With or Without Him (42 page)

Lu smiled and Tyler thought about smashing his head onto his nose but decided against it. He needed to be in a place he could run before he tried anything. He counted the floors they dinged down and the elevator stopped on the fourth. Lu pulled him out into a corridor lined with doors to apartments and Mex took his other arm. Prescott took keys from his pocket and opened a door and Tyler knew if he went through it, he wouldn’t be coming out again under his own steam.

He banged his head into Lu’s face, wrenched loose of Mex, turned and ran. His hands were bound behind him so he couldn’t pull the tape off his mouth. He also couldn’t run very fast. Tyler kicked hard at the first door he came to, ran on and managed to land a kick on a second door before Lu brought him crashing to the ground. He groaned behind the tape as Lu hauled him upright. Mex thumped him in the stomach and Tyler doubled over desperate for air.

They tried to get him to walk, and when he wouldn’t, they dragged him. Tyler kicked his heels on the floor, twisted, squirmed, did everything he could think of to get free. He could feel the wounds on his back opening up as he was yanked into the apartment. The door slammed and he hit the floor.

Lu pulled him onto his back and leaned over panting, blood trickling from his nose, and Tyler gagged behind the tape.
Don’t throw up.

“Get him into the bedroom and put him on the bed,” Prescott said.

Lu and Mex hauled him over the carpet and then picked him up and tossed him up onto the mattress. Tyler’s hands dug into his back as he landed and he moaned.

“Shall I tell you what’s going to happen to you, you little turd?” Prescott glared down at him. “See the camera?”

Tyler turned his head.
Oh fuck.
A video camera sat on a tripod.

“You’re going to make me back every penny of the money I’ve lost. I’ll fuck you first, then Mex can have you and then Lu. Did you know he likes fisting?”

Tyler’s sphincter clenched.
No, no, no. Oh God. Oh fuck.

“He’s going to shove his arm up into your body and fuck you straight to hell.” Prescott smiled. “He tells me he can pull you apart inside out. And when we’re done with you, I’ll have you cut into pieces and tossed into the sea.”

Oh God.

Mex leered at him and started to slice away his clothes. The knife was sharp and Tyler briefly considering trying to impale himself but figured he’d never manage it. He lay still and thought about all the things he’d wanted to do with his life, thought about Haris and how he shouldn’t have waited for him to say I love you first. Then he stopped thinking about that because his throat started to close and he had enough trouble breathing without listening to his heart break.

The moment Tyler and Steve turned the corner, Haris slipped out of the car, locked it and followed them. If the police spotted him, he didn’t care. He wouldn’t interfere, he just wanted to…hell, he didn’t know what he wanted to do but he was worried. No way could he just sit in the car. He watched them enter a building, waited a few minutes and followed. His gaze locked on a bank of elevators and he scanned the displays above. The one on the far right seemed only to serve the top floors. The penthouse apartments. That was where Tyler would be.

“Can I help you?”

Shit.
Haris turned to see what he’d missed when he walked in—a security guard sitting behind a desk.

“Yes, I’m looking for my sister. I thought I saw her come in.”

The elevator on the far left was on the way down.

“What does she look like?” the guard asked.

“Tall, short dark hair. Wearing a gray coat and red heels.”

The elevator door slid open and Steve emerged. Haris looked behind him but there was no sign of Tyler.

“Not seen her,” said the guard.

“What are you doing in here?” Steve snapped.

“Where’s Tyler?”

“He’s inside. I wasn’t wanted.”

“Where is everyone?” Haris rushed to the far elevator.

“You can’t use that,” the guard said. “An owner has to allow you access.”

Everything inside Haris screamed that Tyler was in danger. “Do something,” he yelled at Steve. “Where’s the service elevator?”

“What the hell’s happening?” the guard shouted.

Haris yanked at doors at the far end of the lobby and behind them was the service elevator, currently on the fourth floor. A hubbub broke out and he glanced back to see police everywhere dressed in black SWAT outfits. He slid to one side and listened. He didn’t hear anything good. When everyone went quiet, Haris wanted to slam heads together. He stalked over to a guy who looked as though he was in charge.

“Where’s Tyler?”

“Who are you?”

“His boyfriend,” Steve said from behind him. “He was supposed to stay in his car.”

“Tyler’s not in the apartment,” one of the cops said.

“That elevator hasn’t moved,” Haris said. “How do you know he’s not in there?”

“We had a man in the roof void.”

Haris turned to the service elevator. “He’s on the fourth floor.” He ran to the doors, shoved them open and pressed the button. Nothing happened.

“The key,” Steve shouted and the guard handed it over.

Five policemen came with Haris. When the elevator doors opened and he saw all the apartments, he groaned.

“Knock on every door,” said one of the cops. “Mark those where there’s no answer. Steve, call for back up. We need more men up here.”

Haris banged his fist on the nearest door and kept banging it. When a lady holding a dog answered, he rushed to the next door and banged on that.

“What is it, young man?” she called after him.

“My friend’s been abducted,” he said.

“He won’t be in there. That’s Edward’s place. He’s out for the evening.”

Haris walked back to her. “Are there any vacant apartments?”

“That one.” She pointed.

“Thank you.”

It didn’t mean it was the one with Tyler but Haris thumped on it. A policeman pulled him aside. “Let us handle it.”

The policeman banged on the door and shouted, “Emergency. Open up.”

Kick it in.
Kick it in.

Stop thinking it and say something.

“Kick the door in. If it’s a mistake, I’ll pay. Please. He’s in danger. I know it.”

But they didn’t need to kick it in. It opened and Haris recognized Lu.

“Tyler’s in there,” Haris snapped.

When he tried to get to the door, he was pulled away, but after the last policeman had gone inside, Haris slipped in at the rear. Two men were naked and cuffed, one of them was Prescott and he remembered the other from the door on the warehouse.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Prescott shouted. “I’ll be speaking to my member of Parliament about this. What I do in the privacy of my home has nothing to do with anyone.”

There was no sign of Tyler and Haris’s heart flipped over and over. He watched as the police checked the bathroom, the bedroom and the closets. Nothing.

No. He’s here. I feel it.

Haris looked around. “This isn’t his home. There’s nothing here. It’s just a furnished apartment.” He hurried into the bedroom, saw the video camera and swallowed hard.

“He’s not here,” Steve said at his side. “I’m sorry.”

“Shut up. Tell everyone to fucking shut up,” Haris screamed.

And in the momentary silence, he heard a faint snuffle. Dropping to his knees, he lifted up the bed skirt, yanked away a board and in the gloom he saw the dark eyes of the guy he loved staring back at him.

Haris reached underneath and pulled Tyler out. His tattered clothes came with him. Haris peeled the tape off his mouth and Tyler sucked in a deep breath. Haris wrapped his arms around him and trembled as he hugged him.

“You didn’t count to a hundred,” Tyler croaked. “My turn to hide again.”

“Are you okay?” a policeman asked as he cut away the ties around Tyler’s wrists.

“Yeah. The cavalry arrived just in time.”

Haris let him go long enough to rip off his coat and put it round him and then held him again.

“He was willing,” Prescott barked.

“No, I fucking wasn’t,” Tyler shouted back. He turned frightened eyes to Haris. “One of the men who pays to fuck at Prescott’s parties is a senior policeman. That’s how they knew. Prescott cancelled the event. I was the only one on the menu.”

The lump in Haris’s throat grew large enough to choke him. The second time he’d almost lost him.
I could have lost him forever.

“We’ll need a statement,” said one of the policemen.

“Not tonight,” Haris said.

“Yes tonight.” Tyler sighed. “I want this over and done with.”

Haris found Tyler’s shoes, brought them over and helped him put them on. When Haris stood up, Tyler smiled at him.

“I looked up your name,” Tyler said. “Guess what it means.”

“I know what it means.”

“Man who mends roofs.”

Haris laughed. “No, it doesn’t.”

“Oh no, that’s me.” Tyler laid his head on Haris’s shoulder. “Haris means vigilant guardian.”

By the time they returned from the police station, Tyler was fast asleep in the passenger seat. Haris unbuckled his seat belt, leaned over and kissed him. Tyler’s eyes opened.

“We’re back home,” Haris said.

“Home,” Tyler whispered, and hearing that word fall from his lips sent fire rushing through Haris’s veins.

When he opened the door of the house, Wilson and Alcide came out of the kitchen. Tyler kicked off his shoes, started to take off the coat and then stopped. Haris’s stupid cock perked up because under that coat, Tyler was naked.

“Have the bad guys been rounded up and taken to jail?” Wilson asked. “I was so disappointed not to be involved in the operation, although the constant ache in my arthritic hip might have made me a little slow.”

“Everything’s fine,” Tyler said.

Not quite, but at least Lu, Mex and Prescott had been arrested. Haris had already called Stan and asked him to provide a bodyguard for Tyler for the time being. Tyler had slept through that call—he hoped.

Tyler bent down to Alcide and the dog licked his face. “Who’s a good boy? You happy to see me?”

“Is there anything I can do for either of you, sir?”

“We’re going upstairs.” Haris took off his shoes. “It’s been quite an evening.”

“Then I’ll wish you a good night and see you in the morning. I’m glad…I’m glad everything’s worked out.”

Haris followed Tyler up the stairs.

“I need a shower,” Tyler muttered.

“How about a bath?”

“Is there room for two?” Tyler asked.

“Yes.”

“Good, I’ll give Steve a call.”

Haris laughed. “Christ, you nearly died tonight and you can still crack jokes?”

Tyler widened his eyes. “I’m not joking.”

“Well, it’s a big tub. We might be able to fit three in.”

Tyler smiled and wrapped his arms around his neck. “You’re more than enough for me.”

Haris choked up. They didn’t often share endearments and as much as he knew, or thought he knew, of how they felt about each other, he cherished moments like this.

“You have the end with the taps,” Tyler muttered against his lips. “And I get to play with the duck first.”

Haris swallowed hard.
I can’t let him go. I want him to be mine. I want him forever.

Tyler lay next to a sleeping Haris, wondering if he dare close his eyes. When he’d been thrust under the bed and been unable to move, hardly able to breathe, it had catapulted him back to the day his family had died. He’d thought he was going to die tonight. If it hadn’t been for Haris, he probably would have. By the time the police had searched the building, it would have been over.

Haris had the perfect opportunity to tell him he loved him. When they’d finished in the bath, they’d crawled into bed and Haris had lain facing him, holding his hand.
I could have told him. Just said the words.
But it had become an issue for Tyler that Haris say it first. The longer they went without saying it, the more important it was that Tyler didn’t blurt it out.

 
The problem was maybe Haris didn’t love him. He cared for him, Tyler knew that. But love? Did he not feel as Tyler did, that he’d break apart if he didn’t have Haris to come home to? That the only thing that gave his life meaning was the pair of them together?

Tyler would wait. There was an obvious time to wait until. The end of the contract. He just hoped it wouldn’t be the end of them.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Tyler’s body healed faster than his mind. Cuts sealed up and bruises faded but the memory of what Lu, Mex and Prescott planned to do to him had sunk deep into his soul. The police had assured him that even though the three men were out on bail, they wouldn’t dare come near him. When Haris told Tyler he’d asked Stan to keep an eye on him, he pretended to be annoyed but actually, he was grateful.