Don't... 04 Backlash (30 page)

Dare seemed to
think about it. “Yeah, okay. Good compromise.” And he nodded over
at Gabe. Jan moved over to one of the changing rooms, and it took
him only a few minutes before he was out and easing carefully into
the pool. Dare made it into the water a little quicker, but as Jack
came in, Jack jolted the instance Jan hit the water.

Gabe grabbed
Jack’s arm. “He’s okay. Dare’s a good swimmer. So am I.” After
patting at his arm, Gabe moved over to a lounger and slipped his
trainers and socks off. Jack seemed to relax, and Gabe looked a
little more at ease, even adding a slight smile as he watched Dare
in just his boxers.

Dare’s larger
frame cut a little more effortlessly through the water, and a
gentle lap against the edges of the pool came as he made it over to
Jan. Jan wiped water from his face, startled when he looked over
and saw Jack.

There was
almost, almost a
now
I’m home
smile
there that touched his lips, then it faltered into a
sorry
, and
Jan turned away, looking ready to throw up.

“Jack.” Dare
waved him over. “You sure you don’t wanna jump in the water with us
too?”

“Land lubber
here.” Jack came to Trace’s side. “I never actually learned to swim
properly.”

“Really?” Dare
looked sceptical. “I thought everyone had swimming classes in
schools here.”

“If he’d
bothered to go.” Jan started to tread water. “Spent more time
pissed up and fighting outside the school gate until Martin made
a—”

“Stop.” Gabe
eased up from the lounger, legs straddling either side as he caught
Jan’s attention. “I can’t imagine what you’ve been through, Jan.”
Although Trace knew he could. “But this—” His finger went back and
forth between Jan and Jack. “You’re out to hurt when I know that’s
not you. So stop it.”

Jan’s face
couldn’t get much paler, and the extra dampness to his brow came
more from the shivers running his body. Dare reached to him, but
Jan jerked back. “How the hell do you know me, Gabe? We’ve met,
what? Once? Don’t talk to me like a friend. You wouldn’t like the
answer I could give sometimes.”

“Hey, germ
bag.” Dare flicked water at Jan, making it light enough to break
Jan’s stare-down with Gabe. “We’re friends. Relax, okay. Jack’s
looking out for you, too. Take a breather.”

“Yeah,” Jack
murmured. “I’m here for you, soft lad. Might take me a while, but I
get there eventually.”

Trace hadn’t
noticed he’d moved, but Jack now stood over by the window. He
looked outside after a moment, and Jan frowned, went to say
something, then started on a hard length of the pool.

“Hey,
Richards,” Trace called after him. “Not finished talking to you
yet.”

“What?” Giving
a longer look at Jack, Jan came back over as Trace went and
crouched between the lounger Gabe sat on and the pool.

“I need to run
something by you,” said Trace as Dare came over too. Then Jack
caught Trace’s attention. “That goes for you, too, lad in
tights.”

Gabe gave Trace
a raised brow.

“Man
stockings,” said Jack as he came over, bypassing Trace and smacking
at Gabe’s leg in order to get him to shift so he could sit down.
Giving a look at Jan, Gabe pushed Jack over to the next one, more
than suggesting Jack get his own and no doubt calm Jan’s
reaction.

Arms folded on
the edge of the pool to keep himself from slipping back into the
deep end, Jan rested his chin in his hands, saying nothing, but he
didn’t like who Jack was sitting by, even though Gabe had made a
point about keeping distance. The smallest thing became a
knife-edge that hacked into skin when it came to drugs. Gabe no
doubt understood that. Trace didn’t doubt that Jack knew that too;
he’d chosen to sit on the lounger closest to Jan, and was just
friendly enough to share with Gabe. Any other time jealousy
wouldn’t have looked good on a man, but the possession and need to
pull Jack close let Trace know that tonight was needed. Jack also
eased a smile over in Jan’s direction, seeing the same, and Jan
soured a touch.

“Okay.” Jan
startled at the loudness Trace used there as he glanced at his
watch. “Me and Jack were talking. Details to the contract haven’t
been signed yet, but before I look at that, I want to take Jack
down into the hall and get a look at Martin.”

Jan eased away
from the pool edge. “What? You need Gray here for that.”

Trace softened
his tone. “I need to know that Gabe knows Jack’s stresses and
breaking points, and that he can spot Martin when he triggers.”

Jack shifted on
his bench and Gabe threw a towel at him as if asking him to shut
up. Again, Jan didn’t like the contact.

“I need to know
that Gabe knows what to look for, that he can handle Martin during
a scene. That okay with you?”

“The whole
point of you being here was to stop Martin triggering.” Jan’s voice
was so flat, and he hadn’t let Jack’s gaze fall as he’d spoken.

“Craig’s coming
back over,” said Trace and Jan frowned at him, then the worry lines
eased on Jan’s face. Trace doubted it was because of how much he
liked Craig. Craig came with a bag of meds.

“How do you
know Craig?” Jan wiped water off his face. “Was he your contact at
the psych unit to let you know Jack had been released?” That
softness to Jan’s face, it was barely there anymore. “You knew
about Jack stealing Craig’s papers, when Jack was at the MC. Hardly
professional for a psychiatric nurse, is it? If he’s been breaking
confidentiality.”

Did that worry
suggest that Halliday might have known about the drug abuse? That
Jan was worried that information would get out? “I know Craig from
my dealings with the MC.” Trace wanted to put Jan’s mind at ease.
“Craig’s a confidential guy; he wouldn’t breach that.” Trace stood
and stretched out his legs. “But I do know Joe.”

That got
Jack’s attention. “Joe, as in
Seen Joe’s teeth, Jack...
Joe? How the fuck do you know him?” There
was a lot of fondness there at the mention of the old man’s
name.

Trace tapped
the side of his nose. “Spoilers. You don’t get to know them at the
MC.” Joe had been a good friend of Nicholai, still was, and, well,
Nicholai had visited Joe a few times during Jack’s... stay at the
psych unit. Gray’s resignation from the MC had worried more than a
few, and the struggle was there to piece together why.

Jan snorted and
looked away, as though jealous over Joe now. He slipped a hand
through wet hair, drawing it off his brow. “Gray’s not here.”

“Gray will be
here by then. But if you want this to stop, say stop.” That came
off Jack.

“Also, go and
call Gray if you need to, Jan,” Trace said gently. “But in all
honesty, this doesn’t concern you. You can stay here with Dare. You
don’t have to be anywhere near us. In fact, I recommend it. But if
you tell me to stop now, I will. If you need to call Gray and talk
to him, I’ll wait. But I need for Gabe to see and understand how
Martin works. You of all people can appreciate that?”

Just the gentle
lap of water came as the pool fell quiet.

“Jan?” said
Jack in a quiet voice. “Say time out if—”

“Fine. It’s
bloody fine,” Jan snapped quickly, not even looking at Jack.
“It’s... fine.” Some lines eased on his face, but the shakes going
on with his hands threatened to pull him back away from Jack, into
the water. “It’s okay, seriously. Trace is right; Gabe needs to
know he can handle Martin, and—”

Movement back
by the door caught Jan’s attention, and Trace glanced back. Jack
was already up on his feet, making his way over to Craig, as he
pushed on through to the pool area, a case in one hand.

“Back again and
bringing the big guns out this time. Hm?” said Jack, pausing to
eye-up the case with a soft smile.

Craig patted
his shoulder, then flipped him the finger. “Always only need the
one where you’re concerned, mate,” said Craig, re-emphasising the
point by putting it up close and personal in his face. “I get to
tie the other hand behind my back when it comes to taking girls
like you down.”

“Ooh,” said
Jack, sliding up close to Craig’s side. “Tell me, when you take
girls like me down, do you like it?”

Craig
found a sudden blush, and Trace saw all the
I’m straight, stay back
signs there.

“I hate you,
Jack. You know I really haven’t missed your goddamn ass—”

“Note goddamn
sexy ass.”

“I never said
goddamn sexy ass anywhere.”

“There, you
just did.” Jack swung an arm around Craig’s shoulder. “I’m
taken—”

“Yeah, yeah,”
mumbled Craig, “never far enough away, though.”

Jack laughed
and took Craig’s case off him, which Craig took back with a scowl.
“Get your own.”

“I have.
Yours.”

“Christ, bored
with the papers so soon?” said Craig, stopping Trace. “He never
bloody quits.”

Trace offered a
hand over. Craig hadn’t been around since they’d been at the manor.
“Nice to meet you again, Craig. Name’s Trace if you don’t
remember.” He pointed at the lounger. “That’s Gabe Hunter.” Craig
said his hellos. “And Darrek Grealey, Gabe’s partner.”

“Hey,” he said
over to Dare and Gabe, then after shaking Trace’s hand, Craig
crouched down by Jan. “How you doing, bud?”

Jan eased into
a small smile, and relief was back in it. “You soon disappeared.”
His gaze strayed to Craig’s bag, and Trace got a brief look over
from Craig.

“Can’t keep me
away, though,” said Craig back to Jan. “They explained what’s going
to happen?”

He nodded. “And
you’re all right with this? With triggering Martin?”

“No,” said
Craig. “Martin shouldn’t be tapped on the shoulder deliberately.
Ever.” He winced. “But I can understand the reasoning behind it.”
He tapped his bag. “And I come with big friends to help catch the
fallout.”

Again, Jan’s
glance was taken with the bag as a brush came at Trace’s side to
get his attention. Jack stood by him now, looking more than ready
to get this done. “MC should sign Craig up for a Dom course,” Jack
said matter-of-factly, and Trace got a very teasing smile. “He’s
got wicked peace work rates at strapping a guy down.”

“Yeah?” Trace
looked Craig’s muscled form over as the other man got to his feet.
“Any particular preferences on bondage gear?”

“Er, what?”
Craig didn’t know who or what to look at.

“Ah. Vanilla?”
Trace said to Jack.

“Vanilla and
straight,” added Jack.

“Pity.” Trace
was back with Craig. “Although, maybe I know a lady back home who
could push his vanilla side—”

“
Stop,
just stop.” Craig raised his hands and looked ready to pull out a
crucifix, garlic, and Holy
fuck me
Bible as he stood. “I come with a big-ass sedative,
friends, and a military career to make sure I get at least two of
you on the floor before you try something.”

“But he’s open
to the suggestion,” said Jack, looking impressed. “He only
mentioned fighting off two before he’d let us touch. Because
that’s, of course, what we do to every straight guy we see.”

“Oh fuck
you.”

Gabe was busy
trying to bury his laugh where Dare failed to.

“Can you talk
without reducing everything to sexual innuendo?” finished
Craig.

“No,” said Jan.
“It’s always been about Jack cocking his leg up someone’s
lamppost.” He was the only one who wasn’t smiling.

Things fell a
little quiet very quickly and Jack looked away and dug his hands in
his jeans pockets. Jan wouldn’t shift his gaze from Jack and
muscles tensed in his shoulders, looking ready to pull himself up
out the pool. All because Jack wouldn’t bite back and ease Jan’s
own hurt and confusion.

“Drink,” said
Jack. Back with them. “Anyone need a drink before we get
started?”

No one replied
and Trace smiled back at Jack. “Ed’s put some bottles of water in
the hall if needed. Let’s get started.”

“I’m fine
here,” said Jan.

“Yeah.” Dare
flicked some water at him. “Me too, then.” He didn’t let his watch
of Jan fall.

“Gabe will be
in Gray’s study. He’ll hook up some CCTV in there.” Gabe raised a
brow in Trace’s direction.

That confused
Jan. “You don’t work with security cameras.”

Clever man,
thought Trace. “Not usually he doesn’t, no. But I don’t
want him in on the scene, just observing any changes.”

Jan caught on
quickly. “Trust issues. You don’t want negative association on
Jack’s part towards Gabe.”

Trace was
relieved. “Yeah. Trust issue,” he repeated, then glanced at Jack
and Craig. “You guys ready?”

He got some
nods back.

“Then let’s go
do this.”

With help from
Ed, it had taken Gabe half an hour to get the CCTV set up in Gray’s
study earlier in the day. Now he’d left Jan and Dare at the pool.
His obs put him a good distance away from the hall, leaving Jan and
Dare up on the next floor.

The equipment
had been kept light for a specific purpose. Just one camera in the
corner of the hall, Ed making sure it allowed for focus on every
inch of the hall via the dial at Gabe’s fingertips. Another camera
kept a view on the entrance to the hall. The thick wooden double
doors were closed, the lock left off for a purpose. After Gabe had
a final check that the livestream was ready, Ed had left him to it
after bringing a coffee, closing the door behind him. The relief
was there with the old man finding something better to do. Knowing
family was around didn’t feel right. Gabe glanced behind into the
silence of Gray’s study now he’d been left alone. Protective,
though. Maybe it was just that he wasn’t used to having blood
around him.