The Virgin Next Door (Stud Ranch)

And what Mack saw almost made him lose his breakfast.

There was just enough light to see Sammy, naked, bloody, and strung up on a hook like he was a slab of meat at the butchers. He was screaming in agony.

“Please! Please, don’t—”

Mack almost dropped the phone. “Sam!” he shouted.

And then came that evil fucking laugh that haunted Mack’s dreams.

Bone’s face filled the computer screen a second later. He grinned, showing off his stained, yellow teeth. “Baby boy, I heard you been asking around about me. You wanted to arrange a reunion all you had to do was ask me direct.”

Bile rose up Mack’s throat

“Instead, I learn you got one of our own playing snitch for you.”

Bone moved out of the way and Sammy’s body took up the frame again. Some of the blood and grime on his chest was dark, but some was bright red like Bone had slashed him right before placing the call. Mack’s stomach bottomed out at seeing his friend like this.

“Gotta say I didn’t mind having the excuse to get me a little plaything,” Bone’s voice came over the video of Sammy. “It’s so goddamned boring on the outside. I miss having my pick of the fresh meat.”

Bone circled one of Sammy’s nipples with a sharp hunting knife. “Remember the first day you walked the block, baby boy?”

“Fuck!” Mack yelled when Bone sliced Sammy’s nipple off. Sammy screamed and writhed on the hook. Mack dropped to his knees, staring at the phone.

“Foreplay just gets me so excited,” came Bone’s voice again. “Maybe you have missed me all these years and that’s why you sent this fucking idiot to try to learn about me. So I’d know just where to come and find you. Because Sammy here? He sang like a songbird as soon as I pulled off the first fingernail. Wyoming, huh? I didn’t make you out for a city boy.”

Mack sat paralyzed, eyes glued to the screen.

“Feel free to stay and watch the show. I’ll be seeing you soon, baby boy.”

Sammy whimpered something Mack couldn’t make out. There was another five minutes to the video and Mack wanted to throw the goddamned thing across the fucking parking lot. But maybe there was some deal he could make with Bone. Maybe he could offer to exchange himself for—

Sammy’s scream filled the phone speakers and Mack could only sit helplessly by for the rest of the video while Bone raped his friend and then slit his throat.

Bone’s demonic laugh was the last thing Mack heard before the phone call was ended.

29

LIAM

Liam felt like shite as he pulled in to the arena parking lot.

“Fuck,” he swore as he swerved to miss an oncoming car in the lot. The loud honk only had him swearing more as he grabbed his head and stomped on the brake.

Driving around last night hadn’t done shite for his head and neither had coming back to the hotel and emptying the minibar.

He should have gone to Calla or Mack. But seeing Da and then all that bullshit with Brigid—it had him feeling exactly like nothing had changed in the last two years. That he was the exact same spoiled little cunt that had run away from his daddy issues with his tail between his legs—

Wait, was that Mack?

Out in the far parking lot. A man stood out in the middle of nowhere with his hands on his head. He looked a hell of a lot like Mack.

Liam squinted and leaned over the steering wheel. Liam knew the way Mack carried himself. The way he walked. Knew everything about the lad if he were honest with himself.

Which is why you shoulda gone to talk things over with him and Calla last night instead of drinking yourself stupid.

Because dammit, he wasn’t the same. He had changed. And Calla and Mack had helped him change.

He looked around and checked his mirrors before putting the truck in drive again and heading out to where Mack was standing. He slowed down and brought the truck and trailer to a stop. Mack didn’t even look up. He was just standing there in the middle of nowhere with hunched shoulders, staring at the ground.

Liam honked his horn but Mack only looked his way briefly. Then he just kept walking.

Shite. Liam shoulda known the lanky bastard wouldn’t let last night go so easy. He slammed the truck in park and then jumped down from the cab.

“Mack,” he called. “Mackenzie!”

He jogged up beside Mack but when he tried to put a hand on his arm, Mack jerked away so roughly it made Liam stumble.

“What the fuck?” Liam said. Then he breathed out. Mack just kept walking and Liam gritted his teeth and then jogged after him again.

“Look, I’m sorry for how shite went down last night. I should have come right back to you and Calla like I said I would. But things are bad with me da. He might not even be me real da. I might be the son of the fecking stableman. And then Brigid, the woman, she was there to complicate shite and— Jaysus, would you just stop for a second and listen to me? I’m trying to apologize here.”