Maybe he was making a rash decision under stressful circumstances, but first thing tomorrow morning, he was going to put out some feelers to see if there were any openings at the San Francisco FBI offices. It probably seemed crazy to uproot his entire life and move across the country for someone he’d met a week ago, but that wasn’t really what he was doing.
He’d been feeling restless for a while now, wanting a change and a fresh start somewhere new; he just hadn’t been sure where to go since there were FBI offices all over the country—even a few international operations, usually attached to US embassies. San Francisco seemed like a great place for a change in his life. Even if he and Matt didn’t work out, he could spend a few years living and working in the city, then decide if he wanted to go elsewhere or come back to Texas. The future stretched ahead in endless, exciting possibility.
Of course, first he had to get this assignment wrapped up. And right now, that meant getting Matt to the hospital in Conroe and making sure Yas was okay.
After he backed his car around, he followed Perez in the sheriff’s SUV out of the motel parking lot, lights and sirens coming to life as the deputy put his foot down once they were on the open road.
“It was him, wasn’t it?” Matt said after a few minutes of silence as they sped out of the town limits and onto the darkened country roads where the streetlights didn’t reach. “Stanley Ferguson?”
Gabe glanced at Matt, but he was staring straight out the windshield, injured arm cradled against his chest and expression pensive.
“We’ve got no evidence to say for sure.”
The answer was automatic, his training kicking in and making him diplomatic even when he didn’t need to be. Innocent until proven guilty had been ingrained into him at Quantico and honed the years since. But fuck that noise.
“Actually, yes, it was likely Ferguson himself or someone motivated by him being arrested,” he bit out. “Maybe Yas and I were getting too close to the truth. There’s a small possibility Ferguson didn’t directly orchestrate this and one of his devout followers took matters into their own hands. But I’m sure as hell we’re about to find something that’ll put Ferguson at the top of all this.”
“I hope you’re right,” Matt murmured, still staring straight ahead, the red and blue lights of the sheriff’s SUV flashing back and forth across Matt’s tight features.
Gabe tightened his grip on the steering wheel until his knuckles ached. In the rearview mirror, he caught sight of another set of flashing lights every now and then he assumed was the paramedics’ rig with Yas on board. He hoped like hell she was still okay. Anger burned up from deep in his gut. If she wasn’t, then Ferguson or whoever was responsible wouldn’t want to find themselves alone in a room with him.
What should have been a simple assignment had become way too personal—on more than one level when he included Yas. But it was the thought of what could have happened to Matt really keeping him on the edge—that if Matt had been the one to answer the door, it could have been him clinging to life. The relief he felt that it wasn’t Matt in that paramedics’ rig brought a stinging wave of guilt on its heels, because Yas deserved better than that. Still, as much as he cared for Yas, Matt had become important to him on a level he couldn’t afford to examine while their situation was so messed up.
Either way, it was time to end this thing. Ferguson would have made some kind of mistake somewhere along the line—perps like him always did. Gabe just had to find it, and then he’d use it to nail the bastard to the wall.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“AGENT LOPEZ?”
Matt roused from where he’d been dozing against Gabe’s chest, groggily blinking and taking a long second to remember where he was and why.
“Please, call me Gabe,” Gabe answered the doctor in blue scrubs, standing a few steps away, mask hanging from his neck like he’d just come out of surgery. “How is she?”
Matt pushed straighter, brain pulling together all the thoughts spinning around his mind until everything made sense again. Someone had shot up Yas’s motel room, and they’d rushed to the hospital in Conroe.
A doctor had taken a look at his own minor injury—the bullet had only grazed him and left him needing two stitches. While the doctor had fixed him up, Gabe hadn’t left his side, but had spent the whole time on his cell phone as he reported to the FBI office in Houston. From the sounds of things, it seemed like the Feds were about to get all up in Everness and the ALP’s business. Not that he was surprised. Presumably the FBI got a little pissed when people shot at or tried to kill their agents.
Whatever the doctor had given him for the pain had made him drowsy, and once he and Gabe had sat down in the waiting room while Yas had gone into surgery, he’d found Gabe pulling him close as he fought the urge to nod off. Gabe had murmured at him to sleep and Matt hadn’t been able to fight the suggestion, as if Gabe had hypnotized him with the solid, comforting feel of his chest beneath his cheek and arm securely around his waist.
Matt glanced at the clock on the wall above the nurse’s station to find it was almost two in the morning. Adjacent to where he and Gabe were sitting, Jake and Danny were similarly slouched sleepily against each other, but had straightened when the doctor approached Gabe.
“As the paramedics told you, she lost a lot of blood,” the doctor answered. “They did a good job getting the bleeding under control before they got here. The bullet nicked her liver, but we’ve repaired the damage and she’s doing well. She’ll be laid up for a while, but we expect her to make a full recovery.”
“Thank God,” Gabe breathed, and Matt felt him practically wilt in relief at the news. “Can I see her?”
“Of course, but she’s still a little out of it from the anesthesia.” The doctor indicated for Gabe to come along, and he gently untangled himself from Matt to get to his feet. The doctor said something else, but Matt didn’t hear since he’d turned away. Gabe took two steps but then paused to look back at him.
“Aren’t you coming?”
Matt’s heart skipped a beat as he pushed to his feet, taking in the way Gabe was staring at him, naked vulnerability in his dark eyes as if in that moment Gabe needed him to be there with him, like he belonged at Gabe’s side.
“Of course,” he answered, taking the hand Gabe held out for him.
As they followed the doctor along several different corridors, Matt fought against the feeling that this was all so surreal. He wasn’t the guy who ended up in these kinds of situations. He’d never done anything in his life to draw attention to himself. Never faced any friction over his sexuality. Never gotten into bar fights or had to dodge flying bullets.
Unfortunately, the burning ache at the top of his biceps told him this was very real and he hadn’t been having some waking delusion. However, that wasn’t even the craziest thing.
Because he’d willingly admit he’d do it all again to meet Gabe.
When they stepped into the recovery room, Matt hung back while Gabe went over and perched on the side of the bed, taking Yas’s hand between both of his.
Her eyes fluttered open, a weak smile flitting over her face when she saw Gabe.
“Hey,” Gabe whispered, leaning down to drop a kiss on her forehead. “You scared the shit out of me, Quinn.”
Her smile widened, but her eyes drifted closed as if they were too heavy to keep open.
“Got to keep you on your toes somehow, Lopez.”
Gabe gave a laugh that sounded suspiciously watery, and Matt automatically stepped forward to set a comforting hand on his shoulder. Gabe reached up to tangle their fingers together but didn’t take his attention from Yas.
“Can it involve a little less blood next time? I ruined my favorite shirt.” The teasing tone was at odds with the grim worry Gabe had shown earlier, his relief now palpable. “I’d tell you to buy me a new one, but you’ve got terrible taste in clothes.”
At this Yas frowned, but her eyes slit open to show a glint of amusement, even if it was a little dulled
. “Just for that, I’m going to buy you the ugliest shirt I can find and then guilt you into wearing it by constantly reminding you that my liver took a bullet for you.”
“Agent Quinn needs to rest now,” a nurse said as she strode into the room holding a chart and going over to check the machines monitoring Yas.
Gabe started to get up, but Yas held his hand for a second longer, gaze suddenly very lucid.
“Get the sonuvabitch for me, Gabe.”
“You know I will,” he promised, lifting her hand to kiss her knuckles before setting it gently down on the bed next to her hip.
When Gabe turned to face him, Matt’s breath caught at the steely, determined look in Gabe’s dark eyes. Matt couldn’t decide if he was alarmed or turned on by the way Gabe practically stalked out of the room like he was going to go find Stanley Ferguson and mete out some kind of primal justice with his bare hands.
Matt grabbed one last glance at Yas, who looked to be sleeping again, then followed Gabe out into the corridor, jogging a few steps to catch up with him. When they reached the waiting room, Gabe immediately went over to the desk where a man in an FBI blazer stood, gun and badge attached to his belt. They shook hands and Gabe motioned down the hall, presumably at Yas’s room.
Matt went over to join Jake and Danny, who were standing by the darkened window and seemed to be sharing one coffee.
“How is she?” Jake immediately asked.
“The bullet did some damage to her liver, but she’s going to be fine,” he answered around a yawn, the painkillers still making him a little sleepy. Or maybe it was the late hour. Either way, he felt like he needed at least twelve hours’ sleep before he’d be able to function again.
“Cavalry’s arrived, I see.” Danny indicated the other FBI agent, who nodded his thanks to Gabe and then strode off down the hall, leaving Gabe to make his way over to them.
“She’s getting around the clock protection until they catch the bastard,” Gabe answered as if he’d heard Danny, though it was more likely he’d taken an educated guess at what they were talking about. “And the motel is now an active crime scene. Matt, you and I might have to see if we can find a room here in Conroe, at least for tonight.”
Great. He was already splurging money on one motel room he wasn’t using and all his stuff was in Yas’s room… and probably riddled with bullets now that he thought about it. Plus the damaged rental car. Might as well max out his credit card on an entire suite at this point. At least he’d be comfortable.
“You’re welcome to stay at our house,” Danny offered, tone of voice indicating it should have been obvious.
Seriously, these people were amazing. Who offered their home to someone they barely knew who’d been targeted by some kind of fanatical bigot who’d already beaten one guy into a hospital bed and just shot up a motel room of FBI agents a few hours ago? Possibly he should be questioning Danny’s sanity, but the idea of sleeping in not-a-motel-bed was practically making him want to fall to his knees in exhausted gratitude.
“Are you sure?” Gabe asked, glancing between Danny and Jake. “You know this might put you in the firing line. Literally.”
Danny scoffed. “I pity anyone who thinks it’s a good idea to come near our house. Jake would make them wish they’d never set eyes on it.”
Jake grinned, the smile lazy but somehow also predatory. “My Baretta M9 has been a little neglected lately.”
Danny shook his head in fond exasperation before refocusing on them. “Seriously, it’s no problem. We’ve got a spare bed. If you want to come back to Everness, that is. But if you’d rather stay close to the hospital for Yas—”
“No.” Gabe cut him off firmly but gently. “I’ve still got a job to do. That means I need to be on the ground in Everness.”
“Come on, then,” Jake said, slinging an arm around Danny’s shoulders. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m beat.”
As the pair walked off, Gabe glanced at him. “You can stay in Conroe if you think you’d feel safer. I’m sure we could find you a room and I could get you an FBI security detail. You’re a witness to a federal crime now, so—”
“I go where you go.” His words seemed to bring Gabe up short, but then he smiled, and the affection behind it made Matt’s stomach flip over.
Gabe stepped into him and took his hand, tugging him closer. “And I go where you go.”
There seemed to be something else behind the words, some deeper meaning, but before he could spend too long wondering about it, Gabe kissed him and then tugged him into motion.
“Come on. There’s a bed waiting for us that doesn’t have scratchy sheets and a lumpy mattress. I’m planning on making the most of it.”
Gabe cut him a quick, mischievous look, and if not for the fact they’d agreed to put their relationship on hold until the case was finished—not that they’d done a very good job of that considering they couldn’t keep their hands to themselves, even if it was more the physical reassurance of holding on to each other as opposed to anything sexual—the heated gleam in Gabe’s dark eyes would have melted him on the spot. Instead he sternly reminded himself that Yas was in the hospital and lucky to be alive, plus there were way more serious things going on besides him getting laid.
They trailed Jake and Danny out to the multistory parking garage across the street and split off to their own cars. When he and Gabe got down to street level in Gabe’s sedan, Jake and Danny were waiting in Danny’s idling pickup truck, a late-’80s model Chevrolet he was apparently restoring. The sheriff had come by earlier in the night and taken back the SUV Jake had used to escort them from Everness.
Silence stretched between them as Gabe guided the car out of Conroe, following Danny’s truck. But it was a comfortable silence, the kind that lulled Matt into a sense of security he’d rarely felt in his life. Which should have been impossible considering the dangerous situation he’d found himself in. Yet Gabe’s simple presence was soothing down to his very soul in a way he had no reference for.
Matt didn’t realize he’d dozed off until Gabe was gently shaking him awake, the car now stationary and silent in the driveway of a single-story bungalow-type house. Danny and Jake were already out of Danny’s truck and making their way to the front door, an exterior sensor light flicking on as the pair stepped up on the porch.
“Let’s get you to bed,” Gabe said quietly with a small smile, his hand trailing featherlight over the bandage covering Matt’s upper arm.
If he wasn’t so exhausted, he definitely would have made a remark about Gabe taking him to bed, but as it was, he simply nodded heavily and then fumbled with the seat belt until Gabe released it for him. By the time he got himself out of the car, Gabe had come around the vehicle and firmly pushed the door shut behind him, then pulled him in close to his side.
“Those painkillers really did a number on you, huh?” Gabe’s voice held a warm note of affection and amusement as Matt practically slumped into his side.
Maybe it was just the painkillers, but he got the feeling they wouldn’t have taken him out so effectively if he’d hadn’t already been emotionally and physically worn down from everything that’d happened since he’d arrived in Everness.
Gabe hustled him into the house, and Matt paid almost no attention as Jake showed them where the guest bathroom was and then led them into the spare room before bidding them good night. Matt didn’t even bother trying to take his shoes off, let alone undress. Instead, he flopped face-first on the bed and didn’t plan on moving for at least the next ten hours.
As Gabe tugged on his left leg to work his shoe off, Matt made an annoyed noise.
“Let me tuck you in so you sleep more comfortably,” Gabe said with a low laugh as Matt rolled onto his back and tried to bat him away. He wasn’t really opposed to Gabe stripping him down—which seemed to be his intention as Matt’s shoes and socks disappeared, followed by every item of clothing until he was naked.
Gabe tugged at the blankets beneath him, and he lifted up long e
nough for Gabe to pull them back. He didn’t immediately draw them up again but left them scrunched at the foot of the bed. Matt watched through half-lidded eyes as Gabe threw off his own clothes and then crawled onto the bed until he was straddling Matt’s thighs.
“Whatcha doin’?” he asked, stifling a yawn that left his eyes watering.
“Kissing you good night,” Gabe answered in a teasing tone. But instead of leaning down and sealing their lips together, Gabe lowered himself and landed his mouth on Matt’s neck, laving a swift, wet path down his body, pausing to nip at his left nipple. Sparks of pleasure shot through him as Gabe’s teeth grazed the sensitive flesh, leaving it pebbled and aching. Gabe didn’t linger, however, but continued the sensual torture over his ribs and down to his hip, teeth and tongue setting Matt aflame with an increasingly heated smolder until it felt like sensual flames were licking at the inside of his skin over his entire body.
When Gabe finally reached his groin and swiped his tongue over the leaking head of his erection, Matt practically shouted as he arched off the bed. Gabe immediately sat up and slapped a hand over Matt’s mouth, his laugh quiet but wicked.
“Shh,” Gabe told him, even as he used his free hand to fist Matt’s hard length and firmly stroke him from base to tip. Matt groaned in quiet desperation for more. Gabe leaned down until his breath brushed the outer shell of Matt’s ear, sending a shiver trickling down his spine. “Quiet, now. I don’t like to share. Only I get to know those indecent sounds you make when I’ve got my mouth wrapped around your cock.”
The words washed over him like a caress, leaving him moaning breathlessly, the frantic need to feel exactly that burning up every shred of sanity he was still clinging to.
Gabe took his hand from his mouth as he stroked him again, causing more fluid to leak out and his balls to draw up tight. He wasn’t going to last long, but it didn’t matter. After everything that’d happened in the last twenty-four hours, he just wanted to let go and feel the things he knew Gabe could make him feel.
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