Page 216 of Haunted
I don’t want to lose him.
Toby led him into the living room and indicated the nearest couch. “Can I get you a drink?”
Butch’s heart stuttered. “Am I gonna need one?”
“Frankly? Yeah.”
“Bourbon. Make it a large one.”
“Am I invited to this party?” The boss stood under the gallery, his glasses in his hand.
Toby sighed. “You need to hear this too.” He went over to the liquor cabinet. “Sol didn’t leave because he had an emergency, or whatever reason he gave you for leaving early. He was running away.”
“From what?” The boss took the glass Toby offered him.
Toby inclined his head toward Butch. “From him. And before you say a word, this isn’t Butch’s fault, okay? This is all on Sol.” He joined Butch on the couch, and the boss took the armchair facing them. Toby leaned back against the cushions. “I only know all this because four years ago, me and Sol, we got drunk at a party, and it just poured out of him. I think it was still pretty raw.”
“Whatwas raw?” Butch fired back.
“I was going to ask the same question,” the boss added.
Toby took a long drink from his glass. “Losing Liam.”
Liam? Who the fuck is Liam?
Butch listened as Toby spoke in a low voice, and as the minutes passed, his stomach churned and a flush of hot guilt rushed through him. Sol had listened while Butch had spoken about Scott’s death, and not once had he shared his own history, his own hidden pain. When Toby finished speaking, Butch stared at him in horror.Nowit all made sense: why Sol had backed away so viciously, why everything that had happened with Liam had forced Sol into silence and made him bolt.
“That’s so fuckingawful.”
“I know.”
“But…. Why didn’t he tell me? Why did he leave the way he did? What does Liam have to do with me?” Butch fought to maintain his self-control.
I don’t understand any of this.His initial rage bubbled up once more.Why the fuck couldn’t you talk to me, Sol?
“You’ll have to ask him that,” Toby said.
“That’s a little difficult when he isn’t here, don’tcha think?” Butch glanced at the boss. “Did you know any of this?”
He shook his head, his eyes filled with compassion.
“Can I say something here?” Toby’s voice was gentle. “I know you’re angry—I’d probably feel the same way if I were in your shoes. But… This is the hardest lesson for anyone new coming into the lifestyle. You get to see the person behind the stereotype, how Doms and subs come in all shapes and sizes—and with all kinds of faults, flaws, and last but not least, a history. We all have the ability to fuck up and shut up when we shouldn’t. And while you’re learning about those faults and flaws, about who someone really is, they’re doing the same about you.” He sighed. “And sometimes—just sometimes—something comes along, likeyoucame along, and throws them off course.”
“So what do I do to get Sol back on course?”
Toby didn’t answer.
Butch wasn’t about to sit there and wallow in self-pity, not when he could do something to alleviate the ache in his chest.
He drained his glass. “Boss? I got a favor to ask. I’m gonna need the weekend off.”
The boss expelled a breath. “Go pack a bag. I’ll drive you to the airport myself.”
Relief shuddered through him. His heart felt as if it was breaking, but tangled up with his sorrow was the burning need to discover what the fuck was going on.
And the only one who had the answer to that was Sol.
Chapter52
