Inferno (8 page)

While it made getting some items delivered nearly impossible, it also kept most tourists out of the area. Some still made their way up the coastline to their remote location, but not many. Pacific Cove wasn’t a tourist destination. It was home for those that didn’t like outsiders.

Abe stopped and cocked his head, knowing he had heard something but not sure what it was. He waited for a moment but when he didn’t hear the small sound again, he started to take a step. The slightest rustle of some underbrush caught his attention.

Abe cast a quick look around to make sure he hadn’t walked into a trap, even going as far as sniffing the air. Once he had separated the different scents and knew he was essentially alone in the park, Abe squatted down and started moving branches out of the way as he searched for the creature that had made the small mewling sound.

Two big bright blue eyes blinked up at him from beneath one of the ferns. “Well, hello there.” Abe slowly reached down and picked up the little white fur ball, lifting the kitten into his hands. The darn thing was so small it fit into the palm of his hand. “Where’s your mama, little one?”

A kitten this small shouldn’t be out here on its own.

Abe cradled the small creature to his chest as searched the bushes for the mother. Much to Abe’s dismay, he found her in the bushes just off the edge of the street. Apparently she had made it far enough to get her baby to safety, and that was it.

Knowing she needed warmth and probably contact of some sort, Abe unbuttoned his shirt and tucked the kitten inside and then went back to his truck for a towel and a bag. He couldn’t do much for the mother beyond making sure her body wasn’t left to the elements and scavengers.

The kitten on the other hand…Abe pulled out his cell phone and looked up the closest veterinarian. The kitten was pretty small. Abe wanted to make sure it wasn’t in danger of dying due to the loss of its mother.

By the time Abe found an emergency vet clinic and took the kitten in for a checkup, over two hours had passed. He walked out of the clinic with a kitten and a bag of stuff sure to dip heavily into his pocketbook.

He felt like a new mom with all of the stuff the veterinarian insisted the four-week-old kitten needed. Between the baby kitten food, the vitamins, flea supplies, a carrier, and one cute little stuffed orange bunny that the kitten seemed to have taken a liking to, Abe felt weighted down.

And he had no idea what he was going to do with the new kitten. He had tried to pawn it off on one of the staff members at the clinic but the woman admitted to having five cats already. She didn’t need one more. Abe thought about taking the cat to animal control for about half a second. He just couldn’t do that to the poor little thing.

That meant he had a new cat…unless… Abe placed the kitten into the cat carrier the vet insisted the little thing needed if it was going to be transported in a vehicle, and then started up the truck. Personally, Abe was pretty sure the vet saw him coming from a mile away and he had
sucker
written across his forehead.

Even if he did, there was someone else that had sucker written across his forehead in big neon colors. And he was just as cute and adorable as the small white kitten curled up in the cat carrier with its orange stuffy.

The ride back to where he had left Ben and Danny didn’t take as long as Abe thought it would, which was surprising considering the increase in traffic due to the lunch hour rush. Everyone seemed to be in such a damn hurry. Yet another reason Abe preferred living in Pacific Cove.

City folks were crazy.

Abe pulled around the corner to Danny’s street and started scanning the area in front of the apartment building for a parking spot. His truck was a dually with a full bed in the back and a wench on the front. Finding a parking spot big enough wasn’t always easy.

He spotted a black sedan pulling out halfway down the block and stepped on the gas to get there before someone else did. A moment later, he slammed on his brakes when a car door suddenly opened. Abe dropped his head onto the hands he had gripping the steering wheel. His heart started beating again, going so fast that he was afraid it was going to beat right out of his chest.

A horn honking brought him out of his near panic. He lifted his head and looked up. The man that had been climbing out of his car was apparently oblivious to the danger he had just been in. He slammed his car door closed and simply walked away, yakking on his cell phone.

The moment the way was clear, Abe drove forward and maneuvered his large truck into the parking spot he had been aiming for. He shut off the truck and pocketed the keys, his hands still shaking from what could have been a really bad ending to the day. Abe was smart enough to look before opening his door, liking his truck door right where it was—attached to his truck.

He climbed out and walked around to the other side of the truck, opening the door to lift his gift out. The frightened meowing from inside the cat carrier tugged at Abe’s heartstrings enough that he opened the metal cage door and pulled the kitten out.

“You win, little one.” He’d carry the darn thing. Abe tucked the kitten into his shirt again, and then shoved everything he had purchased from the veterinarian into the cat carrier. He thought about taking the cat carrier upstairs with him but he wasn’t positive Danny would take the kitten, despite the man’s words from earlier about getting a pet. He decided to play it by ear.

“Are you two back yet?”
he asked before he headed upstairs to Danny’s apartment. There wasn’t a whole lot of point to him going all the way up there if they were still out to lunch.

“Yeah, where are you?”
Ben asked.

“Outside.”

“Come on up,”
Ben replied.
“I’ll unlock the door for you.”

Abe knew exactly which apartment Danny lived in. That had been in one of the reports Charles had sent. Although, Abe couldn’t help but wonder what Charles had lied about in those reports. Considering the amount of money they sent every month for Danny’s care, he should not be living in this neighborhood. There was more than enough money for Danny to have an apartment in a much nicer part of town.

So, why was he living here?

Abe wanted the answer to that question as well as several others. He hadn’t even been in town a full day and already he was starting to put together a picture that was vastly different than the one Charles had sent in his monthly reports. Abe was starting to wonder if the money he and Ben had been sending for Danny’s care had actually gone to Danny.

And if it hadn’t, Abe was pretty sure it was lining Charles’s pockets. Abe had seen the fancy house the man lived it. It could have doubled as the governor’s mansion. Charles was an investment banker but surely he didn’t do well enough to live in the lifestyle his family currently enjoyed.

Abe and Ben hadn’t been allowed to visit Danny due to Charles’s directive and because the mate pull was stronger than their resolve to keep their hands to themselves. They were only allowed the monthly reports along with an occasional picture. Abe kept one in his wallet. He knew his brother did as well.

After meeting Danny in person, he knew the lack of contact had been a good thing. It might have been torturous, but Abe doubted he would have been able to keep his hands off his mate.

Abe held the kitten tight to his chest as he climbed the stairs to Danny’s apartment. As casually as he could manage, Abe asked,
“How is Danny? Is he still panicking?”

“He’s sleeping right now,”
Ben replied
. “He wanted to stay home so we just made sandwiches here. He fell asleep on the couch while we were talking.”

“How much did you tell him?”

“Not much. I think that needs to be a conversation when we’re both present.”

Abe wasn’t sure how he truly felt about that. He knew that Danny deserved to know who they were and why they were there. But Abe wasn’t sure he could handle it if Danny rejected him or Ben.

He had known since he was a child that Danny was his future. Except for gaining some experience and just relieving tension here and there, Abe had never even looked at anyone else for the long term. He always knew Danny was there. Forming a relationship with someone other than Danny felt wrong, disrespectful.

It made Abe’s skin crawl.

He wouldn’t do it.

That made for a very lonely existence, one he thought was coming to an end when he arrived in town today with his brother. Now, he was wondering if he would be lonely for the rest of his life. Granted, he had no idea what he was doing or how he was going to bridge the gap between him and Danny, but he had to do something. He was just a little confused on what. And he didn’t have Ben’s smooth taking abilities so that was out.

Maybe finding the kitten had been a blessing in disguise.

And maybe it was his ticket to hell.

Trudging up the stairs was like walking to his execution. His stomach knotted tighter with every step. Danny was so much smaller than him, barely reaching Abe’s chest. He weighed at least a hundred pounds less. He was a mite compared to Ben and Abe, and yet the man terrified him, and over something so simple as the gift of a kitten. Abe’s heart pounded so fast it was on the verge of jumping right out through his ribcage.

Some warrior he was.

“I’m here,”
he told his brother before he knocked and opened the door. His jaw dropped as he stepped inside the tiny apartment and took in Danny’s meager living conditions. The place was immaculate and Abe could see that Danny had attempted to hide the faded condition of his furniture with bright throw pillows and knickknacks. But nothing could hide the dismal conditions.

“This is where he lives?” he asked when he saw his brother.

Ben’s features were grim as he nodded, a smoldering rage burning in his amber eyes. “I’d really like to know what happened to all the money we sent to Charles.”

“You know what happened to it, Ben.” Abe’s jaw clenched as he remembered the opulence of Charles’s mansion. He was so angry he had to talk through his teeth. “It went into that fancy house he lives in and that new young wife of his.”

Ben pulled out his phone and dialed a number before holding it to his ear.

“What are you doing?”

“Putting a stop on O’Shay’s final payment. The terms of our agreement said he was supposed to use the money we sent him to care for Danny.” He waved his hand around to encompass the small living room. “That obviously didn’t happen. I’m starting to wonder if Danny ever saw any of the money.”

Abe couldn’t argue with his brother’s logic. “We also need to get an accounting of just exactly where that money went to. While I understand some of it went to his housing when he was growing up, the bulk of the money should have been turned over to him when he moved away from home. He shouldn’t be living in this hovel.”

“Well, as soon as we convince him to move back to Pacific Cove, that won’t be a problem.”

Abe winced, feeling his stomach start to churn again. “How hard do you think that is going to be?” After Danny’s response earlier, Abe just couldn’t picture Danny agreeing to go home with them.

Ben still had the phone held to his ear as he shook his head. “It shouldn’t be that hard. Danny’s not happy here. He’s merely existing.”

“He said that?”

“Not in so many words, but that was the impression I got from some of things he said.” The cell phone creaked in Ben’s tight, angry grip. “He lives in this hovel because that is all he can afford on his paycheck and still be able to go to school.”

“But we paid for his education,” Abe insisted. “O’Shay even called and said he needed more…oh hell!” Abe’s tension was like a whip against his skin, hard and painful. “He called and said Danny wanted to enter a special program and needed more tuition money.”

“I’m thinking Danny had nothing to—yes, hello. This is Benjamin Lake. I need to stop payment on an account transfer.” Ben turned away and started talking into the phone.

Abe walked through the living room—it took four steps—and peered through the doorway into Danny’s bedroom. The gorgeous little man was curled up on his bed, the blankets pulled up to his chest. He even had his hands clasped together under his cheek. Abe pulled out his cell phone and snapped a picture. Danny might not be too happy about it but Abe couldn’t miss such a sweet picture.

He slid his cell phone back into his pocket and walked over to sit on the edge of the bed. Nothing on earth—not even his own death—could have prevented him from brushing the soft reddish-brown hair back from Danny’s beautiful face. It amazed him that such a perfect man had been created and was destined to be his and Ben’s.

It took his breath away.

“Danny,” Abe said as softly as he could without whispering. He gently pulled the sleeping kitten out of his shirt and placed it on the mattress right next to Danny’s face. He laughed when the jostling from changing positions woke the kitten and he began sniffing and then licking Danny’s face.

“Wha—” Danny’s eyes snapped open and he jerked his face back. His forehead wrinkled, his eyes dazed and confused as sleep slowly faded from them. “What…” Danny pushed himself up. “Is that a kitten?”

“Last time I looked.”

“What’s it doing here?”