Always and Forever: An Echo Rescue Series Novella

by Daniels, Hope

  Troy wasn’t the one who stopped trying to keep in touch. Rico was the asshole in this relationship and proved it yet again by pushing Troy until he got in his face. “I think you’re talking about yourself being the cock-sucking, pussy-eating closeted man-whore from what I hear, Private,” Troy all but spit the last word. “If you continue to act like a pussy assed insubordinate asshole, I will continue to treat you as one, but if you act with honor, I will treat you with honor.” Troy ripped off the blindfold so that Rico could see the determination behind his gaze.

  Oil meet water. Fuck, this is fun. Not sure I should be having this much fun. Trouble is, I think Rico is having fun too. Caught him grinning when I pulled into the drive and he caught sight of my place. I sure as shit hope I did the right thing bringing him here.

  “You don’t know honor, Sarge,” Rico stated.

  “That’s Colonel to you, maggot. I see someone needs to teach you some respect.”

  Rico’s laughter chilled him to the bone. Troy stared at his friend, who had tears in his eyes, a new light of understanding came to him. He didn’t question it, nor did he spend time thinking about it. He’d been in those exact same shoes when a superior officer ordered him to do things that forever changed his life. Forever changed him under the guise of respect and honor. It would take some doing, but he would show Rico the difference between true honor and the false shit he’d lived through.

  The real question everyone needed to ask was, could Rico forgive himself for following orders, or would he forever fight everyone in a position of authority? For all of their sakes, Troy hoped his friend could find forgiveness. If Rico could, maybe he could — eventually.

  “Let’s talk about how you got this place, Colonel,” Rico smarted off. “Who did you suck off to earn the rights to this high tech?”

  Troy ignored Rico, pausing inside the gate to make sure it closed and locked. Part of his issues, but he had to make sure nothing and no one entered before it closed. Once the locks engaged, he drove into the fieldhouse garage and only when that door closed and locked did, he turns off the truck.

  “And you’re supposed to help me?” Rico stated dryly. “Get this shit off my fucking legs and these cuffs off my wrists. You tell Uncle Tom you did your best, but it just didn’t work out. I ran off just when you thought I was coming around and we call this day good. Capisce?”

  “What the fuck are you talking about?” Troy stared questioningly. He quickly jogged around the front of his truck and opened the passenger side door. It would be a fireman’s carry to the detox room. Rico may not be on drugs at this moment, but this was one of the safest rooms available.

  “No disrespect intended, Sir.” The smart mouthed jibes kept flowing. “But meaning that I’ll go my way, while you go yours.” Troy watched as Rico tried to maneuver into the room on his own and failed.

  “You did intend to disrespect me soldier. I’m letting it slide because I know it was a superior officer who fucked you over. But let’s get one thing straight.” Troy pushed Rico backwards into a chair. With a flip of his wrist he’d pulled out his knife, had the blade against the plastic tie and his eyes caught Rico’s. “I am not that officer. I don’t hurt those who cannot fend for themselves.” Snap. The band popped off from around Rico’s ankles and the blade was safely tucked away. “Wake up is at oh-seven-hundred followed by PT at seven fifteen. You will run five miles before you eat. If you do not run, you do not eat. Capisce?” Troy smirked into the storm gray, glaring eyes shooting daggers at him. “If you want the cuffs off, turn around. Don’t bother trying to escape,” he warned using the key to unlock one cuff at a time. Ever watchful, he took hold of Rico’s wrist before the other man could do something stupid like try to deck him. “If you need me, just call out my name. I’m a light sleeper.”

  It was a warning of sorts. One which stated if Rico did escape this room, he wouldn’t get far and he wouldn’t like what would happen next.

  “I won’t need you. I don’t need anybody. What I need is to get the fuck outta here.”

  Rico’s fist landed hard against the closing steel door. Troy sighed heavily. In some ways it was like looking into a mirror and in others, he couldn’t find the man he loved behind Rico’s eyes.

  Troy

  Temptation

  This Scottish Highlander is taking more from me than I could’ve ever imagined. Ricochet drives me insane with his blonde ringlets curling at the ends. Almost Viking in nature. I have to wonder what happened to him. What did he do? What did he see to bring him to this?

  “Are you going to stare at me all day or are you going to take me to the bathroom? I gotta take a leak.” Ricochet pulled him from his thoughts. “You can start by cutting off these fucking zip ties and then remove the cuffs,” he said.

  “I don’t think so. You’ll take off, again, I’ll have to chase you, again, life gets messy. Besides, the fact you don’t listen for shit and I haven’t had coffee yet. Be glad I haven’t smacked you upside your head yet.”

  The bastard laughed, his eyes tracking every one of Troy’s movements as he helped him into the john. Then he stood in front of the stool, waiting.

  “Are you waiting for an invitation?” Troy asked.

  “Nah, brah. Just waiting for you to unzip the trou and hold Mr. Happy so I don’t misdirect the stream. Wouldn’t want to get your nice porcelain all dirty with my filth or anything.” Rico smirked, his hands still cuffed behind his back.

  Fuck. This wasn’t what he’d signed up for when he told Tom he’d take his nephew for a few days and work the anger out of him. Then again, the nephew wasn’t supposed to be his first flame either.

  With a flick of his finger and thumb he opened the button and unzipped the man’s jeans while keeping his eyes pinned to Rico’s face. He didn’t have to look to know the fucker was at half-staff and getting stiffer by the second.

  “Something you need to tell me about, brah?” Troy asked.

  “Nah, he’s just been cooped up a little too long is all. Needs some fresh air and a warm mouth.”

  “I’ll have Tom deliver you a blow-up doll to take him out for a walk.”

  “Nice, I’d like to visit Porn-R-Us. Haven’t been there in a while. Think Shondra still works there? Ya know, all it takes is to blow in her ear and a good rub between her legs and you’ll get whatever you want for a discount.” He winked at Troy.

  “Not my kinda place, but thanks for the tip.”

  “Speaking of tips, you could help me with my situation.”

  Both men looked at the mushroomed head of Rico’s penis peeking out from his briefs.

  For a moment, Troy stared. Yeah, he could. It’d been a long time since he’d had sex. But it wasn’t a good idea. Rico was here for help not fuck-you-very-much like his usual partners.

  “How’s that?” Troy asked, as he licked his lips. Part of him couldn’t help but remember how sweet and delicious the Marshall he knew tasted. It made his mouth water and the thought of dropping to his knees and taking him into his mouth had Troy licking his lips. Dark eyes followed his tongue. Rico smirked, knowing exactly where his mind had gone. As far as Troy was concerned, Rico was a walking sex machine. He had no doubt there were women and men all over the state pissed off at his love ’em and leave ’em ways.

  Troy just had to remember that the man standing before him wasn’t Marshall, but a small part of him. Troy didn’t do halfsies. He wanted the whole man.

  “For starters you could finish pulling down my pants so my dick isn’t strangled. ’Cause fuck, that shit hurts after a while. And second, you can quit staring at me like I’m your favorite Popsicle treat unless you’re gonna blow me. But dude, I don’t play the helpless tied up shit. Fuck that. I’m Alpha all the way.”

  We’ll just see about that. Troy thought immediately. Game on.

  “Third, I still have to take a piss. Either standing or sitting. I don’t give a fuck either way, but I’m going. I either do it in the john or on your perg. Again, I don’t give a fuck. You
decide.”

  The snappiness was definitely a cover, but Troy had about two seconds to decide what to do to throw Rico off his game. One tug and the cotton briefs were down around the man’s knees. Troy knew he was playing with fire. He told himself it would throw Rico off-balance and put them back on equal footing, if not give him the advantage.

  Facing Rico’s hip, Troy took hold of Rico’s cock then looked him straight in the eye. “Let ’er rip.” It took everything in Troy’s power not to fist all that beautiful blonde hair in his hand and bring Rico to his knees.

  “I’m done, bruh. The meat likes a couple shakes before you tuck it in,” Rico’s smart mouth stated.

  But Troy wasn’t finished pushing either of their boundaries. He cupped Rico, squeezing firmly until he felt him harden. With a few strong firm strokes from root to tip, Rico was soon pressing into his palm. “Your attitude is something to behold.”

  “I hear yours is even better,” Rico responded urgently.

  Troy smirked. Rico tried not to react to what he was doing, but another stroke and Rico’s hips bucked forward. When Troy teased the hole at the tip, just like the man he knew used to love, Rico hissed.

  “My attitude used to be something, but I’ve mellowed,” he said, not unaffected by what he was doing to Rico.

  “To what?” he moaned. “Get the fucking lube and do me right, or better yet, get on your knees where you belong.”

  Troy stopped mid stroke. “I think you’re mistaken about who is in charge here.” A dark gaze pierced his own.

  “Why’d you come running when Tom called anyway? You owe him favors or somethin’?”

  Troy didn’t answer right away, but he didn’t give up his hold on the man’s junk either. Ricochet didn’t need to know what went on between him and Tom. Some secrets weren’t meant to be shared. Yes, he owed Tom. Owed him his life. Owed him every fucking thing he now had, but Marshall didn’t need to know that his uncle was the man who’d saved his sanity just like he was about to do for him.

  “Don’t worry about shit you don’t need to know or doesn’t concern you. Lesson one, worry about what you can control. The rest is shit. Not worth your time.”

  “But I’m worth your time?” Rico asked, standing with his dick loud and proud waiting for his pants to be pulled up and fastened. “If you think so, you’ve got your priorities fucked up.”

  “I think you’re the one who needs a priority adjustment and I’m happy to oblige,” a Cheshire grin spread across Troy’s face. He had no idea what fun laid ahead of them in the coming days and now that Troy knew what it felt like to hold Rico’s cock in his hand, he wouldn’t stop until he had all of him. He was sure he could lube up his own hard pecker and hammer into the male now. It would be about power though and Troy wanted it to be about…shit…yeah, he wanted it to be about something more than just sex. Fuck me.

  “Tell you what, Skippy, I’m going to undo your cuffs here shortly. You’re not going to try and escape and you’re going to play nice with me.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Rico laughed. “Why the hell would I do that?”

  “Because I’m going to show you the wonders of being my friend. You see, I’ve got awesome fucking toys that I’m going to use to get us reacquainted with.” Troy reached out and wiped the precum off the tip of Rico’s shaft, bringing his finger to his mouth. When his tongue snaked out and licked it off, he couldn’t stop his eyes from closing or the moan of approval from escaping. “Mmm. So good.” Watching it jerk wasn’t as big of a torture as when he bent down to pull up Rico’s pants. The scent of musk made him insane. The urge to dominate Rico was overwhelming. To prevent himself from acting on his own urges, Troy yanked up his friend’s pants and did a quick tuck job before zipping his jeans.

  Troy knew Rico’s curiosity would get the better of him just by talking about his toys. All the guys appreciated his workout areas. It kept them in shape, sharp, and when they were on the edge and knew it, they came to him. Hell, so did a select few female soldiers. Working off those dark edges were his specialty and when Troy needed his worked off, well that is what the Sheriff had done for him once upon a time.

  Now though? Now he just teetered on the edge. Just like he had been before the call. A quick cut of the zip tie and shoulder shoving Rico toward his basement put a smirk on his face. Just knowing what the soldier was wondering, fearing even, gave him a thrill. Yeah, he was a perverted fucker, but he got the job done.

  “I ain’t afraid of the dark, Troy. Try again. Leave me here for days. I don’t give a fuck. Don’t talk to me. Even better. Don’t feed me, it won’t be the first time.”

  Troy gripped Rico’s bicep. Bitter, dead soulless eyes stared back at him. Why were the people he killed looking back at him through Rico’s eyes? It was as if they had climb inside a man they had never met and were using Rico to torment him. Troy dropped his hand as if he’d been burned.

  “What the fuck happened to you?”

  “You tell me yours and I’ll tell you mine.”

  Yeah, well that’s never going to happen. Keep dreaming. Only Troy had told someone once. A long time ago. It had been late and they’d just had sex. Well, it was more than sex and he knew it. Jayson had become Marshall’s replacement. He’d come to mean something to him. But that was then and this was now. Those stolen moments were wrong and got Jay killed. He wouldn’t get anyone killed ever again.

  “You’ll tell me yours. Make no mistakes about it,” Troy countered. “They all do.”

  “I see how it is. Uncle Tom gives you the hard cases he can’t handle. What were you? Some badass interrogator? Do your worst,” Rico snorted. “You ain’t got nothin’ on those fuckers in Syria.”

  “I wondered where you saw action. Tom didn’t say.” He ignored the rest of Rico’s comments. Now he had an inkling of the nightmares locked inside Rico’s head. How were two walking, talking, dead inside sons of bitches going to be able to make each other live. What the fuck was Tom thinking?

  “Just fucking put me out of my misery. I’m too much of a pussy to do it myself,” Rico answered honestly. Troy placed his hand on a panel turning on the lights. The cross between a gym and BDSM playroom came into focus. “Jesus H. Christ. What. The. Fuck are you, Tee?” True fear reflected from the depths of Rico’s eyes. Finally, something other than I don’t give a fuck. True emotion reflected back at him.

  “I’m the Boogie Man,” Troy whispered. “The one they send into places to do the deeds nice boys like you were never supposed to know about.”

  “I didn’t think you were real.”

  “I wasn’t for a long time,” he admitted. “Somedays I wish — it doesn’t matter what I wish. We’re here for you now, Rico. What do you wish for?” Troy narrowed his dark, gaze while removing the cuffs. “Do you wish to run? I’ll tell you again, you won’t get far. There isn’t a place on this earth I can’t find you. The Boogie Men always find their prey.”

  Troy stepped closer and got right into Rico’s face which he quickly found was a mistake. His eyes weren’t black, but the deepest blue. They weren’t filled with hate, but with pain. A pain which overwhelmed Troy and tried to swallow him whole.

  Ricochet

  Consequences

  “Wakey, Wakey,” Troy’s voice sounded like heaven compared to the clank of the steel door when it opened.

  Ricochet had woken at some point with a nightmare. Not the first and certainly wouldn’t be the last, but the mattress on the floor was made to be tossed, punched, and thrown around the windowless room. Warm enough blankets weren’t needed, he lay their and shivered anyway as memory after memory assaulted him until he’d thrown up the booze and bile left in his stomach.

  “I see we had a good first night. Why didn’t you call for me?” Troy asked.

  “Told you,” he groused around his dry, scratchy throat. “I don’t need anybody.”

  “You needed your buddies to save your six though, didn’t you?” Troy countered handing him a bottle of water with one hand and his other cu
pped to give him help up. Rico nabbed the water and ignored the hand.

  “You know the life, Tee. Don’t pretend you don’t. You cover your brother’s back or get yours blown off.”

  “True, but where were your buddies last night?” Troy asked squatting with his back to the wall. How Tee could be in here with the smell was beyond him. It made him want to retch again, but he needed to take a leak again. Maybe brushing the taste of vomit out of his mouth and getting something to eat and drink would help quiet his stomach and stop the screaming of his head. Not loud enough to eliminate the sound of those girls’ screams, but enough to keep him sitting on the damn floor where he might not pass the fuck out.

  “Cut to the chase, Tee. Aren’t you my big, bad bro now? Gonna keep my ass outta trouble and all that? Good luck, brah. Doc’s can’t figure my shit out. Don’t go suggesting a headshrinker either. That shit ain’t gonna happen. Not fucking up the rest of my life on the word of some doc who hasn’t been there. Probably is still wet behind the ears too.”

  “Wouldn’t think of it. Not for the likes of you and me.” Troy stood. Rico wondered if he’d offer his hand again, but he didn’t. Guess it was a one-time gesture. Fuck it. He didn’t need help. “The head is around the corner to the right. You’ll find some sweats and shirts that should fit you in the closet in there. We’ll go light today on the run since you’re dehydrated.”

  Just when he was about to smart off and tell Troy to go fuck himself, those intense, haunted eyes, much like his own, pierced him where he sat. All the air was sucked out of his lungs as he was scrutinized. What was his ex-thinking? Part of him wanted to measure up to his expectations, the other half didn’t give a damn. Knew he couldn’t be the man Troy wanted, needed, and deserved. Do you know who that man is anymore?