Dirty Games

by HelenKay Dimon

  It had been sex. Just sex. Justin didn’t use the actual words, but he came damn close.

  Message received. This time for real. No more hedging. No more trying to break through. No more thinking he could change Justin’s mood or ease his pent-up anger.

  Finn looked out the car window as Karim drove him back to the villa. His next move wasn’t hard to figure out. Finn knew he needed to pull back before Justin broke him. While he still had the ability not to give Justin so much power over him.

  He glanced up and met Karim’s gaze in the rearview mirror. Finn wondered if he’d spoken out loud. “Did I miss something?”

  “Are you sure you want to go back to your place tonight? Rania is worried.”

  Finn tried to ease Karim’s face by joking around. “We all need to rest. You don’t get that chance until I do, so the least I can do is try to get us back home before midnight.”

  The sun had gone down. Whenever he was traveling on business, returning to his temporary home was his usual schedule. He worked until he exhausted himself, then dropped off to sleep. Only the nights with Justin broke up the monotony, and those would not be happening again.

  “I just thought you and Justin would…” Karim cleared his voice and focused on the road again. “Never mind.”

  All those times when he’d been with Justin, Karim and Rania had been nearby. That was their job. They likely heard more than they wanted to. Guilt punched into Finn. He didn’t believe in pretending he wasn’t bisexual or faking his feelings—he absolutely wasn’t one to be embarrassed by having sex—but he did understand that Karim’s comfort level might be different from his own. The laws in Morocco were different. There were religious issues to be considered.

  “I’m sorry if I’ve put you in an awkward position.” Finn wasn’t sure how else to say it, so he went with that.

  “It’s important that you be safe.”

  “I’m trying.” Karim was likely talking about not holding Justin’s hand in public or something like that. Finn could only think about what he needed to do to keep from falling harder for Justin.

  He actually understood Justin’s need to erect those walls. Hell, he’d lived his life the same way. He just didn’t want to do it anymore, and he really didn’t want to be the one standing outside those walls, begging Justin to let him in.

  “We can turn back.” Karim slowed down before they turned in to the villa complex.

  That sounded suspiciously like matchmaking. Finn decided he definitely needed sleep, because that conclusion made no sense. “We’re good. I’m ready to be home for the night.”

  Karim took the final turn and started up the long drive to the security gate. Finn watched as trees flashed by in a blur. One of the maintenance trucks was parked off to the side. Karim had to slow down and edge around the vehicle.

  That was odd for this time of night. Finn couldn’t imagine the crew doing repairs or landscaping in the dark. Even with the streetlights, that didn’t make sense. But the rest of the grounds were quiet as they pulled up to the security post. The guard wasn’t sitting in the shed, which meant he was out on one of his regular sweeps of the area.

  Karim rolled down the window and leaned in closer to the security panel. A motion sensor light clicked on and he typed in the code, then muttered something under his breath. Finn didn’t catch the words, but he watched as Karim searched the front seat area and finally pulled out the access card from between the seats. The gate required both for access.

  Finn was about to tease him about keeping the card handy when a face he didn’t recognize appeared in the open window next to Karim’s head. The shouting started a second later. Two more men surrounded the car. They had guns and concealed their faces with balaclavas or ski masks of some sort.

  It took Finn a few seconds for all the activity to register. Chaos fogged his brain. He heard a pop. Then a second one. Anxiety welled in his gut as adrenaline bounced around the inside of the car. Karim ducked and Finn threw his arm over his head and dropped to the floor.

  He felt around for the weapon Rania told him would be taped under the front passenger seat, just in case. His hand smacked against metal and a bar…no gun.

  Karim sat up again. His arm swung out and he started shooting. Finn didn’t know where he kept the weapon but he didn’t have to fumble for it.

  The shooter at the open window dropped against the car, blood oozing from his neck. Karim shoved him away and got the window up. His hands moved from the steering wheel to the gear shift.

  The car rocked as the two men in masks shoved against the sides. One lifted his weapon and pressed it against the closed window next to Finn’s head. Finn saw the barrel and waited for the glass to shatter, but he only heard a thunking noise.

  “Karim, back up!” Finn tried to brace his weight, hoping they’d fly back down the driveway.

  The car didn’t move. “Truck!”

  Finn peeked over the back of the seat. The maintenance truck sat perpendicular behind them now, blocking their easy exit.

  The gunmen slammed the heavy ends of their weapons into the glass. The ramming sound screeched across Finn’s nerves as his brain scrambled to find a solution before the bulletproof glass caved in.

  “Over the grass. Hit the guard shed if you have to.” Hell, they could mow down the heavy steel gate as far as Finn was concerned. As long as they moved, nothing else mattered.

  Karim was already turning the wheel. He didn’t attempt to run the gunmen over, but he didn’t avoid them either. The side of the car grazed one of the attackers and gunfire rang out against the otherwise quiet night as he fell.

  Lights flickered on and tires squealed. A strange scent hit Finn then. Familiar but wrong. Liquid splashed over the hood and a second later the answer hit him—gasoline.

  Karim kept the car moving. He bounced them around, hitting the gas, then the brakes, maneuvering them into a six-point turn. The bumper slammed into the guard shack. Male voices yelled, echoing around them. Finn grabbed onto the back of the seat in front of him for leverage as Karim banged and shifted the car.

  Finn saw one of the attackers holding up a lighter and yelled, “Get out of here now!”

  The front of the car crashed into the security panel. Knocked it right off the metal post. Fire flashed through the dark sky but Karim didn’t stop. The car ran up on the lawn area wheels spinning and engine revving. Noise thundered in Finn’s ears. He couldn’t identify the mix of sounds but he didn’t care so long as they were moving.

  Flames ignited beside the car in a burst of light. The car jerked forward as Karim slammed his foot on the gas and Finn flew backward again. The scream of the tires registered in Finn’s head as the car took off.

  He turned and looked out the back window. Two men were dragging the third. They passed the truck and headed in the direction of the shadowed side of the front gate area. Fire raged. The carefully manicured landscaping had been churned up and the guard station was in shambles.

  Finn’s heartbeat pounded through him. He heard a roaring sound and realized it was his own heavy breathing. Karim whispered something in a language Finn didn’t understand, never letting go his white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel as he drove.

  “Are you okay?” Finn heard the tremor in his voice and ignored it.

  Karim’s gaze shot up and met Finn’s in the rearview mirror. He didn’t speak but he nodded. Finn looked for blood but didn’t see any. The upholstery in the front seat had been torn up by gunfire. There was another hole in the leather on the headrest Finn had been holding onto earlier. The one right next to his head.

  They were lucky to be alive.

  The car raced down the narrow passage. It was an uneven ride and a clanking noise rose out of the engine. They made it to the end of the driveway and turned back onto the street. Karim slammed on the brakes. Flashing lights and a wall of what looked
like police cars stopped them. Men with guns piled out of cars as sirens wailed around them. These men wore uniforms.

  Law enforcement. That thought shot across Finn’s brain. He wanted to shout for them to find the truck and follow the blood trail that had to exist in the grass. He wanted to say something. Instead, he fell back against the seat. His breathing refused to slow and his heartbeat pounded hard enough to shake his whole body.

  “We made it.” He whispered the comment.

  Karim glanced into the mirror again. “This time.”

  “Right.” Finn hoped there wouldn’t be another time, but he knew better now.

  One thing was clear—Justin wasn’t the only person in Morocco who wanted Finn gone.

  * * *

  —

  The door to the office tent slammed open. Oliver stepped inside and when his eyes locked on Justin, Oliver swore under his breath. “There you are. I checked your tent first.”

  It was an uncharacteristic welcome from his second-in-command. Since it was after midnight and the camp had quieted down hours ago, it was also an unexpected one.

  “I’m catching up on some paperwork, which is my way of telling you I’m not in the mood for another relationship talk.” But then Justin took a longer look at Oliver. His shirt was untucked and his hair was pushed up on one side like he’d slept on it but forgotten to comb it. The disheveled appearance shook Justin. He eased the front legs of his desk chair back to the ground and sat up straight. “What’s going on?”

  “Finn was attacked.”

  The words scrambled in Justin’s head. They didn’t make any sense. He hadn’t talked to him again after their fight, but he’d kept tabs. He knew from Rania when Finn left camp and headed back to the villa. That was hours ago.

  That information made sense. Oliver’s comment didn’t. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

  “A group of men attacked his car and—”

  Justin jumped to his feet, sending his chair crashing to the ground. “Is he okay?”

  “He’s fine. Shaken and insisting it was nothing, but fine.” Oliver held up both hands as if he were trying to placate Justin. “It happened at the gate to his complex.”

  “Where is he?”

  “Back there.”

  Justin’s mind raced with questions. He couldn’t wrap his brain around them. Not when the same phrase kept repeating in his head.

  He’s fine.

  But there was a group of men and an attack. That led to the obvious question: “Where were Rania and Karim? Are they hurt?”

  “Karim was with him and is shaken up, but okay. Rania had gone ahead to check Finn’s place and missed all of it.”

  “Karim.” He was there when the truck exploded at the hotel. At camp when the gunfire happened, he was the first to go out and check. Now he was the one person with Finn when this happened.

  Justin hated the way the pieces fit together. He didn’t use Karim for security, but the man’s reputation was rock solid. Visitors and dignitaries worked with Karim. He’d escorted doctors, businessmen and Alec.

  Oh, shit. Alec. Justin needed to call him. But he had to see Finn first. That’s all that mattered right now.

  Oliver frowned. “What?”

  “I’m going to him.” Justin took a step and stopped. It’s not like he had a car. He had to think this through.

  “Justin, there’s something else you need to know.”

  The concerned tone broke through Justin’s mental gymnastics. He glanced up at Oliver. “Just say it.”

  “Apparently this happened hours ago.”

  That was fucking impossible. He’d been sitting there, stewing. Trying to figure out how to separate out his need to stand up to Finn from his desperation to push him away before it was too late. All that time and Finn was in trouble, possibly hurt. “Why am I just hearing about it now?”

  “The Royal Gendarmerie crawled all over the scene. Questioned everyone, including every neighbor. The working theory is that Karim and Finn escaped a failed kidnapping attempt.”

  The police. This would become a diplomatic nightmare now. Someone trying to kidnap an American businessman would result in a news splash and questions and an absolute mess.

  His mind flipped back to the kidnapping part. It was the one thing he’d feared from the beginning, but on top of everything else it had seemed absurd to worry about it. He had to put it on the front burner now. “So, this was about money?”

  Oliver winced. “Do you believe that?”

  “No.” That was just it. Justin knew in his bones that this was about the shipments and all the digging around Finn was doing. Hell, even Billy called yelling tonight about some threat he said Finn made. All of which meant Finn was in danger for one reason only…because Justin insisted he needed help in Morocco.

  This one was on him.

  Chapter 17

  Finn was pretty sure he was going to throw up. He lay as still as possible on the couch. His head rested against the cushions and he’d turned the lights off. Not moving helped the headache. The pain in his shoulder had dropped down to a steady thumping now. He could handle that.

  The doctor who arrived with the police had declared him fine, not being able to tell which injuries were new and which were a result of a few days ago. No concussion, which was all that mattered. But the police had latched onto the repeated accident thing. When they found out he’d been in Tangier during the explosion, special forces were called in.

  He’d answered what felt like a thousand questions. Only intervention from the president of the regional council prevented Finn from being hauled off for even more interrogation. It looked like those informal meetings with local political leaders had paid off.

  Karim hadn’t fared as well. He escaped the bulk of the questioning but only because he’d been shot. The bullet had grazed his collarbone. He insisted it was nothing, but the doctor put him in the hospital for observation. He was home now, set up next door with Rania watching over him. Additional security had been called up to patrol and protect the area, and the police still walked the grounds.

  Finn agreed with the special forces interrogators that there was no need to announce the attack. The press didn’t need to know, especially not the American press. Finn was pretty sure that agreement helped to ease his and Karim’s speedy release.

  That solved one problem, but he had others. Finn half wished he could fall over, curl up in the pillows and pass out. But he needed a shower. It was pretty nonnegotiable. The rough night, the intense questioning, sweating in panic.

  Exhaustion pulled at him and the cushions had never felt so comfortable. His eyes started to drift shut right as the knocking started. “Fuck me. Not again.”

  More questions. The thought of going through everything again made his already empty stomach drop. They’d peppered him with topics, changing words and delivery, as they tried to trip him up. They covered topics that had nothing to do with the attack. He’d followed along for round after round, but he doubted he could hold it together for one more.

  But the banging on the door didn’t stop. He knew neither yelling nor pretending to be asleep would make the person on the other side go away, so he pushed his body up and forced his leg muscles to work. It took him forever to get to the door but he did it.

  A quick look through the window next to the door turned up the guard Rania had declared her best when she assigned him—Nabil. He looked all of twenty and possessed a strange mix of a baby face and arm muscles thick enough to snap a grown man in half. The guy spent time in the gym or flipping tires or something.

  Finn opened the door and looked out. “Is something wrong?”

  “You have a visitor.”

  Finn’s gaze drifted down the short pathway. “What are you…” Justin stood there, being restrained by two additional guards who did not look happy abou
t having company this late.

  Justin still wore the same clothes from earlier that day, his standard dark utility pants and a buttoned-down shirt. Nothing fancy, but Justin made it work. Finn ignored the roller coaster sensation tearing through his stomach and how the banging in his head eased just at seeing Justin’s familiar scowl.

  Of course Justin knew about the attack. That likely meant Alec knew, or he would soon. Then the phone would start ringing. Finn wrote off any possibility of getting a decent night’s sleep. He also refused to engage in another verbal smackdown with Justin. He hated to admit it, but seeing Justin filled Finn with a strange calm. He had no idea why and did not have the energy to analyze the possibilities.

  “He can come in.” Finn gestured Justin inside. Watched as Justin let the car that brought him to the villa go.

  Justin nodded to Nabil as he stalked up the walkway but never broke eye contact with Finn. Finn ushered him inside, taking in every lean line and tight muscle.

  Yeah, that’s enough of that.

  Justin stopped right in front of Finn. Returned gaze for gaze, not even trying to hide his assessing tour of Finn’s body.

  “Your curtains are closed,” Justin said.

  Not the topic Finn expected but at least he might be able to handle this one. “I needed a few minutes of quiet.”

  “Is anyone else here? Rania or Karim?”

  Finn felt his body begin to sway. The comfort of seeing Justin’s face—frown and all—wasn’t enough to fully revive him. He needed food and a bed. “No, but—”

  “Good.”

  Before Finn could ferret out that response or launch one of his own, Justin grabbed him. Wrapped his arms around Finn and brought him close. The touch was insistent and firm, but not rough. It took a second for Finn’s senses to catch up then he leaned in. He pressed his nose against the side of Justin’s neck and inhaled. The scent was so familiar, so comforting, that Finn let his body fall into the hold.