“No. Absolutely not. There is no way in hell I’m working for Darth Vader.”
“I thought he was Tarzan.”
“Him too,” Hollis huffed. He shook his head. “There is no freaking way I am working for Ward.”
“Well…Lucas always needs—”
“Oh, hell no!” he shouted which had Ian colliding with him as laughter nearly bent him over. “I will find something. I will happily wash your dishes for the rest of my life rather than work for Rowe or Lucas. Ain’t gonna happen.”
Ian’s laughter echoed through the silent woods and Hollis could no longer fight the smile that was tugging at his lips. This…he could definitely get used to this. Holding Ian’s hand, walking, and listening to his laughter as they talked. It was perfect.Chapter 15Ian was pulling out covered leftovers to heat when the phone rang the next afternoon. Everyone in the room froze. Hollis and Noah were at the table and Rowe stood by the sink, washing lettuce for a salad. Ian stared at the cell on the kitchen table, remembering the conversation with Rowe the day before.
“We’re tapped out on guards. Jude has a friend with a PI business and he sent a couple of employees over to Rialto to keep an eye on the place. Your manager is fine.” Rowe handed Ian another phone. “You can use this new disposable one or you can hang on to that one and see if he calls back. He will. The man has got to be seriously pissed now.”
Ian met Rowe’s gaze when it rang again, his friend nodding toward the phone. He walked to it, picked it up, and stared at the unknown number, unable to make himself push the button. He knew in his gut it was Jagger. They’d destroyed the last of his income stream the day before, dismantled the last of his world. Even now, police were combing other mining towns in case White Rock hadn’t been his only one.
Hollis, who was sitting next to him, tugged him into his lap and wrapped strong arms around his waist. Ian met those blue eyes as he finally answered the call.
“You think you’re so smart, don’t you?”
Disgust curled low in his belly and he was so thankful for Hollis’s support, he clasped his arm with his free hand. He hated that voice—hated it so fucking much.
“Cat got your tongue? Or is it that fucking detective? Is he keeping that talented tongue of yours busy these days?”
Jagger’s low chuckle made Ian want to hurl. He tightened his fingers on Hollis’s arm, running his thumb over the hairs, the warm skin. He still didn’t know what to say, so he kept silent and gave himself permission to pull on Banner’s strength.
“What is it about you that inspires men to do crazy things, hmm?” Jagger asked, irritation clipping his tone. “I thought I knew once. I felt it myself. You were such a sweet young thing when your parents sold you to me. Sold. Make no mistake—that’s how you came to me. It makes you no different than any other desired commodity. That was, until you lost your…freshness.”
Ian knew Hollis could hear when his nostrils flared and he tightened his arms.
“You made one of my most trusted enforcers go against me. Guess he couldn’t resist after I gave him a taste in that ghost town. I still remember that night so well. You gave them a merry chase through the schoolhouse and cemetery. They didn’t even care that you were covered in mud from graves. Sacrilege. Even I didn’t find you charming enough for that. You know what surprises me though, Ian? That you remembered.”
He paused and Ian heard the sound of a loud train in the background.
“I started to worry lately that you might remember despite the fact I gave you a lot of drugs that night. You were so out of it, you couldn’t even walk. Do you know how pathetic you looked, crawling away from my men? Crying like a baby. Begging.”
He started to shake and Hollis reached for his chin and turned his face toward him. He stared hard into Ian’s eyes and Ian knew he was trying to ground him into the now. Into today’s reality and not that night…struggling through a cemetery. Warmth filled his chest. He was here. Here and with Hollis who was nothing like the man on the phone. He focused on his blue eyes, his strong jaw, and on the way he held him close and safe.
Ian found his voice. “Fuck you. You’re done, Jagger. They have the places you stashed kids, your records, your drugs. I’m sure all your assets have been seized. Everything you built is gone.”
“Not everything.” He lowered his voice, sounding pensive, as if he still had something up his sleeve. “So what is it about you that would make a cop come after me in such a personal way, huh?”