Sunshine's Savior [Brac Pack 3] (3 page)

Lynn Hagen

know him, to actually want to spend more than a quickie with him.

Dakota did. The giant hadn’t made one move sexually toward Blair. Well, except for that kiss. Was it a kiss if their lips barely touched? Maybe the guy was dysfunctional down there and just wanted company. Hey, stranger shit happened. The guy never did confirm or deny it. Fine. If Dakota didn’t want sex, Blair would back off. He did want to earn that money, though. He wasn’t a scam artist.

Blair squared his shoulders. He would help him find whoever the guy was looking for.

“Turn around, sunshine.”

Blair slowly turned, keeping his eyes glued to the floor. He couldn’t look Dakota in the eyes. He felt dirty, like low class trash.

Instead, Blair grabbed a tissue from the box on the nightstand and blew his nose, sitting on the edge of the bed. He tucked his hair behind his ear, picking at a fingernail.

Blair raised his eyes to look into that handsome face. Why couldn’t he be worthy enough for a man like Dakota? The deity deserved a clean man, free of the baggage Blair carried. Someone wholesome and sweet. Something he hadn’t been in a very long time.

His innocence had been forcibly taken a long time ago.

“Tell me why you keep lowering your eyes.”

“Embarrassment. Shame. Humiliation. Do you want the list in alphabetical order?” Blair gave a nervous chuckle.

“Never be any of those things with me. There is no shame or embarrassment, or even humiliation between us. Understood?” He pulled Blair to his feet. “Come, we have a bank to visit and a person to find. Time to get some work done.”

Blair smiled, pulling his shoes on. He really was getting to like this guy. He didn’t seem so scary now. It would be a shame when he was gone and Blair had to return to reality. He felt good about earning money in an honest way, helping Dakota without sex involved. Pride was a new feeling for him.

There was a knock at the door. Blair looked over curiously as

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Dakota answered it. He pulled in a bag then closed it.

“Here, now you’ll stay warm. Let’s go.” Dakota handed Blair the bag.

Blair wondered what could be inside. He reached in and felt soft fabric, pulling out a white coat with fake mink fur around the hood.

At least he thought it was fake. “Why? Why would you care if I was warm or not?”

“I take care of my employees. Now can we go?” Dakota left the door open as he headed to the bank of elevators.

Blair followed him, feeling giddy over his new coat. He pulled it on over his arms, feeling the warmth of the material already.

“Thanks.”

“Blair, what have we been talking about all morning?” Dakota put his hand on the small of Blair’s back.

Blair raised his eyes, tucking his hair behind his ear. He looked Dakota right in his beautiful crystal blue eyes, “Thank you.”

“Wasn’t so hard, was it?” Dakota kissed him on the tip of his nose as the elevator descended to the first floor.

Kota held the glass door open for Blair as they entered the bank.

He filled out his withdrawal slip and handed it to the teller. She completed the transaction and put the two grand in a secured billfold for him. “Can I help you with anything else, Mr. Amergan?” The teller was winking at him and trying to hand him her business card.

He was so damn tired of it. He declined, laying his hand on the small of Blair’s back, staking his claim in front of her and leading his mate out.

“Put this somewhere it won’t get lost or stolen.” Kota handed him the billfold. Blair shoved it in the inside pocket of his coat, zipping it back up.

“Where to now?”

“It’s your neighborhood. Lead the way.”

They spent the better part of the morning visiting the

establishments on Kota’s list. Maverick had given him hang-out spots

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to check. By lunch, Kota was frustrated. Other than a few offers from some cheap hookers and an irate drug dealer screaming about Kota scaring away his customers, they had nothing.

“Come on, sunshine, let’s get some lunch.” Kota let Blair pick the place since this was his neighborhood.

They entered a greasy hamburger joint, the smell of cooking onions and browning meat filled the air. Kota looked around. The place had seen better days. They sat in one of the booths by the window. Kota had to push the bench back to fit. Thank goodness they weren’t anchored in. There was a green linoleum floor that had faded into a puke color with grease and traffic stains. It was perfect. The place reminded Kota of an old-time mom-and-pop place. It had a homey, welcoming feel to it. He could see why Blair liked it.

Kota grabbed the menu from the metal holder and browsed his selection. The chili with cheese and onions sounded real good right about now. He set the menu down, watching his mate furrow his brow in concentration, his finger scanning up and down the menu while his lips moved. Kota paid closer attention, listening. Although Blair was speaking so softly, he could hear him. Timber wolves had unrivaled auditory, night vision, and tracking skills. He could hear any whispered words from twenty feet away, his hearing was that good.

Kota heard Blair sounding the words out, struggling to pronounce them. It surprised him that a man as quick-witted as his mate was illiterate.

“You know, I got the chili with cheese and onions. It sounds pretty good. It was really a hard decision between that and the country fried steak. Maybe I should have gotten the house salad with grilled chicken. Comes with a baked potato, after all. What do you think?”

Blair sat his menu down, and a look of relief washed over his face.

Kota knew his illiteracy was a huge hurdle for him to get over. There was no shame in it. He just had to find a way around it, over it, or through it. Whatever got him to his goal. If he wanted Kota to help, he would be more than happy to.

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“I think the country fried steak sounds good. What would you have ordered with it?”

“The mashed potatoes and gravy sound good. The vegetable

medley, as well, would have been a good choice had the chili not caught my eye.”

“I think I’ll steal your idea and get that.” Blair laughed for the first time, and Kota watched as the deep dimples lit across his face, his brownish orange eyes sparkling. How had he gotten so lucky? He caught the waitress’s attention and placed their orders, taking his mind and libido off of Blair.

They ate in relative silence. When they were finished, Blair was trying to dig some money out of the billfold without anyone seeing it to pay for his meal. Kota would never allow his mate to pay for it, he was old-fashioned. He insisted on taking care of his mate. He laid his hand on Blair’s, telling him to put it away before someone saw it.

Kota paid, leaving a nice tip, and then stepped out into bright, crisp afternoon.

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“What else is on your list, boss?”

“Top Cats. Do you know where that’s at?”

Blair’s face fell as his eyes shot down. He blinked then hesitated before nodding his head. “Sure, I know where it’s at. Follow me.”

The club was quiet this time of day. A few people littered the tables, but the dance floor was dormant.

“Hey, T. What’s cookin’, doll?” Blair asked as he straddled a stool.

“Nothing, sweetie pie.” T looked Dakota up and down twice.

“Hmm, what do we have here? You get you a pimp or a body guard, Raven?” Blair had to bite back a laugh. Dakota looked like he wanted to run as fast as he could from T.

“Behave, T. He isn’t either of those. He’s just my friend. I’m kinda helping him out. He’s looking for his little brother who ran away. Can you help him out? His name is Warrior.” Blair flipped his hair over his shoulder, crossing his legs at the knees.

T purred at Dakota. “Well, maybe we can exchange

favors…’cause you are one fine looking piece of meat.” The guy ran his tongue over his bottom lip, staring Dakota up and down.

“Sorry, T. He’s not gay. Believe me, I’ve tried. So, what do ya say? Can you help?” Blair reached over the bar and grabbed a bottled water, untwisting the cap and taking a large swallow.

T finally agreed, after asking Dakota two more times if he was sure he wouldn’t switch teams.

“Hey, Raven, baby. Thought you were going to come by last

night?”

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Oh, shit.
It was Tony. This wasn’t good at all. He was an easy buck as long as he liked you. If Blair offended him by turning him down, he may lose it. The two grand wouldn’t last forever. He had to think of his future. Crap, crap, crap.

“Hey, Tony. Sorry, got a little tied up.” Blair winked at him.

“Literally.”

“You kinky bastard. Come here and give ’ole Tony a kiss.”

It happened so fast Blair would need a replay to see how Tony ended up on his back, on the bar, with an angry Dakota choking the shit out of him.

“Warrior, let him go now!” Blair yanked at the beefy arm. He might as well have been a fly. Dammit. He climbed on Kota’s back, slapping his shoulders and trying to wrap his arm around his neck, but his arm wasn’t long enough. Switching tactics, he said, “Stop it now.

Let him go, Dakota.” Blair whispered in his ear, caressing his hair, and kissing the side of his face. Dakota relaxed his hold, and the purple-faced Tony sputtered as he rolled off the bar, clutching his throat. He took off across the room and out the door, shooting daggers at Blair.

He jumped down and stormed out, Dakota hot on his heels.

“Blair, wait.”

Blair whirled around, jamming his finger up toward Dakota’s face. “I told you I don’t use my real name out here, so stop using it!”

Blair stomped across the street, barely missing cars and heading around a corner.

“Stop!”

Blair threw his hand up in a
whatever
gesture and kept going.

He cut around to Fifth Street, pissed off beyond belief. How could Dakota mess with his money like that? Money seemed to mean nothing to the guy. Well, it meant a hell of a lot to Blair. He had to survive. He wasn’t sleeping in an abandoned warehouse or under a bridge. Regulars were hard to come by around here, and he just ruined one of Blair’s best. Yeah, the guy was slimy, but poor folk can’t be
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choosers.

Blair heard whistling, he turned his head to see some guy slowly rolling next to him in his car.

“Hey, you available?”

“What for?”

“A good time. What else?”

Blair looked over his shoulder to see Dakota gaining on him fast.

Tucking his hair behind his ear, he climbed into the car.

The guy unbuttoned his jeans and pulled his zipper down,

releasing his cock. His hand slowly pumped it up and down. “Why don’t you lean over here and suck it for me?”

Blair looked down at the guy’s hand. He felt nauseated. An image of Dakota came to mind, his waist-length blonde hair and his crystal blue eyes. The way he had treated Blair and even the way he helped him out this morning in the dinner. He may be illiterate, but he wasn’t stupid. He knew what Dakota was doing, and he had felt warmth for him in a heart that has been cold for so long. The guy just called to him. He felt safe, wanted, and special. Dakota treated him like he mattered. Blair couldn’t do this. He didn’t want to be here. He wanted out of the car, now.

“Pull over.”

“Why? I can still drive while you suck me off.” The guy reached up, trying to pull Blair’s head down to his crotch, Blair smacked his hand away.

“What the fuck? You’re a rent boy, aren’t you?”

“Pull over to the curb now.”

“Oh, I get it. You’re playing shy. Will this cost me extra? I like shy boys. Show Daddy how good his little boy is.”

Blair was triggered into a flashback. Those words. He thought he would never hear them again. No, this guy wasn’t him. He was safe

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from him. Safe from the betrayal and agony. He shook his head, trying to rid the images shooting to the forefront that had been locked away.

Blair looked over at the man. Did he do that to little boys, too?

Blair’s lip snarled, and he lost control, smacking the guy all over and screaming, “Pull the damn car over now, you sick fuck! You sick fucking bastard!”

The car picked up speed as Blair rolled the window down, feeling the bite of the cold air on his face. The asshole sped up even more, as if daring him to jump. He pushed himself through and out, covering his head as he hit the ground rolling.

Blair lay there for a moment, dizzy, shaking his head. After a minute he got up and started running, not knowing where to go. He didn’t want to go back to his efficiency. It felt lonely and cold there.

He wanted Dakota.
What had he done?

He ran. His mind was racing between the past and the present. A numb awareness let him know people were bumping into him, but he was too far gone to care. His chest was tight. He needed air. Blair stopped. Tears stained his face as he realized he had run right to Dakota’s hotel.

He slowed his pace, trying to act nonchalant, drying his tears on the sleeve of his coat. Blair walked casually through the lobby, over to the elevators and pushed the button, waiting. He saw a few people looking down their noses at him standing there in his dirty and torn white coat. Fuck ’em. He wasn’t in the mood. He watched the digital numbers descend as it reached his floor. The bell dinged, and he stepped on, pushing the button he needed, waiting again. The elevator opened, and he stepped off.

Blair stood in front of Dakota’s door, afraid to knock. He was terrified the man would send him away with harsh words and maybe a few good punches for good luck.

Blair would deserve them for the way he acted. He was exactly what his father said he was. A worthless whore. The ice machine

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