Unhinged (Necessary Evils #1)(26)

Adam blew a breath out through his nose. “They were staging an intervention.”

“And why is that?”

“Because they don’t like my new boyfriend.”

His father gave a sage nod. “The Holt boy.”

Adam’s gaze went wide. “You know?”

“I know everything my boys get up to. It’s my job,” his father said. “How much have you told him?”

“He already knew a lot of it. But I filled in some blanks for him,” Adam admitted. He’d never been able to lie to his father, not even when he was little. It was hard to lie to somebody who seemed to love you unconditionally. No matter how unlovable you were.

“Do you think that was the wisest course of action?”

Adam nodded. “You tell us to trust our instincts. That’s what I did. Instinctively, I know Noah would never betray me,” he said. “Or you.”

“This could complicate things for the whole family if it goes sideways,” his father cautioned.

“I’m not giving him up,” Adam said defiantly. “I told them and I’m telling you. Noah’s mine. I choose him.”

His father chuckled. “Relax, Adam. I’m not going to tell you to stop seeing him. But he is your responsibility. The more he knows, the more of a liability he becomes. If he betrays us, the consequences will be…dire.”

The tone in his father’s voice sent an icy chill along his spine. “He wouldn’t do that. Not to me. Not to anybody. He’s…a good person.”

His father studied him for a long moment. “Alright. I’ll talk to your brothers.”

“They’re going to be pissed,” Adam warned.

“Why’s that?”

“Because as much as Atticus likes to say he’s your favorite, they really think I am.”

Once more, his father gave a low chuckle. “They think? But you’re not?”

“No.”

His father crossed his arms over his chest, tilting his head. “You think I prefer any of my children over the other?”

Adam knew for a fact that his father had a favorite, but nobody talked about it. Aiden was his father’s favorite. He was the fourth adopted, before the murder twins, and his father had just always had a weird soft spot for him. Maybe it was because Aiden rarely talked while the rest of them never shut up. It was hard to say, but none of them dared state the obvious.

“No, Dad. I think you find us all equally annoying,” Adam lied smoothly.

His father gave a smile as fake as the one Adam returned. “Okay, go back to your boy. But remember what I said. He’s your responsibility now. I hope your instincts are good.”

Adam nodded before throwing the car back in reverse and slowly pulling out of the driveway. There was a lightness to him now that he had his father’s blessing. His brothers liked to huff and puff, but they’d never go against their dad. Ever.

Still, his father’s words wormed their way deeper into his head. Noah was his responsibility. Adam didn’t think Noah would ever betray him or his family, but the deeper they dove into Noah’s past, the more dangerous it became for him and, by extension, all of them. They needed to get to the bottom of Wayne Holt’s suspected pedophile ring and get Noah the justice he’d been denied.

But not tonight. Tonight, Noah was waiting for him. Adam’s cock twitched at the thought of Noah warm and willing in his bed. He’d been so fucking good for him earlier. So responsive. Could he push him further? Harder? How dark did Noah’s fantasies get? Adam was eager to find out.





Noah didn’t sleep well in strange beds. Years of foster care, hopping from house to house without ever having a home, had left him with an ever present sense of anxiety about sleeping in any bed but his own. Even when those beds felt like clouds and had pillows with just the right support and sheets with a thread count higher than his credit score. It was why he’d scraped every penny to buy his ugly ass trailer outright, so nobody could take his bed away ever again.

But sleeping in anybody’s bed but his own had really never been an issue. Noah didn’t date, didn’t have boyfriends or friends with benefits. That would’ve required having friends, and Noah didn’t have those either. It was easier that way. If you didn’t get close to someone, they couldn’t leave. That was what he told himself.

Or, at least, he had before Adam.

Noah hadn’t anticipated the sleepover, even when they’d pulled into Adam’s garage. Maybe it had been implied, but Noah hadn’t been in the best headspace after their deep dive at Gary’s house. It was his own fault. He let his guard down after Adam had specifically told him not to, but they’d been so close to getting out of there. He’d thought it was safe.

But then there was the picture. That stupid fucking picture of Gary and his dad, smiling and laughing. He knew why they were so fucking happy, knew that he’d been inside that cabin. Knew what would happen to him once they returned.

His stomach churned, bile rising in his throat, as his memories tried to fight their way to the surface. He shoved them back down with a frustrated growl, flopping on his stomach and burying his face in Adam’s pillow. His stomach swooped as the scent of spicy soap and expensive cologne filled his nose, triggering heat low in his belly.