Page 44 of The Broker

He wanted to protect the boy from any and all possible threats to his life and safety.

Isaac placed a hand on Jared’s forearm as if sensing his discomfort and turmoil.

How does he do that?Just the feel of Isaac’s skin upon his somehow calmed his nerves and made him feel relaxed and in control.

Jared couldn’t believe it.

“That was when I ran off and began living on the streets. It was about two years before Matteo found me.”

Two years? The guy had just been a kid at that time. How on earth did he survive?

Then an evil voice from the depths of his mind whispered to him—telling him all the ways in which a vulnerable, young man could make money to survive… especially on the streets.

Jared’s jaw tightened.

The thought of this happy-go-lucky Irish boy starving on the streets, huddling under bridges, and barely having enough food to eat made Jared want to beat some faces in.

Slowly, Isaac turned in his arms.

Staring into the boy’s saddened green eyes, Jared wanted nothing more than to take away all of his pain and suffering. Shield him from the world and build him a safe nest in which they both could live.

Gently, he caressed the cool, smooth cheek of the annoying skater boy he had come to care for.Fuck… the boy was such a pain in the ass, yet somehow, seeing him like this—so raw, so vulnerable—he couldn’t help but feel for the man.

“I’m so sorry, Isaac,” Jared whispered before nuzzling his nose into Isaac’s neck.

He hoped that his warm embrace and gentle, soft words would provide some sort of comfort to the boy. Let him know that he wasn’t alone in this world. That he always had a friend in his corner, someone always willing to stand with him and fight beside him.

Isaac shifted in his arms once again and took a deep breath as he stared out into the darkness.

“So, as it turns out, my brother is now out of prison and has become an even greater monster. He’s set up this scam where he kidnaps women, has them raped, then sells their babies off in some sort of sham adoption.”

Isaac’s back was stiff, and his breathing began to sharpen.

“What?” Jared asked, his voice hitched.

The whole thing sounded preposterous. This was the sort of shit you saw in movies or read about in books. It didn’t happen in real life.

Who are you kidding? You know better. You’ve seen the darkness in men’s hearts; you know the atrocities they are capable of. What makes you think that this isn’t possible?That blasted voice spoke deep in the depths of his mind.

“And to make matters even worse, Matteo wants me to go speak to my uncle in prison to find out where my brother is. This way, Chase and his gang of murderous vigilantes can hunt down their asses and kill the fuckers.”

“Wait, I thought it was your brother who was in prison?” Jared asked, trying to follow along with the family tree.

“He was. Uncle Jed got arrested shortly after I came to live here. If you ask me, I’m pretty sure that Matteo is the reason he was thrown in jail and still continues to rot in there.”

Jared was furious. He spun Isaac around a bit more forcefully than intended and glared at him.

Was he insane?

“What?No.No way! You’re not going to see the man who tried to sell you to his friends.” Jared was seeing red. He couldn’t believe that Matteo would ask Isaac to do such a thing. What was wrong with the man? “No. I’m going to go speak with M. Why the fuck would he ask you to do such a thing?”

Isaac tightened his grip on Jared’s arm and held him in place.

“I agreed to do it.”

“What? Why?”

“Because I need to rescue those women and make sure that nothing like that ever happens again.”

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