Page 9 of Sex and Suspicion

Aidan and Barlow followed the man called Derek through the compound, passing neatly manicured lawns and well-maintained homes. There was nothing out of the ordinary that Aidan could see, but still, the place left him feeling off and wary.

They had just reached the main house, which Derek called the Pack House when Aidan's phone went off. When he checked it, he saw that it was a text message from Jake. That was too convenient to be credible. He glanced over at Barlow. “Jake just sent me a text telling me he spent the night at a friend’sand that he’s okay.” Barlow’s expression told him that he didn’t believe it either.

“What friend?” He shot back a text to Jake and waited. The response came quickly.

“I met him on the beach last night.”

“Are you in the main house of that sketchy cult?”

"It's okay, I'm okay." Aidan passed his phone to Barlow, who read through the exchange and maintained his skepticism. They climbed the stairs to the broad and expansive porch, and Derek paused at the door and turned around to regard them with a blank expression. He just stood there saying nothing. The moment was heavily charged. Even the air seemed to snap between them.

“I’m not leaving here until I see him.” Aidan made his stance very clear. “I know he's here, and no convenient text messages will make me believe that all is well and fine in his world," Aidan spoke, holding Derek’s gaze and matching the weight of it with all the pent-up anger he felt at being lied to and distracted. “Bring him to me, or I will do everything in my power to fuck you up. I will not stop, and I will not falter, and I will spend every hour of every day coming for you in every way possible.”

Derek stepped forward, coming within inches of Aidan, but Aidan held his ground. Everything he said was true. He would do whatever he had to in order to keep his brother safe, and no fucking cult was going to stop him. Barlow stood next to him in full support but let Aidan do the talking. “You’re a scary guy, Derek, but I'm too fucking mad to care, so keep that in mind as you practice your intimidation on me.”

“I’m beyond practice.” He gave a terrible laugh and then continued. “You’re brave for a mere human," Derek statedwithout emotion, still looking like he couldn't care less about them or the situation. He opened the door, and standing there was Henrik Vaughn, the leader of this group. His presence caught Aidan by surprise, and the fact that he was dealing with them told Aidan that his fears were on point, and his concern for Jake skyrocketed.

He asked to speak with Barlow or, rather, Deputy Katz, and they moved further into the large entryway, leaving him with Derek by the door. Derek kept his eyes on him, but gradually, the hatred abated, and his expression, although unreadable, seemed softer.

Aidan was tying himself in knots as he stood there and waited. They had Jake, and they were still jerking them around, and Aidan felt an unbearable helplessness begin to take him.

“Be careful.” Derek’s words were sharp yet kind. It was a warning that he did not have to give. Even so, Aidan found it all irritating beyond endurance. The seconds ticked by, and Jake was not there. The feeling that he had to get to him was building to an explosion. He turned and looked at Derek, piercing his gaze with his own, holding that darkness and not cowering. He would never cower to these people.

“I am well beyond the point of caring." He said, as ice cold as the man before him. Aidan slowly swung his gaze around the area, taking in the grand entrance and the wide staircase before him off to the right and the rooms that connected.

It was a massive home with so many places for them to be holding Jake, but he would destroy it all to find him. He felt Derek take a step closer to him, probably feeling the anger and agitation burning off him. Then he just lost it; probably not the best idea or the sharpest move, but it was all he had, and he was going to go with it.

“Where is Jake?” He shouted at the top of his lungs and ran for the staircase. “Where is my brother? What the fuck have you done with him?” He dodged Derek when he tried to grab him by the arm, dropped to his knees, and then quickly jumped back to his feet.

People were rushing him, and hordes of men appeared out of nowhere. Barlow was trying to do his job to block and also de-escalate, but suddenly, all was lost, and everyone came undone. Tense restraint and suspicious glances erupted into chaos.

Aidan didn't know where he was going, but he had to find Jake. He fought and scrambled to get away and get into the heart of the house, but they were too much, and they were too many.

Jake felt the upset in his core and knew that there was trouble. Hayes had ordered lunch delivered to their room, and they had just sat down to eat when the flood of emotion overcame him. "I think it's Aidan." He jumped up and ran to the door, but Hayes stopped him with a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“I feel it, too. Trouble downstairs, but let me go, and you stay here. This is my job, so just let me do it. It might be serious, and I don't want you getting hurt." Hayes forced him back and then headed for the door himself, but Jake would not be deterred.

“It’s Aidan, I know it's Aidan. I can feel him. I should have called him.” He tried to push past Hayes but was thwarted with each try. "Please, I have to go." He shouted, and Hayes reluctantly relented. Jake hated arguing, but he had to find Aidan. Whatever was going on, it was his fault. He was so caught up in his new lover he’d forgotten about his brother.

"Stay behind me, and if I tell you to go, promise me you will go back to the room and wait for me to come for you. This could be bad and violent, and you are not physically capable of taking on shifters. Promise you will listen to me." Hayes was adamant, and Jake understood his fear.

“I promise to do as you say.”

“Okay.” Hayes headed for the door with Jake right behind him. Jake knew it was not ideal for Hayes to have to do his job protecting this place and also look out for his safety, but Jake could not ignore the panic he was feeling. Aidan was near, and he was in trouble.

Hayes moved swiftly through the house with Jake tucked behind him. The disturbance was coming from the front of the house, and it sounded wild but odd. The minute he made it to the staircase and saw the fight down below he knew that it involved humans. The Alpha, Derek, and others were trying to restrain the two humans without harming them. But the humans were not giving in.

He recognized Deputy Katz and assumed the other was Jake's brother Aidan. Jake tried to push past him to get to Aidan, but again, Hayes stopped him. "Don't get in the middle of that," Hayes ordered.

"That's Aidan. They need to leave him alone." Jake cried out to his brother. "Aidan! Aidan! Stop. I'm okay. They aren't hurting me. Please stop." Aidan looked up at Jake and tried to break for the stairs, and one of the guards, without thinking, shifted into his wolf and leaped at Aidan. Derek intervened and took Aidan to the floor, pressing him hard into the marble tile while the wolf quickly disappeared.

The others incapacitated the deputy, who had also witnessed the unfortunate shift. Aidan did not stop fighting, and Derek kept tightening his hold. Hayes stepped aside and let Jake run to his brother. Hayes followed, taking in the scene and wondering what was next.

“Take Deputy Katz to the infirmary and hold him there." Alpha Henrik instructed, and two of his enforcers carried him away. The Alpha approached Derek, who was still holding Aidan firmly face down on the floor, but Aidan was still attempting to fight. Jake fell to his knees next to Aidan and began a long apology for not informing him and not answering his calls.

"I met someone, Aidan, and oh my God, he is amazing. I forgot all about everything. His name is Hayes Castian, and I know you’ll like him. He works security for the Bay Harbor community.” Aidan took a breath and finally stopped fighting Derek. He looked over at his brother and then up at Hayes, who was standing by his side.

"Is that Hayes?" He asked, and Jake confirmed.

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