“As far as we know, Richard Altmann could have easily bribed the jury and the judge during Robert’s trial. Hell, the Altmanns have bribed half the town of Pinewood and scared the crap out of the other half. But Richard was worried about having too much attention from the FBI if he interfered with Robert’s trial.”
“Sam and I thought about that, and that’s why we did some digging. At least three members of the parole board are corrupt and taking bribes,” Jakob said calmly.
“Okay, but it still doesn’t answer my question. Why now?” That thought was bugging me. “Why the change of heart? Why now? I mean, if Robert is not in his father’s good graces and his father wants him punished…why help him with the parole hearing?”
“Because Richard has come to a point where he needs Robert.” Marcus looked at Zach, who nodded slowly. “I got this assignment two years ago, and it took me months to get in the Altmanns’s inner circle.” Again, Marcus looked at Zach, but this time it took longer before he continued, “What I am about to tell you can never leave this room.”
“Of course,” Jakob agreed as soon as Marcus closed his mouth. I wasn’t sure what I was promising, but Jakob glared at me until I shrugged.
“Fine.”
“I’m serious. The entire operation is much bigger than just one person. If word gets out…it’s not only Henry’s life on the line.”
“I don’t care about this family, but I want Henry to be safe.” That earned me another of Zach’s, knowing smiles. “Just tell us what we can do to keep him safe and out of reach from his family.”
“We are currently working on shutting down the compound and arresting most of the family members. Most of them are facing federal charges. That’s all I can tell you about my assignment.”
“Sorry, but I’m not interested in your assignment. What has this got to do with Henry?”
“Whatever the Altmanns are up to, they need Robert. Richard has become desperate and would do anything to get him out of prison. We found out that prison has made Robert more dangerous. He desperately wants to get back into the good graces of his father, and for him, the only way to do this is to finish what he started back then.”
“So, this has nothing to do with Henry being a traitor or gay. It’s personal.” Holy shit. That made everything so much worse. Swallowing hard, I rubbed my eyes before I looked at Marcus again when he spoke.
“The real threat to Henry is not the family. It’s Robert.”
“We need to keep him from finding out where Henry is,” Jakob quietly said, and Marcus nodded.
“I’ll do whatever I can to help you, but this may be the only help you’ll get from the FBI. Ian Callahan wasn’t supposed to tell Henry about the parole hearing. Ian is acting strangely about the whole situation. I can tell you that the FBI’s number one goal is to bring down the Altmann family and members of the cult. No matter what.”
“And of course, they’re not thinking about possible collateral damage if Robert kills Henry,” Jakob spoke out what I feared even to think.
“I’m sorry. But the Altmanns are a threat to national security, and the FBI is not the only agency involved. As I said, I’ll do whatever I can to help you. But the truth is? You’re basically on your own in protecting Henry.”
“I’ll protect him with my life if I have to.” The words were out before I could even think about them.
“Let me give you a last piece of advice. Watch your back and watch out for Agent Callahan.”
Both Jacob and Zach stared at me as they waited for a comment to Marcus’s advice. I ignored it, got up, and looked at three men.
“I’m going home now.”
“Caden…” Jakob tried to hold me back.
“Just do whatever it takes to help, but I’m going home now.” I glared at Jakob. We both knew that he felt the same when Sam went through his ordeal. After a moment, he nodded.
“I’ll call you when I know more.”
“Thanks.”
“Caden?”
“What?” I snapped when Jakob stopped me again. “Sorry. What Jakob?”
“We’ll keep Henry safe, no matter what.”
“Sorry. Yeah. I know. I just…”
“I get it. Go home.” Jakob released me and winked.
Chapter 19
Henry
By the time my doorbell rang that evening, my sexual frustration was so high I was ready to jump Caden as soon as he stepped off the elevator. I’d thought a cock cage would be fun and a constant reminder of my Daddy. Well, it was a constant reminder of my Daddy. But fun? No. Not so much. The day lasted forever. When the elevator doors finally opened, I let out a deep sigh.
“Daddy.”
I wanted to say something else, but before I could take a step in his direction, Caden was in front of me and hugging me to his chest. Weird. Well, it was pleasant but…strange.
“Daddy?” Caden leaned back so he could look at me.
“I’m sorry, Cupcake. I needed a hug.”
“Oh.” That’s right. Caden told me that Daddies are sometimes needy, too. Rubbing my cheek against his, I just held onto him for a moment before I craned my neck back. “Feel better now?”
“A little, yes.”
“You can hold me as much as you need, Daddy.”
“I have every intention of doing that.” Caden let his hands roam over my back until he grabbed the back of my thighs. Lifting me took me by surprise, but I wrapped my legs around his waist and held onto his shoulders. In this position, I couldn’t sign, so I spoke. “Are you good, or do
