I drive into the village and slow down as I let my eyes scan the area around me. This isn’t how I saw my morning going, but when I got up and found Grant’s bed empty, I knew that he’d left. I still looked around the cabin to confirm the suspicion I had, but I could already feel he was gone. I left Corey warm and asleep in our bed, and here I am, searching for the man who’s becoming a massive pain in my arse. Not only is he hiding some pretty big secrets from us, but he has also become a dangerous attraction to Corey and me.

Letting my mind wander I think back to last night. Sex with Corey had been off the charts amazing, and my orgasm had left my body shuddering like I’d been electrocuted. Thinking of Corey with someone else should make me want to crush the guy, but instead, I wanted to see it. The need to see Corey kissing Grant ran deep, and that shocked me. The whole thing is a clusterfuck that’s just waiting to explode, but for the life of me, I can’t seem to build up the energy to care.

I turn onto Main Street and head towards the car park in the middle of the village. Pulling in I feel the tight feeling in my chest, the one that had been there since I discovered his bed empty, finally eases. Grant is sitting in an older red Audi with his head back against the headrest and his eyes closed. I park a few spaces over and get out of my truck before approaching him slowly. I don't think he knows I'm here but when I open the passenger door, he doesn’t flinch. I get in, struggling to fit my large body into the small space.

“My car won’t start.” He sounds defeated like he had a big escape planned and nothing is going like expected.

“Did you leave your lights on?” I don't know why I ask such a stupid question, but it seems like a good starting point.

“Nope, the car is just a pile of crap. I didn’t want to spend too much on a vehicle, and now I'm paying for being cheap.”

“Want to tell me why you have a car here?” I plan on playing dumb, pretending I don't know who he is but when he twists his head and looks at me it’s obvious he isn’t fooled.

“You know, don't you?”

I could deny it, but I don't see the point anymore. We need to talk about this, and it’s probably better to do it while Corey isn’t around. “Know what, PC Morrison?”

“Fuck!” He bangs his hands on the steering wheel, and I'm tempted to reach over and get a hold of him before he hurts himself, but he stops, gripping the wheel tightly in his hands. “What are you going to do?” Grant doesn’t look at me, and my focus latches onto his twitching leg. It shows his nerves, which should be a good thing, but all I want to do is make him relax.

“That depends on you.”

This grabs his attention, and he turns quickly to look at me. “What do you mean?”

“Why are you here, Grant? Should I expect the police to swoop in and arrest Corey and me?” As soon as I realised he was gone this morning I had a moment where I thought that a raid might happen. I nearly woke Corey up and told him we needed to leave, but when I took a moment to think about it, it didn’t seem possible. Grant wouldn’t hurt Corey like that. He might be here for his job, but I think his friendship with Corey is real. Didn’t the same thing happen with Ryden and Drake? Drake was there to do a job, but his feelings for Ryden changed everything.

“Oh God, no. I swear I'm not here because of the police. I quit before I found out about Corey. No one knows I'm here.” His body is turned fully towards me, and it almost looks like he's trying hard not to reach out and touch me.

“Then why are you here?”

“I didn’t lie. I am looking for a friend who went missing.”

“Drake?” At the mention of Drakes name, Grant sits back slightly and puts as much distance between us as his small car will allow.

“How?”

“If you're going to lie you need to check what info Google has on you. You aren’t hard to find.”

Grant looks confused like he's trying to put pieces of a puzzle together that just don't fit. “But you don't know my …” His eyes widen, and I think he just saw a section of the puzzle he hadn’t noticed before. “You used my surname.”

I nod. “You have to be careful with what you say to people, Grant, one day it might get you into trouble.”

He reaches up and rubs his hand over his forehead. The act seems to drain all the energy out of his body. “What now?”

“Get out the car.” I turn and climb out of my side before walking around to open his door. He doesn’t seem keen to follow my instruction, but little does he know that fighting with me isn’t going to get him anywhere.

“Niko, what are you going to do?”

“Get out of the car.” I repeat myself, adding a little more power behind them in the hopes he will take the hint and do as he's told.

“Niko?”

“Get out of the fucking car, Grant!” My voice is loud in the quiet morning, but the car park has no houses surrounding it, I don't worry about anyone hearing me.

Grant flinches before finally stepping out of the car. I hold my hand out to him, and he seems to guess what I want when he puts his keys in my hand. I walk around to the boot, open it and grab Grant’s backpack from where it sits before closing it again and locking the car. I walk to my truck and throw his bag into the back seat. “Get in the truck.” Thankfully this time he doesn’t hesitate and climbs into the passenger seat quietly. I get in and start the engine, taking my time to exit the car park and turn left, finally heading home with my runaway.

We drive in silence until I turn onto the dirt road. Grant’s head whips around to me with a shocked expression. “Why did you bring me back here?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

His eyebrows furrow like he can’t believe what I'm asking. “Because you know who I am.”

I stop my truck and put it in park. Turning towards Grant, I put one arm on the back of his seat and the other on the steering wheel. I try to keep my face neutral, but I don’t think I manage it when I see Grant draw back from me. “Are you a danger to Corey?”

“No. Never.” His voice is shocked like he can’t believe that I’ve asked him that question. I take a moment to look at Grant, but I can’t see any dishonesty in his face. I see conviction and fire, but nothing that hints at him lying.

Neither of us speaks until I park in front of the cabin and then Grant breaks the silence. “Does Corey know?”

“No, and he doesn’t need to. I can answer all the questions you have and I will, but first I want your help to find whoever is threatening Corey.”

“I will do whatever I can, but can you at least tell me if Drake is safe.”

I laugh at his question even though I shouldn’t. He's worried about his friend, and I should take that seriously since I would worry the same, but I know that Drake is in the safest place in the world, protected by a man who would die for him. “Yes, he’s safe and happy. He isn’t being held against his will. He's with someone he loves deeply.”

Grant’s shoulders visibly relax as he processes what I'm telling him and he relaxes back into the seat. “So, what can I do to help you?”

* * *

I'm leaning against the sink unit drinking a cup of coffee when Corey walks in looking all sleep ruffled and cute. He smiles when he sees me and shuffles over slowly and steals my coffee, taking a mouthful before groaning in pleasure. I want to pretend that the noise has no effect on me, but as he leans against my body, I'm already half hard.

“You're up early.”

I nod my head before stealing my coffee back and taking a drink. “Yeah, couldn’t sleep so thought I would get up and tackle a few things.”

He lays his head on my shoulder, and his hands sneak around my waist. “Anything I can help with?” I wrap my free arm around his shoulders and kiss his forehead, enjoying the feel of his soft skin under my lips.

“It’s all good, beautiful. It’s nothing important. Just a few calls to Clay to see if he has anything for me.” I hate lying to him, treating him like he isn’t my equal, but telling him about Grant’s little adventure this morning won’t do anything but cause harm. I want him to feel comfortable around Grant because Corey doesn’t have enough friends. He only really has Drake if I'm honest and he isn’t exactly available for him to chat to. No, Grant being a policeman is on a need-to-know basis, and Corey doesn’t need to know yet. I will tell him, just when the time is right.

“Where’s Grant?”

“He went for a walk, said he needed to clear his head.”

Corey nods his head against my chest, and I hold him tighter. Moments like this just don't happen enough in our life. Sometimes I feel like the world is trying to rip us apart and I don’t know how to stop it.

“I love you, Niko.”

I kiss Corey’s head and inhale the scent of his shampoo. “I love you too, Core.”

“Are we okay, after last night?”

I put my cup down and tilt his head upwards, so he's looking at me. I need him to see me when I speak. “We are good. It will take more than a dirty fantasy for us to not be okay.”

The shy smile he gives me makes my skin tingle. This is the first side of Corey I met, the one where he was shy, but I could see that fire in his eyes. That's why I went against all common sense and rules to speak to him. Not once have I regretted taking the risk to talk to him. Making him mine became more important than my own life, and if Ryden had killed me after my first kiss with Corey, I would have died a fucking happy man. My only regret was not getting him out of that place sooner. It tore my heart out every time I watched him walk into a room knowing there was some stranger in there waiting to use him, but whenever he got hurt, I would reap a particular sort of revenge on those fuckers. Corey doesn’t know how much I made those men suffer, and I have no plans for him ever to know. Corey would fill with guilt if he ever found out the things I did to those men so I will take the knowledge to my grave.

He looks like he's going to say something but we’re interrupted as Grant walks into the kitchen. Corey turns his body but keeps himself pressed against me with his arm around my waist. Grant doesn’t meet Corey’s gaze. Instead, he looks at the floor like he's filled with guilt. I'm hoping that Corey will put Grant's reaction down to the near kiss.

“Morning.” Corey’s voice finally makes Grant look up, but his eyes flicker around the room. If he plans on keeping his secret from Corey he is going to have to develop a better poker face.

“Uh, morning.”

I kiss Corey’s head before moving him out of the way and walking to the coffee machine. I refill my mug and reach for another two before turning to face Grant. I give him a look that I hope tells him to get his shit together because I'm not ready for Corey to be pissed off at me for keeping secrets from him. “Coffee?”

Grant nods and leans against the unit across from me.

“Did you enjoy your walk?”

Grant looks at Corey with confusion for a split second before he catches up. “Yeah, it was nice to get some fresh air.”

I hand him a mug of coffee and ours eyes connect for the briefest of moments, but it’s enough to send a zing of electricity down my spine. I step back instantly, and my eyes fly straight to Corey who’s grabbing his cup. What the fuck was that? I walk to the sink and pretend to wash my hands so I can take a moment to compose myself. I’ve never felt a reaction like that when I’ve looked at someone, even with Corey, our attraction was more a slow burn. I shake my head, telling myself that I only reacted like that to Grant because we share a secret. It must be a manifestation of the guilt I'm feeling.

“Niko?” I turn to see Corey standing right next to me. Shit, was he talking to me?

“What?”

Thankfully he laughs at me. “I asked if you wanted to do something today? I think we have all been cooped up long enough and a day out would be fun.”

I think it’s a terrible idea, a disaster waiting to happen, but as I look at Corey’s eager face, there’s no way I can say no to him. Corey may think that I’m the powerful one in this relationship, but he's so very wrong. He has me by the balls every time he looks at me and with one simple word he can have me on my knees. “What were you thinking?”

Corey spends the next few minutes talking excitedly about all the walks he found when he Googled the area, and as much as I think it’s a bad idea, I do like the sound of getting out and getting some exercise. I haven’t worked out in what feels like months even though in reality it’s only been a few days. Walking won’t be the same as a gruelling few hours in the gym lifting weights, but at least it will get my muscles moving, and that's exactly what I need. Maybe some fresh air will help me clear my head and make some sense of what is happening in my life at the moment. Never before have I felt so useless when it came to trying to find someone, and this guy who is after Corey is proving really fucking hard to find.

I look over Corey’s head at Grant who is smiling at my man, listening carefully as Corey explains that there is a small loch not too far from where we are. I don't know if Grant can feel my stare or if he just happens to look up, but our eyes connect again. The feeling is like the one before, and something passes between us. I swear he can see what I'm thinking, and when he smiles and nods at me, it steals my breath. His eyes flicker to Corey before looking back at me, and I can almost hear him in my head, telling me that he will share the burden of Corey’s safety with me. I’d asked him earlier to help me, and at this moment I know his answer. My eyes burn as emotion suddenly starts building inside me. I have no fucking clue what's going on, but I need to get out of here before I do something really fucking stupid like cry.

“I need to go to the bathroom. You two decide on the route, and I’ll go along with it.” I don't wait for a reply, and I can see the shock on Corey’s face as I practically run from the room. I head straight to the bathroom in our bedroom, slamming the door and locking it behind me. I lean back against it and close my eyes. The past five years of my life have felt like a powder keg waiting to explode at the slightest spark, but it’s never bothered me before. My life was of my own making, and I embraced it with open arms, dealing with the chips where they landed. I couldn’t do that once Corey was on the scene, I needed to make sure nothing happened to him, and that was a heavy burden to take on, not that I would change it for one single second. I thought I could keep him safe, keep the world from hurting him, but this anonymous emailer has proven that I can’t, and I haven’t handled that well. The strange thing is I didn’t realise the pressure I was under until now. Seeing Grant willing to share the stress of that life makes me realise how much I was drowning.

The question is can I let Grant into our lives knowing who he is? Can I trust him not to turn on us the second he finds Drake? I don't care what happens to me, but there’s no way Corey is going to get into trouble for anything. He’s the victim in all this. He’s the only one who hasn’t done anything wrong. He was brought into Blue Diamond with promises of a good life. He was an innocent who suffered so men like me could make money. I’ve taken lives and hurt people, and I will be damned if I let Corey suffer for my past transgressions. I want to trust Grant, I want to take him at his word, but it’s difficult. I haven’t trusted someone other than Corey in a very long time, and I'm not sure if I know how to let him in.

I sink to the floor and drop my chin to my chest as the stress of everything finally catches up with me. The first tears burn as they fall down my cheeks but I can’t stop them from flowing. The pain has found an outlet through my tears, so I let them fall. I’ll take this moment to break, to release years worth of heartache, and once I'm done, I will become the man I was before. The one I need to be to create the life I want.