Some of Beckett’s hunger took a hit with Julian’s last words bouncing around in his head. He wiped a napkin over his mouth before he asked, “Scars?”
“My mind is officially blown…”
Beckett stared down at the plate of food. His hamburger was almost gone, but his appetite waned under the anxious swirl in his gut. Julian’s consideration for Beckett had him scowling at the food on his plate. He’d gone out of his way to order him this dinner, and Beckett needed to eat it.
Besides, with all that insecurity emanating from Julian’s expression, he was probably watching for what came next once Beckett fully learned Julian’s secrets.
He reached for several of the fries as Levi drew in a breath and revealed the story. “I haven’t shared this with anyone. Thane probably knows because it’s before I started working here at Reservations, but we’ve never talked about it. Julian and I met at an outpatient physical rehabilitation center where I worked.”
“How did you wind up here?” Beckett asked. Julian had hinted about PT, so that wasn’t new information.
“It was all about the need to make more money. I was a physical therapy assistant, and Julian was our patient. I didn’t have him as a patient for long. Julian wasn’t progressing as he should. He’d been through hell. Back then, he could barely walk without a cane and not that well with one. He’s always been outrageous but also very private. It took me a few weeks to get past his audacious stories to learn what had happened to him. When I did, I worked behind the scenes to help find him counseling,” Levi explained as he reached over for one of the fries.
Beckett let that information resonate inside his head. He wished he hadn’t had so much to drink as he tried to commit the explanation to memory to consider later. The idea of Julian being unable to walk bothered Beckett more than he could process.
Lost in the thought of Julian with a cane, Beckett took another hearty bite of the burger. It didn’t taste near as good under the weight of Julian’s ordeal. What must that have been like for Julian?
“What about the scarring?” he finally asked, not entirely sure he wanted to hear anymore.
“What do you know about what happened?” Levi asked, his elbows coming to the edge of the table. He leaned in to better hear Beckett’s answer as the music changed, growing louder.
“Just that he was drugged, abducted, and abused.” Beckett summarized the facts he’d learned, leaving out the extent of the severe trauma Julian had suffered; it was damn hard to say out loud. “And that Thane found him in the hospital.”
Levi nodded. “Julian’s a prideful guy. He had multiple surgeries and spent several weeks in the hospital. He paid as much as he could toward his medical bills, but it still wiped him out financially. Thane jumped in and covered the rest of them.”
“Thane paid for his medical care?” Beckett asked, taking the last bite of his burger. It tasted like sawdust now. He didn’t take his eyes off Levi.
“Yeah. No matter what you’ve seen, Thane’s a real good man. He’s selflessly helped me more than I can ever repay. Julian, though, hasn’t coped well with Thane paying his way.”
“I thought Julian was an escort back then?” Beckett picked up the plates, stacking them together. Chase popped out of nowhere before he could push them to the edge, dropping Levi’s drink off and ready to take the dishes away. Beckett quickly grabbed the second burger before Chase could take off with it. If nothing else, he’d eat it in his hotel room later. When Chase walked away, he continued, “I heard that Thane used to hire Julian on a regular basis?” Beckett spoke quietly, not wanting others to hear Julian’s private pain, causing Levi to lean further into the table as he sipped from his cocktail.
Levi nodded, his voice going even lower than Beckett’s. He had to really concentrate to hear each of the words over the increasing volume of the music. “So, you do know what’s happened. Julian apparently ran his business differently than others. He had many men like Thane on retainer. He was said to be exceptionally good at what he did and had the reputation to prove it. Julian lived his life on his own terms. And with the stories I’ve heard, I can say that was true, until the assault. It’s taken a lot for him to feel aligned and centered in this new life. I’m not a hundred percent sure he really feels that way.”
Beckett’s gaze left Levi’s and searched out Julian. Of course, Julian paid him no attention. Now though, he recognized that wasn’t necessarily the truth. His heart ached for the pain such a vibrant man had suffered. “I think he’s pulled himself together really well.”