“We should never have let you use Empyrean,” Richard snarled as he glared at Jamie.
“I made the call to not move forward with that aspect of the mission,” Jamie reminded him.
“It shouldn’t have been an option to begin with!”
Empyrean was the premiere luxury space cruise line that catered to the ultra-wealthy of the world. The fleet of space ships took guests on trips around the Earth and the Moon in expensive comfort.
Root Source, Inc. had been created to help the Pavluhkins undermine the English company, Saunders & Associates, by mining their contacts in order to entrap the rich. The Presnenskaya Bratva employed Nikolaas Jansen, a known metahuman with a strong empathy power, to manipulate their rich targets into buying up shell companies to help fund the criminal organization. All illegal activities, for the most part, were tied to people who could not be traced back to the Pavluhkins and the Presnenskaya Bratva.
Jamie and his team, on orders from the MDF and in conjunction with the UMG, had helped destroy the Saunders’ family business. When Stanislav and his father, Yakov, no longer had any use for the company, they’d turned their attention to Jamie and his family’s contacts. The Pavluhkins had wanted Jamie to reach out to customers and investors within Empyrean and give them access to new targets, new money.
Jamie had gone along with it right up until the moment he’d become aware that Alexei and Sean had been kidnapped by Cillian Halloran on Stanislav’s orders. Making that field decision alone, with no prior warning to the brass, hadn’t endeared his actions to them. Jamie still stood by his decision, but it looked like what he’d done during the mission all last year was coming back to bite him on the ass.
“You know why I asked,” Jamie said.
Richard glared at him. “Yes, because you’re so good at following orders when it pertains to your career.”
“You do enough damage on your own, Father. You don’t need me to make it worse for you when you’re skilled enough in that area.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Before Jamie could respond, Charlotte spoke up. “This is not the time nor place for that particular argument.”
The steely-eyed look she leveled on Jamie and Richard was enough to table that fight for the moment. It didn’t stop them from addressing the latest problem.
“You will wait to respond to the subpoena until we can bring our attorneys into the loop,” Richard ordered through gritted teeth.
Jamie raised one eyebrow. “The MDF will want to take lead on my defense, just like last time. You can inform your attorneys all you like, but you aren’t calling the shots here, Father. Not when it comes to me.”
“I’m well aware of what your decisions have cost me and this family, Jamie.”
The accusation grated, but Jamie held his tongue. He wouldn’t apologize for doing his job and sticking beside his team. As it was, he’d split his time too much between his duty and his father’s needs. That wasn’t helpful to anyone, least of all himself.
“News of you being served will leak out by tomorrow, if it’s not already breaking on the streams,” Leah said. She sat in the desk chair, chin propped up on one hand, eyes darting from Jamie to their father. “We need to get ahead of this story and we can’t do that without the MDF’s assistance.”
It was a tacit acknowledgment of the situation at hand, but also an exit out of the brewing argument Jamie didn’t want to deal with. Glancing over at Leah, he saw her tilt her head a bit to the side, shrugging a little.
“Leah is right. You need to go, Jamie,” Charlotte said tiredly.
“Yes. Go.” Richard waved a hand at the door, a furious expression on his face. “Run away as you always have.”
Charlotte sighed in exasperation. “Richard—”
“We are in this position because of his actions, Charlotte. I am in this position because of his actions. Don’t expect me to be grateful that Jamie suddenly wants to help the campaign after nearly wrecking it,” he snapped.
Anger erupted through his mind, but Jamie kept his temper leashed. He knew this tactic; he had seen Richard find a political opponent’s weak spot and press and press against it until he got a reaction. But Jamie had spent his entire life learning how to remain composed in the face of antagonistic people.
And that included his father.
“I’ve always done what I could for your political aspirations, but some of these wounds are self-inflicted, Father. I’m not the one who refused to cancel the Boston rally,” Jamie said flatly as he stared Richard right in the eye. “That’s on you.”
Tension settled between them in the silence. In the end, Richard had no comeback for that, because that failure rested squarely on his shoulders alone. Jamie had argued repeatedly to cancel the Boston rally, but Richard had barreled forward, putting his campaign first. Maybe in some other future Jamie would be the only one in the family under scrutiny, but this was the world they lived in, and the investigations aimed their way grew out of Boston and everything that led up to it.
If Richard had canceled the rally, he’d be in a better position in the polls, a better standing with the public, but his arrogance was as much the cause of their current predicament as Jamie’s orders had been.
“I’ll let you know what the MDF says,” Jamie finally said before turning on his heel and leaving the office.
Jamie left the hotel suite entirely, shaking his head at Burwell as he went, silently letting the other man know to stand down. He was heading back to Washington, D.C., and the Secret Service couldn’t follow him there.
A minute later, when Jamie was in the elevator and descending quickly, his mother called. Jamie thought about ignoring the call, but he’d caused her enough grief over the last however many years since he committed his life to war.
So he answered.
“Jamie,” Charlotte said in greeting.
“Mother.”
“I had Ariella book you a flight home through a private company.”
Ariella Eichen, his mother’s executive assistant, was one of the guiding hands that helped keep the Callahan family on course. Jamie knew if Ariella had handled his transportation, then everything would be fine.
“Thank you.” Jamie stared at the numbers on the control screen counting down to one. “I’m sorry.”
“You do what you have to do, and Richard does what he needs to do. Your roads haven’t crossed in years, Jamie. At some point, you both will need to find some common ground you can agree on. I hope that day comes soon.” She drew in a breath that sounded shaky in his ears, and Jamie flinched at the noise. “I love you. Be safe.”
His mother cut the call. The silence in Jamie’s ears lingered all the way to the East Coast.
3
Daybreak Is No Gentle Hallelujah
Alexei woke abruptly, the lingering heaviness of a bad dream receding to the back of his mind. He couldn’t remember any details, but the tension assaulting his body told him it wasn’t good. In his experience, trying to remember it would just give him a headache.
Alexei stared blearily up at the ceiling as he pressed a hand to his chest, feeling how fast his heart beat. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to relax, dipping into the phenomenal control he had over his body that came from nearly half a lifetime of elite training.
It took mere seconds to lower his heart rate and breathing to baseline level. Blinking, Alexei let himself relax against the mattress, cocooned beneath a soft duvet and a warmth that only came with sleeping beside someone else. Alexei turned his head to the side, a smile curving his lips as he gazed at his lover.
Sean lay on his stomach near the middle of their wide bed, arms curled beneath the pillow, having drifted out of Alexei’s arms sometime during the night. His head was turned to the side facing Alexei, the features of his face visible in the dawn light creeping through the edges of the drawn curtains along the window wall. Lashes formed a dark half-moon against his cheeks, mouth parted slightly as he breathed. Sean’s brown hai
Alexei rolled onto his side until he could prop himself up on his elbow, still staring. The blankets were drawn up to Sean’s shoulders, so Alexei did himself a favor and gently removed them, baring Sean’s back to the cool bedroom air. Spring in Washington, D.C. was muggy, but the apartment’s environmentals kept their home cool at all hours, especially at night. Alexei’s body, as Sean liked to tease, was like a furnace, and it didn’t take much for them to stay warm in bed together.
Alexei placed his hand on Sean’s back between his shoulder blades, watching as Sean twitched a little in his sleep but didn’t wake. There was a time back at the beginning of their relationship where a touch like this would’ve thrown Sean into immediate wakefulness. His years as a deep-cover agent for the CIA had left their mark, just as Alexei’s years with Strike Force had. Becoming a light sleeper was inevitable.
That Sean slept through the touch spoke volumes, and Alexei smiled smugly. He was proud that Sean trusted him enough that he could remain deeply asleep while Alexei was near. In the beginning of the year, he’d honestly despaired of that trust returning to them. His smile momentarily dimmed as he thought about why.
The end of the Pavluhkin mission back in Boston hadn’t been kind to either of them. Kidnapped, tortured by Cillian Halloran, they’d come out of that mess damaged physically, mentally, and emotionally. Only intense therapy with Dr. Elizabeth O’Malley had enabled them to work through the trauma and find their way back to each other. Their emotional breakthrough came in February after they were cleared for active duty again and completed a mission in London.
Alexei didn’t like therapy, but this time around he was grateful for the end result. It helped them cope with the trauma they’d experienced of watching each other get tortured and find a way to move forward together. Having Sean in his life as his lover and now his teammate gave Alexei a sense of satisfaction he hadn’t felt before. Loving someone else did that.
They’d done a lot of loving last night. Alexei’s smile returned just as smug as before as he thought about the lazy way they’d spent the second day of their regulatory minimum three days off after a mission. Today was their last day home before they had to report back to base. Sean had tried some administration work that Alexei had effectively distracted him from. It was only fair he kept up that distraction this morning.
Alexei shifted closer, slowly skimming his hand down Sean’s back over the curve of his spine until it settled in the dip just above his firm ass hidden beneath the covers. Sean wasn’t as built as Alexei, his muscles less defined, but he was solid in a way the women Alexei had dated in the past never were. He liked men and women pretty equally, but Sean was it for Alexei for the rest of his life. At some point, he wanted to show his dedication to Sean with a ring, but it wouldn’t happen this morning.
Besides, he still had to buy one.
He moved his hand farther down, hooking his fingers around the covers and pulling them off. Sean stirred a little bit as more cool air hit his sleep-warm skin. Alexei leaned over and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to Sean’s shoulder as he spread his fingers over the swell of one cheek, fingers sliding between the cleft of Sean’s ass.
Alexei skimmed his fingertips over the sensitive skin there before gently pressing the tip of his middle finger against that furled hole. He pushed against it in a teasing way, the ring of muscle there allowing him entrance easier than at the beginning of last night. Sean was still loose, if dry, and Alexei wanted to rectify that.
He reached for the bottle of lube with his other hand, where he’d shoved it under his pillow last night because the nightstand was too far away at the time. He warmed the lube on his fingers first before sliding them back into the cleft of Sean’s ass. Alexei oh so carefully pressed his finger into Sean, feeling him easily stretch around his finger.
Alexei managed to sink his finger all the way to the first knuckle before Sean finally began to stir. He rubbed his thumb against the curve of Sean’s ass, leaning over to kiss a spot between his shoulder blades.
“Mm,” Sean murmured, stretching a little, still-half asleep. “Lyosha?”
Alexei brushed his finger against Sean’s prostate in a slow, teasing way that made Sean jerk a little beneath his mouth. “Dobriy utro, Senichka.”
The endearment came automatically to Alexei’s lips, the diminutive one only used in the bedroom. It was too personal between them to share in public.
“God,” Sean moaned, spreading his legs a little. “What time is it?”
“Not get up yet.” Alexei paused before lifting his head and grinning wickedly at Sean. “Some of you get up.”
Sean groaned, the sound getting a little breathy at the end when Alexei increased the pressure on his prostate. “That was fucking terrible, Lyosha.”
“Still love me.”
“Of course I still love you, just not this early in the morning.”
Alexei moved to kiss him on the corner of his mouth. “Is 0630.”
“I was sleeping.”
Alexei slowly pulled his finger out before lazily thrusting it back in. “Could sleep.”
Sean blinked at him, the sleepy haze in his brown eyes slowly fading. “I don’t think I could sleep through you fucking me.”
“Maybe next time. Prove you wrong. Fuck you nice and slow so you not notice. Wake up when you come. Or not.”
Sean arched an eyebrow, moving a little so he could get his elbows underneath him and raise his head. His hair really was a mess, and Alexei couldn’t help but look at him fondly. “You can, if you want. I’m not saying no. But I’m awake now, so what are you going to do about that?”
The teasing challenge in Sean’s voice went straight to Alexei’s cock. He slid his finger free and moved over Sean to lie down on his other side, propping himself up with a few pillows. Sean turned his head and watched him, hair sticking up in all directions. Alexei helped himself to a handful, pulling Sean closer for a kiss, morning breath and all.
“Want to fuck you,” Alexei muttered against his mouth.
“You better,” was Sean’s response. “You woke me up.”
Alexei smirked against his mouth before kissing him again. He’d come in Sean two times last night and wasn’t sure how sore his lover would be from that. But if Sean was okay with Alexei having his wicked way with him all over again, then Alexei wasn’t stopping.
He kicked the blankets farther down the bed, keeping one hand on Sean at all times. He liked the connection, liked knowing Sean was right there at his fingertips. There’d been a period of time during their recovery where he didn’t have that and Alexei wasn’t willing to go without ever again.
Alexei tugged Sean onto his side with firm hands, pulling him close. Alexei’s slowly hardening cock pressed against his ass and Sean helpfully bent his knee to plant a foot on the bed, giving Alexei more room. He wrapped an arm around Sean, fingers skimming over muscle to tweak a nipple. Sean’s mouth parted a little at the teasing touch and Alexei nuzzled the side of his head. He rolled his hips a little, his cock slipping between Sean’s legs, the sensitive head bumping against Sean’s balls.
“Watch,” Alexei rumbled.
“We did a lot of watching last night,” Sean said, arching his back a little as Alexei’s hand drifted lower down his chest.
Alexei smirked. “Watch some more.”
Sean sighed, but he met Alexei’s gaze in the mirror hanging from the wall across the room readily enough. The mirror was a new addition to their bedroom, less than a month old. Floor-length and wider than the standard measurements, it was set in a classic black frame that Alexei personally thought was boring and tasteless. He’d wanted the ornate gold one with intricate filigree interspersed with crystals, but Sean had put his foot down and it wasn’t worth the argument at the time.
When Alexei could convince Sean to get a ceiling mirror, that one would have the gold frame.
The fact that they had a mirror at all again felt like a triumph. Their time with Cillian had upended their relationship in ways they were still mending, but watching each other during sex had been impossible after Boston until recently. When one was forced to watch the man they loved be tortured, keeping eye contact after that became difficult.
But they could look at each other in the mirror again, and the time it took for either of them to look away was lengthening. Someday in the future they never would, and Alexei couldn’t wait for that moment to come. Alexei didn’t mind taking things slow, so long as they were both comfortable. He enjoyed watching his partners, loved how they looked in the throes of passion. Sean’s experience with sex hadn’t been that great before he stumbled into Alexei’s life, and Alexei had sought to rectify that almost immediately once they got together.
He took Sean’s cock in hand, casually stroking the hardening length with fingers slick from lube. Sean moaned, his head tipping back and mouth dropping open, the line of his throat in shadow in the mirror. He was so open like this, body on display for Alexei, no longer as shy as he once was in the beginning of their relationship.
“Like you like this, kotyonok,” Alexei said as he rubbed his thumb over the sensitive head of Sean’s cock. The tip was wet with pre-cum and he spread it around, liking the way it made Sean whimper. “Way you let me touch. How you make me feel.”
“Pretty sure I’m feeling a lot more than you are right now,” Sean gasped, thrusting a bit into the circle of Alexei’s fingers.
The motion caused Alexei’s cock to slide between Sean’s legs, the dry friction making his nerves tingle. Alexei bit Sean gently on the shoulder, gray eyes half-lidded in the mirror. “Think I feel nothing with you in my arms?”
“Not what I said.”
Alexei shifted his hand to tug at Sean’s balls, liking the sound he made. “Like noises you make. Mean I make you happy.”
“You always make me happy,” Sean replied a little breathlessly as he squirmed against Alexei.
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