by Tl Reeve
Noah nodded. “I figured as much. I hate this shit. I hate putting him on the outs, but he’s going to eventually get one of us killed.”
Asher grunted. “I’m right there with you. Until a decision can be made, either way, this team, your team, needs a Second in Command. I can’t do both.”
“You going to bring someone in from the outside or another team?” Noah pressed.
“No. It would, in my opinion, greatly disturb the flow of the team.”
Noah couldn’t agree more. Their group was the first assigned R.O.O.T team. They’d made the rules, set the limits, and they’d all been around the block, more than once. They knew each other better than most husbands and wives. It also helped that Asher had started in this team, and often favored their group with the more technically difficult jobs because he understood what they were capable of. In addition, Asher rarely went out in the field on missions. When he did, it was with them.
“So, who were you thinking of asking?”
Asher gave him a sly grin. “You.”
Noah looked at Asher in shock. “Seriously, boss?”
“Dead serious.” Asher held up his hand. “I don’t want an answer right now. Tomorrow is soon enough. You need to think on it. Hell, do yourself a favor and get some much-needed brownie points by talking it over with Mateo.”
Noah grinned. “Good thinking, boss.”
“Also, before you go, do yourself and your husband a big favor. Move to the family wing, tonight. No more delays. I’ve made sure Mateo’s fully registered. He’s got the same access as Rae.”
“Can do, bossman,” Noah said.
“You’re dismissed. I’m going to check on how things are going with Rae. Keep me posted should anything transpire between now and eighteen hundred hours.”
Asher left, leaving Noah standing alone in the room, stunned by his offer. Of all the things Noah thought Asher would say, asking him to help run the team wasn’t on the top of the list. He wasn’t stupid, though; he figured it was temporary, and if O’Malley could get back to being his normal asshole self, Noah would relinquish the duties back to him.
Noah turned out the lights and shut the door behind him then waited for the locks to engage. As he headed for the bank of elevators, he tried to come up with a way to explain to Mateo what happened next. Shit, I don’t even know what happens next. Noah scrubbed his head as he waited for the elevator. Guess we’ll have to find out together.
Chapter 9
Noah stepped back into the observation room. For the last ten hours, Dario slept off the effects of the sedation, in the interrogation cell, from the surgery to save his hand. Rae and Franks had taken their time to clean out all the necrotized flesh and to stitch the wound, so it would heal properly. The asshole, as far as Noah was concerned, didn’t deserve their care.
However, it wasn’t his call.
Moments later, Asher appeared in front of the two-way mirror as he flipped the switch for the mic. His commanding officer gave Noah a look then walked over to the bed and tapped Dario’s cheek, waking the man.
He shot up, then groaned before laying back down. “I want my lawyer.”
“I know you do, cupcake,” Asher jeered. “Need you to answer some questions first.”
“No.”
Asher sighed. “You went through all the trouble to get at R.O.O.T and here you are. In our base, and you don’t want to talk?”
“Fuck you,” Dario slurred.
“Lincoln did a real number on your family. Sucks.” Asher changed tactics, and Noah sat up.
The tension in Dario’s body shifted, lightened almost. He stared at Asher and Noah saw the minute the asshole took the bait. “What the fuck do you know about Lincoln?”
“Enough.” Asher shrugged. “I’ll get a phone for you. Since you want your lawyer.”
Dario licked his lips then situated himself better. “Wait.”
Gotcha. Noah grinned, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Wait!”
Asher glanced over his shoulder. “Do you want to talk?”
“What do you want to know?” Dario hung his head, and his attention snapped to his hand. “Fuck. You do this?”
“Our doctor did,” Asher replied. “Almost lost it.”
He nodded. “Figured.”
“Want something to drink?”
Dario shook his head. “Nah. I hate being knocked out. Fucks up my stomach.”
“Fine.” Asher took a drink of his coffee. “Why’d you come after one of my people?”
The guy shifted on the bed. “Lincoln.”
“Yeah, I already knew that,” Asher answered. “Why?”
Dario snorted and shook his head. “Do you even understand what happened to my family? How he tortured us? Then you show the fuck up and take it all away. You and that fucking Barclay team.”
“It wasn’t us,” Asher answered. “We had no part of it.”
“You were there,” he spat. “It’s been all over the internet and news. Don’t fucking lie.”
Asher held up his hands. “We were sent in due to other issues. We didn’t initiate the incident.”
“No,” Dario snorted. “You finished it. You took away my last chance to get even.”
“So, if I understand correctly, the Aquila Cartel had your family killed, because Lincoln ratted out your father. The Aquila Cartel was wiped out in Colombia at Lincoln’s hands, and you kidnapped one of ours because...”
“You are the last connection to Lincoln!” He shouted. “Are you fucking dense?”
“You still have me at a loss,” Asher drawled.
“If you came after me, I could...” Dario hung his head. “I want Lincoln. He can’t get away with this.”
“So, you took one of ours, hoping we’d bring you in, and somehow it would lead to you getting Lincoln?” Asher scoffed. “Do you hear how stupid that sounds?”
“Bullshit,” Dario snapped. “If you wouldn’t have interfered, it would’ve worked.”
No. Not even close. Blackmailing Noah had been Dario's way to not only embarrass Noah but also R.O.O.T while trying to get at Lincoln. The stupidity of it astounded Noah. As it was, Lincoln sat at an unknown site somewhere not known to them, under lock and key. There were too many variables for him not to be. With Lincoln's connections, he'd be able to escape or get out after paying someone off. Lincoln, it appeared, wasn’t above getting his hands dirty.
“You underestimated us. You thought we were like Lincoln’s men. You saw a soft target and went for it. Kind of like Lincoln saw in your father. You and your brother were easy to torture,” Asher pushed.
“Fuck you. He didn’t torture us, he fucking broke us,” Dario said. “Have you ever seen a kid go into a catatonic state of psychosis? Watched the life drain from his eyes? Heard their screams? Watch them tear at their flesh before going so damn still and so damn quiet, it’s like they’re dead?”
Asher shook his head. “No.”
“It’s not fucking pretty. Lincoln caused that. My father caused that. They should pay. All of you should pay.”
“We didn’t do anything, Dario. You and your brother were just pawns in Lincoln's game, like us.” Asher glanced at the two-way glass. “You should know we brought in all your hard drives, thumb drives, and ledgers.”
“My evidence,” Dario whispered, a thread of desperation filled his voice.
“Wrong. Our evidence. There are several senators and representatives on those thumb drives who need to be investigated, not killed because of your vendetta.”
Noah balled his hands into fists. Sitting on the opposite side of the glass sucked. What’s more, all of the questions he had for Dario would go unanswered. This is fucked up. The whole situation came down to Dario wanting revenge for his brother being institutionalized and his parents being killed. Mateo could have been killed due to it, and that tore Noah up even more.
“What’ll happen to me?” Dario murmured.
“You’re going away for a long time,” Asher sai
d. “But, if you promise to help us put Lincoln away for good, I can get your brother into a better institute instead of where he is now and, maybe, put you in Lincoln’s cell for five minutes.”
“You have that pull?” Dario glanced up at Asher.
Bingo. They had him where they wanted him. Noah leaned forward. “Take the deal.”
“I do,” Asher replied.
“The last time someone sa—”
“I’m not them, and I have the pull. Your brother will be safe,” Asher pushed harder.
“Don’t be too eager, Asher,” Noah muttered to himself.
Dario scrubbed his head with his uninjured hand. “Fuck.”
“You have no reason to trust anyone, I get it,” Asher said. “Trust us. We're the ones who took Lincoln down to begin with. We can make it happen for you.”
Dario stared at Asher for long moments. “Fine. Yeah. I’ll help you.”
“Good man.” Asher took a step closer. “I get it. Your family is everything. Ours is, too. Fucking with Mateo was a big fucking mistake. But, this is the beginning of fixing your shit.”
Noah snorted. Fuck that. He would never forgive the son of a bitch. Mateo could have died. His Mateo. For what? No. Not today. Not ever.
“I’ll get Franks and Dr. Rae to transport you to a room,” Asher said. “From there, things will move rather quick.”
Noah stood. He didn’t have the stomach to hear the rest of what Dario had to say. It’d been as he suspected. Dario did everything to get close to Lincoln. Mateo had been a means to an end to the guy. He pulled open the door and came face to face with Asher. Noah stepped out. He honestly didn’t want to hear it. Since they had Dario, he wanted to help transition Mateo back to his normal schedule, so he could return to work and some form of normalcy.
“You heard him,” Asher said.
“Yeah. Fucked up if you think about it. Using Mateo as his way to get to Lincoln,” Noah grumbled.
“You don’t seem surprised.”
“I’m not,” he stated. “I kind of figured it out last night when Scotty went over the details. I had to hear it from him, though, to put all the pieces together.”
“You think there’s more?” Asher prodded.
Noah shrugged. “Could be. I don’t think we’ll ever know the full extent of what Dario had planned. He’ll keep that shit to himself.”
Asher scrubbed his chin. “Probably. Go on back to Mateo. I’ll call you when McNamara arrives. As it stands, the minute he shows up, we’ll have to tell the feds what’s going on.”
“Your wheels are spinning,” Noah said. “What are you thinking?”
“I don’t have any clue what you’re talking about.” Asher gave him a Cheshire grin.
Noah shook his head as he headed for the elevators. Before he left Mateo, they’d discussed moving to the family level. He even went so far as to show him the apartment two doors down from the Franks family. The space had been a bit homier than the drab bunk level where they’d been staying.
Mateo stayed there, while Noah went back to work. Their things would be brought over by one of the many base workers. Hell, it wasn’t much. Just his uniforms and such. He pressed the button for the bunk level first, to check out the progress of the move. If they were done, he’d head over to Mateo, if not, he’d gather whatever had been left and bring it over.
As he stepped off the elevator, O’Malley popped his head out of the door to his bunk. Noah flipped him off and continued to his room. He didn’t have time for Jake’s shit. Once inside, he checked everything. Satisfied all of their things had been moved, Noah locked up and went in search of Mateo. He needed to make sure his husband understood what would happen next. Noah suspected, at some point, Mateo would have to give a statement and perhaps testify, even if Asher and he didn’t want Mateo to go through that bullshit.
He hated the idea of Mateo having to expose himself to the shitshow of the political world. However, if they were going to put Lincoln away, they’d need every bit of evidence including statements from all of Lincoln’s victims. Noah stepped off of the elevator and strolled down the corridor of the family wing. Even though living on the base was the safest, it rubbed him the wrong way. He liked having the house in Virginia Beach. He liked the freedom, however, he also realized he had to protect Mateo, too.
Plus, it wasn’t just his decision.
Noah ran his card through the reader then placed his palm on the biometric pad. The door unlocked, and he entered their new apartment. Salsa music greeted him. Mateo had his back to Noah as he stood in front of the stove. His body moved in time to the music as he flipped a piece of bacon then another. This... This was their normal. This had been Noah’s peace—waking up to his husband dancing in the kitchen while making them breakfast. Usually, Mateo did it in his underwear, but since he didn’t have any, he stood shirtless, wearing the black BDU pants Noah had given him.
He crossed to Mateo and pressed his lips to the back of his lover’s neck. Mateo jumped then spun around, the spatula in his hand, raised to strike. When his gaze locked with Noah’s, he let out a shaky breath. “You’re an asshole.”
Noah laughed then kissed him. “Sorry. You looked good, and I couldn’t resist myself.”
“Well, you need to resist for another five minutes, so I don’t burn your bacon.” Mateo pouted.
Noah took a step back. “I love when you cook for me.”
“Now, I understand why it doesn’t make you fat,” Mateo stated.
“Oh?” Noah teased. “Why’s that?”
“Your job,” he said. “I’m not complaining, trust me.”
“So, you like what you see then?” Noah grabbed Mateo’s hand and pushed it under his shirt. The heat of his palm seared Noah’s skin. “I like how you appreciate my body.”
Mateo whimpered. “Noah.”
“What, Mattie?” He stepped closer. “Tell me what you want.”
“You.”
“Turn off the stove, Mateo. We can grab something together later.” Noah wrapped an arm around his husband. “Come show me how much you love my body.”
He shuddered in Noah’s arms as he shut off the two burners on the stove he’d been using. “You make me weak.”
“Ditto,” Noah murmured. “Every fucking day for me, too.”
Noah tugged his shirt off. His dog tags jingled, and the gold of his wedding band glimmered in the light of the room. Mateo gasped. Noah might not wear his ring during his missions, but he kept it right next to his heart, always. When the back of his legs met the couch, he sat down and pulled Mateo with him. He kissed his lover. The desperation he’d been pushing aside to get through the mission, roared to life. He sucked in a breath and groaned. Noah palmed Mateo’s ass and squeezed.
Fuck, yes.
The length of Mateo's cock rubbed at Noah's hip, turning him on more. He rocked his husband over his lap, chasing the exquisite pleasure coursing through his blood. The little sounds of bliss coming from Mateo added to the thrill of the moment. Noah glanced at the box on the chair beside them and grinned.
“Grab the lube, Mattie.”
His husband's eyes fluttered open, and the hazy arousal gleaming in his eyes added to the satisfaction twining through his desire. “Wha...” Mateo licked his lips. “What?”
Noah lifted his hips and ground against him. “You heard me, Mattie. Grab the lube.”
His fingers trembled as he did what Noah asked. “We’re... We’re still dressed.”
“Not for long,” Noah muttered. “Get that sweet ass of yours naked.”
Mateo fumbled off his lap and removed his pants. The tip of his thick, hard cock shone with precum. It twitched with Mateo’s heartbeat as he stood before Noah. “You’re still dressed.”
Noah laughed as he pulled down his zipper and freed his dick from the confines of his pants. “Now, I am.” He grinned as he slathered lube on his cock then patted his lap. “Come ride me, Mattie. Give us what we both need.”
Mateo straddled his lap and positio
ned Noah’s tip at his rear. He sucked air as he lowered himself onto Noah. Just. Like. Fucking. Heaven. His heart pounded. His body strained. The heat of Mateo’s rear engulfed Noah, setting him on edge. He buried his face in Mateo’s neck as he tried to steady himself. His husband wrapped his palm around his dick and began to stroke, causing him to clench around Noah.
Noah tensed.
Every inch of him tingled with anticipation. “Fuck.” Noah rocked his husband over his cock, the sensual glide of their bodies added to the building sensations pinging through his system. He never could last long with Mateo, even when he tried.
He lost himself inside his husband. Everything centered on where they were joined. He kissed Mateo while increasing their pace, chasing his orgasm. Mateo’s pace stuttered as he rode Noah counterpoint to his thrusts. Mateo panted, the puffs of air left a path of gooseflesh across Noah’s chest, and he shivered. He pressed his husband back slightly, changing the angle of penetration, and Noah groaned, filling him more.
The scarlet hue covering Mateo's chest darkened to crimson. His lips were parted, and the same hue spread across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. In the throes of passion, Mateo was spectacular. The man took everything Noah gave him and offered just as much in return. A shiver of arousal slipped down Noah's spine and settled in his balls. He watched Mateo take his pleasure, and in it, he found his own.
“Mi amor...”
“I’m right here, Mattie. Come for me,” Noah urged.
Their pace was unhinged. Their sounds of excitement grew until Mateo cried out, and the wet heat of his release coated Noah’s chest and stomach. Mateo ran his finger through it then smeared it across Noah’s lips. The hedonistic satisfaction he gained from the gesture, spurred Noah. He flipped them then shoved his pants down his legs. Pushing Mateo’s back into the cushions of the couch, he covered his husband as he fucked into him with hard, deep thrusts.
Noah licked his bottom lip. The taste of Mateo’s release fizzled on his taste buds, and he needed more of it. Wanted more of it. He drew Mateo’s finger through the streak of cum and placed his finger in his mouth. Noah sucked and lashed at the digit while he continued to fuck Mateo.