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through him when Jagger’s fingers brushed his as he took the gun. The past two minutes had been some of the worst in his life and had started when that single gunshot rang through the night. As he and Jagger had run towards the cabin, images of Ren lying lifeless on the floor in a pool of blood had flashed through his mind. The sound of wood cracking as Jagger had broken the door down had been punctuated by another gunshot and the relief at seeing Ren alive and well had lasted only a split second as Declan’s mind registered that Jagger stood no chance of escaping the line of fire a second time.
    The recognition in Ren’s eyes and voice as he’d whispered Declan’s name had given Declan hope but then there had been that heart wrenching moment where Ren’s eyes had glazed over with despair and hopelessness and Declan’s heart had nearly stopped when Ren’s battered gaze had fallen on the gun he’d been cradling in his lap.
    “Have you eaten anything today?” Declan asked as he reached out and closed his hand around Ren’s thin arm. This was the closest he’d been to the younger man and his condition was even more shocking than Declan had first realized. Ren was only an inch or two shorter than Declan but he was so skinny and pale that he seemed tiny compared to Declan and could easily pass for a corpse. His eyes looked large in their sunken sockets and his skin was drawn tight over sharp cheekbones. His once thick black hair was gone and the closely cropped shadow of growth that replaced it couldn’t hide several scars on his head. More scars mottled his face and a surge of rage went through Declan at the thought of the men who’d put them there.
    “No,” Ren said and it took Declan a moment to remember he’d asked Ren about food.
    “Jagger, can you check the pantry? There should be some soup in there,” Declan said as he helped Ren to his feet. Ren had become quiet and withdrawn but he didn’t fight Declan as he led him to the small kitchen table. Jagger was already heating up the soup in the microwave by the time Declan got Ren settled and Declan moved quickly to the refrigerator and found the can of soda he was looking for. He prayed that the jolt of sugar would help ease some of the shock that Ren was experiencing.
    “Here,” Declan said as he wrapped Ren’s hands around the can. Ren seemed surprised to see the soda resting between his fingers but he obediently drank some down. He flinched when Jagger appeared next to him and eased the bowl of soup in front of him. He stared tiredly at it for a moment but finally picked up the spoon next to it and began slowly eating. Jagger ended up reheating the food twice before Ren managed to finish it all and when he did finally put the spoon down, his eyes were heavy with exhaustion.
    Declan led Ren to the smaller of the two bedrooms in the cabin. It had been the one Declan had used as a child when he joined his grandfather on his fishing trips. While not nearly as large as the master bedroom, the room was the perfect one to stick Ren into since it had only one small window that would be a challenge to climb out of. There was no way Declan was risking another disappearing act like the one Ren had pulled at Vin’s house the night he’d gone after Mia.
    God, what a clusterfuck, Declan thought as he flipped on the lights. Declan’s intent had been to help Ren but all he’d done was make things worse. And if Ren’s aim hadn’t been off by the smallest of fractions, Jagger would be dead.
    Declan guided Ren to the bed. As much as he knew Ren needed a shower, the man clearly needed sleep more. As he pulled back the covers, Ren stood next to him, his arms wrapped around his waist as if trying to soothe himself. Declan maneuvered him into a sitting positon on the bed and got Ren’s shoes off before helping him under the covers. His heart ached as Ren’s eyes slid closed and it was all he could do not to run his fingers through the little bit of hair on Ren’s