Run This Town 03 - (Watch Me) Unmask You (9 page)

What didn’t he ask for? “Everything. He asked for everything, Stav. And I’m gonna give it to him. Not out of guilt, not because I’m seeking redemption for all the shit I did in the name of you and your father. I’m giving it to him because I want that, too. I want everything with him, and you will make it happen.”

“Will I?”

“I asked nothing of you in all the years I killed for you. Nor did I ask for a thing when you decided to bring Annika into our bed.”

Stavros’s eyes flashed and a pulse leapt in his jaw.

“I gave you what you wanted. Every fucking time. I allowed you to use me as a stand-in and never complained.” In truth he’d been using Stavros as well, but it still came as a shock to find out Stavros had been using Elias only because he couldn’t have who he truly wanted. By then Elias had already been disillusioned with everything about them.

“You did ask,” Stavros’s words were laced with tension. “You asked to leave that first time, remember?”

“No.” Elias shook his head. “I gave you a choice. You chose door number one, the lesser of two evils.”

“Door number two didn’t really work for me.”

It wouldn’t, not when he had the choice to either let Elias go or find everything about the Konstantinous splattered all over the world’s media.

“I will continue to work for you,” Elias said again. “It’s the bargain I made with you, and I keep my word.” 
Unlike you
, but that didn’t need to be voiced for Stavros to hear it. “Only in the States and nothing that requires me to work as I’ve been before.” Meaning deep undercover, getting up close and sometimes way too personal, intimate, with his prey. “That’s not going to happen, Stav.” He owed it to Lucky, to himself.

“Your boy know all you’re willing to do in his name?”

“His name is Lucky, Stav.”

“I am intimately familiar with who he is, Eli. Don’t forget that. Don’t forget who he is and why he is.”

As if Elias could ever forget. “Call off Bruce.”

Stavros smiled. How many ways did Elias hate that smile? He’d have to count them on his fingers and toes. “Why ever would I do that?”

“We’re in a good place, Stav.” Elias glanced out to the cobbled street outside. Cars were bumper to bumper, traffic barely moving, if at all. Horns blared, New Yorkers cussing at each other. He smiled at the familiarity of it. “Most importantly, I’m in a good place. I’m willing to leave you and your father alone to live a life as far away from you as possible. I’m asking you to respect that, Stav. Otherwise the dominoes will fall and you with them.”

“The student thinks he can take the teacher, eh?”

“Let’s talk about that then. Let’s talk about the many ways I have taken you.” Stavros’s eyes grew darker, pupils dilating.

Stavros shrugged, but it didn’t translate the nonchalance he’d likely been hoping to convey. “So I allowed—”

“Nothing.” Elias leaned in, reaching out a hand to touch Stavros’s chin then lower, knuckles brushing his throat, pressing on his Adam’s apple. Just a hint of a pressure. Stavros gripped the table, the only sign that he felt that touch. “You allowed nothing. If I wanted it, I had to fight you for it, yes? And you liked that, the blood we spilt, being made to take what I wanted you to take. You loved that fight,” Elias spoke in a low tone. “But I promise you—” He pressed harder on the Adam’s apple. “You won’t like this one. You won’t be getting my cock as a reward, Stav.”

He dropped his hand abruptly, disgust a sharp thing in his gut, eating away at him.

“If you come between me and what I want, who I want, I will make your precious Annika suffer, Stavros. And I won’t have to touch you or pull out my cock for you to drop to your knees.” He got to his feet and went to a stiff Stavros, bending to brush his lips over Stavros’s ear.

The other man shivered.

“You taught me so much, Stav. Her pain will be yours,” he whispered. “Her suffering will be yours. Her death will mean yours. I am your apprentice after all.” He straightened with a smile. “Call off Bruce. Lucky Mousasi is mine. Do you think I won’t break my back to make him happy? That I won’t bring everything to a bloodied fucking halt for him? You think I won’t douse this world, yours and mine, in gasoline and watch it burn to ensure he has whatever he needs?”

Lucky didn’t come to him. He didn’t call. Took everything Elias had, but he didn’t go to Cool Ink or the apartment. Lucky had to come to him. Right? Or should he be the one to go to the other man? What the fuck were the protocols in situations like the one he found himself in?

Why wasn’t he coming to Elias? Had he changed his mind, decided to stay with that Chad dude? Elias picked up his cell phone, checking to make sure he didn’t have any missed calls or overlooked texts. Nothing from Lucky, though he did have a text from Tek wanting to know how things were going. Elias couldn’t talk with his friend. He needed to know what the hell was going on before he did anything.

So yeah, he got in his car before he could talk himself out of it. Stalking. Exactly what he’d been reduced to. He didn’t even feel the least bit guilty as he sat in his vehicle across the street from the tattoo shop. He sat up when he saw Lucky’s ex—well, he should be the ex by now—park in Cool Ink’s parking lot then go into the place. Elias was out of his car as well and dodged the traffic as he ran across the road and up to Lucky’s place. Okay, so he was stalking the younger man, but Lucky was his and he’d do anything to make sure of that.

Chad had no place in Lucky’s life.

“Talk to me, Lucky. How can you just end us like this?”

Oh hell.
Elias barged through the entrance to the tattoo studio, the tiny bell tinkling. Everyone turned toward him, and he ignored all eyes except Lucky. The younger man had his arms crossed over his chest, eyes blazing in anger as he faced off against Chad.

“This is neither the time nor the place for this discussion, Chad. We’ll talk more when I get home.” Lucky turned away, but Chad grabbed his arm, stopping him.

“Just tell me what’s going on.”

Well, that was unacceptable. Elias stepped forward, but Lucky was already defending himself, pushing Chad away.

“I’m sorry, Chad. I told you. It’s not gonna work out. We’ll talk more later, but this isn’t the time or the place.” Chad didn’t know Lucky too well, otherwise he’d know to run away from the danger flashing in Lucky’s eyes. “Please leave.”

Everyone was watching, and Elias didn’t like that Lucky was in the position he was in. It was his fault, wasn’t it? He’d stomped his way back into Lucky’s life and demanded he turn his entire world upside down again. For him. Guilt choked him.

After a few seconds of staring Lucky down, Chad turned and walked away. “We’re not done, Lucky,” he said as he shouldered past Elias. “We’re so not done.”

Elias needed to see Lucky. Make sure he was okay. He began walking back to Lucky’s office when the younger man headed that way, but Pia stepped into his path.

“Where you going, slim?”

Elias cocked his head. She had a determined glint in her eye. He could get past her easy enough, but she was protecting Lucky. He could live with that. “I need to see him.”

She nodded. “Uh huh. Uh huh. But does he want to see you?”

He smiled. “Why don’t I go ask him?”

Pia rolled her eyes. “Why don’t we go together?” She lifted a brow and jerked her chin in the direction of Lucky’s office. “Come on, big guy.”

So he followed her as she made her way into Lucky’s office without knocking. He stood at his desk, both hands gripping it with his back to them, his head bowed.

“Lucky.”

Lucky stiffened.

Pia went to him when Elias’s feet felt too heavy to carry him across the room. She stroked his back and murmured in his ear then Lucky nodded and walked away, into what Elias figured was a private bathroom.

He stood against the doorway, hands in his pockets, and Pia sat on Lucky’s desk and eyed him up and down in silence. When she looked up from ogling his crotch, he held her gaze. She was Lucky’s friend and he obviously cared for her so Elias wasn’t about to fuck up his already strained chances by threatening to kill her.

“So…” She drew out the word. “A redhead, huh? Didn’t think they made you guys anymore.”

What, like they were manufactured in a factory or some shit? “They broke the mold after me.” He could tell by her blink that she didn’t get it so he didn’t bother speaking after that.

’Course she didn’t stop undressing him with her eyes, and he heaved a sigh when Lucky came out of his bathroom wiping his hands on a paper towel that he then tossed into the waste basket near his desk.

“Stop eye-fucking him, Pia.”

Elias’s belly did a slow roll then a rumble. Maybe he was hungry, but no. Lucky’s tone was possessive. Of Elias.

“Dunno why you get to have all the fun.” Pia poked her tongue out at Lucky as she hopped off his desk. “And correct me if I’m wrong—” she winked. “But weren’t you just humping Chad?”

“Stay out of my business, Pia.” Lucky finally looked at Elias. “Matter fact, get out so I can talk to Elias.”

“Oh, is that his name?” Pia sighed. “Been calling him Big Red in my head this whole time.”

“Goodbye, Pia.” Elias glowered at her. She grinned at him and strode past.

“Later, Big Red.”

When he heard the door click behind her, Elias walked over to Lucky. They stood mere inches apart, just staring at each other.

“Mijn schat.”

Lucky’s nostrils flared.

“Whatever you need from me, whatever you want,” he said softly. “It’s yours. I am yours.”

Lucky didn’t look away, but he did bite his lip, and his eyes were wet. “I’ve already told you what the ultimate goal is. That doesn’t change. Ever. But right now I want you to give me something we’ve never had, Elias Kote. Time together.”

They were dating. Almost a month of it, too. More than Lucky had seen of Elias in all the years he’d known him. A month. And he was there with the phone calls, and late night impromptu dinners. And those eyes looking at Lucky as if Elias had no will to look away.

Some kinda shit, but it still set Lucky’s knees on weak. Still had his palms on slick. And his dick hard. But Lucky wanted more, Elias knew that, so they didn’t deviate from the drop offs at the door with kisses that turned him into a greedy bastard. Fucking whimpering, because
aye
, he wanted that, too.

Elias.

Inside him.

But Lucky would wait, even though that shit got harder and harder as the days passed. At least he didn’t have to worry about Chad anymore. He’d been so sure Chad would have been a problem, especially after that scene he’d made at Cool Ink, but Lucky had gone back to the apartment that night and chose to tell him the truth. He’d explained he felt something for someone else. 
No
, he hadn’t been cheating, but that he wanted to be with another man.

Chad had been angry and hurt. And Lucky took the blame. Guilt rode him hard. He’d stood there and taken the verbal blows Chad had thrown at him. Because yes, he deserved it after dropping a great guy like Chad for Elias who he still didn’t know if he could count on.

All of that mess was on him. Tossing Chad aside out of the blue when the other guy had been so sure they were all good, in a good space. They were, sure. But Chad wasn’t Elias and Lucky’s heart fully resided with the gruff and secretive redhead. Chad left soon after, and Lucky had the apartment to himself. Came in handy when Elias popped by announced just because.

That was always the excuse he used. Just because.

Lucky couldn’t lie, couldn’t deny he liked that. Wanted to get used to that shit. He still had his back up, still had that barrier in place—though Elias was battering at it—just in case Elias dropped off the map again.

That remained the only fly in his ointment.

He was still so scared to believe in Elias being at his side for good. It wasn’t as if he was borrowing trouble. He’d been burned, so it was expected he’d be hesitant. He had to give it to Elias though, he hung in there with Lucky and his doubts. Never discounted them, always validated it.

Fucking man was a wet dream.

Lucky’s.

Tonight he drove over to Elias’s new house after locking up at Cool Ink. Joe had officially offered to sell him the place, and Lucky was already envisioning opening another tattoo studio. He wanted to do that, branch out. It was a step he looked forward to making, but already the work involved in that was giving him a headache. Hopefully Elias would help him get his mind off it.

They’d been talking, really talking. Elias sharing stories of his travels as a bodyguard to some rich and very important dude Lucky had never heard of. The job that had him traveling the globe and away from Lucky. He’d explained the only reason he’d been able to pop in and out was because of his ex-employer’s medical situation that he got treated at a New York hospital.

Now that his employer was retired and living in the States, Elias was out of a job and looking to settle down. That was what he said. Lucky was still waiting to wake up any day and find Elias gone. 

He parked in the driveway, walked up to the front door and rang the bell. He’d bought a house. Without knowing if Lucky would say yes or no to another chance, he’d bought a house. There was a certain thing that came over Lucky whenever he stepped inside. Different than his family home that he still had no idea what to do with. Like he was meant to be here with Elias. Like he belonged here. All the memories they could create in this house.

If Elias stayed.

He opened the door in a gray Henley, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, dark jeans and bare feet. “You should use your key.”

“Uh huh.” Lucky brushed past him and into the house. He didn’t want to voice an opinion one way or the other on that front. He wanted to take his time and languish in the knowledge that he had Elias. The door closed behind him and he spun to face Elias who was watching him closely. Too closely. Lucky frowned at him. “What?”

Elias smiled, a gentle knowing smile. “It’s okay. Come.” He motioned for Lucky to follow him into the living room. A shoe box sat on the coffee table. Elias pointed to the box. “That’s for you.”

Lucky squinted at him, head cocked. “You bought me shoes?” He didn’t make a move toward it.

“I didn’t buy you shoes.” Elias made a shooing motion with his hands. “Go. See what’s inside. I gotta go check on dinner.”

“You’re cooking?” Lucky glanced toward the kitchen. “You didn’t tell me that.” He’d cooked for Lucky before, a few dishes from different parts of the world he visited. Enough to let Lucky know that Elias had a talent in the kitchen. Lucky could cook too, he’d had to learn else he’d starve, but he was nowhere as good as Elias.

“Just some steak and potatoes.” Elias shrugged. “Nothing fancy.”

Uh huh.
Lucky walked over to the shoe box and lifted the lid. It was filled with… “Is that postcards?” He looked from the box to Elias then back with a frown. “And—” He bent and picked up a piece of paper with writing on it. “Letters.”

“Five years of letters and postcards.”

Wha—
Lucky’s jaw dropped, his knees too, and he was on the floor, a hand hovering over the box as he stared at Elias. “Five years?” he whispered.

Elias nodded, gaze intense on Lucky’s face. Likely gauging his reaction. Lucky didn’t know… He touched a finger to the contents inside that shoe box, caressed them. Five years and Elias had done this.

“You never left my mind.” Elias was raspy, the words almost harsh. “Not one second of those years.”

Lucky picked up a postcard with a gorgeous image of cherry blossoms and the words Hong Kong.

No signature, nothing else. But it was enough. He gulped around the lump in his throat and dug around the box, fingers cold and shaking. He pulled a sheet of paper dated the day of his twenty-first birthday from near the bottom and began to read.

Happy Birthday, Lucky. I’m sorry I can’t be there with you to help you celebrate. I’m in Africa, getting a much needed tan.

A sob burst from Lucky, meant to be a laugh.

I miss you,
 Elias wrote. 
Which probably would freak you out. Maybe even send you running away from me. But while I can’t ever be honest about that to your face, I can speak the truth here. So I miss you, Lucky Mousasi.

He never signed them Lucky realized as he read letter after letter, postcard after postcard. Elias never mentioned where he was on the postcards, letting images on the stationary do the talking for him. The letters were much more in-depth, though, but even they were restrained. He didn’t talk about what he was doing, sometimes he didn’t even say where he was. He talked about missing Lucky, wishing he could share his travels with him, hoping he was happy and taking care of himself.

Jesus.

He folded his legs under him and read them. Sheets of paper tore under his greedy fingers, postcards waving as his hold wavered and wobbled every so often. He found himself in five years of Elias. In five lost years and a pile of correspondence. The ache in his chest, it made it hard to breathe. To think beyond what he’d lost, what he’d missed, what he’d never be able to get back.

But he didn’t lose sight of what he had, what he’d gained.

Love. All over those postcards. All over those crumbled, wrinkled, faded pages torn and smudged with all kinds of shit he didn’t care about. Elias loved him.

He found a postcard from Germany, dated a few weeks before Elias showed up at Cool Ink a month ago. All it said was all that Lucky needed to hear.

“I’m coming home to you.”

There were a lot of things Lucky was okay going without. The details of Elias’s job was one, his time spent with other people, in their beds. That shit. He wasn’t okay not knowing how Elias felt, he was not okay not knowing what lay buried in Elias’s heart. He was not okay with the “strong, but silent” shit.

He needed to know where he stood. If the ground beneath his feet was solid. If he could breathe. If he could let go of the fear and breathe. The postcard slipped from his fingers, floating away, but Lucky didn’t see where it landed because his head was tilted toward the ceiling, his chest was rising, falling, and he…

Motherfuck,
but he was breathing.

“Lucky?” Elias’s tone was hesitant, almost scared.

Lucky smiled before he even opened his eyes to find Elias standing in front of him, confusion on his face, fear in his eyes. He got onto his knees and knee-walked over to Elias who watched him as if Lucky was a stranger. Lucky could forgive that. When he reached Elias he wrapped both arms around his waist and laid his head on Elias’s hip.

Just like that. Keep them just like that.

Elias touched him, hesitant fingers carding through his hair, touching his nape.

“Mijn schat.”

Lucky shuddered and lifted his head to look up at him. “I love you.” Because he did, had, since that first kiss. Maybe as far back as sixteen, hiding, scared out of his mind. Since Elias touched him, spoke to him, comforted him.

Elias cupped his jaw. Lucky turned his face into Elias’s palm, kissing him there. He made sure there was no room for arguments, for maneuver when he said, “I will lock you down, scarlet. No letting go.”

Something flashed in the depths of Elias’s blue eyes, heating them, setting them afire really. “I will hold you to that, Lucky.”

And Lucky nodded, because he wanted and expected nothing less. “Good. Now feed me so I can fuck you.”

Under Lucky’s touch, a tremor went through Elias’s body. “Fuck me, huh? Not sure you can handle the ride.”

Lucky grinned up at him, never taking his gaze away as he traced Elias’s erection, outlined through his jeans, with one finger. “What do you know about what I can handle? Been spying in my bedroom?”

“Maybe.” Elias licked his lips, the word sounding like a moan more than anything else.

“Nah.” Lucky squeezed him, and Elias sucked in a breath. “If you did you’d know this is gonna be nothing like that night you were all up in me three years ago. If you did you’d know that nowadays I take my fucks the way I’m about to take you. Wicked and brutal.”