Aaron just stared at him. He didn’t look too happy, especially not with the scowl that was slowly forming on his usually handsome face.
“I’m sorry, but I’m trying to make up for it, so that should count.” Kreed gave him his biggest smile and nodded his encouragement for Aaron to agree.
“Do you have any idea how much those cost?”
“Umm…probably not, but I said I’d replace them.”
It still took a second, but Aaron finally turned away and scanned the choices, grabbing a cheaper version than Kreed had in his hand. Okay, maybe those Bose weren’t so expensive. He placed his choice back on the rack and followed Aaron, catching him just as he turned out of the aisle. His guy was angry, leaving Kreed confused. It was just a stupid pair of earbuds.
“You should’ve told me when it happened,” Aaron said over his shoulder. Kreed trailed behind him, staying quiet. Of course he should have told Aaron, but they were in that tense place and he didn’t want to add to it.
“I’ll replace what I broke,” Kreed finally grumbled. “Where can I get them? Maybe we can stop some place on the way up.”
“They were a thousand dollars and custom made,” Aaron tossed back over his shoulder.
“A thousand dollars for earbuds? Are you kidding me?” Kreed barked out, stopping in the middle of the main aisle, blocking traffic. It took Aaron a few seconds to realize Kreed wasn’t following him. A thousand freaking dollars for earbuds that break so easily? Who did that? Those would have lasted about a day in his life before he tore the hell out of them. It was just too shocking to continue to move.
“Come on,” Aaron called out, motioning him forward. “I’ve got a backup pair. I just packed them with my equipment so I’ll need these for the flight.”
“You have two pair of thousand-dollar earbuds?” Kreed called out, barely able to move one foot in front of the other. Could the guy be serious?
“They’re the best,” Aaron said once Kreed had caught up. “Come on. I need hair dye.”
“What color are you going for now?” Kreed finally asked after he processed the amount of money being spent on something so ridiculous. Thank God his subconscious was working, and he was able to add, “I like the dark.”
“You do?” Aaron asked, looking back over his shoulder. He wished he had a camera to capture that look. All thoughts of expensive earphones left as his dick plumped.
“What’s your natural hair color?” Kreed asked. The kid was just gorgeous, stunningly handsome. Aaron would look amazing with any color hair.
“Dark. I can keep it like that. Maybe add some purple. Purple looks good with black.” Aaron was looking down all the aisles, passing several before he turned.
“You do this yourself?” Kreed asked, following along.
“You’re gonna help,” Aaron added, looking at the rows and rows of hair color. An overhead announcement interrupted his thought before he had time to answer. Although he loved spa day, the activities of the spa always stayed there. He had no idea how to dye hair.
“Chasity Clover, your car is ready in Automotive,” a woman’s voice drawled over the store’s paging system. Her voice had a deeply Southern accent tinged with a bit of Roz from Monsters, Inc.
Aaron’s face lit up, his excited gaze shooting up to the ceiling, his smile bigger than anything Kreed had seen before. Yes, Aaron Stuart was absolutely beautiful, but Kreed wasn’t entirely sure what had him so excited.
“Chasity Clover, your car is ready in Automotive.” Aaron quietly mimicked her last word. “Oh my God, that’s golden,” Aaron cackled, bending over, grabbing his belly, laughing hysterically.
“What?” Kreed found himself chuckling because Aaron’s laughter was contagious, but he had no idea what was so funny.
“Ootttoomoottiiivvve!” Aaron mimicked her sound. “She was so country. Oh my God. When she said automotive, that was like twenty fucking syllables.”
Kreed did laugh at that. He lived in Louisiana, making him used to that slow Southern twang, but Aaron had a point. That particular woman’s voice had taken the accent to a whole new level. As if on cue, there she came again, saying something new, yet long and drawn out. Aaron went into a second giggling fit. This time he held on to the shelves, trying to keep himself on his feet. He was almost as funny as the woman speaking overhead.
“Quit throwin’ shade,” Kreed said, still laughing, trying hard to mimic her as he spoke. “Grab what you need. We need to get goin’.”
Chapter 27
Aaron sat in first class, looking out the small window with his new earbuds in, but they did little to drown out the noise around him. They were about twenty minutes outside of Kauai, and the fasten-your-seat-belt sign had just flashed on the display screen above his head. Kreed had been up, stretching his legs, before disappearing inside the bathroom. The man was so big and muscular that he didn’t fit well in cramped surroundings, so when he exited the small door and had to twist awkwardly to navigate that part of the cabin, the action captured Aaron’s attention…and Aaron noticed he wasn’t the only one drawn to the sight.
The heat of Kreed’s gaze landed right on him, his dark brow lifted and a knowing smirk curled the corners of his beautiful lips. Since he’d spent the last nine hours dodging the suggestion of joining the mile high club, Kreed must have been checking out the space possibilities for the flight home. What did it mean that he was so in tune with Kreed that he instinctively knew what was on the deputy’s mind?
The weight of that thought made him instantly antsy, so he mentally shoved it aside and concentrated on the new look. Kreed had managed to change his clothes and was now wearing a pair of walking shorts and a T-shirt. He wondered where Kreed might have hidden his weapon under that tight-fitting shirt. He carried his backpack and boots in his hands in front of him as he squeezed down the aisle toward his seat. Kreed’s eyes continued to hold him transfixed with that small grin in place as he lifted his beefy arms to open the overhead bin to place his items inside before taking his seat.
“Seatbelt on, Kreed,” a flight attendant said absently as she passed by on a final sweep through the cabin. It seemed Kreed had close to free rein, able to do just about anything he wanted on any flight he took. The rules barely applied, and by extension, they were easier on Aaron through most of the flight.
“Sure thing,” Kreed mumbled as he leaned over, angling his head until he was in Aaron’s direct line of vision and reached up to tug the earbud free from Aaron’s ear. Kreed had performed that move five or six times during the trip. “Just so you know, we would’ve fit.”
Seriously, the guy had a one-track mind. “No, we wouldn’t. I saw you have to turn those big ole’ muscles to the side to enter the bathroom.” Aaron used that Southern accent, imitating the lady from Walmart to describe the width of his shoulders and making Kreed’s smile grow.
“We would’ve fit. There was enough room. I measured. No more excuses. We’re doing it on the way home,” Kreed declared.
“Pretty sure of yourself,” Aaron replied, placing the earbud back in his ear. Kreed reached up to pull it out again.
“Don’t be tryin’ to get out of it.”
Kreed’s face was right in his, the ever-present, sexy little smirk in place. Aaron actually liked that Kreed didn’t allow him to divert the conversation, and he smiled back.
“I’m fucking you,” Aaron whispered and winked.
“Whatever you want. You know I’m up for anything. Just want to join that club so I can get the T-shirt. Mitch has the hookup, but there’s gotta be some kind of proof.” Kreed finally reached for his seatbelt as the plane began its descent. Aaron had no idea if Kreed was serious or what kind of proof would be necessary. Man, he was in serious trouble with this guy.
~~~
Aaron opted to drive, forcing Kreed to sit idly in the passenger seat of the rental car, watching out the side window, with his cellphone stuck to his ear. Aaron continued to cement his grandma-driver status as Brody Masters efficiently caught Kre
ed up on everything they’d missed since leaving Dallas nine hours earlier. He gave several muttered yeahs and yeses, but as a whole, he just listened. Four of the five fugitives had been apprehended and a nationwide manhunt was in place to execute that final arrest. They were tying up the pieces with the entire Department of Justice focused on nailing this terrorist cell to eliminate any lingering threat they might pose to American citizens.
The closer they got to Jace’s place, the more beautiful the scenery became, drawing him into an automatic peacefulness. Between Aaron’s driving pace, Brody’s voice, and the water churning in the distance, Kreed relaxed, paying less attention to Masters and more to the tropical paradise surrounding him, only tuning back in when Brody got to the last point that seemed to frustrate the boys at the bureau as much as anything that might have happened with the case.
For the first time since the call had started, Kreed turned away from the breathtaking view outside his window and spoke directly to Aaron to relay the new information they had.
“Some group took over the church’s website today. They redirected it to a website with the words ‘God hates no one,’ before then redirecting it to a human rights group. There’s a big video posted, already received millions of views, and this one got a lot of public help. It’s fucking everything up for Connors.”
“How so?” Aaron asked, and Kreed lifted a single finger as he continued listening to Brody before he spoke.
“Okay, call me in the morning,” Kreed said and lowered the phone, swiping a finger to end the call before turning to Aaron. “Right now, the FBI thinks that for the time being they’ve managed to downplay the arrests to the media. You know, to keep status quo—at least their considered normal state of affairs. But everything with the bureau has a spin. They feel like the church has a solid following, and they wanted to control how all this information got out to the public, swing the propaganda in their favor, make the FBI look like heroes instead of an agency that refused to even consider all this evidence for a good solid year. Now that the national news has the story, everything will slowly be leaked. The media keeps doing breaking news reports over and over, reporting on the case. To Connors, he’s saying it’ll stop the progression of the case, and Masters said the bureau’s already preparing for damage control.”
“Huh,” Aaron said, seemingly unaffected. He was a young techie, so he’d probably agree with the hack, maybe even wish he’d been able to take part in it all instead of flying to Hawaii. “I wondered how long it would take. I bet it was Protector. They can’t stand stuff like this. They hate Redemption Apostle Tabernacle Church. They’ve targeted that church for years. They’ll probably track the hack down to a farmhouse somewhere in Nebraska.”
“Yeah, I guess. I get what they’re doing in trying to keep society informed, but they’re a giant pain in the ass. They always pop up at the worst possible times. I just can’t figure out how they know shit so quick. They’re on it, and don’t hesitate to jump right in there. Sometimes they do it before we even know,” Kreed said as he turned back in his seat, taking in more of the picturesque view of the ocean. The water seemed to go on forever.
“The deal about Protector… It’s really anyone who wants to be involved. Sure, it’s organized by a few, but we can all jump in and clog up the different systems,” Aaron explained casually.
“You and I both know that statement’s a load of crap. There’s a small cell of people orchestrating the attacks, guiding the outcome,” Kreed shot back.
“Regardless, it wouldn’t work if it weren’t for everyone playing a part. I was reading on the marshals’ internal network that a couple of those guys in Protector made it to the top fifty most wanted list. They think it’s two or three guys that started it. But they don’t really know who they are so it’s real open-ended. No name, no face, not even a clue as to how to find them. How’s that gonna work for those in the field?” Aaron asked, appearing somewhat distracted by the traffic forming on the road.
“It’s more about the reward that gets attached to each person. Somebody’ll turn them in. Somebody in that inner circle knows what’s going on and will eventually get greedy,” Kreed said, but on a happier note, he turned back to Aaron. “Then, I’ll go get ’em. Keeps me employed.”
Aaron gave a humorless laugh, but didn’t comment. Kreed decided to keep it light where Protector was concerned. Now wasn’t the time for a discussion on such a monumental difference in point of view. Protector had fucked up many a raid he’d been on over the last few years. They were absolutely a huge pain in the ass, and Kreed had to make a mental note to remember to tell Aaron not to show his support out loud again if others were around. No division in the Justice Department appreciated those hackers or their so-called social conscience. Better that no one knew Stuart was a Protector sympathizer. “Do you know any of them?”
“Not that I know of, but there’s a possibility. Those hacktivists that orchestrate all that, they keep that shit quiet. I could see it just being one or two people and no one else knowing,” Aaron said. GPS sounded off and Aaron followed the instructions off the highway.
“It’s just a matter of time. It always goes bad,” Kreed said absently, looking out over the ocean again. “It’s beautiful here.”
Work wasn’t even on the top million list of things he wanted to be thinking about right now. He’d been impressed with how easily he’d been able to keep work back on the mainland and mentally move on as a man on vacation. Kreed would receive daily updates and worst-case scenarios. He might even have to head back to Dallas or DC if something broke, but that just meant he needed to make the most of every single day.
Man, it felt good to get away and completely relax. He wasn’t in a frame of mind to let that easily slip away. Months of intense stress had made being on this island with Aaron that much more appealing. After Aaron made the turn onto a sand-covered road into a residential area, Kreed reached over to entwine Aaron’s hand with his. The act of holding this man’s hand balanced him. Aaron made him feel lighter, and that thought settled inside his heart. It might have been years since he’d experienced this much inner peace, and Aaron seemed to be clueless at the power he held.
“This is where they met?” Kreed asked, trying to remember the story Colt had told them as they turned down a long street that ran alongside the ocean.
“Nah, I don’t think so. I think they came here on vacation when they were younger and Jace bought the place years later when it came up for sale.”
“Who would’ve known cheerleading paid so well,” Kreed added, watching the houses as they passed by. The farther they got on the street, the more space separated each home.
“I know, right? That’s all I kept thinking in Dallas.” GPS interrupted them again, so they paid closer attention to the house numbers until they came to a stop in front of a very nice cottage-style home.
“Man, it was nice to have them offer this up,” Kreed said, unbuckling his seatbelt. Aaron hopped from the driver’s side. The tropical backdrop stood in stark contrast against the kid’s dark, winter wardrobe of jeans and long-sleeve shirt. Kreed worked his feet back inside his flip-flops he’d shoved to the corner of the floorboard then opened his door. He stepped out, breathing in the clean, salty air. No doubt the place was beautiful.
Kreed headed toward the trunk as Aaron clicked the key fob to open the latch. He grabbed both the heavy bags, letting Aaron get his backpack and laptop. Those two items were always the first things cared for in any trip they made.
“I need to change,” Aaron said, standing near the front porch, waiting for Kreed to make his way up the sidewalk by the driveway.
“Yeah, I checked the temperature on the way here. It’s close to eighty degrees.”
Aaron reached for the handle of one of the bags Kreed carried, trying to take his own luggage, but Kreed held on tight, nodding in the direction of the house to get Aaron moving. Of course, Aaron was more than capable of carrying his own heavy shit, but Kreed just liked doing it for
his guy.
Aaron finally relented, moving forward, walking first toward the house, fishing something out of his front pocket. The closer they got to the front door, Kreed saw some of the repairs Jace and Colt said they’d made. The porch looked pretty new, though the house appeared to be in need of a new paint job.
“They haven’t been here since the accident?” Kreed asked, taking the steps up to the front door. “Didn’t they say Michaels repaired the roof?”
“Yeah, that’s pretty funny. Jace put him straight to work, didn’t even give him a chance to breathe. Colt must’ve been trying hard to get his foot back in the door.” Aaron swung the front door open, showing an entry that looked right in the middle of a remodel. Colt’s accident had stopped the progress they’d made while trying to spruce the place up. The kitchen sat right off the entry with the dining room and living room straight ahead. Curtains were drawn shut along the back wall, and Kreed supposed that was a sliding glass door, but instead of looking for himself, he headed toward a hall located to the side of the living room.
He found one small bedroom, a bathroom, and the door at the end of the hall leading into the master bedroom. He opened the door all the way and stepped inside the large, nicely decorated room. The master suite had a modern feel, decorated in soothing island colors. If he ever owned his own place, this would be exactly what he wanted. His senses relaxed even further. The room looked very much like one you’d find in a high-end, expensive spa. Right up his alley! Man, he was going to love this place.
After looking around, Kreed placed both suitcases in the closet before going back in search of Aaron. The living room curtains were now open and Aaron stood at the back porch railing, looking out over the ocean.
“It’s peaceful here,” Aaron said, never looking back. Kreed smiled as he came through the door, wondering if Aaron knew how telling that move was. They were truly in sync with one another if Aaron could sense when he was around.
Full Domain (A Nice Guys Novel Book 3) Page 31