Chapter 5

There was nothing but black water under the light of the full moon, stretching out as far as Pike could see. Pulling Danny away from the edge of yet another sharp drop as he held up his phone like a few inches might magically catch a signal, he choked back the urge to let out the shout of frustration that had been tearing at his throat for what seemed like hours.

All he’d wanted was a glass of warm fucking milk.

I am in so much trouble. Not soap level trouble, more like a belt. Or worse.

The thing was, he wouldn’t even mind getting one hell of a beating if it meant Seth would find him. Or he’d look over to the treeline and see Quint, shaking his head and holding out his arms. Every time Danny looked away, Pike glanced back at the tracks they were leaving in the mud, hoping the tide wouldn’t rise too much and wash them away.

He wasn’t sure where they were, but there were two things he did know. The phone in Danny’s hand was next to useless. And there might be no way for Danny to reach his Doms, but he had to try. Hopefully, trying would make him feel better and they’d go back to the safehouse with more than blisters.

The quiet of the house when Pike had slipped out of bed had made him wish they were back at The Asylum. Somehow, the place always seemed to be alive, even when everyone was asleep. There was the sound of the building creaking, the city outside, and an energy almost vibrating in the very foundation. In a short time it had begun to feel like home.

While the safehouse was anything but.

In the kitchen he’d found Danny sitting with Ezran, the safe open on the table. One of the phones that had been taken from them before they got here set before him, Danny looked about ready to fall apart.

And Ezran...Pike couldn’t face him. Every time he tried, the bruises were a stark reminder that his friend had been hurt and wouldn’t tell him what had really happened. Wouldn’t let him help. He hadn’t come along on the trek to find a signal far away from the house because he’d messed up his ankle somehow and he was afraid to slow them down.

Pike could have tried to stop Danny, or told someone the other sub planned to leave, but since when did he make the right choices? In that moment, all he’d seen was the pain and desperation in Danny’s eyes. The need to do something other than sit around and wait.

At least he’d made sure to grab the jackets Quint had pulled out of the attic for them. The way Danny was shivering, he wasn’t sure if it was enough. This whole plan to make the other sub feel better wouldn’t work out too fucking well if he got sick.

“Danny…” Pike sighed as he picked up the pace to catch up to where Danny was climbing down to an embankment, closer to the water. “Let’s head back. Maybe everyone’s still asleep and they won’t know we took off. You can talk to Rhodey again. Tell him you need your Doms. He was all distracted worrying about Noah, but maybe he’ll listen this time.”

Sinking down to his knees on the wet sand, Danny let out a broken sound, hugging himself. “They’re going to think I don’t need them anymore. Or something will happen to them and I won’t be there.” The phone fell from his hand, the screen dark, making it clear the battery had died. “Why didn’t I go with Jacks to L.A? Or ask to go with Shea? I could be with them right now.”

Pike crouched in front of Danny, pulling him into a hug. “You spent a lot of your life traveling around, didn’t you? I think you were tired of that shit and you just wanted to be home, even if it meant you had to wait there for them sometimes.” He petted Danny’s hair the way he’d seen Wren do so often, wishing the other sub was here now. He was smart, he’d figure out how to make things right for Danny without giving him pneumonia. Redirect a super secret satellite or something. “I’m so fucking sorry you couldn’t keep doing that. I fucked shit up and now everyone keeps trying to fix it. I wish...I wish I could clean up my own mess, but I just end up making a bigger one every time I try.”

“This time, it’s my mess.” Danny inhaled roughly, pushing to his feet, holding on to Pike for a moment like he wasn’t ready to let go just yet. “I know you only came with me because you felt guilty, but...you shouldn’t. And I don’t want you to get in trouble. Let me talk to the Doms and take all the beatings.” He winced as though he could already feel it. “Maybe I’ll be too sore to move and I can just sleep until…” He pressed his eyes shut. “I really need them here, Pike. I can’t do this without them.”

“Because you’re seeing it as being for a really long time.” Pike squeezed Danny tight, then turned with him to walk back the way they’d come, slowing a bit as a cloud passed over the moon, leaving them in pitch darkness. “Just do the one day at a time sh—” He should really stop swearing before they got back to the house and another Dom pulled out the fucking Mr. Clean next time. That was not the way he’d imagine the dude in his mouth when he’d been a curious teen too scared to touch porn. “Take it one day at a time and it won’t freak you out so much.”

Danny nodded, hunching when the wind picked up, slapping against them. “This was a really stupid idea. I’m older than you, I should’ve been the responsible one and made you stay back where it was safe.”

Rolling his eyes, Pike bumped his shoulder to Danny’s. “We went for a real long walk, it’s not a big deal.” His sneaker slipped and he grabbed Danny’s arm as he lost his balance. A twing in his ankle made him stop tugging when his foot stuck. He backed up, plunking down on the sand, where his foot had sunk into a crevice that was damn snug. Digging into the sand with his fingers, he cursed as the tip of one scraped against a rough rock. Angling his leg, he tried tugging again. “Okay, fuck not swearing. I’m stuck.”

“What?” Danny knelt next to him, digging close to where he was. “No. No, this can’t be happening. What have I done? God, Pike, I’m sorry.” He slid his hand close to Pike’s foot, pain lining his brow as he tugged at the rock. “It’s not moving. I need...a tool or something. I need to go back to the house, but I can’t...I can’t leave you. The tide…”

“Don’t be dramatic now, I won’t fucking drown.” Pike swallowed as he followed Danny’s gaze to the marks higher up the embankment that showed exactly where the tide rose to. “But, umm...you should probably head back now, just in case.”

Tugging down the zipper to his jacket, Danny took it off and wrapped it around Pike’s shoulders. “I’ll be as fast as I can. Seth and Quint will be here before you know it and you’ll be all right, I promise.”

Pike gave Danny a crooked grin. “Of course I will. Just don’t get lost.”

The color left Danny’s face.