“What?” Dex had Cael in his arms in seconds. He ran a hand over Cael’s hair and looked him over. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” He put his thumb to Cael’s lip and the small cut left behind from Fuller’s slap. “That motherfucker! He did this, didn’t he?”
Dex released Cael and started pacing. Ash had never seen him so livid.
“I’m going to find that asshole and put the fear of God in him. The fucking nerve of that prick showing up and—”
“Dex, I’m fine.” Cael took hold of his brother’s shoulders to stop him from pacing. “Ash was there. He broke Fuller’s nose. That’s the blood you saw.”
Dex turned to Ash and gave him a nod in thanks before turning back to Cael. “How are you, really?”
Ash caught Sloane’s eye and motioned over to the balcony. He grabbed his coat and slipped into it, letting Cael know he was stepping out with Sloane so he and his brother could talk. After sliding the door closed behind Sloane, Ash walked to the handrail and leaned against it.
“Who’s Fuller?” Sloane asked, joining him. “And why did Dex look like he was about to take someone out when Cael said his name?
“Probably because he’s tempted to. Don Fuller is Cael’s ex. A real asshole.” Ash told Sloane as much as he needed to know about the situation without infringing on Cael’s privacy.
Sloane stared at him. “Shit. I had no idea.”
“Yeah. They’ve kept it close to their chest. Guess there’s still a lot we don’t know about the Daley-Maddock family. Maddock told me the day he came to talk to us at Dekatria. He was worried. At the time, I wished he hadn’t told me, but now? Cael had a panic attack.”
“Fuck. It’s probably a good thing Dex wasn’t there. God knows what he would have done to Fuller. What the hell’s he doing back in New York?”
“I don’t know, but I find it pretty fucking convenient that he happened to show up at Dekatria. I ran a check through Themis the moment we were called back on duty to make sure the bastard was still in Carson City and he was. I was supposed to receive a notification if he crossed state lines. How the hell he made it here without Themis picking up on it is bugging me. Either way, I’m not letting that son of a bitch near Cael again. He’s done enough damage.” Ash went quiet for a moment before addressing a different issue. “Are you free sometime this weekend for a chat? Without your shadow.”
Sloane chuckled. “Sure. Anytime.”
“Okay. I’ll call you, see when I can drop by.”
“Everything okay?” Sloane asked worriedly.
Ash wasn’t the most skilled at opening up, but Sloane was his best friend. There was no one he trusted more. Whatever happened in life, he knew Sloane would always have his back, just like he’d have Sloane’s. If he was going to really make a go of this, he wanted to do it right. Also, Sloane had experience in being wrapped around his boyfriend’s finger.
“Yeah, I might need some advice. I’ve, uh, I’ve never been in a committed relationship before.”
Sloane’s jaw went slack, and Ash felt his face burning up. He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “Don’t make a big deal out of it.”
“Like official?”
Ash nodded. “Seeing Fuller hurting him…. My feral half was clawing to get out, to tear Fuller apart for laying a hand on Cael. I had to protect him. It was stupid, letting my fear stop me from being with someone I feel so deeply for. Nothing’s changed, yet everything’s changed.” He sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’m still so fucked-up inside and terrified of being out in the open about it, but at least now I can face that fear with him at my side.”
“Congratulations, man. That’s great.”
Sloane pulled him into a hug, and Ash groaned, pretending to be put off. His friend was so happy for him. Ash could see it in Sloane’s eyes. Like he’d been wanting this for Ash almost as much as Ash had wanted it for himself.
“Thanks.”
Ash peeked through the glass doors to find Cael standing by the broken door with Dex as they talked. Dex looked worried, despite Cael clearly attempting to reassure his big brother. Ash was with Dex on this one. He had no doubt Dex was going to be keeping an eye on his brother. He’d probably look into why Fuller was here. Giving the brothers more time to talk, Ash went back to chatting with Sloane. In the back of his mind, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d be seeing Fuller again real soon.
CAEL WAS exhausted. And now he had a broken door.
“I’m sorry. I’ll replace it.” Dex fiddled with the split frame. Cael supposed he should be grateful his brother was the one who’d kicked at his door and not Sloane. Damn thing would have been torn off its hinges.
As much as Cael wanted to be mad at his big brother for busting his door down, he couldn’t be. Dex had believed Cael was in trouble. He did wish his brother could save the day with a little less property damage involved. It drove their dad just as crazy.
“It’s okay,” Cael said, fastening the bottom deadlock. Luckily he never used that one, or the chain lock. “You still need to fix it, though.”
“I’ll get someone over tonight.”
“Dex, it’s—” Cael checked his watch. “—one in the morning. On New Year’s Day. Unless you intend to hand over your first born as payment, it can wait.”