A Hunted Man (The Men of Halfway House) (24 page)

He paused. He steeled himself and continued, "I fought as hard as I could and I finally got free. I still don't know how I managed to get past them and the guard out of that room. My arm was covered in blood. It burned so bad it felt like it was on fire. I just ran, I knew I had to get out of there," he added quietly.

"One of the nurses saw me and yelled at one of the guards down the hall to get me and let me through to her wing. He was one of the guards who had walked out. He tried to act as if he hadn't heard her but she kept yelling at him and threatened to report him. I think the only reason he finally gave in was because she was screaming so much and drew too much attention."

"I was in the medical wing for almost three weeks with rips in my skin and this massive infection from the needles they used on me," he finished, pulling up his sleeve, exposing the partial ink and slash scars that marked his arm. "I guess I'm lucky I didn't get any diseases," he finished with a shrug.

Hunter barely glanced at Cam's exposed bicep—he pulled Cameron into a tight embrace, hoping to soothe the unsteadiness he heard in his voice. Cam's body relaxed against him. His arms slowly wrapped around Hunter's neck then tightened. The heavy puffs of breath brushed against his ear as Cam tried to even out his breathing.

"You did nothing wrong," Hunter whispered in his ear. "Nothing."

Cam tightened his hold even more. "Then why did they do this to me," he whispered in a shaky breath so only Hunter could hear before releasing him. He retreated and straightened in his seat, took a deep breath, and placed his clasped hands on his lap.

They began to chat about other events during Cam's time. Sam recalled some of the instances where the early release process had been delayed and retold some of the stories Cam had previously confided. They began to make notes, trying to narrow down the list of the people involved.

Hunter looked over to Cam and noticed a subtle shift in the man. Something wasn't right. Cam stared off at nothing in particular, his eyes had a distant, empty look in them as if his mind had wandered elsewhere. Each new story revealed more of his time inside. He wasn't sure if Cam was distancing himself from reliving them or if he was growing uncomfortable with the revelations.

Cam yanked his sleeve down and muttered under his breath, "I'm tired of it…tired of seeing it every time I happen to cross a mirror."

Hunter inched closer, he could see Cam's nostrils flaring and his jaw muscles flexing. He tried to use a gentle tone to settle him. "We can go see a doctor and find out what can be done about it."

"Fuck it," Cameron spat before jumping off the couch and racing to the kitchen.

Hunter launched after him and arrived to the kitchen just in time to see Cam reaching up to his bicep with a scouring pad.

"Cam!" Hunter yelled to stop him as he tore the pad out of his hand and brutally grabbed Cam by the waist, pulling him flush against his body. He caged Cam in his arms, hoping to prevent the man from hurting himself. Cam's body shook convulsively and the loud, sharp intakes of breath through his nose echoed in Hunter's ear.

Cam violently tried to push out of the hold. "I can't!" he yelled, millimeters from Hunter's face then struggled further, trying to break free. His eyes were crazed and his entire body shuddered. "I can't fucking take this. I'm tired of it. I hate it. They fucking marked me. They. Fucking. Marked. Me!" He yelled so loudly the veins in his neck corded pushing his skin tautly at the sides, his face was flaming dark red, and he continued to fight for release of Hunter's hold.

In an instant, Cam's knees buckled and the dead weight of this near six foot man in Hunter's arms almost weakened him. He quickly shifted his position to hold up Cam before he fell to the floor. "I've got you. I'm not going anywhere."

"I can't do this anymore," Cam whispered in a hoarse, broken voice, his limbs hanging weakly like a lifeless doll.

Hunter lifted Cam onto the kitchen table and stepped in between Cam's legs where he sat. Now at eye level, he cupped Cameron's face, forcing him to look into Hunter's eyes. "You're stronger than you know. Don't you fucking dare give up now."

"You deserve better," Cam confessed, with the sound of defeat in his voice and the pain of ten years of torture evident in his eyes. He was slumped over, exhaustion permeated his body. Even sitting, he swayed slightly. "I'm not good for you, Hunter."

"You're right. You're not
good
. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me," he said firmly.

Cameron closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to Hunter's. "You're full of shit sometimes."

Hunter moved his hand down Cam's face until it rested on the side of his neck. He could feel Cam's racing pulse below his palm. He raised his lips to Cam's forehead and placed a gentle kiss. He couldn't imagine everything Cam had been through in the last decade of his life. He'd heard so many details in the last hour, but knew it was only a fraction of what Cam had suffered each day.

"Everything that has happened to you played a part in defining who you are today. You're strong and determined. You've been through hell and you're still standing, in spite of it all. You know how I feel—"

"Don't. We had a deal," Cam said as he wrapped his arms around Hunter's neck and his legs around his waist, pulling Hunter closer to him. "Please don't…not until I'm safe enough to hear it and tell you the same."

Hunter exhaled with relief as hope began to build within. Hearing Cam's unspoken declaration gave him renewed strength. He tightened his hold, pulling Cam even closer, their bodies fitting perfectly together. "Don't give up on me, okay?"

Cam didn't respond.

"You know, it's not easy finding someone who puts up with my staring and ogling, so you can't just walk out and leave me."

Cam chuckled weakly. "I like the way you ogle me. It's kinda hot."

"Don't give up, okay?" He softly grazed his knuckles down Cameron's cheek.

Cameron nodded slowly.

"Now we know why they're targeting you."

"Why?" Cam asked, perplexed.

"I'm guessing it's because you can connect the judge to the drugs. My instincts are telling me we need to check out that house. I'm willing to bet you weren't supposed to be there, and the fact that the guy showed up at the house, tells me it was a known place of contact."

"You think that's it?"

Hunter nodded. "Question is, do you remember where the house was? I know it was a long time ago."

"I remember how to get there and I can even give you the layout of the house if you need it," Cam responded confidently.

Hunter smiled. "That's my guy."

"By the way, I kinda like that." Cameron grinned.

"Good, get used to it." He effortlessly lifted Cameron off the kitchen table and set his feet back on the ground. He snaked his arm around Cam's waist to offer support.

"I like it when you manhandle me."

"If you want, I'll throw you over my shoulder and pound on my chest too," Hunter teased.

Cam quietly laughed. "Maybe I'll shock you one of these days and do that to you."

Hunter leaned in for a quick kiss and whispered in his ear, "I'm game for anything you want."

Cam groaned and rested his head on Hunter's shoulder.

"Now you need to get to work and try to act as if nothing is going on. Got it?"

Cameron nodded as Julian entered the kitchen with Matt and Sam following close behind. They each looked at Cam with concern, but to their credit, they didn't push the point.

"I called Lucy and asked if I could hang out at the diner today. After this morning's visit, she and Bill are on board with having me hover," Julian said.

"I'm going to contact an old Marine buddy of mine who's a detective. I think he can help us here. I'm not too sure who I can go to yet, but I know he's a safe bet. I'll stop by the diner later—"

"No," Cam interrupted. "We don't need to crowd Lucy and Bill, they'll just worry, and I don't want to freak them out more than they already are. Besides, Julian will be there."

"True," Julian added.

Hunter battled with himself. He didn't trust Cam's safety to anyone else but he couldn't hover all day. He turned Cam into his arms for a tight embrace.

"It'll be fine," Cam whispered in his ear.

Hunter released his hold and captured Cam's face. He stared into the blue eyes that had captivated him since that first day. His chest tightened at the fear that flashed in Cam's eyes. "You don't go anywhere without Julian. Okay?"

"Okay."

He pulled Cam into another hug. "Please," Hunter whispered in his ear. The fear of losing Cam grabbed at his heart and wouldn't let go.

When they separated, Cam's expression was different, pensive. He searched Hunter's face then smiled as he placed the palm of his hand on Hunter's cheek. "I promise."

"What do you need me to do?" Matt asked, obviously eager to help.

Hunter looked to Matt then back at Cam. "I need you to fill out whatever forms are required for a weekend pass. Cam's mine as of tomorrow evening," he finished with an unmistakable glare in Cameron's direction.

"No," Cam confidently responded.

Hunter raised an eyebrow, welcoming the challenge.

"You got it wrong. You're mine," Cam corrected with the wicked smile that always seemed to make Hunter's heart skip a beat.

Hunter smiled.

Cameron had no idea just how right he was.

"Hey, you're back!" Melanie said as Hunter exited the elevator.

"Yeah, got back this morning so I figured I'd come in and catch up on things."

"You look like shit," she said, walking with him toward his office.

"It's nice to see you, too."

Mel rolled her eyes. "What I meant was, why didn't you just take today and tomorrow off so you could rest up. Seriously, you look like someone kicked your ass then turned around and kicked it again. Go home."

Hunter chuckled. "I don't have court dates so I'm just checking on cases and doing paperwork. I don't plan on human interaction so I'm good."

"Well, the mayor wanted to meet with you. Jessie is scheduling that for you. I think it's best to wait until next week when you don't have this
thing
going on." She circled a finger in the air, pointed at Hunter.

"What does he want?"

"Who the hell knows? Go hibernate in your office. I don't want you scaring the staff." She shoved him into his office and walked away.

Hunter dropped his bag on the chair. He casually stood behind his door to catch a glimpse of himself in the hanging mirror he kept for those mornings when he slept in the office. He rubbed his face when he saw his reflection. He wasn't a vain man, but even he knew when his appearance was too rough to bear. He looked as tired as he felt and his stubble was past shadow and pushing scruffy.

"Hey, boss," Jessie said, pushing the door open.

"Fuck." Hunter rubbed his face when the mirror hit him. He sure as hell didn't need to add a broken nose to the mix.

"Crap, I'm sorry! I didn't know you were behind the door."

"It's fine," he grumbled.

Jessie looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I look like shit. I was in a rush to leave the house this morning and should have shaved. I'm just going to catch up on some paperwork." He walked around and sat in his chair.

"Well, I wrote an update for you on your cases when you told me you were on your way back." His assistant handed over a few files.

"Did we get anything new?"

"Nope. It's been…unusually quiet."

"Really?"

Jessie nodded. "The only thing that's come up is the mayor's meeting. I scheduled that out for you for next week. I wanted you to have a few days of peace before having it."

"Thanks."

"I'll let you hide out." Jessie closed the door behind him as he left the office.

Hunter stretched his arms and moved his head from side to side. He was so damn tired he wasn't sure if he'd make it the whole day. He took out his cell phone and dialed a number.

"Detective Calloway."

"Hey, Aidan, it's Hunter."

"To what do I owe this honor?"

Hunter laughed. "Smart-ass. I need your help with something."

"Go ahead."

"Would you be able to meet me tonight?"

"Yeah, just tell me when and where."

"I'll text you the address. It's close to my office."

"Let's make it around eight."

"Thanks. It'll be good to see you again."

"And you, Sergeant," Aidan said before disconnecting the call.

Hunter smiled as he leaned back in his chair again. There was a certain level of trust forged with his ex-Force Recon Marine group after being in the field, knee deep in enemy territory with no support other than the men on the team. They may have all gone their separate ways after serving, but his brothers in arms would be there for him if needed.

He just hoped his trust in Aidan would instill enough faith for Cam to trust him as well.

* * * *

Cameron worked on another latte art design as his thoughts wandered to Hunter and their first weekend together. He repeatedly shifted his weight from foot to foot, bouncing on the balls of his feet like Cole usually did when he was anxious. Hunter had become his rock. He had worked his way into Cam's life and refused to let go…more like he bulldozed his way in and pitched a tent. Friday afternoon seemed like it was taking forever.