Page 29

CHAPTER 29

Aries

“Here’s the info for my lawyer. If you get a call from him, just do what he says,” I tell Raymond in a serious tone. I’m usually pretty carefree, but I need my boy to understand I’m not joking around.

His eyes are wide as he takes the number I’ve written down for him. “You don’t think you’ll really get into trouble, do you, Daddy?’

“Not with my Daddy to help him. They’ll all be ok,” Finn jumps in to answer.

“He’s right. Bellamy isn’t going to let anything happen to us. We’ve got to take care of this though. He hurt Rodney. Really, really bad.”

I don’t tell my boy anything else about it. He doesn’t need to hear the details or see the photos.

Because yeah, I demanded to see them once we made a plan.

Part of me wishes I hadn’t. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to get the images out of my head. They’ll be with me forever.

The rage on Andry’s face when I picked him up makes more sense now. I feel the same way. It’s good Bellamy got called in, too, or I would definitely have been in support of some violence.

“Please be careful. I’ll keep my phone on in case he calls.” My boy’s voice draws me back to the present.

It also helps dull the roaring fury I feel the more I think about everything about to go down. Bell said we only get one punch. I’m going to have to temper my emotions, or I’ll wind up trying to push for more.

That won’t go well.

No need to get on the bad side of the law, or the bad side of my bestie. He’s not fun when he’s upset with me.

“Love you,” I whisper against Raymond’s lips as I steal one last kiss.

“Love you too, Daddy.”

I wave to the other boys in the room as I head back into the main area where the other Daddies wait. Andry tucks his phone away when he sees me coming.

“Everything ok?” I ask him.

He nods. “Yeah. Checked with Ma. She said he’s still out.”

“I bet he is. You said she gave him pain meds?

“The nurse did.”

Bellamy laughs. “He’s going to be out for a while. Last time he got the flu and took an over-the-counter cough syrup, he slept for like sixteen hours straight. It was hilarious.”

The guys all laugh as I shake my head. “Y’all think it’s funny until you’re the one trying to get the kid up and dressed to go to school. He fought us like mad until we realized it was the drugs. You better hope he sleeps through it.”

“Good to know. I want to make sure I’m ready for any future illness.”

I raise my brow at Andry. “You say that like you plan to be around for a long time.”

He shrugs. “I plan on being around forever. If Rodney will have me, I want to marry him one day.”

Bishop claps him on the back. “Good man. Make an honest boy out of him!”

“You already planning a wedding?” Bellamy asks. “Let me warn you, it’s a tough job. There always seems to be something else to add to the list.”

Andry grins. “I was thinking we’d elope.”

The room goes silent before bursting into noise. Everyone shouts over one another, each of us trying to tell him how fucked up that is.

Leon whistles to cut through the chaos. He points to me and says, “Maybe we should let his biological relative voice his opinion first.”

“Thanks for that.” I give it a minute before facing Andry head on. “Eloping is fine for some, but that won’t work unless you bring us all along. Ma won’t forgive you if you do it without her.”

He shakes his head quickly. “You’d all be there. I just mean, I don’t want something big and fancy. If he agrees to marry me, it’s going to be quick and done. I don’t want to call him fiancé for more than a few days.”

“That’s dedication,” Maddox comments. The others all agree.

Meanwhile, I’m worried I might start crying or some shit. I always hoped my brother would find someone to love him the way he deserved. He’s the best of the best. It’s beautiful that he’s found his person. It makes me stupid happy.

“Alright! Time to load up and move out. Do we know where this guy is?” At my question, the guys all turn to Andry.

He shrugs. “Probably at the team house, I’d guess. That or a party. How are we going to get him alone?”

“Don’t worry about that part,” I say quickly. “Get us to him. We’ll handle the rest.”

Since there are five of us, we all pile into the massive SUV Bellamy invested in earlier this year. The damn thing seemed ridiculous at first, but it’s come in handy more than once when everyone needed to get someone all at once.

Why drive all the vehicles when you can use one? His logic won out in the end.

The drive to the campus is quiet. I’m not sure what the others are thinking about. As for me, I keep pondering happier thoughts about my boy, the future, and what it means for my brother once this is done. If I don’t work to be happier, I’m going to lose it before we even get there.

When Bell pulls onto a residential street, Andry tells him, “Keep going. Pull around the corner and park so the car isn’t at the house.”

“You sure know a lot about being discreet and committing crimes.” Leon says the words slowly, as if he’s thinking it through before he finishes speaking.

Andry turns from his spot in the front to look at us. “I told you my uncle is a crime lord, right?”

“Um, no! That’s vital information.” I blink at him a few times. “Where does this uncle live?”

“I second that question,” Bell adds as he shuts the car off.

“He’s back home. There’s an ocean between us. You’re all safe.”

His words do little to settle the unease I feel. Then again, I’d rather befriend someone who has power like that — or their relative at least — than to be on the other end of things.

Bell clears his throat. “Here’s my plan. I think we should have Andry go to the house like it’s a normal thing. He can pretend like he has no clue about Rodney, so we get an idea of where Liam is. Once we have an idea of the situation, we can sneak him out somehow and move the party somewhere else. No witnesses. Got it?”

“Sure do, boss man,” I retort as I salute him.

He rolls his eyes. “You going to be able to do this, Andry?”

My future brother-in-law nods stiffly. “For Rodney, I will.”

“For Rodney,” we all chant.

It’s almost funny enough to laugh about. I don’t, obviously. I have some sort of sense after all.

Andry climbs from the car, and we all sit quietly as we wait for an update of some kind. It takes about five minutes before his text comes to the group chat.

Andry: He’s here. Just him. No witnesses.

I grin. “Looks like we got lucky. How we doing this, Captain?”

Bell shakes his head at what I’m sure is a too happy an expression on my face. He points to me. “You’ll stay here. We’re going to go grab the kid, and we’ll go to the warehouse.”

The warehouse is an actual warehouse we bought for a secret project we’re working on. It’s mostly an idea we had after seeing a blog post about a place up north that was basically an indoor little’s paradise. Thankfully it gives us space to do this.

“Far be it from me to go against you, Cap, but I can’t do that. I’m going in too. You got to let me have this.”

He groans as he nods. “Fine. But keep it together.”

I watch as he gives order through the chat.

Bell: Any neighbors to worry about?

Andry: Not right now. There must be a something happening around campus. What do you want me to do?

Bell: I want you to hold tight. You might hear some noise but don’t check it out. We’ll text when you need to come back out. Be sure to pack a bag of some stuff to make it look legit.

Andry: Understood.

“Time to party, men,” Bell says after that last message comes through. We all get out, then I watch as a switch flips in my best friend.

His expression takes on a feral edge to it. He leads us to the next street over, and then up the front porch of the team house. He opens the door without knocking.

Well, shit.

Captain Give Zero Fucks has arrived.

I like it.

After we pile inside the house, he points for us to split up. “Make sure he doesn’t scream,” is all the instruction he gives us.

I take off down the hall in hopes I get to him first. Maybe if I do, I can get an extra hit in. No one will know if I give a little hate tap to his kidneys, right?

It’s like a love tap but more violent.

Unfortunately for me, I’m not the one who winds up with all the luck. That turns out to be Maddox.

Lame!

Maddox: Got him. He’s a squirrely fucker too.

Bell: Andry, get that bag ready. Give us three minutes, then come out to the car.

Andry sends back a thumbs up emoji. I snort upon seeing it, then head to the front door. There’s no point trying to move through the house to figure out where everyone else is. Bell gave us the play. It’s my job to get where he needs me.

“Shut up you dumb fucker,” Maddox growls at he shakes the kid in his arms. I spot them easily since there’s a blindfold on the kid, and he’s bound like something at a rodeo.

At my raised brow, he tells me, “I’ll explain it later.”

There has to be a good story to this, right? I wonder if Leon and Jake know about his apparent cowboy nature. They might… NOPE! No. Not going to think of it sexually.

I shake my head as I follow the group back out to the car. Thankfully we don’t see anyone on the journey. We’re on our way to the warehouse fairly easily given the way we’d only had the bare bones of a plan when this all started.

“No names, guys. We’re merely here to teach this one a lesson and then send him on his way. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!” rings out in the car.

If the kid is smart, he’ll piece together who we are anyway. There’s no masking the heavy accents Bishop and Andry have or the distinct cadence of Leon’s voice.

Maybe we’ll get lucky though. He may be too scared to figure it all out.

Fear can affect a lot of things.

Inside the warehouse is just as I remembered — empty and big.

Maddox brings in a subdued Liam to sit on the high-back stool someone thought to bring in. I appreciate the seating option since bending down to a normal chair for this conversation would suck. We’re all big guys. It makes more sense to keep him at our level.

“Do you know why you’re here?” I ask the kid once Maddox steps away.

“N-n-no, sir.”

I scoff. “Think hard about it. Maybe you’ll remember something recent you did to hurt someone else.”

He chokes out a cough at my words. I have no doubt he’s figured it out.

“Aries Merry,” he breathes out. “And... and the others. The team?”

“Don’t worry about who we are or are not.” Bellamy’s voice booms through the space. The echo in here is insane. Even I startle at the sound.

Liam cowers in fear. Bell motions for me to keep going, so I do.

“You hurt someone. Now it’s your turn. When we’re done here, you’re going to go home, pack a bag, and leave town.”

Ok, so maybe this wasn’t part of the script. I ignore the looks everyone shoots my way as I continue on.

“You will not reach out to him ever again. And I don’t want to hear that you’ve mentioned him to anyone either. I’ve got ears everywhere.” My voice is low, the tone menacing. It’s the same one I use on the field when someone pisses me off enough to break my fun-loving nature.

The kid’s head bobs, though his face scrunches. “But school. And the team. I have — I have commitments.”

“Consider them broken contracts,” Maddox steps in to say. I nod when he looks my way, as if asking to continue. “You don’t need to worry about them. Go home, wherever that is, so long as it’s not Bellport. Start over. Forget about this place.”

His mouth opens and closes, like he wants to say more, yet he can’t find the words. I grin at his loss. Well, that, and I know we’re about to get to the good part.

Most of us will have to pull our punches somewhat. Doesn’t mean it won’t feel good to hit this fucker for all the shit he’s done to my brother. The head game tactics he’s used are just as bad as the physical bullying.

“Now that you know the rules, it’s time to wrap this party up,” I announce.

Bell takes the moment to interrupt. “Remember the rules, gentlemen. One per person. Last guy gets the face shot.”

“The face sh — oomph!” I don’t hesitate to get the first blow in after pulling the guy to a standing position.

Ok, and maybe I don’t actually hold back.

My fist connects with his abdomen in a satisfying hit. He doubles over as a groan falls from his lips. Stepping back, I raise my hands to show I won’t go any further.

Then I get to watch as my friends take their licks too. If there wasn’t a chance for us to get caught later, I’d totally record the experience. It would be fun to watch later on.

And yeah, I know it’s a bit insane to want to watch something so violent. But I make a living literally crashing into other people on a field as we chase a pigskin-covered ball for entertainment purposes. I’ve been part of stranger stuff.

When Andry finally steps up to Liam for the final hit, he pauses. His gaze takes in the rest of us guys as we patiently wait to see what he does.

“If you ever touch him again, I’ll slit your throat myself,” Andry threatens before throwing the most beautiful right hook I’ve ever seen. It takes everything I have not to slow clap.

Damn.

At least this further confirms how safe my brother is with him by his side. Though I might have to keep an eye on him after that throat slitting business. Can’t have him running around threatening folks left and right if he’s going to be a superstar hockey player.

Jake’s already told me and Bell he wants to sign the kid as soon as he can. It’s only a matter of time before he’s fully like us and in the spotlight on a national level.

“And that’s a wrap,” Bellamy says as he stands over the knocked-out kid.

The blow Andry delivered would have been a TKO hit in a boxing match. It makes me wonder what other skills the guy is hiding beneath that mostly quiet exterior.

I have a feeling I’m going to get a chance to find out eventually, given how he’s going to be part of my life for the long haul.

We load the kid back into the vehicle and head towards campus. Andry tells us he’ll go back to clean the blood out of the space, but from the look Bell shoots my way, I know he won’t get a chance to. We’ll find a way to take care of it discreetly so there’s no chance Andry will get caught getting dirty.

Or maybe I should say getting clean.

It’s whatever. I’ve already confused myself too much as it is.

The kid gets left a few blocks from his place. Since he’s still out cold, we take off his blindfold and unbind his hands. Thankfully, there are no marks or anything to lead him back to us.

Granted, I don’t think the kid’s ego will allow him to go to the authorities on this. Even if he does, they won’t believe him if he tries to blame us.

“I need to get to Rodney,” Andry states once we’ve got our extra baggage out of the way.

Bell nods. “Already on the way. We’ll drop you and head back to Aries’s place to get the boys. Let us know if there are any other issues.”

Andry hums as if to agree with him as his gaze turns to the window. He looks out at the passing streets, though I suspect he doesn’t actually see any of them.

Within a few minutes, we’re back at Ma’s place. Andry jumps out before the vehicle fully comes to a stop. None of us say a word about it though, considering we understand the need to check on our boys too.

Once he’s inside, Bell pulls away. The vehicle is quiet for a bit until Maddox chuckles. “Can’t believe we just did that.”

“Yeah. It doesn’t really scream responsible adults to go beat the shit out of some kid.” Leon shakes his head as he adds his two cents.

I don’t necessarily agree with them. While we’ve been calling him a kid, Liam is actually a full-grown adult male. He’s old enough to know better, and he should have finished his bullying stage years ago.

Yet he hadn’t.

And since he took a liking to the wrong someone — aka my brother — he now suffers the consequences. That’s the way the world works.

Sorry, not sorry.

When we get to my place, we find the boys sprawled out in the living room in various states of little mindset. There are snacks and games everywhere, as if they bounced from thing to thing before settling about the space.

“What is going on here?” I ask my boy.

He looks over at me from his upside-down position on the couch. “Daddy! We were playing.”

“I see that. Why so many different games?”

“Because we couldn’t choose,” Finn answers for him. “It’s been hard trying to pick.”

My best friend scoops up his boy and sits in his place as he peppers him with kisses. “Daddy is sorry he wasn’t here to help you decide, little one.”

“It’s ok! This works too.” The pair snuggles closer somehow, their bodies melding into one as they ignore the rest of us.

Glancing around, I spot the others doing much the same. When I look back at my boy, he’s got a shy look on his face.

“What’s wrong, Amorcito?” I ask him.

He shakes his head. “Nothing. I just… I wanna have a sleepover.”

“A sleepover?”

“Yes, Daddy. With my friends. To be little.”

The room seems to go quiet as he waits for my answer. I’m not sure if I’m imagining it, or if the other boys are somehow in on this ruse.

After a long moment, I nod slowly. “Sure thing. Let’s have a sleepover.”

Cheers ring out as the boys who’d been acting all tired a moment ago form a conga line and dance around the living room. Us Daddies watch with amused expressions.

Who cares if they tricked us all?

They wouldn’t be our boys if they didn’t get into some trouble every now and then. We love them just the same.