“It would have been fun.” And I meant it. He and I had engaged in a hot one-nighter after medical school graduation. Then we hadn’t talked until… Well, until we’d run into each other at the coffee shop by my office several weeks ago.
“I do owe you a meal, though,” Oliver said.
“I suppose—” My phone interrupted me. I pulled it out of my purse. Talon.
Talon would never call me unless it was important.
“I’m sorry. I have to take this.”
Oliver nodded.
“Talon?” I said into the phone.
“Doc, are you still in the city?”
“Yeah. Just finished at the doctor’s. What’s up?”
“I need to see you.”
* * *
Talon sat in my office. I’d opened it up for him, even though I technically wasn’t supposed to. I’d said a quick good-bye to Oliver, promising to call him.
But I wouldn’t call him. I knew that.
“It was a weird sensation,” Talon was saying. “Actually seeing the face of one of the men who… God, it’s still so hard to form the words. Who raped me, Doc. One of the men who raped me.”
“What do you mean by ‘weird?’” I asked.
“I wasn’t frightened, exactly. I just kind of froze.”
“Sounds like a completely normal reaction.”
“I really thought I was ready to face him.”
“And you did.”
“But I ran away like a little pussy. Just like they always called me back then.”
“Look, don’t let the head games they played with you when you were a little boy affect you now. I know it’s hard, but you’re a strong, capable man now, Talon. You know that. Larry Wade can’t hurt you anymore. Neither can the other two.”
“Well, they can. They haven’t been caught yet.”
“No, they can’t. You won’t let them.”
“Just when everything was going so great. Jade and I are getting married. I thought I was ready. I really thought I was.”
“You were ready. You just didn’t stay long. Please don’t beat yourself up about this, Talon. You’ve come so far. Facing an attacker is not an easy thing for anyone, even someone as strong as you are.”
“I don’t feel very strong at the moment.”
I smiled. “Of course you are. Look how far you’ve come.”
He shook his head. “But I’m not. Not compared to Joe. He has stared down the barrel of a gun twice now. I swear he could look into the eyes of a lion attacking him and keep his cool.”
“Jonah is an amazing man. You won’t get me to disagree with that. But Talon, you’re just as amazing. Remember, your brother didn’t go through what you went through at these men’s hands.”
“He went through it in his own way.”