Page 29 of Proof

There was no preparing myself for what I saw as I pushed past every asshole in the alley who was blocking my view.

JJ was pressed up against a dumpster, his ass on full display, his dirty trousers bunched around his ankles. He made no effort to put up a fight as the guy behind him released his dick from his jeans. JJ had a bottle of alcohol in his right hand. He took intermittent swigs of the liquid as he rested his head against his other arm which was braced against the dumpster. Some fucker was in front of him, his hand wrapped around his own dick. He pointed to the ground at the same time he spoke to JJ and to my horror, JJ began to lower himself to the filthy asphalt.

I reached the trio just as the guy behind JJ started to nudge his bare dick against JJ’s ass. I grabbed the man by his greasy ponytail and yanked him backwards. A kick to the nuts had him screaming in agony. The guy in front of JJ was too wasted to realize what was happening. I reached him before he could tap his dick against JJ’s half-open lips.

I knocked the man on his ass, watching as two of his teeth went flying and his head hit the concrete hard enough to knock him out. “Go!” I snarled to the dwindling pack of men who were either watching the action or stroking their own dicks as they waited for their turn.

I didn’t watch to make sure the men had heeded my order. Instead, I bent down to pull JJ to his feet. I took the bottle of alcohol from him and threw it aside. JJ didn’t appear to recognize me as I pulled his pants up and secured them. He was clearly drunk and in no state to consent to anything, let alone being gangbanged in a fucking alley with garbage strewn everywhere.

When I turned so we were facing the door leading into the club, I saw that a few men had remained to watch what was happening, but they quickly made themselves scarce when the big asshole, Tank, appeared in the alley doorway and slammed a metal bat against the brick wall. I thought he was there to prevent me from taking JJ, but instead, the man held out the keys to my Mustang.

“Took ’em when he came in. Figured it wasn’t his.”

“Maybe you should have been more concerned about a man getting gang-raped on your property,” I snapped.

Tank tossed me the keys. “And maybe you shouldn’t have done whatever you did to send him back here,” he returned. “I’ve been waiting too long for the day that boy stopped coming here, and it seemed like he had his foot out the door the last few nights when all he did was come in for some fucking club soda and nothing or no one else. My guess is you’re the reason for both those things, so fuck off. Go around the corner to get to your car. It’ll be faster. And if you don’t want that piece of shit you rolled up in towed, then give me the keys!”

Tank’s words felt like bullets ripping through me. Had I really been the reason JJ hadn’t wanted to use the club to satisfy his needs anymore?

I didn’t have time to think about it. I reached into my pocket and grabbed the keys. I flung them at Tank and then wrapped my arm around JJ’s waist. I placed his arm behind my shoulders and held his hand so I’d have more leverage to offer him once I got him moving.

“JJ, can you hear me?” I asked, my voice cracking with so many different emotions it made my stomach churn.

JJ threw up in response. I helped him bend over but made sure he stayed on his feet. By the time I got him to my car, he’d vomited three more times. In between, he was murmuring sporadic things, but I didn’t know if he was trying to saysomething. My car was unlocked, which I wouldn’t have really cared about except that he had left his gun and phone sitting on the passenger seat for all the world to see.

I moved the gun and phone before lowering JJ into the seat. I wished I had some water to offer him because he was dry heaving, and it had to be hurting his throat and stomach.

God, how had we gotten to this place?

Lies.

That was how.

One lie after another had spiraled into this fucking knot that would take a lifetime to undo if we did somehow get the chance someday. It wasn’t even the lies that lay between me and JJ. There was a whole other knot that I hadn’t even begun to deal with.

I slid into the seat behind the wheel. JJ was slumped against the passenger door, his hands covered in God only knew what kind of shit. Vomit was sticking to his shirt, pants, and shoes. It was an all too familiar scene.

This time, though, I knew taking him home and trying to stay out of his life while I attempted to figure out who’d tried to kill him wasn’t an option. I couldn’t do this alone. I needed help and I needed a plan because one way or another, I was going to tell JJ the truth.

About everything.

I was going to rip the fucking knot of lies apart even if I had to do it string by string.

I got the car started and grabbed JJ’s phone since I’d left mine back at the motel. I dialed and put the phone to my ear before reaching out to link my fingers with JJ’s limp ones. Tears stung my eyes as I took in the sight of him.

“JJ?” Sully asked worriedly on the first ring.

“No, Sully, it’s me,” I said, my voice cracking just a bit. I forced myself to release JJ’s hand so I could focus on what needed to happen next.

“Where are you?” I asked Sully. As he responded and then began lobbing one question after another at me, I wiped my forearm across my eyes.

“Yeah, I’ve got him with me. He’s safe,” I said as I glanced at JJ. “We need to talk,” I cut in as Sully demanded to talk to JJ. I threw the Mustang’s gearshift into drive and glanced over my shoulder before pulling the car into traffic. I ignored Sully’s order to put JJ on the phone and spoke the handful of words that I’d promised myself I’d never say again from the moment I’d been charged with murder and not even one single person who’d known the real me had stood up to defend me.

“I need your help.”

CHAPTER 10

Jj

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