Page 67 of Beck

He continued to breathe, even as his mind went to Andrew. The man had disappeared for all accounts, but he doubted he’d be gone for long. If they was right, he was the one who had been following Kole all this time, making him feel unsafe and crazy. Ifthat was the case, he doubted Andrew would stay hidden. He’d need to get his fix.

What was it about Kole that had made Andrew target him? He was just a guy. Not that he’d wish this on anyone, but what made him stand out from someone else? He doubted he’d get answers to those questions, especially with him being in the wind.

It took until mid-afternoon the following day for Beck to be released from the hospital. And even then, it was because Beck was constantly complaining about being bored. He was, but he was also putting it on. Every time the doctors or nurses came in, he complained, but then when they left, he winked at me and laughed. He got his way, though.

“Your chariot awaits!” Dallas called when he entered the room, his towering form filling the doorway a couple of hours later. He was their designated driver, as neither had a car with them. Kole supposed he could’ve left Beck there to fetch his car, but he hadn’t wanted to, and Dallas was more than happy to make the journey when he asked.

“Thank god!” Beck said. “What took you so long?” He climbed from the bed and stretched, his shirt exposing his midriff, and Kole couldn’t keep his eyes away until Beck cleared his throat.

“Why, you’reverywelcome that I made my way all across London to bring you home!” Dallas said sarcastically, shaking his head, even as his grin spread.

Beck rolled his eyes, but said, “Thanks, Dallas. I appreciate it.Weappreciate it, as I’m sure the doctors and nurses do, too.”

“Don’t tell me you did the complaining trick?” Dallas asked, folding his arms over his chest.

Grinning, Beck said, “Works every time.”

Kole stood, hands on hips. “And just how many times have you been in this situation to warrant knowing what works and what doesn’t?” He was only jesting, but he was also curious.

“Too many to count and not enough to talk about,” Beck murmured, making Dallas laugh.

“Between all of us, we’ve had our fair share. I’m surprised they’ve not named a wing after us.” Dallas snorted.

“I think the doctor recognised me. At least, he implied he did.” Beck grabbed the shopping bags, but Kole took them from him with a glare.

“Not a chance.”

“I still have one good working hand.” He held it out. “I can take one at least.”

“Nope.” Kole shifted the bags until he could carry them without cutting off his circulation. “Let’s go. The quicker we get out of here, the quicker we get home.”

Kole wasn’t sure which house he was referring to, but he didn’t want to examine that yet. He was happy wherever Beck was, and that included Life in Ink. As far as he was concerned, it didn’t matter the location, just that he was with Beck. Maybe he was too involved with their relationship, especially as he hadn’t planned on being with anyone for a while after what Andrew did to him, but Beck was a force to be reckoned with when it came to Kole’s heart.

He sat in the back of the car—or rather, truck—and listened to Beck and Dallas bantering. It warmed his heart how much they all looked after each other. He didn’t know what Dallas’s story was, but he was sure if he needed to know, he would be told. It didn’t stop the man from being a gentle giant, and he deserved love, just like the rest of the crew. He couldn’t thank Ethan enough for introducing Kole to them.

Kole shook his head absently at the direction of his thoughts. It was interesting the way his brain worked sometimes, but other times, he wished he could quiet it and just…be.

“What…the…fuck?” Dallas breathed, garnering Kole’s attention just before the flashing blue lights did.

He glanced at the man before following where his gaze was and sucked in a gulp of air.

“What the hell!” Beck yelled, opening the car door and scrambling out. Kole followed, racing behind him as he strode for the barrier surrounding the shell that had been Beck’s home. “How did no one tell me about this?” He waved his arm around, grabbing the attention of someone official-looking.

“Mr Cavanagh?” she said.

“Yes.”

“I’m Detective Kirby. I apologise for not getting in contact with you. We tried several numbers, but we couldn’t locate you.”

They obviously hadn’t checked with their own police officers who had Beck’s up-to-date number. Kole almost rolled his eyes.

Beck held up his hand. “I’ve been in hospital.”

She raised her eyebrows. “From this?” she asked, pointing towards the smouldering house.

“No. I didn’t even know about this. It was fine yesterday.”

“We are still trying to determine what caused the fire, but we have reason to believe it was arson.”

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