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.Shaw squeezed his eyes shut as his cock stirred again.You re smarter than this.Focus!There was only one way he could touch Lee in this place: want, force, take.Thatwasn t a place Shaw wanted to go.Not with anyone, not ever.He had to draw a linesomewhere.Lisa Henry | The Island 42Focus.There was no new e-mail from Callie, but Shaw composed one: Lee Anderson.InfoASAP please.He deleted the second sentence after he read it.He knew he could trustCallie to make whatever he wanted her first priority.She was dependable.She wasmore than dependable.This strange world that they inhabited made their relationship even stranger.Theywere friends.They trusted one another implicitly.They shared custody of a dog.Andthey hardly saw one another.If you weren t gay, Callie said all the time, and Shaw always followed up with, Ifyou were a man&Shaw had never had a friendship that had lasted.They were impractical in his lineof work.They could be dangerous.But Callie had made the transition from trustedcolleague to trusted friend.It was such a relief, he supposed, to have someone whoknew all his worst secrets and liked him and supported him despite them.BecauseShaw surrounded himself with monsters, he was afraid of becoming one.He knewCallie would never let it happen.Not without a fight.Lee, sleeping, turned over on his side to face Shaw.Shaw took the opportunity toangle the laptop slightly and photograph him.Proof of life would go a long way.Hesent the picture with the e-mail, and then deleted them both from the hard drive.Hisencryption levels took care of the rest, scrubbing everything clean.There was nothingon his laptop that Vornis could use to accuse him of breaching his trust.Because trustwas all there was in this business, apart from force, and it was the most fragile of things.He logged into a social media site next and checked his messages.There was anew one from Stuart: Hi! Can t wait to see you! XOXO!Shaw smiled at that.Stuart sounded more like a flirt every time.He messagedback: Hi Stuart.Great to hear from you.Love to catch up soon.He logged off and closed hislaptop.Shaw liked hearing from Stuart.Stuart was a sure thing, and there were so fewsure things in Shaw s life.He looked at Lee, who appeared even younger when he was asleep.His face wasuntroubled, and Shaw envied him that.He was no stranger to nightmares after six yearsin the business.He wondered why Lee didn t wake up screaming.Was it because hebelieved he was safe in Shaw s bed? Or were the drugs still flooding his system?Lee shifted in his sleep and moved a hand up to his face.Shaw looked at the raw skin and the bruises around Lee s wrist.He must havestruggled at some point.Like an animal, Hanson had said.Shaw expected that Vornishad encouraged it.Vornis liked to break his enemies, and this one was well and trulybroken.Shaw wondered if Lee knew that.Had he realized that Vornis was probablyalready bored with his dazed compliance and would kill him sooner rather than later?He wouldn t have let Shaw play with his toy if he still coveted it.And eight weeks, byall accounts, was a long time for Vornis to keep a prisoner.Lee s odds grew shorterevery day.Lisa Henry | The Island 43Shaw rolled onto his back and watched the ceiling fan spinning lazily.There wasthat crazy fantasy again, poking at the edges of his mind: the boat, the ocean, and thesalvation.Focus.He was about to sell a painting for ninety-five million dollars.He wasabout to meet a group of the world s most powerful men.And Shaw lived for momentslike these.So why did he feel like shit? Why did he feel like he should be doingsomething more for Lee? Common sense and a sharp instinct for self-preservation toldhim there was nothing else he could do.Now was not the time to have a crisis ofconscience.Shaw rose from the bed and headed outside.The night was dark and peaceful,and the stars were brilliant.There was nothing like waves rolling endlessly on a beachto put things into perspective, like staring up at night into a timeless field of stars.Thelittle things didn t matter anymore.Even the life-and-death things faded.Shaw stood in the shallows for a while, letting the tiny waves crest and crasharound his ankles.The water was cool, and Shaw sank deeper into the sand.Hebreathed for a while, just stood and breathed, and then turned and trudged back to thebungalow.Lee was still asleep.Shaw realized he stank of sweat and cum.It wasn t the sort of scent that usuallyturned his stomach, but under these circumstances? Yeah, he needed to get clean.Running a hand through his hair, Shaw headed back down into the starlit bathroomand stripped off.He stepped back into the shower.His third shower in a day.That hadto be some sort of a record.He scrubbed his skin clean, looking up at the flawless sky.His bare toes sank intothe crushed coral, and Shaw sighed.God, he d love a place like this one day, withoutsomeone like Vornis breathing down his neck.Without the fucking complications.The cool water stung his shoulders, and Shaw realized he d burned earlier.Nowthat was the sort of distraction he could rely on.A few days of itchy, peeling skin wouldkeep his mind off Lee.He turned around to reach for his towel, and Lee was right in front of him.Hiseyes were clearer than Shaw had ever seen them.He stepped into the shower before Shaw could turn it off. My name is LeeAnderson, he said under the roar of the water. I m with the DEA.Shaw raised his eyebrows at that.The DEA? Sure, Vornis had inherited his father-in-law s business, but drugs were, literally, the least of his sins.The DEA didn t knowwhom they d gone up against.Whoever had supplied their intel had given them justenough rope to hang themselves. Fuck, Shaw said. Vornis thinks you re CIA.Lee stared at him. And who are you? Shaw, said Shaw. And the less you know about my business, the better. Is that it? Lee asked. Is that all you ll say?Lisa Henry | The Island 44 You should be thankful I don t break your neck, Shaw told him, narrowing hiseyes in the gloom. DEA, CIA, it s all the fucking same to me.Lee s gaze faltered. But you re not like him. I m not a rapist, Shaw said,  but I m a lot of other things.Look, you can eitherkeep your questions to yourself, or you can go back to Vornis right now. Will you really tell them I m here? Lee asked.Shaw frowned.He had that whole kicked-puppy look again. I said I would.It sup to you if you believe it or not.I don t give a fuck what you think.Lee flinched at his tone. But bring it up again, Shaw said,  and I will break your fucking neck.Less shrank back.His chest rose and fell heavily [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]