Ricochet (Out for Justice Book 1)

by Reese Knightley

  “Pneumonia complications.” Mac’s gaze lost focus, and Noah sat quietly, not wanting to move in case Mac stopped talking. “They came to the house. The police had found her. She died before I got to the hospital, before I got the chance to say goodbye.”

  Slipping down on the bed, Noah’s heart hurt, and he drew his fingers through Mac’s dark hair, caressing his scalp, trying to convey that he was here. “I was so angry. It was her death that gave me the courage to come out to my parents. My father kicked me out the very same day.”

  Noah continued stroking Mac’s hair when the man grew quiet.

  “Lisa was seventeen. The same age you were when I rescued you.” Haunted eyes met his. He wrapped Mac up tightly in his arms.

  “It was so important that I saved you.” Mac’s voice sounded muffled.

  “And you did,” Noah soothed. “You don’t need to keep saving me anymore, Mac. I’m all grown up now.” Mac drew back, meeting his eyes. “I need you to believe I can take care of myself, can you do that?”

  “Yeah, I can do that,” Mac said after a long moment. “You make one hell of an operative, baby. I don’t even know if that’s the right term to call you, but I have no doubts you’re the best of the best, Ghost.”

  Noah snorted, then smirked. “Now you just sound biased.” His past played a great deal in defining the man he was today and while parts of it were horrific and sad, other parts were thrilling and happy.

  “Damn straight, I am,” Mac playfully growled and rolled on top of him. The mood changed, growing lighter.

  “And operative is fine. It’s what we call ourselves when we deal with government agencies. It just seems less complicated.”

  “Can you talk about them?”

  “Not in detail about the cases we’ve handled, but I can tell you we are a top secret team that is called in as the last resort when things get messy and law enforcement’s hands are tied.”

  “You said there’s eight of you.”

  “Yes, well, nine if you include Stefano. We’re called Phoenix.”

  “Seems fitting. A mythical creature for a remarkable team.”

  “They are pretty remarkable,” Noah agreed. Someday, he hoped Mac could meet them. He liked to think they would approve of Mac. Ending the discussion about the team, Noah dropped to his back on the bed.

  “What are your plans?” He waggled his brows, and Mac gave a bark of laughter.

  “How about a shower?”

  “Oh, I like the sound of that,” he agreed, standing from the bed.

  He jumped when a palm smacked his ass. “Hey!” Laughing, he dodged Mac’s outstretched arms, easily reaching the bathroom first because Mac still favored his left arm. He fisted Mac’s shirt and pulled him into the large master bath and shoved the door closed with his foot.

  One more night. They needed this night. They needed to have a semblance of normalcy before all hell broke loose.

  Mac

  It didn’t get any better than this for him. Waking up with Noah and talking about their families and the man’s team had lifted their relationship to a whole other level. Mac had shared more with Noah than any other human being. Sure, he’d shared some with Ben, but the guy had been too impatient to ask. It had been Mac volunteering things here and there, with Ben never slowing long enough to listen. Now, there was Noah.

  Fuck. He didn’t want Noah anywhere near Manning or his sick, twisted operation. But it wasn’t up to him, it was up to Noah. Well, actually, the both of them, now that they were in a relationship.

  The fucked up part was that Mac knew without a doubt Manning would surface with Noah as bait. If they didn’t take the risk, Manning could be out there, possibly for a long time, dealing drugs, trafficking children, and hunting Noah.

  Sure, he wanted to catch Manning just as much as Noah, but he sure as hell didn’t want his lover in harm’s way. Yet, wasn’t that what Noah had been doing for the past five years, living in harm’s way? An operative, called Ghost by his peers, a lethal man, living in places Mac could only imagine, doing jobs that many wouldn’t even consider.

  Noah was sexy and confident. Mac loved that about him. Bracing his hands on the bathroom sink, he studied his damaged face intently. Not normally one to look at himself for long, he wondered what Noah thought when he saw the long, jagged scar that ran down his face. It no longer looked pink, but had whitened through the years. Thankfully, he hadn’t lost his eyesight. No, the only thing he’d lost was Ben, who had been caught up in looks rather than character. Ben’s abandonment had hurt, there was no doubt about it. But Mac understood now that Ben’s departure had not left a mark on his heart. It had, in fact, freed Mac up to love again.

  Noah was somewhere in the house. Mac could hear him singing one of the latest hits, but even that couldn’t make Mac smile. The thought of Noah walking into danger had cold fear settling in his stomach. If something happened to Noah, it would literally bring him to his knees. And he might never get back up. He was fucking scared, terrified Noah would be taken from him before they had a chance at a life together.

  “Hey, sexy,” Noah whispered in his ear, making Mac startle. He hadn’t heard the man come into the room.

  He curled a hand around Noah’s neck, drawing the man down. Their lips met in a soft and slow kiss.

  “Hi there.” Mac tipped his head. “I never apologized for shutting you out the other night.” He caressed Noah’s cheek with his knuckles.

  “I understood, trust me,” Noah said. “I would be just as upset if you did the same thing.” Noah grimaced at his questioning look. “You know, use yourself as bait for a madman.” The man’s arms slid up around his neck.

  Their eyes met and Mac got caught in the golden swirls that spiraled through Noah’s light brown eyes.

  “I don’t want anything to happen to you,” Mac began, having a hard time with voicing his fear, but he couldn’t hold it back, Noah deserved all of him. “I couldn’t survive.”

  “I know.” The quiet tone of Noah’s voice soothed Mac’s ragged nerves.

  Mac linked their fingers together and ran his thumb over the back of Noah’s hand. “Truth, I’m scared to fucking death that Manning will get his hands on you, and if he does…” Mac shook his head. I will kill him.

  “I get it.” Noah nodded, holding Mac’s gaze. There was an old-world weariness in Noah’s eyes, and Mac suddenly knew without a doubt, Noah did understand all that was at risk. Not just to those on the task force, but Noah’s life could very well end if things didn’t go as planned. And seriously, shit never went as planned when you didn’t know when your opponent would strike.

  Suddenly, the distance between them was too great, and he pulled closer and buried his lips in the man’s throat. Noah tipped his head to the side, and Mac took full advantage. Noah angled his head to kiss along his jaw, working his way to his lips. Their mouths brushed, then harder with hunger.

  “I can’t lose you,” Mac muttered more to himself than to Noah. Noah sat on the edge of the bed, then stretched out on his back. The look in the man’s eyes had his breath stuttering and his body moving.

  Careful of his left arm, Mac roamed up and over Noah’s sleek and muscled body. Straddling the man’s supine form, he struggled to get his shirt off and got his head stuck when the sleeve caught on his bandage.

  A soft chuckle from Noah, and Mac felt the man’s hands helping. Noah wiggled and got his own jeans down and Mac’s sweats off.

  “You won’t lose me.” Naked, Noah reached for him, and Mac sank into his arms, breathing him in before lifting on his arms. He trailed kisses down Noah’s torso. Reaching his goal, he engulfed Noah’s straining cock. The man hissed when Mac took him to the root. Swallowing around Noah, Mac relished the sound of his name on a groan.

  “Mac.”

  He drew the pleasure out, swirling his tongue around Noah’s length before closing his mouth around him again, going deep before pulling upward with a firm, slow suck.

  Noah’s back bowed from the bed. He
licked at the tip of Noah’s cock, drawing the salty taste into his mouth before slipping his tongue into the slit along the flared crown.

  His eyes lifted. Noah was looking at him with so much love and heat, Mac thought his heart would explode.

  He drew off the man’s cock and sat back on his knees, gazing at the man spread out on the bed. Noah’s cock was wet and slick from his mouth. The look in Noah’s eyes was only for him.

  This man was his. Mac traced his fingers over Noah’s chest, down his rock hard abs, following the slight trail of hair that traveled from below his navel. Bending, he ran his lips over the soft line of hair. Noah’s wet cock bumped his face.

  Mac smiled and smoothed his hands down Noah’s sides and lifted his head to hold the man’s gaze.

  “Make love to me, Noah.” Watching the man’s eyes flare, Mac smiled. When Noah lifted upward, Mac shifted to the side and eased onto his back.

  Noah reached for the nightstand and extracted lube and the condoms they’d picked up from the pharmacy. Mac held out his fingers for Noah to squirt a glob of lube onto, but Noah shook his head.

  “Wait,” Noah answered, rolling on a condom. Noah scooted between his legs and knelt. Mac widened his legs for the beautiful man. Noah squirted lube on his dick and down the crack of his ass. Teasing fingers rubbed over the sensitive skin between his cheeks, and Mac sucked in a sharp breath.

  One slicked hand closed around his dick, dragging a moan from him. The hand twisted around his length, then squeezed and pulled. Noah’s finger dipped past his tight ring, sliding up to the knuckle.

  “More,” Mac grunted. The feeling was incredible. His hands fisted in the sheet. Noah complied and added another finger, scissoring them back and forth before sliding them deep. Lips caressed up his stomach, and trailed farther upward to close around one nipple. Mac shoved his cock through Noah’s tight grip while the man finger-fucked him.

  “Yeah, that’s it.” Mac let his head fall back to the bed.

  Noah lifted his legs and draped them over his shoulders. Their eyes met, and Mac felt Noah’s cock touch, then breach his body. His breath caught and his lips opened for the hot, wet kiss Noah pressed to his mouth.

  “Fuuuuck,” Mac groaned into Noah’s mouth.

  Noah paused, but he urged him on.

  “No babe, keep going,” he begged, gripping Noah’s hip one-handed as the man sank completely into him. The pain splintered into intense pleasure. Noah moved then, and Mac reached between them to palm his own slick cock, adding to the friction. He tossed his head back and forth on the pillow, the pressure building.

  When Noah kissed him again, sucking on his tongue and thrusting into him harder, something hot tightened inside of Mac.

  “Noah…” he breathed, his orgasm rolling through him. The strength of his release caught him off guard, lifted his back from the bed, and cut off any further words.

  Noah curled forward, sweat dripped from his hair, his hips snapped, and his head dropped. Mac caressed his mouth along the pulse of Noah’s neck.

  “Love…” The man groaned and then stiffened with one last thrust, finding his own release. Noah shuddered and hung suspended for a moment before collapsing down on top of him. He closed his arms around Noah and held on.

  Sleepy eyes blinked at him, and Mac smiled, brushing the sweat-dampened hair from Noah’s forehead. They laid like that for a long time.

  Cleaning them up became Mac’s job. While Noah tied off the condom and tossed it, Mac came back to the bed with a warm cloth to clean them. Slipping back into bed, he opened his arms and Noah sank against him. Mac spent a few minutes toying with Noah’s fingers. He brought them to his lips and kissed each one.

  “It’s going to be okay,” Noah promised for the tenth time in as many hours.

  “I know,” Mac whispered, and Noah squeezed him tight.

  Noah

  Noah slipped from the jeep and carefully closed the door, the sound barely a small click. Mac joined him at the hood of the vehicle and checked his weapon. Twenty feet from where they stood, Kane signaled that his team was ready. Seth tightened the bullet proof vest he was wearing and checked his weapon. He was the only other Phoenix besides Noah that was there. They thought about having only the team do this particular name on the list, but Kane and Mac both were insistent that the Marshals and FBI stay involved. Noah’s chief had agreed after some deliberation and he sent Reboot Hell. The man wasn’t intimidating to look at, but Seth was lethal with knives.

  Everything appeared calm in the small Sonora neighborhood. A block over, a dog barked, cutting through the night. One street over, tires crunched on asphalt as vehicles passed on the main road with the occasional clunk and hiss of a big rig. The smell of tacos drifting on the air had Noah’s stomach growling.

  Mac stopped abruptly and tossed him a quick glance.

  “What?” he whispered, eyes narrowed. “I missed dinner.”

  Mac gave a soft snort, and Noah punched the guy’s good arm.

  The marshal mouthed, “Ouch,” and rubbed at the spot. This time, it was Noah’s turn to snort.

  “You two are worse than kids,” Seth whispered, slipping past them.

  “How do you know what kids are like?” Noah asked just as quietly after the man, but Seth had already disappeared.

  Taking a narrow walkway through an alley and zigzagging between a few houses, they jumped a small fence. Recon done before tonight gave them all complete knowledge of the layout.

  The yard was unkempt, weeds grew waist high, and pieces of forgotten plywood lay stacked haphazardly. Fluidly, he skirted around the debris, staying in the shadows the overgrown trees provided. The small house stood dark and quiet, but he knew it was anything but quiet inside.

  He and Mac were going through the back while Kane and his men came through the front. He handed the marshal one of the syringes he carried in his pocket, and the big man nodded.

  They ran in a crouch across the lawn. Noah waited patiently while Seth took out the guard at the back gate with the syringe. Entering through the opened back door, Noah stayed low. Making their way down a darkened hallway, they reached the kitchen door. A quick glance inside showed a group of men. In the center, tied to a chair, sat an older man.

  “Ahhhh!” the man in the chair cried out when one of the men threw a punch. Blood gurgled up from the older man’s swollen lips and dripped down his chin.

  Noah held a finger to his lips when Mac tensed. A loud crack came from the front of the house as Kane and his team smashed through the front door with a battering ram.

  The kitchen erupted with movement. Men scrambled for cover and dropped low to the floor. A gun fired somewhere in the front of the house. One thug turned a gun toward the guy in the chair.

  Noah’s silencer made a soft snick snick, and the man nearest to the hostage dropped dead. Mac fired and took down a perp heading toward them. The remaining men started running for cover in all directions.

  “Hands on your head!” Kane’s shout came from the front room.

  “Stay the fuck down!” one of Kane’s men shouted.

  Running back into the kitchen, a perp headed toward the hostage.

  “I got this,” Mac whispered. His ex-marine expert marksman, black ops badass lover took aim. The guy dropped without even knowing they were there. Several shots were fired from the living room, and then all went quiet.

  They waited, hunkered down in the laundry room just off the kitchen. Behind them stood the back door. If the perps were coming, it would be this way. Clearing the house shouldn’t take this long. Noah wondered what the holdup was in the front room until several men came barreling back into the kitchen.

  He signaled to Mac that he was going in. Mac shook his head. A perp ran toward them and fired. The bullet hit the washer with a loud ding. Noah ducked. The guy stopped abruptly and then fell dead with one of Seth’s knives protruding from his neck.

  Staying low, Noah entered the kitchen. Gunfire erupted, and he ducked and rolled. Coming up on on
e knee, he pulled the trigger consecutively three more times, and two more men went down. One wounded, holding a mangled gun hand and cursing loudly, the other dead.

  Noah felt Mac ease up to his side. The only sound he could hear was that of the gasping man tied to the chair, a few crying thugs, and his own heart beating until Kane came busting into the kitchen.

  With a syringe in hand, Noah stuck it into the wounded perp’s neck and eased the passed-out man to the floor.

  Kane glanced at the bodies and lifted an eyebrow.

  “Don’t ask me,” Mac muttered, and Noah hid a smile. “We have a Martin Riggs amongst us.”

  “A who?” Noah asked teasingly, acting as if he knew nothing about the Lethal Weapon main character.

  “Smartass.” Mac gave him a mock scowl, and Noah winked.

  Seth came through a side door. He pulled his knife from the dead man’s neck and wiped it on his pants. “All clear outside.”

  Kane quickly knelt in front of the man in the chair and untied his arms and legs. They’d done too much damage for the guy to stand on his own, and Noah helped Kane get the man on his feet.

  “Any more of the men leave and are coming back that we need to worry about?” Noah asked as they gently guided the guy to the living room.

  “No…They stayed once they showed up.”

  “Good,” Noah said, easing the man onto the couch, and then he reached up to remove his black, hooded mask. Shaking back his sweat-soaked hair, Noah checked the guy over. Mac left to find something to treat the guy’s wounds with.

  “Kane, thank God you’re here,” the man said, and then blinked in shock. “Noah?” The forty-year-old he had known in the past was now pushing forty-seven and worry lines had carved grooves in his face.

  “Hey, Carl,” Noah said, giving the vet a quick smile.

  “I don’t understand.” Carl Denning stared at Noah in disbelief.

  Noah patted the man’s shoulder gently and moved out of the way when Mac returned with first aid supplies.

  They had tried for the past week to draw Manning out. As of yet, Manning wasn’t taking the bait, or his men were too stupid to locate Noah. Or it could be that Frost was making quick work of Manning’s men.