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He could just make out the corner of a desk, but what held his attention was the man on his knees in front of the desk. His face was swollen, blood oozing from a split lip and a cut under one of his eyes. There was a tear in his T-shirt, like someone much stronger had grabbed it and used it to move the human.
Not even a foot away were two long legs that Caden instinctively recognized, though they were clad in black sweats instead of gray slacks. The man from the warehouse must have been leaning against the front of the desk, his legs stretched out in front of him in a relaxed posture.
There was a third person in the room. Caden could clearly see the wolf who had been with the human at the warehouse standing just behind and looming over the kneeling man.
He was… scary-looking.
He was enormous, both tall and broad and covered in thick, well-honed muscles. His black hair was buzzed up over his ears in a high fade, the longer bits on the top wavy. He had copper-colored skin and wore dark jeans and a plain black T-shirt.
But it was his face that sucked the breath from Caden’s lungs.
He had a scar down the left side, going all the way from his hairline through one thick brow and over his eye to the corner of his mouth, pulling it into a sneer. The iris of the injured eye was cloudy and dull despite his other one glowing hotly with rage. Caden wondered if he could see out of the eye at all. He also couldn’t help but wonder what had happened that had left a permanent scar on a shifter. It was so rare and usually was caused by wolfsbane being used.
He shuddered in sympathy. Having to walk through the world with a reminder of what was probably the worst thing to ever happen to the wolf had to be excruciating.
Caden quietly inhaled deeply to try and figure out what was happening, surprised when he picked up the scent of another shifter on the human. The faint smell of a rabbit was entwined with his own scent, making Caden think they were in a relationship or very close friends.
“Dare,” the Orange Blossom Man said softly.
The wolf grunted in acknowledgment but didn’t take his eyes off the man on the floor.
“Do we have the wrong man? Is this not Benny’s boyfriend?”
The cowering man gave himself away before Dare shook his head, spiking with shock and renewed fear.
“It’s him. Took him from Benny’s apartment,” Dare said. His voice was raspy, almost guttural.
One of the Orange Blossom Man’s feet tapped on the floor twice. “Well, you see, you are who we’re looking for.”
“Why are you doing this? Whatever Benny said I did, he’s a liar.”
Caden could practically see the hackles go up on Dare. He really didn’t like that answer.
Caden didn’t know who this Benny guy was, but it was obvious he was important to Dare and the Orange Blossom Man. He shoved down the little spike of jealousy that shot up at the idea of his human caring so much about another person.
The man wasn’t his. He didn’t even know his name, for fuck’s sake.
Nobody said anything for a moment, but those long legs moved back as the Orange Blossom Man pushed off his desk. He came fully into view, his back to Caden and blocking the man on the floor.
Caden didn’t know why, but he was a little surprised to see that he was wearing a dark red silk robe. He couldn’t stop himself from wondering if he was wearing a shirt underneath as he stared at his wide back. The robe’s tie was hanging down at his sides, so Caden knew it was open in the front. Was he bare-chested? Were Dare and the man on the floor staring at his bare skin?
Annoyance bubbled through his veins.
“Do you know who I am?” the Orange Blossom Man asked, his words deceptively calm as his anger burned in Caden’s nose.
“Yeah, you’re his boss. The gangster. Amato.”
Dare growled, but Caden barely noticed, his chest heating for some reason at the sound of the human’s name. Amato.
Holding up a hand, Amato silenced his wolf and said, “Then you should have known better than to put your hands on him.”
“I never—”
His words cut off, but Amato was still blocking his view, so Caden couldn’t see what Dare had done.
“Stop lying,” Amato hissed, leaning forward. “You got fucking sloppy. I saw the burn marks with my own goddamn eyes before they could heal.”
Caden’s stomach rolled, and he worried he would throw up all of the water he had chugged in the bathroom. Burn marks? They’d called this man Benny’s boyfriend, but he’d been hurting him?
