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While Callan’s barn was modern and had some great amenities, this barn was top of the line and I could tell no expense had been spared in designing the place. Which made sense since the clients would expect nothing but the best. The horses would be well cared for which would hopefully make up for having to be handled by inexperienced riders. Callan and I had been very careful to select only the most docile of horses with the temperament to deal with all manner of riders and I was pleased that Roman was letting me help in the hiring of the staff who would ensure the animals were well cared for.
While Roman catered to a very exclusive clientele, he’d made it clear that no amount of money would excuse rough treatment of his horses and he really did see them that way - ashishorses. The guy gave off the impression of being a ruthless businessman, but I’d interacted with him and his young husband enough to know that while he could probably hold his own in the business world, he was a softie when it came to his man and his little menagerie of animals that lived on the land surrounding the house he and Hunter had built in a valley just outside of Dare.
As soon as we entered the barn, we could hear the sound of a hammer striking wood so I led Beck towards the stalls at the end of the aisle so we could introduce ourselves. A bunch of tools were sitting outside one of the stalls. The man inside had his back turned to us as he finished pounding a nail into the wall, but it didn’t matter because I instantly recognized his broad shoulders and blond hair and I felt my gut clench. Beck stood completely unaware next to me and I debated whether I should try to get him out of there, but I was too slow because the man turned around and Beck instantly gasped when their eyes met.
“Beck,” Brody said in surprise and then his eyes shifted to me. “Quinn,” he acknowledged, his voice quiet, but clearly caught off guard.
“What…what are you doing here?” Beck whispered in disbelief and then his gaze shot to me. “What is he doing here?” This time his question was much more high-pitched and I could tell he was close to losing it. “You…you know each other?”
Fuck, I had no clue how to handle this.
Brody stepped out of the stall, his hammer loose in his hand. Beck instantly stepped back and I could tell he was getting ready to flee so I stepped in his path. “Beck, this is Brody.” I cast a glance over my shoulder at Brody before returning my attention to Beck whose eyes were wide. I could see the pulse point in his neck thrumming frantically. “I didn’t know he’d be here,” I added, though I wasn’t sure why since it was irrelevant and Beck was too far gone to actually give a shit.
“Did you set me up that night?” Beck nearly shouted. “Was it some kind of game you play-”
“No,” Brody cut in and then he was moving closer to me so that we were effectively caging Beck in. He too must have sensed the young man was ready to run. “We’d never met before.” I felt Brody’s eyes on me but kept my gaze on Beck. My anxiety was sky-high because he was experiencing the same level of panic he’d been feeling the day of the accident. And now that I knew what he was capable of…
“I met Quinn the day of your accident.”
“What?” Beck asked in confusion.
“I’m a paramedic. My partner and I responded to Quinn’s call to 911 that day.”
Beck shot me a quick look, the betrayal clear. “I didn’t see you!”
“I told him not to let you see him,” I finally said when Brody didn’t say anything. “I knew it would upset you and you needed to stay calm so you wouldn’t hurt yourself further…”
My voice dropped off when I saw Beck’s jaw tighten with my last words. Fuck, I hadn’t meant it like it sounded, but before I could say anything, Beck tried to move past us. “Just hang on, Beck,” Brody implored as he stepped in Beck’s path but kept his hands out so Beck would see he wasn’t trying to touch him.
“No, get out of my way!”
“Quinn and I hadn’t met before that night in the club,” Brody cut in as he continued to block Beck who’d retreated until his back hit the wall behind him. “After your accident, we met at the hospital where you were being treated. He told me what happened at the ranch and I told him…”
When Brody’s voice fell away, I glanced at him. He actually looked flushed and he momentarily dropped his eyes.
“You told him I tried to kill myself,” Beck murmured.
Brody nodded. “When we brought you in, my partner, Luke, told the ER doctors about your history. I guess he knew from talking to Jax and Dane.”
“Yeah, everyone fucking knows,” Beck snapped. “Gotta all band together to keep an eye on the suicidal kid so he doesn’t off himself on your watch.”
Brody ignored the comment. “I asked Luke about you when we were headed back to the firehouse where we’re stationed.”
“And you toldhim,” Beck said bitterly as he cast me a glance before returning his attention to Brody. “Did you tell your partner that you sucked my dick while he” – his eyes shot to me briefly – “was fucking me in a dirty bathroom stall while everyone and his brother got off listening to us…me?”
“No,” Brody said softly. “No one knows what happened that night but the three of us.”
Beck’s eyes landed on me. “Would you take me back to the ranch now? I want to go home.”
“Beck, we need to figure this out-” I began.
“No, we don’t,” he interjected. “This was a mistake,” he bit out. “This place, that night – it was all one big fucking mistake,” he muttered. “I’m going back to Seattle.”
“Beck,” Brody started to say, but I cut him off, my temper flaring.
“And then what?” I asked. “You go back to the way things were? You go back to a life where you’d rather-” I stopped myself before I could finish the thought because it was just too damn disturbing. “You came to Dare to get away, right?” I asked when I’d managed to calm myself. Beck didn’t answer me, but he didn’t need to. “You think I don’t know what that’s like?” I managed to get out. “To want to start over…to get away from a place that only reminds you of everything you’ve lost…that was taken from you?!”
It wasn’t until Brody’s hand brushed mine that I realized I’d started to yell. The spark of electricity caught my attention and I glanced at the man next to me. He was looking at me with a mix of pity and understanding and I knew he knew exactly what I was talking about. I sucked in a breath and turned my attention back to Beck. “You want the truth, Beck?” I finally asked.
