Surviving Love (Surviving #2) (26 page)

C
hapter 15

Louise

“What? How?” I stared at the hulking man with his arms wrapped around Johan like he was protecting him from Will and I. I wanted to kick him in the shin and scream at him to get out of my house and leave Johan alone. But how could it be Ryan? Johan told me he was dead. Was he lying? Did he say all that crap to gain my sympathy and get me into his bed?

I shook my head, refusing to think that; I wouldn’t let my thoughts go down that path because in my heart I knew the demons Johan fought daily were real. But how could his hero, the one he’d mourned for over ten years, still be
alive?

“Louise.” I heard a deep voice beside me, but my gaze was routed to the men cradled together on the floor. “Miss Beaumont.” I turned to look at Will, a man I had never met before but felt like I knew familiarly. He was the complete opposite of Johan, incredibly tall for one thing. I had to crane my neck to look at his face. While Johan had really dark hair and intense blue eyes, Will had light, hay-coloured hair and sparkly green eyes. They were bright jade green, almost hypnotic in nature, like a cat’s eyes—measuring and assessing before pouncing. He had a lethal energy about him. I stepped away and titled my head to the side to regard him. His mouth was set in a thin line, he had a strong chin, his nose was perfectly straight. His features were like the rest of him—immaculate. He pointed towards the hallway.

“May I talk to you in private?” he asked, articulate and formal.

“Depends what you have to say.” I placed my hands on my hips and glared at him; he may be a fucking giant, but the bigger they are the harder they fall.

His lips quirked in a gentle smile and it transformed the brooding giant into someone more approachable.

“My brother is right, you are a feisty little creature.”

I lifted my eyebrow, and his hands rose up in surrender.

“I mean no offense. I just wanted to explain.” He pointed to Johan and
Ryan.

I nodded, glancing at my man; he was broken, sobbing on the floor while the stranger held him tightly. I hated leaving him, but there was no way I would get near him. It would be like trying to extricate a steak from a hungry lion.

Will closed the hall door, effectively shielding me from the sight in the kitchen; I wasn’t comfortable leaving Johan but I needed to know what was happening.

Will ran his hands over his face, rubbing at his eyes, then tugged on the collar of his shirt to pull his bowtie loose.

“Is that really Ryan, as in
the
Ryan?”

“Yes.” Will let out a loud sigh. “Marissa and I decided to hand-deliver the invites to the wedding to friends back home. Well, it was
her
hometown, my family moved away years ago. But she wanted a few of our old school friends to attend so I agreed to go with her. I hated that town after...” He paused and assessed me.

“After what they did to Johan?”

He looked shocked at first then a warm smile crossed his lips. “I knew he’d find you one day.”

I frowned at him, not understanding.

He shook his head and continued with his story. “We were meeting some friends at the coffee shop when someone shouted at me. I turned and at first I thought my eyes were playing tricks. But Ryan came running across the road, he nearly got hit by a sedan before he practically tackled me to the ground. He threw me into the wall and pinned me there by the throat. Marissa was hysterical, I didn't do anything. It’s not every day you get attacked by a ghost...”

We both turned at the sound of the door behind him opening. Johan came walking through looking as white as a sheet. He kept glancing behind him to see if Ryan was still around. He came straight towards me and wrapped his arms around me, burying his face into my neck. He held me tightly, his entire body shaking.

I looked over his shoulder to the two men filling the hallway. Ryan was built like a brick shithouse, and Will was as tall as Ryan was wide. They were a seriously ominous vision. They glanced at each other and both had small smiles on their faces as if what they were seeing was highly pleasant.

Johan lifted his head and pressed it against my forehead. He held my face and breathed deeply; I felt a surge of pride knowing he needed me, I was grounding him, bringing him home, keeping him safe.

“Ryan is
home
,” Johan said in a hoarse voice.

“I know.”

“Stay with me.” It wasn’t a request, it was a demand. He needed me and I was going to be there for him.

I nodded and wrapped my hands around his wrists. “Always.”

We all went into the living room and I seated myself on the sofa beside Johan, Will took the chair and Ryan perched on the arm of the sofa beside Johan protectively. Even after years apart he had it within him to protect him.

“What happened?” Johan said in a small voice.

“Mom was a vindictive bitch,” Ryan spat, and I flinched at his tone. He looked over at me and colour heated his cheeks. “Excuse me, ma’am.”

It was my turn to blush then, because holy-American-accent did that sound hot.

“I came home on leave and you were gone. Will, Ane and Willem all gone, disappeared. Just up and fucking left me, high and dry. I tried finding you but there wasn’t a trace. Then I went to see Mom, to ask where the fuck you all went, and she said the family moved when you...she said you...” Ryan cleared his throat. “She said you died in a storm drain or some shit. You ran away and they found you dead.”

“I didn't die,” Johan said quietly, his accent thinker than usual.

“Everyone in that goddamn town agreed with the...” Ryan cleared his throat. “Buddy, I spent years trying to find Will and Ane, they were my family and they just left me.”

“Violet said you died, you were killed in action. Ane couldn’t stay in that place anymore, she wanted us to have a fresh start. It’s my fault that Will had to leave everything—”

“Hey, you’re my
brother
,” Will asserted. “That town was killing you, we needed to move. We
all
needed a fresh start. I hate that you live thousands of miles away now, but I understand what you gotta do.”

I was liking Will more and more.

“Fucking bitch.” Ryan stood and paced the living room. “I’d strangle her if she wasn’t already six feet down.”

Johan lifted his head to stare at Ryan.

Ryan nodded. “Died last fall. No one wanted to come claim the house, Dad’s gone so it all came to me. The fucking eldest. Not one of my brothers wants a stake in the place. We each got a letter from the solicitor stating our rights, our inheritance.” Ryan pulled out an envelope and handed it to Johan. He ripped it open read it and snorted throwing it onto the floor. I picked it up and read it.

“One and a half million dollars,” I shouted, then covered my mouth.

Ryan nodded. “Then there’s the sale of the estate.” He shrugged like this kind of money passed through their hands daily. “My mom came from old money. My brothers took their cut, except Kyle. He wants nothing to do with it.”

“I don’t want anything from those bastards. It’s yours if you want it.” Johan looked up at Ryan with a disdainful look.

“That’s what I thought you’d say,” Ryan admitted. “There’s something else...” He paused, taking a moment to compose himself. “There’s a storage locker we need to go through.”

“We? What do you mean
we?”
I snapped.

Ryan turned his head to offer me a sympathetic shrug and that’s when I saw it in his eyes. He was taking Johan away from me, he had come to take his
little buddy
home. I swallowed, blinking away the tears. Johan lifted his head to look up at Ryan, total bewilderment swirling in his beautiful blue eyes. I wanted to stand up and demand Ryan leave my home, I wanted him gone and I wanted to keep Johan here.

“In the will it stipulated there was a key to be passed on to you in the event of my parents’ deaths. Obviously I was told you
were
dead and checked out this lockup. It’s all your parents’ stuff, there are hundreds of photos of your mom, Jo. You and her together. Everything left in the house when she died is in that locker. Chase must have—”

“No!” A choked sob echoed around the room. Johan buried his face in his hands.

“Chase saved that shit for you, Jo.”

“That bastard sent me to
hell!
It’s his fault.
All
of this is his fault.”

“He knows that, he never wanted you in—”

“Hold up!” Johan shot to his feet and glared at Ryan. His squared his shoulders and the dark intense look in his eyes made me shrink back against the sofa. I had never seen Johan look so irritated. The rage palpitated from him, stirring energy in the room, scaring me. I reflexively covered my stomach with my hands.

Johan took a step towards Ryan and bent to look him directly in the eye. Will stood and placed his hand on Johan’s shoulder. I think it was meant as a back off gesture, but the look he gave Ryan clearly stated Will had Johan’s back.

“What do you mean, he
knows?”
Johan enunciated each word slowly and deliberately.

“Jo, buddy...”

“What the fuck do you mean?”

Ryan sighed, his shoulders dropped and he averted his gaze to the floor. “I went to see him. When I found out.”

“What?” Johan pulled back, stumbling into Will’s chest. The hurt in his eyes undid me and a tear streamed down my face. His face contorted with pain and utter betrayal.

“Wait.” Ryan stood to his full height towering over Johan, his hands held out before him. “It’s not...I didn’t go...fucking hell,” he muttered, rubbing his hands over his face. His biceps bunched under his shirt. “When I found out what happened to Dad I had to go see him, you were gone, mom was catatonic. I needed to hear it myself.”

“What are you talking about?”

Ryan lifted his head to look over Johan at Will, whose composure had suddenly shifted. He stepped away from Johan and lowered his gaze; it was like an emotional game of tennis the way these huge hulking men kept switching.

Johan noticed the change and turned to look over his shoulder at Will.

“Will?” Johan asked, pleading.

“Jo...” Ryan started but Will held up his hand.

Will ran his hands through his hair and let out a loud grumbled sigh. He looked out of the window for a few seconds before turning his attention back to Johan.

“We never...you were never supposed to find out. Mom doesn’t even know, Dad made sure...we just needed...don’t hate Dad for it, okay? He isn’t like them, but he wanted to protect his son, he wanted justice and we thought...” Will turned and plopped down into the chair covering his face with his hands.

“What happened, Will?”

“When the police took Chase into custody, we knew there was a firm chance that with him being the district attorney he would get off. No one would believe a snot-nosed kid over him.” Will pointed to Ryan and lifted his head to look between Ryan and Johan. “Dad used his influence in the town, pulled some strings and the
boathouse
was investigated. They found video footage that your...that Chase had stashed in his office at work of...stuff that...you know.” Will’s cheeks paled. Johan stumbled back and perched on the coffee table. “We never saw it I swear. But enough kids were brought into question without us having to involve you. Dad made sure you were never to be questioned. That’s why Kyle, Gray, Tate, and Jace were removed from the family home. Violet didn't face neglect charges under the condition she didn’t fight the boys being taken. But Dad warned her if she did, he would make sure she had the cell next to Chase.”

“So he...” Johan choked. “He was sentenced for child abuse?”

Will turned his head to glance at Ryan. A look I couldn't decipher passed between them.

“Yeah. But a D.A. sent to the pen for being a nonce is an inmate’s dream. The money and influence he had kind of protected him in a sense so...let’s say he had preferential treatment.” Will glanced at Ryan again.

“What does all this have to do with your dad though? Why were you so freaked out?”

“He played them at their own game. He...God, I swore I would never tell you this shit.” Will stood and started pacing the room. “Dad used
his
influence. He became like them to get what he wanted.”

“What did he want?” Johan asked suspiciously.

“Chase in the same prison as your father.”

“What?”

Will nodded solemnly. “Dad thought that sending him there would be retribution to both of them. Your dad would have to face the consequences of his actions of sending you to your grandfather, and Chase would face the kid he made into a monster.”

“Fuck me!” Johan gasped, covering his face with his hands. “What happened?”

“Your dad found out why he was in there, what had happened. You were never mentioned in the courts, but he knew. He somehow managed to craft a weapon and took revenge on the old man.”

I covered my mouth as a sob burst from my lips. Johan’s shoulders slumped and he dropped his head between his shoulders.