actions rather than words. Jessie turned and kissed the inside of Aidan's bicep then snuggled into the comfort of his strength, reveling in the safety and love that enveloped him, both in and out of his body.

He closed his eyes as the heat of Aidan's hand slid across his chest and up the side of his neck, guiding his face to turn so Aidan could kiss him with each slow thrust. Jessie reached behind him and gripped Aidan's thigh, encouraging him to continue, not wanting the silent declaration of his feelings to end so soon.

A need to breathe forced them to separate, but they remained close, neither wanting to distance themselves from the connection. Aidan tightened his arms around Jessie and deepened the thrust of his hips, huddling into the embrace. Jessie dug his fingers in Aidan's arm muscles and bit his lip as a bolt of current surged up his spine. The slow, torturous glide of Aidan's hips faltered moments before a whimper and groan simultaneously escaped them as they both came, in sync.

They held each other tightly, nestling in the warmth and comfort of their bodies. They remained joined for a few moments as Aidan placed tender kisses on Jessie's shoulder, holding him snugly against him.

Jessie held onto Aidan's arms and rested his head on Aidan's bicep, knowing his words were truer than ever as the strong cage of his arms offered a protective, warm embrace and the steady beating of Aidan's heart thumped against his back. With every beat of his own heart, he knew he'd always love Aidan…every second of every day.

Between the time spent with the team at the precinct and the extra hours reviewing cases at home, it was a good thing they both loved their jobs. He'd managed to get Rick's brother on the roster for Strassburg, and wrapping up the cases from the checklist of names from his list offered one hell of a great distraction from Monster Michael and the frustrating dead-end investigation. But even Aidan recognized the need for a break from their routine.

"That was nice," Jessie said, leaning his head back against the SUV's headrest.

Aidan stared down the dark road, occasionally stealing casual glances at Jessie. "I'm getting attached to this whole date night thing. I know I don't say it as often as I should, but thanks. I really appreciate how you always…handle everything, at work and at home."
And me
. Seemed it got a little easier to speak his mind each day. Another baby step in the right direction.

He tapped his thumb on the steering wheel and rolled his hand over the leather material. Jessie was so ingrained into his life now, he couldn't—and didn't want to—imagine a life without him. Everything seemed easier and his presence always offered silent support. But it was his unwavering dependability when shit hit the fan in Aidan's mind that always seemed to showcase his strength the most.
That stupid fucking tie
. Aidan gripped the steering wheel tighter thinking about what had happened a few nights ago. Just when he'd thought he could push forward, it had all come right back again with that narrow piece of silk in his hand. He'd been numb, staring at the thing, not knowing what to do. Then Jessie had come to the rescue, fixing things and making it all better…as he always did. Damn, he loved that man. Even though the words didn't come easy for him, he hoped his actions let Jessie know how important and amazing he thought he was.

"What are you thinking about that has you smiling like that?"

Aidan glanced over at Jessie before looking back at the road. "I was smiling?"

"Yeah." Jessie turned to face him then poked him in the side when he didn't answer. "Tell me."

Aidan playfully twisted away from Jessie when he reached out to poke him again.

"C'mon. Tell me."

"I was just thinking about how good you look sitting there."

"Liar."

"We skipped dessert again, so my mind is wandering."

Jessie laughed and bit his lip. "You can do whatever you want to me when we get home." He straightened in his seat with a smile still lingering on his face. "For the record, I know that wasn't what you were thinking."

Aidan's grip tightened on the steering wheel. How the hell did Jessie always seem to know what crossed his mind? Sure, it made things easy sometimes, but hell, he couldn't get anything past him.

Jessie chuckled. "Now you're just pissed off you're easy to read."

Aidan pursed his lips and switched his focus between the road and his teasing passenger. "How the hell do you do that?"

Jessie turned in the seat toward Aidan, the wistful expression on his face clearly conveying how much he loved him. He'd never get tired of that. Even his lack of emotional decoding received that message loud and clear. Jessie reached into his collar and pulled out the small key charm hanging from his necklace. "Because I have your key. Gives me special powers."

Aidan shook his head. "I swear, if I—"

He gripped the steering wheel tightly when a loud boom echoed in the dark night and the truck began to swerve.

"Aidan?" Jessie said, gripping the armrests and holding his body rigid in the seat.

"Tire blowout." He steadied the truck and slowed their speed, working his way to the shoulder of the road. He sighed and unbuckled his seat belt, switching off his truck and exiting the vehicle. He stood by the driver's side and stared at the ripped tire. "Shit." He turned toward the rear of the truck to retrieve the spare when something pricked his neck, hard enough to cause him to misstep backward against his SUV.

"What the fuck?" he mumbled, reaching up, startled when his fingers brushed against the tip of something protruding from his neck. He pulled the item away and blinked as his vision quickly blurred.

A tranquilizer dart.

He looked up, out into the darkness and swayed, immediately trying to reach for his phone as a numbness began spreading through his body. His hands weren't working right. "Shit."

"Aidan?" Jessie's voice cut through the silence of the night as he leaned out of the SUV through the driver's side.

Everything started spinning. He glanced over to Jessie.
Jess
. The panic set in. "Get back in the truck and lock it. Now! Don't open the door for any reason!"

He tried to coordinate his fingers on the stupid screen. His breath sawed in and out of his lungs and a sharp pain burned through his chest. He screwed his eyes shut then opened again, blinking with far more effort than should have been needed. He shook his head, hoping to focus. He looked at his phone…what he hoped was his phone in his hand. The different digits on the display all seemed to swirl together. He almost lost his balance, held only by Jessie's firm grip around his waist. He shook his head, trying to clear the haze in his mind. "Get…back in the fucking truck."

Jessie held his own phone up to his ear, ignoring him.

"Get…back…in the truck." He swallowed heavily, fighting the sudden dryness in his mouth forcing his tongue to stick and make the words even harder to voice.

"Sunny! We're in trouble…"

Jessie's voice faded in the fog of his mind. He heard him saying a few more words but couldn't decipher them. His legs weakened and his knees buckled, dropping him onto the gravel. He held his body up with one hand as best he could, taking the dart and his phone in the other hand and tucking both items on the underside of his truck. His team would find them.

"Aidan!" Jessie's muffled voice pierced through his fogged brain. "They're coming. The team is coming. Hang on."

He closed his eyes and tried to focus on his breathing.

Shit, shit, shit
.

He mumbled something, not really sure of the words he spoke as his body slumped to the ground.

Jessie pulled him up into a sitting position and withdrew Aidan's gun from his holster. He sat at Aidan's side, standing guard with the gun drawn and ready in the darkness of the night.

"Hang on, dammit!"

Aidan swayed, unable to coordinate any of his limbs. He closed his eyes, trying to focus on remember how to breathe when a shot rang through the air and everything faded to black.

* * * *

Everything felt…wrong. Off…yet…familiar.

The air smelled musty, rich with the scent of wood and nature. Each breath, although clear, seemed to take too much damn effort. His side hurt but hell if he could figure out why. His arms were numb and his head seemed to weigh a hell of a lot more than it was supposed to. Maybe being hard-headed did result in a heavier head after all.

"Finally," an unfamiliar, deep voice said, breaking through the haze in Aidan's mind. "Wake the hell up."

He willed his eyes to open, but his body was sluggish and slow to react. He took a few deep breaths and tried to clench his fists, opening his eyes and squinting at the brightness, slowly allowing his eyes to adjust. He clenched his fists again just as his vision sharpened.

He was shirtless and barefoot, with his hands tied above his head granting him barely enough slack to have his tiptoes touch the ground.

He looked up and saw his wrists bound with a rope wrapped around a hook. He looked down and saw the blood seeping from a cut on the lower right side of his torso.

This isn't the same. This isn't a flashback. Focus. This
is
real.

"What doesn't kill you…" The voice came from a corner of the space, obviously close enough to read the beginning of the inked message of his tattoo.

Aidan's breath heaved as he scanned the barn-like room, assessing each corner and object and making a mental note, begging his mind to keep up with his virtual checklist.
Jessie. Where's Jessie?

"Makes you stronger." A figure emerged with his arms behind his back. "Those are some powerful words on your torso."

Michael
.

Aidan stared, tracking each step Michael took as he neared. He was tall, broad, and his dirty blond hair touched the edge of his collar. A scar that looked a few months old split part of his face, starting at the hairline, running along the outer edge of his eye and down to his upper lip. A slow smile tugged at Aidan's lips. He had no doubt Jessie had inflicted the damage during that night of the attack.

Michael motioned toward Aidan's body with a chin-up gesture. "I had to slow you down. Even with the tranq, you still managed to put up a fight while I strung you up. I'm rather impressed. You didn't leave me much choice but to tie you up and keep your hands where I can see them."

The rage ignited within Aidan, burning his blood and fueling a curtain of vengeance to surge in his body. He clenched his fists again, gauging the give of the rope that bound him.

Where the hell is Jessie?

"Interesting ink," Michael said. "Guess we're going to have to test the merits of that little saying." He swung his arm around and revealed an electric cattle prod.

Before Aidan had a chance to react through the mental haze or prepare his mind and body for the jolt, the electrodes were jammed against the side of his bleeding torso at his wound. His body arched and stiffened while his blunt nails dug into his palms. A roar of pain ripped from his lungs with the surge of electricity coursing through his body. He hung loosely from the rope when Michael finally pulled the prod away, feeling the burn of the material cutting into his wrists and the strength draining from his muscles.

Michael took a step back and cocked his head. "Huh. Guess your theory is bullshit."

The sweat trickled into Aidan's eyes and down his neck and chest. Fresh blood began to ooze from the wound at his side. He fisted his hands, willing the strength of his body to return and sync with his mind.

"I've been trying to figure out what the hell he sees in you. But I just can't seem to put my finger on it." Michael paced in front of Aidan, closely watching each shift in movement.

Focus. This is real. This is not a flashback.

Aidan's heart pounded in his ears. His breath hissed with each forced exhale, trying to dissociate himself from the burning pain at his side and the flashback that attempted to flicker into his vision. He needed to buy some time to build up his strength. "Why Jessie?"

Michael looked off to the side and quieted for a few moments. "It's killing you, isn't it? Knowing the time he and I had." He took a step closer and his lips twitched with the beginnings of a grin.

Aidan clamped down on his teeth so hard he thought his molars would shatter. Mr. Asshole was baiting him, and he needed to preserve his strength and figure a way out of this clusterfuck.

Michael straightened and took a step back, resuming his pacing path in front of Aidan. "I spent my time grooming him to be the perfect partner. He'll need some retraining. He's apparently become rather stubborn over the years, but I welcome the challenge. We have the rest of our lives ahead of us." He stopped his pacing and his lips twitched into what he may have thought was a smile but appeared more like a sneer with the scar running down the side of his face and into his top lip. "I can thank
you
for delivering him back to me."