Page 96 of Missing Piece
Marcus released Vincent, his scowl remaining. “Ease up on that,” he ordered.
Vincent feigned a sigh and muttered, “You used to be fun.” He patted Caleb on the cheek, withdrawing his ability to release the young man from its effects. “Better?”
Vincent immediately focused on Adam as he yanked himself away from Tariq’s grasp and wrapped his arms around himself. Something was wrong; Adam looked like he’d gotten the wrong idea entirely. That flutter in Vincent’s chest turned painful—he’d fucked up, and he knew it.
“Come sit, pet,” Vincent beckoned, realizing too late he’d used the wrong term. His mind was still in performance mode when he needed to be comforting. He turned his attention to Marcus. “Buttercup over here came to me first, I didn’t coerce him or anything.”
Caleb tried to approach Adam, genuine concern etched on his face. “Adam, are you okay?”
“Don’t talk to me!” Adam snapped.
Vincent watched with his mouth agape as Adam paced back and forth, his shoulders jerking with barely contained sobs. The flutter in his chest turned to a painful squeeze, a sickening realization that he had fucked up monumentally. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He had only meant to maintain his reputation, to keep up appearances. Adam knew that, right?
You hurt him,the beast growled, equally distressed.Fix it.
“Adam?” Vincent asked, his voice tinged with desperation.
He looked to Luka, seeking guidance, but his friend’s hands moved swiftly, signing a harsh truth: “You fucking idiot. You hurt his heart.”
Vincent shook his head, the weight of his actions crashingdown on him. “Adam, it wasn’t—”
But before he could finish, Marcus’s hand landed on his shoulder. “Stop while you’re ahead,” he advised, his voice low and serious.
Vincent’s mind raced, trying to find the right words to fix this, to explain himself. But nothing seemed adequate.
Petrov slapped his knee. “We go with pet,” he said as he stood up, buttoning his suit jacket. “You stay and talk business.”
Vincent looked to Marcus, who nodded. “Fine, just stay with him.”
“Tariq, Caleb, I need you guys to go back out there,” Marcus said as he sat down on the couch. He pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head as the twins and Petrov ushered Adam through the silver curtain.
“What about the name?” Caleb implored.
Vincent picked up his champagne flute and swirled the bubbly red liquid solemnly. “Don’t worry, Buttercup, I’ll tell Marcus what you guys need to know,” he said before draining the glass. He fell back into the couch and grabbed the champagne bottle, taking a swig directly from it. The lecture was coming.
Marcus waited until the curtain settled before grabbing the bottle from Vincent. “So is your brain still scrambled from that cult leader, or should I assume you’re just being an asshole? I mean, really…What the fuck?”
“I don’t know—” Vincent began, but Marcus cut him off.
“Don’t give me that bullshit, Bellenger. I asked you to come here so we could talk because apparently we have a mountain of chaos headed ourway—”
“I’m aware.”
“And I know you just went through some shit that you’re not going to tell me about, and it may not show on you, but I can smell the injuries on your pet from a mile away—”
“He’s not a pet!” Vincent snapped, instantly regretting his sharp tone.
“Then why the fuck are you treating him like one in front of everyone?!”
Marcus was right. He had been a colossal asshole to Adam, parading his control in front of Caleb like some kind of prize possession. He was so caught up in maintaining his image, in proving he was still strong, that he hadn’t stopped to consider how his actions might affect Adam.
Vincent buried his face in his hands, struggling with his dual desires for Adam’s happiness and his need to maintain his stature. Marcus knew what he was struggling with, if anyone would understand, it was him.
“Because I was weak! I’ve been weak!” Vincent’s voice broke as he spoke, each word laced with self-loathing. “It took every ounce of strength I had to fight off Richard’s bullshit. Do you have any idea how pathetic I feel? To have to fight that hard to not hold Adam down so that sick fuck could rape him in front of me?”
Marcus’s brow furrowed, his mouth forming a grim line at the revelation, but he remained silent.
“I don’t know how to do this, Marcus. I used to feel strong. I was feared. My reputation kept danger away, and now…if I don’t start making them fear me again, something else could come and try to take Adam away.”
