Kyle turned the dial, alternating left and right. He turned the handle, but the safe remained locked. “Nope. Try again.”
“I don’t know. Maybe a different combination of those numbers. They’re all to do with my nonna. This is her place, so he would probably have been thinking of her when he set the combination. Or he was thinking of something else entirely. I don’t know.”
Kyle tried a few more iterations of the numbers before reaching for another tool. He worked silently, head close to the metal door of the safe as he listened with something that looked like a modified stethoscope. After ten minutes of pacing, Sebastian felt like he had to break the unnerving quiet.
“So, how do I know you’re really a spy and not just some mercenary?”
“I’m really a spy,” Kyle said as he turned the dial on the safe.
Sebastian studied him. Kyle seemed like he was telling the truth, but then so had Steven. “You got lucky with the guard monitoring the cameras. Father said he was watching football. If he’d been doing his job, they would have caught you.”
“It wasn’t luck. The man’s a huge AC Milan fan. Our contact made sure he was working the cameras that night. And I’m fast. It might have been closer, but they wouldn’t have caught me.”
A spy would have contacts who could arrange things like that, wouldn’t he? At least that’s how it worked in Bond films. “You’re awfully sure of yourself.” Sebastian shivered. “It’s freezing. Hurry up.”
“Well, shut up and let me concentrate. I only have one number left.”
“They’re always a lot faster in the movies.” Sebastian stalked over to the stove and opened the door. As he tossed a log inside, Kyle was suddenly there, whipping him around, fingers digging into Sebastian’s arm.
He towered over Sebastian. “I said no fire. I’m in charge, remember?”
“Vaffanculo. Fuck you.” Sebastian tugged his arm free. He knew he was being childish, but he couldn’t stop himself. “I don’t take orders from you.”
“Yes, you do. Now get a blanket, sit down, and shut up.”
Sebastian stood his ground, toe-to-toe with Kyle. “No. Maybe I’ll take my chances with my father and his men after all. Anything would be better than being with you.”
Kyle’s jaw clenched and his nostrils flared. “Sit. Down.”
“Fuck. You.” All the anger and fear and tension of the day boiled over, and Sebastian shoved against Kyle’s chest.
A moment later he was tumbling backward, landing on the squeaky bed with Kyle on top of him. Kyle stared down, his gaze dangerous, Sebastian’s wrists in his hands. “Are you done?”
They were both breathing heavily, and as Sebastian struggled to free himself, he only succeeded in rubbing against Kyle. “Go to hell.” As punctuation he spit into Kyle’s face, his saliva spraying Kyle’s cheek.
For a long moment, Kyle was completely still, and a fresh, icy tendril of fear uncoiled in Sebastian’s gut. Too far. Then Kyle dove at him, tongue driving inside as Sebastian gasped. His body responded immediately as Kyle mastered his mouth, leaving him breathless.
Suddenly Kyle tore away and rolled off the bed, shoving Sebastian to the floor. Sebastian kicked and punched at him. “Get off me!”
Kyle ignored him as he lunged at the table, dousing the lantern and plunging the cabin into darkness as the first bullets shattered the window.
Chapter Four
Swearing under his breath, Kyle drew his weapon as he reached for Sebastian, yanking him up and propelling him into the far corner of the cabin. There was only one window and one door, and both were currently being riddled with bullets.
He pushed Sebastian down behind him and crouched, pulse racing as he assessed the situation. He had no idea how many were outside, but they were clearly well armed. He should have had the safe open by now, but instead he’d let himself get distracted.
Now he had an unknown number of opponents covering the only exit, and he didn’t even have the Chimera. The men outside could be on the trail of either him or Sebastian, but Kyle felt their presence could mean the Chimera was indeed inside the safe. He could send Sebastian out as a distraction, but he immediately dismissed the notion. He told himself if the Chimera wasn’t in the cabin, Sebastian could still be useful. The fact that he didn’t like the thought of Sebastian dead was irrelevant.
After the first initial burst of gunfire, silence settled as the gunmen assessed the situation. Kyle pulled out his gun and checked the clip. Almost full. He glanced between the door and the safe. He didn’t know how many opponents were out there, and couldn’t hold them off and crack the last number on the safe at the same time.
Sebastian frantically held out his hand. He whispered, “Give it to me. Hurry up and open the damn safe.”
“So you can shoot me in the back? I don’t think so.”
“I wouldn’t do that!” he insisted.
Another volley of bullets tore into the cabin. “I thought you wanted to take your chances with your father’s men. Here’s your opportunity.”
Sebastian shook his head rapidly. “I changed my mind.” He took a shaky breath. “I’ll stick with you.” He watched the door, eyes wide.
He knew he was a fool to trust the kid, but he didn’t have a choice if he wanted to open the safe and get the Chimera. After removing the silencer and pocketing it, he handed the weapon to Sebastian, keeping his voice low. “Just point and shoot. They’re waiting to see what we’ll do. If anyone tries to come in, shoot. If you hear any movement on the porch, shoot. If you—”
“I’ll shoot.”
In the darkness, Kyle couldn’t make out Sebastian’s expression, but he admired the steel in the young man’s tone. “And remember, those men out there will kill you and never think twice. You need me to survive. You put a bullet in me, and you might as well put one in yourself.”
Sebastian nodded. Crouching, they made their way to the safe, and Kyle pressed his ear against the metal, listening for the telltale clicking. He’d already isolated the contact points, parked the wheels, and determined the first four numbers. Sebastian had been right about three of them, and now Kyle would try thirty-eight as the final number.
Of course, he’d need to be able to see. The light on his multi-device was handy in a tight spot. With a push of his finger, he illuminated the face, trying to shield the light as best he could as he twisted the dial on the safe.
As he pushed the handle, the safe remained stubbornly closed, and wood creaked outside. “They’re coming. Get ready,” he whispered.
Footsteps hammered the porch, and bullets rang out on schedule as Kyle tried seven as the last number. He yanked on the handle, but it stood firm. Sebastian began shooting back, and Kyle glanced behind him to see if anyone had made it inside. Not yet. Pressing his ear to the safe, he tried one last spin of the dial.
Wood splintered amid the thunder of gunfire. A bullet whizzed overhead far too close for comfort, and Kyle gave up on the combination. Grabbing his duffel, he yanked the gun from Sebastian’s shaking hands. The door was opening, and Kyle shot at a shadowed figure that disappeared, tumbling into the darkness of the porch. In the wind, the door slammed shut.
Sebastian tugged on Kyle’s arm. “There’s a crawl space. Hatch by the bed.”
Kyle followed as they scuttled across the floor. Sebastian flung aside an ancient rug, and Kyle cursed himself for not looking under it to determine all possible points of exit. He’d been inexcusably sloppy—too distracted by Sebastian. The wood groaned as Sebastian pried open the hatch, and Kyle fired off a few rounds to disguise the noise.
After Sebastian dropped into the hole, Kyle rummaged in his bag for a small flash bomb. It wouldn’t cause much damage but would distract their enemies. He pulled the pin and threw the canister out the window before following Sebastian. Under the cabin, there was barely room to move. Sebastian was already almost at the back of the structure when the explosive went off with a flash of light and a deafening boom.
Kyle quickly c
aught up with him and grabbed his leg before he could crawl out from underneath the building. “I have the gun. I go first.” He shimmied past Sebastian and checked that it was clear. “We’re going to run straight into the trees and then down. Go!”
They sprang out and raced to the forest’s edge, and no bullets followed. The wet snow continued to fall, making the ground a mash of mud and slush. Sebastian slid wildly in his leather dress shoes and struggled to keep up with Kyle, who was better off in his sturdy black work boots.
Once they were quite a way down, Kyle stopped. The hillside had become rocky, and their path would be less visible than it was in the mud of the forest floor. It would have to do. With a tug on a panting Sebastian’s arm, he turned and went back the way they came.
Sebastian resisted. “Wait! We can’t—”
Laying his finger over Sebastian’s lips, Kyle leaned in close. “Trust me.”
He led the way back up the hill for a dozen yards before veering off to the right, away from the cabin. With his pocketknife, he wrenched a branch free and concealed their new tracks, the needles smoothing out where their feet sank into the snowy mess. Visibility was very low, and he hoped their opponents would miss this offshoot from their original path. By a rocky outcropping, he crouched down to wait and listen. Sebastian huddled at his side, fortunately keeping quiet.
The forest was still aside from the whistle of the wind and falling snow. Kyle could faintly smell the acrid remains of the explosion when the wind changed direction. Just when he was going to tell Sebastian the plan, the sounds of muffled footsteps reached his ears. Sebastian tensed beside him, and Kyle placed a hand on his shoulder. He squeezed lightly.
A number of men—four, he thought—came slip sliding down the hill. He couldn’t see their faces through the dense pine trees and blowing snow. One swore in Italian as he stumbled. Then they disappeared into the whiteout, following Kyle and Sebastian’s original path. Kyle waited, his muscles coiled and tense.
Five minutes passed, and then ten. After fifteen Kyle decided the ruse had worked. He turned to Sebastian, who was still crouched beside him, his lips pressed tightly together, arms wound around his body. “We’re going back up. It’s the last place they’ll look.”
“To the cabin?” It sounded as if that was the last place Sebastian wanted to go.
“No. We’ll have to find shelter somewhere else. Come on.” He paused before standing. “You’re doing good.”
He didn’t wait for a response and propelled Sebastian in front of him as they climbed. The incline wasn’t steep enough to use their hands, but it was still hard going in the thin mountain air. Kyle wiped out their tracks as best he could while keeping an eye out for any of their opponents.
With a soft cry, Sebastian tripped and sprawled on the ground. Kyle hauled him up immediately and pushed him onward. “You’re all right. Keep going.” He could barely feel his fingers, and he knew if they stopped in the snow, it could be deadly. Hypothermia was very near at hand.
Sebastian stumbled again but kept moving without complaint. As they neared the top of the ridge, Kyle guided them farther to the right. He’d briefly considered the Maria Teresa, but it was too obvious a choice if the men on their tail figured out that they’d come back up.
Finally they came across what appeared to be a tiny hunting shelter. There was no lock on the door, and inside were only a rickety chair and a thin pallet on the floor. An old blanket covered the pallet, but it didn’t look as if anyone had used the lodge in some years. Still, the roof was sound, and with no windows they were protected from the elements once the door was closed.
The chair wouldn’t hold up to an assault, but after his eyes adjusted to the dark, Kyle positioned it under the door handle as best he could. The noise of it breaking would at least serve as a warning. He turned to Sebastian, whose teeth chattered audibly. Blood dripped down Sebastian’s cheek. “Sit.”
Sebastian did as he was told and lowered himself to the musty pallet. He shook now more than shivered, and Kyle knelt down and gently took his head in his hands to examine the gash on Sebastian’s forehead. He carried a small first-aid kit in his bag and pulled out a pad and bottle of disinfectant.
“This will sting.” Yet as he dabbed the wound, Sebastian barely flinched, and he stared into space, seemingly dazed. Kyle brushed back Sebastian’s hair, a completely unfamiliar feeling of tenderness welling up. “You’ll be okay.”
Sebastian met his gaze, and Kyle fought the urge to take him in his arms. He tore his eyes away and ripped open a bandage. Since when did he care what happened to a mark or how he or she was feeling? Get the job done. This is business.
Kyle quickly covered the gash with a small bandage and decided on the next course of action. His fingers were clumsy due to the cold, and he struggled to unbutton Sebastian’s shirt. However, this seemed to slice through Sebastian’s haze of shock and he pushed at Kyle’s hands.
“What are you doing?”
“Our clothes are soaked. It’s freezing, and we’re going to die of hypothermia if we don’t get warm. If we wait too long, we’ll miss the window of opportunity. So stand up and get your clothes off.” He didn’t wait for a reply before pulling Sebastian to his feet.
As Sebastian worked on his shirt, Kyle picked up the old blanket. It was only a few strides to the other side of the shack and the dirt and dust would be thick in the air, but he couldn’t risk going outside for the sake of their comfort. He shook out the blanket in the corner as best he could and turned back.
Sebastian had just peeled off his sodden pants, and stood in only his boxer briefs. He’d found a hook on the wall and went about hanging his clothing from it, leaving his shoes neatly by the pallet. In the dim light, Kyle could see the surprisingly muscular planes of Sebastian’s chest, the roundness of his firm ass and his toned legs. For a math geek, Sebastian had the body of a champion swimmer.
Focus, goddamn it. Kyle hung his jacket carefully on another hook. He stripped off quickly, keeping his gun as he went to the pallet. Sebastian turned to him and gasped. “You’re…you’re…” He waved his hand to indicate Kyle’s nakedness.
“Everything’s wet. And body heat is the best way to warm up.” His gaze traveled down Sebastian’s body. “Are those wet?” He nodded at the underwear.
Sebastian nodded and, with a deep breath, yanked them off. Kyle couldn’t see the blush stain Sebastian’s cheeks, but he knew it was there. Forcing himself to go slowly, he approached Sebastian’s shaking form. Unfurling the blanket, he wrapped it around them as he pressed against Sebastian and led him down to the pallet.
After apparently holding his breath as the seconds ticked by, Sebastian finally exhaled and lay back. Kyle covered his body, rubbing Sebastian’s skin roughly with his hands. Although he had to admit he wanted Sebastian, he had no intention of having him. He needed to keep his head in the game. He’d let himself be dangerously distracted.
Yet the proximity of Sebastian’s body and the sound and feel of his little breaths against Kyle’s neck were intoxicating. Over time as an operative, Kyle had learned how to master his desires and his physical responses, but as he rubbed Sebastian to get his blood circulating, it took considerable effort to maintain his detachment.
Sebastian, however, began to respond after a few minutes as his body warmed. His cock filled and nudged Kyle’s belly, and Sebastian turned his head away, clearly mortified.
“It’s all right. It’s normal.” Kyle kept his tone calm. “It just means it’s working. You’re safe. I’m not going to do anything.”
At this Sebastian met his gaze. “You’re not?” He sounded decidedly disappointed.
“No. I’m not.” Kyle reached around and rubbed Sebastian’s back, keeping his touch rough and clinical.
Sebastian’s voice was muffled against Kyle’s neck. “I know you were acting last night. But back at the cabin…I thought…”
Kyle mentally kicked himself for letting his temper—and his desire—get the better of him.
“Sleep. We need to move as soon as the weather clears.”
Sebastian wormed out from beneath Kyle and curled away from him. “Pretty stupid,” he muttered.
Despite himself, Kyle had to ask. “What’s stupid, exactly? Waiting until the weather clears? Because it may be a summer blizzard, but it’s a blizzard all the same, and if you’d like to get lost in it, that can be arranged.”
“No. I just meant it was stupid of me to think for a moment that you actually wanted me for real. Never mind, okay? I’m just feeling a little sorry for myself.”
Kyle watched Sebastian in the gloom, his body shivering as he curled into himself. “Well, freezing to death won’t help.” He pressed up behind Sebastian, dragging him back against his chest. After a moment he added, “It’s been a hell of a day. Don’t beat yourself up.”
“Because you’ll do it for me?” Sebastian joked.
Kyle found himself smiling. “Exactly.”
“I can’t believe I actually shot at someone today. I could have killed one of those guys.”
Kyle snorted. “If you were lucky.”
“Yeah, not as easy as it looks in the movies. Not that I want shooting anyone to be easy, but…well, you know what I mean.”
Sebastian settled into his arms, the tremors subsiding. Kyle couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually slept with someone. A countess a few months ago in Spain, but that had been part of the job. This is a job too, he reminded himself. He breathed deeply, but it only sent Sebastian’s alluring scent right to his head. His cock was flush with Sebastian’s round, firm ass, and Kyle fought to keep his desire in check.
It certainly didn’t help that Sebastian was shifting back, rubbing against Kyle. He rotated his hips, and Kyle spoke sharply. “Go to sleep.”
“Oh, sorry. Just trying to get comfortable.”
He rubbed his ass against Kyle again, and Kyle’s cock responded, despite his best efforts. He gripped Sebastian’s hip. “Stop. You’re not thinking clearly.”
The Chimera Affair: Gay Romance Page 5
