by AJ Sherwood
The bed, being gentle and supportive, didn’t hold his long absences against him. Instead, she wrapped him up in a cocoon of softness and lulled him immediately to sleep.
Kyou slept so hard that even his REM cycle was sleeping. It took considerable concentration to figure out why he was being drawn out of the lovely darkness and to a more conscious state. Something was ringing? Or pinging? It was an annoying sound, anyway.
Rolling over, he snuggled more firmly into his cocoon of blankets and pillows and soundly tried to ignore it.
Then, of course, it became more insistent. Louder. It changed tones altogether from a blaring noise to his own voice yelling: “Get out of bed! He’s in trouble, get out of bed!”
Kyou’s eyes popped open. Shit! Rolling, he scrambled gracelessly for the phone charging on his nightstand, nearly knocking it off in the process of snatching it up. He had to pry open his left eye with thumb and finger to get it all the way up and be able to read his screen.
A red alert banner flashed over the screen: Brannigan Genovese. Hitmen.
Oh god. Kyou could just feel his brain cramping at seeing those words combined. It felt like acid reflux building up in his chest, too. Someone had said those words, his program picking it up and reporting it. Kyou double tapped the banner with his finger and an audio recording popped up. The program was set to record everything and then parse out thirty seconds before and after the keyword was said, sending the audio clip to him so he had something of context to work from.
A high-pitched voice demanded in a sharp tone, “I want to know who did this. It’s likely someone Brannigan Genovese hired, but I want names.”
“Shouldn’t we do something about Genovese? He’s becoming a problem,” a deeper, gruffer voice said.
Fucking shit, the O’Conners were definitely not taking this laying down. Kyou scrambled into clothes, yanking on jeans and a sweater, shoving his feet into the first shoes at hand.
“He’s not becoming a problem, he is a problem. I want him taken care of, too. Which one of our boys can take him?”
“Not sure if anyone can. The security around him is no joke. This might need a pro, an assassin. Man’s got someone hacking for him. It’ll take someone on the top of their game to get through his guard.”
Kyou would be proud of his work right then if it didn’t mean he’d partially be responsible for Brannigan’s death. No, that wasn’t the right way to look at this. He’d get Brannigan out of the line of fire. THEN take on the Irish Mob, because by god, they weren’t taking Brannigan from him.
“A hacker? Dammit, no wonder he’s wormed his way so skillfully into our backyard. Alright, get me a list of hitmen. Or post it on that site of yours, see if anyone’s willing to take it. I want Brannigan Genovese dead in three days. And get me the name of those thrice-cursed bastards that killed my men.”
“Yeah, boss.”
The clip ended there. Kyou frantically sprinted back to his computer and slammed commands into his system, searching for Brannigan’s location. There. He wasn’t home, he was at the park of all places. With such nice weather, of course he was outside and enjoying it, like half of the city.
But that meant he was close. Ten minutes away, in fact.
Facts careened through his head like a ping pong ball. The alarm had gone off for almost forty-five minutes before it had succeeded in waking Kyou. Forty-five minutes was a long time for people with a vendetta to work with. Kyou checked the dark web for any hints of a hit posted to take out Brannigan Genovese.
He found one in seconds.
Fucking dammit! It wasn’t taken yet, but that was only a matter of time. A short amount of time, as the hit was a cool million and of course the contract was fucking open. First come, first served. That would be snatched up fairly quickly. Kyou stood there shaking with indecision for three seconds. It felt like an eternity as his mind raced through possibilities. Ivan was still likely asleep at this point and on the other side of the city. So were Ari and Carter, and they weren’t ready to move out; they were focused on house repairs. That meant it was Kyou, and only Kyou, who was the feasible choice in snatching Brannigan up and into a safe house before a hitman could find him.
Was he overreacting? The possibility was there, but Kyou couldn’t think rationally where Brannigan was concerned. Emotions swirled through him, almost too fast to label and name—anxiety, panic, fear. This was too soon. He wasn’t ready. Not for any of this.
Determination knocked it all aside. He wasn’t ready, fine. When had Kyou ever been perfectly ready before shit hit the fan? He couldn’t let it stop him from safeguarding Brannigan now. That was the priority over everything else. Kyou swore some more, but even as the words poured out of his mouth, he was locking his computer down to prevent tampering, snatching up keys and wallet, and hurtling out of the apartment.
He kept the tracking beacon up on his phone so he could keep an eye on Brannigan’s whereabouts. His Jeep roared as he fired it up and backed it out of the space. Usually it was the guys intercepting a target and moving them quickly out of the line of fire. It felt strange to do it himself. Surely it was that role reversal making his nerves hop and tangle together like live wires.
No. No, it probably wasn’t.
Kyou shoved the thought and feelings aside as he made his way to the park. The red traffic light nearly gave him a hernia. How did the guys do this on a regular basis? Move, knowing that seconds counted? He much preferred life on the other side of the screen over doing this in real life.
He thumbed through his contacts, dialing Brannigan’s number, hands flexing nervously over the wheel as he waited for the man to pick up. He’d never called Brannigan from his actual phone before. Sign of the times, as Aiden would put it.
“Hello?”
“Bran, it’s K.”
“Hello, K.”
“Meet me at the east park entrance. The one across from the Starbucks. Now.”
The jittery tone got through to Brannigan, and he asked sharply, “What’s going on?”
“The O’Conners just put a hit out on you. Open contract, for a million dollars. Move, Bran!”
Something like the sound of a book snapping shut, and then the pounding of footsteps going at a dead run came through the speaker. Brannigan was running but didn’t sound out of breath. Then again, he was one of those disgusting people who routinely exercised. “Are you sure? Wait, are you coming to get me yourself?”
“Yes, I’m damned well sure, which is why I’m having a hernia right now. And yes, I’m coming to get you myself because this contract has been live for over thirty minutes and I’m the only one close to you right now.” Kyou spied an open spot near the park entrance. It was meant for fire and emergency, but he didn’t care as he swung into it. “I’m in a green Jeep, pulling up now. Get in.”
He hung up as he saw the man. Brannigan was definitely in ‘off’ mode, wearing jeans, tennis shoes, and a white cardigan that made him look like a model. Then again, the man could just be wearing boxers and look like a model. It likely had nothing to do with the clothes. He had a book tucked up under his arm, phone clutched in his free hand. Spotting the Jeep, he went straight for it, yanking open the door.
Then stopped dead and stared, green eyes flaring wide. There was an astonished quality to Brannigan’s voice as he asked, “K?”
Kyou belatedly realized that he looked like he had just rolled out of bed. He looked disheveled and wild compared to this man. But he forced that flash of consternation aside. There wasn’t time for that feeling right now. “Yeah. Get in, Bran.”
Brannigan needed another second, seemingly lost for words, then mutely got in and shut the door. As he reached for a seatbelt, Kyou darted back into traffic, just driving for now. They were safe at the moment because no one could ID Kyou’s car, nor even suspect Brannigan was in it. But they couldn’t drive forever.
“My God,” Brannigan breathed, staring at Kyou intently. “You are not at all what I expected.”
Kyou fough
t down a flush. “Didn’t expect to see me in the flesh, I know.”
“No, I figured that would happen,” Brannigan refuted. “Your friends seemed quite invested in making sure we met. I gave that a matter of time. No, what surprises me is that you’re attractive. I would have pegged you for one of those skeletal geeks that forgets to eat all the time.”
“In this line of work, you have to run for it sometimes.” Kyou didn’t know why he was feeling defensive that he was, in fact, in fairly decent shape. Considering. “Like now. I expected more panic on your part.”
Brannigan snorted. “After seeing how your family deals with emergencies, I’m not at all worried. But that does beg the question, do you have a plan for what to do? I’ve never had a hitman after me before.”
Kyou shot him a bland look before randomly taking the next right.
“…I have had a contract on my life before?” Brannigan’s voice steadily rose. “When? And why the fuck didn’t you tell me?”
“It would have just given you heart failure. I took care of it. It’s just, normally I have better preparations in place for this sort of thing. Right now, everyone’s out of position. Bad timing. I had to come get you myself.” It was up to Kyou to fix this, though, that was still true. Especially since it was his crazy friends partially responsible for this mess. Kyou shot Brannigan a look, but really, he couldn’t afford to just blindly drive like this. And he needed to keep Brannigan close until they figured everything out. It was inevitable that he’d find out about the rest of his crew. Swearing, Kyou punched in the phone button on his steering wheel. “Call Widow.”
Brannigan studied him with curiosity as the phone rang.
It picked up with a cheery, “Hi, Uncle Kyou!”
Brannigan choked.
Ignoring him, Kyou answered, “Hey, princess. I need some help, ASAP.”
She must have heard the tension in his voice and immediately became all business-like. “What’s wrong? Do I need to call everyone else?”
“Yeah, we’ll need the team on this one. But do something for me first. I need an eval on my system, make sure it’s clean. Get that running for me.”
“On it.”
Brannigan hissed at him, “You have a niece? No, that’s not my question. Why the hell are you calling your niece for help?”
“Because I’ve been training her for almost two years, and she’s one of the most brilliant hackers I’ve had the pleasure of knowing,” Kyou answered flatly. “And if you’re very, very lucky, she’ll decide that she likes you.”
Brannigan weighed that for a moment. “And if she doesn’t?”
“Hell.”
There was a giggle on the other end of the line. “Hi, Brannigan! I’m glad I get to meet you soon. Uncle K, what happened that you went IRL?”
“Bad shit, princess. Someone’s after him and I had to intervene. I know your dads are fixing that leak; are they at the house?”
“One is. Papa’s at the store getting stuff,” she answered. “Who do you need me to pull?”
“Everyone but Lollipop.” Although he would have to text him later, keep him abreast of things. Aiden hated to be left out of the loop.
“Roger that.” There was a furious clacking of keys, like a stampede of elephants. Then a gusty sigh. “Your system’s clean. Apartment’s being watched, though. Why?”
“No idea. Could be because it’s Genovese property.” Kyou swore some more. When did they start watching his apartment? Hopefully after he’d left.
Brannigan choked. Again. If his eyes got any wider, they might fall out of his head altogether.
Ignoring him, Kyou continued, “I’m heading to Safe House 4. Can you meet me there with my backup laptop?”
“Sure thing. I can take a Lyft, meet you there?”
“No, wait for your dads. I don’t trust you and Lyfts.”
“But I haven’t been able to beat anyone up in ages,” she complained with a whine.
“I blame Eidolon for teaching you that. We don’t have time, princess. We’re in hot shit right now.”
“Yeah, okay. See you there.”
Brannigan waited until the phone call disconnected before forcing out in a rasp, “Who does she beat up?”
“Stalkers, for the most part. Child abusers. Listen to me, Bran, that kid looks like a sweet, innocent angel on the surface. Do not be stupid enough to buy into her act. She’s being raised by an assassin, mercenary, hacker, and thief. I’m the sanest one of the group, aside from Lollipop, and he was crazy enough to marry the insane Russian thief, so I don’t know how much faith I have in his sanity. You understand me? Do not upset her. And don’t be condescending. Trust me, she can flatten you.”
Brannigan was watching him with those green, green eyes that seemed to see everything. “She’s it, isn’t she? She’s the reason why you weren’t sure it was a good reason for me to meet you. To be able to ID you.”
Kyou’s hands tightened even further around the wheel. Yes, she was the reason. One of the reasons. The other was…entirely more personal. “Part of it.”
“Okay, I’m less mad at you now. The safety of a child always takes precedence.”
“So you were mad at me before?”
“Obviously. I was getting really tired of this long-distance. If I’d known that imminent danger would make you fly to my rescue, I’d have tried it before now.”
“God, don’t you dare! I have enough grey hairs because of you as it is!” Kyou gave him a dirty look because he could just feel the smugness radiating off of Brannigan.
Despite the fact that people were out for his blood, Brannigan was all smiles as he leaned in, trailing light fingers along Kyou’s arm. It left a tingle dancing along his skin, despite the cloth barrier. “I promise I will stop. As long as you don’t pull a disappearing act on me ever again.”
“What is this, blackmail?”
“It’s only blackmail if it’s working. Is it working, Kyou?”
“You’re being very smug right now, and I don’t appreciate it.”
“Of course I’m fucking smug. I finally get to see you, touch you, and I have a proper name for you. So the K really was attached to your real name, huh? What’s your last name?”
“I don’t have one.” Kyou glanced down at the fingers tightening over his arm before he looked at Brannigan’s face. The man looked entirely stubborn, with his jaw clenched. He didn’t believe Kyou. “No, seriously, I don’t. Some social worker gave me a last name as an infant. I was a foundling, dropped off at a fire station. Once I was free of foster care, I didn’t want to hang onto any of the names other people had given me. They were meaningless. I have a couple of fake identities, but I don’t need a last name with my…family.”
“So it’s only Kyou.” Brannigan looked thoughtful, his fingers relaxing although they didn’t leave Kyou’s arm. “Okay. Where is Safe House 4, Kyou?”
“You’ll see shortly.” Heaven help him.
7
Brannigan
Brannigan didn’t quite know what to feel at the moment. On the one hand, heart-stopping terror at being the target of hitmen. On the other, joyous elation that he’d finally met Kyou and had him at hand. He finally sent both emotions to a back alley to duke it out. He had to focus properly on the here and now.
Safe House 4 was on the outskirts of the city, a cream-colored duplex that looked like an old-fashioned gabled house. It was attractive with its bay windows on both stories, the red brick skirting around the bottom, and the brick stairs leading up to the doors. This wasn’t at all what Brannigan expected Kyou to pull up to. When they said ‘safe houses’ in the movies, it was always some abandoned warehouse or a house in the middle of nowhere. But this looked very upscale and nice. Kyou pulled them into the garage smoothly, keying something into his phone to do so, and it was only after it was closed that he unlocked the doors.
Then he sat there, head resting on the top of the wheel.
Brannigan stood by the words he’d said earlier. Kyou was star
tlingly attractive. His short, inky black hair wasn’t styled, and he’d obviously dressed in a rush, but that didn’t detract from the man’s overall appeal. He looked like one of those Korean actors his sister drooled over. (Brannigan would only privately admit to also doing some drooling.) He was…cute. Brannigan hadn’t expected the man to be cute.
He also looked to be at his wit’s end and was obviously exhausted. The panda eyes were serious enough to look like bruises. Brannigan felt like apologizing for wearing him out, but really, it was Kyou who had taken everything on. He’d never listened to Brannigan.
It still felt strange and surreal that he could reach out, run a hand up and down the man’s back. “Hey. Breathe. I’m okay, aren’t I? And the guys are coming.”
Kyou let out a long sigh. “That’s what I’m worried about.”
“Why?” Brannigan firmly stamped any trace of amusement out of his voice.
Turning his head, Kyou stared at him steadily. “You’re enjoying this.”
“I’m really happy right now,” Brannigan said, mostly apologetic. “I know that you moved to protect me, but you still came for me yourself. I’ve been wishing for this day for years. You finally trust me enough.”
Kyou’s expression twisted up in a grimace. “It was never about trust. Hell, Bran. You’ve never betrayed a person in your life. I know that. But I’m not a safe person. People know me—I’ve got enemies. If you’re known to be with me, that makes you a target too.”
“Is that what this has been about?” Brannigan’s overall picture of the situation took a sharp dip and twist. “You’ve been keeping your distance this whole time to protect me?”
“Did you really think it was because I don’t trust you?”
“You never gave me any other reason for it.”
The grimace turned into a wince. “God, I didn’t want you to think that. I just…worried. I’m still worried. And I know you’re happy to meet my family, but they’re crazy. Ivan especially is crazy. You really don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”
