Page 5

Chapter Five

It’s three in the morning by the time I finally slide back into the back seat of one of David’s cars. He has a driver, so I don’t have to do much beyond making sure no one puts a hole in David’s head. No one chose to bother him this evening, so I was nothing more than a lap dog, trotting around and looking flashy with my gun on display.

When we arrive home, I pop the trunk to get my case out of it—I didn’t assume I’d need higher firepower for anything but had brought it along just in case. As I pull, the strap gets caught on the mat and pulls up the edge where I see something shimmery.

Reaching down, I pick up a ring with a rather large gemstone set in it.

Isn’t this Annabelle’s? The one from the photo?

I pull out my phone to snap a picture of it, but before I can, David plucks it out of my hand and turns it this way and that. “Must be Erin’s. Ronald was helping her move some shit last week.”

And off he goes, ring in hand. But when we step into the house where Ronald’s eyes are on us like a hawk on a mouse, David doesn’t hand him the ring. Instead, I watch as he slips it in his pocket and heads on his way.

Why the fuck is Ronald so damn suspicious? And why the hell wouldn’t David have given that ring to Ronald if he thought it was Erin’s?

I head up to my bedroom and pull out my phone, aware that Isaiah is likely asleep.

Me: I believe I found Annabelle’s ring in the trunk of the car. David claimed it was Erin’s, which would make sense for him to believe since we haven’t been chauffeuring around too many women.

Isaiah: You sure it was the same?

Me: Looked like it, but I could have been wrong. David took it to give to Ronald.

Isaiah: Can you get a picture of it? I can send it to the parents to verify.

Me: I’ll try.

I head back downstairs and go to David’s office, but he’s gone, likely stepping away for a moment to use the bathroom or something. But I see the ring sitting on his desk, so I head over to it and pick it up. I snap a picture of it before sending it off to Isaiah, and just as I’m turning away, I notice that David’s bank information is up.

At the very top is a withdrawal from the account, with the recipient an Annabelle Watson, dated yesterday.

Why the fuck is he paying Annabelle forty thousand dollars? Sure, in the realm of David’s money, that’s simply change, but for someone like her… that’d be more than she’d make in an entire year.

Is David paying her off for something?

Or is Ronald?

And if there’s money going into her account… why isn’t anyone seeing it? Or are the police not looking for her?

I hear footsteps coming down the hallway, telling me that David’s returning. There’d be no way I could escape through the door without him noticing, so I head over to his gun safe, the ones he collects but I’ve never seen him use, and start fiddling with it so when he comes in, I’m on my knees twirling the safe’s dial.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“Wishing I could get in here,” I say as I twirl it some more. “If you loved me, you’d let me in here.”

“You have your own guns. Get out of here.”

“I actually had a question.”

“What now?”

“How mad would you be if I went out on a date with the guy tailing you?”

“Not mad. Pissed.”

“Eh. That’s a bit much,” I respond with a grimace.

“Out.”

“Yes, sir,” I say as I hurry out and go upstairs to pester Isaiah some more.

Me: David or Ronald is paying off Annabelle. That means she’s alive, right?

Isaiah: What do you mean paying her off?

Me: There was a forty-thousand-dollar transfer to her account marked for yesterday. Honestly, if it’s a payoff, it has to be Ronald, right? I don’t feel like David is dumb enough to blatantly send money to someone’s account that could be this traceable. If people are looking for her, they could see the transaction in her account.

Isaiah: Was that the only one?

Me: Didn’t have time to peruse before I had company. I did ask said company if I had permission to go out on a date with you. He said, and I quote, “If you’re talking about that ultra-hot and tight-shirted man, then I give you all the permission in the world. The only issue I have is that I don’t get to ride that stallion.”

Isaiah: David said that?

Me: Word for word.

Isaiah: Stallion? He used that exact word?

Me: Yes.

Isaiah: I mean… he is a fine-looking man.

Me: Fuck. No. This is going all wrong.

Isaiah: It feels like it’s going very, very right.

Me: I’m going to snoop around some more. If I find anything else, Detective Tight-Shirt, I’ll let you know.

Isaiah: Be safe.

Me: I once knocked a man out with simply a look. Trust me, I can protect myself.

Isaiah: I oddly feel like that didn’t happen but sure.

I flip the camera toward me and give him my best smolder while trying to also look a bit ridiculous. Then I send it to him.

Me: See what I’m working with? I got this.

Isaiah: Oh damn. You’re right.

Me: Thank you. Send me a picture back. Make sure it’s hott (with two Ts).

A minute later I get a picture, which I quickly open only to see that it’s a stack of shirts. Probably all at least one size too tight for him. But it makes me laugh as I send him an eggplant emoji and hurry on my way.

When I reach Ronald’s room, he’s snoring away. He’s got this whole big wing of the estate to himself that has its own kitchen and living room, none of which I’ve ever seen him use.

But his snores are loud enough that I let myself right into his room and grab his phone. Because it’s locked, I flash it toward his face but it’s too dark to register it, so I shine my own phone toward his face until the phone unlocks.

Then I slip out into the hallway.

The first thing I go to is Annabelle’s messages but of course there are none. Then I go to deleted messages and see that while there’d been a whole collection of deleted messages a few hours ago that I’d barely managed to glance at, they’ve all been erased.

Clearly, the dumbass didn’t know you had to delete them twice, and now that he does, he’s erased every opportunity I have of seeing what he’s hiding.

I search Annabelle’s name, but it’s not even in the contacts. Did he delete that as well? And then I go through Erin’s messages, but I can’t find anything much.

Well, that’s a whole lot of not helpful.

I fiddle around on his phone, checking here and there before opening his maps. He has the absolute worst sense of direction, so I start using my phone to check the location of his recent outings.

There’s only one that I don’t recognize, and when I pull it up on Google Maps, I see that it’s a boarded-up apartment complex.

Odd location for him to go to.

I go back into his room and drop his phone on the table next to him before heading out to text Isaiah.

Me: Can you get me Annabelle’s number off Erin’s cloud?

But Isaiah doesn’t answer. Like a normal person, he’s probably asleep.

Me: I’m going to check out this location. I don’t actually know if anything’s there, but it was a saved location on Ronald’s phone.

And then I send him the address. With that, I hurry down the stairs and cram my feet into my shoes as I sense someone watching me. I turn around and notice David has come out of the back to see what’s going on. While most of David’s business goes on after dark, he’s usually done at this point, making me wonder if something is keeping him up.

“Where are you going?”

“Out looking for some broads,” I say.

“Don’t give me that shit. What’s going on with you?”

“Nothing! Why do you think I’m the suspicious one? I’m literally the most boring person you’ve ever met.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Just… go, and I swear to god if you get caught up in something because of this new obsession with this guy, I’m going to be pissed.”

“That sounds ridiculous,” I decide before giving him a wave, and then when that doesn’t reassure him, I give him a beaming smile and a thumbs-up.

David looks way less reassured after that, which is just absurd.

When I pull up outside the abandoned apartment, it becomes quite apparent that it’s not actually abandoned. There are a couple of guys outside smoking something. It is still in David’s territory, though, so I park my car and get out with my cockiest “I belong here” attitude.

The guys are instantly watching as I walk up, gun at my side if I need it.

“Hey,” I say with a charming smile. “Don’t suppose either of you can help me?”

“What’s David’s dog doing out here?” one asks.

“Doing what dogs do. Sniffing around, marking territory. You have an issue with that?”

“And if I do?” he asks.

I just smile and the other guy nudges him.

“It’s not worth it, man,” he mutters to the first guy.

I decide to play nice before I actually have a fight on my hands. “I’m looking for Annabelle or Erin. Seen either of them?”

“I don’t know any Erin,” the first guy says. He’s got a long beard that he tugs while looking back at the apartment.

“That’s David’s useless son’s girl, isn’t it?” the second guy asks.

“It is,” I confirm. “What about Annabelle?”

“I mean, I know her. Do I know where she’s at? Nah.”

“And why’s Ronald been stopping by?”

“Fuck if I know. He goes in, makes a fuss, and has a tantrum before leaving.”

“Who did he talk to?”

“Fuck if I know, man. You act like I know what the fuck’s going on here. It’s a place to sleep,” he says before waving at the door. “Be my guest. Trot on in.”

I know it’s stupid to go in alone, but waiting for Isaiah would be quite risky to him. They wouldn’t fuck with me since I’m David’s, but they might get pissed if it’s someone else like Isaiah. So I head inside alone, exuding the confident attitude that I should be here and that none of them should mess with me.

The place smells. It’s dark and there are people lingering here and there. It reminds me of the places my mother and I would frequent when I was a child. She was always wandering and looking for her next fix, and with nowhere left to go, I wandered with her.

The shit I saw in those places would haunt my dreams. The worst part was when she’d leave me in some corner with strange people and disappear. And I’d wonder if she’d ever come back. The way they’d look at me made me feel like a rabbit in a den of wolves. Some thought they could use me. Some?—

There’s a hand on my back and I jump as I pull my gun and aim it.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” Isaiah says. “I called your name, and you didn’t seem to hear me.”

Quickly, I lower my weapon. “Why the fuck are you here?” I ask as my heart beats out of control. I feel on edge. I feel like the walls of this insufferable place are crashing in around me.

“You sent me the address.”

“I didn’t tell you to come,” I snap. “They’re not going to like you here.”

“Tough shit,” he says. “You looked like you were staring at a ghost when I walked in.”

“Nothing so stupid as that.”

His eyebrow rises. “Who says it’s stupid?”

“Me,” I mutter.

Isaiah gives me a light smack on the shoulder, like he’s just going to toss all those thoughts away. “Don’t be a fool.”

I ignore him and decide that I will continue thinking it’s all as stupid as I fucking want. “Go back to your car and wait for me.”

“No,” he retorts as he heads over to a woman watching us. As soon as she realizes he’s eyeing her, she turns from him and averts her eyes. “I’m looking for a young woman with short blonde hair with pink tips who goes by Annabelle.”

She looks up the moment he holds out some money. “Yeah?”

“Do you know where she is?”

“I don’t know, but I’ve seen John talk to her. He’s got a room on the second floor,” she says as she snatches the money up and tucks it into her shirt like she’s afraid he’s going to take it back. She pulls a blanket over her head and burrows under it.

I head for the stairs where we’re finally free from prying eyes.

“This is the shit David saved me from. Do you see why I’m not eager to leave him?”

“He pulled you out, but it doesn’t mean that if you step away, you’ll fall back into it,” Isaiah says. “You don’t have a collar around your neck. You can be and do so much more, including what you want to do.”

“You just rattle on to yourself,” I mutter as I continue up the stairs, but before I get far, he grabs me and pulls me back so I’m forced to step down until my back is against his chest.

“You’re the only one shackling yourself down. You’re dragging your past around like it’s a weight you can’t escape from.”

“My mom went to places like this all the time after I watched my dad take a bullet to the head. After I picked up the gun he’d been holding and shot the man who killed him. I didn’t even know what the fuck I was doing. I shouldn’t have even been old enough to know what a gun did.”

I take a shuddering breath and continue. “And from there, we had nothing. I was dragged from shithole to shithole as my mother fell deeper and deeper into drugs and cared less about what happened to me. I hid in corners of places like this, praying no one would notice me as I wondered if my mother was ever coming back. This world is shit. Stop trying to make me think it’s worth helping.”

“You’re helping right now.”

“No, I’m…” What the fuck am I doing? “I’m just… nosy. I’m not doing this to save anyone or protect anyone.”

Isaiah wraps his arms around me and squeezes me gently. “Imagine if someone came in here when you were afraid and alone and saved you from all of that. Or they saved you from having to kill your father’s killer. Or from living like you had to. What if they saved you from feeling like that? Do you know you could be that person for someone?”

I glance down at his hands and then close my eyes for the briefest of moments, letting myself consider this. “If I save them, who is going to save me?”

“Will you let me?”

I let my fingers slide over his as I think about what that means. I question what life would be like to have someone there just for me. Someone who would be waiting for me when I walk through that door and who would tell me they love me when I step out. Someone in my bed at night who would hold me and tell me they care. Someone who wouldn’t leave me behind.

I fall into this strange fantasy which has always felt like a life for someone else… but that’s all shattered when I hear a loud bang from upstairs. Isaiah withdraws his hands, and instead of reaching for him, I reach for my gun.

“Do you think someone’s noticed we’re here?” I ask as I hurry up the stairs and onto the second floor where there doesn’t seem to be as many people. Most of the doors are closed, but I begin trying each one as I start down the hallway a moment before I see a flash of movement. I shove Isaiah back through an open doorway as a bullet hits the wall we’d been standing near.

“I weirdly get the impression they’re not excited to see us,” I say as I see what looks like a pizza box on the floor of the trashed living room we’ve found ourselves standing in and pick it up. I quickly wave it outside the doorframe where it’s almost immediately blown out of my hand by a well-placed shot.

“They have the hallway locked down pretty well. A clear advantage,” I inform Isaiah while I head over to the glass door and slide it open as he looks over at me.

“What are you doing?”

“Going around the balcony.”

“The balconies aren’t right next to each other.”

“Then it’s a good thing I can jump,” I respond as I step out onto it.

“In what world is that a good idea?”

“I guess this one.” I climb up onto the railing as Isaiah hovers around me, seeming paranoid for some reason.

“This isn’t worth it,” he says, sounding anxious. “I’ll… take my shirt off if you stay here.”

That makes me laugh. “I need you to distract the gunman instead so he doesn’t move, got it? Toss some things out, shoot off some rounds. Pester him some.”

“I’m not as good with a gun as you are.”

“You’re pretty damn good with a gun; did you forget the tragedy of my iced coffee? But if you’re paranoid, flash the gunman your ass. It’d make me hesitate.”

“That’s because you’re odd,” he says.

“Fuck, you’re probably right,” I joke as I make the jump with ease. Now I just have to do it two more times and come in through the back. Instead of going out to distract the gunman as I’d asked, Isaiah worriedly watches me.

I wave him off, which he completely ignores. We’re definitely going to have to go over boundaries in this relationship. He can’t be all fretting and smothering me with his worries. Yeah, maybe my foot just slipped a little, and maybe I could have crashed down onto the cement below, but I didn’t, and that’s all that matters.

The sliding glass door is locked, but it’s old, and with some shoulder shoving and jimmying, it slides open, allowing me to step into the room. I hurry through the trash-filled apartment and over to the door. I glance out the peephole and see that the gunman is tucked in the doorway across from me. And just as he leans out to shoot, I swing the door open.

He shifts his gun quickly, but I smash it out of his hand, sending it flying down the hallway.

An almost comical look of horror crosses his face as he realizes that he’s already lost the upper hand. He jerks back into the room and tries to slam the door in my face as I kick it in with all my strength.

“Fuck, man,” he yells as I squeeze through the doorway and into the room while he trips over a pile of trash. He throws something at me that I knock out of the way before calmly walking after him. He obviously doesn’t have a second gun on him, and he clearly realizes that he’s fucked up.

“Just tell me where Annabelle and Erin are, and I’ll head on home and leave you behind to live your miserable life. Okay?”

“Not okay! Fuck you, dude! Fuck you!” He rushes for a window and tries to dive through the broken thing, like he’d rather jump out headfirst than deal with me. I catch his ankle before he tips out so he’s now teetering there.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he shouts, like he realizes that maybe he didn’t want to jump after all. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Pull me back in!”

“I’ll think about it,” I say. “Tell me where Erin and Annabelle are.”

“I don’t fucking know, man!”

“Then why’d you start shooting at me?”

“It was an accident!”

I shove him out the window a little bit farther “by accident” and boy does he sure holler! I mean… has he forgotten that this was originally his idea?

“What’s that? I can’t hear you. What’d you say about Erin and Annabelle?”

“Fuck you!”

“Oh, man, that hurt my feelings. Like really fucking hurt my feelings,” I say as I tip him a bit more. His arms start flailing as he tries his best to find something to hold on to, but the siding is slick, and he can’t find much purchase. “I have this condition where it’s really hard for me to hold on to people while I’m crying because I need two hands to wipe away my tears.”

“Fuck, fuck, please don’t cry! I’m sorry!”

“Thank you. That means a lot to me. Now answer the question.”

“I don’t know about Erin,” he says, voice coming out rather squeaky. “Her boyfriend came in just yesterday asking if we’d seen her, but Erin never came here much.”

“And Annabelle?”

“She stopped a few times to talk to John. You have to ask him.”

“And where do I find John?”

“He’s not here yet, but he usually gets in by four or five.”

“Okay, fine, fine.” I grab his leg and give him a tug to pull him back in. The only issue is that when I do tug him, he shows how important it is to wear well-fitting clothes as he just pops right out of the pants and falls out the window.

“Huh,” I say as I hold his pants in one hand and watch him tumble down into some bushes.

“You… mother… fucker,” he groans as I drop his pants and watch them flutter down.

“The way I see it, you had already planned to go out the window; I simply prolonged it,” I inform him as I dust my hands off and hurry on my way to collect my handsome man waiting for me.

The only problem is when I pop back into the hallway, my handsome man isn’t the only one waiting for me.

“Ooh, a crowd, just for me,” I say as I watch Isaiah stand there with two guns aimed at his head. I guess the screams of the man I was talking to must have muted any sounds of others coming onto the scene.

“Drop your gun and your phone,” the man on Isaiah’s right orders as he watches me expectantly. I’m going to be real honest… I’m at a bit of a loss here. What I should do is say tough shit and shoot them both in the head. There’s no way either of them could have their gun pointed at me before they were both dead…

But that puts Isaiah at risk. And if Isaiah’s at risk…

Although, aren’t I risking my life for him by lowering my own gun? Fuck… they might shoot me in the head as soon as I do, but… Isaiah’s worth it.

I set the gun on the ground and use my foot to kick it behind me. Then I set my phone down quite grudgingly.

“Get on the ground, flat! Hands on your head.”

So I do as I’m told, placing my hands on my head as they rush over and pin me down. My hands and legs are both bound, and I’m carried out like a pretty princess being toted off to the evil tower… or actually, right into the trunk of a car.

They seem to decide that I look awfully lonely because they cram Isaiah in with me, which is quite the tight fit.

The car takes off and for a few moments, the trunk is silent as I contemplate all of what just happened.

“I would… really like to apologize,” Isaiah says. “I… was distracted. I shouldn’t have been distracted. I was worrying about you and then I swear I heard a woman call my name and I was like ‘Is that Erin?’ And when I went to look, he put a gun to my head.”

“Huh,” I say. “Didn’t they teach you that trick in Spy School?”

“I must have missed that day.”

“You know, Isaiah…” I start as I try to get comfortable, but I’m absolutely crammed in this trunk. The edges of it are digging into my legs and back as my chest is pressed against Isaiah’s back.

Isaiah cuts in before I can continue. “I’m really fucking sorry. I should have just… stayed in the car like you asked. None of this would have happened if I’d just stayed in the car. But I thought I was being all sexy rushing in to assist you.”

“Isaiah—”

“I’ll get you out of here safe, I promise. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Isaiah, I’ve been thinking?—”

“About how much I fucked up? About how I put you in danger? I would be too. Fuck, man, I’m sorry.”

“I’ve been thinking about how it’s kind of nice to be the big spoon,” I finally get out.

Isaiah is silent for a long moment. It could have been an uncomfortably long moment if we were in a less intimate setting. “Are you… referring to right now?”

“Yeah. It’s kind of nice. You know, if you ignore the way I feel like I’m roasting from the heat… or the way my arms are positioned in a way that teases the possibility of them being ripped off. But the spooning… now that I’m enjoying.”

“You’re kidding me right now.”

“Are you jealous because you wanted to be the big spoon?” I ask.

“I’m more preoccupied with the fact that I’ve put you in a horrible position.”

“It’s kind of a comfy position. A very spoony position.”

“Not… in the trunk!”

I squirm a bit until I can nip his neck. “I’m not worried.”

“I am.”

“Don’t be. I’ll protect you.”

“You shouldn’t have to protect me! I got you into this situation!”

“But I want to… and that’s saying something. So let me do it, dammit. Here’s the plan.”

“You have a plan?”

He sounds so relieved that I want to nip him again. “I do. When the trunk opens, you’re going to flex your pecs so your shirt just bursts open. They’re going to be so blinded by your muscles that they’re going to shield their eyes, and that’s when I’ll spring out and fuck them all up.”

“I should have known better. I really should have known better,” Isaiah says as I laugh. Maybe I’m enjoying this too much.

Instead, I wiggle down in the hope I can pick at the tape around his wrists with my teeth. It’s not going overly well since his hands are down there and my mouth is up here, and as I try to squeeze down for a better position, I scratch my arm on something.

“Hold on, there’s something sharp in here… if I can reach it.”

I squirm a bit more, kneeing him in the ass and smashing my head against his, but I manage to get my wrists into position and start to work on the tape binding me.

“Is it cutting it?”

“Kind of,” I say.

“Hurry, the car’s been stopped for a long time.”

“Get your pecs ready.”

“My pecs are not saving the day.”

“They might.” I work as hard as I can against the tape until the trunk pops open and I’m forced to stop.

Isaiah’s shirt does not combust, nor do I manage to leap out and save the day as Isaiah is dragged out and then I am.

Instead, they take the tape off our ankles so we can walk before we’re toted off to a room that we’re dropped into about five minutes before Ronald walks in, takes one look at my face, and nearly has a full-blown meltdown.

“What the fuck? What the fuck ?” he cries.

“We caught him snooping around. Both of them were. Asking about shit they shouldn’t be asking about,” a guy who seems to be in charge says.

Ronald looks rather frantic. “Because things are getting worse and worse. Now you’re sending guys off to assassinate my father? You said if I listened, things wouldn’t progress to this point. I just want Erin back. Where the fuck is she?” he begs.

“I told you what you had to do to destroy your father, but you didn’t listen. So I have a new plan. Your dad’s little fighting dog here? You’re going to shoot him in the head and then we’re going to pin everything on him. Got it?”

“Excuse me. I don’t got it,” I announce.

“Shut the fuck up,” he growls.

I lean into Isaiah. “He’s the drug lord trying to move into David’s territory, right?” I ask. “So Ronald, being the dumb shit he is, gets caught up in it, so they take his girlfriend and say something textbook villainous like ‘Destroy your father’s empire or we’ll kill Erin.’ And Ronald was dumb enough to go along with it.”

The way Ronald is staring at the ground makes me realize that I’m really fucking good at this. Maybe I was a detective in a past life.

“Luke, please, I fucked up, just…” Ronald looks at me, like he thinks I’m in any position to get him out of shit… which I guess makes sense. I’ve spent most of my life dragging him out of the shitty situations he’s put himself into.

Luke puts a gun into Ronald’s hand before pointing another at Ronald’s head. “Go on, now. Shoot him.”

Ronald looks borderline panicked. “That’s not going to solve anything. My father would never believe he got tied up with you guys. He won’t take the bait.”

“No, but David helped you make Annabelle’s body disappear, didn’t he?” Luke asks.

Ronald is nearly in tears as he holds the gun in a shaking hand. “She overdosed, man. I told you she overdosed.”

“Why’d you hide her fucking body?” he growls.

“Because… because we were just all having a good time and she overdosed. It was your fucking product! You’re the reason she fucking overdosed! Maybe if her own brother wasn’t giving her the shit to sell here, she wouldn’t be dead!”

Luke smashes the gun into the side of Ronald’s head, which really looks like it hurt. Ronald’s weak fingers lose the grip on the gun that goes flying through the air and smacks Isaiah right in the face.

“Fuck,” he mutters as he falls back.

Honestly, I feel like I was just gifted with a present hand-delivered right to my sexy man’s face. I press hard against the torn tape binding my wrists and hear it rip as I scoop up the gun and pull the trigger before anyone can comprehend what I’ve just done.

Since Luke is standing behind Ronald, ready to smash him across the face again, I can’t shoot him in the head and end this right here and now, but there’s a nice spray of blood as his arm takes the shot and he reels back.

Ronald wallows on the ground while I shove Isaiah behind some cover before I shoot one of Luke’s guards right in the shoulder.

“Aiden! Aiden!” Ronald cries like I’m going to scurry my ass out there and scoop him up when he has four perfectly adequate limbs.

“I have bigger things to worry about, Ronald!” I yell.

“They’re going to shoot me!” he whines.

“I see that! You’re like a really easy target,” I say as I peek around the edge and see that Luke has left, but his guards are prepared to shoot me full of holes. “Hey, Ronald? I took one look at your face, and it annoyed me so much that I might even shoot you myself.”

“No! You’re like my brother. You are my brother, right? You can’t shoot your own brother.”

“I really could,” I counter as I shoot one of the guards, leaving only two left. One has some pretty good cover in the doorway of the room, but the second seems to think he’s just going to march his way over here because he’s bulletproof.

And boy, does he look surprised when I shoot him. But like… how? How can you be surprised?

I slide out from behind my cover and quietly rush for the guy in the doorway, making sure to kick Ronald a little on the way. I don’t have much ammunition left—oddly, none was thrown to me during all of this—but I waste one by shooting through the wall. It likely won’t hit the guy, but it should startle him enough to drive him back.

Just as I’d hoped, he draws back so that when I slip into the hallway, I put him down with one shot.

Then I walk over to Ronald and squat down beside his cowering figure. “Sadly, I’m out of ammo.”

“Sadly? You were going to shoot me?” he asks in disbelief.

“Let’s just pretend I wasn’t. But you really do deserve it.”

Bored of him, I hurry over to Isaiah and peel the tape off his arms. “You okay?”

“That was really hot.”

That delights me a bit more than it probably should. “Which part?”

“All of it,” he decides.

“Even the part where I purposely kicked Ronald?”

“Yes.”

“Awww, you’re so sweet,” I say as I give him a kiss on the cheek. “I don’t have parents to introduce you to, so instead, Isaiah, this is Ronald. He’s like what you’d get if you went to a dollar store to pick out a brother but on the sketchy side of town.”

“I see,” Isaiah says.

“Sometimes I want to drop him out the window like I did to that guy at the apartment?—”

“You dropped a guy out of the window?” he asks.

I hesitate, realizing that maybe that isn’t super romantic. “Uh… no. He actually chose to dive out the window. I simply removed his pants so he’d fit better.”

He looks minorly concerned. “That’s… I see.”

I smile at him. “I like a man who doesn’t ask too many questions.”

That makes him laugh so, quite proud of myself, I head over to Ronald. “Give me the facts.”

Ronald looks like he’s experimenting with becoming a part of the floor, like that’ll solve something.

I give him a nudge with my foot, which seems to kickstart him into talking.

“Erin started working at the club Annabelle was stripping at. I thought she was acting weird, and I realized that she got caught up with some shit Annabelle was doing. Drugs and shit… and one night… I guess Annabelle started going on about taking over things. She was telling Erin that they could use me to start spreading drugs around the city. That they could make a name for themselves here.

“They got into a fight… and I don’t fucking know what happened, but I walked in and Annabelle was dead. Erin said it was an accident. And I really think it was, but they’d gotten in a fight near the pool and Erin said that when she shoved Annabelle, Annabelle slipped and smashed her head. It wouldn’t stop bleeding…

“And because we knew she was Luke’s sister, I knew I had to hide the body. So… Dad helped me make her disappear. But when Luke started sniffing around, he began sending his guys in. They’re not good people, Aiden. They don’t fucking ask questions. They slaughter people until they get the answers they want. And when Luke took Erin, he did it because he wanted me to destroy Dad… I didn’t know what the fuck else to do.”

“So… you sent the dead girl forty thousand dollars?” I ask in confusion.

When Ronald doesn’t pipe in, Isaiah does. “He was trying to make it look like your father was paying her off. To get the police and Annabelle’s rather rich parents to fixate on David and, hopefully, destroy him.”

“I didn’t fucking want to, but he said he’d kill Erin. Dad was so pissed when he saw it, but he can just make it disappear. I know he can.”

“Did you know Annabelle’s brother was some… drug lord?” I ask Isaiah.

“No. The report I read stated that her brother had died in a car accident as a late teen.”

“You have your phone?” I ask Ronald before seeing it and plucking it out. After using his face to open it up, I call David.

“It’s your favorite child,” I immediately reply when he answers.

“Did you find some women?” David sarcastically asks.

“Sadly, no. A bunch of angry men, though.”

“Isn’t that just what you like?”

“Well, these men super want your son dead… and me. And I think you. Here’s the deal. I’ll clean up your mess and then I’m done.”

“You really want out?” David asks, sounding surprised.

I look over at Isaiah, who is watching me closely. “I really do,” I realize.

“I don’t want you to leave… I don’t know what the fuck I’d do without you. You’re the son my son was supposed to be. But I guess that’s why I have to step back and let you do whatever the fuck you want. I’ll send some backup your way.”

“Got it,” I say. After I hang up, I turn toward Isaiah. “Let’s see what we can do.”

“Once I have a gun, I’ll have your back.”

“That feels oddly nice,” I say with a smile.

The issue we have now is our lack of weapons.

“Ronald, you have a super-important mission,” I decide.

“Hide?” he asks, looking hopeful.

“No, you’re going to go find me some weapons.” I toss him out in the hallway to check the man halfway down it. While he’s off risking his life, I turn to Isaiah. “I’m terrified.”

Isaiah looks surprised and rushes up to me. “I can handle it. I can go out first. I promise I’ll handle this.”

Go out first? What the hell is he talking about? Ohhhh… “What? No, that’s not… no. I’m talking about us. Like… this has always been my life.” I wave the gun around. “This is what I know how to do, but I just… I’m really nervous about us. And life… and everything.”

He gives me a soft smile and wraps me up in his arms. “That shit’s easy because you don’t have to do it alone.”

I squeeze him to me and take a deep breath while I soak in the feeling of his arms wrapped around me. “This does feel really fucking good.”

“Right? If you can take on a drug empire, I’m positive you can handle dating.”

“You really think so?”

“I’m positive.”

“Can I meet your dog?”

“You can meet him all you want.”

“And do I have to meet your parents? That sounds terrifying.”

“Eventually.”

“Okay… yes. I can do this. This is simple. Right? Ha ha. I’m panicking a little.”

He pulls me in and kisses me gently. His hold is tight but his lips are soft against mine. When he breaks the kiss, I only find myself wanting more. “There’s nothing to panic about because I’m right here.”

I hear an awkward cough from behind us. “Okay, this is like sweet and all, and makes me feel weird, but also there are people coming to kill us and please take the fucking gun,” Ronald cries as he just waves the weapon at me.

I ignore his dramatics. “We’re going to have like dates and stuff. Got it?”

Isaiah nods. “We’re going to have so many dates.”

“You wait right here for me,” I say as I snatch up some ammunition and load the gun so I now have two guns. “I’ll be right back.”

“What the fuck? Absolutely not!” Isaiah runs after me as I rush out into the hall, ready to fuck shit up. “NO! Aiden, you are not doing this alone. Being in a relationship means you do things together.”

“We’re in a relationship?” I ask.

“Give me the second gun, dammit!”

“I got this, babe. I’ll fuck them all up for you,” I say as I see someone coming around the corner who really should have just gone back home. He quickly realizes his mistake and dives out of the way with a little less blood than he’d shown up with.

Isaiah catches up to me and glowers at me.

“What?”

“Give me one of the damn guns.”

“Fine. But I really think you should sit back and just be safe.”

“Gun, now,” he demands.

“So bossy,” I mutter as I hand it over.

“I don’t want you doing this shit alone anymore, got it? You have someone else to rely on.”

“Fine, fine,” I say as I sneak another kiss before rushing into the next room.

Luke’s men are waiting for me as I slide behind cover and start firing. I take down the guy closest to me and shift a bit for the next. I duck down as he fires at me and quickly move to the far side where I take down one man while Isaiah takes down another. It doesn’t take long at all for the room to be cleared out, especially with Isaiah by my side. And once it is, we move forward, flushing them out into the opening. I can hear gunfire outside the building, telling me that reinforcements have shown up.

But that doesn’t solve anything when Luke is waiting in the next room with an arm around Erin’s neck and a gun against her head.

“Stop, or I’ll shoot her,” he growls.

“You’re talking to the wrong person if you’re expecting me to save her,” I say.

“I’ll shoot her,” he repeats.

Erin’s looking at me with wet eyes, a desperate look on her face. I mean… I don’t blame the man for hating her, especially if she really did kill his sister. But the issue is that when you play these games, there’s no saying who is going to wind up dead or who is going to get hurt.

“My parents ran with a crowd like yours,” I say as I glance at Isaiah, who is right beside me. “My dad was a cook, and my mom was just fucking addicted. You’re prepared to turn your life upside down, tear this world apart for your sister, but what about all the mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers who are dead because of you?”

The man snorts, obviously not too hung up on it. “And you think peddling weapons is better?” he asks with a laugh. “You think I don’t know that David doesn’t give a shit where his weapons go?”

“I never said it was better. I never said I’m better than you. I’m just a petty asshole who really fucking hates people who deal with drugs,” I say as Ronald comes rushing in before realizing the situation, but the moment he sees Erin, he shouts for her.

She nearly crumples down and that’s all it takes for me to pull the trigger. Luke pulls his as well, but she’s down far enough that the bullet seems to have only nicked her shoulder. Luke hits the ground as Ronald rushes to Erin, who lets out a sob of relief.

“Oh fuck. Fucking hell,” Ronald cries. “Are you okay?”

I hear people coming and pull Isaiah back until I see it’s our crew.

“We have the front secured,” the guy says as he sees me.

“Good. Then it’s in your hands. I am officially retired.”

He gawks at me as I take Isaiah’s hand, sliding my fingers between his, and head for the door.

I walk out and am surprised to see David leaning against the back of his car.

“You’re here?”

“Well, I thought you’d want to introduce the man who is taking my prized possession away from me,” he says, arms folded over his chest as he looks at Isaiah. “He’s not going to try to shoot me, right?”

“Nah. Isaiah, this is David. While he’s not… exactly my parent and he might not rank super high on your ‘good person’ scale, he was like a fucking guardian angel to me. He’s a pretty gruff-looking one, and cusses a bit too much to be one, but I’ll take it. And I appreciate everything he’s done for me. But David, I really… I really would like to step out on my own two feet.”

“Yeah,” David says before pushing off the car and walking up to me. “He better be a damn good man to take you out of this life.”

“He’s almost like… weirdly too good. He’s nice and funny, and I know that’s pretty sketchy, but I’ve been told that’s ‘normal.’”

“How strange,” David responds with a grin. “I’ll buy you a house. Tell me whatever else you want.”

“Okay!” I say, pleased by my new gift.

“You’re a good kid,” he tells me as he pats me on the head.

“Oh… we actually need a car right now because we arrived in a trunk.”

“Take Ronald’s,” he offers as he nods at it.

“Thanks,” I say as he sends someone off to retrieve the keys for me.

Once we have them, I slide into the car, where Isaiah looks over at me. “You get a new house just like that?”

“I know, I probably should have asked for a mansion. Anything you want? Maybe a pool? Hot tub? Anything else? Oh! I’ll tell him a fenced-in backyard for your dog.”

“You’re just moving me in?”

“Looks like it.”

Isaiah laughs as I grin at him.

“I suppose we can go on a few dates first,” I say.

“We’ve already had so many, like our trunk date, but it does sound pretty nice,” he agrees as he leans in and kisses me. “How about for tonight we go to my place since your new house isn’t all set up yet?”

“Sounds good,” I say as I drive to the address he gives me. “I’m nervous. I finally get to meet your dog and your pile of shirts. Oh, and you better be fucking naked after this.”

“I think that can be arranged. You know… I do wish I had my phone.”

“I’ll send Ronald out to get it. He’s my personal errand runner from now on,” I decide. “What… are you going to do about your clients?”

“I guess I’m going to tell them the truth—that she got caught up in the drug scene with her brother. I’ll talk to Erin some more, but I’ll tell them what she says after verifying it’s true. David and Ronald made the body disappear, but I can guarantee you that they left no trails for the police to follow. The parents could try to get Erin arrested, but if it just uncovers their connection to Luke… they might be better off stepping back. It’s not a good situation for them.”

“No, it’s not.”

“But they asked me for answers, and that’s what I’ll give them. I’m sure they wanted someone to suffer for what’s happened, but at the end of the day, people don’t always get everything they want.”

When we arrive, he pulls the house door open and guides me inside with him as I excitedly look around.

I search for his dog, but maybe he keeps him in a crate or something because he doesn’t immediately come running.

“I… was promised a bullying dog and I currently see nothing.”

“He’s probably snoozing. Bully! Come on. Come meet Aiden.”

I hear him coming well before I see him. And as Isaiah flicks the lights on, I watch as Bully comes stomping up to check me out and see if I’m fit to be anywhere near his owner.

For a moment I stare at him, then look over at Isaiah, then back at the dog. “This… This is Bully?”

“You like him?” he asks.

I kneel down as the little five-pound Chihuahua circles me to decide if I’m worthy. I hold my hand out to him, and he sniffs it before deciding I’m adequate enough to scritch under his chin.

“I’m not going to lie, I was expecting like a mastiff or Doberman.”

“He’s confident he could take one on,” he says, which makes me laugh.

“He’s so cute. Can I hold him or will he eat my face off?”

“He’ll let you hold him if you’re in the one percent group he likes. You won’t know until you try, though.”

“May I hold you, Master Brave Dog?” I ask as I carefully pick him up. When he doesn’t eat my hand, I deem myself worthy and stand up. “This is literally the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. Why do you look so shocked?”

“Because I’ve never seen him let anyone else pick him up.”

“Oh my god, you were going to let him eat my face off?” I ask as I eye the dog that looks quite majestic.

“Not your face. Your face is all mine.” He leans in and kisses me before taking the dog. “How about we get him set up with a treat… and then…”

“And then you devour me? I can handle that.”

Isaiah hands the dog a little chew before pulling me after him. “Allow me to give you a house tour. This is the hallway. Over somewhere back there is a bathroom, and here is the only room that matters.”

“I don’t know. I’m pretty sure you can bend me over any surface and I wouldn’t mind. Unless you want me to bend you over a surface. Or we could bend each other over surfaces at the same time.”

“As… confusing as that sounds… I’m up for either. Either as in the first two. Not the last one. That one was just kind of confusing. Like… at the same time? How’s that going to work?”

“You’re clearly not ready for that yet,” I tease as he laughs before kissing me.

“You’re right, I’m not sure I am.”

He grins before pressing in for another kiss. My lips part as his tongue brushes against mine. His hand snakes around my waist, his other sliding up the back of my shirt.

“Do I get the pleasure of removing your shirt?” I ask.

“You sure do,” he says as I start working it up.

“Good. I’m not sure how much longer I can listen to its cries for help.”

“You’re ridiculous, and still, I just deal with it.”

“You’re welcome,” I say, pleased with myself.

Once I’ve peeled his shirt off and deposited it on the ground, I let my hands wander over his chest and around his sides. Then my hand slides down his bare back before slipping under the band of his pants.

Isaiah kisses my neck as my hands work their way to the front of his pants to undo the button.

“I really liked the tour of your house,” I comment.

“Did you? I’m glad.”

“And that your dog didn’t chew on my face.”

“I was equally as surprised,” he says. “I’m glad he left it for me.” He nips my neck as I grin.

I draw his pants down before sliding my hand over his cock, the fabric of his underwear between us. When I start pushing into him, he’s forced to shuffle back until his legs hit the bed which he drops down onto and tugs his underwear free. Then he scoots back to grab a condom and lube, but before I join him, I start ridding myself of the rest of my clothes.

I feel transfixed by the way his eyes run over me as I drop the last piece of clothing. He sits on the bed, eyes watching me closely as he holds his arms out to me. I slide my fingers between his and he draws me onto his lap.

His lips find mine as his hands skim down my body, squeezing my ass lightly before his finger dips between my ass cheeks, sliding down over the sensitive area.

I push our cocks together, running my fingers over them as they brush into each other. He pops open the lube before a wet finger replaces the one trailing down my ass. His finger rubs around my hole before pressing against it, sliding inside me, stroking me as his kiss leaves me nearly breathless.

Isaiah adds another finger inside me, but I want more. I want to feel him inside me. I want to touch him, explore his body, and I want him to explore mine. I know I’m being too eager. I know I should slow down and enjoy every moment of it, but I want to feel all of him. I press a hand against his chest, pushing him down onto the bed as his fingers pull out of me. I kiss a path down his chest to his cock before sinking down. I take the tip in my mouth, sucking gently as he watches me closely.

My tongue swirls around him, and I’m captivated by the desire on his face and the way he moans as I sink down on him. I slide down on his hard cock as my fingers draw down his thighs and back up to his balls. I grab the condom and press it against the tip of his cock, tongue trailing around the base before I pull back enough to roll it down.

I spread lube over him before lifting myself up so his cock drags over my ass before I take it in my hand and rub my ass against it. Slowly, I slide down until the tip is right against me, opening me up so slowly.

Pleasure fills me as I sink down on him and his hand teasingly glides up my cock. His cock fills me up as I raise myself up before sliding down deeper. I press a hand against his chest, my fingers brushing over him and steadying myself as I draw myself up again, then moan as I sink down onto him.

I always thought sex was good, but I had no idea what it felt like with someone you really liked. Someone you wanted more than anything. Someone who drew you in and refused to let you go.

He sits up and captures my lips as his hips shift under me, making me moan. One of his hands trails behind my back as I ride him, and his other slides down my cock, stroking me just right. He rolls me over to my back as he drives himself inside me, making my fingers dig into the sheets.

“Oh fuck,” I groan.

I can feel myself getting closer to my limit with each thrust as he works my cock. Grabbing on to him, I tuck myself against him as I come, the rhythm of his hips driving pleasure deeper through me as I moan. My fingers clutch him tightly as he rocks deep inside me.

Isaiah groans as he comes. My lips draw him in, leaving me breathless when he slowly pulls out of me. He sinks down beside me, wrapping me up in his arms, when I hear a yap.

“What’s that?” I ask.

“That is Bully being pissed that his steps aren’t pushed up to the bed,” he says as he nods behind me. I roll a little to see that Bully is perched on the top of a set of dog steps that are about two feet too far for him.

It’s really weirdly adorable. “Why’s that so fucking cute?”

“Why are you so fucking cute?” he asks.

“How about you watch my ass while I scoot your dog closer?” I suggest as I flip over so he’s got a nice view as I reach out and snag the side of the steps which I pull up to the bed. He proudly hops off the steps, tramples my body, and then curls up in Isaiah’s arms.

I eye the dog. “Um… hold on… I swear that was my spot.”

“It’s all yours. You just have to move him for it,” Isaiah says, but the dog lets out a big sigh like he’s had such a long and hard day and snuggles in a little closer to him.

“I’ll just, uhhh, be over here by myself because that is way too fucking cute to move.”

Isaiah laughs but scoots the dog up so he’s on his pillow before gathering me into his arms. “He’ll survive. It’s a big bed,” he assures me, but the dog is so cute, it’s no wonder I’m willing to give up everything for him.

“Wait, you were going to tell me your real name.”

“It’s Isaiah.”

“What? No, you said it was like some ultra-secret name.”

“That was because when the lady at the coffee shop asked my name, I just… didn’t think and gave it to her. I didn’t expect to run into you that day. So then I was like ‘Yeah, I’ll just pretend it’s fake’ and here we are.”

“I bet Chucky.”

“It’s not Chucky!”

“You’re just too embarrassed to tell me.”

“It really is Isaiah.”

“Sure, Chucky.”

He grabs me and drags me on top of him as I laugh. I never imagined anything would ever feel this damn comfortable.