Page 2 of Rex
After our parents moved closer to The Khaos Group Headquarters, they left the house we’d grown up in to me and my brothers. We all knew we’d prefer to stay living close together, so we had the house remodeled with four separate wings. One for each of us, and they’re about the size of most people’s houses, so it’s not like we live on top of one another. In addition to having our own wings, we also have sharedspaces, like a massive kitchen that would probably make some professional chefs jealous from its sheer size as well as the top-of-the-range cooking equipment, to the massive chill-out space that has everything you could ever need or want. There’s the most comfortable furniture money can buy, as well as floor-to-ceiling bookcases that cover every wall, all filled to the brim with every type of book you could think of. Then there’s every game console ever made, all in working order. Let’s not forget the massive home gym we have too. We all need to keep in shape and train regularly because of the lives we live, so there was no way we weren’t going to have a top-of-the-range gym inside our home. We even have a fully equipped medical suite in the lower levels of our home; it’s a precaution for the off chance that one of us is severely injured and requires treatment. We aren’t big on hospitals, even ones that have The Khaos Group inside; there are still far too many holes in security and safety issues for our liking. Being overcautious and maybe even a little paranoid is the price Austin, Seth, and I pay for the jobs we do.
Last night while Flash was getting Micah settled into his new home, Jake came and asked Seth, Austin, and me if we would pull some strings to ensure Micah could legally stay with Flash. He wasn’t taking any chances, prepared to do whatever he needed to ensure that Micah couldn’t be removed from Flash’s care. We all agreed to help. We did it without a second thought. It was a no-brainer, really. None of us wanted that boy returning to the situation he’d come from, and by the time we woke up this morning, all the relevant paperwork had been sent to us. Micah was officially under Flash’s guardianship.
Did that matter when Trish went to the police and accused the members of Devil’s Inferno of holding him hostage? No, because of course the detective she dealt with was Moore, and he has more than one reason to be harboring a grudge against Devil’s Inferno MC. I’m sure he thought he finally had thechance to get one over on them. He never stood a fucking chance, but it’s not like I ever said the man was smart.
So that leads us to now. Why Austin, Seth, and I are all down here in person to handle this shit instead of just making a phone call. We don’t trust Moore as far as we can throw him. We know we need to make sure the truth about Micah’s guardianship isn’t just brushed under the rug so Moore can use this situation for his own gain. I have no issues with helping Flash and Jake deal with this so they can focus their attention on the other things that they need to deal with, but fucking hell, I am not happy to be dealing with Moore and his shit. My mood is plummeting by the second. If Moore tries his shit with me today, it isn’t going to end well for him. I want this dealt with as quickly as possible so I can focus my attention on my search for Dre.
Chapter Two
Rex
What the hell is this? Am I walking into the police station or a motherfucking zoo? This is fucking insanity. I’ve never seen anything so unprofessional in all my life. That’s fucking saying something considering some of the places I’ve worked throughout the years and the type of situations that I’ve had thrown in my lap. I can’t help but shake my head at the sight in front of me.
We’ve currently got uniform officers running around like headless chickens and detectives either screaming down their phones from their seats behind their desks or at each other. Which is the case with Moore and another detective that I can’t identify right now because he’s standing with his back to us. Then you’ve got the poor soul working behind the reception desk, who just looks lost at what the hell to do about the situation currently going on around him. Not that I blame him; it’s not a good look to have anyone walking in on this sort of pandemonium. Thank god it’s us walking in on this and not someone actually coming here because they need the help of the police. They’d have no faith in their abilities to do anything if they saw this madness.
“You’re the fucking new guy! You have no idea what the hell we deal with around here! Keep your mouth shut and your unwanted opinions to yourself!” Moore screams out. His loud booming voice travelling towards us through the open windows above the reception area.
“I might be new to the department, but I’m not new at this job, Moore. I have more experience than you could ever imagine, and I also know when something isn’t adding up. No judge in their right mind is ever going to give you what you want with so many fucking holes in the evidence. Though calling what we have evidence is a stretch.” The other man replies, his back still to us, but he doesn’t need to turn around for me to identify him now that I’ve heard him speak. It may have been a while, but you never forget the voice of the only person your brother has ever loved.
My attention immediately shifts to Seth, who is standing at my left. He looks like a strong wind could blow him over right now. He’s in an absolute daze, and I can’t really blame him for his reaction. The other man is none other than Everett Riviera, Seth’s first and only love. The man who ripped his heart out when he left Devil’s Point out of the blue when they finished high school. Flushing all the plans they’d made for the future straight down the drain. I can’t even fathom what he must be feeling right now, seeing him here after all these years.
“Seth. You can leave if you need to. Austin and I can handle this just fine without you.” I say compassionately.
I need to give him an out. He needs to know he can turn and leave right now and not have to deal with Everett’s re-emergence in Devil’s Point until he’s ready. Though I can’t help but wonder if he’ll ever be ready.
My words seem to snap Seth out of his stupor, and he manages to tear his eyes away from where they’re glued to Everett’s back to look at me. The level of pain in his hazel eyeshits me straight in the heartstrings. I haven’t seen him look like this since Everett left him high and dry without any real explanation. Losing Everett very nearly destroyed Seth all those years ago, and he has never opened himself up to anyone else in the same manner since. When it comes to relationships and romantic feelings, Seth just doesn’t believe in them anymore. Not after the way Everett crushed him.
“I can’t do this, Rex.” He whispers out brokenly, looking very much like the heartbroken teenager he was all those years ago and not the grown man he is now.
It’s written all over him, the unimaginable pain and heartache currently bombarding him. It’s not just his face giving away what he’s feeling; he looks absolutely devastated right now, but it’s in his body language too. I can see him trying to retreat and protect himself from the pain he knows is coming. He’s not ready to face Everett yet, and I can’t blame him. Talk about being fucking blindsided by his past. There’s going to be a point where he has no choice but to deal with Everett being back, but that’s not going to be today.
Reaching into my pocket, I pull out the keys to my 1967 Ford Mustang, a car I worked meticulously on to get into its current shape. It was in a seriously bad way when I first got it, but you wouldn’t know that by looking at it now. My hard work definitely paid off. I hold them out for Seth to take.
“Go wait in my car; this won’t take long. Take the time to try and wrap your head around him being back and figure out what you want to do.”
“Thank you.” He replies, eyes starting to well with tears he’s refusing to let fall. I fucking hate seeing him like this. If I didn’t have to deal with all this to do with Micah and Flash, if it wasn’t as big of a priority as it is, I’d probably just head in there and take a swing at Everett for all the pain he’s caused my brother.Unfortunately, I can’t do that right now. Maybe later. Time will tell.
Austin and I watch helplessly as Seth rushes out of the station as fast as his feet can carry him, before Everett can turn around and see him. We both blow out a breath of relief when he makes it out of here without Everett catching sight of him.
“Do you think he’s going to be okay?” Austin asks quietly as we watch the argument still playing out on the other side of the glass, which cuts off the bullpen from the main reception area.
“I have no idea. I can’t even imagine what’s going through his head right now.” I reply just as quietly.
I have no idea what he must be feeling. I can guess, but unlike Seth, I’ve never been in love. I’ve never had that connection with anyone, and I have no idea just how painful it must really be for him to be faced with the man I’m pretty sure he never stopped loving. Even after what he did. I have no idea what’s going to happen when those two inevitably come face-to-face; it’s going to happen at some point whether Seth wants it to or not. Devil’s Point isn’t big enough for them never to come into contact with each other again. I know it’s just a matter of time. I just fucking hope Seth gets the closure he needs to finally move on with his life. To close the door on that pain that still affects him to this day. I can only hope.
“Let’s deal with this and then get out of here. I’m sure Seth is going to need a drink or ten.” Austin says, and I don’t miss the worry coating his words.
“He’s going to need something, that’s for sure. I’m pretty sure he never expected to see Everett again. Not that I blame him for thinking that with the way Everett took off out of here. Destroying all their plans and Seth in the process.”
Austin shakes his head, no doubt remembering just what happened back then and how close we came to losing our brother to his heartbreak. If it wasn’t for his ability to submergehimself in his work and his determination to help those who need it most, Seth would never have found his way out of the dark hole he found himself in.
“Come on.” He says as he starts heading towards the doorway to pass into the bullpen.
Before the poor guy behind reception can say anything about us skipping talking to him and heading towards the doors, which are locked with a keypad, Austin types in The Khaos Group’s code that gives us access to every law enforcement department within the USA. The lock clicks, and Austin pushes the door open, stepping through with me right behind him.
“Moore! Riviera!” I bellow as I enter. Fuck if I’m going to wait around for them to finish their little squabble. My patience is already being tested just by the fact I not only now have to deal with Moore but Riviera too.
Immediately both of them turn their attention towards me. Moore’s face starts to flame as his eyes narrow on me, clearly unhappy with my appearance and the fact I’ve interrupted whatever he’s arguing with Riviera about. Riviera’s reaction is totally different. He looks relieved for the interruption, probably enjoying his small reprieve from dealing with Moore. Can’t really blame the man for that. Moore would test the patience of a saint. His expression soon changes when he realizes just who is shouting for their attention. Regret, worry, and pain flash in his eyes until he blinks it away, and a mask of indifference falls over his face. If I hadn’t been watching him so closely, I’d probably have missed it. The worry I can understand; he knows how protective we Knightlyes are of each other, and after what he did to Seth, it’s only to be expected that he’s on our shit list, but the rest of his emotions confuse me. Actually it makes me wonder what the hell really happened for him to leave Seth and for him to be feeling regret and pain all these years later. That’sa problem for future Rex to deal with though. Present Rex has another brother’s problem to handle first.
