Page 70 of Sticks and Stones (FBI Romance/Thriller #65)

Okay, this hurt.

But he’d be okay.

Now, all he had to do was catch the flight, and land wherever his daughter was.

Wouldn’t she be surprised?

Her partner wasn’t sitting this one out.

It would be a cold day in Hell when that happened.

He was her ride or die.

To.

The.

End.

* * * Blackhawk & Cantrell * * *

Forty Minutes Later

Across Town

Will’s Brownstone

Because he was an idiot, and clearly had no sense of self-preservation, Ethan was going to go against the main rule of not getting involved with other people’s personal lives and do just that.

Whenever someone asked for relationship advice, he was the last person he’d recommend asking.

Why?

He sucked at it.

But now, he knew he needed to do something, or Corbin was never going to get over losing Will. It was crystal clear they were in love, and he needed to fix what was broken.

A part of him blamed himself for not getting Corbin his phone BEFORE Will showed up.

If he’d learned anything the last year, it was that love healed a lot of problems if you put your faith in it.

So, while Gene showered, after he had done the same, they needed coffee and bagels to fuel up. Leaving a short note, so Gene didn’t worry, Ethan snuck out to get them breakfast.

That was how he ended up where he was now.

At Will’s.

It was time to help his friend out.

When Will opened the door, after he’d knocked, he was just as surprised to see him as Ethan was that he was doing this.

It was now or never.

“Hey,” Ethan said, putting the awkwardness behind him to help out a friend who needed a lifeline.

At his greeting, Will said nothing.

Oh, and he didn’t blame him. The man had to be feeling like the odd person out with this whole mess. It was time to fix that.

The guy was standing there with red eyes, and a handful of used tissues.

“What do you want?” he asked, sniffling. The only reason he opened the door was pure curiosity over why this man was there. He was quiet, and he didn’t often talk to Will. Truth be told, he wasn’t even sure if Ethan liked him.

For a second, Ethan questioned his decisions. Then, he opted to just jump in.

Like Gene would.

As for what he wanted…

Ethan knew what it was like to be the one fucking up relationships, so he was going to help Corbin and Will out the best he could.

He wanted his friend to have happiness like he did.

“Can I come in to talk to you?” he asked, as the wind was whipping around him.

Will stepped back without saying a word.

The only reason he was entertaining this mess was that Ethan hadn’t tried to keep Corbin from him. Had this been Gene, there would be a door slamming in someone’s face.

For Ethan, he’d let him say his peace, and in the process, maybe he’d figure out what he’d done wrong.

He needed to know why Corbin had dumped him.

As Ethan walked through his brownstone, it was a damn nice place. It was crystal clear that city attorneys got paid better than Federal agents.

Then again, he had a really nice brownstone in a different city.

“I came to talk about Corbin.”

Will wrapped his arms around his torso as if he was self-soothing, or protecting himself. At the mention of his name, there was so much pain that it was almost unbearable. Will’s heart was shattered.

“I figured as much since he’s your friend and family. That must be nice.”

Yeah, he was angry.

Well, here went everything.

“I need to explain the whole situation to you since Corbin didn’t.”

Will said nothing.

Instead, he stood there, staring at Ethan.

Blackhawk came clean.

“First, I saw your messages to him on his phone when we got it back. We just retrieved his phone from the men who stole it from him.”

And still…

NADA.

Will was a formidable opponent, that was for sure, and it was clear he wasn’t going to make this easy.

Lawyers never did.

“You need to know something, Will, and I’m sure this is breaking all kinds of rules as a friend, but I’m willing to take the chance for both you and Corbin. I’ll deal with him hating me later.”

Again, that intrigued him.

What could make Corbin hate his friends? Will knew how much he loved the two men.

“What do I need to know?” he asked, figuring it was something he didn’t care to hear, but curiosity killed the cat more times than not.

Well, here went the rules and friendship. Corbin had every right to hate his guts after this.

“The reason Corbin didn’t call you was he had been undercover working, and it went south.”

Will figured from the way his face looked. He had a plethora of injuries. It looked like he ran face-first into a wall.

A few times.

It didn’t matter to Will. Corbin was still handsome.

Blackhawk continued, and this was the questionable part. He was going to betray Corbin’s right to privacy.

“He was sexually assaulted on his undercover job. What you saw was him running because he’s afraid you’ll be sickened by what you find out happened to him.”

That hung there.

Immediately, Will was horrified because he absolutely wasn’t expecting that.

He stopped him.

“Wait. What did you say? Did you just say that Corbin was sexually assaulted?” he asked, his heart racing in his chest as that overwhelming need to go back to that condo and protect him hit Will hard.

In.

The.

Heart.

Ethan nodded.

“You heard me right.”

Will was a smart man, and now, everything began making sense. The broken arm, the broken teeth, and how he was pushing him away.

“Oh, God,” he said, the tears drying up, and instead, that rage coming on at who did this to him.

“Is that why he doesn’t want to be with me? Because of that?”

Ethan nodded.

“He’s afraid that you’ll find out the details, and then you’ll run. That will break him even more, so he’s saying goodbye first out of terror. He’s so afraid that you’ll leave him if he can’t have sex ever again.”

Jesus.

Christ.

“Oh, no,” Will said.

Ethan pushed on.

“So, I’m coming here and putting my faith in you.

My gut says you’re not a runner. It’s telling me you’d stick and fight to the bitter end.

When I saw your messages to him, when you didn’t know what he was going through, I had a feeling that you were the kind of man who would help him—not hurt him. I hope I’m right about that.”

Will was that kind of a man.

He’d do anything to protect Corbin. They had a connection that he’d never felt before in his whole life.

“I would never break up with him over this. I’m sickened, but not with him. He’s the victim. I’d protect him and love him, not blame him.”

Ethan was all in now.

So, he finished.

“Will, he loves you. Right after your first date, he started talking about marrying you. We told him not to be an idiot. We begged him to give it some time, and now, I wish we hadn’t talked him down from it.

He would have married you on Christmas, Will.

That’s how sure he is that you’re the one.

What he’s doing by pushing you away is out of survival mode—nothing more. ”

It was official.

Will was done feeling sorry for himself.

Instead, he wiped his eyes, and he was willing to dig in to do what it took.

Corbin didn’t know him as well as he thought he did, or he’d know that Will was a fighter.

To.

His.

Core.

“I would have said yes to him. I love him so much. He is my other half, but he pushed me away. How do I get him back?” he asked. “Tell me, and I’ll do it. Tell me how to be there for him, and I will, Ethan. I’ll fight for him until my last breath.”

Ethan wished he knew how to do this. All of this was Gene’s area. When it came to solving problems of the heart, he was the go-to guy, and for good reason.

“I’m shitty at relationships, but I’m going to say you have to show him.

I know that’s what I’d want to happen. I’d want my person to be there for me.

When it comes to myself and Gene, when I’m in a dark place, he shows up, and he lights the way.

I’d want my person to take my hand, take care of me, and lead me back to the light. ”

DONE.

Will could do that.

“What he needs is to see that you’re not walking away, but instead, you’re willing to do what it takes to be with him. He’s at rock bottom, Will, and he needs someone to have his back so he can survive this.”

Will got that.

If that was what Corbin needed, he’d do it.

Blackhawk continued.

“Gene and I have to work today. We’re trying to solve his case for him, in hopes it takes us to the leader of this mess.

He’s going to be alone all day, and I don’t think silence is what he needs right now.

He needs someone to fight for him. He needs you despite what he said.

He didn’t want to do it. Corbin did it to spare you from the burden of him. ”

Then, he’d have him.

Will would show up and be strong for his person. It was clear that Corbin didn’t think that he could be the one who did that, but it would change.

Until he was back on his feet, he’d hover over him, and show the love of his life what it meant to be in a relationship.

You were there for the good and the bad.

“Being there isn’t a burden, Ethan. I’d be there for him for the rest of his life. Sex isn’t what I want. His heart is. I want his heart to be mine.”

Ethan didn’t feel as bad now about coming here to do this.

Will would do the job.

There was no doubt there.

“Save him, Will. Love him through this, and don’t be upset we blocked you from seeing him. Corbin doesn’t want to see anyone—even his parents. It’s not about not loving you. It’s about falling apart the second he sees you.”

Oh, he would, and he wasn’t the least bit angry. In fact, he was grateful.

Ethan didn’t have to come here and risk his friendship with Corbin for him.

Now, Will had one question for the man.

“And the person who hurt him?” he asked. “Where do I find him? Because he hurt the man that I’m going to marry. He hurt the better part of me.”

Yeah, Ethan was right.

This man did love Corbin, and he was gearing up for one hell of a battle.

As for the rest…

Oh, well, he had bad news.