Page 10 of Iced Out

Tae looked at him. “They said they weren’t afraid of him.”

Rodriguez squinted, a smile forming. “They looked pretty fucking scared to me.”

Tae smiled back. “To me, too.”

Relief flooded Kane as he hung up the phone and looked at the expectant faces staring back at him. “They got him back,” he said, his voice trembling. “Tae’s on his way home.”

Luke flung his arms around Ash, and the two hugged, sobbing.

“He’s safe.” Zoe, Kane’s eighteen-year-old niece, teared up as she hugged her uncle. “I knew Dad and Clint would save him.” Her eyes shifted to Axel, her best friend, standing nearby, cradling his baby daughter. He smiled warmly.

“I never doubted it for a minute,” he said, yet relief filled his eyes.

Kane’s adopted son, Donald—just a year older than Zoe—agreed with Axel. “Dad came all the way to the island to save me and John. No way he would let these assholes take Tae.”

Mention of the island filled Kane with dread. John—Kane’s other adopted son and boyfriend to Donald—had been deeply traumatized in that place, and that trauma continued to haunt the young man.

Ash left the kitchen a moment later. Kane followed, finding Ash in the bedroom, sitting cross-legged on the bed.

“Ash?” Kane walked to the bed and sat down. “Are you okay?”

“I should’ve helped Tae. I was the oldest. I should’ve tried harder to stop them.”

“If you had kept fighting them,” Kane said, “they might have hurt you even more. Maybe even...” He hesitated at the thought. “When no one holds them accountable, there’s nothing to prevent them from taking extreme actions. I’m just glad you and Luke weren’t injured more seriously.”

Ash nodded, but wasn’t wholly convinced. “Do you think Tae will be mad at me?”

“For what?” Kane took Ash’s hand. “Because you didn’t stop them? No. They were grown men. Armed men. Recording them was smart. You did what you could. Tae will understand that.”

“How long have you had this car?” Tae asked in a low voice after a moment of silence.

Rodriguez shifted in the driver’s seat, his face growing taut. “I guess it depends on how you look at it.” He cleared his throat. “It was my boyfriend’s car before it was mine. But he said the car loved me more than him, so he always let me drive it.” His voice strained as a distant, anguished look crept into his eyes. “He gave it to me on my last birthday, just before…” He glanced away as tears welled.

“I’m sorry you lost him,” Tae whispered.

“Yeah.” Rodriguez sniffed. “Me, too.”

Tae didn’t know much about Rodriguez’s boyfriend except that his name was Greco and that he died during the trip from Texas to Canada—shot by one of the traffickers. He didn’t ask about him. Even months after the incident, the mere mention of him caused Rodriguez pain. Tae felt sorry for him but didn’t know what to say.

Clearing his throat, Rodriguez let out a controlled breath. “Do you have a boyfriend? Or a girlfriend? I’m not sure which way you…”

“I have a boyfriend,” Tae smiled small. The fear of what happened today eased a fraction when he thought about Noel.

“Do I know him?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. His name is Noel. He’s Abel’s little brother. He has a twin brother named Noah.”

“The twins.” He nodded. “I’ve heard your dad and Clint mention them. I haven’t met them.” He smiled at Tae. “What’s Noel like?”

Tae’s cheeks warmed. “He’s… really sweet. And cute. And he…” Tae ducked his head, eyes stinging. “He thinks I’m… beautiful.”

“Well, at least we know there’s nothing wrong with his eyesight.”

Tae looked up to see whether the young man was joking. The soft, genuine smile on his face said he wasn’t.

“Is this the real thing, or just a crush?” Rodriguez seemed to know the answer, but waited to hear it from Tae.

His cheeks growing hotter, Tae whispered, “The real thing.” He nervously licked his lips. “For me, anyway.”