Dane, Cameron A Fostered Love

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Hello? Anyone home? A masculine voice broke through, strong enough to stop even
Rodrigo midsentence. It s Braden. The man gave name to voice. You have a door open up
here. Braden appeared in the kitchen seconds later, clearly having let himself inside. He
found Christian in the small group. That s not really a good idea. I just closed and locked it
for you.
Thank you, Christian answered. Any sense of lightness that shone in Christian just a
moment ago disappeared in a flash before Jonah s eyes, and tight lines formed around his
mouth. Detective, you remember Jonah. This is Rodrigo Santiago and Abby Gaines. He
pointed each out. They ve been helping with a lot of the renovations on the house.
Braden stuck his hand out to Rodrigo first. Good to meet you. He received a
handshake and a murmur in kind from Rodrigo and then turned to Abby. Nice to meet you
too. He extended the same quick, firm-looking clasp of hands to Abby as he did for Rodrigo
100 Cameron Dane
before turning back to Christian. Looks like you ve done a hell of a lot of work in just a few
days. Congratulations.
Not me. Christian shook his head. Rodrigo, Abby, and a few other guys did the
floors today.
As a birthday gift, Abby added. It s Chris s today.
Happy birthday. Braden dipped his head in acknowledgment.
Christian s smile looked forced. Thank you.
Jonah couldn t stand to see the strain in Christian and moved in right at his side, facing
Braden square-on. Christian is being polite, but I don t give a shit what you think about me.
What are you doing here, Crenshaw? What have you learned?
Braden didn t so much as fidget under Jonah s raised voice. He looked to Rodrigo and
Abby and then came back to Christian.
It s okay. Christian answered the question in Braden s eyes. Rodrigo and Abby pretty
much know everything. Rodrigo is my boss and friend, and Abby is a good friend. They
know I talked to you and what it was about.
All right, I ll cut right to the chase then. Braden leaned against the counter and
crossed his arms. I don t like what I see in David. At the very least, with your permission,
I m going to sell your need for a restraining order as hard as I can. I am also going to contact
the DA s office and see if there s any charge you can file against David they would be open to
prosecuting. I still don t know that I m going to be successful with either avenue, so I want
you to be careful when David comes into your path. I believe he eventually will again. I
don t think we should mess around here. I m going to agree with Jonah and say I think this
guy could become dangerous.
Cold fear sliced through Jonah. He moved in behind Christian and pulled the man in
against his chest, as if he could protect Christian forever by keeping them glued together.
What the hell did David say to you that turned you around so quickly?
Rodrigo and Abby moved in too, each taking a stance at Christian s sides, flanking him.
Explain yourself, Detective, Rodrigo said, his voice hard. I don t like fear tactics used
on my friends without reason. You d better have one, and if you do, you d better fucking be
prepared to tell us what you intend to do to protect Christian.
Once again, Braden Crenshaw delivered a cool stare to Rodrigo but then shifted his
focus and dealt with Christian. Were you aware that David still has his old apartment? That
he didn t give up the lease when he got married and moved into his wife s residence?
No, Christian answered. But like I told you, once I started coming out, we never
really met anywhere that would reflect on him. I didn t spend a lot of time in his apartment,
not even in the beginning. Is it relevant?
A Fostered Love 101
It s a strong indication that he always intended to keep living two lives, Braden said.
He rents it, so it s not an investment he has any financial incentive to keep. He resigned the
lease five months ago.
Shit. Christian wiped his mouth, his hand trembling.
Jonah rubbed Christian s arms, feeling the chill in him. He tried to offer some kind of
comfort even though his hands felt completely tied.
Did you talk to him? Christian asked.
I did, Braden confirmed. I kept it very open and cordial. I let him know you and I
are friends, and that as your friend you expressed some concern to me about his behavior,
and that if it didn t stop, you wanted to know what your rights were and what kind of steps
you could take to make sure it does stop. He acted like he didn t know what I was talking
about, which is to be expected. I shared a few details with him about our conversation.
When he started recognizing specifics, he gave me his full attention. I assured him I wasn t
out to ruin his life, but that if he chose to keep pursuing contact with you there would be
consequences and they would become a matter of public record, well beyond my control.
That sobered him, and I think he s going to spend some time thinking about it.
Christian straightened. It sounds like you got through to him. That s exactly what I
hoped would happen. He fears exposure. He ll back off now.
Jonah absorbed Braden s sober tone and face and didn t like the knot that twisted in his
stomach. He held Christian even closer against his front. You don t think it s gonna stick,
he said to Braden. Tell us why.
Finally, Braden lifted his focus to Jonah and spoke directly to him. I also took a look in
David s car while we chatted, he explained. Just through the window, very subtle. I noticed
a lot of cigarette stubs in the ashtray, fast-food bags, coffee cups& stuff like that. That caught
my attention. Based on how Christian described David, I expected more of a neat-freak [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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