"Yeah," the guy said, licking his lips. "Seen him a couple times going in and out of 22B."
Axel locked his phone and stuck it back in his pocket. "Where's 22B?"
I took back the photo, folded it, and put it away while they told us that 22B was in the next building on the second floor. We thanked them and moved in that direction, none of us turning around to look when we heard sounds of them going into the building they'd been sitting in front of. I didn't blame them. Axel had looked absolutely murderous when the guy said he'd seen Leith here more than once.
The buildings weren't large. We all slipped on leather gloves as we stepped into the foyer of the second. There were four apartments on the first floor and I assumed four on the second, as well. The hallway smelled stale, a mix of dirt, paint, industrial cleaner, and the lingering aromas from the tenant’s dinners.
We moved up the steps quickly, drawing our guns as we approached the door. Keeping close to the wall so as to not be seen out the peephole, I flattened myself beside the door, gun ready, and nodded to Axel. He pushed off the wall, and in a swift move planted his booted foot to the right of the doorknob, kicking it in.
I took point, storming into the room gun up, sweeping the small space and finding no one. Lex and Axel moved in behind me, pulling the broken door closed, and as a team we moved forward, clearing the apartment.
It was dingy with brown carpet and walls that I was sure had once been white, but were yellowed from cigarette smoke and too many years without a fresh coat of paint. After clearing the kitchen and the hall closet, we made our way farther back. Once the bedroom was cleared, we turned back to the only door still shut.
We hadn't heard a sound since we opened the door. The single remaining door had light shining from beneath it. It had to be the bathroom. I took position in front of the door. When Lex pulled it open, I stepped in fast, but immediately lowered my weapon at the sight in front of me.
"Leith?" I said, my voice sounding hoarse even in my own ears. He was on his knees, head bowed with nothing between his bruised knees and the hard floor. He flinched when I'd spoken, but hadn’t looked up, keeping his chin pressed to his chest and his hands behind his back. He was also naked, his flaccid cock hanging between his legs and possibly the only part of him that wasn't covered in bruises or cuts. I stood frozen, wanting to go to him and rip the dark leather collar from around his neck and get him out of there, but also terrified as to why he wouldn't even look up at me and that I would somehow damage him further.
That’s when I noticed the chain. It’s heavy links were attached on one end to the back of the collar around Leith’s throat and the other to a bracket in the wall.
"Shit." Axel's voice was filled with quiet menace as he pushed past me. He moved around Leith and gripped the chain, wrapping it once around his fist before ripping the bracket out of the wall. The chain hit the floor with a thump. Leith started to tremble. Axel stood breathing heavily for a moment before he said, "Mace. Let me take care of him."
I could only nod. Gripping Axel’s shoulder for moment, I looked back down at Leith, my heart aching at the thought of what he'd endured and the lack of reaction which was so far from the bratty boy I knew him to be. I stepped back out into the hall, closing the door until only a crack remained.
Lex was there, a hard look on his face as he stood staring down the short hall to the apartment door, covering our six. With Axel caring for Leith, my mind turned back to what we hadn't found in the apartment—the bastard that had done this to him.
Chapter Sixteen
Pax
It turned out the worst part of this night would be the waiting. It was fucking brutal to sit there in the clubhouse—even though I was with two of my best friends—and know that Mace and all the other guys were out there trying to find Leith. After the rush of realizing that Leith's phone must have still been somewhere in front of Spritz Villa, calling Vivian, and telling Mace about the addresses, things had been unbearably quiet.
Cody, Arden, and I were sitting in the clubhouse lounge. It was a large room filled with dark leather sofas, its own bar complete with barstools and neon beer signs, a huge flat screen TV mounted on the wall, and a couple pool tables.
"I'm gonna make hot chocolate," Cody said suddenly, rising to his feet. We were all sitting on the same couch, Cody and I at either end with Arden in the middle. "You guys want some?"
"That sounds yummy," Arden said, snuggling further into the plush cushions of the couch and resting his temple against my shoulder.
With a nod, Cody turned his eyes to me waiting for my answer. In theory, hot chocolate sounded kind of perfect, but then so did a shot of Jack. Spiked hot chocolate sounded even better, but I didn't want to risk getting tipsy or falling asleep; plus, the Uber driver was due back soon with my phone. I hoped that having it back would ease some of the nerves currently rattling around in my stomach, that somehow knowing I was as connected as I could be would help.
"Pax?"
I shook myself out of my thoughts. "Yeah, thank you, Cody. That sounds good."
Cody walked out of the room and into the attached kitchen through a door on the left, and Arden snuggled even closer. I didn't know how he handled Lex being gone all the time, out on the road with Nomad business for the club. Even when Mace had club business, at least he was still there every day. If we hadn't made plans to see each other, which was rare these days, I usually still saw him at Spritz.
"You okay?" I asked Arden, reaching for his hand.
He gave a little shrug before pulling himself up to sit straighter on the couch.
“I just keep thinking about Leith." He shook his head and nibbled on his bottom lip. "When my uncle had me taken, I was so scared, and the things he had done to me…" Arden trailed off and I squeezed his hand tighter. "I know you know what it's like, too," he said after a moment.
I shook my head. "No, Arden, I didn't go through half of what you did."
He huffed. "Pax, you don't have to downplay it." My sweet best friend turned to face me, locking his gray eyes on mine, and showing the spine of steel that most people failed to notice at first glance. "You were tortured, Pax. Tortured because of my crazy-ass uncle. I know you don't blame me, so don't even try to pretend that's what this is about. But I do know you, and I know you bottle things up. I know you stuff them down, and maybe some things can be dealt with that way, but I'm just worried this isn't one of them." He gentled his tone. "I love you. And I'm pretty sure Mace loves you, and I know that we're both here for you, so you don't have to be ashamed or hide or downplay anything that you're feeling, ever. Okay?"
I pulled in a deep breath, my head spinning and my heart aching, because I forgot how much he saw me sometimes and how well he paid attention. Had he really just said Mace loved me? "Arden, I…" I cut off what I was about to say because somewhere inside I knew he was right. I did hide things. I did squash them down until I learned how to breathe through the pressure, until it became my new normal. I didn't want to do that with him, he was my best friend, my brother. And I didn't want to do that with Mace, because whether or not it was true that Mace loved me, I knew that I loved him.