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. And & how is Devlin dealing with it all? Cole asked gently. There s surely been a ton ofquestions thrust at him about his brother s conduct when they were younger.Abel licked his lips slowly, pain in his eyes. He s & doing okay.It s hard.He really lovedhis brother & or who he d believed he was.And all of this is bringing out more memories that he dpushed down& some of them & bad ones. He stared down at his glass of iced tea. He has hismoments when it s like it just hits him all over again, and he falls apart. Tears formed and he sniffed,clearing his throat. But we get through it. He raised his eyes, a sad smile on his lips. He s strong. And you help make him strong. Cole assured softly, gripping his shoulder. Anyone can seethat.Nodding slowly, Abel said quietly,  What he has the hardest time with & is what Craig did tome.I think, because Craig was his brother, he feels like he s somehow to blame as well & as if byassociation or something. Of course he s going to feel that way. Gabe offered gently. You re the love of his life, andit was his own flesh and blood a man he defended against you that hurt you.The guilt is gonna bethere, for awhile anyway. He rubbed his hand down the back of Abel s head then gripped his necklightly. But you guys will get through it.You don t blame him, and that s the biggest thing.With yourhelp, he ll eventually get to the place where he understands that none of what Craig did, has anythingto do with him or who he himself is.Abel smiled and hugged him. Thanks. He said softly, glancing at each of them. It s nice tobe able to talk to someone about this. Hey. Cole took his hand and lifted it to his lips. You know you can talk to us anytime, dayor night.About anything. He cupped the back of the boy s head and drew him close, laying a softkiss on his lips. We love you.Always and forever, baby. He kissed his forehead and smiled. You ll always be our boy.Chapter Twenty-OneNo tears For the WickedThe vibration of the cell phone jerked Samuel from a heavy sleep.He rubbed his eyes andglanced at Caleb, fast asleep beside him.Dropping a kiss on the young man s shoulder, Samuelgrabbed his phone, yawning. Yeah. He mumbled.Last night had been his first good night s sleepsince Caleb had broken up with him, and he didn t relish being awakened so early. Just thought I should let you know. Nolan spoke through the phone. That Brock wasreleased on bail about two hours ago. Shit. Samuel muttered.He glanced at Caleb who remained face down in his pillow. Butthat was to be expected. He sighed and lay back against his pillow, stroking the back of his fingersagainst Caleb s arm. Where is he now? Did he go home?A heavy silence followed and Samuel glanced at his phone display, wondering if they hadgotten cut off.Then Nolan spoke with an almost eerie tone to his voice. That s just it, he murmured. No one knows where he is.He had apparently called your mother from the station and said he washeaded home, but he never arrived.He just got into a cab and vanished.Samuel sat forward, frowning. Vanished? He shook his head. No one knows where he sat? Nope. Do you think & he got out of the country? I was thinking he might try that if he suspects hewill get convicted. It s possible. Nolan said doubtfully. But I don t know & it doesn t have that feel.Samuel raked his fingers through his hair. So what do you think happened to him? Couldn t say. Nolan murmured, then added,  You were with Caleb all this time, right?What was he getting at?  Yes. Samuel said slowly, his brow tightening. What? You think Ihad something to do with his disappearance? No. The man said. But everyone involved in this case will be questioned.Just make sureyou and your friends have ironclad alibis.* * * *Caleb stared blankly at the night stand, his face turned away from Samuel, listening to his one-sided phone conversation but getting enough to know what was being said.Brock had disappearedinto thin air.From Samuel s side of the exchange, he d gathered that no one knew where the manwas.A faint smile tugged the corner of his mouth.Someone knew.When Samuel ended the call, Caleb closed his eyes until he leaned over and rubbed his handup his back. Hey, babe.You awake? We need to get a hold of the guys and have them meet ussomewhere so we can talk. What time is it? Caleb mumbled. Too damn early. Samuel kissed his shoulder. But this is important.Caleb rolled over carefully.It had only been a couple days since Brock s assault, and it stillhurt to move. What s so important?Tension pinched Samuel s handsome face. Brock got out on bail this morning. You said that he would. Caleb murmured. Yeah, except &. Samuel hesitated. Now he s gone and no one knows where he s at.Caleb frowned. He jumped bail? Of course that wasn t what he thought, but it seemed aviable question. I don t & know. Samuel shook his head. It just seems too & sudden. Then what do you think happened to him? I don t know. Samuel said. And in all honesty I don t give a fuck.But you weren t theonly one on those videos.Maybe someone else was seeking retribution as well.Lying against the pillow, Caleb stared at the ceiling, eyes tight. What is it? Samuel asked quietly and kissed his chest.He caressed his firm stomach withhis palm. Would you think bad of me if &. he licked his lips and looked at Samuel, eyes glossy. If Iwas hoping he was & dead? After what he did to you, baby, Samuel scooted up and brushed his fingers through his softhair and kissed his lips. I hope the motherfucker is dead.* * * *From his office doorway, Max watched the three young men sitting at the bar.The club wasvacant but for the three of them and Max himself.He leaned against the door frame, thumbs hooked inthe front pockets of his jeans and studied them from the back as their conversation seemed light.Theywere untroubled by the call from Samuel, and the news of Brock Coulson s disappearance [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]