“Just a vibe I get from him.
“You think he’s a dom?” asked Kieran, looking at him in surprise.
“No, I get moredaddyfrom him.”
“A daddy? Hassan?”
Derek nodded. Kieran looked as if he were pondering it, rather than dismissing it out of hand.
“Hmmm, I could see that, although if he has some guy calling himDaddyin the flat, Sarah and I will rip the piss out of him.”
Derek chuckled. He could see Kieran doing that, but he knew it wouldn’t be to ridicule. Just that banter only close friends who are more like family could get away with. He had that with Edward.
“So . . . er . . . shall we . . . maybe we can sit in the living room.”
“Of course. Do you want a cup of tea?”
“I think I’m gonna need something stronger.”
It was ten o’clock in the morning, but based on the look on Kieran’s face, Derek was going to need something stronger as well.
“I’ll get something for us both, and I can clean up later. Get comfy.”
Kieran nodded and left. Derek went into his office, which is where he kept the good stuff. He knew Kieran drank vodka, but he thought a brandy would be better. He grabbed the vodka bottle as well, though, just in case. Once he’d poured their drinks, he went into the living room. Kieran was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, with a blanket wrapped around him. He seemed so small and fragile. Before he could overthink it, he sat next to Kieran on the sofa.
“I thought brandy might be a good choice, but I’ve got vodka if you prefer.”
“This works,” he said, taking the glass.
He took a sip, winced, and shuddered. “Good stuff,” he croaked, making them both laugh.
“Can I just get it all out, and you can shout and scream after I’m done?”
Derek tensed, but nodded his agreement, taking a sip of brandy himself.
“You remember that guy who you threw out of the club?”
He nodded.
“Well, talk about a small world. He’s the guy Grant sent tomentorme at the shop. And before you say anything, I don’t think Grant knows the history I have with the guy, Carl. That’s his real name, or at least the one he goes by. Just call it a hunch, and I know Grant is dangerous, but I also know if he knew what had happened with Carl, he wouldn’t have brought him to the shop.”
Derek could see what he was saying, but based on the way he was in the club, the guy screamed abuser. How could Grant have someone like that working for him? The man clearly had few morals, but even hardened gangsters had some red lines as to who they allowed within their organisation.
“He said nothing to Grant, and neither did I. Grant said he’d given me the best person to support me at the shop, so I didn’t even know if he’d believe me if I said something, and then he said he was going away to Boston for two weeks, and Carl had been nothing but polite in front of Grant. When I got back to the shop, he wasn’t there and didn’t show up until closing. He said he wanted to clear the air... and he apologised for what he’d done, but he made a good point. I didn’t use my safe word.”
Derek was silently fuming. If you know what you’redoing, you don’t need your partner to safe word to know they aren’t enjoying it. The guy was a manipulative cunt.
“He suggested we have a drink to clear the air, so I agreed. I don’t know why I did, but... well, he...”
Kieran choked up. Derek took hold of his hand, not saying anything. He knew Kieran needed to get this out, but in his own time.
“He put something in my drink, because all I remember is drinking the wine, and the next minute I was on the floor in the office. All the lights were off, and I had no pants on. I knew something had happened because... because... he hadn’t used a condom.”
Kieran gave a gut-wrenching sob, and Derek didn’t hesitate to pull him onto his lap and hold him, stroking his back. The agonising sobs coming from this sweet boy were heartbreaking. Derek never wanted to let go of him, but he also wanted to find Carl and end his life.
Derek lost all track of time as Kieran clung tightly to him. As a teenager, he’d been very tactile, but his mum hadn’t been overly affectionate with her kids. A million things were going through his mind. Given Carl’s connection to Grant Kincaid, he wasn’t sure if involving the police would be a mistake. Plus, Kieran had washed away any evidence. He doubted it was what Kieran wanted to do anyway, but they needed to get him to the clinic in case he’d been exposed to anything. The guy hadn’t used a condom and had drugged someone so he could rape them. God knew what diseases the guy had. That wasn’t something he’d push now, but it needed to happen by tomorrow. They couldn’t leave it any longer than that.
“I can hear your brain from here,” Kieran mumbled into his chest. “You’re not going to do anything stupid, are you?”
