Page 32 of Broken Trust

Atlas wasn’t sure what he would have done if that had been him. He wasn’t street savvy the way he assumed Sam was. Hell, he’d frozen in the parking lot behind his building when that vampire approached him.

“Between my injuries and the heatwave that had struck, I was delusional,” Sam said. “I don’t even remember leaving my car on the side of the road and going to that empty house.”

“I remember the heatwave. I stayed in my apartment unless I had to go to work.” Thankfully Mason had kept the restaurant chilly, offering anyone who came in free bottled water and a place to cool off.

“It was stifling outside,” Sam said. “But that was where Morgan found me. He’s a deputy and spotted my car. He was concerned because of the heat and checked the old Clark farmhouse.”

“I know where that is.” Atlas inwardly chastised himself for continually interrupting Sam.

“He found me in the closet, bloody and unconscious, and called for an ambulance. When I came to, I was terrified to find him at my bedside.”

“Why?” Atlas asked. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Morgan wanted answers as to why he found me that way. I wasn’t about to tell him that someone who wasn’t even human had done it.” Sam glanced away. “When you live on the streets, you learn not to trust anyone, Atlas. If someone is nice, they have an ulterior motive.”

Atlas wanted to hug the guy. Their situations were nothing alike, but Atlas knew what it felt like not to trust people. “Not to diminish what you’ve gone through, but I just found out that my boyfriend, while we were still together, was having sex with my best friend.”

Sam took Atlas’s hands in his. “Please don’t get mad at Kellen, but he called Morgan yesterday, upset at how he was handling his mating with you. He told us what was going on with you, only because he wanted to know how to fix things.”

That explained why Kellen had come upstairs and told Atlas about his past.

“You’re upset.” Sam let Atlas’s hands go. “I haven’t known Kellen long, but Morgan tells me that he doesn’t let anyone get close. For Kellen to call us was a big deal for him.”

“I’m not upset.” Honestly, Atlas was stunned that his mate—who had confessed that he refused to be vulnerable to anyone—had reached out to his friends so he could find out how to fix things between them. “I’m touched.”

Sam grinned. “I also heard you punched a wolf shifter in the jaw to defend your mate. I only cussed out a twink who disrespected Morgan, ready to tear out his bleached roots. I’m in awe of you.”

Atlas rolled his eyes. “Don’t be. It wasn’t something I planned on doing. I didn’t even know I was going to do it until my fist slammed into his concrete jaw. Trust me, I paid for that moronic stunt.” He held up his hand. “The only reason it’s healed now is because I’m mated to Kellen.”

“I think all that unfolded so you could find out about your friend.” Sam took another sip of his drink. “Fate didn’t want you to continually be played for a fool. If you ask me, it was Braylon’s jaw you should have slugged.”

Atlas told Sam how Kellen had reacted at the intake desk.

“I wish I’d been there.” Sam narrowed his eyes. “I would have made sure both of them stayed overnight in the hospital. Good friends are hard to come by, and your ex better thank his stars that Kellen backed down. I just wish those two had paid for what they’d done to you.”

He told Sam about Colt’s plan.

Sam threw his head back and laughed. “I love it! A guy after my own heart.” Sam glanced over his shoulder. “Don’t tell Morgan I said that. My mate is very possessive of me.”

“So you moved in with him after you left the hospital?” Now Atlas was hungry, even though he and Kellen had stopped at the diner before heading to his apartment.

“Morgan offered me his spare room when he found out I was homeless. Even offered to pay me to be his housekeeper. Since I knew that Daryl was still after me, and with nowhere else to go, I accepted.”

Atlas was glad things had worked out for Sam. He’d feared he would meet a couple who had a great life and that wouldn’t understand what Atlas was going through.

How wrong he’d been. If anything, it was Atlas who’d had a pretty mundane life in comparison to Sam and Kellen. Aside from finding out that Kellen was a wolf shifter and being attacked by a vampire.

“So what happened to Daryl?”

“Kellen happened,” Sam said. “When he makes you a part of his life, the guy means it.”

Atlas wouldn’t know since he and Kellen hadn’t known each other that long, though the guy had come to his rescue when that vampire attacked him.

“Morgan’s truck was in the shop, so he called Kellen to drive us into town,” Sam went on. “Later that evening, Daryl broke into the house. Morgan was upstairs sleeping, and I had no clue he was even in here. He grabbed me and held his claws against my throat. When Morgan rushed downstairs, Daryl was backing me toward the kitchen.”

Atlas held a hand over his mouth, even though he could see that Sam was fine. “Morgan couldn’t do anything for fear the guy would rip your throat out.”

“Exactly.” Sam’s eyes watered. “I thought for sure I was going to die. I just told Morgan that, no matter what, I didn’t regret meeting him, though I’m paraphrasing because I don’t remember my exact words. All I do remember is the anguish in my mate’s eyes because there wasn’t any way to get me away from Daryl without Daryl killing me first.”

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