Chapter Thirty-Two

Rocky

When they reached the diner, Rich was already in a booth in the back of the restaurant, away from any other patrons. Rocky felt his stomach tighten. Something was up, and he wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing. He did know he was glad he'd insisted on being here. They'd just started their campaign to trap the traitor, but he wasn't taking chances no matter how unlikely it was that Aiden would be in danger yet.

He kept his hand at the small of Aiden's back as they wove through the dining room. Ralf called out from the window that allowed him to see out from the kitchen, quickly waving at the couple before turning back to flip something on the grill.

Rocky smiled to himself wondering if Ralf knew, judging by the wide shit-eating grin and the wink he'd given them before he'd gotten busy with the food again, Rocky would guess the answer was yes. This was a small town so it wouldn't surprise him if the entire town was aware of the shift in his and Aiden's relationship by dinner. Or, more likely, the end of the dinner rush. Ralf wasn't exactly known for his tendency to keep quiet. He'd opened a small-town diner for a reason, after all.

Rocky helped Aiden slide into the booth across from Rich and slid in next to him, before picking up a menu he didn't need in a bid to give the two friends a moment.

"What can I get y'all to drink?" Suzy, a long time waitress at the diner asked before he'd even had a chance to glance at the menu.

"I'll have an unsweet tea with lemon." Suzy didn't even bother pulling the pad from her apron, everyone knew she didn't need it. Suzy was a lovely woman in her mid-thirties who had a mind like a steel trap. Locals often joked that she'd remember what they ordered a decade ago if she'd been asked. They were probably right.

"I'll have a coke."

"...a Coke?"

The fact that Suzy finished Aiden's sentence with him was just more proof that popular beliefs about Suzy were likely truer than people realized.

"I'll be back with those in just a sec. Can I get you another coffee, hun?" Suzy's quick question was aimed at Rich, who nodded before she rushed off to fill the drink order.

As soon as she'd gone, Rich looked at Aiden, then Rocky, then cleared his throat. Looking directly at Rocky, he took a breath and said, "I'm glad you came."

"And why is that?" He couldn't help his suspicious tone–he was suspicious.

"Well, first I want to say that I thought I was doing the right thing and I'm sorry."

Well, that didn't sound ominous or anything. It sure as shit didn't make him feel any better when he looked down at his hands which were fidgeting with a napkin, ripping it to shreds.

"Sorry for what?" That question came from Aiden and Rocky fucking hated that Rich looked pained and wouldn't look at Aiden. Something was definitely up and Rocky was believing less with each passing minute that it could be anything good.

"I thought I was helping the club, he had me fully convinced it was for the club, but I don't think it was and I don't know what to do." The more he talked the higher pitched Rich's voice became and the faster his fingers worked.

Fuck, this sounded like club business. Maybe he should get the other guys here. Before Rocky got the chance to suggest that, however, Rich continued speaking and Rocky's thoughts went from concern to rage in the blink of an eye.

"He told me you were working against the club," Rich was finally looking at Aiden, so he couldn't have missed Aiden's face going pale, or his rapid breathing. Rocky sure as shit hadn't missed it and he didn't give a fuck what else Rich needed to say. Right then he needed to get his boy calmed down.

Rocky held up a finger telling Rich to wait a minute before turning to Aiden and gently gripping his shoulders to turn Aiden to face him. "Look at me, baby. Just at me." Rocky cupped both of Aiden's cheeks as he continued speaking, "Good boy. That's my good boy. I need you to breathe slower for me, baby. Deep breaths or you're going to pass out." He took one of Aiden's hands in his and placed it over his own chest. "Can you do that for me, baby? Big, deep breaths. Breathe with me."

Rocky took a deep, slow breath, gratified when Aiden followed suit. It took a couple of minutes of talking Aiden through some breathing before he seemed to be fully himself again. Rocky wanted nothing more than to get his boy out of there and be sure he was okay but whatever it was that Rich needed to confess was important.

Finally, Aiden gave a slight nod, letting Rocky know they could continue. When he looked, he found that Suzy had delivered their drinks at some point while he'd been focused on Aiden, so he handed the other man his Coke and encouraged him to take a drink. He glanced at Rich who looked a bit pale himself and seemed to have developed a slight green tinge to his skin.

"Why don't you start from the beginning?" Rocky hadn't thought the man could get any paler but at Rocky's words Rich proved him wrong, going white as a sheet.

"It was right after I got voted in. He approached me, asked me out. We went on a few dates before he told me about Pup. Said Pup was working against the club, but no one could catch him because he was too good." Rich's eyes darted everywhere as if he expected whoever he was to come in at any moment. "He wanted me to approach Pup, get to know him some, and he had this listening device he wanted me to put in Pup's office."

"You planted the bug in my office?"

Rocky fucking hated how small Aiden's voice had gotten. He hated the damage this confession was likely going to do to Aiden's confidence. It had just started to build, and Rocky wasn't sure how long it would take to repair the damage done today.

"It's under your desk. I didn't know you then, though. I swear, I never would have done it if I did." Rich's voice was pleading and for the first time Rocky noticed that the other man seemed to be hurting as much as Aiden at this point. He couldn't bring himself to care too much about it, though. All he really cared about was getting this done so he could get his boy somewhere safe to let his feelings out.

"Did you even really want to be friends?" Aiden whispered.

"At first, I was just trying to get close enough to put the bug in. But as I got to know you, I really liked you and I started to think that he had to be wrong. There's no way you'd do anything like what he was saying."

"Why not come to us sooner?" Rocky asked the obvious question.

"I kept meaning to, trying to, even. But Pup's been so busy lately, I couldn't get him out of his office, and if I could it was only to the club bar. Then the remodels made it almost impossible. I couldn't tell him inside the office, or on club property. I needed to get him somewhere else. If I get caught, I don't know what will happen. I've been keeping him thinking I believe him, but I don't know how much longer I can pretend that I'm still the same gullible idiot. He probably doesn't even really like me. Bastard."

"Who are we talking about?"

Rocky was expecting the answer to come from Rich but instead Aiden said, "It has to be Drake. Right?"

"Yeah," Rich's answer was shaky and timid.

"Drake Stallone. He's been a prospect for a while but never gone any further because he doesn't talk to people at all. He came here sometime during that first year, but saying he's not much for socializing is an understatement. When he started asking Rich out, I thought he might have been so antisocial because he'd been trying to hide being gay." Aiden made a scoffing noise, "I was actually kind of glad he'd finally found someone to bring him out of his shell a bit. Not that he was more social with anyone else…"

The silence that filled the booth after Aiden's words trailed off was thick, but Rocky wasn't sure how to fill it beyond asking more questions.

"Why is he after the club?" Rich gasped at Rocky's words, reminding Rocky the other man was there.

"He's after the club, not just Pup?"

Rocky nodded his head and said, "yeah, can you think of a reason why?"

"I might know," Aiden responded. "I'll need my computer to be sure though. I do remember something. I just… I need to look into it, and we need to let the others know what's happening. Can you call them?"

Rocky nodded his head and pulled his phone out, making the call. He didn't miss the way the silence lay heavy between the other two men as he spoke to Blade, telling him to get to Ralf's and bring a laptop.