30. Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty
E zra bolted straight for the back door.
There were no coincidences when it came to Rick. He’d learned that a long time ago.
His heart hammered so hard it was all he heard. He didn’t stop but slammed the door open and burst out into the alley where he and Sloan had fucked.
Sloan was in the alley.
Except he was pressed up against the wall, with Rick looming over him, crowding in his space. And Ezra recognized Sloan’s locked shoulders. The terror in his widened eyes. The helpless dangle of his arms.
Fuck. No.
His body had frozen too many times, flinched whenever Rick rolled around with his friends. The way he’d curled like a pillbug when his brother lobbed kicks at him. The pain, the never-ending fucking pain this monster had inflicted.
And he’d done the same to Sloan. One of the men he fucking loved .
Red hazed over his vision, and he surged forward.
“Get the fuck off him.” The words erupted from him in a feral roar as he hurtled toward his brother.
Ezra had enough.
Enough of the gaslighting.
Enough of Rick’s comments, sneers, threats.
Enough of Rick’s abuse.
Ezra closed in on him and drew his fist back.
Then it flew forward. The blow landed square on Rick’s jaw with a crack that echoed through the alley. Rick’s head whipped to the side, and he swayed off-kilter. Ezra crashed into him, sending them both careening toward the ground.
Someone shouted, but he didn’t look up. His focus was front and center, on the monster who’d haunted his childhood. The brother who’d tormented him every damn chance he got.
Words wouldn’t work.
Reason wouldn’t work.
He crouched over his brother, his heart thrumming in time with his fists flying.
Rick had tormented him his entire life, but seeing him crowd Sloan? Something in him snapped. A growl ripped past his throat. He ignored the pain in his knuckles, the wetness splattering on his cheeks, the copper scent rising in his mouth. More shouts sounded in the background, but his body moved on automatic.
Fuck Rick.
Fuck every slur, every beating Ezra had taken.
Never again .
He’d never let this man hurt anyone he loved. Rick would never touch Sloan again.
The wet thunks resounded over and over again, but inside, he screamed. Inside, the kid who never had a voice cried out as loud as damn possible.
A hand clamped down on his shoulder. “Ez, sweetheart. Enough.”
He pulled his hand back, but the touch had caused some of the haze to clear.
His brother lay beneath him, his face was a mangled mess, covered in blood. Ezra had broken his nose and probably his cheekbone. Maybe he should feel remorse, but it didn’t emerge. He doubted it would.
“Meg had a pointed conversation with the rest of the guys, and they left.” Kai remained steady beside him. “Rick’s the only one still here.”
“I’m okay.” Sloan stepped on his other side. “There’s no way Rick will be coming for me now.”
Rick scrambled from under him and pushed up to his feet. “You fucking assaulted me. I’ll get you locked up.”
Ezra’s fists ached something fierce. His heart clenched. Of course the one time his brother got a taste of his own medicine, he made more threats.
“How will you get him locked up?” Meg asked, her voice steel. “Because I sure as hell didn’t see anything. Ezra was inside helping with the public open house this entire time.”
“That’s right.” Parker joined Meg. “We didn’t see a damn thing.”
Ezra’s heart thundered. Parker, Fin, and James had arrived on the scene as backup.
James shook his head. “Nah, you must’ve tripped and fallen into that wall a few times. ”
“Man, you better work on your coordination,” Fin taunted. “Ezra’s been inside the whole time. We saw nothing.”
When he was young, all he’d wanted was for someone to see. He’d been smaller than Rick, and Rick was older and outsmarted him again and again. Beating him up in private or out of sight of adults. When Ezra had brought it up to Mom and Dad, Rick had gaslighted him, claiming someone else had hurt him, that Ezra had tripped. That he was being overdramatic. Mom and Dad had waved them away, telling them to sort out the problem themselves.
His eyes stung.
And too many times when he’d curled up on the ground, he’d wished—prayed—for someone to stick up for him.
For someone bigger to step in and protect him.
It had never happened. So he’d vowed to protect himself. To protect others who couldn’t defend themselves.
Except here and now, the crew at Whipped stood up for him. They were protecting him, making sure his brother couldn’t inflict any more damage than he already had.
For the first time in his life, true hope pierced through his walls. Maybe, just maybe, Meg might be able to get his brother locked away.
Meg lifted her chin. “If you ever come after Rachel, Ezra, or Sloan again, I will make your life hell.” Her voice held a terrifying tone he’d never heard before. “I have resources you couldn’t dream of, connections that will bury you so fast you won’t be able to gasp for breath. You’re going to leave. Now. And you’ll never come back.”
Ezra clenched his jaw, his chest aching. Seeing everyone gathered out here, not just to protect Sloan but him as well…fuck. He’d given up hope .
Ezra stepped forward. “And if you try to touch either of my partners, the beating you got today is just the beginning. I’m not a kid anymore, Rick. And I’m sure as fuck in better shape than you.”
Rick frowned, but for once, he didn’t have some parting shot to levy at them. He clutched at his nose, which was bleeding faster. Red drops spattered on the pavement. He looked at Ezra, then the people behind him, the support he’d found.
And with that, he turned around and bolted.
Ezra’s breath caught in his throat until his brother disappeared around the corner.
“All right, folks, let’s hustle inside.” Meg directed everyone toward the door. “Staying out here only invites trouble.” She pointed to Ezra. “And you need to go wash those hands off and bandage them. We’ve got a first aid kit in the dungeon.”
“I’ll grab it,” Parker volunteered, cracking the door open and disappearing inside.
James and Fin slipped in next.
Meg placed a hand on Ezra’s shoulder. “I can’t guarantee outside my space, but you’ll always be safe here.”
His heart thundered. “I can see that now. Thank you.” The words weighed heavily on his soul, a gratefulness he didn’t know how to navigate. The way this crew had stood up for him was beyond anything he could’ve imagined.
“You both take care of him,” Meg said to Sloan and Kai. “And then clear out and go home. You’ve weathered enough tonight.” She pressed a kiss on Sloan’s forehead. “That bastard will never touch you again.”
Sloan’s eyes grew glossy, and Ezra’s heart lurched. Because he understood the feeling too well—the sheer relief after living under the pressure of fear for so long.
Meg walked inside, and Kai held the door and beckoned them forward. Sloan slipped in first, and Kai behind Ezra as they sneaked to the offices and side bathroom as quietly as possible. Ezra held his bloodied knuckles behind his back as if he could keep them out of sight.
“Fuck, you’re okay.” Nolan rushed up to Sloan and threw his arms around him. “I was terrified.”
Ezra’s throat tightened. He’d been terrified too.
If they’d been any later…
Fuck, he couldn’t think about that.
“Are you guys all right?” Pixie asked, her blue eyes bright.
Eva gestured at his hands, and she tilted her head. “Brother?”
“Deserved it,” Ezra responded.
Eva nodded, understanding in her gaze.
“What did I miss?” Micah called from the coffee bar, where he was still swamped with newcomers.
“Fin will fill you in,” Sloan said.
“Mmm, pretty sure Parker has that covered.” Micah’s snarky response struck Ezra square in the chest. Something cracked inside him, and a cackle slipped past his lips.
Fuck, he’d gotten the upper hand with Rick.
For the first damn time in his life.
More laughs escaped him, a hysterical edge to them as they just poured out.
“Okay.” Kai grabbed him by the shoulders and steered him toward the side offices. “Time to get my hysterical boyfriend to the bathroom.”
Ezra couldn’t stop laughing, even as Kai and Sloan guided him toward the private bathroom. Sloan’s eyes glittered with amusement while Kai shook his head, a wry grin on his lips .
As he entered and Kai got the water running, the laughs subsided.
“Hey, here’s the first aid kit,” Parker said, leaning in past the door to pass the white kit over to Sloan.
“Thanks, we’ll need it.” Sloan opened it while Kai beckoned Ezra to the water.
Ezra thrust his hands under the water. Shit. The sting stole his breath away. He’d fucked up his hands, but every ounce of pain had been worth getting those swings in on Rick. The water ran red with his blood, with his brother’s—truthfully, it didn’t matter.
Rick had bolted, and while that wasn’t a guarantee he’d be back, this time Ezra believed he’d have backup.
He had support.
“Fuck, I was so scared,” Kai said. Even though he and Sloan still tended to dodge around feelings, Kai was this breath of fresh air that coaxed out their own.
“I saw him there and just reacted,” Ezra said. The bleeding slowed down, so he drew his hands from the water.
“I’m grateful you did.” Sloan’s voice was low and serious. He gently took Ezra’s hands and patted the skin around the split-open wounds dry. Then he applied the Neosporin from the kit and Band-Aids across the individual wounds. Ezra let Sloan take care of him, sensing he needed it. Besides, his nerves buzzed too hot still to handle it himself.
“There we go. All done.” Sloan held on to his hand for a moment longer as if he cradled it, and Ezra’s heart thrummed.
Kai opened the door. “Come on. Let’s go home.”