Chapter 2

Sneakers on bare wood squeaking to a stop brought Quint’s attention around to where Danny stood, his expectant gaze fixed on the door. He tugged his bottom lip between his teeth as Rhodey came in with Dallas and Avery, closing the door behind them.

“Sir, I need my phone.” Danny swallowed audibly as he approached Rhodey, as though well aware whatever connection he now had with the Dom wouldn’t get him any special treatment, but he still had to ask. “I need to find out where Jacks is. And Shea. They should be with us.”

Rhodey shook his head as he slowed, brushing his hand over Danny’s hair. “They’re safe, my boy. We couldn’t get a hold of them in time to bring them here, but I’ve made sure they’re protected.” He brought his hands to Danny’s shoulders when the sub glanced toward the door as though tempted to bolt. “Look at me, smalls. We’re too far from anywhere you could get to on foot, so get that out of your head right now. Next time I make a supply run, I’ll try again.”

The expression on Danny’s face had guilt and regret twisting in Quint’s guts. He appreciated Rhodey not laying the blame on him, or pointing out that it had been Quint’s idea to bring as much of the core here as possible. That he was the one who’d failed to make contact with either of the sub’s Doms when he’d been arranging transportation for the others he’d gotten from The Asylum. His priority had been extracting Curtis from his assignment and picking up Matt in Seattle. With Jacks still in L.A and Shea trailing his client’s team bus across the East Coast, there’d been no feasible way to even get them alone to relay a pick up point.

In a week or two, once the buzz had died down about Noah having been successfully taken out of commission, another attempt could be made. Rhodey keeping things vague was for the best. The sub wouldn’t find the details reassuring.

“You should have left me behind.” Danny drew away from Rhodey, glancing over at Quint. “Why didn’t you leave me there? I could have waited for them. I could have—”

Inhaling slowly, Quint held up a hand as he cut the other sub off. “You’ve already been connected with Matt and you’ve been seen around the club with Rhodey. I’m sorry, Danny, but you’re an easy target. I didn’t want to risk it and we both know Jacks and Shea would rather you be here and safe, than alone at The Asylum.”

Danny’s lips parted. “But you said...” Tears glistened in eyes that had gone a bit distant, as though the other sub thought back and realized he’d assumed they’d be here. And Quint had let him. “I’m not that important. I don’t want to be. Please just let me go home, I won’t say anything—I don’t know anything.”

The muscle in Rhodey’s jaw hardened as he put his arm around Danny, bringing him firmly against his chest. It didn’t take a genius to figure out he disagreed with Quint’s call to convince the sub to come.

It had seemed so fucking simple at the time. He thought he knew who the team was.

Maybe he’d been wrong.

But Rhodey’s next words surprised him. “You’re allowed to miss them, smalls. What you’re not going to do is ignore reality.” He ran his hand down Danny’s back, catching his wrist when he tried to slip away again and turning his arm to expose the scar where the tracker had been sliced out from under his skin months ago. “Sure, this was being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It could have been for other reasons. You being Jamie’s friend. You being so fucking high profile you’d have a nice big funeral, news coverage, your sweet face on the covers of magazines reminding us that we failed to protect you. Is that what you want for your Doms?”

Danny paled, staring up at the Dom. “No, sir.”

“Rhodey.” Speaking quietly, Jared approached from the end of the long hall, brow raising slightly at Rhodey’s hard look. “He’s an intelligent young man, we both know he won’t do anything rash. Danny, go see if Keiran needs any help in the kitchen.”

“Yes, sir.” Danny hesitated, wetting his bottom lip with his tongue as he backed up a pace and lowered his gaze. “I don’t want that for my Doms, sir. But they don’t know where I am. They don’t know if I’m okay and that’s not fair to them. I can’t just accept that.”

Tipping Danny’s chin up with two fingers, Rhodey held his gaze. “But you will. I never promised anything would be fair, Fievel. I promised I’d keep you in one piece.”

A mixture of hurt and confusion ghosted through Danny’s heterochromia eyes, but to his credit, he didn’t move until Rhodey jutted his chin to dismiss him. The sub padded quietly down the hall, into the kitchen, where Quint could hear Keiran’s warm greeting. Rhodey’s other sub would find a way to distract Danny.