by Jessie G.
Javier watched Kyle dress and didn’t know what to say. Was he that selfish? That blind to the needs of the men he claimed to love? Come to think of it, he’d never told Kyle he loved him. Of course Kyle must know, just like Saul must know. ”Wait! You said Saul didn’t believe I loved him.”
Kyle took his arm and led him back into the bathroom. There was no doubt his actions were deliberate when he used the key from around his neck to lock the playroom before marching him into their bedroom.
When Kyle continued walking toward the hallway door, Javier jerked his arm away and demanded, “Kyle...answer me.”
“I love you both so much...do you know that? It doesn’t matter. Saul’s going after Durango. I don’t know the details, but he’s not going to wait for Durango to strike first. I’ve tried to love him enough, to give him a reason to believe...I don’t know if it’s enough.” The pain in those blue eyes was devastating. “No matter what I give him, you’ll always be what he’s missing. Make sure he knows you love him before he goes. Just...give him that.”
Javier watched Kyle go and walked back into the bathroom to look at that locked door. Kyle said they connected in that room. When was the last time he and Saul connected?
Chapter 41
Saul
“Hey.” Kyle picked up on the second ring, his tone warm and welcoming. “What do I owe the pleasure of hearing your voice in the middle of the day?”
Saul grinned and eased the tow truck onto the highway. “Can’t I call my favorite puppy just to talk?”
The soft, happy sigh warmed every part of him. Where Javier was needy all the time, Kyle only needed to be reminded that he was wanted to be happy. “Anytime you want. I haven’t eaten lunch yet if you want to swing by? There might be a blow job in it for you.”
“I’m out on a tow or I would.” Nothing would please him more than to pick Kyle up for lunch and a blow job.
“All work and no play makes me a very unhappy puppy.” Kyle had given his all to the role playing game, loved every second of it, and it bled through every action and word.
“I promise to make it up to you.” He only hoped he could keep that promise. When Red had given him the information on the tow, the rush of anticipation could not be ignored. Saul always trusted his instincts and knew, once he took over tow duty, leaving himself out in the open alone, it would only be a matter of time. His gut told him the time had come.
There was heavy silence on the other end of the line. Kyle was smart, quick and rarely blindsided, so his next whisper wasn’t a shock. “You promised to come home safe. You promised me forever.”
“And I’ll never break my promise to you.” The need to reassure was as bone deep as the need to return to Kyle was.
“Did you call Javier?”
“Javi already knows how I feel.” Spotting the dark SUV on the side of the road, Saul eased around it without looking too closely. What was the point when he already knew what he would find? “You brought something into my life that I’d given up on. Acceptance, real love, freedom...you. I don’t deserve what you’ve given me, haven’t earned it...I’m going to do everything I can to keep my promise to you, but I have to do this. You know that, right?”
“Yes.” The heavy shuddering breath that followed was almost too much to bear. Just the thought of making Kyle cry killed him.
“I love you...know and believe that. As selfish as it was to bring you into this mess, I wouldn’t have given up a single second of our time together.” There was no question that it was selfish, that he was a selfish man, but Kyle had accepted that too.
“I love you, too.” Kyle took another breath and cleared his throat. “Now, tell me what to do.”
Strong, capable...how the fuck had he gotten so lucky? “Call Ric, tell him it’s time. He’ll take it from there.”
“Dialing now...and Saul?” With each word his tone had gotten stronger and it was exactly what Saul needed to hear. He never relied on anyone else’s strength before, but he took what Kyle was offering gladly. Strength, a reason, belief...
“Yes, Pup?”
“Epic...make it epic.” The line went dead and he could only grin. Strong, capable and, apparently, blood thirsty.
The mid-morning I-95 traffic was light when he slid from the cab of the truck and sauntered toward the waiting SUV. Two men stepped out, casually dressed and looking overly frazzled. Did these buffoons think they had to play the part? It was actually a little insulting to think that Durango had sent amateurs to take him. “You guys call for a tow?”
The driver, who looked entirely too young, stepped forward. Either he was a ringer or a dupe, not that it mattered. Everyone made their choices in this little game. “Yeah, she just fucking died. Doesn’t even click when I try to restart it.”
“Just stopped working, huh?” The Escalade still had the price sticker on the side window and they wanted him to believe the truck they just rolled off the lot was dead? “Want to pop the hood so we can continue this masquerade or do you just want to get on with it?”
The two men looked at each other and shrugged. Honestly, he was really insulted. “You’re not even gonna put up a fight?”
“Nope. Here, I’ll help you.” Saul took his cell phone out of his back pocket and tossed it into traffic. Again they shrugged and turned back toward the truck, expecting him to follow. Was he really going to have to teach them how to do their jobs? “Hey, guys, aren’t you gonna check me for weapons?”
“Yeah,” the other guy grunted. “What kind of idiot are you, Phil?”
The driver, Phil, flushed and stomped back. Where the hell had Durango found these two? Phil did a quick once over around his thighs and then started back toward the car. “You missed all the key spots, you know?”
“Shut up and get in the truck. Anyone could see you’re not packing anything under that shirt.” Phil pushed him at the last second, trying to save face in front of his partner.
Saul was on him in a flash, jerking his arm up behind his back until he heard a satisfying pop, and slamming his head into the side door. “Anyone would be a fucking moron then.”
The partner raced around the truck, gun drawn on the middle of the fucking highway in the middle of the fucking day. “Let him go!”
“Yeah, yeah, put that thing away before someone calls the cops.” Saul released Phil so fast the man fell to his knees. “You’re gonna need to drive, his arm is broken.”
They both watched him climb into the back of the SUV, put on his seat belt—Florida was a click it or ticket state after all—and wait for them to get their act together. His puppy asked for epic and he really wanted to give Kyle everything he needed, but how could he when he was saddled with dumb and dumber?
♦
It really was their own damn fault. They hadn’t restrained him in any way, had barely patted him down for weapons, and were more interested fighting over the radio station than what he was doing in the back seat. It didn’t even feel like he was getting the better of them when the SUV finally came to a stop in front of a sprawling estate in the Gables.
“This is it?” Saul leaned between the two seats and looked at the bright, quintessential Florida mansion.
“Yeah, nice, right?” Did they think they were abducting him off the side of the highway to bring him to tea?
“Exactly how long have you two been working for Durango?” Somehow he knew he was going to regret asking, but this pair was just too ridiculous to be real.
“Me? Couple of months.” Phil looked at his partner. “My brother here’s been in a little longer. Why?”
Brothers. Wasn’t that just his fucking luck? “You should look for a new line of work.”
Yeah, it really was their own damn fault for being so clueless. How else could he have gotten the upper hand so quickly? The tussle took less time than tying them up with their own forgotten length of rope and left him feeling oddly dissatisfied. Not killing them was an easy decision, as was leaving them unconscious in the truck right in the driv
eway where anyone could see. A quick pat down netted him a couple of guns, clips and knives, and another twinge of disappointment. Either Durango believed he’d gone soft over the years and was underestimating him or he was trying to throw him off guard.
Leaving the weapons behind, Saul climbed out of the SUV and looked up at the house, considering his options. The lack of a welcoming party, the two morons sent to get him, it all smacked of a setup. If he didn’t know for sure that Kyle and Javier were safe and protected, he’d worry about what Durango thought he had as the upper hand. He’d come too far not to find out.
No one was in the foyer when he entered the darkened interior. Every light was off, every window covered, and there were only splashes of sunlight at odd intervals to guide him. He continued further in, not at all surprised when the door closed at his back. A glance over his shoulder confirmed that no one was there. Other than the new morons on Durango’s payroll, it seemed he got himself a few gadgets and someone who knew how to use them.
A light came on midway down the hall on his right and he laughed. “Is this really how you want to play it? Hiding behind your gadgets and parlor tricks? Come on, give me some respect, you fucking bastard. After all the years I gave you and all the years I bested you, I fucking earned better than mysteriously closing doors and flickering lights!”
There was the thunder of running feet and the deafening sound of too many guns being cocked as the chandelier overhead burst to life. Finally, for a second there he was beginning to feel undervalued. “Now, this is more like it.”
“I didn’t think it was possible for your balls to get any bigger, you cocky bastard.”
Durango came down the stairs, all Lord of the Manor, and Saul could only smirk. “I didn’t think it was possible for you to get any shorter, so we’re even.”
“You really do have a death wish, don’t you?” Durango looked around the room, clearly feeling like he was in control. “I don’t care how many weapons you took off my men, it’s not going to get you out of this.”
Saul held his arms out to his sides. “I’m unarmed, but you might want to have one of your goons check for you. The other two didn’t quite grasp the concept.”
Durango tilted his deranged head and considered him. “What kind of game is this?”
“Am I playing a game? I thought you were.” Saul watched as one of the men approached him warily. At least this one did a more thorough job of checking for weapons, even going for a full crotch grab.
When the guy gave the all clear, Durango shook his head in disgust. “Are you still sacrificing yourself for that little whore? Wait, not just one whore, but two, right? The lovely Kip Veil would make a great addition to my stable. I hear he’s quite the talented cock sucker.”
Kyle was in fact an excellent cock sucker. “What’s the saying? Double the pleasure and all that.”
“I’ll get them both and make you watch while I take turns fucking them...hurting them...damaging them. Won’t take much with Javi, will it? His mind is already broken.” Saul almost...almost...yawned. It was like they’d written the script for him. “I might be inclined to show some leniency if you give me my property back.”
“You mean your niece. Your brother’s child. Is that who you mean?” Saul scratched his head and considered it. “What exactly do you mean by leniency? Will you only damage one of them? Make me choose who to save and who to sacrifice? Isn’t this all so clichéd?”
He could see Durango getting annoyed and bit back a smile. “Somehow you think you have the advantage in our little game, Saul. Why is that?”
“How is that even possible? I’m unarmed and surrounded. All it takes is one shot...just one, so which of you is going to take it?” He turned in a full circle, looking each man in the eye. There were some familiar faces, some new, but not one made a move. Finally he came full circle and shrugged. “Miguel and Marisol are long gone. All your connections won’t help you find them. Javi, Miguel and Marisol…you want payment for them, tell your men to shoot. That’s all the payment you’ll get.”
“Do you have any idea how powerful I am? How many connections I have?” Durango got right in his face—well, his chest—and ranted. “I can take them all down, everyone you think can help you! You think Bull is going to keep Javier safe from me? Not after I take out his pretty little Bella Mia or maybe the innocent little Rory. Raise that Irish lass to be a right fine whore! No, not scared of me yet? I’ll go after the Bennetts next, make Alaric regret ever thinking about turning his sights on me! If he thought what Terence did to his Detective was bad, he doesn’t have a clue what I could do to that simpering hulk. And Kip...Kyle...what’s he going to do? Run to that wannabe biker? Do you have any idea how much fun it’s been keeping that stupid bastard running around in circles? Years! And it wasn’t even my idea...Lacey is quite the devious little cunt.”
“Is that what you love most about her?” This was bordering on ridiculous. Calling out each other’s supposed ‘trump cards’ when in fact they just knew each other too well. Which was why he went with Trick as backup. No matter what game Alicia was playing on her brother, Trick’s level of psycho was unknown to both him and Durango. “So, am I supposed to be impressed that you know everyone involved? That you’ve had me watched? Please, let me find my shock.”
“Tell me something, Saul,” Durango mused and walked a circle around him. That time he did yawn and saw a few of the men grin. “Does your new boy Kyle know how many people you’ve killed...how much blood is on your hands?”
“Like an actual number? Hmmm, I’d have to really sit down and try to figure that out. Anyone have a calculator? My phone got into a traffic jam.”
“This game bores me.” Durango started to walk away. “Hurt him, but don’t kill him. That pleasure will be all mine.”
Chapter 42
Kyle
“Bull, where’s Javi?” After giving Saul’s message to Alaric, the man made him cool his heels at the crisis center until he showed up. Then they hustled him back to the house where they were all supposed to just sit and wait. Saul’s instructions were clear, neither he nor Javier were supposed to be out of sight.
“Upstairs with Red.”
Kyle looked at the worried faces around him and demanded, “Does he know what’s going on?”
“Yeah, he knows.” There was no way Saul would have wanted that and Kyle said as much. Bull didn’t look any happier about it. “We didn’t tell him, he figured it out. Said he knew Saul was planning something and that it was unfair to keep hiding things from him.”
“Then he shouldn’t be left alone, even with Red.” If Javier knew, there was no way he was calm enough to be left alone with just Red. Not unless he’d gone to his safe place and Kyle really wished he had. If he was cognizant of what was going on, there was no predicting what he’d do and that worried Kyle more than anything. “I’m going to check on him. When I come back I want to know what’s going on. Understood?”
Kyle didn’t wait for a response, didn’t much care for their shocked reactions, as he jogged up the stairs. At a glance it appeared that the bedroom was empty, so he jogged up to the roof. A niggle of fear settled in his stomach when that appeared empty too. He searched the entire roof, not that there were many places to hide, and couldn’t find them. With his fear increasing by the second, he ran through all the rooms, calling their names.
“What’s going on?” Bull demanded from the foyer.
“What’s going on is that Javi and Red aren’t up here!” Kyle raced down from the third floor and ran back into their room. A low groan greeted him and he raced around the bed to find Red sprawled out on the floor between the bed and the window, completely hidden from the doorway. “Bull!”
Bull and Alaric burst through the doorway as he was trying to help Red up off the floor. “What happened? What the fuck happened?”
“Javi...Javi…” Red stuttered painfully and gripped his head. “He went...Saul.”
“How?” Alaric demanded. “No one knows
where Saul is.”
“Said if they had him…” Red waved a hand. “Said they...would take him.”
Bull took over, easing Red onto the bed, and Kyle took off around Alaric. The only way Durango’s men could take Javier was if he was out on the street. The idea of him out there alone, daring those bastards to grab him, had Kyle’s heart pounding. Kyle was pissed that they hadn’t kept Javier closer. Didn’t they know that Javier always believed they’d be going after Durango together? How could they have thought he would sit on his hands and wait?
A strong hand grabbed his arm just as he went for the door. “You can’t go out there.”
Kyle looked back at Liam’s determined features and yanked his arm back. “I can’t leave him out there. You can either help me or stay out of my way.”
Before they could grab him again, Kyle raced out the door. He was distantly aware of the others running out behind him. Someone called for them to split up and search, someone was on his heels, none of them mattered. All that mattered was getting Javier off the street before Durango’s men found him. It didn’t take long to find Javier loitering just a few blocks from the house. In fact, they almost passed him. Gone were the basic blue jeans and t-shirt—Javier was wearing white. Blinding, painted on white jeans and a white mesh top hanging off one shoulder, both offset by makeup so garish it made him nearly unrecognizable. This was the man Durango had turned Javier into. A garish whore.
“Javi,” Kyle whispered, approaching him cautiously. Seeing Javier like this made him want to throw up. Is this what he had to be for two years? This overdone monster? “Come with me. We have to get off the street.”
