He picked up the pace of his walk. But he wasn’t a block away from the police station when a man stepped out from between buildings and blocked Ren’s path.
Ren pulled up like a horse getting its reins yanked, an automatic reaction, but when his brain registered the face in front of him, everything went still inside him.
The man was older, more lines around his eyes, and his hair was deep brown instead of blond, but the pale blue eyes were as familiar as ever. Gordon’s mouth spread into a smile. “Hello, Renny.”
Just the sound of the old pet name was enough to snap Ren out of his frozen state. He’d had nightmares where that word was whispered into his ear. His fists balled, his body ready to fight off the threat before his brain even registered everything. But he couldn’t make words come out of his mouth.
“I see everything went smoothly at the jail,” Gordon said conversationally. “Idiot cops. They had no evidence to hold you. You didn’t give the girl the drink. I’m sure I did a better job than your overpriced lawyer would’ve.”
Ren swallowed, reality crashing over him. “You posted bail.”
“You’re welcome.” He cocked his head in that way he used to do when he wanted Ren to fetch something for him. “You can thank me by taking a drive with me. We have a lot to catch up on.”
The easy way he said it, the absolute confidence, made black, bitter hatred well up in Ren. This was the man who had used him, who had convinced him that he loved him, then loaned him out like he was a commodity to be rented. And now this left no doubt. This was the man who had put Hayes behind bars for what Ren could only figure was some twisted punishment of Ren. “So all this time it was you. You sick fuck.”
Gordon smirked and straightened his suit coat, ever the polished businessman. “Sick, huh? I believe that’s what you used to love best about me. Or have you forgotten?”
Ren fought to keep his cool. He wanted to punch the fucker to the ground, beat him until he was broken, put him through some of the shit Ren had endured from him. Ren was bigger than he was now, much more muscular than he’d been at sixteen. He could take him down. But he kept his fists at his sides. This was the man who had put Hayes in prison, but right now, he was also the only one who could get him out. The police station was a block back. A few words from Gordon could clear Hayes’s name. If he knocked Gordon out, that wouldn’t happen. “I haven’t forgotten anything.”
Gordon smiled like that pleased him. “Glad to know it was as memorable for you as it was for me. I hate that it turned out the way it did. A lot of misunderstandings, and your big friend got in the way of me apologizing to you for how things went down. I got a little carried away back then. Love does crazy things to people.”
Ren gritted his teeth. “That wasn’t love, Gordon. You don’t manipulate and force the people you love to do things against their will. You don’t fuck with their lives after they leave you.”
Gordon frowned. “You were too naive back then, didn’t understand what I was trying to do for you. I see that now. I threw you into the deep end before you were ready. That was my mistake. And when you left, it left you vulnerable to be manipulated by someone like Hayes Fox. You always needed someone to take care of you, and he knew how to take advantage.”
Now Ren really did have to breathe through the need to start swinging at him. “Keep his name out of your mouth. If you have a problem with me, fine. Here I am. But you’re going to go into that police station first and tell them you made a mistaken report. Clear Hayes.”
A black Buick pulled up to the curb next to them. Gordon glanced that way and then gave Ren a patient smile, like he was tolerating Ren’s outburst. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. But we can chat more in the car.”
“Fuck you. I’m not going anywhere. We’ve got nothing to say that we can’t say right here.”
Gordon tucked his hands in his pockets like they were just two men on the street discussing the weather. “All those years ago you didn’t just embarrass me and bring the police sniffing around, Ren. You hurt me. I had looked a long time for someone like you, someone who was so perfectly made for submission. You promised me you’d stay with me forever, you gave yourself to me, and then you walked. You walked to be someone’s sidekick, someone’s project. What the fuck is that? You’re more than that. I would’ve made you more than that.”
Ren stared at him, the layers of crazy just too much to take in. “I was a kid. And confused and lonely. You sold me a bill of goods that wasn’t true and then threatened me when I wanted to leave. That’s not love, asshole. It’s abuse.”
Gordon’s gaze slid to a spot behind Ren, probably people coming close enough to hear the conversation. “Get in the car.”
“You have zero chance of that happening.”
Gordon’s expression smoothed and his eyes went flinty. “You’ll do it because if you don’t, not only is your boyfriend going to rot in jail, your latest plaything is going to have a very bad day. I wonder how much Rohypnol is too much in a week.”
Ren’s stomach clenched. “What?”
“I was hoping you’d come willingly. Be a man about it. But I had a feeling you’d be difficult. I realize the girl is a passing whim. You never stay with women long. Probably because the dom act is such a laughable farce on you. But I doubt you’d want her hurt just because you don’t know how to take responsibility for your mistakes.”
Fear like Ren had never felt before filled him—bright, sharp stabs of it. Gordon had Cora.
Visions of Gordon’s hands on her, hurting her, holding her down, filled Ren’s head and he wanted to vomit. He’d seen what Gordon could do to people, had experienced it. The man used BDSM as a front but he was no dominant. He was just a cruel, controlling man hiding his sickness beneath the veneer of kink. Ren had found that out the hard way when Gordon had started pushing lines Ren wasn’t comfortable with. There were no safe words with him. And he didn’t care if consent was there or not. He would hurt Cora and not flinch, especially if he knew it was hurting Ren at the same time.
Ren swallowed past the tightness in his throat, searching for that calm place inside him, that piece that could shut out the emotions and deal with this. If Gordon had Cora, Ren would go with him. He would do whatever it took to get to her. “What do you want from me? What could you possibly want to go through all this trouble?”
Gordon reached out and opened the car door. “You. One more night. A proper good-bye.”
Bile rose in the back of Ren’s throat. A proper good-bye. Such a civil term for what he suspected Gordon really wanted. Ren’s utter and merciless humiliation. A final punishment for walking away. Proof to Gordon that he was still in charge, that Ren never had any power. He would try to break him.
Fuck him. Anger bright and blinding rose up in him. Gordon knew what Ren’s answer would be, knew h
e wasn’t going to let Cora suffer. The smile on his face said as much—I’ve already won, Renny. Don’t bother arguing. But let Gordon try to get into his head, let him try to play those games. The smug bastard looked so sure of himself, so positive that he could take his place over Ren again, pull his strings like a puppet and make him beg. But he didn’t know this Ren Muroya. He knew a shadow of the person he was now. Ren wasn’t that kid anymore. Let Gordon try. Ren would not be broken. He would fight.