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“Hey,” Jace said as he reached out to shake my hand I had worked with Jace quite a bit in the few years he’d been on the team, but like most of the men that found their way to Ronan, I knew little about his background He was about htly leaner build and his brown hair, while still on the long side, was nowhere near as long as mine and had considerablyit al else about Jace was “pretty” With his ripped body, tri eyes and bronzed skin, he was stunningly gorgeous and I’d often wondered which teaotten the answer to my question, but by that time we’d built a professional relationship that neither of us had been willing to mess with just to slake our physical curiosities

“Eli, this is Jace Christianson Jace, this is Eli”

Jace nodded I looked around the roo man rounded the corner from the bathroom I knew from er toabout the way he held hi, all-Aly blue eyes He was on the sliot older

His eyes stayed onto Eli, but he didn’t say anything and the young men just stared at each other It was Jace who broke the tension when he stepped past us and went to Caleb’s side Hein Caleb’s ear that seemed to relax him and then led him to one of the beds and had him sit down Eli finally moved and sat down opposite him

“Are you okay?” Eli asked

Caleb nodded, but didn’t say anything He fidgeted nervously and couldn’t see to wipe soray sweat pants he earing

“What happened?” Eli asked

The question seely, he calmed when Jace sat down next to hih they’d been together for only 24 hours, they’d clearly formed some kind of bond

“I don’t knohere to start,” Caleb whispered, his voice sounding ragged His statement was directed at Jace

“Start wherever you feel comfortable,” Jace murmured

I went and sat next to Eli, but didn’t reach for his hand even though I was teh

Caleb’s pain-filled eyes shifted back to Eli and he shook his head “We didn’t know, Eli,” he said softly, his voice barely audible “Nick and ht you wanted it That you liked what he was doing to you”

I felt Eli stiffen next to me and he sucked in a deep breath

“What is he talking about?” I asked Eli as my insides knotted up Eli looked atcaone deathly pale He cliripped rily than I’d intended and Caleb automatically shifted closer to Jace

“Caleb, don’t!” Eli whispered, his voice cracking

Caleb looked confused as his eyes shifted back and forth between me and Eli “Eli, I’m sorry” He fell silent after that and I kneouldn’t be giving me the answers I needed I stood and went to Eli who i away from me

“Eli,” I said gently as I reached for him, but he whirled away and tore out the door

I ran after him, but with the few seconds head start he had, he rabbed hi hi the word “no” over and over again Deep down I already knehat Caleb had meant, but I hadn’t wanted to believe it But now that Eli was shaking and crying against ers twisted in ht as I could and s in his ear at first, but when that didn’t work, I whispered the Lakota prayer that had helped soothe him once before I repeated it over and over until he settled in my hold It had to be at least ten h to hear me