Page 13 of Aftermath

"Did—did you—" Cam gulped and clenched his teeth. "Did you want me to try—back when—" Fucking hell, he couldn’t go on. He was too tense. Releasing a shuddering breath, he tried anyway. "You gave me a look right before Psycho t-took me upstairs."

He noticed it was easier when he focused on Austin instead, not his breathing. It felt good—the hand slowly stroking the exposed skin of his back.

"Did that mean you wanted me to go for it even though he'd threatened to k-kill you?"

Austin was quiet for at least a whole minute—thinking back, Cam guessed—and he was thankful Austin didn’t stop touching him. It was fucking insane how soothing it was.

It was also oddly sensual, though he was willing to bet that wasn’t intentional.

Cam was gonna have to be even more careful. He trusted Austin unequivocally, felt safe with him, and was undoubtedly attracted to him. Combined with the history they shared, the attachment Cam felt was powerful.

"At the time, probably," Austin admitted eventually. "I expected you to do whatever you could to save yourself."

"Shitty fuckin' answer," Cam grunted. "I'm not that selfish."

"I know. Come on, buddy." Austin gently pushed Cam back against the bed. Alcohol forgotten. "Keep going. You lived through the next part; you can talk about it, too."

The small room was so different from everything in the basement. This reminded Cam of a cabin. The walls consisted of thick, wooden boards, and they looked like they'd been around for at least a goddamn century. He guessed there had been a window once, too, judging by the wall across the room that had an area covered with newer-looking boards, and even more patches of cement.

It would take hours to break free.

"Sit down," Psycho grunted.

Cam eyed the small wooden table in the middle of the room. Two chairs. In a corner, there was a metal cabinet. In another, there was a hook in the ceiling and chains hanging from it.

"I don’t have all day." Psycho pressed the gun to Cam's back, sending him forward. "Let's get this over with, cousin."

Cam looked at him strangely.Cousin?What the fuck was wrong with this dude?

"I said sit down, Evan!" Psycho shouted, suddenly furious.

When there was a gun aimed at his head, Cam gritted his teeth and walked over to the table and slumped down in one of the chairs. The room was hot, even hotter than the basement, and he cursed the fucking coveralls he was in. The top had been pushed down when he'd gotten here initially, and the arms of the durable fabric were now tied around his waist, leaving only a smudgy white T-shirt on his upper body, but his legs? Fucking hell, it was like no air reached him under the uniform.

"Okay, let's talk about how you've contributed to ruining my life," Psycho said, coming up behind Cam. And without another word, he pistol-whipped Cam in the back of his head.

6

Austin knew better than to turn off the lights in the living room; Cam had made it perfectly clear that the lights were important. But he did get up to quickly adjust the spotlights overhead, dimming the brightness so it was less likely he would get a headache from them. Then he returned to the bed and listened as Cam told him how the kidnapper had beaten him senseless.

In the meantime, Austin did whatever he could to make Cam comfortable. By now, they were both on the bed, completely sprawled out along the length of the queen-sized mattress, and Cam was using Austin's arm as a pillow.

"He k-kept shouting how I had ruined his l-life," Cam muttered with his eyes closed. "I tried to resist, but I couldn’t f-fucking move."

Austin squeezed his eyes shut, remembering how he'd waited for Cam to be returned to their cell.

"Come on." Austin's knee bounced. His eyes were fixed on the door. "Come on, Cam."

It had to have been hours later Austin heard the door to the basement open again. What followed was the sound of someone falling down the stairs, which alarmed him. Clenching his fists behind his back, he flinched when the metal of the cuffs dug into his wrists, but he was too furious to give a rat's ass. All he wanted was one round with that madman, and then they'd see who was boss.

The door to their cage soon opened, and Austin found himself staring at Cam's lifeless body on the floor just outside the cell. If it wasn’t for the shallow, rapid breaths he heard, he'd think Cam was dead.

Austin's spine turned to ice.

"Take him," Mr. Whoever-the-hell spat out, pointing his gun at Austin. In his free hand, there was what looked like a medical kit. "Take him and clean him up. I have no further use for him. Yet."

"A bit hard to help him if I can't use my hands," Austin bit out, sneering.

"Beat him!" someone down the hall screamed. Victor. "Beat him and take his keys!"

---