AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“So do I.”
By the time he finished his last interview, the story had broken everywhere, not just on the local news but in all major newspapers, blogs, and websites, as well as on CNN and all news channels. The headlines were all a variation on Boston District Attorney Drops Bombshell Investigation into Senator Whitman. Roman coming out was a mere footnote, but his remark about his boyfriend being threatened was reported everywhere.
“And now we wait.” Wander put a hand on Roman’s shoulder and gave him a comforting squeeze.
“Have you heard from Ryan yet?”
“Yes. Not here.”
They found privacy, with Alex, Lowell, and Jonah standing guard, something that didn’t go unnoticed by the news crews.
“They spoke with Whitman’s wife,” Wander said softly. “She’s agreed to cooperate with them. They’ve taken her to a safe location, and she’s telling them everything she knows.”
Thank fuck. “Any ideas for a location where Caleb may be held yet?”
“No, but they’re working on it. Keep the faith.”
He would keep the faith. If only because the alternative was too horrible to consider.
28
Pain.
Every-fucking-thing hurt.
His ribs. His head. His cheeks. His jaw. His back. Hell, even his teeth ached. Everything pulsated and pounded, smarted and stung, throbbed and thumped. It was agony, sheer agony.
Caleb drifted in and out of sleep—or maybe it was consciousness? All he knew was that not being aware was bliss and being awake was torture. He hadn’t seen Joey again, just the driver of the car, who checked in on him occasionally. Maybe every hour? Caleb had lost all sense of time.
He was hungry but, above all, thirsty, not having had anything to drink since his few sips of Coke right before Joey had kidnapped him. How long could one go without water? At least a day, right? Had twenty-four hours passed already?
The room was dark, so it had to be night. That meant that it was, what, maybe ten hours since lunch? Twelve? He still heard a lot of cars outside, so it couldn’t be past midnight on a weekday.
Wander would come for him. Caleb had to cling to that belief, even if despair threatened to creep in at the thought of his phone being off. How would Wander ever find him without being able to track him? He was at some rundown motel, not a property the DiMartinos owned. At least, he didn’t think they did, but what did he know? Maybe they had purchased it for exactly this purpose.
But Wander would come for him. His boss would stop at nothing to find Caleb, that much he knew. Caleb was so much more than an employee to him. Wander loved him like… Well, not quite like a brother, but like a close friend, maybe?
And there was Roman, of course. Roman, who also loved Caleb, though in a different way. Roman, who would be worried out of his mind. How Caleb wished he could tell him he was okay, that he was alive. For now anyway.
Then again, if Joey had wanted to kill him, he could have already. Easily. So clearly, he had a reason to keep Caleb alive. Most likely because he needed information from him. Which meant Caleb had to hold out. Once he started talking, he’d lose his value.
But how much more torture could he take? After that one shallow cut on Caleb’s cheek, Joey hadn’t used the knife again, thank god. Caleb had never been a fan of blood play because all that red made him a little squeamish. Not to the point of fainting, but he definitely didn’t consider it sexy. Getting beat up wasn’t his idea of fun either, but somehow, he could handle it better. Or maybe he was just telling himself that.
To be honest, he wasn’t even sure if his thoughts were making sense anymore. It was hard to focus on one thing. He was so hungry. No, thirsty. And his head fucking hurt. Jesus, who was he kidding? Everything hurt.
When he woke again, it was much quieter outside. Past midnight, then. Other than that, nothing had changed. He still hurt. He was still thirsty. Or was he hungry? Both.
Fuck, thinking was hard. Maybe he had a concussion? Hadn’t Joey slammed Caleb’s head against the wall? That would make sense. It would also explain why he had trouble seeing clearly. Everything was blurry. His right eye throbbed like a mother, so maybe Joey had hit him there?
He was so thirsty. Next time that driver came, he’d ask for some water.
BAM! The door was kicked in, and Caleb’s eyes flew open. Oh fuck, bad idea. He closed them instantly as pain barreled through his head.
What was happening?
He was thirsty. He needed to ask for water.
“Can I have some water?” he whispered. It came out a barely audible croak.
