Page 327 of Sticks and Stones
Ethan changed the subject.
“Corbin’s only mistake in this whole thing, is that because of us, he held back. He could have been married to you had we not told him he was insane. For the record, he was right. He’s stupid in love with you still. It’s the rape that’s talking. It’s the damage they did to him that’s talking. The second he broke it off, he went to go hide. That killed the last part of him that kept him sane. He’s going to spiral without you, and Gene and I can only do so much.”
Well, Will would fix that.
“How bad is it? I know he tells you and Gene everything, so I’m going to say that since he’s staying with you, that you know the details—other than what you just told me.”
At first, Ethan wasn’t going to tell him everything. Only, Corbin would hide, and he needed someone to hold him up and be strong. He needed this man not to be shocked when he saw his body.
This man was willing to fight for Corbin, and Ethan would give him the tools to do it.
Knowledge.
That was a damn strong weapon, next to love.
He shared.
“Five bikers did him dirty. They branded his body with a skull ring, and they beat him to Hell and back. They stripped him, tied him to a bed, and hurt him. They dislocated his shoulder, and broke his arm. On top of that, they left him to die naked in a dumpster, and Corbin had to drag himself to the street to get help. He nearly died in the process.”
Will was disgusted.
As a prosecuting attorney, he saw a lot of horrible things that people did to each other, but five men raping his man…
That was so sickening that it made him see red.
Leaving him to die in a dumpster alone like he was trash?
He was a treasure.
Corbin was his everything now, and he’d make sure the man understood that.
Ethan continued.
“After the assault, they realized that they went too far to use him as a trafficking victim. The intent was to use his body as a drug mule and sex toy for some pervert buyer. He got lucky. Because they‘broke’him, he was spared being sold for sex. We never would have seen him again until his remains showed up.”
At that, tears filled his eyes. They were a mix of sadness, rage, and horror.
Ethan knew the feeling.
They had felt the same way over this.
“That’s horrible. Oh, my poor Corbin. That makes me ill. I can’t imagine how scared he had to be. How hard he had to fight to get help.”
Yeah, him too.
Both him and Gene were sickened that they hadn’t been there to help him when he clearly needed it. That changed now, and they’d never let him fall again.
Ethan shared the rest.
“Corbin is a fighter. You ask how bad his body is…it’s bad, Will. It’s going to take years to heal, and I’m not talking about the physical injuries. I’m talking dealing with the rape and psychological damage. He needs to go to therapy for this.”
Well, Will would be there.
In fact, Will would go with him.
“Please don’t force your way back into his world if you’re going to ever leave him. Please don’t hurt him. I’m putting my faith in you, and I rarely trust people. I can count on one hand the people I trust. You’d be the sixth.”
Will shook his head.
