2-Bound By Law (23 page)

First, he wiped Paulo down with the warm cloth and wrapped the towel around his back when he started to shiver.

“Drink this,” he urged, and while Paulo moved from where he’d been draped across Law to do so, Styx wiped the come from their stomachs and dried them. Encouraged Law to drink soda as well, couldn’t resist leaning in for an open-mouthed kiss with him, tasting the sugary Coke.

“Nice,” Law murmured, and Styx had to agree.

“I’m going to help you off,” Styx told Paulo. “Think you’re ready?”

Paulo nodded gamely even though he was nowhere near ready, and he let Styx practically carry him to the bed, his ass aching, his legs trembling and his mind trying to absorb the enormity of what he’d done. Styx curled up next to him while Law went to the bathroom, whispered, “Fucking fantastic,” in his ear.

Paulo swallowed down tears, wondering where all the emotion was coming from—he hadn’t shown this much when his father had disowned him, hadn’t allowed anyone or anything over the past years since then to get to him like this.

“It’s okay, you know—what you’re feeling is normal,” Styx told him.

“Now you read minds too,” he muttered.

“You’re not that hard to read.” Styx paused and watched Law come back from the bathroom to stand next to him. “Not when it’s the right people reading you.”

“Love you both,” he heard himself murmur, and wanted to take it back because maybe that was stupid.

“Love you both,” Law echoed in his ear, followed by Styx’s rendition, and it was that goddamned simple.

Chapter Eighteen

Law knew Styx wanted in on this, but both Law and Tomcat refused to let him.

“You’re the one he wants most. He’d use Law to lure you in,” Tomcat told him.

“And suppose he catches Law?” Styx argued.

“He won’t, Styx. I told you, I can fight dirty.” Law knew Styx wasn’t underestimating him on purpose, but that nerves were getting the best of him now that they were so close to the end.

“Let me go in with you,” Styx told Law.

“I don’t want you near him. You said yourself, there’s nothing he could tell you that you’d want to know. So don’t go there. Let me do something for you, the way you’ve been protecting me all these years.”

“You’re not angry about that anymore?”

Law shifted. “I had your number. I could’ve asked you for more. I let my pride get in the way of all of this too. I have to bear some of the blame.”

Styx hugged him, whispered, “I love you,” into his ear and Law said it back, out loud, and for a long while they remained like that.

“Worth the wait,” Law said when they finally broke apart. Tomcat handed Law the gun, which he tucked into his pants. He was already wired and now, dressed in all black BDUs, he was more than ready.

“This started with me too—he made it about me. Now, it’s going to finish with me.”

There was nothing Styx could say to counter that. Law was too determined. He’d been trained to assassinate—he could protect himself at least as well as Styx, if not better. Still, he knew that for Styx, just the thought of Law putting himself in this much danger was almost too much for him to handle. He could see the worry written all over his lover’s face, and although he didn’t want to be the one to put it there, he knew he’d ultimately be the one to help take the worry away. For good.

“I’m going to be fine,” Law told him firmly, put a hand on the back of Styx’s neck and touched his forehead to Styx’s, heard Styx’s hitch of breath and gave the man a long moment to pull his shit together in front of his colleagues. Which Styx did, of course, by the time Law pulled away. “We all are.”

“Going to command that to happen, are we?”

Law gave a wry smile. “Yes.” With that, he left the van, which was parked several blocks from Styx’s father’s brownstone, and went through back alleys to reach the side door he’d planned on entering through. He could hear Tomcat and Styx in his ear, keeping contact as he worked in the dark.

He’d broken into more places than he cared to—or had been allowed to—admit. This one meant more than all the others put together. He held many lives in the hands that worked the double lock.

He spent twenty minutes bypassing the alarm system and getting inside while leaving it armed and in place, a personal favorite skill of his.

He needed to be inside with the alarm still set by the time Styx’s father came home. And then he’d get the surprise of his life. “I’m in,” he told the men, and then he moved around carefully, positioning himself in the hallway, with a wall to his back.

“He’s on his way in,” Styx said. “Law, please…”

Law switched off the mic, knowing it would do no good to hear Styx’s voice. He needed to be on his game. And so he pushed Styx and Paulo from his mind, and he concentrated on the man in front of him, who walked directly toward him, pointing his gun at Law’s chest.

Styx had been wrong about looking just like his father. The resemblance was there, for sure, but Styx’s eyes were so much kinder.

As far as Law was concerned, blood wasn’t that goddamned thick.

He resisted the urge to lunge forward and grab the man around the neck, gun be damned. The hatred rose inside him for everything Styx’s father had taken—no, had tried to take—from them. Styx’s father hadn’t succeeded up until this point, even though he’d managed to separate the men for far too long, and Law had to remember that. Because if he got too angry now to do his job, Styx’s father would win.

“You’re my son’s little bitch.” Styx’s father sneered at him. “Should have taken you out when I had the opportunity. And I had so many of them. I would’ve killed that fag who you lived with too, if he hadn’t died before I got the chance.”

No one spoke about Greg like that… Law fisted his hands and Styx’s father noticed. Laughed. “You know you’re not supposed to show emotion. You were doing well for a while, but nothing like my son. He was the best.”

“He is the best, no thanks to you.”

“Yes, I’m the big bad wolf who corrupted that boy. If he’d stayed with me, he would’ve had the world. What does he have with you, besides a sin?”

Law laughed at that—the fact that this man considered their relationship a sin…and the killing was merely a job. “You’re a sick son of a bitch. And really—you should’ve killed me when you had the chance. Because you’re not going to get the chance now.”

Law held his breath as Styx’s father smiled—a chilling thing, because the man’s eyes were as dead and colorless as coal. The gun rose a bit, centering between Law’s eyes, and he would hold firm and trust.

Greg was watching over him. He had to believe that.

Styx’s father finally spoke again. “You’re a little too sure of yourself, son. You didn’t think I knew you were here? You’re not as sly as you think—you’re on camera.”

“But I’m not.”

Styx’s father froze as the gun came out of nowhere and touched the side of his head. He opened his mouth to speak but the shot stopped any words. There was blood spatter and brains on the wall, and Tanner let the man’s body drop as he lowered the gun.

Tanner, who’d snuck in the back way before Law, after Law disabled the cameras. Once he was sure Tanner was safely inside, Law had allowed the cameras to capture him entering.

All part of the plan. And it had gone well but still, Law felt himself tremble at how close they’d all come.

“You okay?” Tanner asked.

“I think so.”

“Then breathe, all right?” Tanner took his arm. “It’s over, okay?”

“You risked too much,” Law said.

“We all did. We always do. It’s the way we live,” Tanner said quietly. “Come on—the CIA can clean this shit up.”

“Do you think…” Law paused. “I think he wanted to die.”

“No matter what he wanted, he deserved to.” Tanner guided Law out of the building as CIA agents moved past. Tomcat clapped a hand on his shoulder, a grim look on his face.

Although this death was necessary, it always came at a high price.

Law turned back to Tanner. “I wanted to do it, but…”

“You’ve all had to deal with too much because of him. I’m the best choice. It’s done.” Tanner had always been a warrior, but he was different now. Stronger, more confident. Part Delta, part because of Damon’s love and yes, they were all moving forward.

“I’m glad you called me,” Tanner told him. “I owed you, for all your help with me and Damon. Granted, I never thought this would be the kind of debt you called in. But when you told me this was for Styx…well, Damon told me about you and him.”

“Does Damon know you’re here?” Either way, Damon was probably pissed Law didn’t call him himself.

“He’s outside. Backing me up. And he’s not pissed—he’s just worried.” Tanner led him down the alley, where they met Damon.

“Sorry you had to cut your trip short,” Law told him.

“This was more than worth it.” Damon stepped forward and hugged Law. “I’ll yell at you and Tanner later. Right now I’m just so goddamned grateful you’re both okay.”

“So am I.” Styx’s voice came up from behind Damon.

Law and Damon pulled apart and Damon whirled to face Styx. For a long moment, the men stared at each other, and then Damon said, “Good to see you, man. Really good.”

They shook hands and then hugged. From behind Law, Tanner waited patiently, keeping an eye on all of them. Not so patiently, Styx came up next to Law, introduced himself to Tanner.

“Thank you,” he said, and Tanner just nodded.

Styx turned back to Damon. “Damon. I owe you and Tanner. I’m—”

“Don’t, Styx. Law told me everything. And now it’s over, so don’t let this time go to waste. I learned that lesson and it was almost too late.” Damon glanced at Tanner and both men’s faces practically glowed. “And then I learned that it’s really never too late.”

“I’m finding that out myself,” Styx said. “Still, it would’ve been nice if Law and Tanner let me in on this before I had to watch it play out on video.”

“We needed someone outside the situation, someone who didn’t live through it, who could keep a cool head,” Law explained. “Tomcat agreed. I didn’t want you to have to do it. As much as you wanted to, you would’ve regretted it. I would’ve, too, if you hadn’t taken the choice from me with my parents.”

“You knew?”

“I suspected and Paulo confirmed it. I think my story triggered something in you about Kyle and what your father did. You just didn’t realize you were working off a memory,” Law explained. “It’s over, baby. This is over and the rest of it’s just beginning.”

The men put their heads together, foreheads touching, for a long moment in the frigid cold.

“I’m your past—he’s your future,” Styx told him.

“My past is part of my future—always will be, if I have anything to say about it. And I damn well have everything to say about it.”

“Stubborn.”

“You like me that way. Always have,” he murmured, and Styx couldn’t object.

“Always, Law,” Styx agreed. “But you’ve got to go back to the cabin to make sure it’s really over—that no one else is coming for any of us.”

“You’re coming?”

“No—you and Paulo. My director wants a report. I have to, Law.”

Law didn’t say anything at first and then finally told Styx, “You do what you need to. But remember, we need you.”

“I’ll remember,” Styx told him before he pulled away reluctantly, watched Law and Tanner and Damon get hustled into a waiting SUV.

Law watched Styx standing on the corner from the window of the moving car until Styx was out of sight…and even then, he refused to turn back around.

Chapter Nineteen

Law and Paulo remained at the cabin with Damon for a week, while Tanner had been ushered right back into service, before the CIA cleared them to go home.

Paulo was told his family had been allowed to do so as well, but he told Law he didn’t want to make contact with them, and Law hadn’t pushed him.

Damon and Tanner had already cleaned up Law’s place for him and Paulo’s too, but they only stopped at Paulo’s apartment so he could grab a few necessities. And then they were in Law’s truck, making the short drive to his apartment, where the men dropped their bags by the door.

“Place looks great—you’ll have to give me the tour,” Paulo said.

“We’ll move you out of your place and into here over the next few weeks,” Law told him.

“Ah, we’re in the I’ll-make-all-the-decisions-for-you phase, are we?”

Law locked an arm around his waist and dragged him close. “Problem with that?”

“Even if I did, all you have to do is throw me on the bed and I’ll forget my own name.”

Law raised his brows. “Let’s try that theory out.”

He picked up Paulo and put him over his shoulder, walked him through the apartment until he reached the king-sized bed.

Law did throw him down, stripped him, climbed him in what seemed like seconds, then let the man catch his breath.

“Fuck, you’re good at that,” Paulo said as Law took his own shirt off and started to take down his jeans.

Paulo reached up to stroke Law’s cheek. Paulo still bore the bruises from what had happened—Law knew he’d always bear scars…but it would heal underneath.

Scars made the skin tougher anyway.

“Lots of room in this bed.”

“You’re thinking about him too?”

“Thinking. Worrying.” Law looked at him. “Same as we worried about you.”

“Never going to let me live that down, are you?”

“Never,” Law agreed, but he was smiling a little. “You know, Greg said that the people who need us the most are drawn to us, no matter how we try to outrun them. They find us and eventually they heal us, no matter how resistant we are.”

“And you were resistant to anything, more than I ever was,” Paulo reminded him, and Law swore he could almost hear Styx’s laugh, deep and easy in its agreement.

There was so much to discover—he wanted to find out something new every damned day. “You and Styx both like it that way. You want to be the ones who break me out of the stubbornness.”

“Hallelujah, he finally gets it,” Paulo said with a smile. “He’ll come back.”

“And if he doesn’t, am I enough?”

“I could ask you the same question.”

Law smiled. “You always were. This was never about needing more.”