by Laurin Kelly
Rob stood up and started to clear the table when they were done while Kelan moved over to the counter and opened the second bottle of wine. "I don't suppose you have any wine glasses?" he asked. At the shake of Rob's head he sighed. "I didn't think so." Kelan grabbed a glass out from the cupboard, then hesitated. "Join me?"
Rob looked to see if Kelan was teasing again, but he saw no sign of it. "Sure, I'll have one. I'm not really sure what more we can do tonight anyway. Usually it takes me a couple of days to get to this point, but it went a lot faster with two of us."
Kelan nodded, pouring two healthy glasses of the Pinot Noir. "Our next step would be to start in-person interviews and recon. But that's going to be tricky since we need to lay low at the same time. In any case, I agree; we're not going to get any further tonight, even though it's only seven thirty. I'm going to go watch TV. I'll see if there are any updates on McLennan's campaign."
When Rob walked into the living room a little later, Kelan was flicking through the channels rapidly, obviously not finding much to watch. Rob sat on other end of the couch. "You mind if I put ESPN on for a while?" he asked, taking a drink of his wine.
Kelan rolled his eyes but turned the remote over. Rob found the station and was pleased to find a Bruins-Oilers hockey game that was still in its first period. He and Kelan watched the game quietly for the most part. Every once in a while Rob would comment idly on a play and Kelan would nod, even though Rob doubted the game held any interest for him. By the time it was over, they were both on their third glass of wine and somewhat buzzed. It probably wasn't the best idea to let their guard down, but Rob still believed wholeheartedly in the security of his safe house. Between the alcohol and lack of work, he was actually starting to relax, which was something he rarely did.
"What now?" asked Kelan, stretching back against the couch with catlike grace.
"We could always fuck," Rob said offhandedly.
Kelan just sat there for a moment, blinking. Then he burst out laughing. "Jesus Christ, Diorso. You sure do know how to woo a guy."
Rob smirked. "Sorry, I didn't think to pick up roses or chocolates at the store. You don't seem like the type to need them."
"You've got that right. As tempting as the idea is though, I believe I'll pass. For now."
"Any ideas about what we could do?"
"We could spar," Kelan responded, surprising Rob. "Wouldn't want to get rusty while we're holed up here. We could move some furniture out of the way."
"Sure," said Rob, standing up. Anything was better than sitting around and trying to ignore what had just happened. He started dragging the couch out of the way while Kelan did the same with the coffee table and chair. Soon a good-sized area was cleared, and Kelan and Rob met in the middle.
They stood there quietly, sizing each other up. Rob moved first, throwing a punch towards Kelan's face. Kelan dodged it easily before striking out with his own arm. Rob blocked it, and their sparring began in earnest. They were both careful to use less force than if they were actually fighting; the point was to see how many hits and kicks they could land or block, not to do any actual damage. Rob began to perspire as they battled for the upper hand, which proved elusive. Either due to their marginally slowed reactions from the wine they'd consumed or the fact that it was a simple competition and not a life-or-death situation, they seemed more equally matched in combat than before. Rob and Kelan traveled across the living room, the sounds of their flesh smacking against each other, heavy breathing, and the occasional grunt of pain the only noises in the house.
After quite some time, Kelan jammed his foot into the back of Rob's knee. More unsteady than usual, Rob lost his balance and started to fall. At the last second, though, he twisted around and yanked Kelan in front of him. They crashed to the floor with a thump, Rob landing on top of Kelan heavily.
Kelan tried to bring his hands to Rob's shoulders to push him off, but Rob grabbed them and pinned his wrists to the floor. Kelan tried to work his legs free, and doing so brought their hips into rough, grinding contact. Within moments they were both hard and their thrusting movements transformed, intending pleasure instead of victory. They stared into each other's eyes, gasping harshly, and Rob crushed their mouths together in a rough kiss. He broke the kiss eventually, dragging his lips over Kelan's jaw and neck, nipping and biting the tender skin.
"Rob," Kelan moaned.
"You want to rethink that no from earlier?"
In less than a second, Rob found himself flipped on his back as Kelan freed his wrists with a sharp yank.
"Nope," said Kelan breathlessly. "Don’t get me wrong, you make a convincing case." Raising up to his knees, he bounced lightly on Rob's cock. "But I like it from behind, and I'm not ready to turn my back on you for that long yet."
As frustrated as Rob was, he couldn't help but be amused by Kelan's cocky practicality. "Good call. I'd be there for quite a while, after all." His lips twitched into a reluctant smile. "If we're not going to fuck you can get off my lap. My dick isn't an amusement park ride."
"But I'm having so much fun." Kelan pouted, his eyes flickering with an enticing combination of humor, lust, and intoxication. He ground his hips in a circular motion that made Rob gasp before it could be choked back. "And I think you are too. Maybe more than you'd like to admit."
"It's not the worst night I've ever had," Rob admitted grudgingly. "But I'm not going to come in my pants like some horny teenager either."
"You sure about that?"
"Dead sure."
Kelan's hips picked up the pace. "Careful, Rob. I might take that as a personal challenge."
"I'm not surprised." Rob enjoyed the feel of Kelan's frotting for a few moments before grasping his slim hips and halting the motion. "I'll opt out this time though. I'm feeling sufficiently challenged for the evening." He pushed Kelan away, and after a brief moment of stubborn resistance, Kelan acquiesced.
"Suit yourself." Kelan climbed off Rob's lap briskly, his heated expression now banked. "I think I'll call it a night. I'm sure you understand."
"Absolutely." Rob highly suspected that like himself, Kelan was going to be spending some quality time with his hand once behind the closed door of his bedroom.
Kelan ascended the stairs without further comment, and as soon as he'd disappeared from sight Rob set about turning off the lights and verifying the entrances to the house were secure. Once that was done he retreated to his room, locked the door and shed his clothes before sitting on the edge of his bed. Sighing, he grasped his mostly softened cock with a firm grip, but with memories of Kelan's earlier responsiveness brought himself to full hardness in a half-dozen pulls. Rob kept his ears attentive for any sounds from the house's other occupant, but all he could hear was the rasp of his own breath increasingly louder as he approached orgasm. He finally came with a grunt that sounded suspiciously like the first syllable of Kelan's name.
Rob cleaned himself off with his discarded shirt and tossed it into the corner of the room. His last thought before climbing under the covers and drifting off to sleep was that he should probably pick up some boxes of tissues on the next Walmart run. He had a feeling both he and Kelan would find plenty of use for them.
Seven
The days melted into a week, and then to just over two weeks before Rob realized he and Kelan were in trouble.
The fact that their progress tracking down the photos had slowed considerably was alarming in and of itself. When combined with an unexpected lack of urgency on both of their parts, it became even more disturbing and downright dangerous. At least that was what Rob tried to tell himself to argue away the seductive thoughts that told him he and Kelan were safely ensconced, and that it was okay to take a break from their usual levels of hypervigilance.
Since the death of his father, Rob had never spent more than a day under the same roof with another person. He'd never craved company other than for sex, and certainly never felt like he was missing out on anything by living hermitically. But with every day that passed, R
ob found himself drawing closer to Kelan, as if under a spell. And if it was a spell, it appeared to have been cast on Kelan as well, because he seemed content to spend as much time in Rob's presence as possible.
They would spend the day checking the backgrounds of every person with known access to Nelson's office, as well as seeking out those who could benefit politically if McLennan was involved in a sex scandal. But there were so many suspects with decent motivation for blackmail or ruining McLennan's shot at the White House, it was nearly impossible to draw any strong conclusions to act on. Both Ron and Kelan would check in with their informants to see if there was any chatter about another professional closing in on them, but other than a confirmation that the hit was still on no other news was forthcoming.
In the past week they'd begun to occasionally discuss their past jobs, usually in response to something they'd come across in their research. Many times it would turn into a game of one-upmanship; each of them would describe their most dangerous and successful operations, while leaving out any truly identifying details as to the who, what, why, and when. It turned Rob on when Kelan would relay a particularly deadly encounter, his appreciation of Kelan's skill and intelligence going straight to his dick. Given how Kelan's pale cheeks would flush and eyes would glitter when Rob shared his own experiences, he was sure he was far from alone in that.
The night before they had been trading stories over a few beers, when Rob decided to finally ask a question he'd been holding at bay. He wasn't sure Kelan would answer it but couldn't resist the urge to ask regardless. "So, quid pro quo again," said Rob, lounging back on his end of the couch. "I told you about my first job last week. What was yours?"
Kelan's face closed off for a few moments, and Rob didn't press. Finally Kelan seemed to come back to himself, looking at Rob carefully before speaking.
"Why do you want to know?"
Because I find myself wanting to know everything about you. "I was just curious. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
Another long pause. Then, "The first time was a stepping stone, just to prove to myself I could do it. Take someone's life, I mean. There was someone I needed to kill, but it was unattainable at the time. So I started small, and eventually worked my way up to the bastard that murdered my parents."
For the first time since they'd met, Kelan's eyes held pain and sorrow. It was as if all at once Kelan's strength and bravado had crumbled to nothing. It was weakness, something Rob hand never found acceptable before. But in that moment he didn't feel contempt or disgust as he would have expected. Instead, something suspiciously like sympathy bloomed in his chest.
"We had a good family," Kelan began, slowly. "A good life. My dad owned a liquor store and mom stayed home to raise me and my older brother Jamie. My senior year of high school I noticed that things were a little different at home. Dad was on edge more than usual, and my mom seemed to worry all the time about Jamie and me going out."
"Something happened, I take it?"
"Yeah. Dad was being shaken down for protection money," he said. "At first he refused. But eventually he began working with Internal Affairs, accepting the money and such to help them collect evidence. I don't know how the dirty cops found out, but they did. They killed my dad in our house on the one day off he took every week. We would all normally have been gone at the time, but my mom had forgotten her lunch and came back to get it. So they killed her too. And just like that, I lost everything."
"What about your brother?"
"He couldn't deal with it. Jamie quit college and joined the Marines within weeks. I tried to tell him that we needed to stick together, but all he could focus on was getting as far away from home as possible. He deployed to Afghanistan and died there a few months later from an IED. Won the Purple Heart posthumously, and I buried it with him."
"I'm sorry." The words felt unfamiliar but somehow still right on Rob's tongue.
"I was eighteen, so I didn't have to go anywhere," Kelan said. "After Jamie died I inherited the house, the money from the sale of dad's store, and all the insurance money. I had time and resources, but zero responsibilities, so I decided to pursue the only thing I had any desire to do."
"Which was?"
"Find the person who ordered the hit and make them pay. I started working out for hours every day. I took all kinds of lessons; long and short range target shooting, hand-to-hand combat, mixed martial arts... I spent every other hour of the day building my computer and research skills. I worked my way up, starting with the smallest of jobs, and over a year later I was able to take out the man responsible for taking my family away from me."
"Why didn't it stop there?" asked Rob. "You had your revenge. Why not try to go back to your old life?"
Kelan laughed bitterly. "What was I going to do? Go to college, meet a nice boy, and settle down? After what I'd seen? After what I'd done?" Kelan shook his head. "There was no going back. There never was, not from the moment I lost everyone I'd ever loved. I had the skills, the start-up cash, and most importantly there was no one left in my life who could be used against me. The perfect scenario for a hit man."
"You're not wrong."
They turned back to the TV. After a few minutes of silently watching the MMA match on the screen, Kelan stood abruptly. "As long as we're done working for the night, I'm going to my room."
Rob was surprised by the pang of disappointment that ran through him at Kelan's words. He pushed it away, telling himself that an evening on his own was a good thing. Maybe the only reason he was starting to feel weirdly attached to Kelan was nothing more than a quickly formed habit, one that could be broken with little effort. "Suit yourself."
Mumbling something that sounded like "goodnight", Kelan went upstairs without a single look back at Rob. The pipes rattled a few moments later, indicating that Kelan had decided on a shower instead of his bed. Rob turned up the TV and tried to concentrate on the match, but thoughts of Kelan lingered at the back of his mind, distracting him. There was a faint itch in his chest, the kind he sometimes experienced when his instincts were urging him to act on a job. The problem was, he was at a loss as to what those instincts were telling him to do.
He decided to do a perimeter check of the house in case his intuition sensed an intruder. There was nothing to see, however, except his own breath puffing from his lips in the cold November air. He went back inside after a full recon of the outside of the house and its surroundings, and made sure every window and door on the main floor was still secure. Itch unabated, Rob shut the lights and TV off and decided to head to bed himself.
The bathroom door at the end of the short hallway was open, and Rob could feel the humidity of the steam from Kelan's shower in the air. There was a strip of light at the bottom of Kelan's door, and Rob hesitated instead of going into his room. He felt the urge to knock on Kelan's door but didn't know why. Shaking his head, he turned from Kelan's door and went to his own room, locking the door as usual behind him. He stripped down to his underwear and got into bed, feeling the hard lump of the 9mm pistol he'd stashed under the mattress. After shifting restlessly for over an hour, Rob had finally started to drift off to sleep when he heard it; the click of Kelan's door and creak of a floorboard.
Rob instinctively got out of bed and went for his weapon immediately, drawing it out carefully from the mattress while keeping an eye on the door as much as possible in the darkened room. Chances were that it was just Kelan out in the hallway getting up to take a piss or something. But assuming there was no danger was a rookie mistake that could easily get one killed. He crept towards the door holding his gun up and slightly out, thumb hovering near the safety. The floorboards creaked again, but instead of going towards the bathroom the sound of footsteps went in the other direction towards the stairs. As soon as the sound of the footfalls on the steps stopped, Rob carefully unlocked his door and ventured out into the hallway. He slowly descended the steps as lightly as possible and picked his way across the living room. There was a bluish glow f
rom the kitchen, and when Rob rounded the corner he found Kelan sitting at the laptop typing slowly with his back to Rob.
The skin on the back of Rob's neck prickled. He couldn't see what was on the screen; the brightness was too glaring in the dark kitchen for him to make anything out, but he could guess. Rob rushed towards Kelan as he thumbed the safety off his gun, and Kelan barely had a moment to react before Rob tackled him to the floor and shoved the gun under his chin. "Nice try, asshole."
"What the fuck are you doing?" said Kelan.
"What am I doing? I'm keeping myself alive. Nobody screws me over on my watch, Kelan. Especially not you."
"I don't have the slightest idea what you're talking about." Kelan's icy tone belayed the heat of his body beneath Rob's.
"You spin me some sob story about your poor dead family to try to get me to drop my guard. Then you sneak down here in the middle of the night to sell me out to McLennan. Something's been bugging me, and now I finally know what it is."
"I'll remind you that you were the one who brought the subject up in the first place."
"And you jumped at the chance to try and make me feel sorry for you, so I'd never see it coming."
"Is that what you think that was?" Kelan blinked and then stared into Rob's eyes. Even in the dim glow of the laptop that had fallen next to them, Rob could see that instead of the fierce defiance he was used to, Kelan's gaze was empty. "Go ahead."
The words weren't taunting; they were unusually listless, as if in that moment Kelan didn't really care if Rob ended his life. Rob's fingers tightened on the trigger, but after a tense few moments, he shoved Kelan away from him and clicked the gun's safety back into place. Staggering up, Rob picked up the laptop and stared at the screen, where a search was running on a social security number Rob didn't recognize.
"I thought maybe we weren't going deep enough," said Kelan quietly, slightly raised up on his elbows on the floor. "We checked out McLennan's political circle and immediate family, but not too far into his wife's circle of friends. He has been cheating on her, after all. It's unlikely one of them would have resorted to trying to sabotage his career, but it's something we haven't really looked into yet. I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd run some names and SSNs."