Retribution (The Protectors 3)

“Love?” Tate said with a harsh chuckle. “I barely even liked him.”

“Then why?” I pressed.

“Forget it,” Tate murmured and tried to pull free of my hold.

“Why, Tate?”

He finally turned to face me, his expression an intriguing mix of defiance and shame.

“Because it was easy to pretend with him.”

“Pretend?”

“Yeah, unlike you, I pretended all the time. I pretended he was my boyfriend and that I didn’t feel cheap and used after he finished fucking me. I pretended I loved him and that we were going to build a life together. I pretended I didn’t have to hide who I was and that for five God damn minutes, I was actually safe!”

Tate tried to tug free of my grip, but I pulled him closer and then sealed my mouth over his, not caring who might see us. I kissed him until he went soft beneath my lips and started kissing me back.

“You don’t have to pretend anymore,” I reminded him.

“Don’t I?” Tate murmured, but before I could even try to figure out what he meant, he whispered, “Sorry,” and tried to escape me again.

“Was there anyone else?” I asked. I had no idea why it was so important for me to suddenly know if there’d ever been someone special in Tate’s life.

“No,” Tate said as he dropped his gaze. “I went to a club once after Reggie moved away, but it wasn’t what I thought it would be.”

“What did you think it was going to be?”

“Do we have to talk about this?” Tate asked quietly.

“No,” I finally said as I released him. The tension between us grew and I didn’t try to stop Tate when he got out of the truck. He waited for me as I walked around it before heading into the small building.

Lulling had turned out to be a rural, almost desolate town with just a small town square. The population was just shy of a thousand people and my guess was that many of them either made their living running ranches on the surrounding farmland or made the hour long commute to San Antonio. The few businesses that remained were a throwback to another time and the bank was no exception. The décor as soon as we walked in screamed that the place hadn’t seen an upgrade in several decades and there was only a singular teller standing behind the counter and one cubicle with a starchy older man punching numbers into an older model computer.

There was no doubt in my mind that the teller picking at something on the skin of his hand was Tate’s ex and I had to curb the urge to walk up to the counter and drag the man through the little space that allowed him to interact with his customers. I sensed Tate tensing up next to me, but he didn’t hesitate to make his way right up to Reggie.

“How may I help you today?” Reggie mumbled just before he lifted his dull eyes. They instantly widened at the sight of Tate.

“Chris,” he whispered and then looked around the small space as if half expecting to see someone else. His eyes only stayed on me for a brief moment and I knew right away who he was expecting to see.

“Reggie,” Tate acknowledged.

Reggie shifted back and forth uneasily on his feet. He was about the same height as Tate and I suspected his normal build would have been average to a little heavier set. But his gaunt frame, thin hair and clearly false teeth had me instantly realizing the man in front of us had betrayed Tate for one reason two years ago.

“What…what are you doing here?” Reggie asked as he crossed his arms and tucked his jittering hands under his armpits.

“We’re looking for Buck.”

“Buck?” Reggie whispered, his eyes once again darting around as if expecting Buck to magically appear. “I…I haven’t seen him.”

“Not even when you need your next fix?” I asked coldly.

Reggie’s gaze shifted to me and then to the older man sitting in the cubicle. “I, um…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Reggie,” Tate said crisply. “Buck and Denny, where are they?”

“I swear, Chris, I don’t know.”

“That’s not his fucking name,” I snarled as I brushed past Tate and snagged Reggie by his shirt collar and yanked him forward.

“Hawke,” I heard Tate say calmly from behind me and then his hand was smoothing over my back. I stifled the half dozen names I wanted to call the piece of shit in front of me and released him. I stepped back just enough so Tate could make eye contact with the fucker, but that was it.

“Ch…” Reggie started to say to Tate and then bit off his words when his wide eyes darted to me. “I swear, I don’t know where they are,” he said and when I shifted my stance, he quickly continued. “No one’s seen them since their lab exploded a while back. Most people think it was their bodies the cops found.”