Lost and Found (Twist of Fate #1)(17)

Forcing myself to smile instead of roll my eyes at his cocky attitude, I showed Calvin how to clip in to the belay set-up and attach the top rope to his harness with a carabiner.

“Stay there while I get Lucky squared away. I can’t have both of you start until there are two adults on belay, okay?”

I ignored his muttered complaint and helped Lucky get connected. As I worked, I looked over at Aiden and Bennett who were standing shoulder to shoulder, watching me. I tried not to imagine the two of them naked together, and wondered what Aiden would think about his little boyfriend’s midnight visit to my tent. Never in a million years would I have pegged Bennett as the cheating type. It was just further proof he wasn’t the guy I’d once known.

“I need one of you to help belay,” I said, unable to decide which man was the lesser of two evils.

“I’ll do it,” Aiden said quickly, before Bennett even had a chance to speak. “I’ve done it before.”

As he approached and grabbed a harness from the pile of supplies at our feet, I couldn’t help but look at him in surprise. “You have?” I asked. “When?”

He narrowed his eyes at me. “Do you really care? Just believe me when I say I know how to do it. I’ll take Lucky.”

Okay, so the man was being an ass as usual. I wondered if he knew what had happened between me and Bennett in my tent. Surely not. Knowing Aiden’s type, he would have confronted me by now. Hell, if the roles had been reversed and I’d discovered Bennett had cheated on me, I’d kick Aiden’s ass so hard…

I watched him get situated with the belay device before asking Lucky if he was ready. The kid looked at Aiden with a huge grin and said, “On belay?”

Aiden nodded and smiled back. “Belay on.”

Okay, maybe he did know what he was doing.

As the two kids climbed up the rock side-by-side, I heard them talking to each other. At first, it sounded like regular smack-talk between friends, but then I realized there was an edge to it.

I quickly looked over at Aiden to see if he’d noticed. He was concentrating on the ropes and watching Lucky’s feet.

Calvin’s voice drifted down, just loudly enough for me to make it out. “What the hell kinda shoes are those? I thought you couldn’t afford anything decent like that.”

“B got them for me. Not that it’s any of your damned business,” Lucky snapped.

“Aww, how sweet. Lucky has a Sugar Daddy. At least yours is better than the one your mom had, huh?” Calvin chuckled before pulling himself up with another foothold in the rock.

Lucky stared after him. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” The response came out in a low growl, and I could barely make it out over the sound of the kids joking around behind Aiden and me.

“Lucky, Calvin—” I shouted up at them. “Less talking, more focusing. Bennett, can you back the kids up a bit so we can hear the climbers’ instructions please?” I asked over my shoulder, not taking my eyes off the boys as they climbed higher, with Lucky slightly ahead of Calvin.

“Sure,” Bennett said. I knew he was upset with me, but he did as I asked and got the other boys to back way up into the meadow behind us.

“What is it?” Aiden asked in a low voice.

“What’s what?”

“They’re not having any problems with this climb, so why are you worried about us not being able to hear them?”

I didn’t bother telling him I didn’t want the other kids hearing the shit Calvin was giving Lucky. I knew exactly what it was like to be on the receiving end of that crap. A guy like Aiden just wouldn’t get it. I shrugged as I let out more rope. “Just good form, that’s all.”

“Whatever,” I heard him mutter.

“What’s Lucky’s story?” I asked, just loudly enough for Aiden to hear.

He answered in the same low voice. “His mom’s a prostitute. They lived with her pimp for a long time until the guy kicked Lucky out. Bennett found him on the streets and helped him find a good foster family.”

“You’re kidding?” I asked, not taking my eyes off the boys who were close to the top by now. I heard Aiden shift his weight.

“I wish I was. The kid hadn’t had a proper meal in weeks. He’d been scavenging and was on the verge of having to pick up the same profession as his mom if B hadn’t found him when he did. Makes me sick just thinking about it, and I know at least for a while it gave Bennett nightmares.”

My eyes briefly drifted to Lucky. He was so small and scrawny… I couldn’t even imagine what a life on the streets would have done to him. I’d already grown fond of the kid and even the idea of him having to sell himself to men…

I had to force myself not to look at Bennett. Despite all the shit between us, I felt a spark of pride knowing what he’d done for the boy.

“Did Lucky stay at the same school?” I asked, wondering if maybe part of the problem included Calvin and other guys at his same school.

“Yeah, that was one of the benefits of the foster family he ended up with. It was the least impact to his life. Same friends, same teachers.”

“That’s not always a good thing,” I suggested.

“On rappel,” Lucky called out from above.

I glanced at the kid, noticing the huge smile of accomplishment on his face from reaching the top of the small climb first. Calvin, on the other hand, was frowning. Typical bully. Couldn’t even enjoy the pleasure of his own accomplishment because he was too busy being all pissy about a kid he perceived as lesser beating him.