Hell and Back

by Dirk Greyson

  “Gage, we don’t know shit about what’s going on. Not really. We have a few papers that lead us to some criminal elements, a few pieces of what might be one of Granger’s puzzles, and little else. I know we need to open this box and see what’s inside, but I keep wondering, what if there’s nothing? What if he put the box there for safekeeping because of how valuable it is and nothing more?”

  “Granger was killed for a reason, and you aren’t going to be safe until we find out what that reason is and then find a way to keep you safe. I know this isn’t something you signed up for, but it’s what has to be done.” Gage took the 94 split toward Chicago. Traffic was heavy but moved steadily, and once they reached the downtown area, Gage exited the freeway and pulled into one of the hotels that lined the northern section of Grant Park.

  Forge looked down at what he was wearing. “You do realize we don’t have any luggage or clothes.”

  But that didn’t seem to bother Gage. They went inside, and he checked them into an art nouveau masterpiece of a hotel. Once they were in their room, which was small but elegant and extremely comfortable, Gage ordered room service. When the food arrived, he charged it to the room.

  Forge and Gage dug in, not speaking as they ate. Forge hadn’t thought about eating with all the running and evading they’d been doing, but now that he was settled, at least for a while, his appetite caught up with him, and he ate the entire steak Gage had ordered for him.

  “What do we do now?”

  “Get some rest while we can. If you aren’t sleepy, take another look at that box. We need to get some answers, and the ones we’re looking for have to be with Granger.” Gage sat on the edge of the bed and lay back, staring at the ceiling, his shirt riding up just enough to display a line of tanned skin above his jeans. When Gage raised his hands, putting them behind his head, his shirt rode up farther, and Forge’s throat went dry. He reached for his water and downed what was left in the glass before setting it on the tray.

  Gage lifted his head, watching him, and Forge knew he was being taunted. “You know I should try to make progress on this box.” He took it out of the bag and set it gently on the table. Then he turned back to Gage, seconds from saying to hell with it. His heart already raced a little faster because of the taste of the buffet that was Gage on display. Regardless, he turned his attention back to the box, looking over the carving very carefully. There had to be a piece that either pushed inward or slid out in order to allow the first piece to move. That was how these objects worked.

  Of course, his attention was most definitely elsewhere, especially as Gage sighed and his belly contracted and then relaxed.

  “You’re doing that on purpose.” Forge turned away and went back to the jade box, his attention drawn to the heads of the dragons that wrapped around it. They fascinated him. If he were to craft a box like this, the heads of the dragons would figure into his opening mechanism somehow, but he wasn’t seeing anything, which drove him crazy. He set the box aside and sat on the bed next to Gage.

  “Doing what?” Gage asked innocently, and Forge lightly smacked his arm.

  “Being distracting and beautiful.” He ran his finger lightly over Gage’s exposed belly. “You know, if you want something, all you need to do is ask.” He continued stroking, sliding his finger upward and around Gage’s belly button. Gage groaned and Forge stopped. “Is something bothering you?” He waggled his eyebrows. “Are you growing uncomfortable?” He eyed the bulge in Gage’s pants.

  “Now who’s doing things on purpose?” Gage pulled his hands from under his head, and Forge leaned away. “Tease.”

  “I am not. You’re the one who was teasing when I was trying to concentrate on the box so we could find out what was inside. But was someone else helpful?” Forge shook his head. “No. He lay here all sexy, and I couldn’t figure anything out. So I gave up to get closer to his sexiness, and he just lies there.”

  “Oh, he does?” Gage growled and pounced. Forge laughed as Gage tumbled him back onto the bed, hovering over him. “What else does this living embodiment of sexy do?”

  “Now you’re just being silly,” Forge teased, and Gage growled once again, then kissed him. Forge didn’t have the brain action to stop him. Not that he’d ever have wanted to.

  Gage’s phone rang, and he pulled away.

  “I swear, one of these days I’m going to toss your pants alarm right out that damn window.”

  “It’s Harv,” Gage told him, and instantly the tension that had been with Forge since Granger’s death, but had been forgotten about for a little while with Gage, came roaring right back. “What’s happening? … No, we aren’t coming back. … Not unless you really need to know.” Gage began pacing slightly. “Just protect the house and scare the crap out of anyone who approaches. We’re still trying to figure this whole thing out, but it’s clear Granger was mixed up with some pretty bad people and they have enough money to throw a lot of people at the problem.”

  Forge went to the bathroom and shut the door. He sat on the closed lid of the toilet, his elbows on his knees, resting his head on his hands. This was getting to be too damned much. None of this was his fault. He hadn’t gotten involved with folks who killed people. Forge sat up straight, clenching his fists. He wanted to punch the shit out of Granger. “Dang it, I wish I could bring you back just so I could smack the living hell out of you. What the fuck were you thinking?”

  A soft knock sounded, and Forge told Gage to come in. “Harv says a few people have come by the house, but other than that, it’s been quiet.”

  “Is he going to stay?”

  “If you want him to,” Gage answered.

  “I don’t want anything to happen to the house, though once this is over, I’m going to put it on the market. I need to move away from that life and build one of my own. I don’t want to go back to the way I was with Granger.” It was so clear now. He’d become stuck in the life he and Granger had built, and for months he’d been trying to hold on to it rather than letting go and starting over.

  “That’s a good sign.”

  “I know. Change is scary, and I’ve been too afraid of it to get off my ass and just start over. I think we both might have been, and maybe that was why we were fighting over every little thing.” Forge stood and walked back over to the box to pick it up once again. He actually thought of smashing it just so he could get at whatever was inside. Hell, he’d break half of what he owned just to be able to have this over with, know who killed Granger, and have the chips fall where they may, just so he could have the chance to rebuild his life once more. Forge paused with his hands on the cool stone, turning to Gage and hoping like hell that the chances he was being given would include the biggest second chance of all.

  Gage looked back at him, but his eyes were clouded and elsewhere. “I think I need to talk to my dad.” He shivered. “Into the lion’s den, so to speak. He was mentioned in those papers and has to have some answers. Then we need to contact Coleridge.”

  “Jesus.” The thought of going near Gage’s family nearly terrified him. He imagined it as some sort of gathering out of The Godfather or Goodfellas. “If you think that’s what you need to do.” He stepped away from the table, his heart beating faster even as he lay down on the bed and tried not to think about what Gage was planning.

  “Us,” Gage corrected. “I’m not leaving you.”

  “You want me to go with you to see your parents? It isn’t like they’re going to be welcoming to you or me. Do you really think they’re going to tell you what we need to know if I’m there?”

  Gage’s devious smile should have been a clue. “I’m hoping it will throw them off enough that they’ll give me whatever I want just to make themselves more comfortable.” He grabbed the phone, and after a few seconds, it became apparent that Gage was calling his mother. Gage put a finger to his lips, then indicated that the speaker option was on. “Mom, I’m in Chicago and was wondering if I could see you.”

  “That would be lovely. Come by in the
morning, and we can have breakfast. The sunroom is perfect this time of year.” Dishes clinked softly in the background, telling Forge that she was most likely having tea or whatever people did in the late afternoon.

  “That would be nice. But I have to return home first thing in the morning. I was hoping I could see you this evening.” A more pronounced clink rang through the phone’s speaker.

  “Your father and I are having a party this evening, and…. Well, I suppose you could come. The people aren’t your crowd, but it would be nice to see you for a few minutes.” Nervousness and longing mixed in her voice. She wanted to see Gage—that was apparent. “It’s a casual evening.”

  Gage rolled his eyes. “We’ll see you about eight.”

  “We?” She sounded half-frightened.

  “Yes, Mom. I have someone I’d like you to meet.” Gage kept a smile on his lips that translated to his voice.

  “I’m looking forward to it.” From her tone it sounded like she half expected a herd of elephants to arrive at her door.

  Gage ended the call and shoved his phone in his pocket. Forge hoped he’d join him on the bed, but Gage began pulling on the shoes he’d taken off earlier.

  “We need to go shopping.”

  “She said it was casual.”

  “Which is my mother’s code for dressed to the nines, but not wearing tuxedos. We’ll go shopping, get what we need, and then we can come back here and clean up.” Gage stepped closer. “I thought we might conserve water and shower together.”

  Now that was something Forge could agree to.

  TWO HOURS of shopping and a quick dinner later, they arrived back at the hotel. Gage made double sure they weren’t followed. “We have an hour before we need to leave.” Gage dropped the bags on the bed and pulled Forge into his arms. “Come on. Let’s get cleaned up, and I’ll do my best to wipe the nervous curve off your lips.”

  “You know your mom and dad aren’t going to go out of their way to make me feel comfortable.” Forge shifted from foot to foot.

  “This isn’t about them making you welcome. I don’t really care what they think about you.” Gage held him tighter. “Their opinion about most things in my life ceased to matter some time ago. Remember, we’re there to find out some of my father’s business contacts and to ultimately get him to spill the beans on who he’s been dealing with and what he was being paid off to do. The reason you’re there is to keep both of them off-balance.”

  Forge wrinkled his brow. “I don’t understand.”

  “You will. Trust me. My mother is going to hover near us most of the night because she’s going to be worried I’ll say something to someone that will embarrass her. The only time she won’t do that is when I’m talking to my father, and he’ll want to do that alone if he can manage it. See, my dad will make another pitch to get me to work for him—he always does. When that happens, I should be able to steer things the way I want them.”

  “How?” Forge still didn’t get how this was going to work.

  “I’m going to use my dad’s hopes against him. I told you his dream. Well, he never gives up, and I’ll have to dangle some bait in front of him if I’m ever going to get him to open up.” Gage turned away and toed off his shoes, then pulled off his shirt. Usually the sight of Gage’s back, and then his chest as he turned around, was enough to make Forge forget just about anything, but in those few moments, he recognized a piece of Granger in Gage, and he shivered as a chill ran over his skin. Gage’s eyes were hard and cold, but within a few seconds, they’d warmed and heated as he slowly stepped closer to where Forge stood.

  “Is this really necessary?” Forge asked. He hated the thought of what he’d seen for those few seconds. “You’re relishing this, and while I agree that your dad doesn’t have the right to foist his dreams on you, is this the man you really are?”

  Gage shook his head slowly. “This isn’t about revenge. I don’t have any reason to be angry with them. They are who they are, and I can’t change them. I have my own life. But we need answers from them, and I know one way to get it. Dad isn’t going to easily admit that he’s taking bribes, who from, or why.” Gage stroked his cheek. “Think of it this way. If my father is taking bribes, as the document Granger had shows, then he’s part of the problem. We can either do nothing and keep running and hiding, or go after the beast itself.”

  Forge took a deep breath and nodded. It was time to do something. “I’m tired of running. I’ve had enough of feeling like a scared rabbit.”

  Gage didn’t say anything more. He simply reached for the hem of Forge’s shirt and tugged it up over his head. Forge raised his arms, and when the fabric fell to the floor, Gage pulled them together. Chest to chest, he stroked Forge’s cheek, caressing him with such sweet caring. Forge closed his eyes and drank in the gentleness. He hated to admit it, but he needed to be needed and wanted, and it was even better to be cared for.

  Gage cupped his jaw and slowly slid his hand around to the back of Forge’s head, cradling it, then brought their lips together in a kiss that left Forge weak in the knees. Instantly the coldness he’d seen was forgotten as a bubble of heat surrounded him. His heart pulsing, blood singing in his ears, Forge gave himself to Gage, needing what he had to offer as desperately as a man lost in the desert craved water. Forge parted his lips, and Gage deepened the kiss, holding him still, dominating his mouth, pouring as much energy and passion into it as Forge had ever known in his life. Gage tugged open Forge’s pants, and they fell to the floor, pooling around his legs. He stepped out of them, and Gage pressed him back. “Should we take this to the bathroom?”

  “God, yes,” Forge answered with a quiver of excitement as Gage ran a finger over his right nipple, sending a spark of desire shooting through him.

  Gage released him, took his hand to lead him to the bathroom, and closed the door behind them. Forge stripped off the last of his clothes, watching as Gage did the same, the remainder of his amazing body coming into full view.

  For an instant an image of Gage in the hospital flashed in his mind. He’d been strong then, but his legs were nothing like the wide, powerful appendages they were now. Gage had changed a lot. Even in his hospital bed, he’d had an air of strength, but now, in his prime, no one would ever guess that at one time Gage had been largely helpless and that he’d allowed Forge to see him like that and even help care for him.

  “Where are you?” Gage asked softly.

  There was no use lying. “Back in the hospital, years ago.”

  “For God’s sake, why?” Gage kicked off the last of his clothes, standing with his legs spread slightly apart, cock jutting out strong and thick. “I’m nothing like that now.”

  “Physically, you aren’t, but you’re still that person.” Forge closed the gap between them. “I know you don’t want to remember how things were back then, but I do. You were special.”

  “No. You were the one who was special. Not me. You sat with me and spent all your time there when you could have been doing something much more interesting than sitting beside my bed, reading to me and writing my letters.” Gage rested his head on Forge’s shoulder. “I’ve never told a single living soul this, but you’re the reason I am who I am.”

  Forge blinked. “Why?”

  “After I was shipped home and you were relocated, I decided I needed to get better, get strong again, for you.”

  Forge clutched Gage tighter. He knew what was coming next; he could feel it deep in his bones. “You got strong for me and then you never got my letters.”

  “Yeah. I nearly gave up, but I couldn’t by then. I was walking and I had a goal. If you didn’t want me, then I’d learn to walk and be strong so someone else would.” Gage scoffed. “Little did I know that there was no one else who could take your place. God knows I tried.”

  “Tell me you didn’t spend seventeen years as a monk.” Forge reached between them to curl his fingers around Gage’s cock. “Wait, you told me you had boyfriends and things.”

  “Yeah, I did
, and I compared them all to you. None of them was good enough.” Gage groaned softly when Forge gripped him tighter, stroking slowly. “See, you already had my heart, and no one else was strong enough to manage to sway it.”

  Forge reached into the shower and turned on the water. He didn’t want to move away, and somehow, with some laughter and even a near miss where they both almost tumbled to the floor in a fit of giggles and grabby hands, they made it into the shower. It was delightful, and once the hot water hit his skin, it seemed to ramp up the electricity between them. Forge pressed Gage against the back tile of the shower, angling the water so it ran down his chest, then slid to his knees. Gage quivered in front of him, cock bobbing up and down in anticipatory excitement. Forge leaned forward and let the head slip between his lips, then sank them slowly down the shaft.

  “Forge,” Gage croaked, pressed back against the tile. “Don’t stop. Please, for the love of God, don’t stop.”

  Forge had no intention of doing so, and bobbed his head hard, sucking deeply, pulling at Gage’s cock with each upward movement. Gage’s leg shook, and Forge pushed him back against the tile, holding Gage still as he did his level best to send Gage flying.

  “Forge…,” he groaned. “Not….”

  Forge knew Gage meant it as a warning, but he doubled his efforts, sucking even harder until bitter saltiness flooded his mouth and Gage stilled. Forge closed his eyes, savoring Gage’s flavor on his tongue before sliding back and letting the water rush over him.

  Gage didn’t move. He remained plastered to the tile and held still.

  “Are you okay?”

  Gage nodded slowly. “Oh God. Am I still alive? My head didn’t explode, did it?”

  Forge stood and pressed against him, his cock sliding along Gage’s hip. “No. I think you’re just a little overstimulated.” Damn, to think he’d reduced Gage to silence. That was amazingly sexy.