“But I like to startle people.”
“You take a shit the same way I do, Corey, and I’ve seen you without the war paint on.”
“Fuck you,” Corey hissed.
“That would be incest, so I’ll take a pass.”
“You don’t like my outfit?”
“You look fabulous, darling.” Travis grinned as Corey laughed.
“Please don’t use that voice. It’s scary.”
“Please don’t use so much hair spray. It’s a fire hazard.”
Cain chuckled. “You three are hilarious together. I love it.”
“They’re used to me now, and it was Travis who told me to be true to myself and then took me lingerie shopping.”
“I know. I think the entire family knew by the end of the day.”
Travis shrugged, clearly not bothered about underwear shopping with his brother. “Whatever makes him happy, and he likes how they feel against his skin. I know, because he’s told me several times.”
“I’m thinking about buying those shorts we saw the other day.”
“Really?” Dustin asked. “Not really your type, bro. Not short enough. You have to show the bottom of each butt cheek to have the effect you want.”
“I know. I’m thinking for around the apartment.” Corey played with the rings on his fingers. “I need to find someone who’ll appreciate me in them.”
Cain sent a confused look to Travis. “Let’s just say Corey’s last boyfriend is driving away from here as fast as his car will take him.”
Cain looked closer at Corey and noticed what the make-up was trying to hide. “He hit you?”
“Once.” Dustin pulled Corey closer and hugged him. “But once was enough.”
“No one touches our brother.”
Corey smiled at them both, tears visible in his eyes. Cain coughed and asked, “Where’s Lydia?”
“With Dad and Robert, thinking up more creative ways to kill Richards.”
“It’s the back-up plan if the fucker gets off,” Dustin added.
Travis grunted. “I have friends who will do what’s needed, and no one will ever find his body.” Cain swallowed, and Travis rolled his eyes. “I might roll with the baddest motorcycle gang around here, but we also look after family and friends. We repainted the school when they ran out of funds, remember?”
“I do. Made the local paper too.” Cain grinned. “I think I have a copy somewhere with your ugly mug in it.”
“Thanks. I love the support, Cain.”
“Always, Travis.”
“Robert, please.” Lydia followed Robert into the kitchen, Harry following both of them. “Let’s leave it to the police to deal with. He won’t get off. They have far too much evidence against him, and with more victims coming forward, it all adds weight to their case.
“Dad?”
“Cain.” Robert glared then shook his head. “Twenty kids so far have come forward since the paper broke the story, and that’s on top of the five, including Anton, they had.”
“Twenty-five? All boys?” Cain asked with a sinking feeling in his gut. All those kids, all the parents hating themselves for letting a monster into their children’s lives.
“Yes. I’ve set up a meeting with some other parents for tomorrow.”
“We have a meeting with the lawyer later today. We want to be kept involved in these other cases.” Harry stood with his hands on his hips. “That bastard’s gonna pay one way or the other.”
“Please don’t.”
“Lydia, sweetheart, he touched my boy.” Robert’s voice broke, and he left the room.
Harry shook his head when Lydia went to follow him. “Give him a few minutes, sis. Anton hasn’t been easy to live with, and Robert struggled. Now we know why. He’s not coping well.”
“It wasn’t Dad’s fault. None of us knew.” Gareth leaned against a wall and looked around the room. “Some of you don’t know Anton as well as we do. He wasn’t always this way. That bastard took his childhood away, and one way or the other, he will pay.”
Gareth pushed away from the wall, and Cain watched him storm out the front door, slamming it shut behind him.
Corey stood and brushed off his jeans. “There’s nothing we can do. We play the waiting game now and be there for Anton when he needs us. If the guy gets off, then we make our plans, and Travis makes some calls.”
“Agreed.” Devon grunted. “He doesn’t get away with this.”
Devon waved and left with Corey. Dustin stood and stretched, yawning. “I’m off to bed. Just finished an all-nighter fixing a motorbike.”
“Want a—”
“Yeah, I do.”
To Cain, Travis, said, “I know...I haven’t been around much, but keep me up to date. Let me know if I need to make plans. Family sticks together.”
Dustin and Travis left, and Cain said good-bye to the others as they, too, left until he was the only one remaining in the kitchen. Lydia walked in and sat next to him, resting her head on his shoulders.
“It’ll be all right, Cain.”
He wanted to agree, but he didn’t think he could. Nothing would be the same again. Secrets had been revealed, and everything had changed.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
ARCHER SIGHED WHEN he shut the apartment door behind him then smiled when he heard Cain singing. Dumping his files, he stepped behind Cain and wrapped his arms around his waist, leaning his chin on his shoulder.
Cain turned his head, and they kissed slowly. Archer moaned softly, enjoying the slide of Cain’s lips over his. It had been a long day, and a patient had died. The cat was old, and at nineteen, his time had come, but it was still hard to watch the family make the difficult decision to let him go.
“How are you?”
“I’ve been better, but it was the right call.”
“I’m making chili tonight. Good for you?”
“Comes under the food category, right?”
Cain chuckled. “Go and shower.”
Archer was in and out of the shower in minutes, and by the time he walked into the kitchen area, Cain was putting the chili and rice into bowls. “How’s Anton?”
“He has good and bad days, but I think he’s slowly moving forward. It’s been a month of some serious therapy sessions, and it can’t be easy remembering all the abuse.”
“The case?”
“The other case is nearing its conclusion. The lawyers in that one seems to think he’ll be found guilty. I’m not sure what will happen after that. Dad wants to try and have him prosecuted here, but I think it’s so he can arrange for an accident to occur.”
“I didn’t know your dad could be like that.”
“Oh, he was a nasty piece of shit when he was younger. Her leaving made him change”
“You never mention her name.” Cain’s mom. None of her children said her name.
“She left us when we were kids and never made contact. Dad raised us. We’re his.” Cain shrugged. “She doesn’t deserve to be mentioned, and anyway, we have Lydia now, and she’s been more of a mom to us than our real one.”