Duncan stopped and turned, looking at his oldest brother. “What? Someone got away from this bastard?”
Damn, that poor woman had to be a mess, and if what his brothers were saying was true, then she could be in a hell of a lot of danger.
“Yes.”
“Who?” God, who was it?
“Laken,” Kellan told him. “It was Laken who got away.”
Chapter Nine
Duncan threw the photos on the table before pacing back and forth across the room. He could scarcely believe that Laken had been at the mercy of the sick bastard who had done the things in those photos.
Turning suddenly, he slammed his hand into the wall. It gave way beneath his knuckles, leaving a large hole. He drew his hand back, barely feeling any pain.
“Feel better?” Jake asked calmly.
Duncan glared at him. “What do you think? How would you like to hear that the woman you love was taken and brutalized by some asshole? I mean, she told me she’d been attacked, even hurt. But she never said that…”
That she’d been tortured, held against her will for three days. She’d downplayed it, probably to protect him, knowing the guilt he would feel. He glanced over at the report that Jake had shown him, the photos that depicted every injury she’d been subject to while he had been cursing her for acting like a child.
Why hadn’t he questioned her more? He’d seen her scars why hadn’t he pushed her for the full truth?
Because he hadn’t wanted to push her away.
Oh God. He couldn’t stand it.
“I need to go to her.”
“You need to get yourself under control first,” Saxon ordered him. “You’ll be doing her no good going to her like this.”
Duncan glared at him, but he knew the other man was right. If he went home to her like this then he risked terrifying her. He took a deep breath, then another.
“Duncan,” Kellan began once his brother had gotten himself under some control. “We have a reason for telling you this.”
His gaze shot up, narrowing as he stared at his brothers. Kellan looked as stoic as usual, but there was a touch of guilt on Eli’s face.
“What?” he asked. What more could they possibly have to add?
“We need you to talk to Laken,” Kellan told him. “We need her cooperation to catch this guy.”
“You have got to be fucking kidding me!” he yelled. “You seriously want her to act as bait? Look what he did to her!”
“Don’t you think she’d want to know that he’s been caught? Don’t you think you’ll both sleep better at night knowing he’s no longer a risk to her?”
Duncan’s fists clenched. This guy was dead meat. He’d see to that. But he didn’t intend to involve Laken in this. He wanted her nowhere near anything dangerous.
“Laken is not going to be bait.”
“I know your instinct is to hide her away,” Eli spoke in a low voice. Jake and Saxon remained quiet. He looked over at Jake who watched him in concern. He knew then that Jake wasn’t so convinced about this plan his brothers had concocted.
“Damn straight.”
“But that will just send him into hiding. He’ll wait, Duncan, and you can’t hide her forever.”
Duncan snarled at Eli who just watched him calmly.
“How about you just listen to our plan first?” Eli asked. “We don’t want Laken at risk any more than you do. But we need her.”