Free Saving Ren (Barretti Security Series, Book 3) by Sloane Kennedy Page A

his rig while he was buying beer and a tank of gas.”
    Jagger felt the bag of groceries start to slip from his lax arm and he quickly lowered it to the trunk next to the bag Declan had set there. “Jesus.”
    “It sounds like it went on for years,” Declan said.
    Bile crept up the back of Jagger’s throat and he needed to lean against the car to keep himself upright. “He was just a kid…” Jagger said.
    “Eight,” Declan supplied. “He was eight.”
    “Vin and Dom?” Jagger asked.
    “Destroyed. Rafe blames them for not stopping it – for not coming to get him,” Declan said. “I’ve never seen Dom or Vin like that before…”
    “Where’s Rafe now?”
    Declan shook his head. “He took off. Told Dom and Vin he was done with them. Gave them back the information he stole.”
    “Fuck,” Jagger whispered.
    “Ren can’t know. Not yet,” Declan said.
    Jagger nodded. Ren’s mental health was already shaky. Who knew what finding out that his baby brother had been through would do? “Agreed.”
    Declan reached for the bag of groceries he’d put down but Jagger reached out a hand to stop him. “Declan, we need to talk about what happened the other day.”
    Declan stiffened and pulled his arm free. “It was a mistake, Jagger. You were upset and I said something I shouldn’t have…”
    Declan brushed past him but Jagger snaked out an arm and grabbed him by the waist. The move had both of them flinching as their bodies brushed against one another. Declan’s eyes grew heavy as Jagger let his hand travel down Declan’s hip. The muscles in his thigh twitched as Jagger pressed his fingers against it and Jagger glanced down and wasn’t surprised to see the outline of Declan’s cock against his jeans, the head bulging just inches from where Jagger’s hand was resting.
    “Declan,” Jagger whispered as he began to move his hand but then Declan’s eyes flew open and he stepped back. Whatever spell Jagger had managed to weave was broken.
    “Why don’t you get some rest?” Declan said quickly. “I’ll keep an eye on things.” And with that Declan hurried to the cabin leaving Jagger to wonder what the hell was going on between them.
     
    ***
    “You do this a lot?” Ren asked as he stared at the top of the fishing pole in his hands. He’d never actually gone fishing before so he had no idea what he was supposed to be watching for.
    “Used to,” Declan responded. “I don’t get out here as much as I’d like.”
    “And you find this fun?”
    Declan chuckled and Ren found himself enjoying the sound. He glanced at the man sitting on the ground next to him but was disappointed to see that if there had been a smile to accompany the chuckle, it was already gone. The only time he’d ever remembered seeing Declan smile was when he’d been in the presence of his younger sister and even then he’d always seemed grim and withdrawn.
    “I find it relaxing,” Declan said. “Fun is relative, I guess.”
    Ren looked around the small lake but saw no sign of movement and a quick check over his shoulder at the trail they’d used to get to the pristine body of water was quiet too. When he’d woken up, his anxiety had been as high as it had been throughout the night before. He’d been certain that someone had been fooling with the outside of the window in his room but subsequent searches of the outside of the cabin had proven fruitless. There hadn’t even been any foot prints. It had been Jagger who suggested dumping a light coating of baking soda they’d found in the pantry in the dirt underneath the window.
    Ren had been surprised that the other man had even indulged him by taking him outside to check things but when he’d come up with the unusual “security” system, Ren had been touched. And when Jagger had been there each time Ren had been ripped from his sleep by nightmares, something inside of Ren had started to ease. They’d ended up searching the area surrounding the cabin at least three times