by Tl Reeve
“Too much,” Mateo whimpered. “Too hot. Too good.”
“Keep going, Mattie,” Noah whispered in encouragement. “You can do it. You feel so good.”
He did, too. The burn of pain eased and made way for a thread of pleasure. The tip of his husband’s cock rubbed Noah’s prostate. His dick jerked, leaking precum which pooled against his belly. Mateo groaned, burying his face in Noah’s neck. The soft sounds he made while stilling within Noah, tore at Noah’s control. He wanted this to last for both of them, but if Mateo kept going, he’d lose it right there.
“Move, Mattie. Fuck me. Show me what you got,” Noah teased.
“Can’t move or I’ll cum,” he muttered. “You didn’t warn me.”
Noah chuckled. “Warn you how good ass is? Baby, I tell you all the time how good you feel. What made you think it wouldn’t be the same for you?”
He moaned. “Stop talking about ass.” His hips flexed before Mateo retreated and filled Noah once more. “I’m going to want this more.”
“We’ll get there. For now, fuck me. I feel like my nuts are in a vise.”
Mateo stared down at him as he began to move. His thrusts were slow, measured as he held Noah’s gaze. The way their bodies were connected was foreign to Noah, but he also felt their bond deepening with each second ticking by. He discovered new things about himself as well. Sensations zinged through his body, different than those flowing through him when he fucked Mateo. Even now, as he watched his husband take his pleasure there was something primal and possessive about it.
Noah wrapped his hand around his cock and began stroking himself to Mateo’s pace. His breath hitched, and he arched to his husband. “Mattie...”
Mateo sobbed. “Can’t stop it...”
Noah cupped Mateo’s face with his free hand. “Don’t then. We can do this again.”
A growl of desperation rumbled in Mateo’s chest, as though Noah’s words unleashed the beast lurking within his gentle lover. Mateo’s thrusts became stronger, more determined. Their bodies rocked together until Noah’s tensed, and he shouted as his release shot through him. Spurt after spurt of his cum painted his stomach and chest, while Mateo continued to rut within him.
Mateo groaned his name then stilled, burying himself as deep as he could go. Noah’s dick gave another kick as the warmth of Mateo’s cum filled him. His husband shook above him as a single tear ran down Mateo’s cheek. Noah smiled up at him, wiping it away with the pad of his thumb.
“You’re perfect,” Noah murmured.
Mateo collapsed on top of him. “I love you, mi amor.”
“I know.” Noah pressed a kiss to his temple. “I know.”
An hour later, Noah returned to C&C, while Mateo lay curled in his bed, sleeping soundly. When they were finished the first time, they both cleaned up, and then Noah went for round two. They both got off so hard the second time, he swore he saw stars, and he couldn’t move. He wouldn’t have, either, if his comms hadn’t gone off.
Thomas Kaine and Duncan Frazier were on their way in. Once they arrived, Asher wanted to get a plan in place to bring in Dario and squash whatever threat the guy posed. He still didn't understand the connection between the Aquila Cartel, R.O.O.T, and Dario, except for Edwin turning state’s evidence and Lincoln taking out the cartel. The guy had to have some twisted reasoning behind his kidnapping Mateo. When it was all said and done, Noah understood he may never get a true answer.
He stepped into C&C at the same moment Schoell and Callahan walked up with Agents Kaine and Frazier. “The cavalry has arrived.” Schoell ushered Kaine and Frazier into C&C. “Agents, get comfortable.”
“About time,” Asher stated. “How did the dogs do?”
“They worked like a charm,” Callahan answered. “In less than five minutes, we were on the road.”
“Good to hear,” Asher said.
“Calvin met us at the garage, he’s taking care of the dogs as we speak,” Schoell added.
“Then we can begin.” Asher motioned for them to enter the side room off of the main floor of C&C. On the table were maps of the region along with photographs of the compound. “First, I wanted to say thank you for joining us on such short notice. I know how much it means to my team and how much this case means to you as well.”
“We’ll add this piece to the giant puzzle we’re still working on.” The man extended his hand. “Thomas Kaine, lead agent on the Aquila Cartel operation. This is my partner, Duncan Frazier.”
Frazier nodded. “Tex said something about additional information coming our way?”
Asher nodded. “When this mission is complete, I will give you everything we have on Aquila and what happened to them.”
“What precisely do you mean, by ‘what happened to them,’ Mr. Rainer?” Kaine cocked a brow. “The last we heard of them, they’d returned to South America.”
Noah frowned. They had. Then in what was a cluster fuck of epic proportions, Barclay along with Senator Lincoln went on a killing mission. Not only did they wipe the Aquila Cartel off the board, but they also destroyed the small village of Puerto Nariño. All and all, over a hundred people died, including the head of the Aquila Cartel, his enforcers, and the parents of several children Rae had been caring for her in her clinic.
It hadn't been until the first week of the trial, anyone knew about the cartel or what Lincoln had been planning. As far as Noah had been concerned, it was all a cleanup mission for the senator, however, it appeared not everything would be swept under the rug. “They had. The coca fields were ready for harvest.”
Kaine nodded. “That was our intel as well. We set up a sting to have them stopped at the port of entry with all the raw materials for their operation. If it had gone down as we expected, it would have shut down one of the biggest cocaine distribution rings in the US. DEA had been riding our asses for years to make this happen. Shit, I got a hard-on just thinking about it. Then, it all fucking fell apart.”
Of course, it did. Lincoln killed everyone. If Noah's hunch was right, Lincoln also drained all of the Aquila Cartel's accounts and shifted the money to some off-shore institutes. Because of the government's case against Lincoln, Noah and the others no longer had access to the intel other than what they'd accumulated while trying to figure out what happened in Puerto Nariño. “Not surprised in the least, however that is all classified for now.”
Frazier grunted. “Dangle the fucking carrot, so we dance to your tune.”
“Not exactly,” Asher said. “We have the information. I have to make sure I can declassify it for you or get you the clearance for it.”
“Ah yes, Senator McNamara’s nephew,” Frazier drawled. “Interesting how that all played out.”
The short hairs on the back of Noah's neck stood at attention. He didn't like what the guy was implying. He glanced over at Asher who wore a smug expression on his face like Frazier hadn't made a disparaging remark. “Easy with your roll there. We don't take kindly to people shitting in our pond.”
Asher held up his hand. “It’s okay, Noah. FBI agents are known for their loud mouths and limp dicks.” A cruel smile twisted Asher’s mouth. “Tell you what, Frazier. Since you like to throw around my Uncle’s name, you should know, he’s the one who can give you the clearance to finish your case. So, I’d watch your P’s and Q’s around here. Got it?”
Kaine cleared his throat. “It won’t happen again.”
“Damn straight, it won’t,” Noah muttered.
“Are we finished with the pissing contest?” AJ muttered, entering the room with Scotty.
My money’s on Noah. Scotty sat beside Noah and grinned. You’re cocky. You kill without remorse.
“Not all the time, kid.”
I’ve seen your record.
“Bet you have.” Noah frowned. “It’s not a pride issue for me. It’s a duty issue. I save innocent people. Remember that.”
Scotty nodded. Still like you.
“You’re not bad yourself for a wet behind the ear, kid.”
/> Scotty laughed.
“Now, if we can turn our collective attention back to the screen, we can begin,” Asher said.
On the large screen, the West Virginia compound. The gated house sat on at least six acres of property. The stucco and wrought-iron wall plus gate towered over the main house at least ten feet. Inside, at the door, were two guards. Inside, the heat signatures of at least three men carried on what looked to be a very animated conversation.
“This is it.” Noah lifted his chin in the direction of the house. “This is where we’re going.”
Asher nodded. “We got drone confirmation Dario is inside. Looks to be one of Edwin’s hidden properties.”
“Where?” Kaine asked. The exterior appeared jungle-like with canopy trees and lush vegetation surrounding it, almost completely masking its true location.
Would you believe the Appalachians? Scotty pulled up a map of West Virginia and zeroed in on a densely wooded area filled with different types of pine, oak, and dogwood trees. The underbrush had been swallowed by kudzu and mountain laurel. He dressed it up. Miniature palms, tropical plants, and flowers to throw people off.
“Impressive,” Frazier muttered.
“We'll need to break into teams,” Asher said, pulling all of their attention back to him. “Which means we need Franks, Calvin, William, and Paul in here.”
“On it,” Schoell said, tapping the comm at his ear. “They’ll be here in five.”
“Perfect.” Asher spread out the maps and pictures, so everyone could see them without having to push in. “This mission won’t be easy. If I were him, I’d have the place fortified after everything we’ve found out about the Breslow family.”
“Still not sure how we got involved,” Noah grunted. “Makes no sense.”
“Probably never will.” Asher sighed. “We also can’t let him get away with taking one of our own, either.”
No, and if they involved local PD, it would dissolve into a shit-show. “No, we can’t.” Noah stood and began to pace. They were missing so many pieces of this stupid intricate puzzle. Without Dario, they wouldn’t be able to finish it, which put him on edge. It felt like a lifetime had passed from the moment he received the text Mateo had been kidnapped, to now, bringing everything to a close. In reality, it’d only been a little less than five days.
Noah scrubbed his face. In five days, his life had been turned upside down. So had his husband’s. He glanced out the door, wishing he could go back to his room, curl around Mateo and stay there forever. Being vulnerable sucked. Being sick to his stomach with worry, sucked even more.
“It’ll get better,” Asher said, coming up beside him. “It takes time.”
Noah snorted. “I’d say you don’t understand, but you do.”
“Mateo is made of sterner stuff.”
Didn't Noah know it? “Yeah. He is. He's so fucking stubborn.” He laughed. “It's what I love about him.”
“Later we'll discuss the merits of hiding people and bringing them here to learn the truth and stay out of harm's way. Until then, we need to focus.” Asher squeezed his shoulder as the rest of the team filed into the conference room. “Good, you're here.”
For the next hour, they planned the breach and the detention of Dario. A sweeper team would be on standby to clean the scene once Dario was captured. The operation was shoot-to-maim, unless they were the guards. Killing anyone was a last resort. They were also given the instruction to leave no witnesses behind. Noah, Schoell, and Paul were on breach duty. Noah would find the highest point to position himself and take out the guards first. Schoell and Paul would enter the home to find Dario.
Team two would consist of Kaine, Franks, and Calvin. They were to make a perimeter sweep to be sure no explosive devices were active or set to blow either by a trip sensor or by remote, then cut the power to the compound. Team three had Callahan, Frazier, and Wayne. They would be on lookout duty, should anyone be heading in while the operation went down, they'd have to get through Callahan's team first.
Asher, AJ, and Scotty were running the mission from C&C. It was better for them that way. They might have field experience, but Noah didn’t want to worry about them if they were in the field, especially Scotty. The kid was growing on them. As they exited the area, Asher laid his hand on Noah’s shoulder, stopping him mid-stride.
“You should tell him you’re heading out,” he said. “I’ll make sure Rae is available if he needs anything.”
Noah debated telling Mateo anything. He’d seemed so peaceful sleeping curled up with Noah’s pillow. He hated the idea of waking him up. “I don’t know, he—”
“Trust me on this. He’ll want to know.”
Fuck. “Fine.” Instead of following his team, he headed for the bank of elevators and took the car to the bunk floor.
When he got to his door, he stood there for a good minute, contemplating what Asher said. Sure, Mateo would want to know, but Noah also didn’t want to scare the shit out of him, either. Or worry him. Why does this have to be so fucking hard? It’d been why it was so easy to keep Mateo in the dark. The less he knew, the safer he was. Until now, asshole.
“Yeah, yeah,” he muttered to himself.
Noah opened the door and stepped inside. Mateo laid on his stomach spread-eagle across Noah’s bed, and he chuckled. Always a fucking bed hog. He came up to the side and sat down. Mateo didn’t rouse. His soft snores indicated just how deeply he’d been sleeping. Noah pushed his hair from his forehead and kissed him.
Mateo sucked in a breath and opened his eyes. “Hey. Is it over?”
Noah frowned and shook his head. “Going out now. I’ll be back by sun up.”
Mateo rolled over, exposing the full length of his naked body to Noah's perusal. “Oh, okay. Be careful.”
“I will.” Noah leaned over him and kissed Mateo’s lips. “I have you waiting for me.” Noah’s hand glided down Mateo’s side, and he grabbed his hip. “You’re so fucking sexy.”
“So, are you in your uniform. You should wear it more often.”
A sly grin tugged at Noah’s lip. “Fuck. Wish I had a little more time to myself with you.”
“When you get back,” Mateo whispered. “I’m all yours. As long as you wear the uniform.”
“Aye, aye,” Noah replied. “Get some rest.” He kissed Mateo again. “I’ll be back before you know it. If you need anything, Rae will help you.”
“I doubt it. I’m so fucking tired; I could sleep for days.” Mateo yawned and rolled back over. “Love you, mi amor.”
“Love you, too, Mattie.”
Noah closed the door behind him and strode back to the bank of elevators. When he arrived in the parking garage, everyone was waiting for him. He went straight for the locker where he kept his rifle and go-bag with all his gear and retrieved it, then hustled over to where Schoell and Paul were standing.
“All good?” Schoell cocked a brow.
“All good,” he replied, getting into the waiting vehicle.
“When we arrive, we’ll let Kaine, Franks, and Calvin do their job, then we’ll get into position,” Schoell said, sliding into the driver seat. “Remember your jobs, and we’ll be just fine.”
“Hopefully, Callahan won’t get shot in the ass again,” Noah teased.
“I heard that asshole,” Callahan snarled at him through the comms. “I’ll have you know it wasn’t my fault.”
Schoell laughed. “You cried like a baby.”
“It hurt,” Callahan grumbled.
Noah dissolved into a fit of laughter.
“Gentlemen, if we’re ready,” Asher said, silencing the comm channel.
Schoell cleared his throat. “Roger that. Rolling out.”
The bay door opened, and one by one, the vehicles exited the base. From where they were to the compound was an hour and a half. Thankfully, it was the new moon, so there was no light to give them away when they approached. Downside, they’d have to watch where they stepped to not alert anyone to their arrival.
As
part of the plan, when they arrived at the location, they’d park their vehicles two miles down the mountain and hike in. It would be a pain in the ass when all was said and done, but it was worth it to keep the surprise intact. As the city lights of Virginia Beach gave way to darkness, Noah kept his mind focused. Allowing himself to think about Mateo would be a slippery slope. Being distracted could cost them everything—since it already had in the beginning. If he’d have kept his focus, Dario’s ass might have been sitting in some cell somewhere.
Maybe it’s time to retire. The Navy then the SEALs and R.O.O.T were all Noah knew. They'd been his family and his friends for so long, he didn't know how to act without them. Without a secondary purpose, saying goodbye would leave him adrift. He thought about Asher and how he appeared more content to let everyone else run the missions while he stayed back with Rae. Maybe Noah could pick and choose from now on what he did or didn't do. For fuck’s sake, he was forty years old, not some kid anymore; didn't that factor in somewhere, too?
He pushed the thought aside for now and went back over the mission. He was responsible for taking out the two guards at the gate and the two by the door. From there, he would support the others while they made entry and grabbed Dario.
“Looks like there’s a weather system moving in over the area,” AJ said, over the comms. “Shower or two, maybe thunder and lightning.”
“Good cover for us,” Noah answered.
“Sloppy trail, though,” Callahan barked. “Fucking late fall storms.”
“Feels like old times,” Schoell drawled. “If it’s not tropical, it’s not worth it.”
“Take the vehicles as far in as you can,” Asher said. “It’ll be easier to get out. Cleanup is behind you by fifteen minutes. By the time you engage, they will be in their holding pattern. I’ll give them the all clear.”