“There it is,” Laz sneered, and Red narrowed his eyes, most likely at Laz’s tone, but Laz was too hurt to care.

  “The phone call. So you did hear me.”

  “Yes, I heard. I can’t believe you! I poured my heart out to you, Red. I trusted you. I thought you were different. You made me believe I’d finally found the guy for me.”

  “That makes two of us.”

  Laz flinched. “What are you talking about?”

  “I’m sorry you overheard that conversation—”

  “I’ll bet you are.”

  “Let me finish,” Red said through his teeth. “I’m sorry you overheard that conversation and immediately jumped to conclusions.”

  “Oh really? You didn’t say ‘I really need to see you’ or ‘he’s just a friend’?”

  “I did say that. And you took that to mean what? That I was cheating on you and couldn’t wait to get on the phone with my secret lover after a night of making promises to you? That I just had to call them right away with you lying next to me? I can’t believe you would assume the worst of me like that. I’m not Bryan, and I don’t appreciate the comparison. If you were worried, you should have just asked me.”

  Laz scoffed at that. “Like you would have told me the truth.”

  “Yes! I would have. I have done nothing to warrant being branded the cheat you think I am.”

  “Wow, I have to congratulate you on your performance. Maybe I would have believed you if I hadn’t seen you with her!”

  Red’s brows drew together, his frown deep. “What the hell are you talking about? Her? Seen me with who?”

  Laz pulled his phone out of his pocket, found the text, and opened the image before thrusting it at Red. He folded his arms over his chest as Red held the phone, staring at the picture. Laz expected shock or stunned recognition, guilt. He’d expected Red to deny everything, to start pleading it wasn’t what it looked like. A cold shiver went through him when Red did none of those things. Instead, a coldness Laz had never seen in him before came into his eyes, and when he spoke, the iciness in his quiet tone had Laz second-guessing himself.

  “Do you know who this is?”

  “I don’t care.” Laz hated that his voice sounded so unsteady, but he’d never seen this side of Red, and it was a little scary.

  “Well, you should. You should know how royally fucked-up this is. That phone call I made? Seeing this woman? I did that for you. For us.”

  Laz let out a snort. He should have known. “Oh, now I’ve heard everything.”

  “The woman in this photo—which you’re going to tell me how you got in a second by the way—isn’t my lover. She’s my therapist, Laz, and has been for the last ten years.”

  Laz’s arms fell to his sides, and his heart sank to his stomach, the blood draining from his face. It couldn’t be true, could it? When he spoke, his voice was almost a whisper. “What?”

  “This is my therapist, Dr. Alexandria Bradbury.” Red shoved the phone back at him. “I called her because I needed to see her. I’ve been having recurring nightmares and waking up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night. I didn’t wake you up because I was scared it would mess things up between us. I knew I couldn’t keep hiding it from you, so I called her. Her schedule was full, and I wasn’t due to see her for another two weeks, so I begged her to see me. My PTSD is the reason my last relationship fell apart, and I couldn’t bear the thought of that happening with you, so I went to get help.”

  “Oh my God.” Laz put a hand to his mouth, his body shaking involuntarily. Oh God, he’d… he’d fucked up. He’d fucked it all up.

  “I don’t cheat, Laz. If I want to be with someone and they want to be with me, then there’s no one else. You said you thought I was different. Well, I thought you were different too. I understand what Bryan put you through, I do, but you should have talked to me.”

  Laz swallowed hard. “And when were you going to tell me about the nightmares or the call to your therapist?”

  “I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter now, does it, because you didn’t give me that chance.”

  “So it’s okay for you to hide things from me? What happened to trust?”

  “My choosing not to tell you in that moment is not the same thing as assuming the man in my bed that I have been losing my heart to is a cheating asshole because I overheard a few sentences of one half of a phone conversation and received a photo with a cryptic message. Who sent it?”

  “I don’t know. I tried calling the number, but it said it was disconnected.” A multitude of emotions flooded over Laz, the strongest being shame. Red had been suffering, and instead of worrying Laz, he chose to get help, for them, for their relationship. Deep down, he knew Red would have eventually told him, and what had Laz done? Accused him of cheating. Jesus fuck, what the hell was wrong with him?

  “So again, instead of asking, you took some stranger’s word over mine and assumed the worst of me. Whoever sent you that was clearly hoping to get you to doubt me, and you did.”

  Laz swallowed hard. “You’re right. I fucked up royally. That phone call was personal, and you didn’t have to tell me about it. You should have had the chance to tell me when you were ready, and when I received the text, I should have just asked you. I let my emotions and insecurities get the better of me. I’m sorry.”

  “Sorry doesn’t put the genie back in the bottle, Laz. It’s clear you don’t trust me.”

  Fear swept through Laz. Oh God, he’d ruined them. This was it. And why wouldn’t it be? Why would Red forgive him, believing Laz didn’t trust him, knowing what Laz thought of him? “I do trust you. I just got scared, and I’m sorry, please. What are you thinking?”

  “I’m…. I don’t know what I’m thinking. We should—”

  Laz’s phone rang, startling them both. Red let out a heavy sigh, turning away as Laz checked the screen.

  “It’s Mason.”

  “Put it on speaker.”

  Laz did as asked, holding the phone between them. “Mason, hey it’s Laz. I’ve got you on speaker with Red.”

  “Thank Christ. Laz, I need you to come down to the station right away.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “We brought Paolo in for questioning after discovering something shady in his business account, but his wife showed up. Apparently the cat’s out of the bag. Somehow someone informed her that her husband was cheating on her and that he was wanted for questioning by the police. Now she’s down here losing her damn mind and asking for you, saying she needs to see you. Frankly, she’s a little….”

  “Eccentric?”

  Mason let out a snort. “Nuttier than a fruitcake.”

  “We’ll be right there,” Red said.

  Laz hung up and couldn’t even bring himself to look Red in the eye. His heart was breaking all over again, knowing what he’d done. “I’m so sorry, Red,” he said softly. “You deserve better.”

  “Why don’t you let me decide what I deserve,” Red said, sounding frustrated.

  Bracing himself, Laz forced his gaze up, tears stinging the backs of his eyes at the hurt he’d caused a good man. “I’m so sorry, Red. I really am. You were the best thing that ever happened to me, and I’m so sorry I ruined it.”

  With a sigh, Red shook his head. When he moved his gaze to Laz, his expression softened. Laz’s heart leapt in his throat when Red reached out to curl his fingers around a lock of Laz’s hair, his voice rough with emotion when he spoke.

  “You didn’t ruin anything, sweetheart. We both made bad decisions, and we need to have a long conversation about this and why it happened, but it’s not ruined. I promise.”

  Laz was almost afraid to ask. “So, you’re staying?”

  When Red brought Laz into his arms, Laz thought he might die from how good it felt. He wrapped his arms tightly around Red and buried his face against his chest, inhaling deeply. God, how he’d missed Red’s scent, his arms, his warmth.

  “Of course I’m staying. You mean too much to me, Laz. I won’t give you up that easy. We’ll work through this, like we’ll work through every other bump that comes along.” He pulled back and kissed Laz’s brow. “We better go, but we’ll talk when we get back, okay?”

  Laz nodded, feeling some of the heaviness in his heart lift. He pulled back and nodded. “Thank you. For being so good to me.”

  “I’m not perfect, Laz. Neither of us is.” Red lifted Laz’s hand to his lips for a kiss as they walked down the hall together. “We both have baggage and our own demons to fight. We’re going to make mistakes, get pissed at each other, and argue, but one thing we’ll never do is betray each other’s trust. Communication is going to be important for us.”

  “You’re right. I know it’s something I have to work on, and I promise I will.” Laz had no intention of making the same mistakes again. He couldn’t let his insecurities get the better of him. He wouldn’t lose a good man like Red because of his past.

  “I know it’s a little early in our relationship,” Red said somewhat hesitantly, “but Alexa suggested that maybe you come with me to my monthly sessions. She thinks it could help us both.”

  Laz beamed up at him. “I’d like that.”

  The smile he received had Laz’s heart skipping a beat, and he knew he’d made the right decision. He was a little nervous about seeing a therapist, where he would undoubtedly have to talk about his past, but if it meant being able to help Red when he had a setback, or if it helped strengthen their relationship, he was happy to do it.

  Downstairs, Colton and Ace had their heads together, and they were murmuring quietly to each other. When they spotted Laz and Red, they both turned, their expressions filled with hope. Laz was so very blessed to have such amazing people in his life. Maybe they weren’t related by blood, but they were family.

  “Everything good?” Ace asked, looking from Red to Laz and back.

  “We’re working it out, but yeah, we’re good,” Red said with a smile, and the way he looked at Laz had his heart swelling and the butterflies in his stomach going crazy. At least until Red told Ace they were headed to the police station, reminding Laz that Mason had found something. Was it too much to hope for that he’d finally be putting this whole mess behind him? Whatever happened, he wasn’t alone. They’d get through whatever came their way together, and they had a whole family to support them.

  Chapter 12

  It was a goddamn circus.

  Except instead of parading elephants and trapeze artists flying through the air, it was a catty model, a blubbering playboy, a wailing designer, and a snarly detective. If Ace were here, Red was pretty sure he’d find a joke in there somewhere. The second Red and Laz stepped into the precinct and Red spotted Bryan in police custody, he knew all hell was about to break loose, and he wasn’t disappointed. Good God, he could practically hear the cannons in Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” going off as Bryan struggled against the officers holding him as he shrieked at Laz.

  “You spiteful little bitch! I should have known you’d open that big fucking mouth of yours! Because clearly the second it wasn’t stuffed with his big dick you spilled your guts. You’re a fucking slut, Laz! How long after you kicked me out did you wait to give him your ass? Not long I bet.”

  “Screw you, Bryan. You brought this on yourself,” Laz spat out.

  While Bryan and Laz screamed at each other, Paolo was begging his wife for forgiveness, stating he’d been weak, while Elena was screaming and sobbing, her mascara running down her face as she threw whatever she could get her hands on at her husband.

  “How could you, Paolo?” Elena cried. “I gave you everything! I gave you my heart!”

  The two broke off into Italian, and although Red had no idea what they were saying, it was clear Paolo was groveling, and Elena was… well, she was losing her shit.

  “Goddamn it, Williams, get him out of here,” Mason yelled at the officer struggling with Bryan. Another two quickly joined in as Bryan kicked and screamed at the top of his lungs. He was like a hissing, spitting kitten, all ninety pounds of him.

  “You’re a fucking whore, Lazarus! You’re so fucking desperate to be loved that you give your ass to the first guy who pretends to give a shit about you, just like you did in London!”

  Oh Fuck!

  Red sprang into action, taking off after Laz as he bolted through the bullpen toward Bryan. He managed to grab ahold of Laz, hauling him off his feet and away from Bryan before he could land a hit.

  “Oh for fuck’s sake,” Mason growled at the officers. “Get him the hell out of here!”

  “Fuck you, Bryan,” Laz spat out, flailing as he tried to get away from Red to launch himself at Bryan. “You should have been there for me! He raped me! He fucking raped me, and when I came to you, you told me it was all part of the job, you heartless son of a bitch!” Tears streamed down Laz’s face as the precinct plunged into silence. Not one person moved or said a word, all eyes on Laz who choked on a sob.

  “Mason,” Red called out, needing to get Laz away from Bryan and his vitriol.

  Mason snapped himself out of it, hurried over, and ushered them toward the far end of the room. “This way.” He led them down the hall and opened a door to what looked like an office. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  The office had a small love seat, and Red pulled Laz down with him as he sat, his heart breaking when Laz started shaking. That bastard. Why did he have to keep throwing that vile incident in Laz’s face? Because he knew how much it hurt. Fucking asshole.

  Red drew Laz into his arms, murmuring comforting words and running a hand soothingly over his back as Laz buried his face against Red’s chest to cry. As if the last few weeks hadn’t been enough, that jackass had to claw at the scabs of Laz’s barely healed wounds.

  “I’m sorry,” Laz said with a sniff. Red stood, grabbed the box of tissues off the desk, and handed them to Laz before resuming his seat. “Thank you.”

  “What are you sorry for? You didn’t do anything wrong, Laz.” Red ran his fingers over Laz’s head, softly stroking his hair.

  “I’m sorry I brought this whole mess down on you. This is all my fault.”

  “None of this is on you. Bryan and Paolo are the ones who brought this down on you. Bryan betrayed your trust multiple times, and when you had enough, you walked away.”

  “But if I hadn’t taken those pictures….”

  “Bryan would have found a way to ruin your reputation and your career. He’s a shallow, vindictive, nasty piece of work. You were trying to protect yourself. Their affair is on them, and the fallout of their getting caught is also on them. If one of them is responsible for sending a killer after you, then they’re going to answer for that as well. We’re going to get to the bottom of this, and they’re going to have to face the consequences.”

  Laz released a heart-wrenching sigh. “I’m so tired.” He closed his eyes, his words almost a whisper. “Sometimes I see him in my dreams.”

  Red didn’t need to ask who. Wherever that piece of shit photographer was, Red hoped justice would find him and make him pay for what he’d done, not just to Laz, but to who knew how many other young men. Young men who were new to the industry, eager to make a name for themselves, to learn from the best out there. They’d looked up to the guy, believed he was a mentor, that he genuinely wanted to help them, when the terrifying truth was that he was a predator. He lured them to his studio with encouraging words and false promises, then threatened to ruin their careers if they didn’t give in to his sexual advances.

  “For years I believed what happened to me was my fault,” Laz said quietly, staring off at nothing in particular. “That because I didn’t fight him, because I let him… do what he did to me, that I was just as guilty. How could I say that he… raped me when I didn’t fight him?” A tear rolled down his cheek, and he absently wiped it away. “He wanted to fuck me, and I let him.”

  “Because you were scared. You told him you wanted to keep things professional, and when he told you what he wanted, you said no, Laz. When he made a move on you, you tried to leave, but he stopped you and threatened you. You were alone and scared, and that bastard took advantage of that.”

  “I was terrified,” Laz admitted. He blinked away his tears, and when he looked at Red, his gorgeous blue eyes filled with anger and determination. “I’m not scared anymore. When this is over, I want the Kings to help me track that bastard down. I want him to pay for what he did and stop him from doing it again, because there’s no doubt in my mind that sick son of a bitch is still doing it.”

  Red took Laz’s hand in his and brought it to his lips for a kiss. “I will do everything in my power to make sure he ends up behind bars.”

  “Thank you.” Laz stood, and Red followed him. “Now, I want to know what that dick Paolo has to say for himself.”

  Laz and Red were shown into the security room where they’d stood the first time Paolo had been brought in for questioning. This time, Elena was there. When she saw Laz, she flung herself into his arms in a flutter of glittery neon skirts.

  “Oh, my dear Lazarus. You poor thing,” she cried, her arms wrapped around his head as she petted him. “I cannot believe this is happening. You poor, poor dear. We have both been deceived so terribly by these awful men.”

  “I’m so sorry this happened to you, Elena.” Laz said, hugging her and patting her back. They turned to the screen when Mason entered the interview room where Paolo had been pacing. He quickly took a seat, and Mason sat across from him. He handed Paolo several documents.

  “Why don’t you tell me about the four transactions highlighted on that bank statement.”

  A deep frown came onto Paolo’s face as he studied the document. “I don’t know what this is. What am I looking at?”

  “This is your business expense account, correct?”

  “Yes, but I do not know what these numbers mean.”

  “These numbers mean that three payments of twenty-five thousand dollars left your account via wire transfer to that company there.”

  “I do not know this company.”