“What the fuck is going on?” Jace demanded as he strode into the ER waiting room.
Ash turned and then motioned Gabe and Jace into one of the smaller private rooms where doctors met with families.
“We have a serious problem,” Ash said grimly.
“What the hell happened to Josie?” Jace asked. “Gabe called worried about Mia and Bethany, told me to lock them both down and make sure they were safe. I called Kaden Ginsberg and now I have two very pissed-off women because I made Kaden sit on them both and they’re scared and want to know what the fuck is going on, which I couldn’t tell them because I don’t know myself!”
Ash held up his hand and then reached into his pocket with the other. He pulled out the photo that was in Josie’s hand and held it out to Gabe.
Gabe’s face was a mixture of shock and rage. And then, oddly, guilt. He went gray and then staggered back to sit in one of the chairs. He buried his face in his hands, the photo crumpled in his fist.
Jace snatched the photo from Gabe and then he went pale as he stared at his sister naked, tied up, another man trying to force himself on her.
“What the fuck is this?”
Jace’s explosive demand echoed through the room.
“Josie was holding that when I got to her,” Ash said quietly. “And then she told me the man who beat the crap out of her had a message for me, you and Gabe.”
“What?” Jace said in disbelief.
“He told her that nothing we held dear was safe from him. That we ruined him and now he was going to ruin us. I’d say Josie was probably the first target because she was the easiest. She was alone and vulnerable. It would be a lot harder to get to Mia or Bethany.”
“I want to know what the fuck that picture is about,” Jace said in a furious tone. “That was Charles Willis in that photo. Is he the one who hurt Josie and is threatening us now?”
“Yes,” Gabe said bleakly.
“What do you know that you haven’t told us,” Ash asked in a dangerously low tone. It was obvious by the look on Gabe’s face that there was a lot that Ash and Jace evidently didn’t know.
Gabe rubbed a hand wearily over his face, his eyes sick.
“What I have to say is going to piss you both off. I thought it was behind me and Mia. I was wrong, apparently.”
“Yeah, I’d say so,” Jace bit out. “What the fuck did you do, Gabe?”
“When Mia and I were together, before, when we were keeping it a secret from you, right before we went to Paris on business, my ex-wife came into my office saying all sorts of crazy shit. Then she accused me of being in love with Mia. Accused me of being in love with her when I was still married to Lisa. It hit me all wrong. I wasn’t ready to admit my feelings for Mia. And in an effort to distance us, to prove to myself that she was just sex, I set up a thing in Paris.”
“What kind of thing,” Ash growled.
Gabe blew out his breath. “Mia and I had discussed, before, her interest in being with another man. With me, I mean. I guess kind of like you and Jace sharing women. So I set it up that Charles Willis and two other men were in our hotel room. Jesus, this is complicated.”
Jace stared stonily at Gabe, his eyes glittering with anger.
“Things got out of hand. I was going to let them touch her, nothing else. I made it clear they weren’t to do anything but touch, which meant keeping their dicks in their pants. But as soon as it began, I knew it was wrong. I realized what I was doing, but before I could put a stop to it, Charles got rough with Mia. He was trying to shove his dick down her throat and then he hit her when she protested.”
“Son of a bitch!” Jace swore. “What the fuck, man? How could you do that to her? What were you thinking?”
Gabe held up his hand. “There’s more. It gets worse.”