Authors: SE Jakes
Paulo turned back to Law. “At least now I know your first name. But that doesn’t mean I don’t get to tie you down.”
Paulo almost smiled at the growl the blond man named Styx emitted after his comment about tying LC down.
Law
. Granted, Paulo had known LC’s real name was Lawrence Connor because he’d investigated his past—he’d just been waiting for LC to tell Paulo himself and it had killed him not to be able to use it. And that asshole CIA guy was probably the only one LC let call him that. So yeah, the pleasure at the zing was short-lived because he was the one getting screwed in this situation.
Law.
It suited the handsome man whose hair was a darker blond than both his and Styx’s.
He wasn’t even touching Styx’s comment regarding his past. Styx, who was glaring between him and Law, even as Law gave him a small grin. “It’s a deal.”
“I hate to interrupt this magic moment,” Styx started, and Paulo broke away from Law, fisted his hands and went toe-to-toe with Styx. The agent was a few inches taller than he was, but Paulo had taken on bigger and badder in his time, and he wasn’t going to let this motherfucker think Paulo would kowtow to him.
“Then don’t.”
“Got yourself a bodyguard, Law?” Styx asked with a grin Paulo itched to punch off his face.
Law stepped in between them, his hand on Paulo’s shoulder, tugging him back even as Paulo demanded, “Why aren’t we getting the hell out of here if it’s so dangerous?”
“Look, cop—”
Paulo knew it was time to push Styx. “If I don’t start hearing an explanation now, I’m calling my precinct.”
“Try it,” Styx told him through gritted teeth.
“Come on, Paulo. We’ll figure it out,” Law told him, and Paulo turned from Styx back to him. He was grateful Law was safe and in one piece, and wasn’t ready to tell him about the photos in the assassin’s pocket. Styx would have to let them both in on everything soon enough, and Law already looked wrecked.
“There’s nothing to figure out—you’ll listen to me and do what I say,” Styx persisted, and Paulo didn’t have to worry about punching the shit out of Styx, because Law was mad enough for both of them.
“What the hell are we supposed to do now? Hide out in some shithole until you catch whoever’s shooting at us?” Law demanded, no doubt partly to distract him from the pissing contest he appeared to be in with Paulo.
Styx eyed him coolly. “Yes. Tell the cop to give me his phone. And then I’m taking both of you into protective custody.”
Law shook his head. “You’ve got to be kidding me. What—now we’re going into witness protection for reasons unknown? Bullshit.”
“I know the reasons.” Styx’s eyes met Paulo’s and the two men came to a silent agreement. “Like I said, I’ve been trying to avoid this for months.”
“Why’s it taken that long? Oh, wait, that’s SOP for the CIA,” Law muttered. “Who got killed here tonight?”
“You don’t have the clearance for that intel,” Styx told him, and Paulo watched the fireworks between these men with great interest. The tension there was extreme—sexual and otherwise, and Paulo couldn’t believe he was stuck in the middle of them.
“So let me get this straight—the three of us have to hole up together so we don’t get killed?” Paulo asked, and Styx nodded, looking as grim at that prospect as Paulo felt. “For how long?”
“As long as it takes.”
“I am going to need way more of an explanation than that, Styx.” Law ran a hand through his hair, his irritation mounting as evidenced by the tension in his shoulders. Paulo put a hand on one of them, because no matter what, Law was safe for now.
“We can’t hang around here to discuss this,” Styx told him. “I’ll tell you more when we get someplace a little less public, all right?”
“You weren’t worried about that earlier,” Law growled, and Paulo made a mental note to find out what that was all about, but first he put his hand on Law’s arm.
“There was an assassin I shot. He had pictures of us in his pocket,” he told Law, who stared between him and Styx.
Paulo actually felt bad for the agent, because Styx looked at Law the way Paulo felt…and why would you stay away from someone you loved so damned much?
None of this made sense, but it appeared he’d have nothing but time on his hands to unravel it.
Chapter Two
Law was practically vibrating with frustration and his mind was swimming in questions, but he forced himself into soldier mode to tamp it all down.
If assassins had come here to take him out—and Paulo—then it was time to let the CIA do its job. He could worry about kicking Styx’s ass later. Right now, getting Paulo someplace safe and finding out what he’d had to do out there was top priority.
“I need both your phones before we move,” Styx reiterated to him. Law pulled it out of his pocket and caught a text message from Damon. He scrolled through to see a
we’re here safe and sound
message.
When he looked up at Styx, the man relented a little as if reading his mind. “Worried about Damon?”
“He’s away for a couple of weeks—Europe,” Law admitted, because he wouldn’t worry Damon about this while he was taking a well-deserved vacation with Tanner. “I’ll just text him back now, but I’ll need to check in with emails and a call at some point, too.”
Styx nodded and Law finished a quick text to Damon, grateful he didn’t have to face his friend directly, and then handed over his phone.
He turned his attention back to Paulo. It must be hard for him to stand there and do nothing, especially after what happened in the restaurant, but he was handling himself well under the pressure. Because of their various backgrounds dealing with all types of violence and mayhem, none of them did vulnerable or flying blind well, but Law trusted Styx. Of course, he understood why Paulo didn’t.
“I’ll need your gun and your badge, too,” Styx told Paulo, the command in his voice unmistakable, and Law tried to forget about the hand jobs they’d given each other.
Because if he could forget, he wouldn’t have to admit it to Paulo. Normally, he’d go by the code of say nothing, but that wasn’t going to work in this situation.
“I can’t just not show up for work, asshole. I’m not getting fired because of you,” Paulo said, but he did hand Styx his badge and then his gun with the safety on.
Law could smell that it had been recently fired. Paulo saved his life—probably many others inside the restaurant as well. “He’s right, Styx.”
Styx looked at Paulo for a long, hard minute. “I’ll get you a throw-away phone in the morning. As for work, you’ll have to take leave.”
“I’m not taking a leave of absence. Who the fuck are you and why did that man have us in his sights?” he asked Styx, but Law pulled him back.
“You need to explain this,” he told his former lover.
Styx’s partner came back then, just in time to step in between Styx and Paulo. “Dial it down, you two. Detective, cut the shit and hand over the phone. Styx will explain more once you get to a safe location, and I shouldn’t have to explain this kind of SOP to a cop. You’re on a need-to-know basis for now. In other news, the safe house won’t be ready till morning. Tonight, you get a beautiful motel by the airport. In the next state. And extra ammo. Sorry, but this is the way it has to be, at least for now. Your lives are on the line. The CIA doesn’t hide people for nothing.”
That was the truth, and while it sent a chill through Law, it seemed to calm Paulo down, at least for the moment. Styx took that opportunity to usher all of them into a waiting truck while Tomcat remained inside the restaurant.
“I don’t like this any more than you do,” Law told Paulo after opening the back door for him.
Paulo got in next to him, sat close by and Law fought a ridiculous urge to hold his hand.
“Fuck, I’m sorry,” was all he said.
“Not your fault.” Still, Paulo’s voice—his bearing—was tight. “You trust him?”
“I do. He wouldn’t hurt me.” Even as he spoke those words, he heard Paulo’s laugh and knew how fucking ridiculous he sounded. “He won’t hurt us like that. He’s got to be telling the truth.”
“Yeah, feds never lie.”
“He wouldn’t put my life in danger. I’ll get the truth from him.” He ran a hand along Paulo’s thigh, heard Paulo’s soft snort in the dark.
Paulo finally handed Law his phone. “This definitely wasn’t the date I had planned.”
Styx bristled at Paulo’s mention of his date with Law. Maybe Paulo would want to know what his date had done tonight with Styx but hell, he wouldn’t be that much of a prick.
Not yet, anyway.
And then Law handed Styx Paulo’s phone and Styx pocketed it and made a mental note to hand it over to Tomcat in the morning. Right after he checked it out to make sure nothing suspicious showed, although really, Styx was almost positive the young detective had nothing to do with what was happening in his life.
No, that had been his own doing. He checked the rearview, caught a glimpse of Paulo looking back at him. The two men would be circling each other in a pissing contest—one that had already started back inside the restaurant.
What a clusterfuck. Styx’s hands could tremble just thinking about how close he’d come to losing Law, and he was glad he could grip the wheel to steady them. A few seconds later and Law would’ve been in the hallway and in the shooter’s sights.
As it was, an innocent man had been shot—according to Tomcat, the EMTs got him to the hospital in time—he was in surgery and expected to live. And now Styx had Law—safe and sound and all kinds of angry, in the backseat, plus some unexpected baggage.
Paulo was a beautiful man—not a twink, no, he was hard-edged, masculine and a goddamned suspicious bastard. Protective of Law, too, and while Styx appreciated that, he’d appreciate Paulo getting his hands off Law even more.
Law’s not yours anymore.
And Styx had no right to expect him to wait around, but a big part of him hoped he had. And Law had, at least until three months ago when he’d called Styx and told him he was done—and then he’d nearly gotten himself killed and Styx had gotten his head out of his ass and went to the hospital.
That was when he’d found Paulo by Law’s side.
With that single visit, he’d brought Armageddon down on their heads, although it had always hovered there. Styx just hadn’t realized how close, and that chilled him.
He’d left Law to keep him out of danger, but that danger had never stopped lurking around Law, looking for another way inside. It found it and now Paulo was in danger too, by association.
Paulo, a cop with a lost-boy past…a smile that made Styx hard and he guessed Law as well—and it appeared he’d found a way to make Law happy.
And Styx had fucked it up again.
Law knew that the walls of this shithole would close in on all of them before the twenty-four hour mark. They’d driven for hours—he noted they’d crossed into Virginia. There was still a chill in the air, despite the promise of spring just around the corner, when Styx ushered them into the block of rooms.
He’d actually called it a suite, but it was just two motel rooms with doors opened between them located near the airport. Each room had one double bed, a chair and not much else. Considering the men only had the clothes on their backs and some sodas Styx had grabbed at the vending machine when he’d checked them in, these conditions were Spartan at best, reminded Law of his Delta days.
Except then he’d had weapons and plans. Now, he had no real explanations and a lot of pent-up anger he was trying hard to control in order to keep Paulo from flipping.
“A better place tomorrow,” Styx assured them, which was really no assurance at all.
“You’d better get the full story from him,” Paulo muttered to Law.
“I’m right here, you know,” Styx said.
“Then start talking.” Paulo moved toward Styx and Law, once again, stepped in.
“Start talking, Styx. This is bullshit.”
“I said, tomorrow.” Styx growled the words and went to work on securing the first door from the inside before heading to the second room and doing the same there, propping the back of it with a chair pressed to the knob. He also put up some kind of alarm, strung along the top of the doorjamb.
Paulo moved to the doorway that separated the rooms, was watching Styx carefully. Law wanted nothing more than to pull Paulo into bed with him, but he knew the younger man had too much anger, too many questions for that. He needed to get them out of this room and away from Styx. Styx, who threw himself on the bed in the first room and stretched out shamelessly. He’d strip next—Law was sure of it, and so Law tugged Paulo through the opening of the second room and said, “Take the bed, Paulo.”
Paulo stared at him and then surprised him by asking, “You joining me or him?”
“You, if there’s an invite.”
Styx snorted from the other room. “The Law I knew didn’t ask—he’d take what he wanted.”
“He does—trust me on that.” Paulo managed to not sound the least bit defensive.
That would shut Styx up for maybe five minutes. But Law had just as many questions as they all did and the most right to know the answers.
“He’s here because of you, and he’s got to stay here because of you, so deal with him listening in,” he told Styx.
“Not tonight,” Styx called.
Why, when Law dreamed of this man, did he not recall what a complete pain in the ass he could be—because he’d always been, most definitely.
“Keep the door open,” Styx said but Law slammed it closed as he spoke. Styx didn’t come to open it and Law turned and found Paulo waiting, watching him carefully.
None of them would be getting any sleep—and having sex seemed doubtful—and man, this was going to be a long-assed night.
Paulo leaned against the dresser that held a small TV and watched Law wrestle with his feelings. He could practically hear the wheels turning, as he had the entire car ride here when none of them spoke and Styx had turned the music up to ensure they wouldn’t have to.
There was so much goddamned tension—sexual, emotional—that Paulo wanted to punch his fist through the wall, but that would solve nothing.
His innate ability to read people helped him tremendously in both his career and his personal life. And although, just like Law, Styx had his brick walls built high around him, there was one thing that was crystal clear. Styx pined for Law as much as Law had for him—Paulo could see it easily in the agent’s eyes. Which meant that this threesome was about to get a hell of a lot more interesting.