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The trio, Issa, and Suzy know. The police scheduled an interview late tomorrow afternoon and your lawyer will be there. See you soon.

Rylan shifted on the bed and Cameron moved close, cupping his cheek as Rylan blinked his eyes open. The beautiful gray orbs seemed hazy, and he had to blink a few times before he focused on Cameron. When he did, he gave him a smile that stole his breath.

“Hey, angel. Do you have a headache?”

For several hours after the doctor left, he’d watched the nurses wake him and check his pupils before they took his vitals and accessed the serious nature of his concussion. They murmured as they wrote on Rylan’s chart, but it was the smile from the two nurses that checked on him so far that allowed Cameron to relax.

Rylan moved his head from side to side and winced.

“I don’t have a headache but the back of my head feels weird and my neck hurts.”

Cameron nodded but stiffened when a gasp escaped from Rylan’s mouth. He was about to press the button for the nurse when he noticed Rylan’s gaze locked on his hands.

“You’re bleeding.”

“It’s a reminder of how stupid I was to let my guard down. You’re hurt because of me.”

Rylan aimed a fierce scowl his way and squeezed their linked hands. “No, this isn’t your fault and it sure as fuck isn’t mine. Tristan caused this because no one has ever said no to him and he can’t accept he can’t get what he thinks he wants.”

“You… you’re what he wants.”

“No, he doesn’t want me, he needs to control me. Someone under his thumb, to control and humiliate, because it makes him a bigger man. I thwarted his plans, over and over again, and he can’t stand that loss of control. He does the same thing with Declan. But Declan doesn’t fight back, he goes with whatever Tristan says.”

Cameron shivered. “How about we move out of state, somewhere he can’t find us?”

His husband’s face relaxed, and he smiled at Cameron, pulling him close and pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

“Love, Fort Collins is our home. We built a life together in our house, we have wonderful and supportive friends, a close family, and the town is small enough we feel comfortable there. I’m will not let Tristan ruin our lives. I’ll testify against him and send him to jail, but I refuse to have us change our lives for that piece of shit.”

Pride warred with fear as Cameron glanced at all the injuries Rylan received during a ten-minute confrontation.

“What if,” he chokes, squeezing Rylan’s hand before continuing, “he comes after you with a knife next time? Or worse, a gun?”

“This may sound weird, but I don’t fear him any longer. But I promise you I will be careful. I refuse to let him into our lives. He can go to jail and rot and I won’t feel any guilt because he deserves everything he gets.”

Cameron smiled and kissed Rylan. “You realize I won’t be leaving you alone for a moment since we’re staying.”

The beaming smile Rylan gave him alone made his statement worth it, but when he moved his hand and grazed over his swollen eye, his smile fell.

“He did a number on me, didn’t he?”

Repeating everything Dr. Evans told him, Cameron worried about the thoughts running through Rylan’s head.

“You’ll heal, angel. I’ll take care of you.”

“What… what happened after you pulled him off me?” Rylan asked.

Cameron cleared his throat. “I’m sure I broke his nose and maybe something else in his face, I heard a snap when I twisted his arm around his back to get him on the ground, and I dropped onto his nuts to hold him down, so maybe some internal bleeding. I don’t give a shit, but I hope it hurt.”

“So, when do we talk to the police?”

“I got a text from Mom before you woke up. All set for tomorrow.”

“What time is it?”

“It’s ten.”

“Have you been here the whole time?”