A/N: I wrote this chapter with care, endeavoring to treat the events depicted or alluded to herein with the gravity they deserve. I sincerely hope I've done that. It has been my practice to focus on the positive when naming chapters, so I continued that practice with this installment. Warning: This chapter contains references to rape, violence, and unsafe sex (but no explicit depictions).

Brian's POV

Oh God.

Justin was lying on a bed. There were no blankets, sheets, or pillows. Just a dirty mattress, a box spring, and a bed frame. I gritted my teeth. Justin was lying on a dirty mattress, naked. He was on his stomach, blindfolded and tied up with cotton cloths. Strangely, his head was at the bottom of the bed. His beautiful porcelain skin, being as fragile as it looked, was marred by deep bruises. I balled my fists in rage. Who was responsible? What the fuck had they done to Justin, my Sunshine?

It took everything in me not to start breaking things. Not that there was much I could break. The place was trashed. I took a deep breath. I had to be calm. Any negative emotion from me would only make Justin feel worse.

"Brian?"

"I'm here, Sunshine. Just give me a second, and we'll be out of here. Okay?"

"Okay."

I walked a few steps but, then, stopped. There were footprints in the dust beside the bed, toward the top. I could clearly make out two different types. Some looked like they'd been made by loafers, while others looked like they'd been made by dress shoes.

I went over to the bed, avoiding the footprints, and squatted next to Justin. Examining his face and body again, I noticed a small rectangular-shaped bruise on his cheek, right below his eye, and dried cum on his back and ass. I put a hand to my face, brushing a teardrop away. The dust must be irritating my eyes. Yeah, that's it. I pushed my fingers against my eyelids to prevent more from falling.

Justin's POV

From the moment I'd gained consciousness, I'd been scared. Embarrassingly scared. I didn't know where I was, I ached all over, and I couldn't see.

Something had been lying beside me to my left. When I'd pushed my cheek against it, it felt cool and metallic; it didn't feel heavy, but there was weight to it. I'd run my cheek along it and felt small plastic buttons, like those on a cell phone for adjusting the volume and sending calls to voicemail. I'd hoped it was mine. I'd realized that I must be blindfolded or worse because I couldn't see any lights on what I'd guessed was a cell phone. I'd nudged the phone up with my chin and, then, aimed my nose at the 1 button and then the send button, well, where I'd thought they should be. I'd prayed that the object was, indeed, a cell phone, my cell phone, that my aim was true, and that the tip of my nose wasn't too big to hit only one button at a time. I'd nudged the phone again, this time to the right, and laid my right ear on it. I'd sighed in relief when Brian had answered on the first ring. Thank goodness for speed dial.

I'd felt a little better with Brian on the phone, knowing that he was coming to get me. When I'd heard a loud bang, I'd started to get nervous, but, then, Brian had spoken, and I'd known I was safe. But now, I was growing anxious again. I'd heard Brian moving and knew, by his smell, imported soap, Brian musk, and cigarettes, that he was next to me. But he hadn't said anything more, and he'd even stopped moving. What was making him hesitate? I knew it was bad. It had to be. My entire body ached. I didn't even want to think about the cause, but my ass was especially sore, and, when I clenched my muscles, my entrance stung. Mentally, I implored, "Brian, please talk to me. Do something. Not knowing is killing me."

Brian's POV

Once I'd recovered from my eye irritation, I pulled my hand away from my face. Then I gently kissed Justin's cheek. I'm not sure why. Did he need that gentle touch or did I? I don't know, but Justin relaxed visibly after that. We both did.

Suddenly, an unpleasant thought crossed my mind. Frantically, I looked around and, even, under the bed. Fuck. No condom wrappers. I bit my lip hard to help me retain my calm. I gently untied Justin's hands and feet. I frowned when I saw deep red marks on his wrists. Then I removed the blindfold. It wasn't that bright in here, as the sun had barely risen, but Justin squinted and blinked uncomfortably.

I looked around for Justin's clothes, but didn't see them. Fuck. I hadn't planned for this contingency. Justin sat up slowly, obviously in pain, rolling his neck to get rid of the stiffness. I squeezed his shoulder gently. Then I removed my sweater and handed it to him. My upper body naked now, my nipples hardened in the chill morning air. I grabbed Justin's cell phone off the bed and slipped it into my pocket.

"Here, put this on. I'm going to the Jeep to get something. I'll be back in a flash."

Justin's POV

Once Brian was gone, I stood up. How ridiculous I must look, wearing nothing but a cashmere sweater, walking around a filthy dump of a house.

I walked toward the door and looked around. What the hell was this place? It looked something like what I imagined a crackhouse would look like. The room had broken furniture and a bed without sheets, though why it was in the living room I couldn't say. In addition, dishes crusty with food, empty beer bottles, and trash were strewn about the floor. How had I gotten here? Someone must have brought me. But who? Brian had had to drive for almost a half hour to get here, and I didn't have a car. I guess I could have taken a bus, but why the hell would I have?

I closed my eyes and rubbed my forehead, trying to remember. I was supposed to meet Brian at 7 pm. What had I been doing before that? Then I remembered. Ethan. Ethan had asked me to come over, and I had gone. He'd said he needed closure. I couldn't remember much of the conversation, but there was nothing alarming about what I did remember. Think, think.

I looked over at the bed. I wrinkled my nose when I remembered how the mattress had smelled. I chewed on my thumbnail, scanning the rest of the room. I was desperately hoping, though I dreaded it, that something here would trigger a memory. Suddenly, my eyes lighted on something metal, glinting in the sunlight pouring in from the doorway. It was partially hidden under a dirty rag. I didn't even want to contemplate what the rag had been used for. It was crusty and discolored. I picked up the ring and stared at it. It seemed so out of place here. Then a memory hit me like a ton of bricks.

Pain. Someone had hit me. Hard. Everything was blurry. Someone was standing in front of me, and someone else was behind me holding me up.

Another flash. More like a feeling. A feeling of someone being inside me. Someone who was not Brian. I felt nauseous. Who? I closed my eyes, not wanting, but needing to explore the feeling, in the hope that I'd remember something else. Put a face or a voice to the body on top of me.

Brian's POV

I nearly ran out to the Jeep, uncomfortable leaving Justin alone even for a minute. I rummaged through the back seat until I found a pair of jeans. I sighed in relief. I went back into the house. Justin was standing in the middle of the living room, staring at a ring he held in his hand, a look of horror on his face.

Without even thinking, I took Justin into my arms, resting my cheek against his neck. He flinched a little, but, then, he whispered, "Brian" in relief and melted into my arms. He held me so tight. I felt a few hot tears fall on my shoulder. Not knowing how to respond, I ran my fingers through his hair. Justin sniffled a little, but, then, he pulled away. He blinked a few times and offered me a weak smile.

I smiled back and tried to sound upbeat. "You look hot in cashmere." Probably the most inappropriate thing I could say, but I was trying to act normal.

Justin offered me another weak smile.

My voice soft, I said, "Here, put these on." I handed him the jeans.

I didn't want to pressure Justin, but he'd need to be tested, and, if the people who had done…this…were to be held accountable, he'd need a physical examination, too. I was also dying to ask him who his assailants were.

Once Justin was dressed, he looked up at me. I held his gaze. He stood tall and tried to smile, but his eyes gave him away. I couldn't describe the feelings expressed there, but he looked like he'd seen or experienced something no one should have to see or experience. He shivered. I doubted that he was cold. I stepped closer to him and tenderly caressed his cheek.

I rolled my lips into my mouth. If only I were clairvoyant…I wanted desperately to do or say what he needed me to do or say, but I hadn't a clue what that might be. I felt like I was walking through a field of landmines. I worried that if I made a wrong move, I could break something inside him. In desperation, I decided to do something crazy, something so unnatural for me, just another in a growing list since Justin and I had reunited. I decided to ask.

I pulled Justin into my arms and whispered in his ear, "Sunshine, I'm lost. I want to give you whatever you need, but I'm just not sure what that is."

Justin's voice was so soft that I could barely hear him. "I wish I knew."

(A/N: The unthinkable thing Brian does is admit vulnerability)