Page 34 of Mine (The Possession #3)

33

Romeo

I saw Valencia and the ache in my chest eased but once I saw her injuries I was livid. Someone fucking touched her and I saw red. Taking a deep breath, I was relieved she was ok. When she stepped away from us, my heart broke. She looked like she was on the brink of breaking.

Hunter explained why we were here, but all I wanted to do was pull her into my arms, console her, and then fucking hurt whoever had done this to her, starting with whoever had ratted her out.

Her lip trembled as she rushed to us, and I caught her as she fell. A gut-wrenching sob escaped her. I wrapped my arms around her side as Hunter wrapped his arms around her other side. She cried big sobs and each time, it broke me, making my eyes tear up too. Hunter looked just as emotional, but underneath I saw the shimmer of violence.

Looking towards the door, Noemi and Easton were holding each other. Easton pointed at the door and I mouthed, ‘Thank you’, to them. Noemi came over, kissed Valencia on the head, and told her if she needed anything, to give her a call.

“Will you answer?” Hunter growled.

“She needed time and I didn’t want to lie.” Easton shrugged.

“We were worried,” I said, before Hunter said something stupid.

“I left it up to her,” he said. “She said she would call you when she was ready.”

“I felt so overwhelmed, and I didn’t know what you were going to say and that stressed me out and what if you?—”

“Hey… Hey…” Hunter pulled back, holding her face in his hands. “I get it.”

“I just?—”

“It’s ok,” Hunter said, pressing his forehead to hers. “We just didn’t know what happened and since you didn’t come home we didn’t know what to think.”

Noemi and Easton waved goodbye and they left quietly. Valencia sobbed again, and I hated how broken she sounded.

“It’s not safe here,” I said, eyeing the door.

Now that she was here with us, I wasn’t going to let her out of my sight.

“Come on, I have a bag packed for you and I have your equipment,” he said, picking her up.

It was sexy how he handled her and yes, I know it was a bad time to say that, but his protectiveness was sexy.

“Did they damage anything?” she whimpered.

“A few expensive things,” Hunter said, as she cried harder. “We can replace it Lenny, but I’m so glad you are here.”

“Do you need anything specific?” I asked, looking around.

“Just… my… bag I came in with,” she cried.

I grabbed her bag, walking out first to make sure no one was in the hallway. Hunter walked out and I locked the door, keeping an eye on our surroundings. It was late enough that no one was in sight, but I still felt on edge.

Hunter’s car was parked close by. I held out my hand so he could give me the keys. He shook his head, “Hey Lenny, I’m going to pass you to Ro, so I can drive.”

She nodded, still crying, holding her hand out to me. I immediately took her into my arms, holding her close without it being too tight. Her arms wrapped around my neck as Hunter opened the door for us. Getting into the car was a little challenging, but we made it work because I was not letting go of her.

The drive to Hunter’s was quick and Valencia’s cries slowed down. I didn’t know what to say, so holding her and rubbing her back was all I could do. Hunter parked in his garage, close to the elevator. It was impossible to get out with Valencia in my arms, so she got out first and as soon as I was out, I picked her up.

I grabbed her back as Hunter grabbed the stuff he got from her apartment earlier. We went up the elevator, keeping an eye on our surroundings because I didn’t trust anyone at this point. We entered Hunter’s apartment, and I went straight to his bedroom.

Valencia’s breathing had evened out and as I laid her down, she didn’t even stir. It gave me time to really look at her as I tucked her into the bed. Her face was swollen, and there were black bruises around her eye. Anger was eating away at me, and I needed to blow off some steam or hit something soon. She shouldn’t have been alone to deal with this and I felt so guilty.

Hunter was entering the room as I was leaving it. He said something, but I kept walking. Thankfully, he didn’t stop me, giving me a moment to myself. Who the hell would do this to her? What the hell would they gain from it, a few seconds of fame?

My phone rang and I immediately pulled it out since I was waiting for a call from my hacker friend. I had him investigate Joshua more and if anything led him back to the gossip magazines. Great, It was him.

“Hello,” I said.

“Dude, this is bad,” he said quickly. “I think you need to sit down.”

“Just tell me,” I snapped.

“Seriously, sit down,” he said calmly.

I scoffed, walking to the sofa. “Ok, I’m sitting.”

“It wasn’t Joshua who tipped them off, it was your dad,” he said, as he continued to type.

“What do you mean?”

“It looks like your dad hired a PI to follow you and he had some evidence of your threesome and a private photo,” he said, as a swoosh sounded. “I sent you everything. They did everything online, which was stupid, but your father didn’t want to be seen.”

I put him on speaker as I opened my email. The first photo made my stomach drop. It was Hunter and I kissing in our hotel room, zoomed in. The next was a kiss we shared near our cars and then there was another one of all of us together in my bed. The last photo was of Valencia as Ruby, without a mask.

Holy fucking shit, this was bad.

My phone slipped out of my hands as I tried to digest what the fuck was happening. My friend started talking and all I could hear was buzzing. My own blood was fucking me over and the woman I cared about. Anger replaced the shock.

“Wait, how did he know about Valencia?” I clipped.

“The PI did some research on V and he found Joshua,” he sighed. “I don’t have their conversations, but there was a wire deposit that matched one from your dad to Joshua.”

“I gotta go,” I said.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” he yelled. “Let me compile a few things, so if you are dumb enough to handle this on your own, you have something to threaten them with. Josh will be easy, but your?—”

“I have something on my dad,” I said. “Thanks man. If you can delete all evidence, I’ll pay you whatever you want.”

I hung up, going straight for the door.

“Hey, what happened?” Hunter stepped in front of me.

“It was my dad, Hunt,” I said, my voice trembling with emotion I couldn’t hide anymore. “He has pictures of us in compromising positions and he paid Joshua for information.”

“Who is Joshua?” He asked.

“Maxwell, the man who fucking took advantage of her,” I clipped.

“Fuck, where are you going?” He held up his hand to keep me from walking to the door. “Don’t do something stupid, we can?—”

“I’m going to put the fucking fear of god in my father,” I said, putting his arm down and walked past him. “I can’t believe he would do this.”

“Let me go with you,” he said, reaching for his coat.

“No, stay here. She shouldn’t be alone,” I said, looking back at his room, feeling guilty for leaving, but this had to be dealt with now.

“You shouldn’t be alone either,” he said quickly. “Ro, think about this.”

“Think about how he hired someone to spy on us and then orchestrated this entire shit show,” I snapped, pulling my phone out so he could see the pictures.

“Shit,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “Did your friend get these pictures for you?”

I nodded.

“Ro, please don’t go without me. I don’t like this, but?—”

“Don’t ask me not to go. I have to do this,” I said, grabbing him around his neck and kissing him.

“Kissing isn’t going to make me forget,” he murmured against my lips.

“I know, I just want you to know that I would do anything to do right by you and Valencia, and that is protecting you guys even from my family,” I said, resting my forehead against his. “We will leave early tomorrow and pay Joshua a visit and possibly a magazine.”

“Ok, fine, but we do everything else together,” he said, pulling me in for another kiss. “I’m sorry I pushed you away, it was stupid?—”

I kissed him before he could say anything else.

“I know. We will all talk when we get this shit sorted out because?—”

I love you both.

I couldn’t say it now. I wanted us to be together when I did. “Because we have a lot to talk about.”

Hunter looked at me warily but nodded. I left his apartment, took the elevator and drove fast to my father’s house. It was ten o’clock on a Saturday, I knew he would be awake as I parked, seeing the houselights on.

I didn’t bother knocking, using my key to get in the house. I swung the door open, almost hitting Tomás. His eyes were wide when I glanced at him.

“Romeo?” He followed me when I didn’t respond.

My father was in his recliner sipping on a beer, watching sports highlights. The moment he saw me, he scowled.

“Nice of?—”

“You listen and don’t speak,” I snarled.

“Romeo!” My mother admonished me.

“Were you going to have them post about my sex life and do a smear campaign with the woman I am with?” I snapped. “What did you expect would happen? Why the fuck would you do this?”

He opened and closed his mouth, for once looking unsure. “That’s… I… I didn’t do that and honestly whoever did it, did you a favor.”

“Don’t fucking lie!” I yelled.

“Mijo, you do not take that tone with your father,” my mother said, coming up to me.

“He hired a PI to investigate me,” I said, trying to reign in my anger. “There are pictures of us in bed.”

I heard my mother take a sharp breath.

“You had him followed?” Tomás looked pale.

My father looked at all of us as silence consumed the room.

“Rodolfo,” my mother snapped.

“I’m doing what needs to be done to make sure his career is safe,” my father said, forgoing his facade of denial. “What are people going to say when they find out he is gay?”

“What will they say, father?” I growled.

“?Enserio, Rodolfo?” My mother threw her hands up.

“You… you can’t be gay in sports,” he stammered, looking at my mother.

I laughed. “Who the hell said that, and I’m not gay. Is it because in your mind, gay men are feminine? You think we are lesser than straight men??”

“Why can’t gay men be in sports?” Tomás asked, stepping forward.

Our father looked at us with a scowl.

“You like men, what else would you be? You will be ridiculed, and they will turn on you,” he said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“Hunter is bi, and while not everyone is accepting, he’s had great teammates and they haven’t judged him for being who he is,” I said, glancing at Tomás who had a blank expression. “It won’t be easy, but I don’t want to be someone I’m not.”

“What did you plan to do with the pictures?” My mother asked, scowling at my father. “Did you plan to out your son, have them plaster his photos on magazines and gossip columns?”

“What did you think would happen when you did that, father?” Tomás had a fire in his eyes. “You don’t think this would hurt your own son? Your family?”

“I… I told them not to print his photo, but only Hunter and Valencia,” he scoffed.

I laughed. “You think they would listen to you?”

“My contact at The Jule told me they…”

“You can't be that stupid,” Tomas yelled. “You invaded the privacy of three people and sent the photos to a gossip magazine. You really think they were going to listen to you? What's next, you're going to hire a PI to watch mama and me, keep us under lock and key to save your image?”

“I’m just trying to keep our family safe.” My father looked at us and when he settled on my mother, his face softened.

“Rodolfo, how could you do this?” My mother asked, stepping away from my father. “I’ve sat by while you pushed these boys harder than any little child should and I’ve stepped aside when you were strict as they grew up, but this… this is the end.”

“Maria Anna, he should be focusing on?—”

“No! How about you focus on retirement, on me, on enjoying life instead of everything being about football or sports,” she yelled. “This is the last straw, Rodolfo. I can’t believe you would do this to your son, to your familia.”

“He’s too young to be thinking about anything other than hockey, what if he knocked her up?” he sneered.

“Well, then maybe I should be with a man,” I said, earning a scowl.

“So, what are you saying? Getting me knocked up was a mistake?” My mom yelled. “What should we call the second time?”

“That’s not?—”

“I can’t believe what is coming out of your mouth.” She walked away but turned around. “What happened to the man that used to love his family so much that he would do anything to keep us safe?”

“You are taking my words and twisting them,” he shouted as she left. “I am keeping us safe.”

“No, dad, we hear you loud and clear,” Tomás said, looking hurt. “You’ve done nothing but hurt us these last few years and you can’t even see the damage you've done to us.”

“Tomás! You come back right now,” he yelled, as Tomas turned around following our mom. “I have sacrificed so much for you to be where you are now!”

“If you can’ t accept Romeo, then you definitely can’t accept me,” he said, before walking away.

“You did this, you little?—”

“No, you did this. If you don’t have them pull the article, I will go to another magazine with my own story of a father who would rather out his son to protect him. I will also let them know how you made us feel like we couldn’t be who were are without you having some say in it,” I said, opening my mouth to say something more.

“Come on, Romeo,” my mother said with a bag in her hand. “If you decide to not apologize, then don’t come around till you fix what you’ve ruined, and if you let them release anything about Ro or anything that will hurt him, don’t come back to me.”

“Maria Anna,” he said , and I turned away thinking this might do the trick.

My mother ushered me and Tomás out of the house. She dropped her bag on the driveway before pulling us in for a hug. It was the first time in a long time that I felt like I had a mother.

“I’m so sorry I failed you,” she said, holding onto us tighter. “I thought I was helping you succeed, and I should have said something. I’m so sorry I failed you.”

Tomás and I looked at each other like we couldn’t believe what was happening.

“It's ok, Mama,” he said, squeezing her.

“I’ll make sure he takes down whatever he sent, mijo, and while I don’t understand, I would love to meet them,” she said, laying her head on my chest. “You should be able to love whoever you want.”

Tomás and I looked at each other and while I wanted to tell him it was ok, he needed to come out on his own terms. What was important is that we had each other.

I took a deep breath, letting the tension wash away, feeling marginally better. I hoped the next visit I had to pay went as well as this.