Sex & Mayhem 04 No Matter What (3 page)

“And what is
this prank for?”

Luca exhaled.
“Apparently, two of his friends dared him to pretend that he knew
me, and I cheated him out of money. The point is to target someone
who has company.” He swallowed hard, remembering the raw hurt in
Ghost’s eyes. Like he’d stabbed him in the chest and turned the
blade to finish the deed.

Antonio nodded
as if he knew all about it. “To have them pull out any money they
have on them, just to make the guy leave. Makes sense. Like those
singers who come to your table and won’t stop with the howling till
you pay them. Punching their face in works as well.”

Frederico
nodded at the waitress for the bill, but then his cold black eyes
turned to Luca again. “What did you tell him?”

Luca looked at
the unfinished zucchini rolls in front of him and pushed them away,
no longer hungry. “We joked around a bit, and he let it go. I
didn’t want to leave the two of you waiting.”

“I’m still
eating anyway,” said Antonio. The skin on his face so was thick and
full of curves it reminded Luca of challah, his nose big and
crooked from a fight he had years ago, dark hair styled into an
old-fashioned combed-back style. If he weren’t wearing a suit for
Frederico’s sake, he’d look like the stereotype of an aging Italian
gangster.

“I’ve got
business to attend to tomorrow, so you can make some sightseeing
plans if you like,” Frederico said, as the waitress came over with
the card reader.

Luca smiled at
him. He would need some time to lick his wounds after losing Ghost,
but he’d need to wait a long time for that to happen. Now, it was
all about keeping Frederico content.

“You sure you
won’t be able to spare any time? We could at least go to some
observation deck together,” he said, doing his best to be pleasant.
Frederico had chosen a gay man for his closest associate so there
was no need to hide anything from Antonio.

“I doubt it,
but you can be on call. If not, we’ll meet for dinner tomorrow
evening. I’ve seen this city a thousand times, but there’s always a
new restaurant to visit.” Frederico downed his espresso. “Though
the ones with long tradition are best anyway. Antonio, you’re
done.”

Antonio growled
and pushed away the bowl. “You that eager to fuck your boy? You
have all night.”

Luca hid behind
a mug with cool green tea so he wouldn’t have to smile for
Antonio’s benefit. He hated the man with all he was. Crude, simple,
and never failing to ogle Luca’s ass when Frederico wasn’t looking.
Luca didn’t know which one of them was worse. At least Frederico
smelled nice.

Frederico
shrugged and got up. “I can fuck him anytime. I have a busy day
tomorrow, so you can order more fucking sushi at the hotel, if
that’s what you want.”

Luca took a
discreet glance at his phone. No new messages. Not even anything
hateful. It was as if the five years of friendship never existed.
On the upside, Frederico would go to sleep early so he’d have time
for himself, without having to please him when all Luca wanted was
to curl up and cry.

Antonio
shrugged. “All work, no fun.”

Frederico
smirked. “Go on, Luca, why don’t you defend me?” He had to be in a
really good mood to joke around.

“I don’t want
to get between you two. It’s like taking Antonio’s dessert away
from him,” said Luca with a small smile that he almost lost when
Antonio’s gaze swept him from head to toe.

“Oh,
do
get between us.”

Frederico let
out a raspy chuckle. “One day, Antonio, one day,” he said, already
heading for the exit and pulling out his cigarette case.

Antonio gave
Luca a silly grin behind Frederico’s back, but Luca only answered
with a polite smile. Frederico never shared him―his way of keeping
himself disease-free―but tensions had recently been high in their
so-called-relationship, and if Antonio wasn’t bullshitting Luca,
Frederico usually didn’t keep his ‘assistants’ after they lost
their youthful charm. Luca’s time as Frederico’s lover would soon
be coming to an end, but it was hard to predict what would come
afterward. What if Frederico found it a good idea to pass him on to
Antonio as some sort of gift?

So Luca shaved
most of his body hair, and tried to give Frederico that youthful
impression. But with the way he’d grown up, it was getting hard to
keep up that façade at twenty-one. He was strong and trim, with a
permanent shadow of a beard, a strong brow line, and a jaw that
didn’t belong on a teenager. He was split between wanting to break
things up and the fear of what would happen next. He had nowhere to
go, and he couldn’t ask Frederico if he’d consider Luca’s family
debt paid once they were through. What if he chose to sell Luca’s
kidney to cover the rest of the money owed by Luca’s father, or
some shit like that? Luca knew Frederico well enough to know it
wouldn’t be beneath him.

They left the
restaurant, heading for the car. With Antonio busying Frederico
with some mafia shit, Luca was free to tag behind, buried in his
thoughts. After the conversation at the table, he could hardly
taste Ghost’s mouth on his lips anymore through the bitterness left
behind.

The phone
buzzed in his pocket, and Luca pulled it out so fast he almost
dropped it.

A message
popped up in the game app Luca communicated with Ghost in. ‘We need
to talk. I’ll make it happen.’

Luca’s heart
leapt, and he looked up at Frederico’s lean and tall frame. He was
busy talking to Antonio, so Luca took a moment to type back.

‘The hotel? I’m
staying at the nearest Four Seasons. He’s going to sleep
early.’

No answer.
Second after second, minute after minute.

“Luca, I’m
talking to you, stop playing games on your phone,” Frederico said
and snapped his fingers in front of Luca’s face.

“Sorry.” Luca
grinned and pushed the cell into his pocket. He opened the door for
Frederico as they reached the car.

“I was asking
you what you’d like to see tomorrow. I don’t want you to spend all
day in front of your computer,” Frederico said once they were all
in the car.

Luca cleared
his throat. “I wanted to visit Central Park, and then go to the MET
when it starts getting dark.” He closed the door and got in from
the other side. The limo had tinted windows, which made him feel
like he was locked in a safe no matter where they went. If
something were to happen inside, if Frederico wanted a blowjob,
passersby wouldn’t notice a thing.

Frederico was
already smoking as Antonio started the car. The restaurant he chose
was in a small town in the suburbs, so they still had quite a way
to go.

“You don’t want
to see the Statue of Liberty, or something?”

Luca shrugged.
“I need to pick
something
. Why? Would you go and see Lady
Liberty?” he asked, gently nudging Frederico with his shoulder.

“Haven’t seen
her for a while.” Frederico took a big drag of smoke. “If I found
time, I’d go relax somewhere, maybe book a boat trip.”

“I’m more of a
city rat, I guess,” said Luca as Antonio drove out of the parking
lot and into the street. But his mind kept returning to Ghost’s
burning gaze and the last message on his phone. Ghost was the only
person Luca had ever truly opened to, and Luca would do anything to
talk to him in person. Maybe he’d even get to squeeze his hand?

“We need to go
shopping then. Get you a nice new jacket, something classy. What do
you think?” Frederico gave Luca’s collar a little tug.

Luca didn’t
like the way being around Frederico always made his hair and
clothes smell of tobacco. The new jacket would no doubt cost a
small fortune, but that wouldn’t make it smell any better.

“What would you
want me to wear?” he asked, knowing he wouldn’t have much say
anyway.

“I think black
would go nicely with your coloring.” Frederico slid closer and
played with a strand of Luca’s long hair. It was quite pleasant,
but today’s events made it difficult for Luca to enjoy it.

“I think you’re
right. Toned-down colors look good on me,” he repeated what
Frederico had once said to him.

“Fucking
bikers. Can’t they drive any faster?” Antonio groaned from the
driver’s seat.

“Must be one of
those Harley Davidson daddies, then,” said Frederico, caressing
Luca’s nape. “Honk.”

Antonio did as
he was told, but the two men in black blocked the whole road, and
with a ditch on one side and a row of trees on the other, there was
no way the car could rush past the big bikes.

The one right
in front of them slowed down so much they had to almost stop.

Antonio
groaned. “Should I be worried?”

Frederico
leaned forward to have a better look. “No.”

The biker in
front of them waved his arm, and parked his bike sideways, forcing
them to stop. Long, bushy hair stuck from underneath a black helmet
as he dismounted, the man tall and wild like a modern Viking.

Antonio pushed
back against the backrest. “Come on, let’s just drive over that
motherfucker. The road’s fucking empty. Those thugs must want money
for crystal, or something.”

Frederico
sighed, pushing Luca away. “Don’t make a fuss for no reason. I know
those patches.”

Antonio looked
into the rear-view mirror. “Another one.”

Luca swallowed
and squeezed his hands on the seat. He should have taken his gun
from the hotel, but on the other hand, neither Antonio nor
Frederico seemed nervous or worried.

The leaner and
shorter biker got off as well, adjusting his pants and heading
their way with a goofy smile. He knocked on the roof of the limo.
“Hey, we’re running low on gas. Spare some?”

“Very funny,”
Antonio growled and pressed the window-opening button, but Luca’s
gaze stuck to the rear-view mirror and the man who’d stopped behind
them. Dressed in a black leather jacket, he looked like any other
handsome biker type, but when he came closer, it struck Luca how
familiar he was. Luca’s heart was drumming so fast he hardly
noticed the gun pointed at Antonio’s head until Frederico squeezed
his hand on Luca’s shoulder.

He reached
inside his suit jacket, where he always kept his weapon, and all
Luca could think about was that Frederico could shoot Ghost with
that gun. Could kill him. He shuddered when two gunshots tore
through the air, and their car sank lower, but Ghost was already at
his door. He yanked at the handle, but the door was locked and
wouldn’t budge.

“Open the
fucking door!” growled the blond biker who held Antonio at
gunpoint.

“What the fuck
are you doing?” Frederico growled with a squint. “You have no idea
who you’re dealing with.”

Luca’s gaze was
transfixed on the face behind the window. He was paralyzed and
couldn’t care less for anything that was being said. How did Ghost
know gun-wielding gangsters?

The other biker
pulled out a gun as well, and pointed it at the glass from
Frederico’s side. “Get out of the car, and no one will get
hurt.”

Antonio looked
back, his thick-skinned face wrinkled. “Do it. It’s not fucking
bulletproof!”

Ghost knocked
on the window again, but Luca raised his gaze to Frederico, who
straightened his back and opened the door on his side, where the
big hairy biker was waiting with the barrel of his gun pointed
straight at Frederico’s head.

“You’ll get
your gas.”

“Boy, open the
other door,” said the hairy one.

Luca swallowed
and didn’t hesitate this time. He unlocked the door and pushed it
open, letting in the bright sunlight.

Ghost watched
Luca with those pale blue, almost translucent eyes. “Get on the
back of my bike.” He pointed to a white Harley parked at the back
of the limo.

Frederico’s
voice was cool and collected, like he knew no fear. “Do you know
who I am?”

Luca drew in a
sharp breath, standing next to Ghost. He shuddered, looking into
the beautiful eyes that were still gentle yet held incredible
determination. “They’re dangerous. You should go,” he whispered,
even though his whole body burned to be closer.

“Hand over your
gun,” growled Hairy on the other side of the car, and in a surreal
moment, Frederico did take out his small handgun and put it in the
biker’s hand as if he were handing over his balls.

“You will
regret this,” Frederico said through his teeth.

Ghost pushed
Luca toward the bike. “Get on the backseat.”

Luca walked
over to the shiny white ride and looked back, just in time to see
the goofy-looking biker puncture the back tires of the car with
more bullets. He had no idea what was going on. Ghost hated
violence, and he was against easy gun ownership, so what was he
doing in this kind of company?

“Ghost, go,”
said Hairy, and Ghost rushed to join Luca on the motorbike.

Ghost took off
his helmet, revealing his white-blond hair, and passed it to Luca.
“Hold on tight, it’s a long ride.”

This time, Luca
didn’t hesitate. He would dive head-first for once and not think of
the consequences anymore. His fingertips longed to touch Ghost’s
body again, even if nothing would come of it, and he’d be thrust
back into the reality of Frederico’s anger soon enough.

Frederico
would
find him.

For now, Luca
slid his arms around Ghost’s body as the engine of the bike
ignited. They drove off with a screech of tires, and Luca felt free
as a bird, even though at the back of his mind he knew it was a
temporary emotion. He didn’t want to think about the limo they left
behind, Frederico’s anger, or fear of retaliation. All he wanted to
focus on was Ghost’s firm body in his arms. No longer just an
Internet construct, but a man of flesh and bone.

Zara:
When I
kiss you for the first time, you’ll know how much I love you.