Page 6 of The Team (The Milvus Files #3)

Rhett put his bottle on the table. He had zero time for bigots, and there wasn’t any way he was putting up with it in his team.

“Look,” Rhett said, voice low. “I don’t give a fuck what you think about it personally.

If it offends you or is looked down upon in your world, not one single fuck.

But here, in this world—in this team—it won’t fly.

Go have yourself removed from my team. No skin off my nose. ”

Yin’s gaze remained on the pool game, though his jaw ticked. “I don’t have a problem with it. I didn’t expect to see you dance.”

Rhett snatched up his beer. “Okay, first of all, I don’t dance. Jay dances. And second, we saw you watching us, and Jay was going to ask you to join us on the dance floor.”

Yin turned his head so fast, Rhett wondered if it hurt his neck. He stared at him, mad and shocked, and it pleased Rhett greatly to elicit such a reaction out of Mr Stoic.

Rhett laughed. “Just kidding.”

Yin seethed, his lips a pressed line, eyes narrowed at where Chen and Jay were now attempting to play darts. Rhett couldn’t help it. He liked Chen, and he got the feeling everyone did.

“So,” Rhett hedged. “Totoro. ”

Yin looked at him again, not quite schooling the disdain from his eyes. “What about him?”

“He’s funny.”

Yin’s temper, or perhaps his defensiveness, deflated. “He is.”

“He’s like Jay. Hard not to like the guy.”

Yin gave a nod and nothing more.

“Known him long?”

“Six years.”

“Were you in the same squad back home?”

Yin’s face went back to stoic, and for a long beat, Rhett thought Yin wasn’t going to answer. But then he gave a slight nod. “Yes.”

Rhett was just trying to make amends, make conversation while getting to know his team members better, but this guy was a steel trap. It was like trying to get blood from a stone.

“Was it your idea to join Milvus?” Rhett asked. “Did you put your hand up for it, or are you on orders?”

Yin cut him a side-eye.

Rhett shrugged. “Don’t bother me either way, just so you know. I expect the same dedication regardless.” He took a swig of his beer. “I kinda get the feeling you’d give a hundred percent either way, so whatever. I’m just trying to get to know you better so I can run this team.”

Yin was silent for a few moments before he sighed. “I volunteered. I requested consideration.”

“And Totoro?”

“He goes where I go.”

“Ah, like me and Jay.”

He shot Rhett an acidic glare. “Not like you and Jay.”

Rhett laughed. “No, not like us.” He knew Sid and Echo were keeping an eye on Rhett and Yin’s conversation, probably waiting to see if another fight broke out, but Rhett hoped they were past that now. “So, you leave anyone behind back home?”

It was a long drop into personal territory, but fuck it. He wanted to know.

Yin’s eyes flinched despite his attempt at stoicism. “No. You?”

Rhett shook his head. “Nope. No one. Jay’s got enough family for both of us.”

Yin kept his gaze on Jay and Chen and he damn near smiled, Rhett was sure of it, but then he schooled that away. “His accent surprised me. He looks Asian, sounds like the crocodile man.”

Hm. He was attempting a conversation?

Pleased with this, Rhett snorted. “No one expects it.” Most people did a double-take when Jay opened his mouth and Steve Irwin came out.

“Even speaking Mandarin, he does not lose that accent.”

“I bet he doesn’t.” Rhett smiled as he took another sip of his beer. “About that. How many languages do you speak?”

Yin exhaled as he considered. “Six, fluent. Mandarin, of course. Also Cantonese, Korean, Japanese, Russian, and English. I know enough of a few others to get by. Farsi, French, some German.”

Wow.

Rhett was impressed. “Good to know.”

“What about you?” Yin asked. “What’s your hidden talent?”

Rhett grinned at him. “I get the feeling you already know. You got the full scope on us before you got here. Well, apart from the gay thing. So you tell me, and I’ll see how good your intel really is.”

Yin’s lips twitched. “You were born in Sydney, Australia. Put into foster homes. Went through the cadet program for troubled boys. General enlistment at eighteen. Moved up through the ranks quickly. Exceptional combat skills, born leader. No family made you a prime candidate for your SAS. And then you excelled at that too. Eight overseas ops in two years, hundred percent success rate. Hand-picked for this Milvus Division.”

Rhett stared at him, because holy shit. The Chinese government knew that much about him, and he was a redacted agent. But he still couldn’t let Yin win.

“You didn’t know I’m trained in Sanda,” he said, not caring if it sounded childish, but Sanda was a specialised Chinese combat martial art. Yin should have known that. “Or that me and Jay are together.”

Yin chewed on the inside of his lip. “True.”

“And it wasn’t a troubled boys’ program. It was a last-ditch effort to stay out of juvie.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Juvie? What is that?”

“Juvenile detention. Prison for kids, basically.” Rhett shrugged.

“I was in and out of foster homes; hated that, hated school, hated the world.” Hated that he liked boys instead of girls.

Hated that he had no one in his life who cared.

Not that he’d tell Yin any of that right now.

“Went into the cadet program and found somewhere to belong. Three meals a day, clean clothes, and a bed every night was a helluva incentive.” He sighed, remembering.

.. “But I found more than that. A place to belong, something I was good at, where I wasn’t looked down on or told I was worthless.

They saw something in me.” He smiled at Yin. “And here I am.”

“No regrets.”

“Fuck no. Not one.” He could only hope that now he’d shown this part of himself, as a human, that maybe Yin would offer the same. “What about you?”

Yin inhaled deeply and gave a half-smile. “My parents had strict expectations. Very strict, and they demanded things of me. Military service is not compulsory for us, but I volunteered. And for two years I was free.”

Free? In the military? That was the one thing they were not, but Rhett didn’t say that.

“I exchanged my parents’ orders for the orders of my superiors,” Yin said quietly. “But it was my choice.”

“The one thing you could control,” Rhett offered.

Yin gave a nod. “My parents permitted a two-year service, thinking I’d have my fun, then return to the life they wanted for me. But I stayed, and they were not happy.”

“No?”

Something like regret flashed across his face. “No. No promotion or medal would be good enough.”

“It matters to us,” Rhett said. “To those who know what it takes, what it means. We know the honour, the sacrifice.”

Yin stared at him, eyes searching his.

Rhett shrugged off the scrutiny. “It’s true. Only other servicemen will understand. Civilians have no clue.”

Yin blinked a few times, Rhett’s words clearly hitting home, then went back to watching Chen and Jay.

“I was the youngest member of the Jialong Commandos in the Yemen incident,” he said quietly before he stopped, as if he was embarrassed and not sure why he’d divulged that about himself. “If you know what that is...”

Of course Rhett knew what the Yemen incident was.

Just the evacuation of almost 600 Chinese citizens and over 200 other foreign nationals from Yemen after a Saudi-led coalition began airstrikes against the Houthi rebel group.

It was a massive joint operation involving many countries.

“Hell yes, I know what that is,” Rhett said. “You were there? The youngest?”

Damn, if Yin didn’t look embarrassed, proud even. Well, as proud as his Chinese modesty would allow.

Rhett was about to ask if the scars all over his body were a result of that time but decided not to push his luck. He’d gotten more out of Yin than he ever thought he would.

“Hey, boss,” Jay said, sliding his empty beer bottle on the table in front of Rhett. “Everyone’s bugging out.”

He looked over, and sure enough, Echo was putting on his coat, Chen was making Coyote laugh, aaaaand Sid and Azrael were bickering again, this time about football by the sounds of it.

Yep, time to go.

“Good idea,” Rhett said, standing up. He turned to Yin. “You guys good to get home?”

Yin rolled his eyes.

Jay laughed, and Rhett couldn’t even be mad. He felt good about how this night had played out. He’d broken ground with his newest team members. Well, with Yin. Chen already seemed to be friendly with everyone. Rhett needed to meet Yin head-on, and it seemed they’d done that tonight.

Rhett slung his arm over Jay’s shoulder. “Let’s go home.”

Well, home in London.

It was a barely equipped one-bedroom safe house. Nothing like the fancy places they used for special ops in movies. This was nice enough—small, basic, but inconspicuous, and with three ways to leave the building undetected.

Plus, they were never there long enough to feel cramped. It was small, yes, but it was more than enough. And they got to stay together.

And it was the only personal time he and Jay ever got. During the day, during meetings, during fitness, during any mission, they kept their relationship professional and kept their hands to themselves.

But they were allowed to share a flat in their downtime.

And as soon as that door was shut behind them, professional was out and personal was in.

They didn’t give a fuck if the place was bugged, or if their handlers or superiors were listening.

Rhett hoped they enjoyed the audio porn they provided most nights.

When Rhett closed the door behind them, he almost sighed with relief. Where nothing and no one else existed. Just Jay and him.

Jay slid his phone onto the table and spun to face him. “So, you and Mr Pit Viper seemed to be getting along. Like, he spoke actual words to you.”

Rhett smiled at that. “Yeah. I feel like I got somewhere with him. He’s a hard one to read, that’s for sure. But he’s been through some shit, I know that much. ”

Jay studied him for a second, his smile widening. “Oh my god.”

“Oh my god, what?”

Jay was grinning now. “You... you respect him.” He put his hands to his face. “That’s worse than liking him, I hope you know. You respect him.” Then he peeled off his shirt and proceeded to do some lame strip dance with it. “R-e-s-p-e-c-t,” he began to sing.

Rhett grabbed Jay’s stupid shirt and threw it toward the couch, then pushed him against the table, smiling down at him, capturing his mouth in a deep kiss, invading Jay’s mouth with his tongue.

When he pulled back, Jay chased the kiss, desperate for more.

Rhett put his thumb to Jay’s lips, making him whine.

“Do you need me to shut you up?”

Jay laughed and began to undo Rhett’s jeans. “Fuck yes.”

Rhett shoved Jay toward the couch and none too gently forced him onto it, the way Jay loved. He loved being manhandled. He loved rough hands and a firm hold. He loved it when Rhett took charge and showed Jay exactly how much he needed him.

Jay fell onto the couch, his head resting on a cushion where the back met the armrest. His smile was sinful as he licked his lips, and his eyes drew down to the bulge in Rhett’s jeans. “Give it to me,” he murmured. “Fucking need it, Rhett.”

Rhett chuckled, his body thrumming with need and anticipation. He pulled his cock out, pushed his jeans down a little, then put one knee on the sofa beside Jay’s hip.

With one hand on the back of the couch, the other on the armrest, Rhett aimed his erection at Jay’s mouth. Jay wound his hands around Rhett’s ass and, bringing him up and closer, he took him straight into his warm, wet mouth.

Jay hummed and sucked harder, swirling his tongue around the head, and Rhett looked down, not wanting to miss a second. He watched as Jay worked him over, taking him deep, sucking hard, his perfect lips gliding up and down.

“Fuck yes,” Rhett hissed, thrusting in and out. The pleasure was too much, too soon, hurtling Rhett toward the precipice of ecstasy. He wanted it so bad. He needed it. “You feel too good. Gonna come too fast.”

Jay looked up at him with those dangerous brown eyes, took him deep, sucked him hard, and squeezed his ass cheeks. Rhett couldn’t hold it back any longer.

He arched his back, trying not to ram in too far, as he unloaded in Jay’s throat, spilling his seed in hot, thick spurts.

Jay drank it down, moaning and humming, squeezing and sucking, and Rhett’s head spun. His world blacked out.

He barely registered Jay pulling him down on the couch with him, holding him, rubbing his back, kissing his neck.

“Fuck,” Rhett breathed, panting. “What day is it?”

Jay laughed underneath him. “It’s dick-sucking day.”

“Oh, goodie,” Rhett said, mind swirling into sleep. “My favourite.”

Jay chuckled. “Good. Because you’re up next.”

Rhett should have known ... good things didn’t last; moments of happiness were fleeting at best. Any step forward was met with two steps backward in their world of secrets and lies, of tricks and treason.

His ringing phone after too few hours of sleep was a blunt reminder.

Rhett never expected an easy life or extended periods of peace. But Jesus Christ.

One fucking day would be nice.