Chapter Three
Kash stared at the dark bedroom ceiling, wearing Ledger’s pants.
He couldn’t stop over-analyzing every second he spent with Ledger.
All the nights he heard Ledger pace, and Kash had joined him, ran through his mind.
They had never spoken about anything heavy.
Yet, somehow, he had also told Ledger every ugly detail of his home life.
Ledger had never judged him or acted like he would call CPS.
He understood Kash took care of himself, and life in the system would be worse than powering through a couple of months.
It wasn’t like he had been physically abused or anything.
His mom had just checked out long before she died.
No big deal. A lot of people had worse problems than he did—like Ledger.
Ledger had a cheating husband who loved tormenting his son.
Of course, it had made perfect sense for Ry to leave on Valon’s eighteenth birthday.
The possibility of paying child support had kept him trapped in a marriage he didn’t want anymore.
Except there were real people hurting from his every shitty move.
While he knew Ledger suspected Ry slept around, he had never found definitive proof.
Kash knew that because he knew Ledger. Ledger wasn’t weak, and he had a backbone of steel.
If he could have proven he wasn’t simply crazy—at least according to Ry, who called him that all the time—Ledger would have kicked his ass to the curb.
But Ledger wasn’t the type to throw away a twenty-year marriage over a gut feeling.
Unfortunately, Kash had known Ledger’s suspicions were true.
Not only had Kash stalked Ry until he found the truth, but Ry had also propositioned Kash a time or two.
Kash was two years older than Valon and had graduated two years ahead of him.
After he walked across that stage he never thought he would conquer, Kash grabbed a bottle of Jack from his mom's old stash and went home with Valon to get absolutely shitfaced. When he heard quiet steps moving through the house, Kash immediately climbed out of bed to sit with Ledger. Except it wasn’t Ledger, and Ry had been way too welcoming.
That encounter had shaken Kash a bit, especially since it turned out to be the first in a long line of uncomfortable nights.
While he stayed at Valon’s place more than his own home, he wasn’t allowed to sleep in the same bed as Valon.
They had given Kash a bedroom—very likely due to Ledger worrying about his safety at home.
No matter the reason, Kash had been alone and unprotected each night as he slept.
After that night, Kash had started working on beefing up his muscles and sleeping with a gun.
The piece had been his dad’s, and Kash had hung on to it for years to keep it from his mom’s drunken hands.
Kash had to teach himself how to use the gun, but he had never possessed any qualms about murdering that rat bastard if pushed.
Thankfully, Ry never tipped Kash’s hand.
That was good because, as it turned out, Kash didn’t own a single ounce of remorse or reluctance when it came to killing anyone at all.
Maybe he was a psychopath. It was possible life had simply broken Kash.
No matter the reason, Kash was completely unmoved by the light leaving someone’s eyes.
A lot of people were better off dead. Ry was one of those people.
A thought hit, distracting Kash from his Ledger musings.
Honestly, it wasn’t too late for Kash to take out that target.
Unfortunately, that wouldn’t change the past, and Ledger might look at him differently.
That would kill Kash. Until he set eyes on Ledger tonight, Kash hadn’t remembered the full extent of his heartbreak.
He thought the hurt had eased. It turned out the trauma had just gotten easier to carry.
Now he remembered everything, and Kash hated it. Well, he hated Ry. But that was—
Kash’s thoughts died a swift death. A bright light lit his ceiling from outside, and a shadow crossed. Kash was out of bed in a flash. Like a total dumbass, he hadn’t secured a weapon yet. He thought it could wait until morning. Now he saw how wrong he had been. He jetted down the hall.
Ledger was right behind him. “What’s happened?”
Kash didn’t look back. He needed every ounce of focus to keep Ledger safe.
“There’s someone outside. Go to your room, lock the door, and don’t turn your back on the window.
If you’ve got a gun, get it now.” Kash didn’t bother looking to see if he had been obeyed.
He yanked open the first door he came to that led him outside.
His eyes were already adjusted to the dark.
The floodlights were on, but Kash’s gaze swept the area they missed.
Someone was there. Kash felt them. The last wisps of clothing turned the corner, as if someone darted out of sight.
He ran after them. Sharp rocks dug into his bare feet.
He stubbed his toe on something that was part of the landscaping.
Fuck, he really needed a better look at the place.
In his defense, he hadn’t thought anyone could hurt Ledger.
As the dark shadow came into sight, Kash dove, tackling the trespasser and taking them to the ground.
“Holy shit! What the fuck?”
Wait, Kash recognized that aggravated voice. He flipped the man beneath him. It was Valon. He smelled as if he had bathed in liquor, and he looked exactly how Kash’s mother had looked every time she disappeared inside a bottle.
“Kash? Why are you on top of me? Not that I’m complaining, but I’ll probably feel that in the morning.” He was beyond calm. Valon sounded bored.
Kash stood, pulling Valon to his feet with him. “Why are you lurking around outside? Where are your guards?”
Valon swiped at his clothing and didn’t meet Kash’s eyes. “They quit, and I’m here to crash. I forgot the front door doesn’t have a delay. When I remembered, I circled the house to come in through the garage.”
The alarm hadn’t gone off when Kash yanked it open. Why? He had seen Ledger arm the system. Kash focused on what he could. “How did you even get here?”
Valon headed for the garage without looking to see if Kash followed. “My manager.” He headed inside, basically ignoring Kash from that point. Valon moved down the hall and went inside the first room he came to. The door closed with a snap behind him.
Kash rolled his eyes and closed all the doors left open. He set the alarm before lightly knocking on Ledger’s bedroom door.
“All clear.”
Ledger opened the door. He didn’t look scared, only worried. “Everything good?”
Kash almost hated to tell him. “Yeah. It was Valon, stumbling around drunk as fuck and trying to find a way inside.”
Ledger blinked. “Valon is here?”
Kash nodded. “First room on the left down the second hallway.”
Ledger didn’t look happy or relieved. His every mannerism screamed he was divided. Ledger shifted from one foot to the other.
Kash fought for his life to stop himself from dropping his gaze to Ledger’s bare chest. They were the same height. He couldn’t check out Ledger’s body without Ledger noticing, but wow. No wonder Ledger had the world in an uproar.
“I’ll let him sleep it off.”
Kash had forgotten what they talked about.
“At least he’s here and not dead in a back alley somewhere.”
Oh, yeah. Valon. He was Ledger’s son. Ledger was old enough to be his father. Damn, he didn’t look it. Kash nodded along with everything Ledger said. Valon was long forgotten.
After a moment, silence penetrated his thoughts. Kash realized they stood in the doorway and stared at each other. Someone needed to break the heaviness that grew in the air.
Kash cleared his throat. “I guess I should get back to bed and let you get some sleep.”
Ledger took a step back. “Yeah, you need to rest too. You’ve had a long day.”
Kash got his first decent look at Ledger’s bedroom.
It looked cozy yet manly. His gaze moved to Ledger’s soft-looking bed.
It was high and covered with thick blankets.
The room was freezing, and a book sat on the bed.
It was in Kash’s nature to be observant.
Keeping his eyes and feet moving kept him alive.
He took a step back. “Goodnight, Ledger.” Saying his name was totally unnecessary.
The name simply rolled from his tongue, sounding like a loving caress.
Kash had to walk away. He wasn’t above fucking his ex’s dad.
His moral compass stopped working a long time ago.
He couldn’t disrespect Ledger, though. Ledger was special. Kash wouldn’t forget that.
Ledger stared at his closed bedroom door, seeing nothing.
The way Kash said his name still rang in his ears.
There was something sitting on his chest. Sadness like he hadn’t felt in years engulfed him.
He turned. His empty bed waited for him.
Ledger’s gaze skipped away from the depressing sight.
He faced the door again. Maybe he should grab an entire bottle of wine and send himself into oblivion—as his son had done.
Ledger’s feet didn’t budge. The way Kash’s mom had always done.
He didn’t want to become that person. But Ledger couldn’t make his feet move toward the bed.
His throat swelled. He felt emptier than he had in years.
Any second, his heart would stop from the pressure closing in on him.
His vision darkened at the edges. The door flew open.
Kash stood in the open doorway, looking furious. “Well, now I can’t fucking sleep.” He grabbed Ledger’s hand and towed him toward the bed. “It’s time for bed. If I can’t stay here, and see for myself you’re fine, I’ll never get any goddamn rest.”