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Chapter Six

Saul

I hadn’t even finished making breakfast in the morning when I answered the door and found Sergeant David Martin on the doorstep. I hesitated for a second before opening the door wide. David's expression was serious, his police uniform crisp and official.

"Morning, Saul," he said, tipping his head in greeting. "Sorry to drop by so early. Is Chris around?"

"He's still sleeping," I replied, keeping my voice low. "Night shift recovery. Do you want me to wake him?"

David shook his head. "No need to disturb him. It's actually Jesse Carter I came to talk to."

My stomach tightened. "Has something happened? Did you find Graham?"

"Not exactly," David said, glancing past me into the house. "We established the name he gave on the lease was fraudulent, and without Jesse giving us any more information we’re stuck." He hesitated. “The fire was deliberately set, we think in the upstairs apartment but we don’t know why so it’s now out of my hands. Jesse needs to step up.”

I felt the blood drain from my face. The last thing Jesse needed was an interrogation. I hesitated. "He had a rough couple of days. Nightmares. He only fell back asleep a few hours ago."

David's expression softened slightly. "I understand, but this is important. We have no idea where to start with this guy. His rent was paid in cash, and apart from a fake driver’s license with a bad picture we’ve got nothing.”

I sighed, knowing he was right. "Give me a few minutes to wake them both up. Go on into the kitchen and help yourself to coffee.”

I watched David move into the kitchen, his uniform stiff against the casual warmth of our home. My mind raced, trying to figure out how to break this to Jesse without sending him spiraling. The kid had just started to trust us, and now this.

I moved down the hall, pausing first at our bedroom. Chris was sprawled across the bed, one arm flung over his eyes. I hated to wake him during his recovery day, but this couldn't wait.

"Chris," I said softly, sitting on the edge of the bed. "We've got company."

He stirred, immediately alert in that way he had. Years of being on call had trained him to wake up ready. "What's wrong?" he asked, voice rough with sleep.

"David Martin's here. He needs to talk to Jesse about the fire. Says it was deliberately set."

Chris sat up, running a hand through his hair. "Shit."

"Yeah. I'm going to wake Jesse now."

Chris nodded, already reaching for a t-shirt. "I'll be right there."

I continued to the guest room, knocking softly.

There was no answer, so I eased the door open.

Jesse was curled on his side, looking impossibly young in sleep.

The bruises on his face stood out starkly against his pale skin in the morning light.

My heart squeezed at the sight. He'd finally fallen into a peaceful sleep around dawn, after Chris and I had spent hours talking him through recurring nightmares.

"Jesse," I called softly, keeping my distance. "Jesse, I need you to wake up."

He stirred, his eyes fluttering open. For a moment, there was that now-familiar flash of panic before recognition set in.

"Saul?" His voice was rough with sleep.

"I'm sorry to wake you," I said, "but Sergeant Martin is here. He needs to talk to you about the fire."

Jesse stiffened, drawing the blankets tighter around himself. "What does he want to know?"

"I think he needs more information about Graham," I said gently. "The fire was deliberately set, Jesse. They need your help to find him." Fear flashed across his face, but I recognized a stubborn lift to his chin. “I don’t know anything. He didn’t tell me anything.” I didn’t blame him, but I knew he was lying.

The trouble was David Martin was no fool.

Chris and Jesse came into the kitchen. Jesse wearing the new jeans and tee I’d left out for him and even though his bruises were still stark on his face, clothes that fit him made him look a hundred percent better.

I busied myself with the coffee, and made some toast for everyone while David was here. I had planned on French toast as soon as David left.

David smiled at Jesse even though Jesse wouldn’t look at him in the eyes.

“Things have changed slightly, Jesse,” Dave explained.

“The fire was set deliberately which means this just doesn’t involve you anymore.

The man who rented your apartment is the only resident we can’t find.

We know you worked at Belle’s Breakfasts for some time in the year before you left home, so that was the first place I looked yesterday. ”

I saw Jesse stiffen and moved closer to him.

“Anna says you went from working on Saturdays to five days a week when they had two people quit.” David sighed.

“What no one realized there was that you continued working after you’d left your parents’ home.

James and Elinor Carter reported you missing two years ago.

Anna, who owns the place now says you always came on your bike, so I’m guessing that your parents never knew about the job in the first place which is why you felt safe to stay there and assumed they wouldn’t think to look, that and the fact it must have taken nearly an hour one way for the commute. ”

Jesse just stared at the table but I knew David’s guess was probably spot on. But an hour? Hell.

David waited to see if Jesse responded but when he didn’t, David continued. “Luckily for me, Anna had CCTV installed after having a couple of run-ins with customers. She gave me the tapes yesterday.”

Every ounce of color drained from Jesse’s face, and I knew David had clocked his reaction.

“I haven’t had time to look through them, and I’m hoping you can save me some time.

” He leaned forward. “I don’t think you’re the kind of man to go home with someone you don’t know, so that leaves me only two places you might have had contact.

You were homeschooled, so the church and your parents’ obviously as your father is the pastor, but the second place is the diner. ”

Jesse's breathing had become shallow, and I moved closer, my hand hovering near his shoulder without touching. Chris remained sitting, his presence solid and reassuring.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Jesse whispered, but his voice cracked.

David sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Jesse, I understand you're scared. But someone deliberately set that fire. Four other families were in that building. A mother and her toddler nearly died. This isn't just about you anymore."

Jesse flinched, and I saw guilt flash across his face. He hadn't considered that.

“You're safe here," Chris said quietly from his position. "We won't let anyone hurt you."

Jesse glanced up at him, something like hope flickering in his eyes before doubt crushed it. He wrapped his arms around himself, his knuckles white.

"If I tell you," he finally said, his voice barely audible, "will you promise not to contact my parents? Or put my name in any reports? He... he has connections."

David frowned. "That depends on who we're talking about, Jesse. If this person has committed crimes?—"

"He has," Jesse interrupted, a bitter laugh escaping him. "But you can't touch him. No one can."

I exchanged a worried glance with Chris. Who was this Graham that Jesse was so terrified of?

"Let me be the judge of that," David said, his manner turning brusque. Jesse didn’t reply, so David pulled out his tablet and started scrolling through a ton of stills.

We could all see Jesse behind the counter, filling empty coffee cups, putting down dishes of food.

The stools at the bar were generally full showing how popular the place was.

“Jesse, I’m happy to contact every single customer through their receipts if I have to. It’ll take time but I’m confident I can connect someone with that apartment eventually. You really want to go through this?”

“Sergeant,” Chris said, standing up, “I think it’s time you left.”

David ignored him. “You want to be in trouble for obstructing justice?”

“That’s it.” Chris glowered. “Get out.”

Jesse shook his head, and reaching out, laid a hand on Chris’s arm, but with the other he pointed to the back of a man sitting on one of the stools. “That’s him,” he whispered.

We all gaped in shock, but as I took in the uniform the man wore, the obvious gun in the holster at his waist, I understood why Jesse was so terrified.

Because the man who had kidnapped and held Jesse captive for over a year was a cop.

Jesse

I couldn't breathe as David stared at the image I'd pointed to on his tablet.

The back of Graham's head, his familiar broad shoulders in the tan uniform of the county sheriff's department.

My nightmare made flesh. The sergeant switched to the next still and it showed a full picture of Graham leaving the diner.

"Deputy Sheriff Graham Reynolds?" David's voice was incredulous. "You're saying a law enforcement officer kidnapped and imprisoned you?"

I nodded, unable to speak past the knot of terror in my throat. Graham's voice echoed in my head:

"No one will ever believe you. I'm the law in this county. Who do you think they'll listen to? A runaway nobody or me?"

Sergeant Martin's face had gone pale. "Jesus Christ," he muttered, setting the tablet down with shaking hands.

"Now you understand," I whispered. "Why I couldn't tell you."

Chris had moved closer to me, his solid presence at my back both comforting and protective. Saul stood at my side, his hand resting lightly on my shoulder. Their silent support gave me strength I didn't know I possessed.

"He started coming to the diner regularly," I continued, the words spilling out now that the dam had broken.

"Always sat in my section which was the bar.

Left big tips. Over the weeks he got me talking.

Talked about how his nephew had just come out and how supportive he was.

" I laughed bitterly. "I was so desperate to believe someone in authority could be kind to a gay kid. "

David was scribbling notes, his expression grim. "How long did this go on before he offered you a place to stay?"

"About three months," I said, staring at my hands.

"By then, I was sleeping in the break room at the diner when Anna would let me, or in an abandoned car behind the gas station when she couldn't. It was getting colder.

.." I swallowed hard. "He knew I was desperate.

Said he had a spare room in his house that he rented out cheap to people who needed a fresh start.

That he understood what it was like to be rejected by family. "

"And you had no reason not to trust him," Saul murmured, his hand squeezing my shoulder gently.

I shook my head. "He was a cop. I thought... I thought I'd be safe."

David's expression was troubled. "Reynolds has been with the department for fifteen years. Decorated twice for bravery. No complaints on record." He looked up at me. "Not that I don't believe you, but?—"

"But it's hard to accept that one of your own is a monster?" Chris finished for him, his voice tight with anger.

"Yeah," David admitted. "This is going to be... complicated."

"He's going to find me," I whispered, the fear that had been my constant companion for over a year surging back. "He'll know I survived the fire. He'll come for me."

"No, he won't," Chris said firmly, his large hand coming to rest protectively on my other shoulder. "He has no idea where you are."

David ran a hand through his hair, looking suddenly older. "This changes everything. I can't just walk into his station and accuse a decorated deputy sheriff of kidnapping and imprisonment without solid evidence. And I definitely can't put this in an official report yet."

"So what, you're just going to let him get away with it?" Saul's voice had an edge I hadn't heard before.

"No," David said sharply. "But I need to be smart about this.

Reynolds has friends in the department, connections in the county.

If I move too quickly without enough evidence, he'll lawyer up and we'll be finished.

" He looked at me, his expression softening slightly.

"Jesse, I'm going to need a full statement from you.

Everything he did, every detail you can remember.

But not right now, and not at the station. "

I nodded, my throat tight. The thought of recounting every horror, every degradation I'd suffered at Graham's hands made me feel physically ill.

"What can we do in the meantime?" Chris asked.

"Keep Jesse safe and out of sight," David replied.

"Don't tell anyone he's here. I'm going to need to reach out to some contacts outside our department—state police, maybe FBI.

" He paused. "Reynolds is on shift today.

I'll check in at the station, act normal, see what he knows about the fire investigation. "

I blinked back my tears, and felt Saul’s arm come around me. I vaguely heard Chris show David to the door, and before I’d worked out what was happening I was curled up on the sofa between them both.

They made me feel so safe. It was the only thing that stopped me from running.