A Thief In The Night

by K. Sterling

  ‘I had concerns but I think you’re what he needs,’ Darius said in the garden.

  ‘That’s all that matters and that’s all this is,’ Roman said the night he told Quinn he loved him. He literally told him.

  “This whole thing was the plan?” Quinn asked in absolute astonishment and Roman nodded.

  “I’ve been waiting for the perfect cover. You can’t kill a man like Darlington without making powerful enemies and stepping on too many toes. It would have been way too messy. You found me and you gave me the perfect setup as we were standing in your kitchen that first night.”

  “You’ve been using me this whole time?” Quinn accused and Roman held up a finger.

  “I was doing everything I could to find Jayce. I have never been optimistic but anything we discovered about Jayce would lead us to Darlington and I wanted him to feel me closing in on him. The more attention we called to ourselves, the more nervous he’d get. Though I never intended to attract that sort of attention,” he confessed out of the side of his mouth and Quinn elbowed him.

  “Why drag me into this at all? You could have said you were trying to figure out why your favorite escorts were disappearing,” Quinn said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

  “For a number of reasons but mostly because he would have had you killed. Another day or two and a few too many questions and you would have disappeared. And who would look for you?” Roman asked.

  “That’s why you followed me every day and showed up with all the clothes,” Quinn said.

  “You were protected because you were my new obsession but it also made you more of a target for Darlington. I knew he’d be watching you and he’d back off if he knew I was hovering but I could never be sure if you were safe,” Roman explained. Quinn gasped as he saw Roman walking the dog and juggling the apple in the doorway of the bookstore. He looked at Roman and remembered bumping into him on the sidewalk. He was showing himself. “You weren’t going to quit looking so I had to keep you close,” Roman said as his eyes cherished Quinn.

  “Why? You didn’t even know me,” he said as he stretched toward Roman’s lips. His fingers skimmed along Quinn’s jaw as he pulled him closer.

  “Because you were different and I wanted you.”

  “He also said you had the tightest arse he’s ever fucked and your tongue’s a lot longer than it looks but put that stuff about him keeping you safe because you’re different in your vows,” Darius said then snorted in disgust. “Get the hell out of my van,” he said as it stopped in front of Carlton House. Quinn swore as he got to his feet and kept his head down as his face became hot.

  “Darius, don’t take this wrong but let’s not see each other for a bit,” Quinn said as he offered his hand. “Eye contact’s going to be a problem for a while,” he added and Darius laughed as he cupped the back of Quinn’s neck.

  “Thanks for having his back, you did good tonight,” he said and gave him an affectionate shake. “I’ll see you on Sunday,” he reminded him and Quinn squeezed his shoulder then gave the driver a nod before he turned and hopped out of the van.

  “Everything else is ready to go,” Roman said as he jumped out then turned and braced his hands on the hood as he leaned in. “I’ll let you know when it’s done.”

  “You won’t need to, I’ll be close by,” Darius said and Roman snorted.

  “The rest should be pretty routine. You don’t think I’ll be able to handle it on my own?” He asked and Darius grinned but his eyes were hard.

  “I’ll see that ship leave, I won’t rest until I do,” he stated and Roman and held up his hands.

  “I was just saving you the trip,” he said then patiently let Darius pinch his cheeks and kiss him on the forehead.

  “Have a good night. I’ll see you later,” he said as he released him and Roman stepped back as the door shut. The van pulled away from the curb and Roman waved as they watched it disappear down the street.

  “What happens next?” Quinn asked as he stared and his eyes stretched as he tried to comprehend everything that happened. The evening was a wild jumble and he was replaying every moment with Roman, Darius and Mr. Bishop.

  “We rest, Quinn,” Roman said as he took his hand in his and tugged gently. Quinn turned and his lips cocked as he followed Roman up the steps and the door opened.

  “Rest?” Quinn asked then offered Grigore a weary nod as they passed and he smiled back at him.

  “Well, not immediately,” Roman said as they went to the stairs.

  “What about Darlington?” Quinn asked and Roman made a deeply content and relieved sound.

  “The hardest part is over and we’re nearly at the end. You played your part perfectly and there’s nothing left for you to do. Mr. Bishop and I will take care of the rest,” he said as they climbed and Quinn stopped him.

  “Why do all of this, though? If you knew Jayce was probably working as a mule for Darlington from the beginning? Why did you have to keep it from me?” He asked and Roman nudged him to keep him moving.

  “You’ve had me in a mood since you broke Dash’s nose. That was fabulous!” He said and Quinn gave him a hard look.

  “You’re always in the mood. Why couldn’t you tell me? Why string me along?”

  “Let’s see…” Roman mused as he tapped his chin. “No, Quinn, I don’t think you should confront Darlington now,” he said then dashed up the stairs and hopped onto the top step and walked backwards. “Ok, Roman. Be careful, I’m about to disregard your whole very carefully laid plan and charge in anyways,” he said in a shockingly good impersonation of Quinn’s voice and accent. Quinn’s lips pulled tight.

  “You could have let me in on the plan,” he suggested and Roman shook his head.

  “I wasn’t ready to explain my reasons for going after Darlington before and I didn’t need you to be more emotional about this than you already were. If you rushed or did something to tip Darlington off too early, he could have destroyed anything we’d be able to use to find Jayce and we wouldn’t have enough leverage. I needed him to panic and run. The best way to do that was for us to become a massive pain in his ass. He’d set a trap, I’d escape and Darius would lurk around his house with a few vans to add a little extra oomph,” he said and his fingers fanned as he backed into his room. “We needed time to get enough leverage to force his hand or make him run. I used that time to look for Jayce and keep you safe,” he added and Quinn smiled as he pulled off his jacket and dropped it.

  “Before?” He asked as he tugged his tie free and Roman’s brows rose as he tossed his coat at a chair.

  “Before?” Roman parroted as Quinn held up a finger then reached down and slipped off his shoe. They were too new and too fitted to just kick off so he had to balance on one foot and then the other to pull them off. Roman was lounging on the bed, naked and really aroused, with his head propped up in his hand and his ankles crossed when Quinn looked up.

  “How?” He asked as he held up his hands.

  “You almost got a swing in at Darius. That was incredibly sexy,” Roman said then waved his hand in a circle impatiently. Quinn’s eyes flicked upwards as he chewed his lip. He almost head-butted Darius before he was spun like a cowgirl at a square dance and swung into the side of the van.

  “How is almost hitting someone sexy? I missed,” he said and Roman hummed dreamily as he rolled onto his back and folded his arms behind his head.

  “It’s very rare for someone to do that well against Darius, I was sure he was going to break a few ribs with that bat. But he came very close to having his clock cleaned. By a nurse,” he added and Quinn rolled his eyes as he pushed his boxers down his thighs.

  “Former nurse,” he said and Roman frowned dramatically as Quinn climbed on the bed.

  “Does this mean we’re not doing nurse rides anymore?” He asked as Quinn threw his leg over and straddled Roman.

  “We’re still doing those,” Quinn laughed as he kissed him. “You said ‘Before.’,” he
reminded Roman.

  “I did,” he agreed as he stretched a condom down his shaft. “I wasn’t ready to explain all of it before but I’m ready now,” he stated then purred encouragingly as Quinn coated it with lube. “Or, I will be, after your ride,” he said and Quinn laughed as he fell forward and kissed him.

  “And I’ll be ready to listen, after my ride.”

  Chapter 24

  “I can’t believe you told Darius I had a tight ass,” Quinn panted as Roman’s tongue slid over his nipple, greedily collecting a drop of cum as he crawled to his lips. A deep, rumbling chuckle rolled from him as he sucked on Quinn’s chin.

  “Part of that was on you,” he murmured. “He told me what you said about being as tight as a duck’s arse and I told him you’re always exquisitely tight. And I’m convinced your tongue is an inch longer than it’s meant to be. You’re a bit of a wonder,” Roman said and Quinn’s eyes flared.

  “Wait. You said you knew I’d be more of a target for Darlington. You wanted him to be jealous,” Quinn said as he pushed against Roman’s chest.

  “I knew he would be and I used it to fuck with his head. It would have been enough to waltz around his ballroom with you then pretend to leave his party early but you found a way to really rub it in his face,” Roman said and Quinn blushed as he covered his eyes then lowered his hands.

  “What happened. Why did you burn his house down?” He asked and Roman tried to push off the bed as he pulled away but Quinn held on. “You’ve waited all these years for the perfect opportunity to kill him, this feels like something we should talk about,” he urged gently and Roman’s stomach and chest muscles twitched as he felt a slight need to heave. Hatred and disgust bubbled within him as Quinn waited. He didn’t want to tell him everything but he didn’t want to have any secrets from Quinn. He hid his diabetes and it didn’t make things easier or better.

  “I was a few years younger than you are now,” Roman said as he settled over Quinn. He hooked Quinn’s legs around his waist then got comfortable and cradled his face in his hands. He traced his cheeks and jaws with his thumbs as he used Quinn’s beauty and kindness to heal some of his scars. He had so many and a few were still raw but he’d recover and be stronger because he had Quinn. “My career was just reaching its peak but I was out of control. I was worth hundreds of millions of pounds and I was unstoppable. I could steal anything and everyone wanted to fuck me. And I did do my best to accommodate them,” he chuckled. “I thought I could handle myself with the faster crowd. I was a little like you and tried to learn as I went along. Darlington trapped me in his web immediately and I was too dumb to see it until it was almost too late. You’ve seen how charming he can be. He earned my trust and pretended to be a mentor but he used every opportunity he could find to seduce me and he was always pushing drugs at me. I didn’t want him but I fucked him. I didn’t give in on the drugs. I need all my senses sharp and he knew that but he needed some way to control me. His boys always have at least two things in common: they’re addicts and they need him. They need him for drugs, money for drugs and protection from drug dealers. I wasn’t an addict and I didn’t need him. He tried to change that.” Roman offered Quinn a tight, hard grin as he waited for a flash of rage to pass.

  “What did he make you do?” Quinn asked warily and Roman shook his head.

  “He didn’t make me do anything. He waited for me to do it to myself. I told him I was diabetic. He’s one of the few people I’ve told and he used it against me.”

  “That’s why you hide it from everyone,” Quinn whispered and Roman nodded.

  “I hate living with it but it also makes me more vulnerable. Several of us were at his estate in the country for a house party. You know, one of those things that lasts three or four days and leaves you sick and ashamed until you’re at another party, drunk and need an obnoxious story to bore everyone with?”

  “If you’ve been to one… Right?” Quinn said flatly and Roman hummed in agreement.

  “Exactly. It was all pretty routine and it was the second day and I hadn’t consumed anything but champagne and poppers for days. I still thought I was invincible and it was just mind over matter, you know? But I was blacking out and my partner was lucid enough to realize I wasn’t in the good place. He went to Darlington and he cleared everyone out and locked the door.”

  “Jesus,” Quinn whispered. Roman gave himself a moment and kissed Quinn until the heaviness in his chest subsided.

  “He brought me around but he also gave me heroin. He was on top of me when I came to and I was already fighting. He tried to keep me pinned and forced himself inside of me. He kept telling me to relax and let the heroin have a chance to work but I was sick. It was the most beautiful, miraculous thing I’ve ever felt and it was terrifying and I thought I was dying. I recovered enough to wrestle him off me and I lost my mind. Everything was too much. I’m so sensitive as it is and it was overwhelming, I became the opposite of what I normally am. I lost control and destroyed his face with my fists before he was able to get out. I tore the room apart with my bare hands and started throwing the pieces at the fireplace until it was out of control. I escaped through the window and hid in one of the parked limousines. Minton found me.” Roman waited a moment and let Quinn recover from his shock and aversion.

  “I really hope this isn’t one of those out of the frying pan and into the fire situations,” he said and Roman shushed him.

  “He hid me while they were searching and took me home with him. The house here in London is just for entertaining. Minton lives in the country most of the year. He keeps bees and collects teapots,” he stated and Quinn looked even more baffled. “He sent for a doctor and I stayed until I was feeling better. I went back to London and laid low until things blew over. Minton took me under his wing once I was ready to make my return to the party scene. He’s always kept an eye out for strays and those who’ve lost their way. He knew you didn’t belong at his orgy and he wouldn’t have let you stay if he didn’t think I could protect you. Why do you think he was so determined to meet you? He would have had you removed if he thought you were in real danger,” he said and Quinn’s lips twisted and his nose scrunched.

  “I thought he was just looking forward to violating me. I didn’t want to hurt your feelings but he technically counts as my first, as far as being with another man,” he said and Roman smiled and decided there was a certain sense of balance in that.

  “If I had to share you with anyone, it might as well have been Minton.”

  “Never say that sentence again,” Quinn said. A loud chiming peeled through the house and Roman looked up and around as it echoed.

  “Is that my doorbell?” He asked. “I’ve never heard it before,” he added then shrugged as he turned his attention back to Quinn. “Where were we?” He murmured as he nibbled on Quinn’s lips.

  “Don’t you think you should get that?” He asked and Roman shook his head.

  “No one I know would ring my doorbell and no one I know is desperate or stupid enough to ring my doorbell at this hour,” he explained.

  “What if it’s an emergency?” Quinn argued and Roman made a soft shushing sound.

  “That’s what the police and firemen are for,” he said as he kissed his way down his chin. The doorbell rang again and they heard pounding.

  “You should get that,” Quinn said and Roman sighed as he rolled out of the bed and strode for the door. “Not like that!” He yelled and Roman slid him a glare as he turned then bent and swiped at the floor.

  “Will this work?” He asked as he held up his jock strap.

  “No. What if there’s a child or an elderly person?” Quinn said and Roman snorted as he went around the bed.

  “I’ll call the police. They have no business ringing my doorbell at this hour.” He went into his closet and found a robe and pulled it on. Quinn was stepping into his trousers as Roman tied the belt around his waist. Someone leaned on the bell and beat at the door and they exchanged gla
nces as they rushed into the hall. Mr. Bishop was hastily dressing himself in pajamas and a robe as he stumbled toward the door. Grigore was disheveled and wrapped in a quilt as he peeked from the kitchen. Mr. Bishop looked to Roman and he nodded for him to open the door.

  “It’s about bloody time!” Darius roared as he pushed a blindfolded Jenna over the threshold and Quinn swore as he ran down the stairs.

  “What happened?” He demanded as Mr. Bishop shut the door.

  “Please get dressed and get the car,” Roman told him and he bowed and left.

  “Do something about her!” Darius demanded and Jenna huffed as she ripped the blindfold off.

  “Do something?” She said indignantly then slowly turned in the middle of Roman’s foyer. She stopped when she spotted them on the stairs. “Wow.”

  “The robe was a good call,” Roman said.

  “I guess this could get worse,” Quinn decided as he crossed his arms to cover his chest and Roman looked down to make sure everything was covered. They were still quite a sight. Quinn was just in his trousers and looked completely fucked and Roman was just barely decent in his robe and looked like he was ready to get completely fucked again.

  “Welcome to my home!” Roman said loudly as he waited for someone to explain.

  “I’ve done everything I can to discourage her but she’s determined to get herself killed,” Darius said as he pointed at Jenna and she shrugged as she hugged her arms then pirouetted as she scanned.

  “You don’t look like you’re the sort who needs to compensate for any…erm…shortcomings. Deep childhood trauma?” Jenna asked Roman as she gestured around them and he nodded.

  “The crushing pressure of my parents’ expectations,” he said.

  “Ohhhh!” she pouted sympathetically then sighed. “He wasn’t responding to the messages I was sending to the number he gave me and Quinn wouldn’t help me get in touch with him,” she said accusatively and Roman raised a brow at Quinn.

  “So she gets herself lost in Brixton or Stockwell and starts calling my name once she finds trouble,” Darius said.