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knocked out. His head spun, and he wasn t sure if he d been
drugged again or if it was just from his injury.
The backlit form crossed the room to where Benny could
now see Buzz restrained in a sitting position with his back to
a large piece of equipment. It soon became clear from the
loud ripping sound of Velcro disengaging that Buzz was
being released from his restraints. He surreptitiously looked
at his wrists in the improved light and saw wide leather cuffs.
Benny tried to bring his hands together but couldn t reach.
Damn it.
C mon. You ve been paid for.
What about Benny? I m not going anywhere without
him. Hey! Buzz was yanked to his feet by the much larger
man.
You re coming with me. He ll get his turn. Let s just get
this on. The man pulled some kind of dark hood over Buzz s
head.
Benny s mind raced. Just some kind of ransom thing?
He wondered who was paying for Buzz s release maybe Skip,
though he didn t have much money right now. He probably
had access to Buzz s accounts, though, and of course Rory
and Pierce would help him if needed. He tried to calm
himself by telling himself that they were obviously just
looking for money and not out to harm them& much. But
still, the sight of Buzz being herded out the door, protesting
loudly all the while, was hard to take.
The sound of the door closing behind them and the lock
reengaging activated his panic button. He struggled and
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pulled at his restraints until he d broken a sweat, then
finally fell back, tired and cold and shaky.
With nothing else to occupy his time, his mind went to
Curtis. Picturing the man simultaneously comforted him and
made him ache with regret.
I swear if I get out of this okay, I am not letting him put
me off, put us off, any longer. No way.
Benny let the determination he felt give him strength,
and tried to relax and prepare for whatever happened next.
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Chapter Six
THANK God you re here. Rory s exclamation became
muffled as he buried his face against Jared s chest. Jared
clasped his mate to him so tightly he finally began to squirm.
Where were they last seen? Curtis asked urgently. Too
many hours had passed for his comfort during the flight to
Salt Lake and drives to and from the airports. Where was
Benny last? his mind cried, but of course he was concerned
about Buzz and Skip too.
Rory knew what he meant, thankfully. Benny left my
dressing room, I think to go to his own.
Take us there.
The three of them moved quickly down a corridor, and
already Curtis could scent his mate, just a hint. No, not my
mate yet, he corrected sadly, determined to fix that at the
first possible moment.
The building was oddly busy at this time of the night,
but though workers looked at them as they passed, nobody
waylaid them. Finally, they stopped at a door, and Curtis
had a very strong sense of Benny having been here. His
scent trail was almost tangible. Probably sweating after the
show. The fact that he likely didn t shower before he
disappeared might make all the difference.
Rory pointed to another door. That s his dressing room.
I assumed that was where he was going when I& . His face
crumpled. When I told him to leave so I could call Jared, he
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finished in an emotional whisper. Jared pulled him close and
soothed him, but Curtis didn t have time to reassure his
uncle s mate just then. He walked to the other dressing room
and opened it. No, he hadn t been inside. Instead he d gone& .
What s that room over there? He pointed as he walked
to the door.
Rory visibly composed himself as he and Jared followed
Curtis, Jared letting Curtis take the lead since he was
obviously more in tune with Benny. The staging room.
That s where we all gathered right before the show, to do
last-minute prep and so all Laurel s sheep are in the same
place.
The phone calls suddenly sprang to mind. Is this where
he spoke to me from right before the show? They walked
inside the empty room. Rory pointed to the back corner.
Yes, he was sitting on the floor back there.
Benny s scent was all over the room, but almost as if he
could visually see a path, Jared knew he d walked to that
corner and then to the mirrored counter. His gaze went to
the door.
He left this room& . Curtis walked out into the corridor
again, wishing the head start Benny d had didn t seem so
daunting. He turned right and started moving down the
corridors, not even having to pause as he made turn after
turn.
Coming around one corner, he stopped short, and Jared
and Rory almost ran into him. Skip and Buzz were
embracing on their knees on the floor before them.
Buzz! Rory ran toward them, helping them to their feet,
and Jared caught up to his mate with a growl as Curtis also
joined the group.
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Rory! Oh my God. They still have Benny. Buzz
sounded shaken and distraught.
Where? Curtis s heart was beating through his chest.
Buzz shook his head. I don t know. Some warehouse
somewhere. I was there with him not too long ago, so it must
be pretty close. They took me out, said I d been paid for, and
put this hood on my head. Next thing I knew, I was thrown
in a van with Skip he glanced at his lover, who smiled
reassuringly at him, before finishing and we drove for a
few minutes until they dumped us out here. Skip got free of
his restraints first and then got me free. We were just trying
to find the way out, and that s when you found us.
Curtis looked around, then took off in the direction
they d been headed.
Wait! Skip called, obviously upset by the whole ordeal.
They said they were going to call you with a ransom demand.
Before they brought you out he turned from Curtis to
speak to Buzz they d said your, uh, ransom had been paid
and that they were going to call Curtis for Benny.
Curtis rejoined the group and frowned. How would they
even know about me? Wouldn t Rory or Les be the logical
ones to call? He looked at his uncle and saw the speculation
in his eyes, felt his unease.
I, uh& . Skip swallowed nervously. They asked who
Benny was dating. And you guys have gotten so tight since
that time you all were at the lodge, I kind of gave them your
name.
Fuck. He exchanged glances with his uncle, then
mentally shrugged. He d pay whatever he had to, to ensure
Benny s safe return.
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And after Benny was back safe& they d be the ones
paying.
Checking his phone to make sure it was on, he quickly
directed his uncle, Call Tom. Have any calls that come in at
the lodge for me forwarded to my cell. I m going after them.
Jared nodded curtly in acknowledgement.
Careful. Control, he reminded his nephew with a
meaningful look.
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