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happy, too.
Adam was going to kick his ass, just as soon as Charlene and Nick quit laughing.
* * * *
Chase didn t manage to stay awake long. Les left his room and practically ran to the
nearest rest room. He shoved into a stall and retched, bringing up what little bit of breakfast
and coffee he d had. It wasn t anything even close to professional behaviour, and Les hadn t
reacted like this to any case since he d been a rookie, but seeing all the scars on Chase s body,
the old scars, had sent Les mind plummeting back to his own childhood. Granted, the abuse
he and his brother had suffered had been different, and deadly, but it still resonated, seeing
proof that Chase had been abused as well.
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It wasn t just suspicion. Chase had confirmed some of it. Les doubted the man would
have done so had he not been loopy with pain meds. As for the latest assault, Chase hadn t
remembered much of it, and the assault in Montana was something Chase refused to speak
of despite the drugs.
That fact alone was enough to make Les queasy and angry in equal parts. He didn t
know what had been done to the younger man in Montana, but if it was worse than being
abused as a child, well, Les didn t want to know. But he needed to, had to do his job.
Les swiped at his mouth then left the stall. He turned the faucet on and washed his
hands thoroughly, then cupped them and brought some of the water to his mouth. After
rinsing the foul taste away, he told himself to get his shit together.
Back at the police department, Les sat at his desk and read the report on Chase
Murphy. He was still waiting for more information on the man, but the papers in his hands
confirmed his suspicions. No wonder Chase refused to talk about the attack in Montana. The
man had been brutalised, tortured, left for dead. It was a miracle he d survived and a
phone call confirmed he should never have left the hospital in the first place. The only reason
he gave Les for that was that Rollins was looking for Adam again.
Whether Chase knew that for a fact or just suspected, Les didn t know, but as soon as
the man was coherent, he intended to find out. Then he d figure out what he needed to do to
stop Rollins from ever hurting anyone else again.
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Chapter Twenty-Two
Les hung up the phone then dropped his head into his hands. He scrubbed at his
forehead in a vain attempt to dull the throbbing pain in his skull. Today had been one
frustration after another. Chase Murphy hadn t been able to describe his assailants, having
been attacked from behind. The reason he d given for leaving the hospital in Montana
without being released his friend, an attorney who d hired him to work the Rollins case
had gone missing.
Sheer desperation to locate the man had sent Chase on a hunt for Adam. Les thought
there might be more between Chase and the lawyer than mere friendship. Already Chase
was strafing against being held in the hospital, the urge to find his missing friend making
him skittish and surly. Or surlier. Adam had said the PI was a bit& unstable.
Les wondered if Chase had inadvertently led Rollins thugs to Adam, or if they had
been watching him before Chase s arrival. The thought sent an icy streak of fear down his
spine, just as it had the first time Les had pondered the question. It was the reason he d
thought to call Xavier Talbot, Adam s boss. It made a twisted sort of sense to Les that Rollins,
having succeeded once in tearing Adam s life away from him, would try the same
manoeuvre again.
Having Talbot confirm that he had received an offer on his business, out of the blue
and unsolicited, only confirmed Les suspicions. Rollins was back to stalking Adam,
determined to strip him of any sense of security. He d bet the apartment manager had been
contacted, too. For the right price, there d probably be a short eviction notice on the door.
That wouldn t be a problem now, Les thought with a wave of relief that nearly made
him giddy. He snorted. The way he was bouncing from worried to ecstatic was so unlike
him. It was as if all the years of holding his emotions under such tight control had resulted in
this, a breaking of the dam that had held them all back. Now they were swirling around like
an F-4 tornado.
He groaned at his melodramatic thoughts, also a new and not very enjoyable
experience. It reminded him too much of his mother s unstable behaviour. His past had been
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on his mind more and more lately. Being around Charlene was forcing him to examine his
fears and the way they had affected his life. The way he d let them affect his life. Adam and
Charlene were a package deal, Les knew that, and, he guessed, accepted it. Having Adam in
his life, living in his home, their home, was a culmination of a dream he d not known he
wanted.
And it would all come crashing down if he didn t alter the patterns he d set. Adam
and Charlene would quickly realise he was screwed up unless he found a way to move
forward. That wouldn t happen overnight, which meant& Les gulped so hard his throat
hurt. Sweat slicked his back and armpits; his undershirt felt suddenly damp with it. Irritated
with his reaction, Les snarled and shoved up from his seat at his desk.
Officer Lukowski gave him a quizzical look. Got a problem, Stanton?
No, but I am going home. Have a good evening. Les tacked the last bit on because
Lukowski was a decent guy, always trying to be friendly to him even though Les consistently
rebuffed his offers to hang together outside of work. It wasn t anything personal, he just
hadn t been able to deal with letting anyone close before Adam.
Although, maybe he d let Josh in a little first; it was impossible to push that guy away.
And it could just be that first bloom of friendship had made it possible for Les to reach for
something more when the right man had come into his life.
God, he was getting to be a philosophical, melodramatic, moody& The skin on the
back of his neck prickled. Les didn t stop walking towards his vehicle even though he was
sure he was being watched. He didn t want whoever it was to know he was aware of what
was going on. As unobtrusively as possible, he glanced around the parking lot. He really
didn t expect anyone to mess with him but the spying, that he did expect.
Les unlocked his vehicle and got in. Keeping his head tilted down, he glanced up
through his lashes and looked in the rearview mirror. There was an alley across the street.
He d bet dollars to donuts that was where Rollins thug was. Les could see nothing but pitch
black there, but anyone in the alley would have a good view of the well-lit parking lot.
So, Rollins knew who he was, or at least had reason to suspect he was someone close
to Adam. Which meant the asshole probably already knew where he lived, maybe even that
Adam and Charlene were there. The air thickened with the weight of Les unease as he
started the truck. He made two calls, the first to Lukowski, who he hoped really did want to
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be his friend. Once he was assured the man would check the alley, Les called Adam and
cautioned him to be alert to any sign of a threat. He promised to explain more when he got
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