Page 10 of Lane (East Dremest Mafia #5)

RAIDEN

After waking to grinding myself on Lane, I was still mortified a week later. I wouldn’t want to do that to someone without their consent, not that Lane seemed to mind. He was completely into it. Then we noticed Alton was gone, and that was that.

I lost all sense of what I should say or do in front of Lane. It still amazed me I was able to not rip him away from Jack when we were there to make a deal. Lane tested me without realizing he did it.

Giving myself an internal shake, I tried to focus on my job. I currently stood near the elevator in Jordan’s home, at my usual post. Thoughts of Lane and Alton had to stay far away until I was home alone and could torture myself with them.

“Downstairs,” Jordan said loudly as he exited his office. “Apparently, Jack wants to increase his order and needs to see more of what I have to offer, which means we have to grab two other cases and Lane.”

My hand froze in front of the elevator button. “You’re offering him Lane?” Jordan didn't trade in human life.

“Of course not. Lane, for as fucking mouthy as he is, can possibly help make me more money. He wants to help, so he will.”

Hello, anger. “But, sir, what if?—”

“Stop, Raiden. Lane is a grown man. He’s quite capable of handling himself, which he’s already proven.

I’m going to give you the same speech I gave your brother.

If you can’t protect me and my family because of whatever is going on between you, Lane, Alton, who the fuck ever, I need you to talk to me before I take a goddamn bullet because you’d rather protect your boyfriend than me. ”

“Of course, sir.” Just the thought of being in a situation where bullets were flying at both Jordan and Lane had cold dread washing over me.

I couldn’t lose either of them, though my relationships with them were very different.

Jordan was more than my boss. He wasn’t quite a friend.

We didn’t have that kind of a relationship, but he wasn’t simply my employer either.

“Hit the fucking button,” Jordan growled, snapping me out of my thoughts.

On the way down, we stopped to retrieve the cases and then rode the elevator to the garage level, where Sheldon, Vincent, and Lane waited for us. Thankfully, they were feeling better. My brother was too, although I thought a lot of that was thanks to Barrett and the attention he gave him.

As I walked with Jordan to the Maserati, Lane’s fingers brushed mine, causing a chill to race up my arm.

Such a simple touch had a profound effect.

What I wouldn’t give to take him into my arms and kiss him.

To finish what we started the last time I saw him.

I’d jerked off too many times since then to what-if scenarios.

What if we didn't stop?

What if I woke and he wanted me to fuck him?

What if we both came all over each other?

I’d never thought about doing anything sexual while I was asleep before. How far could I have gone if I hadn’t stopped? How far would he have let me go? Lane enjoyed it. We could have kept going if the bucket of water hadn’t been doused on us by Alton’s absence.

Fuck, I shouldn’t think about this as we drove away from the building. I had to be sharp and keep my eyes open, in case a person with a gun tried shooting at Jordan.

As I focused on our surroundings, I couldn’t help but wonder what Lane, Sheldon, and Vincent were talking about in the SUV behind us.

Were they warning him not to act up or encouraging him to do just that since it worked so well last time?

I had no idea what to expect once we got there, and that left me on edge.

Not Jordan’s safety or if I’d need to protect him, but how Lane would behave.

When we pulled up in front of the home, I had clenched my hands into fists without realizing it. I gave them a quick shake to relieve the tension.

“Let’s hope Lane makes me money and doesn’t cost me any,” Jordan stated. Was he doing the same thing he did with Barrett by testing him to see if he fit into the organization?

Exiting the vehicle, I saw Vincent and Sheldon each holding a case while Lane stood on the sidewalk with his hands clasped in front of himself.

The cold winter air whipped around us, ruffling his hair.

I remembered how it felt in my fingers, the silky strands slipping through as he lay with his head on my lap.

Color had returned to his cheeks, giving them a healthy pink hue they lacked when he was sick. He caught me staring and winked.

“Quit fucking flirting,” Jordan growled when he walked between us.

I got my ass in gear and went ahead of them to the door so I could sweep the room we’d be in before Jordan was in it.

The man who greeted us last time was there, allowing us entrance and showing us to the room. It was exactly how I remembered it, down to the damn painting Lane’s eyes latched on to last time.

I took up my post near the entrance to the room as Jordan and the others filed in, Jordan standing with Vincent and Sheldon on either side of him. He gave a warning glare to Lane. It definitely wouldn’t be a dull meeting.

“We meet again,” Jack said as he entered in a black suit, his gaze immediately going to Lane.

One of Jack’s guards stopped opposite of me, eyeing me up like he was trying to calculate how easy it would be to take me out. With Lane and Jordan in the same room, I’d fight until my dying breath to protect them.

“I’ve brought what you asked for,” Jordan stated. “This is the last of my house calls, unless you don’t pay me, then we’ll have a different kind of visit.”

“As I told you over the phone, you could have sent Lane in your stead. He’s knowledgeable.”

“I’m going to tell you this once,” Jordan began in that low, deadly voice of his that would send chills down any smart person’s body. “My men aren’t part of deals I make. You cannot buy them or try to take them from me. If I think that’s what you’re doing, all agreements are null and void.”

“If he comes to me of his own accord, outside of business dealings, then we won't have an issue,” Jack supplied.

Jordan’s jaw clenched. “If that happens, he no longer works for me.”

“Very well. Lane, would you show me the guns Jordan has brought?”

“No, Lane will not,” Jordan said, taking measurable steps forward.

The muscle in front of me closed in to protect his boss, but I slapped a hand on his chest. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” I told him.

“It’s fine,” Jack said.

Jordan went toe to toe with Jack but didn’t touch him.

“The guns are mine. Therefore, I will direct who shows them to you. Furthermore, Lane is mine as well. If you touch him, I will break every part of your body that so much as brushes the fabric of his clothes. If I were you, I’d stick to the reason we’re here and nothing more. ”

“I liked you better last time.”

“I don't give a fuck. You need me more than I need you.”

For Jack’s part, he didn’t appear to be ruffled.

He simply nodded and waited for the cases to be opened.

Once they were, they settled on a price, and that was the end of it.

I almost let out a breath in relief. Almost. But as we exited the room, Sheldon and Vincent, followed by Jordan, Jack put his hand on Lane’s wrist.

I saw fucking red. My hand went to Jack’s arm, and I wrenched it roughly from Lane, causing Lane to stumble but remain upright. Pulling on Jack’s arm, I twisted it behind his back, my gun in the other hand, which I pressed to his temple without a moment’s hesitation.

That caused Jack’s man to pull his gun, but Jordan was quick, pulling his own weapon and using his free hand to knock the gun from the man’s palm. “Pull a weapon on my men again, and you won’t see another day.”

Lane stepped in front of Jack, getting in his face. “If you ever try to grab me again, I’ll kill you myself.”

Even in his position, Jack still managed to say, “I love your fire.”

“Yeah, well, my fire is spoken for, and my men don't like to share.”

“My misunderstanding. If you find yourself not fulfilled…” I dug the gun harder into his temple. “You know where I live.”

Movement caught my gaze as the man Jordan threatened lashed out, trying to hit Jordan. My boss didn’t play and fired his gun, putting a bullet in the guard’s head. The big guard fell to the floor as two more men rushed in with their weapons drawn. No way in hell was I letting Jack go now.

With the new men focused on us, they didn’t hear Sheldon and Vincent sneak up behind them.

“Nighty night,” Sheldon said after jabbing one of the guards in the neck with a needle.

Vincent clocked the other with his gun, knocking him to the ground.

Sheldon tsked. “You have to do a better job hiring people, Jack. Their attention to detail is terrible.”

Jack vibrated with anger against me as Jordan got in his face.

“Our deal is off. The money you gave me is for my fucking inconvenience for this shit show. You better never step in my path again. I won’t hesitate to kill you. Touching Lane was a mistake. I told you he was mine.”

“You're sucking more than two men?” Jack taunted. “Some fucking organization you run.”

“No, motherfucker, but the man with the gun to your head will do a lot worse than he is now with one word from me.”

“People don't fuck with my boyfriends,” Lane added casually. “Raiden will kick your ass from one side of this home to the other. Not that I need him to. I can handle myself, but it makes me hot just thinking about him spilling blood.”

I leaned close, trying not to think about Lane calling me his boyfriend.

It was only to rile Jack up, nothing more.

“If you come near my boss or anyone in his organization, I will take you out without a second thought. You won’t see me coming.

” I released him, shoving him away. I wanted nothing more than to get the people I protected out of here.

We weren’t stopped as we left. No one else came after us. I needed to have a talk with Jordan. It all had to do with how I reacted when Jack grabbed Lane’s wrist. It would have been way worse if Jack or the others tried to hurt him.

I still didn’t know what I was doing or where this was going. Lane obviously wanted Alton and me. Alton and I hadn’t done anything. Ever. He flat-out rejected me. I wasn’t sure where we stood, but I could only handle one thing at a time.

This wouldn’t be the same as when my brother began dating Barrett.

He was a detective at the time. Lane lived in the same building as us.

Jordan was starting to have him help, which made me unnecessarily irritated.

Anything could happen to him. That was part of the problem.

I was overprotective where Lane was concerned.

The drive home was done in silence, which suited me fine. I could get lost in my thoughts and try to figure out how to approach this situation with Jordan.