by Lynn Hagen
Devil pulled out two containers and placed them next to each other, then flipped the lids open, revealing two juicy burgers and a ton of fries. Ryan was suddenly starving, so he dropped to the couch and snatched a few of them.
“I’ll get us something to drink.” Devil walked into the kitchen as Ryan rooted around in the bag for packets of ketchup. He hadn’t seen Devil change course, but seconds later he was at the back of the couch, placing a soft kiss on Ryan’s neck. “I’ll grab the bottle of ketchup, too. They forgot to give me some.”
“A fork, too,” Ryan blurted out as his face heated from Devil’s attention.
“For what?” Devil kissed Ryan’s temple.
Concentrating was difficult when Devil’s lips were so close, when his masculine scent wrapped around Ryan in a sensual cloud. He felt drugged for a moment before he blinked a few times. “Just get a fork.”
“Yes, sir,” Devil said with a low, vibrating growl. The sound was sexy, intoxicating, and Ryan found himself falling deeper under Devil’s spell.
Ryan was supposed to be in a straitjacket right now because of what he’d seen Devil do, not wishing Devil would hurry back so Ryan could drool over his good looks. He should still be freaking out like he had been moments before. But all Ryan wanted was to cuddle closer to the man who wasn’t even human.
Was his sex life that depressing? Had Jeff screwed him up so badly that Ryan was done with the human species? One look at Devil when he returned gave him his answer.
Animal or not, the guy was smoking-hot and fucked like a dream. Who was Ryan to pass that up?
Devil sat and held up Ryan’s fork. “Now tell me why you needed this.”
His voice was sultry. His eyes mesmerizing. His body to die for. He was perfect, and he’d claimed that Ryan was his. Devil was one hundred times better than Jeff in every way.
But he’s not human.
Ryan was starting to care less and less about that. Not when he had Mr. Sexy sitting right next to him, giving Ryan a smile that made his cock painfully hard.
“Don’t you dare make fun of me.” Ryan plucked the fork from Devil’s hand.
“I can’t make any promises.” Devil winked at him.
Ryan’s door burst open to reveal Henry wearing nothing but a skimpy pair of boy shorts. His skin was flushed, and sweat plastered his blond hair down. “Okay, I’m here!”
Ryan rolled his eyes. “Crisis averted, drama queen.”
Henry closed the door and sauntered over to the coffee table, where he snatched up a fry and shoved it into his mouth. “I’m starving after that marathon.”
“You’re also nearly naked,” Ryan pointed out. The shorts barely covered Henry’s ass cheeks, or his nut sac. “You mind taking your skinny little ass back upstairs?”
Henry and Ryan were best buddies, but jealousy was an ugly thing. Ryan wanted to throw the blanket on the back of the couch over Henry’s body and shove him into the hallway.
“Stop making me feel like a third wheel,” Henry complained, sliding his bottom lip out in a pout.
“You are a third wheel,” Ryan said.
Henry’s gaze slid to Devil.
Please don’t let him open his fucking mouth about what I told him on the phone.
“I’m only one floor up, and you can use my Taser if you need to.” Henry took a bite of Ryan’s burger before he hurried out the door.
Devil looked at Ryan. “You told him, didn’t you?”
“He’s my best friend,” Ryan defended. “I was freaking out.” His eyebrows shot up. “You’re not gonna add him to your list, are you? I promise, he won’t tell a soul.”
Ryan shouldn’t have made that promise. Henry was a gossip queen. He and Cock would make excellent social-media–junkie buddies. Ryan would have to make Henry swear not to breathe a word.
Devil shook his head. “Unless he turns out to be a Hunter, he stays off my list. But he might disappear if he tells anyone.”
Ryan wasn’t sure if he was joking.
“Eat.” Devil pointed to Ryan’s food. “Fries suck when they’re cold.”
Ryan used his fork to cut a piece of burger, then stuffed it into his mouth and chewed as he thought about what Devil had just said.
Devil chuckled. “I’ve never seen anyone eat a burger with a fork.”
Ryan glared at him. “No making fun of me. I’m already close to a meltdown.”
Devil bumped shoulders with him. Well, it was close. Ryan’s shoulder only reached halfway up Devil’s upper arm. “I think you’re doing okay.”
“On the outside,” Ryan said. “On the inside I’m running around like my building has caught fire and I’m trapped inside.”
Devil cupped Ryan’s cheek, then kissed him so thoroughly that Ryan’s hard-on throbbed in his pants. Devil used tongue and teeth, and Ryan forgot what they’d been talking about as the fry in his hand fell to the floor.
“Nope. We’re not about to have sex.” Devil captured Ryan’s lower lip between his teeth, gave a slight tug, then released it. “My mate needs to eat.”
Ryan forced all thoughts from his mind as he ate his dinner. But they wouldn’t stay gone. They crept back like water sliding under a door, edging toward him.
Devil was a killer.
Jeff was doomed.
And Devil had called them mates and said they would be together for all eternity. If Devil proved truly dangerous, Ryan wouldn’t be able to escape him, even if he wanted to.
Chapter Seven
Second night. Nothing. Devil was beginning to wonder if he was cut out for this job. First, he hadn’t been able to get Jeff to leave him alone. The guy was always calling to borrow money, or showing up at Krave expecting free drinks.
Jeff had been the definition of annoying. Now he was the hardest man in the city to track down. For a moment Devil entertained the thought that maybe Ryan had warned Jeff, but he dismissed the idea. It was possible, but Devil’s gut told him Ryan hadn’t said a word.
He sat in his Explorer, a few houses down from Jeff and Terry’s place. All the lights were out, except the porch light. Devil had checked the home an hour ago and noticed collecting pile of mail on the porch.
Either they were bad at getting their mail or they’d fled. But Devil knew that Jeff was clueless about having a death sentence over his head.
So why in the fuck hadn’t he been home in two days?
His phone buzzed in his pocket. Devil pulled it out and saw Ryan’s name on the display. Leaving his apartment earlier had been tricky. Ryan kept asking if Devil was going after Jeff. Devil hadn’t wanted to lie to his mate, so he’d evaded the question with expertise.
He’d slid out when Ryan had gone to the bathroom.
With a deep sigh, Devil answered. “What is it, Ryan?”
“You’re a sneaky bastard,” he snapped. “Tell me you’re not going after him.”
“I have a job to do,” Devil said. “This is why I didn’t want you to know about my work in the first place.”
His gaze shot to headlights coming down the street and he looked into the car as it passed. Jeff wasn’t inside. Devil sank back down in his seat.
“Well, I do know. I can’t have that on my conscience.” Ryan made an exasperated sound. “Just come back here. Maybe we can find another solution.”
“He’s a murderer,” Devil reminded him. “He’ll kill again if he’s not stopped.”
Ryan grew quiet. Devil kept the phone pressed to his ear as he scanned the street. “You’re sounding pretty judgey to me,” he finally said.
Devil pulled the phone away and stared at it for a second before pressing it back to his ear. “Did you just seriously call me judgey?”
“Henry, get away,” Ryan said, followed by smacking sounds. Had Ryan just smacked Henry? “I’m not letting you talk to him.”
“If he’s going after Jeff, I want in on that,” Henry said. “Now let me talk to him.”
“No.”
“Just. Give. Me. The—”
�
��Stop it before I kick your—”
“I just need a second,” Henry whined, sounding out of breath.
Devil hung up. He didn’t have time for them.
He sat up when he spotted a light in one of the upstairs windows. A flashlight.
Devil slipped from his vehicle, scanned the area, then hurried to Jeff’s house. He walked down the driveway and used the darkness as cover as he broke in.
As soon as Devil was in the kitchen, he heard floorboards creaking above him. He had no clue what the hell was going on, so he pulled his gun and made his way up the stairs.
The creaking stopped, so Devil stilled, listening as he waited. Time seemed to pass slowly before the creaking began again. Drawers and closet doors were being opened, then slammed shut. Whoever it was wasn’t trying to keep quiet.
He felt his phone vibrate and ignored it as he climbed the stairs, gun at the ready. The vibration in his pocket was distracting. He should’ve cut the damn thing off, but he’d lost focus after that phone call.
Heavy breathing in the front bedroom. More doors opened and closed. What was the person looking for? Was it Jeff, Terry, or a burglar?
Gripping the gun tightly, Devil eased around the doorframe and aimed the barrel into the darkened room. The flashlight beam swung his way, blinding him for only a second, but long enough for someone to shove past him and take off down the stairs.
Devil cursed and gave chase. Whoever it was knocked things down, impeding Devil’s progress. Devil leaped over everything thrown his way and ducked a few times, too.
The person raced out the back door. Devil was close behind, but when he got outside, he lost the guy. And it was a guy because Devil had gotten a look at his broad back and muscular arms.
But where in the fuck had he gone that quickly? It hadn’t been Jeff. He wasn’t that ripped. It definitely wasn’t Terry, either.
When his phone vibrated again, Devil snatched it from his pocket and growled into it. “What?”
“Uh, is this a bad time?” Joque asked.
Devil let out a deep breath, tucking away his gun. “What do you need, Joque?”
“I just thought you should know the firemen are here.”
“What firemen?” Devil headed down the driveway. “What the hell is going on at the club?”
“Someone set a fire in the bathroom. It spread pretty quickly. I’m not sure how much damage was done.”
Devil punched the ass-end of his Explorer before he got in. Tonight was going down the crapper, and fast. “I’m on my way.”
“See you when you get here.” Joque hung up.
Devil made a U-turn in the street and sped toward Krave.
* * * *
It was Henry’s idea to get out of the house. Ryan was sure Henry thought they’d run into Devil at Krave. He wasn’t certain what was with his best friend’s new obsession with eliminating Jeff. Ryan liked how protective Henry was of him, but his enthusiasm was starting to worry Ryan.
Henry grabbed Ryan’s hand and pulled him deeper into the club. Spike waved at them, but Henry ignored the bartender.
“Moved on already?” Ryan yanked his hand free. Henry’s grip was a little too tight and he was moving too fast. Ryan was bumping into people, getting dirty looks and a few choice words.
“Spike knew the score when he agreed to fool around with me.” Henry threw his arms wide. “Look at all these hot, wiling, gay men. How can I settle down with just one?”
That made him think of Devil. He was it for Ryan. His days of trolling gay bars were over. The thought should have depressed him, because Ryan loved hooking up with sexy, single guys. But oddly enough, he wasn’t upset.
“And I see a willing body heading my way.” Henry kissed Ryan’s cheek before he took off toward the dance floor.
Ryan slid onto a stool at the bar, frowning when Cock came over. “You fucked me up with your drinky-drinky.”
Cock chuckled, his smile drawing the attention of a few twinks around them. “You asked for stronger.”
“I’ll just have a soda tonight.” Ryan spun on his stool, looking the place over. The music was Madonna, the men wore skimpy outfits, and the lesbians seemed to stick together like bees on honey. Whether Devil had set out to make the perfect gay club or not, Krave seemed to be a hit.
“Here you go.”
Ryan turned to grab his drink and noticed an odd look on Cock’s face. Cock sniffed the air, like a dog would do, then a frown puckered between his eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Ryan asked, his hand hovering near his drink.
Instead of answering, Cock grabbed the landline on the back wall of the bar and dialed three numbers. “Fire,” Cock said into the phone. He gave Krave’s address.
Ryan sniffed the air but didn’t smell anything. Maybe Cock was the one who’d been drinking the dark liquor.
Then Ryan smelled it.
Smoke.
Cock raced from behind the bar to the DJ booth, shouting something moments before the music died. The DJ asked everyone to leave the club in an orderly fashion.
That didn’t happen.
Everyone freaked out, shouting and running in a stampede. Ryan prayed no one was injured as he shot from his stool and headed toward the bathrooms.
Smoke billowed from under the men’s room door and he spotted someone lying on the floor just outside the door. To his shock, it was Terry, and he had an angry red bump on his forehead. Maybe it made Ryan a bad person, but for a split second, he entertained the idea of leaving Terry there.
But Ryan was a good guy, even if that meant he had to save the life of the man who’d stolen his boyfriend. “Come on, get up.” Terry was heavier than he looked. Ryan struggled to get him up, but Terry was out cold.
So he dragged Terry by his arms. They made it out of the back hallway before Ryan had to take a breath from dragging Terry. How could a guy this small weigh so much?
“Let me help.” Cock appeared behind Ryan. He pulled Terry from the floor and tossed the slim man over his shoulder as if Terry weighed only a pound.
Ryan looked around, making sure no one else needed his help, then hurried after Cock. The club was empty except for a few stragglers—more than likely too drunk to know what was going on. Ryan coaxed them toward the exit, ignoring their flirting.
One guy even grabbed Ryan’s ass, slurring his come-on as Ryan shoved him toward the front of the club. Sirens filled the air, and swirling lights flashed inside the door.
“The bathroom,” Ryan shouted as he helped Mr. Grab-ass outside.
Henry raced toward him, panic etched on his face. “I looked everywhere for you! Don’t you ever scare me like that again!” He threw his arms around Ryan and hugged him so tightly his lungs threatened to collapse.
“I’m fine.”
An ambulance wailed to a stop and Cock handed Terry over to the paramedics. Ryan looked around, his heart pounding as he tried to calm down. The firemen ran past him, axes and hoses in tow.
In all the excitement, Ryan almost missed Devil parking his Explorer. The fire should have been the only thing on Ryan’s mind, but he couldn’t help but wonder if Devil had finally caught up to Jeff.
Instead of checking on his club, Devil charged toward Ryan, a look of fear in his blue eyes. He grabbed Ryan and pulled him into a bear hug. If this kept up, Ryan would need a respirator. “I’m fine!”
Devil loosened his grip. “What in the fuck were you doing here?”
Ryan knew panic was driving Devil to be a dick, but he was just as frightened. “Having a good time,” Ryan growled right back. “I wasn’t aware I needed your permission to go out.”
Devil scrubbed a hand over his face. He looked wigged out, ready to punch someone at any second. The guy didn’t wear stress very well.
“Just breathe,” Ryan told him.
“How did the fire start?” Devil asked. “Joque said something about the bathroom.”
Ryan hadn’t seen Cock dial Devil’s number. Then again, he’d been busy trying to pull
Terry to safety. “I don’t know.” He told Devil about Terry. “I don’t understand why he was knocked out. Maybe the smoke, but he had a bump on his forehead.”
Devil grabbed him again, but this time the hold was gentler. “Was anyone hurt besides Terry?”
“I don’t think so.” Ryan couldn’t be sure. He hadn’t gone inside the bathroom. If someone had been in the men’s room, Ryan doubted they would survive.
Devil cupped his face, kissed him, and said, “Go over there with Henry while I talk to the firemen.”
He didn’t want to leave Devil’s side, but the last thing Ryan wanted to be was clingy. He moved through the crowd and found Henry hitting on one of the firemen.
Ryan rolled his eyes and pulled his friend away. “Can you think about hooking up later?”
“Why?” Henry asked with a slight whine. “He’s hot.”
“And you’re a horndog.” Ryan stood next to him until the firemen started to file out of the building. Crisis over.
Ryan was dying to go inside and see the damage but stayed out of the way. He directed his attention to the crowd, looking at the men and women staring at the building and talking among themselves.
Then he noticed Jeff.
His ex stood on the outer rim of the crowd, watching everything that was going on. His gaze met Ryan’s, then he backed away, going out of sight as the fire truck blocked Ryan’s view.
His question of whether or not Devil had succeeded tonight had been answered, but a bunch of other questions had cropped up. Had Jeff started the fire?
“I saw him, too,” Henry snarled. He stalked through the crowd heading to where Jeff had just been standing. Ryan followed his best friend, trying to stop him. Henry might be a ball of fire, but if he attacked, Jeff would beat the snot out of him.
“Where’re you going?”
Ryan spun at the sound of Devil’s voice, unsure if he should tell Devil about Jeff. He knew why Devil had to do what he had to do, but Ryan’s morals wouldn’t let him purposefully send someone to their death.
“Jeff was just here,” Henry said as he turned to glare at Devil. “I was heading over there to kick his ass.” Unfortunately he didn’t have to worry about breaking his moral code. Not when he had Henry as his best friend.
