Authors: SE Jakes
“Law, come on.”
Styx was shaking him hard and at first Law thought it was one of Styx’s dreams. But it wasn’t. He sat up and saw the worry in Styx’s eyes. “What the hell?”
“It’s Paulo. He’s hurt.”
“Shit.” Law got out of bed and yanked on clothes, didn’t waste time asking questions because they’d have a long drive for that. Styx was already packing for them—handed Law a rifle and a gun, and together they left the house under the cover of darkness.
Styx drove along the old country roads, full of snow and ice, and Law tried to tamp down the panic about Paulo.
“What did Tomcat say?” he asked finally.
“Not much,” Styx said grimly. “The doc’s with Paulo now—apparently, he’s pretty beat up.”
“What happened?”
“I think he and Tomcat tried to go after my father.”
“Fuck.” Law took a long drink from the soda he’d grabbed on the way out. “How much longer?”
“Couple of hours. Tomcat will call with updates as soon as he gets them. But he’s okay, Law. I know that.”
Law did too. There was a connection there and he would’ve felt the loss. “He needs us.”
“That’s why we’re headed there.”
Seventy-two hours had passed since Paulo left. “How could the hit men have found him—I thought Tomcat took care of the leak?”
“He would’ve kept Paulo’s whereabouts private either way,” Styx said, his voice dark with anger. “This had to be some crazy fucking plan of Tomcat’s that Paulo went along with.”
It would certainly explain Paulo’s shift in attitude, and it had happened after talking with Tomcat. Everything was starting to fall into place now—and Law knew there wasn’t anything Paulo wouldn’t do to help get them out of their dangerous situation.
“Tomcat’s been good to you. Give him the benefit of the doubt, all right?” Law reminded him, then stopped the preaching because he needed to be quiet in order to hold it together. He watched the road with Styx, listened to the weather on the radio and finally, after what seemed like forever, they were in the underground hospital parking lot on level seven, where Tomcat was waiting to take them up the elevator typically reserved for staff only.
“He’s going to be all right—the doc was just with him,” was all Tomcat said before he ushered them into a private room on the sixth floor. It was in the corner and a guard stood inside the room for now, in front of the curtain.
It hadn’t been that long ago that Law himself lay in the hospital bed in pain and pissed and scared because Paulo had come to see him.
Scared, because he knew he’d have to push the man away. Now, Law and Styx stopped short of going to the bed where Paulo lay, and Law heard Styx pull in a rough breath.
“It looks worse than it is,” Tomcat told them, but his face was slightly ashen. “He’s fine—you can talk to the doctor and he’ll tell you.”
Law chose to believe that because he needed to cling to something, and he pushed past him to get to Paulo.
He’d been worked over good—but his face bore less of the damage than his chest. Yes, there were multiple bruises and a split lip, a knot on his forehead at his hairline, but the bruises clustered on his right side worried Law the most. He put a hand out that hovered over them as if that could heal him and oh, how he wished that were true.
“Jesus Christ,” Styx whispered from the other side of the bed, his face pale.
“He’ll rouse, but they’ve got him pretty well snowed because of the pain,” Tomcat explained. “He’s got to stay here for a few days and after that—”
“He comes back to the cabin with us,” Styx told him and got no argument. “You going to tell us what happened?”
“Yeah, I will,” Tomcat said, his voice heavy with recrimination. “It’s his family—they were threatened.”
“And you didn’t tell me?”
“No, I didn’t. This was Paulo’s call to make.”
“Why the hell are you trying to shield me?”
“Because someone has to,” Tomcat said fiercely. “They used you the first time and you paid a hell of a price. I swore to myself if things went down with your father again, I wouldn’t let you out there to hang yourself.”
“So you let Paulo instead.”
“The man can handle himself. You have no idea,” Tomcat told him. “He took out four of your father’s best men in this condition. And as soon as he wakes up, I can guarantee he’ll have more intel for me.”
“Why the hell would he do that? His family disowned him. Let them go into hiding. All they’re going to do is use this against him.” Law was so angry at Paulo’s family and even at Paulo, although he understood that Paulo’s guilt about his father’s prison term—and what he’d done to get there—ran too deep to shake.
“It’s all wrapped up in saving us, too,” Styx said quietly, and the two men held hands over Paulo as the man’s breathing stayed strong and even.
“What are you not telling me?” Law’s words were directed to Styx and Tomcat held up his hands and stepped back.
“My father didn’t want me back this time. He wanted me dead.”
“Ah, fuck.” Law ran his hands through his hair and glanced back at Paulo. “Did he know that?”
“I told him,” Tomcat said, and Styx took a step toward him.
“Styx, don’t. He did it for your own good. And Paulo knew what he was getting into.” Law put a hand on Styx’s wrist. “From now on, no more goddamned secrets. This affects all our lives, including Tomcat’s. So while Paulo’s recovering, we’ll have a war room conference here. And we’ll come up with something.”
Both Tomcat and Styx nodded, and Law took a breath.
“He could’ve told you. I left that up to him,” Tomcat added.
“So that’s why he picked the fight,” Law murmured.
“You can’t blame him for wanting to protect you,” Tomcat pointed out. “Can’t blame me either.”
“What about the getting beat-up part? Who do I blame for that?” Styx asked, but there was no rancor for his partner.
“Part of the plan. I was there to make sure it didn’t get too out of hand,” Tomcat said quietly. “I didn’t leave the other side of the wall. I waited until he called me—until he got what he needed. He was in control, Styx, even though what you’re seeing shows something different.”
Law didn’t want to think about what Paulo had submitted to on purpose. “Tell me it was worth it.”
“It was. I got an address, an alarm code and several other key pieces of intel because of Paulo’s bravery,” Tomcat said. “We’re so close—we’re there. It’s not going to be long now before we can put this behind us. Styx’s father’s angry at him—and anger makes people sloppy.”
Law nodded, because he agreed with that. And then he went to Paulo and took his hand, much in the same way Paulo had his when he was in the hospital a few months earlier. Leaned down, whispered, “We’re here,” in his ear while Styx went to the other side of the bed and smoothed the hair from Paulo’s face.
He continued holding the man’s hand as he told Tomcat and Styx, “We’re not leaving until he does.”
No one argued with him.
He fucking hated hospitals. But this time, Styx hadn’t remained behind the curtain, was with the two men the way he’d wanted to be three months earlier, before he’d put them all in danger.
He forced himself to stare at Paulo’s face and body.
Your fault.
And he had the strangest feeling this wasn’t the first time someone he loved had been harmed by his father.
Someone he loved…
He hadn’t ever thought about anyone but Law in those terms and now having those feelings about Paulo was natural.
But neither of the men here should love him—hell, they shouldn’t be involved with him at all. And with that thought, he moved away from the bed and went to leave the room.
Law stopped him, though.
“He’ll be all right,” Law told him… Law was comforting him this time, kissing his neck, his cheek, running his hands along Styx’s arms. “Come on, baby. You and I know he’s stronger than that.”
All Styx could do was press his face to Law’s shoulder. He hadn’t cried about any of this—not really—and now he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop. Here at Paulo’s bedside, realizing that his father nearly took away someone else from him—and wasn’t planning on stopping—his resolve strengthened. “I think you should take Paulo back to the cabin—”
“No,” Law said firmly. “We’re together in this. This one…” he motioned to Paulo, “…isn’t coming out with us when we go after the bastard.”
He let the
we
part go and agreed that Paulo was sitting the next round out.
Judging by the x-rays, his ribs were merely bruised, not broken, but Styx knew they’d still hurt like hell.
While Paulo slept, he catalogued those bruises, committing them to memory so they’d know exactly how to make those men pay.
“They wanted to put him through hell,” Law had whispered, and even though he’d seen far worse in his time, he still looked shattered. “I’m helping you finish this. I’m as much a part of it as you.”
Styx couldn’t deny that—or Law—any longer. Paulo had gone so far out on a limb, now it was their turn to finish it.
First, they would heal Paulo. And then maybe Styx could finally find a way to heal himself.
Chapter Fourteen
They stayed in the hospital room with Paulo, not leaving his side for four days. Tomcat himself guarded the door along with two other agents but he’d given Styx and Law a wide berth.
Finally, on the day they were taking Paulo back to the cabin, Tomcat came into the room and Styx left Law sitting by Paulo so he could set things right with Tomcat.
He’d forgiven his partner for the most part—Tomcat had stood by him when most men wouldn’t have. After all, he’d been saddled with Styx when he was young and pissed at the world—and had a target on his back.
Styx found out later that Tomcat had requested to be partnered with him.
“I knew you were loyal,” he’d explain later, and yes, that was one quality Styx had in spades.
Tomcat was thirty-six a tall-assed motherfucker with a penchant for men and women—sometimes at the same time—and Styx loved the hell out of him.
“You all kiss and make up?” Tomcat asked.
“Literally, yes.”
Tomcat smiled. “Well hell, Styx, I didn’t think you were that kinky.”
“Me neither.”
“What about me? You still pissed?”
“Yes.”
Tomcat took a slug of his coffee. “Paulo’s got a future with the agency. They don’t give a fuck that his old man’s a bigoted asshole.”
“I think that’s a requirement.”
That made Tomcat snort quietly—Styx knew he’d had a shitty childhood as well. Everyone in the agency who worked ops seemed to—some kind of issue with gaining control and never wanting to let it go. “True, that.”
Tomcat hailed from Louisiana—had some Cajun blood and some blue blood, and he still spoke with that low sweet drawl. “Am I losing a partner?” he asked now as Styx glanced back at Paulo and Law.
“Ah Christ, I’m not making any decisions until this is over.”
“It will be. And then you’ve got some nice ass to go home to.” Tomcat took another swig of coffee. His dark hair was tied back at the neck, kept long because of the op, but he wore more of a rocker goatee than a long scraggily beard. Dressed in all black—and with the jacket that bore the rocker of the motorcycle gang thrown into the backseat of his truck, he could easily pass for a rock star.
“What about you? I’m sure you’re getting plenty of ass.”
Tomcat smiled a little, but it wasn’t the wide-open smirk Styx had been expecting. “Holy fuck, don’t tell me you fell for someone in the middle of an op.”
“Yeah, because that would be wrong, and you’re leading by example.”
“Who is she? Or he?”
Tomcat gave him a sideways look. “He’s young.”
“Good luck with that. Try not to get arrested.”
“Not that young. He’s Special Forces. Twenty-five. It’s too crazy to even think about.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because he made me within an hour after sleeping with me. Nearly a year and a half—before this, how many missions and no one’s ever made me.”
“You think he’d tell anyone?”
“No way. He gets it.” Tomcat shook his head and then added, “He gets it a little too well.”
“What did he say?”
“He whispered, ‘I’d say FBI but I’ll bet you’d be insulted
.
’ And then he sucked my dick and I didn’t care.”
Styx shook his head and wondered what the hell was in the water these days.
He was high on pain meds and everything still goddamned hurt. And although he wasn’t sure where the hell he was, he was pretty sure he was alone.
Fuck.
“Paulo.”
Law’s voice. Law, on the bed with him. “I’m here.”
“Good for you,” he managed.
“Someone needs more happy pills.”
That was Styx. The men were lying on either side of him, making him the meat in this particular sandwich. He didn’t hear Tomcat and he wondered what Law and Styx knew about what had happened to him.
Then the pain made him not care all that much. He must’ve winced or groaned because Law was urging him, “Come on, take your pill.”
Paulo shook his head, and that’s when Law sucked his cock and Paulo’s jaw dropped and Styx put the pill in.
“Drink—don’t spit it out,” Styx admonished as Law sucked harder. Paulo did what he asked because he did not want that one sensation of pleasure to end.
He came fairly quickly, and while the orgasm was muted, it still made him able to drift back to sleep, but not before he heard Styx say, “Wait till the sponge bath.”
When he woke again, he was in the same place on the bed, the men were still with him, watching TV, and it was dark in the room. His head was still murky, but better than it had been earlier.
“Hey.” Law stroked his hair and Styx straightened the blankets.
“Where am I?”
“The cabin. You were in the hospital for four days but we didn’t want to risk more time so exposed like that,” Law explained.
“You guys came to the hospital?”
“We were both there,” Law said. “Nothing could’ve kept us away.”
Paulo closed his eyes as his head began to throb, and he felt like he was drifting off again. He didn’t want that, needed to be on alert. “You’re in more danger with me here, now.”