Chapter 29

It had been hours, but Roman refused to go home or even take a nap in the waiting room. As if by staying awake, he was somehow keeping Caleb alive. Bullshit, yet he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Caleb needed him. Not being able to hold his hand was bad enough, but Roman would not leave the hospital. And if something happened while he was asleep, he’d never forgive himself.

Wander’s team was right there with him. All of them. Connor and Miles had booked a hotel room around the corner from the hospital to get some sleep, but everyone else sat on the uncomfortable chairs of the waiting room, faces tight. No one said much because what was there to say?

Internal bleeding. Thank god the EMTs had spotted it and had rushed Caleb to the hospital. He’d lose his spleen and maybe one kidney, but he also had a broken rib that had nicked an artery, which was a much bigger problem. That was why he’d been in surgery for hours now, and the doctor still hadn’t come back with an update.

Joey had worked him over good, especially for a man who supposedly didn’t prefer violence. Of course he’d attempted the nonviolent route with Roman and hadn’t gotten anywhere. Roman tried hard not to blame himself for that.

If only they’d found Caleb sooner, but it had taken hours to locate him, and they’d only uncovered the address because Penelope Whitman had overheard a frantic phone call between her husband and Isabella Coldrick, discussing the situation. Whitman had seen the news and wanted to know the threat Roman had referred to. When he’d found out they had kidnapped Caleb—who’d been referred to as the spy who had infiltrated Isabella’s office—he’d ordered them to release him immediately.

Penelope had reached out to Ryan, who had decided to pay Isabella Coldrick a visit, taking Connor and Miles with him. She’d refused to see them until they’d made it clear they had the dirt on her and her role in Whitman’s affairs. Once she realized it was game over for her, she’d told them everything they needed to know, including the location of the motel. She must’ve given Joey a heads-up because no one had been there when they’d arrived, but at that point, all that mattered was that they’d found Caleb.

They still didn’t know how Joey had figured out Caleb’s identity, which bugged Roman, but it bothered Wander even more. Where had they fucked up that Caleb had been exposed? How had they made the connection between Caleb and Roman?

All the news outlets were still reporting on the story, and the interview he’d done with Michelle Claiborne was repeated over and over again. She’d already texted him with a big thank-you. The interview had elevated her status from a local reporter to a national one, and she’d gotten a job offer somewhere big. That was great, but even better was that reporters had started to dig into Whitman’s background, and the first unsavory stories were already coming out.

Of course the senator himself hadn’t been seen yet. He’d been smart enough to hole up somewhere, but he wouldn’t be able to get away with that for long. Dawn was breaking, and by midday, he’d be forced to give a statement. Whether he would ever spend time in prison for everything he’d done was still a question, but at least his political career would be over.

As expected, Roman’s career was over too. He’d gotten the call from the attorney general minutes after he’d finished the interviews. The man had denied up and down he’d been bought by Whitman, but Roman didn’t believe him for a second. All he’d said was that the AG had a chance to prove his loyalty to the justice system by picking up where Roman had left off in the investigation. He wasn’t holding his breath. Either way, he was done.

A woman in dark-blue scrubs entered the waiting room, and Roman sat up straight.

“Family for Caleb Lingle?” she asked.

Roman got up. “I’m his partner. His parents are still on the way.”

Wander had called them with the news, and they’d immediately jumped into the car, which would be faster than waiting for the next plane. They should arrive in an hour or two.

“I’m Doctor Williams, trauma surgeon, and I operated on Caleb. He made it through surgery and is now in the ICU in stable condition.”

Thank fuck. “That’s great news.”

“We had to remove his spleen and his right kidney. His left kidney should increase in production to make up for it, but we’ll keep a close eye on it. We called in a vascular surgeon to repair the tear in his artery, and that went well. But Caleb has two broken ribs, a fracture in his jawbone and his right orbital bone, he lost two teeth, and he has a severe concussion.”

Jesus, that was one hell of a long list. Roman pushed down the nausea rising in his throat. “Will he make a full recovery?”

“He should, but it will take time. He has a long road ahead of him.”

“I understand. Thank you, Doctor, for all you’ve done for him.”

“My pleasure, Mr. Dwyer.” She extended her hand. “I caught some of the news, so I wanted to say thank you for exposing the senator’s dirty dealings. I wish we had more people like you dedicated to justice above all.”

“I appreciate that.” He took a shaky breath. “Can I see him?”

“Absolutely. Follow me.”

Minutes later, he sat by Caleb’s side in the ICU. Caleb’s face had swollen even more, barely recognizable with how black and blue it was. His right eye was all colors of the rainbow and swollen shut—that was also where he had the orbital fracture—and his jaw was almost black, but underneath, he was as pale as the sheet covering him. He was breathing on his own, though, so that was encouraging.

Roman carefully pulled down the sheet to check Caleb’s chest, which was covered in surgical dressings. Between those, more bruises colored his skin. Was there any place on his body where they hadn’t hit him?

Tears formed in Roman’s eyes again. He’d come so, so close to losing Caleb forever. If Ryan and the others hadn’t found him when they did or had waited to call for an ambulance, he might not have made it. He would’ve bled out internally. Just the thought made it hard to breathe.

Roman carefully took Caleb’s left hand, the one without the IV, and pressed a kiss on it. He settled into the chair and, holding Caleb’s hand, waited for him to wake up.

Caleb’s parents arrived around ten in the morning, dead tired from a night of driving. Wander had texted Roman about their arrival, and Roman waited for them outside the ICU. Caleb clearly took after his mom, who had the same eyes and bone structure.

“Roman Dwyer,” Roman introduced himself. “I’m your son’s…boyfriend.”

Had Caleb even told his parents about him? He wasn’t sure, but he knew they were fully supportive of him and his sexuality, so he hoped for the best.

“Theo Lingle. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Theo’s handshake was firm.

Much to Roman’s surprise, Caleb’s mom hugged him. “I’m Rose. I’m so pleased to meet you, even if it’s under these circumstances.”

“Thank you. I have to warn you about his appearance. He looks rough.”

Rose winced. “But he’ll be okay?”

“The surgeon said he’s expected to make a full recovery, but it will take time. He lost his spleen and a kidney, and he has several fractures.”

“Do you know who did this to him?” Theo asked.

“Yes, sir, and once Caleb is awake, we’ll cooperate fully with law enforcement.”

“Good. And please call me Theo. I don’t think we’re that far apart in age.”

No, probably not. “I hope that’s not a problem for you?”

Rose smiled at him. “Caleb has always been honest about his preferences, Roman. I assume you’re his Dom as well?”

Oh, damn. The kid really had been open with his parents. “I’m training to be one, yes.”

“Good. He needs that.”

Shit, what was the appropriate reaction here? Funny how he had no trouble commanding a courtroom but was now tongue-tied and awkward as a teenager. “I’ll do my best to be the man and Dom he needs.”

Rose nodded, her smile widening. “That’s all we can ask for. Now, can we see our son?”

Her smile faded when she entered Caleb’s room, and a cry of distress flew from her lips. “Oh God, my poor boy…”

They sat by his bedside for hours, waiting for him to stir. Finally, Theo and Rose decided to head to a hotel to catch a few hours of sleep. Roman promised to call them if anything changed.

Caleb took his sweet time, but around three that afternoon, he opened his eyes. “Roman?”

It came out soft as a whisper, but to Roman, it was the sweetest sound he’d ever heard. “I’m here, precious.”

“Precious?” Caleb attempted a smile.

“I’ve decided on that as a pet name for you. You’re my precious, Caleb. My everything.”

“I like it.” He winced. “Everything hurts.”

“I know. You had surgery, but you’re expected to make a full recovery.”

A tear formed in Caleb’s left eye. “I didn’t talk.”

Roman caressed his left cheek, the one that was mostly unscathed. “You were so, so brave. Even under torture, you never told them anything.”

“I didn’t want to betray you or Wander.”

“And you didn’t. I don’t think anyone else could have held out under those circumstances.”

“I’m tired.”

“Go back to sleep, precious. I’ll let your parents know you woke up. They’re here, by the way.”

“They are?”

“Wander called them, and they drove all night to get here. They’re in a hotel now, catching some sleep, but I’ll call them and tell them you woke up. I’m sure they’ll be here when you wake up again.”

Over the next few days, Roman was either sleeping or at the hospital, where Caleb slowly recovered from his ordeal. After five days, he was deemed well enough to go home. Jesse arranged for special transport to Albany—wasn’t it amazing to have money?—and a few hours later, Caleb was tucked into bed in his bedroom. Due to his injuries, Roman didn’t want to sleep next to him yet, scared he’d inadvertently hurt him, and as much as it sucked, Caleb had agreed. His parents had decided to head back home, reassured he would recover, but Caleb had loved having them there.

He was still in a lot of pain, but that was also because he’d refused to take opiates as painkillers any longer than necessary out of fear of getting addicted. Roman didn’t think he was that much at risk, but arguing had proven fruitless, so he’d given up. It was Caleb’s body, after all, and thus, his choice.

“We figured out how they discovered Caleb’s identity,” Wander said one morning as he and Roman were having breakfast together.

“Oh? What was it?”

“His car.”

“I thought he switched cars halfway to and from Boston?”

“He did, but we forgot one crucial detail. Isabella Coldrick had told Joey about her new employee, and Joey, being naturally paranoid, decided to check his background story. So he drove by the address listed, which was Miguel’s, and saw two cars parked. One was Miguel’s and registered to him, but when he ran the other, he discovered it was a rental. That struck him as odd, so he made a call to the rental company and, with some bullshit story, found out that the rental agreement was signed by Dwyer Security.”

“Fuck…” Roman slowly shook his head. “All the trouble Caleb did to create a solid background that would withstand a thorough check and going through the trouble of switching cars, and something as stupid as this tripped him up.”

“Not his fault. This one is entirely on me. It was a gross oversight that could’ve cost him his life.”

“Let’s be grateful he survived.”

“Yeah, but at what cost? I’m not so worried about the physical recovery, though living with one kidney definitely has its limitations, but the psychological effects? He could very well develop PTSD from this.”

Roman had considered the same thing. “I’ve already talked to him about it. He’s starting therapy with a trauma specialist the day after tomorrow. They say the sooner you start talking, the better it is, so we set that up as soon as possible.”

“I will cover the bill.”

“Jesse was way ahead of you, man. That man loves spending his money on us. It’s a weird but welcome experience.”

Wander let out a brief laugh. “He sure does, and I couldn’t be more grateful. Just know that Caleb’s salary is covered, regardless of when and if he gets back to work.”

“If?” Roman snorted. “You know he’s already been on his laptop, right, trying to get into the encrypted files on Isabella’s iCloud?”

“Jesus, why didn’t you take his laptop away? He needs rest.”

“No, he needs to do what he can to keep his mind occupied. If all he can do is think, he’ll be reliving that trauma time and again. It’s better for him to channel his energy into something productive. That’s what the trauma specialist told me.”

“You talked to them?”

“I wanted to know how best to help Caleb through this, so yeah, I did. It was a super useful session, and she’s amazing.”

“Glad to hear it. Any updates on the investigation?”

Roman let out a sigh. “It’s still going through the judicial chain of command, but now that the attorney general has resigned, it’s gonna be even slower.”

The AG had not survived the publicity storm that had erupted once more details about the case had become known. The Boston Globe had put their best reporters on it, probably with an eye on winning another Pulitzer, and had dug deep, finding more and more buried dirt. Two days later, Senator Whitman had resigned his office, citing health reasons, and no one had seen him since. The AG had followed the week after.

Penelope had filed for divorce and stood to make a tidy sum from it because their prenuptial had included a cheating clause for Whitman, but not for her. Since she was able to prove he’d cheated on her, he owed her at least two million dollars. Good for her. Roman didn’t like her, but he had a grudging respect for her survival instincts. And when it had mattered most, she had helped them find Caleb.

“What’s the score now for resignations and terminations?” Wander asked.

“Two Boston PD lieutenants and one captain, one FBI agent, the AG, one administrative clerk, and two legal aides in my office, plus six or so officials at county and city level. And I don’t think it’s over yet. The press is dubbing it spring cleaning, and they’re having a field day with it.”

“Good. Hopefully, this will truly bring a new appreciation for truth and justice, yeah?”

Roman shifted in his seat. “They offered me my job back.”

Wander quirked an eyebrow. “Did they now?”

“I didn’t accept. Wasn’t even tempted.”

“The reactions to you coming out were positive.”

“I know, but I’m done anyway. Sooner or later, my role in all this will become known. My full role, I mean, and people will know I went outside the law. As a DA, that’s not a line you can cross. But even more importantly, I’m done living a life that is so limited by my job. I want to be with Caleb and spend the rest of my life with him…and as much time as possible. I can’t think of a better way to do that than to work for you, so if your offer still stands…”

Wander met his eyes. “You still trust me? You were the one who warned us about the risks, and we didn’t listen. Caleb paid the price for that.”

Roman put his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Of course we trust you. Not just me, but Caleb too. We both know who’s truly at fault here, and it’s not you or anyone on your team.”

“Thank you.” Wander’s voice broke. “I feel like I let you down.”

Roman rose from his chair and pulled his brother into a tight embrace. “You didn’t. You helped me find my way out of this mess, and I’ll never forget it. Plus, indirectly, you helped me find a part of myself that I never knew I needed.”

Even during Caleb’s recovery, Roman had met with Master Mark for training, determined to keep his word. Caleb was nowhere near ready to do scenes again, but when he was, Roman would be prepared.

“I’m honored to have you on my team,” Wander said. “And even more honored to have you as my brother.”

“Same.” Roman hugged him again, holding on a little longer this time. “Same.”