Chapter 7
They piled back into the car. A few turns later they slowed down in front of the Hotel Continental, a landmark about five minutes away from the port in the medina.
Having been in existence since the nineteenth century, at some point it morphed from famous to infamous. The white multilevel hotel with peeling paint had noticeable pockmarks but boasted an enviable waterfront terrace with stunning views from many of the rooms. Appreciated for its history and well-known stories about the poets and writers who stayed there at some point in time, it had a feel of crumbling grandeur to it. Many thought that provided its charm and pedigree.
Justin figured it was a good place to sit down for an hour and get something to eat before heading back to camp. Public and open, it met Rania’s requirements. Finn could play the role of tourist while Justin used the time to reason through who they should talk with next.
They stood together by the entrance as Karim took care of the car and talked with someone Justin assumed was a bellman. Rania conducted her usual surveillance as she hovered around Finn until at one point she glanced away from him, then did a double take and started moving. Her pace picked up as she stepped away from Finn and the hotel, heading off toward some threat only she noticed.
She stopped and Justin saw her hand dip under her jacket to where she kept her gun in a shoulder holster. Between that and the way she held her body so still, with her intense attention locked on something in the distance, Justin’s senses flicked to high alert. He followed her gaze until it landed on the white truck sitting perpendicular to the road and blocking the drive up to the hotel.
He mentally ran through a checklist. Engine on. No driver in sight. Horns blaring as the traffic slowed to a stop and a crowd gathered.
“This isn’t good,” he whispered under his breath. He’d seen shit like this before. Random vehicles where they shouldn’t be. Screams and pain always followed. “We should—”
Justin’s voice cut off as Finn knocked into him and his legs buckled, taking them both down. Tangled and on top of each other, they crashed into the driveway. Justin’s shoulder took the brunt with a shot hard enough to make his teeth rattle.
A thundering rumble echoed around them. A second later a ball of fire shot into the sky. Clouds of smoke filled the air. Finn wrapped his body around Justin’s and covered their heads with his arm as heat raced over them. It hit in waves, choking out the breeze and blurring Justin’s vision.
It all happened so quickly that Justin had trouble processing it. Then he heard screams and the smell of burnt metal floated through the air.
“Holy hell,” Finn whispered as he slowly sat up, balancing on his elbow.
Flames licked up the trunks of the trees, charring them on contact. The bright green leaves turned to black ash in an instant. The fire crackled as it devoured the truck. Every few seconds a loud popping sound would break through the steady thrum of noise.
People ran in every direction. Cars stopped in the middle of the street. Hotel employees raced toward the burning truck but stopped as bright-orange flames further engulfed the vehicle.
Sirens wailed in the distance. Seconds later red fire trucks raced into view. Through it all, Justin struggled to process the scene. The explosion mentally threw him back to his army days. The gunfire and yelling. The smell of burning tires. People crying out in fear.
Then his mind raced to the moment eleven months ago. The one with Finn that Justin couldn’t forget.
When Justin finally shoved his memories back into the dark corners of his mind, he glanced up. He didn’t bother to shake off Finn’s hold; it anchored him. The scene had transformed from a mass of tourists sightseeing to complete chaos. No dead bodies and no blood, but terrified faces everywhere. Cars stopped in random places, turning the entire area into a parking lot.
“Are you two okay?” Rania appeared out of nowhere and leaned over them with her hand on Finn’s back.
“Did you see anything?” Justin heard the roughness of his voice and blamed the smoke.
Her expression never changed. “I thought someone ran from the truck but it happened too fast. Mostly I saw movement.”
Finn shifted around but his body stayed balanced on top of Justin’s. “Did anyone get a better look?”
“Apparently, he disappeared into the crowd. Security forces are shutting everything down and setting up a perimeter. They found witnesses who got a clear look, so maybe they’ll figure this out.”
People started to gather around the outside of the hotel. The Moroccan police, all in blue and outfitted with riot gear, arrived in vans and poured into the street. This had the look of an international incident. The only good news was that the injuries of the people sitting on the grass, getting help, seemed to be minimal.
Justin needed to be on his feet for any confrontation or in case he had to step in. As his brain clicked back into gear, the immediate world around him came into focus. Finn was right there, practically on top of him. Their legs were thrown over each other, his hand was on Justin’s hip. It was intimate and totally inappropriate for where they were.
He pushed against Finn, shifting his weight to the side. The pressure on Justin’s shoulder immediately lifted as Finn sprang to his feet and held out a hand to pull Justin up.
“Do we know anything?” Finn asked once they were both standing with Rania.
Rania continued to scan the area, never letting her guard down as she watched people move around in the chaos. “A white shipping truck. No obvious markings.”
Finn froze as his gaze shot to Justin then moved to Rania. “Shipping, as in where we just were at the port?”
A thousand thoughts and questions slammed into Justin. He scanned the scene again and didn’t see any casualties. The only medical help he saw looked to be for people who were scared or stunned by what happened. That was a small mercy.
Once he was satisfied he turned to Finn to keep him from derailing them. “This has nothing to do with us.”
Finn glanced at the police as they created a human barricade between the fire and the crowds while the firemen worked. “Clearly that’s what we’ll tell the authorities if questioned, but we need to figure out if that’s true.”
“No one could have known we’d be here.” Justin was the one who’d detoured them to the hotel. The fact that they were in the middle of this was on him.
“Unless someone followed us from the port,” Finn said.
Rania shook her head. “Impossible.”
“Listen to her, Finn. You sound paranoid.” Justin talked tough, worked at sounding dismissive, but he secretly admired Finn’s practical side. He wasn’t talking about hiding the facts or ducking them. He wanted to face any potential problems head-on.
“I come to town and we’ve had one night of gunfire at the camp and a truck explosion near us while we’re out on the street.” Finn looked from Justin to Rania. “Not unheard-of events, but it doesn’t feel like a coincidence.”
“Not everything is about you.” But now that Finn brought up the point, it did seem odd that they’d been on the periphery of two potentially dangerous incidents in three days. None of the violence was aimed directly at them, but it had happened in close proximity to them. To Finn.
Justin had to remind himself that if someone wanted to get to Finn they could rush him at any time. Come in firing and grab him. He had bodyguards, but they were human and not immune to bullets. There was an opening to get to Finn and no one dove through it. Justin didn’t know if that wiped out Finn’s worries, but it did lessen them as far as Justin was concerned.
“We can bring in extra security.” Rania stared at Finn. “Maybe travel with a decoy car.”
“Wait.” Being safe was smart but this sounded like overkill to Justin. “Let’s not go overboard. Too many armed guards will draw attention.”
Finn nodded. “I agr
ee with that.”
“Better yet, you could just leave Morocco,” Justin said. That would be the safest for Finn and best for Justin’s control.
Before the world exploded, Justin had been trying hard not to think about Finn, even though they sat about a foot apart in the backseat of the car. Finn wore another pair of practical cargo pants, this time with a simple white button-down shirt, and he looked—well, it was kicking Justin’s ass. The same thoughts spun in his head, the need to touch Finn…to see if he kissed like he looked—hot and all in.
“You’re the one who called me here to help.”
Finn’s voice broke through Justin’s mental wanderings. He dragged his gaze away from the fire and the police directing people and cars and stared at Finn. “Actually, I called Alec.”
“Tough shit.” Finn shook his head. “You’re stuck with me.”
“For now.” When Finn started to say something, Justin broke in. There was no need to give Rania a front-row seat to his confused relationship with Finn. “My original point was that we should assume what happened is unrelated to you. There’s no reason to think otherwise.”
Finn nodded in the direction of the armed officer headed in their direction. “I hope you’re right, since we’re about to be questioned.”
Justin was trying to concentrate, he really was, but watching the officer question Finn threw him back to another time, another threat. One that shook Munich but didn’t result in casualties. That day eleven months ago.
The boom echoed through the office building. One minute Justin stood next to Finn, waiting for Alec to get his ass back into the conference room for their yearly check-in meeting. The next, his feet lifted off the floor, as if an unseen hand had picked him up and thrown him.
The air heated up right before they slammed into the wall. Their balance gone, they bonelessly slid down, dropped as if they were weightless rather than two grown men.
Out of habit, the second his hip hit the floor Justin flipped into protective mode. He covered Finn’s body with his and rolled them under the table. Alarms wailed and safety lights flickered to life in the hallway. The sound of chaos filled his head—the yelling, the thudding of footsteps as people ran. A chair fell over and artwork dropped from the walls.
He needed to get up and help out, but he needed Finn safe.
A voice blared over the unseen office loudspeaker: “Stay inside. There has been an explosion. Do not leave the building.”
The monotone voice ran on a continuous loop until it banged around inside his head. He glanced down, thinking to tell Finn his company needed a less annoying warning system, when he saw that face. Finn’s gaze locked on Justin. It traveled over his face and landed on his mouth before moving again. Justin could feel the touch of the intense stare as if Finn had used his fingers.
“Are you okay?” Justin didn’t recognize his own voice. The thread of concern and edge of worry.
Finn nodded as his fingers flexed on Justin’s arms. That’s when Justin realized they touched everywhere. Chest against chest, legs entwined. Finn clutched him the way he might if they were having sex.
Then Finn’s gaze wandered again. And did his tongue sweep against his bottom lip?
Wrong time. Wrong guy. Wrong everything.
But Justin could feel Finn under him. Could hear Finn’s deep voice in his head even though he hadn’t said a word since they fell to the floor.
Forcing his arms to move, Justin slid his hands out from under Finn and pushed up. Bit back a groan when their lower bodies rubbed over each other. “Stay here.”
Before he said or did something stupid, gave in to the need thumping inside him, Justin crawled over to the window. He pulled up and glanced out. Saw smoke in the distance, likely a few blocks away. That familiar need to run in and offer assistance rushed him. People gathered on the street and cars came to a standstill as ambulances and police raced to the scene. Other officers set up, holding back anyone trying to get any closer than they were right now. Going down there meant he’d be in the way. He got that much.
“The building seems fine, but I think we’re going to be here awhile.” Which was the last thing Justin wanted, but still, far better than whatever the people stuck in that smoke were dealing with right now.
Finn lifted his upper body up and balanced on his elbows. “Does that mean you’re not going to get on top of me again?”
That…Justin actually had no idea what Finn was asking. “What?”
The conference room door swung open as the warning message wound down. Alec’s gaze went straight to Finn, and some of the tension visibly left his body. “There you are.”
Finn didn’t break eye contact with Justin. “Here we are.”
“Initial reports are a bomb. Sounds like it went off prematurely and only took out the bomber, at least that’s the hope.” Alec’s gaze switched from Finn to Justin. “You both okay in here?”
Talk about dodging a bullet. Justin truly understood the term for the first time in his life. “We are now.”
* * *
—
Hours later, Finn and Justin stood in the middle of a guest room on the third floor of the Hotel Continental. A double bed covered by a red bedspread sucked up most of the space. What looked like original tile covered the floor, keeping the room cool. The decorations were sparse except for a massive, intricately carved wooden headboard that reached from floor to ceiling.
The room was clean and that’s really all Finn cared about. As a result of the explosion and increased security presence, roadblocks had been set up around the city. People who traveled to Tangier for the day were forced to stay for the night or get hit with the full force of the investigation as they tried to leave. Journalists had flooded into the area. The result was a battle for lodging and hotel rooms.
Finn was lucky to get the two he grabbed—one for Rania and Karim next door and this one. They wanted to split up the bodyguards, one with him and one with Justin, but Finn wasn’t in the mood to have someone stare at him all night while holding a gun. Justin’s attitude was bad enough.
That left the option of sharing with Justin, who had been in a foul mood since the questioning ended. Finn couldn’t blame him, but he was sick of being the target for Justin’s frustrations…especially when Finn had a few of his own.
He watched Justin now as he stared out the window to the water beyond. “Have things calmed down out there?”
“Looks like it.”
Those were the first three words Justin had uttered since they got upstairs. Just like before, instead of ticking Finn off, the attitude churned him up inside. The danger swirling around them only made things worse. Energy pinged inside him until he craved a release.
This was the second time they’d been under fire together, or at least in the vicinity of danger. The last time Finn came within inches of making a pass. That conference room floor and the incredible feeling of Justin on top of him. Finn replayed that moment in his head for months after it happened. The memories flooded him now.
Sharing a small bed was going to be pure sexual torture.
They had the clothes they were wearing and a few extras they picked up in the hotel. The only positive was the overnight bag Rania insisted he keep packed and in the car’s trunk at all times. Not for the first time, Finn silently praised her practical nature.
“Are you going to stand guard all night?” he asked, half joking in the hope of lightening the mood.
“Seems like a smart choice.”
Great, now they were up to eight words.
But Finn understood shutting down. He was tempted to do the same. They’d undergone hours of questioning by both police and security forces. Before the rounds started, Justin got off a call to Oliver to confirm all was fine back at camp. After some internal debate, Finn reached out to Alec. He didn’t want to needlessly worry his brother, but a li
ttle pressure from a guy with a lot of money couldn’t hurt.
Through it all, Finn worried most about Rania and Karim. Justin had pointed out that they were local, which meant fewer questions would be asked if they disappeared. That warning kept Finn on guard. Even stationed next door with keys to this room, they could be whisked away, and Finn wasn’t sure how to stop that.
Justin finally turned around. His mouth was set in a stern frown. “I need to get back to camp.”
Talk about wanting the impossible.
“First thing tomorrow morning.” When Justin’s glare didn’t ease, Finn tried again. “You know as well as I do we’re stuck here tonight. The city is basically in lockdown and we promised the special forces and police who questioned us that we’d be available tonight, if needed.”
“You don’t have to rehash the details. I was there.” Justin brushed past him on the way to the slim nightstand on the side of the bed. He opened the one drawer then closed it again.
“You know driving out of the city now would mean passing through checkpoints.”
Justin stalked around to the opposite side of the bed and opened the drawer to the matching nightstand. The wood creaked when he yanked it too hard. Then he slammed it shut and whipped around to stare at Finn again. “Do you always get what you want?”
“What did I do to offend you this time?” But Finn knew. Justin resented it when people came into town and threw money around. He thought it was risky and annoying. He’d been clear about that in his emails.
“There weren’t any rooms available, then you went to the desk and all of a sudden there were two.” Justin shook his head. “Flashing money is dangerous. I thought I made that clear.”
“I didn’t flash anything or take anyone else’s room.”
Justin snorted. “Sure.”
“If it’s any consolation, right now I’m sorry I couldn’t get a separate room for you.”
Justin stood there for a few seconds. His gaze traveled over Finn, burning a path as it went. Finn knew that look. He was fighting his own battle against unwanted attraction, so he got it.
Dirty Games Page 7