SE Jakes Bound By Honor (23 page)

Damon that he could bring the boy to this state with his cock…his touch…his kiss.

He
was enough. And final y, he felt like he’d lived up to the promise Tanner had made Jesse.

Damon and Tanner holed up in Damon’s loft for two days straight, coming up for air only to order take-out, which LC

delivered to them, leaving it outside the door after knocking.

Good, that was damned good. No w there wa s o ne last thing L C ha d t o solve. The attacker wa s someone L C had

decided to take on single-handedly, and he’d been outside both nights, using himself as bait, and nothing.

Stil he’d felt eyes on him last night for the first time, and he’d learned from a young age to never doubt his instincts.

And tonight, he’d try again—there was no way this would go away that easily. Not when he’d stepped out back this

morning and found the charm in the al ey. A gold horn.

Hi s stomach tightened because h e knew that symbol. J P always wore a horn o n hi s necklace…and he’ d left i t on

Damon’s body out in the al ey that night so long ago when LC hadn’t been there to protect his friend.

No, LC had been with Styx and Damon had gone out on his own. LC knew Damon was going to do so, but when he

was with Styx, he tended to forget his own goddamned name. Which was why he couldn’t bear to think of himself as Law

any longer after the attack on Damon.

Damon had lost so much that night—they both had. LC hadn’t seen Styx again for months and after that, it had only

been sporadical y. And now, their past was coming back to haunt them in the cruelest way possible.

J P wa s only a couple o f years older than L C a nd Damon—big a nd strong a nd mean—and apparently, h e hadn’t

changed. And it appeared he was now taunting them—or LC himself—and at this point, it didn’t matter. He’d known al

along who it was but hadn’t wanted to admit it out loud.

He couldn’t believe the grudge could’ve gone on this long.

Right before he went outside, he closed his eyes and pressed his palms and forehead to the door, letting the cold

seep through, shoving his emotions down. They would not help him. And then he slipped outside i n his hooded

sweatshirt, prepared to act drunk, cal ing out behind him to the empty hal way,

“Diner run—be back later,” and he let the door close with a soft click behind him.

And then he began to walk down the al eyway, stumbling a little bit. JP was out here tonight—he’d bet his life on it.

Delta had honed his instincts and while time softened them a bit, during a time like this, he was a soldier once again.

But he couldn’t let on that he knew and so he left himself vulnerable. Refused to turn around and cal out JP’s name.

And he’d gotten halfway down the al ey when it happened. The slam to the back of the head—he’d heard the whoosh

in the air and was able to move fast so he didn’t take the ful brunt of the blow.

Stil , it was enough to bring him down. Temporarily stunned, he struggled to sit up, to move away from the footsteps

he heard coming toward him. Continued playing drunk, because he wanted the upper hand in this, wanted to make

certain that this guy would never do anything like this again.

He didn’t see anyone yet, looked over and saw the heavy boomerang that had hit him in the head.

No wonder he hadn’t seen it coming. Fuck.

It was then that he heard the familiar voice. Even though it wasn’t unexpected, a chil went up LC’s spine anyway. “You

look good, Law.”

“You don’t cal me that,” he said through clenched teeth and JP laughed. JP—the man who’d been the ringleader

years ago when Damon was attacked. JP, who’d aged hard but stil looked big and mean as hel , and was leaning over

him now with a knife to his throat.

He stil remembered being cornered by JP and his gang of assholes when he was seventeen, in an al ey eerily similar

to this one. JP, who had always hit on him, had gotten angry when LC told him that JP

wasn’t his type.

He’d fought not to get taken, knew he would have if Styx hadn’t come to his rescue. Styx had beaten the shit out of the

assholes, but JP had run away. And since they couldn’t bring the police sniffing around in their direction, they’d let it go.

Traveled together when they went out clubbing. Never left with strange men.

JP was watching him remember. He was smiling—the bastard was smiling. “Baby, you’re going to cal me daddy

before we’re through here. Because that’s what I wanted al along. Wrong man was in the wrong place.”

LC’s blood ran cold. “This isn’t about Damon?”

“It never was. It was always about you, Law. Always.”

It was always about you, Law.
The words echoed i n his mind a s he lunged up and went for JP, the pain i n hi s head

nothing compared to the one he’d felt al these years. In that moment, JP was everyone who’d ever hurt him.

But the past wel ed up too hard—the memories getting in the way of the fight, and JP proved to be very wel trained—

knew a lot of the same fighting techniques LC did. LC would guess military. JP was broader than he was—muscle-

bound

—and that plus his training would make him a fierce opponent and explain why the men JP attacked hadn’t had a

chance of getting away.

Stil , the icy rain that started moments earlier made it difficult for either man to get their footing. JP

managed to slam a fist into LC’s left cheekbone. The feeling of bones breaking—of pain—was oddly familiar.

Brought LC back to another time and place he didn’t want to be.

But he was no longer a child and there was a reason he was being hit here. It wasn’t blind, drunken rage—in JP’s

mind, he’d been slighted, and in the hands of this psychopathic asshole, LC knew he had to fight back this time, and he

would.

LC tackled him to the frozen blacktop—he heard the crunch of their bodies as they went down. But he was stil

disoriented from the blow to the head, more so than he’d original y thought, and he struggled to keep the upper hand. The

pent-up anger he felt could do brutal things—LC had been on both sides of it, and he hadn’t wanted to be in this place

again, ever.

If he was going to get the answers he sought from JP, he’d have to not kil him first.

Rol ing over and playing dead was so not in his nature, but he’d been pretending for so long already.

And so he let JP use an arm to stronghold him to the ground, where LC lay prone.

JP rol ed him immediately, hovered over him and yeah, the brush cut screamed military. LC also saw the outline of

the dog tags under his shirt.

“Damon wanted it,” JP told him with a hand across LC’s throat, and things were getting fuzzy.

LC saw Damon’s face as it had been al those years ago swim in front of his eyes.

“They told me they’d tell the police I wanted it. And fuck, Law, I was begging for it at points,” Damon said, his voice

urgent.

“Because of the drug. That wasn’t you asking for it—you didn’t consent.”

“I know Damon went looking for me and the other men from that night,” JP told him now. “Damon doesn’t scare me. I

didn’t run from him—I enlisted. When I went back to the old neighborhood, I heard Damon had been looking for me. That

you’d come with him.”

LC managed to get his hands under JP’s arm, enough to pul some air into his lungs. “Then why hurt those other men

—

why not come directly for me?”

“Because it was fun watching you try to put two and two together. You and that detective practical y screwing against

the wal .” He laughed harshly. “That’s not the way to do a watch, boy. Were you not taking me seriously?”

“I take you very seriously.”

The gun clicked then, pressed to the side of LC’s head. “Get up and start walking.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you, so you might as wel kil me here.”

“Baby, I was just trying to give you a little comfort. But if you’d like it out here in the raw, that’s fine.

Either way, our first time wil be special.”

“Like you did to Damon. And the other men out here.”

“They al took it like babies. You’l take it like a man when I fuck you.”

It was al LC needed to hear. In seconds, he was up, letting the rage explode out of him, and JP looked shocked as

his arm was pushed to the ground and the gun clattered on the blacktop. And then it was LC’s turn to hold his arm across

JP’s throat, choking the life out of him.

“I’l kil you for what you did to Damon—to the others. How many boys’ lives did you ruin?” he asked JP, watched the

man’s eyes bulge and his face redden. “I wil fucking kil you right here.”

“LC, stop.” Tanner, pul ing at him, attempting to yank him away from JP, who was stil struggling.

LC didn’t break his position. “You don’t understand.”

“It’s not worth going to jail for kil ing him.”

“Self-defense.” He refused to let himself be taken off JP until he saw him slip into unconsciousness. It was only then

that JP’s face morphed into LC’s father’s face, and LC final y let go.

He would not be like that man. Ever. But he’d come damned close tonight.

JP’s not an innocent.

But LC always knew—had lived with the fact that he had the blood of a kil er inside of him.

If it hadn’t been for Tanner, he might’ve proven that true tonight.

“What was this about… Did he attack you?” Tanner asked as LC shifted unsteadily on his feet.

Tanner held him up by the shoulders.

“Not me, Tanner.” L C stared a t him. “Do you understand? What J P did years ago wasn’t t o me…I wa s the o ne

who discovered Damon, in the al ey. And JP…he was one of them.”

“One of them?” Tanner echoed. “This guy attacked Damon?”

“Years ago—when he was a kid. Younger than you. Makes sense now, doesn’t it?” LC asked. “He’d never tel you wil

ingly

—never told Jesse—would never tel anyone at al . And he needs to if he’s got a shot at any kind of real relationship.”

“Jesus, LC…”

“Don’t you dare tel him you know.”

“How am I supposed to bring it up, then?”

“You’re a smart boy—you’l figure it out,” he said, right before the dizziness began to overtake him.

He remembered Tanner cal ing his name, catching him…and then nothing.

He wasn’t sure how long he was out, but when he opened his eyes, Damon was standing over him and he was inside

the club.

He heard the ambulance sirens in the distance. Damon’s face was white as shit.

“I’m not going to the hospital.”

“The fuck you’re not. What the hel were you thinking?” Damon demanded, even as Paulo was asking the same thing

from the other side of him.

“I don’t need al this fuss. I’m fine, dammit.” But as LC went to haul himself up, his head spun and yeah, that JP asshole

had hit him harder than he’d thought. Damon caught him and helped him lie back down. And Paulo walked away, pushing

out the al ey door.

Damon remained, staring down a t him. “You have a concussion. You’re going i n for observation. I can’t lose another

person, Law.”

Law.
Jesus. “I’l go, Damon. I’l go. And it’s over now. I got it al on tape.”

Damon’s jaw was clenched tightly. “Yeah, it’s over.”

“He’s going to jail. Final y.” He paused. “Tanner stopped me from kil ing him. He did the right thing.”

When Damon first came outside, he looked like he’d seen a ghost. He must’ve been as pale as LC and couldn’t stop

staring between his friend and the man LC had beaten to a pulp on the ground.

Tanner was holding LC, and Damon took LC from him, said he’d wait inside with the man.

“Tanner, stay with him and wait for the police,” he’d said hoarsely, gestured to JP and Tanner agreed.

He cal ed Paulo in case the detective hadn’t heard and left him a message.

And then Tanner checked the pulse on the man on the ground. JP would probably need the hospital first, judging by

the ring of bruises around his throat but then jail for sure. LC had filmed the incident, thanks to hidden cameras in the al

ey.

And when Damon went in the ambulance with LC, Tanner had waited for Paulo and gave a statement as to what he’d

seen—LC defending himself—while Paulo’s gaze flicked over his face, searching for the truth.

“He knew this man,” Paulo said.

“You’l have to ask him.”

“I’m asking you what he said.”

“He didn’t say anything. He was busy fighting for his life.” Tanner stuffed his hands in his pockets, LC’s words stil

echoing in his mind.

Not me, Tanner… Do you understand? What JP did years ago wasn’t to me. I was the one who discovered Damon,

in
the alley. And JP…he was one of them.

God…Damon…al of this was happening at once. No wonder the man had been so fearful about Tanner getting hurt…

being taken advantage of by Joe and Hunt. It was al adding up now.

He told Paulo, “Go see LC. Talk to him.” Because eventual y, Paulo would see the film, and Tanner suspected LC

would rather tel him first.

Paulo nodded. “I plan on it. First, I’m going to escort this asshole to the hospital and get his confession.”

Styx watched from the shadows as Law slept, monitors beeping in tandem with the thudding in his own chest. He

fought the urge to go to him, to hold his hand, to comfort him.

Maybe they were too far gone. Irreparable. That’s what Law had told him al those years ago.

Dammit, he should’ve come when he’d cal ed, should’ve known that something was real y wrong.

And Law was taking matters into his own hands, something he’d done for as long as they’d known each other.

Move forward. Go to him.