Rialto

by Drake, Jocelynn

  “You know you own me.”

  Ian grinned up at Hollis. He did know it. But then, Hollis owned him heart and soul.

  “I really don’t want to ruin your mood, but I need to know. What is your goal for tonight’s meeting with Max?” Hollis asked. Ian had told him about his surprise breakfast with Max that morning, and he had a feeling the only thing keeping Hollis from losing his temper was the fact that Snow had been there as well.

  Ian leaned back a little and his hands slid down to rest on Hollis’s chest. “What are you talking about? Our goal is to help Max.”

  Hollis pressed his lips together and stared silently at Ian like he was trying very hard not to frown while figuring out exactly what he could say without upsetting his husband. Yeah, that wasn’t going to fly.

  “Just say it,” Ian snapped.

  “Our focus should be on keeping you safe. You’ve been attacked in our damn home once already. We aren’t completely sure that Max is the one behind the attacks yet. And now there’s some other guy who’s probably eyeballing you as well. Either Max’s dealer or his pimp. Maybe both. I want to help him too, but not if it means that you’re going to come in a distant second.”

  “We can do both. We can help Max and protect me,” Ian said confidently.

  Hollis didn’t look so convinced, but he kept his comment to himself and instead asked, “What time was he supposed to be here again?”

  “Quarter to midnight. What time is it now?” Ian twisted around and scooped up his cell phone, checking both the time and that he didn’t miss any phone calls or messages while he was snuggling with Hollis. There was nothing new that had come in, and it was just now twenty until twelve. Five more minutes.

  Hollis drew in a deep breath, his nose wrinkling while he turned toward the main restaurant area. “You don’t have anything cooking in the kitchen, right?”

  “No, not right now. Everything is cleaned up, and they all left nearly an hour ago. Why?”

  Hollis released him and turned toward the door. He’d closed it when he entered the office, and Ian was sure he’d done it out of habit since the man had to sneak kisses every time he got Ian alone. Not that his entire staff couldn’t guess exactly what was happening when it was closed.

  “I smell smoke.”

  “That can’t be right,” Ian said, but he was also jumping to his feet and following Hollis toward the door. But now that he’d mentioned it, Ian could swear that he was catching little hints of smoke as well.

  Hollis grabbed the doorknob but instantly released it, jerking his hand away like he’d been burned. “Fucking hot!” he snarled. Looking around, he grabbed a thick linen napkin that was resting on a shelf and used it to wrap the knob so he could quickly open the door.

  Waist-high flames met them, lighting up the dark restaurant. They both leaped back in shock and horror. Ian’s heart skipped a beat in his chest and then started zooming ahead in panic. His restaurant, his precious Rialto, was on fire!

  Before either of them could move, smoke alarms started going off around the restaurant and the overhead sprinklers kicked on, dousing them in cold water. Ian turned to his desk and jammed his phone into his pocket before grabbing his laptop and shoving it inside the fireproof safe that was next to his desk. Everything was backed up on the cloud, but protecting the laptop would save them time.

  From the corner of his eye, he saw Hollis leap across the room and snatch up the small fire extinguisher that had been hanging on the wall behind the door. There were two more larger ones in the kitchen, but they had to be able to reach them first.

  “You need to get out of here! I can get us a path out of the office!” Hollis shouted.

  Ian wasn’t fucking going anywhere yet. But if he could get to the kitchen, he could help Hollis battle the flames. The smoke alarm and sprinklers were attached to the Ward Security system. The fire department would have already been notified of the fire and should be racing to their location.

  “It’s clear! Get out!” Hollis shouted. His voice was growing hoarse and raw from the smoke.

  Ian grabbed another spare napkin and covered his mouth as he rushed into the main restaurant. There he could see little mounds of his magazine had been spread about the room and were lit on fire. By the intensity of the flames, he was pretty sure that whoever had started the fire had doused them with something like gasoline first.

  But he didn’t need to wonder who the culprit was for long. Max was standing in the open doorway leading to the kitchen. The light had been turned on, casting him in a strange mix of light and dancing shadows, but there was no missing the slightly maniacal grin stretching across his thin features.

  “You deserve to fucking burn, Ian!” Max shouted at him. “This was supposed to be my life. You stole everything from me!”

  “I didn’t steal anything from you, Max,” Ian called back. They couldn’t have this argument here. They’d all die of smoke inhalation. Hollis was making progress with the damn flaming piles of magazines, but his little extinguisher was going to run out of juice soon.

  “You stole Jagger from me the day you arrived! And then that millionaire and his friends noticed you. It should have been me!”

  “I can still help you.”

  Max didn’t say anything. He just turned toward the kitchen and ran. He was escaping. Ian twisted around to find Hollis tossing his spent extinguisher. Soot and sweat were pouring down his face. His clothes were sticking to him in the increasing heat of the restaurant. He didn’t want to leave his husband to battle the flames, didn’t want to leave his restaurant, but he had to go after Max. Couldn’t let him disappear. There would only be more attacks.

  Or worse, Max would die in the horrible life that he was trapped in.

  “Go!” Hollis shouted, pointing toward the kitchen and the rear door. “I’ve got this!”

  Ian was already confident that he couldn’t possibly love Hollis more, but the man continued to surprise him at every turn. With a quick nod, Ian darted after Max. He shot through the kitchen and out into the relative darkness of the night.

  The cool air was a brutal slap to the face. He sucked in a deep breath and immediately started coughing as his lungs fought to expel the smoke. In the shadows, he saw a flash of movement as someone about Max’s size darted down an alley. Ian followed without hesitation, the hard soles of his shoes pounding on the uneven pavement.

  The figure cut through the thin light thrown down by a streetlamp, and Ian could clearly see Max’s blond hair and slender frame as he ran. Ian was slowly closing the distance on him. So long as he didn’t jump into a car, Ian had a chance of catching him. Not that he was even sure what he was going to do once he got his hands on the asshole. He fucking set fire to Rialto! And to add insult to injury, he’d tried to fry both him and Hollis while they were inside. No one hurt his Hollis. There was a part of him that was dying to shake some fucking sense into Max. It was getting damn hard to be compassionate and understanding.

  As they reached Vine Street, Max stopped in the empty street and turned to look at Ian, an evil grin on his lips.

  “You think you can hurt me?” Max mocked.

  Ian slowed his steps as he neared the sidewalk, trying to figure out what he could say that would reach Max. It was clear that Max was the one who’d been threatening his restaurant and staff. He had a sneaking suspicion that the magazine spread had been the final straw for an old hatred that had simmered just under the surface for years.

  But there had to be a way to get through all that irrational hatred. A way to talk some reason and sense into him so that no one else got hurt.

  Ian lifted both of his empty hands toward Max and took a deep breath. But before he could even say a word, a large black van screeched to a violent halt just a few feet away from Max. Neither of them had seen it approach; their attention had been locked on each other.

  The side door slid open with a loud metallic clang, and two men dressed all in black wearing ski masks jumped out. They ran straight for Max
. The young man was frozen for a second and then attempted to run, but it was already too late. He screamed and kicked, fighting against the men who quite easily picked him up and hauled him toward the van. Ian lurched forward a moment later after recovering from his shock. Max…was being kidnapped. Just a second ago the bastard had set his restaurant on fire and blamed him for everything going wrong in his life. Now he was being grabbed by strange men in black. It was as if Ian were stuck in some crazy dream.

  Before he could even get to the street, the van was roaring up Vine Street. Max’s desperate screams could be heard over the squealing tires before the sliding door slammed shut again. Standing in the middle of the road, Ian locked his gaze on the license plate and repeated it over and over again while he pulled out his cell phone.

  It was just his luck that someone from Ward Security was calling at exactly that moment.

  “Ian!” Gidget’s panicked voice came through when he thumbed on the call.

  “H-Q-Q four-thirty-two!” Ian shouted back.

  “What?”

  “H-Q-Q four-three-two! Black van. I think maybe a Ford. Looks like it could be something used for deliveries, but there are no markings. Just black. It’s headed north on Vine Street. I think it might have turned east on West Seventh.”

  “Got it,” Gidget immediately said. “Who—”

  “Someone dressed all in black grabbed Max after he set Rialto on fire and threw him in the van. I can’t follow. I have to get to Hollis.” Ian had already turned toward the alley he’d just exited and was jogging down the narrow path back to his husband with the phone pressed to his ear.

  “He’s outside. I can see him on the camera in front of the restaurant. The fire department is there.”

  Gidget’s reassurance sent a wave of relief through Ian, nearly knocking his knees out. He wobbled and slowed, pressing his free hand against the wall to steady himself. He’d hated leaving Hollis alone to battle the flames, but he’d also known that they could lose their one and only lead. Well, lead no more. Max was definitely the one who wanted to hurt Ian.

  But Max had more problems than just Ian.

  “Is Max with a gang? Did he have help?”

  “No, he was taken against his will. Kidnapped.”

  “What?” Gidget gasped and Ian fought the urge to growl. He didn’t have time to explain everything right now. Especially since he wasn’t entirely sure what the hell was happening.

  “Just try to track down the van. Find out where they’re taking him. We need to rescue him.”

  “Okay…”

  Yeah, he got it. He sounded insane. He wanted to rescue the guy who just tried to kill him and his husband. Ian wasn’t thrilled about his restaurant going up in flames or the risk to their lives, but Max could be saved. He was hurting and he was lashing out the only way he knew how. That was a gift from Jagger. The only things they learned with him were pain, suffering, and violence. Max was in pain and he thought it was Ian’s fault, so he wanted to make Ian suffer. But there was another way.

  Unfortunately, Ian couldn’t show him that until they got him out of the clutches of whoever had him now.

  “Call Rowe and Noah. Get them and whoever else you can get ahold of to Ward Security tonight. Once I get things under control with the fire department, Hollis and I will be coming there. We are getting Max free tonight.”

  They just had to figure out who had him and where he was being stashed. He prayed that they didn’t immediately kill him and dump the body.

  Chapter Twenty

  Ward Security was a buzz of activity and chaos. A mix of emotions filled Ian that he had no hope of untangling until they found Max. It was a combination of the adrenaline from the fire, worry over what the damn fire had done to his restaurant, and flat-out panic over what could be happening to Max. He felt like he could crawl out of his own skin.

  When he walked into the IT room, Ian was surprised to see Lucas and Snow since it was close to two o’clock in the morning. In addition to them were Rowe, Noah, Dom, Garrett, Gidget, and Quinn. They had a roomful, and once again, Ian was struck by just how much support he had in his life. Support that Max had never had. He nodded his thanks to Dom and Garrett, two of Rowe’s security agents.

  “Rowe called us to come here instead of Rialto.” Lucas grabbed him and hugged him. “You smell like smoke.”

  “That happens when someone sets your restaurant on fire.” He hadn’t even had time to dwell on the fact that his restaurant was so damaged, but it would hit him later. Hard.

  “Is it destroyed?”

  Ian shook his head. “No, but we’ll be shut down for a time. Luckily, the sprinkler systems and Hollis got a lot of the fire out fast.” His husband had probably saved Rialto. He looked at Hollis, who was still covered in soot. They hadn’t even taken the time to change clothes before rushing to Ward Security after they finished with the firemen and police.

  Rowe clapped Hollis on the shoulder. “You can shower here and borrow some clothes from Noah. He has extras in the office.”

  Hollis gave him a tired smile. “I will after this is all over.”

  Ian looked at Gidget, who was fully dressed as if she’d never left work and looked more bright and chipper than the rest of them. “I’m sorry to have you here so late. Your little boy okay?”

  “I have a neighbor who is there for emergencies, so we’re all good.” She tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

  “Any luck tracking that van?” Ian asked.

  She turned, caught her skirt in the rollers of her chair, and yanked it out. Once she was finally situated, she pointed at her screen. “I have the location where they stopped. It’s an old warehouse in the West End, known for being a drug den. Nasty place.”

  “Maybe it was people Max owed money to. This Carter guy,” Ian mused as he stared at the building on Gidget’s computer screen. It looked like any abandoned warehouse he’d ever imagined, only this one had lights shining in the windows. They were still there. “We have to help him.”

  “Do we know anything about this Carter Snow and Ian met?” Hollis asked.

  Gidget winced and looked over at Rowe, who was scrubbing a hand through his hair.

  “Gotta say, Ian, when you fucking pick them…” Rowe muttered under his breath.

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Ian snapped.

  But Rowe didn’t look at Ian. He kept his eyes on Hollis, who was standing next to Ian with his hand on his shoulder. “CJ Thorpe mean anything to you, former cop?”

  “Son of a bitch. Are you kidding me?”

  Ian twisted around to see Hollis pace away a couple of steps and then turn back. He’d shoved both hands through his hair, leaving it standing up in all directions thanks to the sweat and dirt that still covered him. His eyes were wide with what looked to be shock, and his mouth just sort of hung open.

  “What? What’s going on? Who’s CJ Thorpe?” Ian demanded.

  Hollis stared at him wordlessly, the emotions flitting across his face moving from shock to worry to sadness, creating a sinking feeling in Ian’s stomach.

  “Thorpe is Cincinnati’s major drug mover,” Noah said into the silence that had lengthened in the room.

  “He was nothing more than a brainless goon when Jagger was around, because Jagger was the major mover and shaker in the city. He took care of all his competition,” Hollis continued.

  “But when Jagger was killed…” Rowe said, his voice trailing off.

  “This CJ guy filled in his place,” Ian finished, his heart clenching.

  “I’d heard as much from some old friends on the force,” Hollis confirmed. “And he took a page out of Jagger’s book when it came to being the city’s drug powerhouse.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Hollis looked down at his husband, his frown deepening. “It means that he’s violent. Brutal. He has no qualms about killing or torturing people. The fact that he’s allowed Max to run up a debt of five g’s makes me think that Max is usually good
for the money or that Max is doing more than just solicitation. He’s probably selling or muling for CJ as well.”

  “Do you think he plans to kill Max?”

  “Eventually. The fact that he hasn’t already means that he either thinks he can get his money out of Max or Max has something he wants…maybe product. Once he gets what he wants, Max is dead.”

  “But we’re still going to save him, right?” Ian turned to look at the other men watching him around the room.

  Lucas cleared his throat. Dressed in jeans and a black sweater, he had his hands in his pockets. His handsome features were pulled tight in a fierce frown. “This Max is the one who hurt you? The one who’s been systematically trying to destroy Rialto?”

  Ian nodded, knowing he’d need to explain his feelings. “He was one of Jagger’s boys. I kicked him out of his spot as the favorite, and he feels that it should have been him you guys met and saved at that party.”

  “And you want us to save him?” Snow asked. He looked tired as he leaned against a table, as if he’d just gotten off a shift at the hospital. Like Lucas, he was in jeans and a sweater, his silver hair disheveled.

  “He’s a victim, too,” Ian insisted. “He didn’t get the chance to get out like I did. Didn’t have a millionaire backing his first restaurant or protective friends to help him get back on his feet. I’ve been so damn lucky, and I just want to pass some of my good luck on. So, we’ll go get him and break him out of that place.”

  “It wasn’t luck, Ian,” Lucas said. “We love you.”

  “Oh, it damn sure was luck that you two happened to go to that party when I was there. That you loved something I’d cooked and sought me out in the kitchen. You may love me now, but all that was pure luck.”

  Rowe scrubbed a hand over his face. “You want us to infiltrate a known drug den. Tonight. Take down Cincinnati’s main drug dealer with little to no reconnaissance?”

  “It has to be tonight.” Ian threw his hands into the air. “Who knows what they’re doing to him!”