by Sam JD Hunt
“I get your point. Do you think Father Dan would do that? I mean, it won’t be recognized by the church or anything.”
He nodded, his eyes back on the road. “He’ll do it. Dan isn’t that traditional himself. I’m not sure it’s the right answer, but I don’t want one of us ever feeling the way Nate did again.”
I reached over and put my hand on his thigh. “I love you both so much,” was all I could manage to say as I blinked back tears.
“Me, too, Princess,” he answered, his hand covering mine. “There’s something else we need to talk about,” he said after a few quiet minutes. I looked over at him. “Nate was using again, clearly,” he began. “We are going to need to tread carefully when we find him. No lecturing, no shame—we just have to love him.”
I took a deep breath and agreed. I hated the thought of Nate doing drugs again.
Chapter Seventeen
As soon as we arrived in Miami, word came in from some inquiries Rex sent out that Kip was in Miami as well. He wasn’t surprised. Within minutes, Rex was on the phone with his special ops buddies, some still in active service, others out of the military like Rex. A small group of four men that Rex trusted landed within hours of Rex’s call for help. In our hotel suite that afternoon, they sat in a circle drinking coffee and planning the finding of Kip as if it were one of the many rescue missions they’d done together. Rex was convinced that Kip had to be neutralized first, before we focused on Nate or Amber.
“So basically this asswipe, Kip, is stalking Nate’s sister and her new boyfriend? Is that correct?” Monk asked, jotting a note in a small spiral bound book.
“Affirmative,” Rex said.
“I can’t believe we’re trying to find a guy with a name like Kip,” one of the guys said. He was a redhead with a heavy beard, I think Rex called him Sal, but I knew that none of the names they used were their true, given names. They were codenames used to protect their identities as well as their families at home.
“It’s fucked up,” Rex said with a chuckle, “but this dickwad is dangerous. I did some digging last night—Kevin ‘Kip’ Warren is a twisted motherfucker. After he left high school, he left North Carolina and went to live on some religious commune in the swamps of Louisiana. The cult, Agents of the True Lord it was called, was into explosives and plotted to do the Lord’s will by blowing themselves up in the middle of the Senate or some shit. Anyway, I’m not sure why this wife-beating loser left that cult of freaks, but this whole hipster thing is a fairly recent reinvention of himself.”
“A hipster? That’s bananas—If I were going to reinvent myself, I’d do it as Superman I think,” one of the men joked, “he’s all man of steel.”
“Don’t even kid about that, bro. Iron Man, he’s the shit,” Rex said without a trace of humor. “Okay, though, anyway, Penny here has gone through all of his social media stuff. His poetry is very dark—he’s obsessed with not just finding his wife, but in killing her and everyone around them. He’ll act very normal but then just snap and go off on these long rants out of the blue. More than once he mentions Nate by name, and already beat the shit out of their dad. Let’s make this quick—find Kip, bring him down quietly but permanently.” Rex looked to each man as they nodded in agreement. “And thanks, really. I owe you one.”
“What about Slater? Extract him or just the sister?” A heavily inked dark haired man asked.
A flash of pain crossed Rex’s deep blue eyes. “Good question, Kane. My friend Nate…” There was a long pause. I knew it hurt Rex to talk about Nate. “My friend Nate is here of his own will and doesn’t wish to be removed. If you see him, track him and let me know.” Monk gave Rex a quick nod—he was the only one in the group that knew the true nature of Rex’s relationship with Nate.
Rex looked down at a text on his phone, then back to the men. “My security friend just heard from one of his buddies—they think they’ve located Amber and some guy. I’ll head over there and look through the tapes. In the meantime, go get set up. Hopefully this thing resolves itself fast and we’re all back to our lives by tomorrow.” Back to our lives, I thought. I wasn’t going back to anything without Nate.
*****
Rex had a mutual friend of the head of security at the Hilton who’d put out a broadcast email to all of the hotels, bars, and restaurants in the South Beach area to let him know if anyone saw Amber. That afternoon, Rex went into a secure office with the security guy but I wasn’t allowed to go. My feet hurt from wearing impractical, but cute, shoes so I wandered into the lobby bar to wait for Rex. I froze as I approached the long mahogany bar—he was there, right in front of me. I yearned to text Rex for backup, but I was afraid Nate would bolt. His face blanched when he saw me; our eyes locked together. He patted at the empty stool beside him—I was reminded of our first drink together back in Las Vegas. We’d come so far, and lost so much, since then. I climbed onto the stool next to him, his strong hand reaching out to keep me steady in my heels.
“You don’t seem surprised to see me, Nate.”
He sighed, signaling to the bartender. “I heard you two were in town. I’m a former rich boy addict, Pen, I have contacts, too.”
He ordered a glass of merlot for me. I looked around the dark bar, frigid in contrast to the searing heat of the Miami afternoon, praying that Rex would finish quickly and arrive before Nate disappeared again.
He smiled for a minute, his face warming. “I thought he might come to help me find Amber. I mean, I guess somewhere deep down I hoped. But…I can’t believe you’re here. He should have left you in Colombia, kept you safe.”
I took a long sip of my wine, carefully choosing my words. I felt like we were teetering on an edge, and that what I said could be life or death for our love. “You mean every bit to him as much as I do, Nate. Of course Rex is here to help you find her. Kip’s here, hunting her and you. You think Rex is going to sit home and let that happen?”
Nate’s warm expression froze over; the mask was back on. “It doesn’t matter, Penny, even King Rex can’t fix it all,” he said sadly.
“Nate, I love you so much, he loves you so much. Without you it all fell apart.” I reached for his hand, but instead settled for his forearm. My heart pounded at being so close to him—he was my heart, a part of my soul.
Nate took a long drink of his whiskey before saying, “I love you too Penny, and Rex. That’s why I have to stay away—I want you two to be happy, live a normal life.” I fought the tears that threatened to flow.
“Normal life,” I sniffed. “Without you, it all fell apart. We were torn into three tragic pieces. Rex and I didn’t work alone. Without you, it all went to hell.” His head snapped to look at me—I could tell he was shocked. “What? You thought you’d rip out a third of our heart and it would go right on beating? You were never extra, Nate, you have always been required. I need you so badly it aches—Rex went back to cutting after you left.”
Nate inhaled deeply. “I…I didn’t know,” was all he could say.
“Please come back to us, I beg you. We’ll help you find Amber—that’s why we’re here; Rex had a lead on her here at the Hilton. Please, Nate.”
His phone buzzed and he looked down. “Shit, babe, I’ve got to go. I-I’ll think about what you said, okay?” He squeezed my hand before throwing a bill down on the bar.
“We’re at the Fontainebleau,” I said to his back as he left.
It was another half an hour before Rex stood next to me at the bar. He had a grin on his face, and before I could tell him my news, he blurted out, “She’s here in Miami for sure, Nate’s sister. The head of security here at the Hilton saw her the other night at the restaurant.” Rex ordered a scotch from the bartender and collapsed next to me.
“Rex, I need to tell you—”
He held up his hand to stop me. “Wait, there’s more. I looked at surveillance footage of the guy she was with, but he had a hood on. Seriously, a black hooded sweatshirt over his head in the lobby of the fucking Miami Beach Hilton—it’
s a million degrees out. I have a copy on my thumb drive, but something is off.”
I sipped my merlot, thinking about Amber. “You know, I wonder if she’s back with Kip? Battered women do that, go back to abusers. He might know he’s being followed, and she’d for sure hide the fact that’s she back with him.”
Rex shook his head and sipped his drink. “No, Penny. That’s the next thing—Kip was also on the camera—following them. He isn’t looking for her, he’s found her.”
“Holy shit,” I blurted out, ignoring Rex’s scolding glance.
“Penny, did you ever hear her talk about the other guy much?” Rex waited for my answer as I thought.
“Well, no, the only guy she really went on about was Luther—she had a big crush on him, but he didn’t reciprocate.”
Rex snorted. “No, Luther wouldn’t.”
I was confused.
“Why not? She’s a cute girl.” The last thing I wanted to remember was Luther.
“Penny, Luther isn’t into girls.”
I nearly spat out my wine—I never suspected that. “Princess, do you remember when I told you about having a sort-of thing with another guy that one time? That was Luther.” I felt the room spin as I absorbed his words—Rex and Luther?
“It didn’t get very far; it was only that one night. We were in an old boathouse, hiding out from some psychotic drug dealer after being trapped on his property overnight. It was late, dark—and he well, he subtly mentioned that he might want something more than friendship…with me. There was an attraction, but I was in love with Evelyn. We kissed, I mean like for a second before I cut it off, and slept propped up against each other. That was it, really. I was pretty damn confused about it and, man or woman, I was married—and I’m not a cheater. The next morning our team was there to extract us, and I didn’t mention it. Later, he said something about it and I acted like I didn’t remember, like he was nuts. I could tell he was hurt—I’m not proud of it.”
I just stared at him in shock, unable to form words. He ran his hand across mine and said, “I’m sorry, baby. I keep cutting you off. What did you want to tell me?”
I took a deep breath. “Nate was here, at the bar. I begged him to come back, told him where we were staying. I felt like I was making progress until his phone rang and he fled. It did look like a cheap prepaid, by the way.”
Rex sighed. “Damn, I missed him. We have to get him back—I can’t breathe anymore without my perfect Nathaniel.” I rubbed his powerful thigh as we sat there.
“I know, I know. Me neither.”
We sat in silence and finished our drinks, deep in thought. “What do we do?” I finally asked.
“We focus on finding Amber, protecting her. Nate will be doing the same, so let’s just hope and pray he stays safe and it brings us together again.”
As Rex guided me off the tall barstool, I asked, “Have your special ops buddies seen or heard from Luther since he left? Is he back in Africa?”
Rex shook his head. “No, he went ghost again—he’s good at that. Now, though, I wish I hadn’t been so harsh with him.”
*****
That night in our hotel room, Rex pulled me to the edge of the bed. I was face down with his hand on my back pressing me into the mattress, my ass in the air—our favorite doggie style position. Just as he went to plunge into me, there was a noise from the sitting area of our hotel suite.
“Shit,” he said through his teeth.
“Ignore it,” I begged, pressing my eager pussy toward him.
“Baby, stay here,” he commanded, pulling on a pair of workout shorts and reaching for his loaded Glock. Lust faded as fear sank in—someone was in our room! I grabbed Rex’s t-shirt from the floor and pulled it on as I scrambled for my cell phone. I waited to hear something from the other room—Rex’s all-clear, a scuffle, even gun shots but there was nothing. I went to the bedroom door—my heart pounding. Then I heard the words that would change our lives.
“I need you.”
“Nate!” I squealed like a child. I opened the door and saw him—it was real, he was there. And even better, he was in Rex’s arms. The joy of that moment I’ll never have the words to explain. Our Nate was back; Rex was touching him, holding him. I walked toward them, their arms opening to reach for me. We stood like that for several long moments—nothing had ever been so right.
“We are three, I love you both,” I eventually chanted. Rex repeated the words, his arms pulling us close.
We waited, our breaths held, as Nate said, “We are three, we belong together forever. I’m so very sorry—I love you both.”
We held each other in tears—my manly stoic lovers not too proud to shed tears of joy at three broken souls once again, forever, bonding as a complete whole.
Rex pulled Nate back and put both hands on his face. “You were never a roadblock, never a hindrance to our joy, Nate. We need you; without you we’re lost. Please…come back to us?” Nate wiped tears away with the back of his hand and nodded.
“Yes—I was so torn, so confused. But…we are three. Forever.” Rex nodded, pulling us both close and walking us toward the bedroom.
“How did you get in?” I asked as we walked together.
“My name was on the room so I showed ID and they gave me a key,” he said pulling me tighter into him.
“See? I had faith. I love you both,” Rex answered, dragging us toward the bedroom.
Neither of us could bring ourselves to let go of Nate—as if he might evaporate at any second. Rex sat us down on the edge of the bed and stood in front of us, his wide arms embracing us.
“Please don’t ever leave me again, either of you, I’ll do anything,” was all he could manage to choke out before we pulled him to us, a tangle of limbs—our union once again whole. Danger lurked outside, but inside, we were stronger than ever.
Rex’s lips were grinding across Nate’s as I pulled at Nate’s clothes. “I missed that Listerine breath,” Nate moaned as their mouths parted.
“I missed all kinds of things about you,” Rex said, skating kisses down Nate’s chest as we finished undressing him. We couldn’t get enough of Nate’s skin, of his touch, of his scent.
My tongue flicked at Nate’s nipple as his back arched, pressing his hard cock into our bodies, desperate for more. “Oh God,” Nate moaned as Rex’s tongue ran down the center of his chest, down his abdomen, slowly worshipping the smell and the taste of the man he loved. “I love you,” Nate said to both of us as we savored his body, taking our time with every inch of him.
My tongue left Nate’s tortured nipple and stroked against Rex’s for a second before I dipped lower, tugging at Nate’s pants to free him. The second his rock-hard cock was free of the confines of his clothing, I yanked his legs free—I wanted him naked, nothing could come between us.
“I want you both undressed,” Nate begged as Rex’s tongue stroked along the swollen line underneath the head of Nate’s cock, then down further, to the base, and up again.
The only thing I had on was Rex’s t-shirt, which I quickly discarded before pulling Rex free of his loose shorts. I stole a quick suck on Rex’s needy cock before turning back to Nate. Nate’s body jerked up as Rex’s mouth pulled on him, sucking, licking, nibbling. My own tongue bathed his full sac slowly, as if he were a delicacy. I inhaled him, my tongue stabbing at his salty skin, my mouth prodded at him until he was thrashing, begging. Nate’s hands were on each side of my head, pushing me further into him, lower, as Rex slow-sucked him to the brink of release.
“Ugh,” Nate growled, “I can’t take it anymore! Fuck me.” Nate’s hands moved to Rex, trying to push him off.
“Not yet, my love, I need to taste you first,” Rex answered in a voice so raw, so full of lust my clit twitched. Nate shook as I continued my assault on his body with my tongue—deeper, harder, more urgent than ever before.
“Oh fuck! You’re making me come,” Nate grunted, Rex’s greedy mouth never relenting as he sucked him dry.
I slid up Nate
’s body to kiss him; our mouths melding together. Nate pushed Rex from his tortured cock, pulling him up as our tongues stroked one another.
“What do you want?” I heard Rex say in a near whisper, “Tonight’s all for you.”
Nate’s mouth slid from mine as he answered, “I want to taste her. I want to bury my tongue in her tight, hot pussy while you fuck me from behind. Both of you, I need to be surrounded by you—all of you. Tonight, I want to lose myself in the two of you.”
Nate rolled me to my back, my head propped up on the pillows. “You’re so beautiful, so perfect,” he said as his tongue toyed with my swollen clit.
My knees fell wide open—I wasn’t sure how long I’d last. Rex moved behind Nate, pulling him up to his knees as he positioned his impossibly wide cock at Nate’s tight entrance. Nate’s tongue plunged deep inside of me as I wiggled, desperate for more contact with my clit, as I heard the familiar sound of the lube.
“Fuck me slowly, fuck me forever,” Nate said to Rex right before wrapping his sucking lips directly around my clit. My hips lunged up as his strong arms held me still, helpless to stop his assault on my aching clit as Rex slipped inside Nate’s tight ass. His lips left me right at the moment of entry, groaning for a second, catching his breath.
“Your cock is so fucking big,” Nate grunted, straining to relax as Rex slipped deeper inside him.
Rex’s strong hands were holding Nate’s hips, working him as if he were an instrument. Nate’s cock was hard again as his agile tongue found my clit once more. Nate’s long fingers snaked inside me, one finger at a time until I couldn’t take any more.
“Relax, Penny,” I heard Rex say from behind him, his thrusts slow, deep then shallow, in and out, driving Nate insane with desire. Four of Nate’s fingers slid into me, stretching me wide as he wiggled in further, his tongue mercilessly teasing my clit.