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“I can stitch you up.”

“First, let’s deal with your brother.”

Colton nodded. “Let’s do something about this, though.”

Ze agreed and they rinsed the blood away and sanitized the wound before applying bandages. “So, what language was that you were speaking in?”

Colton smiled. “It’s passed down through the generations, our own language. It was how we could communicate about what we do without ever risking spies or the law knowing what we’re talking about. Even still, we talk in code, for he most part, for double protection, you could say.”

Ze pursed his lips, impressed by what he’d just learned about his man and Colton kissed them. “Slick bastard,” Ze said after their kiss was broken.

Colton shrugged. “Can’t help myself, especially when you pucker them like that.”

Ze smiled and as soon as Colton was done tying the bandage, his cell phone began to ring. He answered it, putting it back on speaker.

“Tiger, is he with you?” This time, it was Colton’s mother’s voice that came through the phone in English.

“Tiger?” Ze mouth the name, an eyebrow cocked inquisitively.

Colton shook his head with a roll of his eyes. He put a finger on Ze’s lips to keep him silent. “He is.”

“What do you plan to do with him?” his mother asked, using their language.

“There’s something going on between us, boss,” Colton said in kind. “I can’t explain it, but we connected.”

“Your cock in his ass is not a connection. Not to mention, he’s beneath you,” Helena said in English and Colton knew it was because she wanted Ze to know how she felt about them being together.

Ze scoffed and arched both eyebrows as he looked at Colton’s phone as if the woman were present to see his expression. If the tone of her voice was any indicator of who she was as a woman, Ze considered her to be a ball buster for sure. He saw what effect she had over Colton and that was over the phone.

“It’s more than that. I won’t leave his side. Call off Scorpion.”

“So, we’re forfeiting this job?” Helena asked, switching back to their language.

“Yes, boss.”

“I’m very disappointed in you, Tiger. We will have a discussion. For now, I will call off Scorpion. But you need to be aware… another is coming for that biker. You may have stopped yourself and your… Scorpion from capitalizing on the bounty, but you may not be able to save him. You’ll get no help from the business.” With that, she ended the call and the screen returned to the homepage.

“So, that was your boss?” Ze asked.

Colton licked his lips and nodded. “Also known as my mother.”

“She seems… nice,” Ze said.

Colton chuckled as he dialed his brother back. Again, he put it on speaker. “Where are you?” he asked in English.

“Heading home, why?”

“Do you know who the other curator is?” Colton asked, using the coded term for assassin because they referred to their marks as art to be “collected” which meant killed.

“Why should I tell you?”

“Please.”

There was a long pause. “Shadow Fox,” Nathan said finally.

“Fuck,” Colton cursed. “Thanks.”

“Are you really planning on protecting him?” Nathan asked, switching to their language.