30. Reghan
30
REGHAN
The sound of my wrapped fists hitting the heavy bag was music to my ears. Working out was second nature, but lately I had too much frustration I needed to rid from my body.
“I’m not sure why I’m here,” Lane said. He’d agreed to work out with me. If someone else was in the gym, I focused more on them than the bullshit running through my head.
“We just lifted weights, and you spotted,” I told him.
“You’ve been going from one station to the other with no rhyme or reason. No wonder you’re the size you are.”
“He’s taken,” Marshall said as he walked into the room with Kayli behind him.
I stopped punching and faced them. “I thought you were working today.”
“I did. I’m done now.” He grinned. Marshall wasn’t suffering at all by being here, except he missed Barrett. He seemed to enjoy having people around all the time.
“He wanted something to do so I brought him here. We’re going to work on self-defense moves.”
I nodded then looked at the clock. “Fuck.” I’d been here longer than I intended.
“Yup,” Lane said. “Do you want to keep going? I don’t think you’ve punished the treadmill yet with your tree trunk thighs.”
“Didn’t you hear me?” Marshall asked. “He’s taken.”
Lane chuckled. “I did. I have no interest in Reghan.”
“Good. My brother would kick your ass.”
“I’d like to see him try."
"He’d fight you,” I said to Lane. “I haven’t seen him really get into it with anyone, so I have no idea who’d win.”
“Reghan, that’s not very nice,” Marshall chastised as he and Kayli got into position.
“And you haven’t seen what Lane can do. I’m just being honest.”
“Fine.”
I grabbed my towel and wiped off my face.
“Are you finally done?” Lane asked.
“I thought you were bored.”
“I was, but I have a date to get ready for.”
We all stopped. Kayli, Sheldon—who was jogging slowly on the treadmill—Vincent, who was lifting, and me. It could have been a gunshot cracking through the room with the way everything ceased.
Lane rolled his eyes. “You’re all awful. I’m allowed to date. I’m not forced to stay here. I’m not under a guard’s protection.” He shook his head at our stunned faces and walked to the locker room.
It wasn’t until he was gone that Marshall asked, “What’s wrong with him going on a date?” We’d been selective in what we told him, and he overheard. This wasn’t an off-limits subject. Just one we didn't openly discuss often.
It was Kayli who answered him. “You know Raiden, right?”
Marshall nodded.
“And I know you’ve met the doc.”
“The three of them are in a relationship?”
“No. It’s a never-ending cycle of is it going to happen or not? Maybe they’ll go there, maybe they won’t. Lane is either clueless or tired of waiting for one or both of them to get their shit together.”
“He’s not clueless,” I said. “He knows far more than he lets on.” Lane was still kind of a loner, although he did talk to Vincent the most. That happened when the guard took a bullet for him. I glanced over at Vincent.
He shrugged. “You think he talks to me often? It’s mundane shit. I definitely think he knows though. You have to remember all he’s been through.”
“What happened?” Marshall asked.
“Not my story to tell, kid.”
“I told you to stop calling me that.”
“Did you suddenly age a decade? I’m forty. You’re a kid to me.”
Marshall huffed but turned to Kayli so they could work together.
I left the gym after that, deciding to go to my home to shower. I’d have to tell my brother about Lane’s date. He should know. The thought of upsetting him ate at me until I arrived in Jordan’s home to take over for Raiden. Jordan was nowhere in sight and his office door was closed. He wouldn’t hear me talk to my brother.
“What’s wrong with you?” Raiden asked.
“Lane has a date.”
The only sign of emotion he made was the slight tick of his jaw. “It’s not my business.”
“Really? So, you don’t want me to tell you if he doesn’t come home tonight?”
“Why are you doing this to me?”
“Because I care, and you need to do something before you lose your chance with him.”
“Easy advice, coming from you now that you have your detective.”
“No, I’m still trying to keep him in my life. Barrett puts his brother above himself. Until he knows Marshall is safe and that piece of shit who grabbed him is dead, our relationship is at a standstill. He’s a detective and I’m here. He’ll never be here while he holds that position. So no, it’s not easy advice. Lane’s in the same building as you, and you skate around him. What are you afraid of?” I couldn’t imagine what else it could be.
Raiden kept his gaze ahead but replied without looking at me. “He hasn’t been free for that long. Being with me traps him in the life he fought hard to leave. I won’t do that to him.”
“Ray, this isn’t the same as where he was. Lane is healing here, not still being abused. Jordan has told him he can go, but Lane stays.”
“It’s because his family is here.”
“Forest doesn’t even live in the building so that’s a shitty excuse.”
Raiden shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. He’s better off not thinking about me that way.”
“You’re an asshole.”
“I’ve been called worse.”
“I just want you to be happy,” I whispered.
Raiden reached up and gripped the back of my neck, giving me a little shake. “I know, little brother. I appreciate you.” That fucker called me that to change the subject, knowing it would rile me up.
“Nine minutes,” I told him. “You’re only older than me by nine minutes.”
“Still counts.” He clasped his hands in front of himself and widened his stance slightly.
Before I could give him shit for changing the subject, even though I took the bait, Jordan emerged from his office.
“Good, you’re both here. Barrett has one of the victims. Somehow the man broke free after being held for more than a week. Barrett was going to take him to the hospital to get checked out then to the station to question him, but the man started screaming and refused to go, begging Barrett not to force him. We’re meeting Alton at Thirteen."
Warehouse Thirteen was one of the many locations Jordan used for... activities.
I was itching to go to Barrett, to see him and help the man he found. I wondered how he did it. Barrett didn’t dress in a uniform so he wouldn’t look like a detective unless he had his badge around his neck.
A handful of minutes later, Jordan slid into the Maserati with Albert and Raiden, while I drove one of the Navigators. I had Vincent with me.
Albert took the streets through East Dremest with skill as we wove in and out of traffic, drove down side streets, and eventually pulled up to the warehouse. Barrett wasn’t in sight, but his personal car was.
We parked and got out, Albert staying outside, per usual. If someone came upon us or if he needed to get Jordan out of here in a hurry, he could. Jordan told him to keep Alton outside when he arrived. My guess was Alton had to clear his schedule a bit to show up.
It took everything in me to walk at a reasonable pace into the warehouse. My body vibrated with the need to have Barrett in front of me, to make sure he was okay. Not physically. I knew he was fine there. He just had a lot of shit going on inside him that made me worry.
Our situation wasn’t ideal by a long shot, but I’d fight every day to keep him with me.
We stopped only a few feet into the warehouse. It used to house a business but when it went under, Jordan bought it. He purchased a lot of the places in this part of the city. It gave him the ability to do things without others watching him, though we were always careful.
I expected to find Barrett and the man in one of the offices, but the man was sitting with his back against a wall. He had a shirt on, one of Barrett’s. My detective was bare-chested, crouched in front of the man, talking softly to him. The man nodded every so often, his brown hair falling onto his forehead. He didn’t look older than his mid-twenties. His arms had scuffs of dirt on them and his feet were bare. A pair of sweatpants were on his legs where he wrapped his arms around them. He was a tight ball.
Barrett stayed where he was with his eyes still on the man, but he raised his voice above a whisper to speak to us. “This is Noah. He ran into me when I was leaving my building. He was outside, trying to get in, rattling the handle but not pressing the buttons. He didn’t know which apartment was mine. Noah knew who I was because the man who took him kept talking about me and how my brother was a loose end. How no one gets away from him.” Barrett’s right hand curled into a fist, causing Noah to whimper.
“Sorry, I won’t hurt you,” Barrett said. “The man who took him was in the process of moving his prisoners when Noah broke away. I tried to leave Noah in my apartment where he’d be safe, but he clung to me, so I had to make a choice. When I brought up taking him in so he could give a statement or taking him to the hospital to be looked over, he panicked. He knows who the kidnapper is personally.”
Jordan stepped forward and crouched. Noah scooted farther down the wall, so Jordan fully sat on the floor with his suit on. “You know who I am.” It wasn’t a question. It didn’t need to be.
Noah nodded.
“You’re under my protection now. If you don’t want to go anywhere, you won’t. I have a doctor on his way. He’s someone I trust, who takes care of my family, my employees, and me. He won’t break your privacy and won’t do anything you don’t agree to. Barrett will be there the whole time. I won’t take him away. Okay?”
Noah nodded again, pulling his legs tighter.
“The man who took you, is he a relative?”
Another nod.
“A spouse?”
Noah shook his head.
“Can you tell me his name?”
“No,” Noah rasped, his voice rough. “He’ll come for me. Our family will protect him. They won’t listen to me.”
“I won’t let anyone get to you. I have places to hide you where no one knows about. We can take you there. You’ll be free to walk around and there will only be two other people with you, the man who lives there, and one of my guards for security. The place is solid. If anyone steps foot on the property, we’ll know. No one will hurt you.”
“He doesn’t know?”
“I don’t know who he is but unless he works for me, no. And he better not be fucking working for me,” Jordan growled.
“He doesn’t. He’s…” He shook his head, and another whimper bubbled up his throat. “I can’t. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. Can you tell me where you were being held?”
Noah gave the name of the street. I immediately put my phone to my ear and called Barry to send a team there.
“He’ll be gone. Half of them were already moved and I don’t know to where. But I heard him say he was planning to sell them.” He swallowed hard and shook.
My blood pumped through my body like I was waiting for a match to drop to ignite me. Noah got away. So did Marshall. We couldn’t let the others be sold.