Page 146 of The Finding Series: Vol. 2

I’d suspected right away who the man had been who Beck had been talking about at my office party. It wasn’t because I’d noticed his interaction with Beck that day, but when Beck had mentioned the encounter taking place in the stairwell, I’d been reminded of seeing the man coming out of the stairwell looking flushed. His eyes had connected briefly with mine where I’d been standing at the buffet table and I hadn’t missed how he’d quickly looked away. I’d called out to him to ask him if was okay because while we hadn’t exactly been friends, we’d worked together often enough that we exchanged friendly conversation whenever we saw one another. He hadn’t responded and I hadn’t seen him at the party after that. Three days later, I’d been informed that he’d resigned.

With a name to finally go with the faceless man who’d violated my son – and that was exactly what I considered it because no matter what Beck said, he’d been seventeen at the time and that fucker would have known better than to go after my child – I’d finally had a physical source to let all my rage out on. I’d known that if left alone with him, I’d end up killing him, so I’d taken my brother-in-law, Jagger, with me to make sure I didn’t do something that would land me in prison. The man, for his part, hadn’t even tried to deny it, nor had he fought back when I’d let my fists fly. It had been wholly unsatisfactory and the rage had continued to consume me. I was hiding it well from others, but my husband knew me too well and while he hadn’t judged me for my actions, he’d reminded me that everything going forward was about Beck and his future.

I knew he was right, but I’d never been someone to let justice go unserved.

Rafe and I had discussed asking Beck to go to the police about Victor Colby and we’d even talked to Dr. Emory about it, but in the end, it was Beck’s doctor who’d been the deciding factor. Beck was finally on the path to recovery. Pressing charges against Victor would mean a trial and exposing Beck’s past as well as the men he’d pursued in an effort to maintain his sanity. But just because we couldn’t go after Victor the traditional way, it didn’t mean all bets were off.

Which was why when Ronan Grisham glanced my way, I held his gaze until he got my silent message and separated from the group of people he’d been talking to.

“Everything okay?” the man asked when he reached me.

“You have a minute to talk?” I asked. Something in my voice must have caught his attention because he merely nodded and then he was nodding at one of the men who worked for him, Memphis Wheland, and then we were all headed toward my brother-in-law, Dom’s, study. I’d debated asking Ronan for his help, but I knew the trauma surgeon could accomplish things I couldn’t. I’d known both men for more than a year now and while Ronan’s group of men were supposedly in the personal security business like me, I’d seen firsthand that they did much more than that. And while I had countless resources at my disposal to go after the worst of the worst, I was forced to work on the right side of the law.

Ronan and his men didn’t have that limitation.

Neither man spoke as I shut the door. “I need your help,” I said quietly. “You both know my oldest son.”

Both nodded. Memphis, who also happened to be in a relationship with Beck’s cousin Tristan, and Tristan’s best friend Brennan, said, “Tristan’s been talking to him on the phone the past few weeks. He said Beck’s doing really well and that he’s moving to Dare to be with the guys he brought with him today.”

I nodded. “Quinn and Brody.” I hesitated as I tried to figure out how to say what I needed to say. “Eighteen months ago, my son was being treated for depression by a therapist named Victor Colby. Beck recently told his father and me that Victor raped him and then threatened to reveal some stuff that happened to him in his past if he didn’t keep quiet about it.”

Ronan and Memphis both stiffened. Anger suffused Memphis’s face and Ronan’s jaw went tight.

“Victor called me and Rafe that night to tell us that he could no longer have Beck as a patient because Beck threatened him physically. We…we believed him,” I admitted as shame curled through me.

“You couldn’t have known,” Ronan said softly.

I shook my head because it didn’t matter. Ishould’veknown. “I can’t ask Beck to consider pressing charges because his past will be exposed. He’s just now starting to get better…”

Memphis nodded and then glanced at Ronan who also nodded. “We’ll take care of it,” Memphis said. “Would you like a temporary or permanent solution?”

I knew what he was asking me and while a part of me wanted to know that Victor Colby would never walk this earth again, it was a line I couldn’t cross.

For Beck’s sake.

“Temporary,” I finally responded. I didn’t know what all that entailed, but I had no doubt whatever these men did, Victor would never hurt another innocent kid again. “There’s one more thing.”

“Shoot,” Memphis said.

“One of the men Beck is with, Brody Wilder, has a twin brother who’s making a run for senate.”

“Nathan Wilder?” Ronan asked.

I nodded. “How did you know?”

“He’s made a name for himself. His father was a staunch opponent of gay marriage. Nathan was expected to follow in his footsteps, but he turned the tables on everyone, including some of his most powerful constituents and backed it instead. He’s changed positions on other policies too,” Ronan explained.

“Well, it sounds like he’s pissed someone off who’s fighting back with more than just words,” I said. “He showed up in Dare to let Brody know that Brody’s name came up too…I guess the two have been estranged for some time.”

“Has there been any threat against Brody?” Memphis asked.

I shook my head. “My friend Jax is a deputy for the Dare Police Department…he’s been keeping an eye on things. But Brody and Nathan aren’t in touch and Brody’s worried about his brother…which means my son is worried.”

“We’ll look into it,” Ronan said without hesitation.

“I’m getting the impression Nathan doesn’t want anything to threaten his senate run. The publicity from hiring any kind of security alone could raise a lot of questions.”

Memphis smiled. “We can be…discreet.”

---