“Let him go,” Sergio said. “Come back to me, Burns. If you rejoin me, I’ll never come after the kid again.”
Jacob’s face fell slack. “You’ll what?”
“Having a soldier like him on my side would make me unstoppable. But he’s too unstable. You, however, are the perfect balance of unstable.”
“I leave with you, you leave him alone?”
“Scout’s honor. I promise to never come after Kyle again. I’ll never come after anyone you care about again. But, if you don’t come back with me, well there’s just so much unpredictability in the world.” He rested against a pallet and glanced at the gunshot in his knee before nailing Lee with a maleficent sneer. “It would be such a pity for you to lose the one you love.” He nailed him with a glare. “Again.”
Jacob’s shoulder rose and lowered with his labored breathing.
Lee worked at the ropes. Without Kyle tied to him, they were looser. He worked his hands back and forth, slipping them further, millimeter by millimeter. Of course, the blood from the raw wounds on his wrists helped. And hurt.
“Did you hear that, Kyle? This man you hold on a pedestal has failed to protect someone before. Do you honestly want this as your hero? Your protector? He let men break into your house and take you, and did nothing about it. Jacob is the bad guy, not me.”
“Jacob protects me.” Kyle appeared at the top of the tallest pallet.
Sergio’s mouth fell open as he craned his neck and backed away from the tower of packages.
“And I protect him.” He disappeared off the side.
It happened in slow motion. The tower swayed. Jacob ran past just as Lee popped his hands out of the ropes. He reached for Jacob, but it was too late. Walsh ran from the other side, waving and screaming for Jacob to stay back.
The tower creaked as it came down. Jacob jumped, but Sergio grabbed him, forcing him right into the deadly path of the falling pallets. Walsh launched between them, pushing Jacob out of the way in the nick of time.
The pallets crashed down, crushing both Sergio and Walsh.
“Walsh!” Jacob scrambled to move pallets, digging to get to him. “Jesus, no. Walsh!”
Men in black appeared. The two huge men who called each other bro. Vince. They all clawed at the broken wood and discarded packages. They got to Walsh and pulled him free. He had a head wound and bitched about someone dropping a house on him.
But he was alive. Lee laughed through his tears.
“You idiots!” Sergio appeared. Jesus. Why wouldn’t this guy die? He held up the switch. “Do you realize you could have killed us all?”
“Not all.” Kyle appeared out of nowhere and jumped on Sergio’s back, wrapping his legs around both arms and holding them at the man’s side. He then grabbed the switch and jerked, taking it from Sergio. “Just you.”
As Kyle jumped down, he gripped Sergio’s chin and twisted. A sickening pop echoed as the teen snapped the man’s neck and released him. Sergio’s body crumbled. Kyle walked toward Jacob without looking back and presented the switch. The whole time, he kept his expression still, his voice barely above a whisper. It was unnerving. “Just him.”
Jacob’s shoulder fell, and Lee knew why. After what he’d said to try and convince Kyle not to give in to the want to kill Sergio, he’d lost the battle. They both had.
“Don’t be mad,” Kyle said in a calm voice. “No part of me died. Just him.”
“Just him.” Jacob accepted the switch and nodded at the men. They disbursed, returning shortly with nods of their own.
“Situation neutralized, sir.” The two huge men reported in unison. The biggest one regarded his brother. “That was a little anticlimactic, don’t you think? Isn’t the mastermind supposed to take longer to die?”
“We could always round up the ones still breathing and see if one of them is the mastermind in disguise.”
“Good idea.” They separated and started checking bodies for pulses.
“You two ain’t right,” Vince added with a chuckle and shake of his head. “They enjoy this a little too much.” He then turned to Jacob. “You good?”
He acknowledged with a curt nod. Kyle stood there, not even out of breath, as he stared at Jacob as if waiting for something. “At ease, agent.” He caught the teen as he collapsed into his arms.
“I’m bad,” Kyle whimpered, the first sign of emotion since this all started. “I’m not real.”
“You’re my brother.” Jacob hugged him. “You’re family. Families are real.”
He blinked through tears. “Family? We’re family.”
“That we are, runt. And always will be.”
24
Jacob finished spooning the soup he’d made into the bowl and set it on the tray. He added a tall glass of milk, two warmed biscuits, and a paper towel as a napkin before taking it into the living room.
Walsh glanced up and cringed to see the tray of food. “I’m not a damn baby. Quit treating me like one.”
“If you keep whining like one, I’m going to start bottle-feeding you.” Jacob grinned and set the tray on his SAC’s lap.
Lee walked into the room with Kyle, both laughing. Damn, he loved the sound of that man’s laugh and the effect he had on Kyle. Together, all three of them smiled more. It seemed everyone smiled more.
The Farm needed a reason to smile.
After what happened with Sergio, things were different. Darker. Sadder. Maria had disappeared from the penthouse while the rest of them battled Sergio and his henchmen at the warehouse, hurting Clint in the process to escape. Evan hadn’t stopped by once, no doubt in an attempt to protect his husband, but Jacob and Lee had gone to their place a couple times to visit, and Clint seemed fine even if Evan refused to accept that answer.
Jacob knew the feeling. He flicked a protective glance Lee’s way.
It was hell falling in love. Everything leading up to the battle at the warehouse proved that. But Jacob wouldn’t change a thing. Seeing Lee with Kyle only solidified Jacob’s belief that he did the right thing by staying at the Farm. He hadn’t drummed up the nerve to ask Lee to move in with him, but he’d been practicing his speech for days. He could protect him here and watch over Kyle at the same time.
“You didn’t need to cut off their heads,” Lee complained and held up the stems of what Jacob could only imagine used to be flowers.
“They were ugly,” he justified with a shrug of his tiny shoulders.
Lee walked over to Jacob and gave him a firm kiss. “Hi there. Any word?”
Jacob looked at Walsh, who shook his head.
“No,” Jacob answered. “Still no sign of Maria.”
“You don’t think something happened to her, do you?”
Jacob absolutely knew something happened to her. He saw it when she cried over her brother’s body. Something changed in her that night of the attack. Her once-warm eyes grew cold and callous. She seemed lost in her thoughts and no longer aware of anything around her as they drove to Clint’s penthouse. It had been like she’d already checked out.
He knew that look all too well.
Walsh grabbed one of the biscuits and took a bite. “Let’s just hope she comes around and doesn’t do anything stupid.”
“Maria will.” Kyle sniffed and wiped his nose on his sleeve.
“Why do you think that, runt?”
“She told me.” He grabbed his iPad off the side table and climbed on his chair.
Jacob had a feeling it’d take years to unpeel all the layers that made up Kyle Gibbons. For as long as it took, he’d be right here to keep him safe. Always.
“When did she talk to you?”
Kyle shrugged. “She talks to me.” He reached for his headphones.
Jacob stopped him from slipping them over his ears. “Talks to you how? As in present tense?”
“No presence.” He tapped his temple before holding out his hand for his headphones. “She doesn’t need to be here to talk to me.”
Conceding, Jacob handed them over an
d grumbled, “You watch too much TV.”
“I need something to do when my brain moves too fast.”
He nodded and waited until Kyle had the headphones on and was fully engrossed in one of his shows. He then turned to Walsh.
“What have you found out?” He kept his voice down in the hopes Kyle wouldn’t hear him. Something told him it wouldn’t do any good. Kyle’s brain was far more advanced than any of them could possibly comprehend.
“What little I’ve been able to dig up. For an agency with unlimited search capability, we haven’t been able to find much. How Sergio was able to get his hands on so much intel still baffles me. Even TREX’s top intel agents can’t seem to figure out how he knew so much.”
“I’m sure they’ll find out.” They always do, especially with someone like Chris McKoy on the trail. Jacob continued to regard Walsh. “What do we know?”
“That Kyle doesn’t have a birth certificate. He doesn’t have parents. He has no history before Dan Weber claims to have found him and brought him to the Farm. The director isn’t returning my calls.”
Jacob and Lee exchanged glances. That was more than a little terrifying. “Are you saying what Sergio said is true? Kyle was manufactured? Created as some weapon? Is that even possible?”
“I’m not saying shit about shit. All I’m saying is Kyle isn’t like any other kid I’ve ever had. I don’t think he’s like any kid TREX has ever had. That’s why Weber brought him to me.”
“Why?”
“I take care of the misfits. The ones who don’t quite fit the mold. Like Kyle. Like you.”
He didn’t know if he should be offended by that or not. “Let me ask you another question I’m dreading the answer to. Sergio kept referring to a Ronnie. Please tell me that’s not—”
“Ron Donovan,” he interrupted and shook his head. “After all these years, that guy still finds ways to stir up a pot of shit stew. Weber is not going to be happy when he reads my report.”
“You’re not going to tell him?”
“I would if he’d return my calls.” He grinned but quickly lost it. “Son, we need to talk about Maria.”
Jacob read the concern in his eyes. Maria had snapped that night. God only knew where she’d disappeared to or what she'd gotten into. “Do you think she’ll come back?”
“I do.”
“That’s a good thing, right?” Lee joined in on the conversation. Both Jacob and Walsh looked at him.
“No,” Jacob answered, not knowing any other way to say it. “That’s not always a good thing.”
“I don’t understand.”
Jacob touched his cheek. “That’s okay.”
“That’s not okay.” Lee moved out of his reach, his eyes flashing. Damn. He definitely didn’t like that answer.
“I’m getting too old for this shit,” Walsh groaned as he lay back on the couch. “I’ve never had a broken bone in my life. How the hell did I go and bust both my legs?”
Lee tossed the flower remnants onto the coffee table. “A twenty-foot tower of flash drives on pallets fell on you. You’re lucky it didn’t kill you.”
“I’m the lucky one,” Jacob said, his focus on the SAC. “You saved my life.”
He waved it off. “You would have done the same for me.”
Yes, he would have.
Walsh frowned and closed his eyes. “Lee, take Kyle and see if you two can find me something chocolaty to eat. I’ve got a hankering for something sweet. Take your time so I can talk to Jacob.”
Jacob’s stomach pinched when Walsh called him by his real name. He waited silently and smiled at Lee as he disappeared into the kitchen with Kyle. Only then did he pull his attention to Walsh.
“Son, there’s no mistaking what could have happened in that warehouse. It could have turned out a lot worse.”
“I know.”
“This unit—hell, your old unit—they all respect the shit out of you. That’s saying something. I’ve served under a lot of SACs I couldn’t stand. These boys… they do more than stand you. They love you.”
“Yeah.” He didn’t know what else to say to that.
“I’m not going to be able to do this forever, you know.”
“Walsh, don’t talk like that.” Jacob didn’t want to have this conversation. He hadn’t been his mentor and friend long enough for either of them to face the inevitable.
“When the time comes, I want you to take over the Farm.”
Jacob stared at him, shock and disbelief fighting for the dominant reaction. “Me? I can’t even control my temper. Why the hell would you put me in charge of an entire house?”
“Because I know you’d never let them down. The battle at the warehouse proved that.”
“What about Evan? He’s been here longer. Why not give him the Farm? Or Derek Malone? Or hell, even Barrett Reynolds?”
Walsh shook his head. “Evan is a good man, but he doesn’t want this life. He answers the call if he has to, but doesn’t like to. He’s got a good life with Clint and running the Farm doesn’t fit into that. It’s only a matter of time before he steps down completely.”
That made perfect sense, actually. “The others?”
“Do you honestly trust any of them to lead this motley crew?”
“No.” He didn’t even trust himself. “And if I refuse?”
“Then I’m afraid I’ve got no choice but to send Kyle away.” They both glanced at the kitchen. “No one can ever know about him. I’m positive that’s why the special director dropped him here.”
As much as he hated the reality of the situation, it was what it was. “He’ll be safe here. He’ll live with us. He’s like our own kid.”
“That’s why I know you’ll do the right thing when the time comes.” Walsh sat up and proceeded to devour the soup. Jacob stood there, shocked into silence, and watched him, not sure what to say.
After Walsh finished his soup and milk, he grabbed the last biscuit and pushed the tray away. He then nodded at the chess set over on a side table. “Grab me the game and tell Kyle it’s time for me to kick his butt.”
“You haven’t beaten him yet.”
“There’s always a first time. Besides, it will keep us occupied while you and Lee get settled.”
“Settled where?”
Walsh had a dark gleam in his eye as he smiled. “Shane and DJ just moved into the smaller cabin to be closer to the lake.”
He’d always had his eye on the cabin set deep in the woods. “You mean the big one is vacant?”
“That is until you and Lee move in.”
Jacob grinned and practically sprinted into the kitchen. He spotted Kyle and Lee sitting at the island sipping hot cocoa. He rested his gaze on Lee as he told Kyle of Walsh’s plans to beat him at chess.
“We’ll see,” he said and went into the living room.
Lee narrowed his gaze. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I have a surprise for you.”
He cocked his head. “Is that so?”
Jacob turned and walked backward, pulling Lee with him. They had a new cabin to explore. Once they were on the rustic porch, he turned to Lee before opening the door. It was now or never. “I don’t want you to go back to Seattle.”
Lee looked at him, those beautiful dark eyes searching. “What are you saying?”
“Stay here with me. I may not be able to offer you a condo in the city or a penthouse in the sky, but I can offer you me. All of me.” He widened his arms.
He laughed and fell into them. “You’re on.”
Oh, thank God. He hugged him back.
“Open that door, mister. We have a few ground rules to go over.”
He did and closed it behind him as he gave Lee a look. “We haven’t even lived together a full minute and you’re already bossing me around?”
“You’re damn right,” Lee retorted.
This ought to be good. Jacob crossed his arms. “I’m listening.”
“Rule number one. I like to play. Love it, i
n fact. But it’s just that—play. I don’t want it to be our way of life. There will be no expectation of meeting in the playroom the same time every night or asking permission to go to the bathroom or anything like that. We enter into play together. We exit out of play together.”
He could live with that. “You just jumped right to play, didn’t you? No ‘don’t leave your wet towels on the floor’ or ‘put your dishes in the sink’.”
“I know what I want.”
“So do I.” He chuckled and moved away from the door. “Rule number two. No assumptions on roles. I may feel like dominating one night. I may feel like submitting the next. If you don’t feel like switching the same nights I do, no play. We won’t force it.”
“We’ll still have sex,” Lee mused with a playful grin.
“That’s a given.”
They each took a step.
“Rule number three.” He reached for Jacob, taking his hands. “We talk. We tell each other our likes. Dislikes. Fears. We hold nothing back. No secrets.”
That one would be a bit harder to accomplish, but for Lee, he’d do it. “Rule number four. We never go to bed mad. We never leave an argument unfinished. If we have to do a timeout to get some sleep, we do a timeout and get some sleep.”
“Rule number four.”
“I just gave rule number four,” he corrected with a chuckle.
Lee frowned. “You did?”
“Maybe we already have too many rules.”
“How about this. No rules. We live. We laugh. We love. Everything else comes second.”
God how he loved this man. Jacob licked his lips and dropped his gaze to Lee’s. “The sub wishes to play.”
“Is that a question for me? Or a request?”
He hadn’t been a sub—a true sub—in years. It was time for him to truly hand the control over to someone else, to trust someone else completely for the first time in a very long, very lonely time. He lifted his hands, his wrists together, as his answer.
Lee nodded his approval, a wicked, carnal look shining in his beautiful dark eyes. He removed his belt and wrapped it around Jacob’s wrists several times before lacing it through the middle, creating a handle and tugging, towing Jacob as he walked backward. “The Master accepts.”
Jacob Page 23
