All Is Bright: A Boys of Lake Cliff Holiday

by K. Sterling

“No!” Almost everyone yelled as they pointed at him.

  “Fine,” he said as he held up his hands. “I’ll just hang out and cheer you all on. Go, team!” He pumped his fists then rolled his eyes as he went in search of champagne. “I’ll be in the conservatory getting high if anyone needs me.”

  “Do not go outdoors,” Blink called after him and Reginald waved. He’d see how many more of Toly’s bugs he could find around Blackhurst. Reginald saw him drop one in a potted palm earlier and was waiting until it was clear to circle back to it before the staff could. It wouldn’t be too tricky to change the frequencies and Toly would assume the maids or Alon found them.

  “I’ll swing by the kitchen for a bottle and then I’ve got work to do.”

  Chapter 17

  “Should someone go after him?” Hawk asked but Lavender waved it off.

  “Give him a little time to sulk,” he said and Paul nodded in agreement.

  “He’s definitely planning something but I’ll wait until he thinks he’s getting away with it to catch him red-handed,” he explained. Lane chuckled as he helped himself to a cigar. Aiden’s nose wrinkled in disapproval but he didn’t say anything as he went to the bar for a Sprite so Lane played stupid and snipped off the end. He lit the cigar and took a puff and savored the smooth sweetness of the Cohiba and marveled at the wisdom of whatever divine force it was that brought Paul and Reginald together. Lane found comfort in the fact that even if he was wrong and there wasn’t a God, some gentle deity had to be at work, smiling upon him and their strange family. Someone or something was looking out for Lane when Aiden was put in his path and it did the whole world a hell of a solid when Paul fell in love with Reginald.

  “Perhaps Aiden could do us all a favor and spend a little more time with him,” Lavender suggested and Aiden groaned next to Lane.

  “Why does it have to be me, though?”

  “You already have an excuse and most of us have work to do,” Lavender pointed out. Aiden’s thumb rose and hitched at Lane.

  “He’s retired now and just hanging out,” he said but Lane shook his head.

  “Reginald thinks I’m old and he doesn’t trust me. He’s already attached himself to you,” he argued and Aiden’s mood turned darker.

  “I knew this trip was going to be terrible.”

  “I could think of several places I’d rather be as well and my head hasn’t stopped pounding since we left Lake Cliff, if it makes you feel any better,” Lavender sighed. Aiden rubbed his lips together before he nodded.

  “A little. Thank you.” He did seem a little happier as he became distracted by the bubbles in his soda. Lane grabbed Lavender’s shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze and winked at him. He rolled his eyes and turned his attention to Alon.

  “So far, all of this is going according to Shamir’s plan. What’s his next move?” He asked. Alon scratched his chin and his eyes stretched across the room.

  “He’ll be watching Sloan but he won’t move until he’s sure we’re onto them. He doesn’t want to risk spooking you and tipping you off. They want something but they don’t want you to know what it is that you’ve got,” he said to Blink. Blink’s face lit up but his eyes grew harder and darker.

  “It must be very valuable and very dangerous if they’re willing to go to all this expense and trouble...” He mused then went to his desk. “I want to see a list of everything that’s come into Blackhurst. Go back six months before Captain Walsh was attacked in Chicago,” Blink said to Alon as he sat then waved at everyone. “Take those someplace else and do something useful,” he ordered.

  “You heard the man,” Lavender drawled and widened his eyes at Toly and Denver and they took off. “Let’s make ourselves useful,” he said and Paul tapped his brow.

  “I’m going to play stupid and make some more calls.”

  “We should finish our lunch,” Sage said and Ezra, Aiden and Hawk nodded and followed him.

  “I’ll be in the vault. I’m making something special for the holidays,” Grim said as he stalked off.

  “Want to see where the good firing positions are?” Lane asked Lavender and Wilder.

  “I’ve already identified the best windows and positions on the terrace but I’d be happy to do a lap around the house and see what you two think,” Lavender said and Wilder nodded.

  “Sounds like fun.”

  “We should take up golfing or build something when we get back. We need decent hobbies,” Lane said and gave his head a bewildered shake. Lavender nodded and clasped his hands behind his back as they turned down the hall.

  “I was thinking a bunker might be handy,” he said and Lane shot him a hard look.

  “Or a treehouse. We could build a treehouse. That would be handy and cause almost no one any nightmares.”

  “Robin would love a treehouse. I considered having our builder design a miniature of Holderson Manor for him but we were waiting until he was old enough.”

  “How about a normal kid’s treehouse? Wilder and I could help you and Sage build it and Robin will have a blast being tool helper,” Lane suggested.

  “It’s gotta have a zip line,” Wilder said and Lavender gasped and pointed.

  “Yes! But how do we hide it from Sage? Because he will definitely veto that.”

  “Nah!” Wilder said with a dismissive wave. “I already know which tree to use. The line could go right over the pool and into Robin’s room.” He made a whoosh! sound and Lavender’s eyes glittered with delight as he imagined it.

  “I don’t care if he makes me sleep on the couch. We have to do this.”

  Chapter 18

  “Thank you, Toly,” Reginald whispered as he tucked the dispensary canister into his “party bag.” It was full of Toly’s little bugs and Reginald lifted random devices as he explored the house and peeked over everyone’s shoulder. They’d assume it was Toly and let him get away with it.

  “I thought you’d be ready,” Paul said as he swept into the room. Reginald made a disgruntled sound as he tossed his bag in the armoire.

  “I was too busy getting high in the conservatory,” he moped and fell back on the bed dramatically then threw an arm over his eyes. That eighth wasn’t going to smoke itself. And his Frankenlaptop was coming along in the bushes. It felt strange keeping secrets again. He shared everything else with Paul and didn’t care to hide anything, in general. Well... Reginald waved it off. He had no shame or secrets except the ones that might put Paul’s life in danger.

  “Stop pouting. Everyone has a right to be mad at you and you owe them time to get over it. And prove you can be trusted,” Paul added gently as he crawled over Reginald. He sucked on Reginald’s lip before he lowered and there was no point in pretending.

  “I know,” Reginald said with a sigh. He’d traded his day suit for a pair of joggers and Reginald wiggled out of them then curled his leg around Paul’s hip. “But I’m already bored and you know I can’t be trusted.”

  “Please...don’t,” Paul groaned but he paused as he wrestled out of his suit so he could kiss Reginald. “Whatever it is that you’re up to, don’t,” he begged then went back to hurling his clothes across the room. Reginald pretended to consider before he hissed.

  “Would that be in character for me, though?” He asked as he helped with Paul’s fly. Paul swore as he rolled them so he could shimmy out of his trousers and his boxers.

  “Why do I bother? You’re going to do whatever the fuck you want to do and I’m going to do what I can to stop you so Toly or Lavender don’t kill you. You should watch out for Ezra too. He’s still worried the attack in Chicago could set Denver back,” Paul warned and all the humor drained from Reginald and he was furious again.

  “Do you think I don’t feel responsible for that? I want to help. I want to make this right and see that whoever did this pays,” Reginald insisted. Paul hummed sympathetically as his hand pushed under the pillow and found the lube.

  “I know and I believe you will but the best thing you can do right now is keep your
head down and help out where you’re asked, when you’re asked,” he said and Reginald nodded as if he was listening. There wasn’t time for tiptoes and eggshells if the CIA was closing in on them. Plus, there was lube. Reginald didn’t give a fuck about anyone else or anything Paul had to say when he was holding a bottle of lube.

  “Mmmmm...” Reginald hummed noncommittally as he reached between them so he could stroke Paul’s cock. Paul didn’t give a fuck about anything when Reginald was stroking his cock.

  “God...” he panted and Reginald growled lazily as he sucked on Paul’s earlobe and wound him up.

  “I love when you beg for help,” he said then bit into Paul’s neck before he slid down his body. “And scream,” he added and Paul locked his jaw and shook his head wildly as Reginald gripped his sac tight.

  “We’re not doing this now!” He flipped them so he could lock Reginald’s wrists over his head. “You reek of pot and your eyes look like hell so we’re going to get off real fast then take a shower and track down some eye drops.”

  “I have eye drops but I am interested in the real fast part as well,” Reginald murmured suggestively. “Getting railed and a quick rail would be rejuvenating...” he mused but remembered to wait until Paul was in the shower to get his party bag back out.

  “Shut up,” Paul said and captured Reginald’s lips for a hard kiss. His fingers pushed into Reginald’s hole, slick and wicked as they twisted, stretched and teased his prostate. He got Reginald primed and impatient then filled him with a hard, rolling thrust. Reginald’s head snapped back and he cried Paul’s name. “I love making you scream,” Paul huffed against Reginald’s ear. He was a savage and Reginald begged for more as he pulled Paul’s hair and clawed at his skin. It was magical and Reginald was glowing when he joined Paul in the shower twenty minutes later.

  Chapter 19

  “Let’s hope tonight is better than last night,” Cyril said to Lavender and Alon but they both grimaced as they studied their shoes and cufflinks. Cyril groaned while he filled his glass to fortify his nerves. He saluted them then took a large gulp. Then, he grunted and pointed at Lavender. “Did you warn Marston?”

  “Of course. But will it do any good? I exiled him to an island and he still managed to cause chaos and destruction,” Lavender complained then went to make himself a martini. “God, I hate drinking but he drives me to it sometimes. You know?” He asked as he looked over his shoulder at Cyril. He saluted in agreement and Lavender’s head was already pounding. Alon had a shaker with ice ready. “Thank you,” Lavender said as he poured a touch of vermouth into a martini glass and swirled it then added a generous amount of vodka to the shaker. He gave it a quick shake then filled the glass.

  “He might be the death of me,” Cyril said as he lowered onto the arm of one of the sofas. Lavender swallowed an uncouth mouthful and snorted.

  “I was sure it would be Ukraine... But it’s looking more and more like Reginald’s going to write a check his ass can’t cash and I’ll get killed trying to save him.”

  “I don’t like the sound of that,” Sage said as he arrived with Lane, Aiden, and Elliot. Lavender moaned loudly and waved dismissively as he drank.

  “We’re just reflecting on our shared misery. Nothing else has happened,” he reassured them but no one looked reassured.

  “Scotch, sir?” Alon asked Sage but he shook his head.

  “Just a beer, please. I enjoyed that a little too much last night,” he confessed. Lavender smiled as he drank. Sage got so dirty when he drank dark liquors and Robin was away.

  “I’ll take a beer too, please,” Lane said. Once again, Aiden took the plate of cucumber slices and his Sprite and went to glare at everyone from the sofa by the fireplace. Sage raised a brow at Lavender’s martini as he joined him.

  “Looks like I’m the designated driver tonight,” he whispered and Lavender hummed thoughtfully and swayed closer.

  “You might have to carry me upstairs if tonight is as trying as last night. But I can’t think of a safer place for me to take an evening off,” he said and shrugged as he sipped. Sage bit his lip apologetically and gave Lavender’s chest a soothing pat.

  “As much as I’d like us to have an uneventful evening, I really love Drunk Lavender and it’s been years since we’ve seen him.”

  “I don’t know if I can afford to or if I want to risk a hangover,” Lavender countered. Sage’s lips pulled tight and he nodded.

  “I hear you and I hope it works out. But, I also don’t. Good luck,” he said and saluted Lavender with his beer before he went to join Aiden.

  “This is why we didn’t have kids,” Lane said as he sidled up next to Lavender. He rolled his eyes but allowed Lane to tap his bottle against his glass.

  “I didn’t raise him. If anything, I’ve improved him,” Lavender replied.

  “That’s a deeply troubling thought.”

  Chapter 20

  Well. This looks tense.

  Reginald grinned as he scanned the tight faces around the study. He took his time getting ready and lingered in the shower so he could finger himself while Paul got dressed. Reginald was feeling loose and focused while Mr. Blink and Lavender were dour and grimacing by the fireplace. Paul was with West, Denver, Wilder and Hawk while Gabriel and Sharp did their best to comfort Toly. Reginald looked over Blink’s footmen and purred quietly when he found the perfect mark. He was short but built like a brick shit house and Reginald stretched his jaw as he headed for the bar. It wasn’t going to feel right for a few days but Reginald had work to do and he couldn’t do that if he was stuck in the dark and sitting on his hands. Figuratively.

  “A gin and tonic, please,” he asked the short footman manning the bar who’d be cleaning Reginald’s clock in approximately two minutes. Reginald’s gaze drifted to Alon. He was posted at Blink’s shoulder and nodded in confirmation at something Mr. Lavender suggested. Paul and West were deep in conversation with Wilder and Hawk and the mood in the room became even more brittle when Grim lumbered in. He was in a suit again and Reginald nodded in approval at him as he was handed his drink. Reginald glanced at Grim and smirked as he sipped. Love has tamed the savage beast but let’s hope Grim’s still a little feral... “I was wondering if I could run something by you, Mr. Grim,” Reginald said. Paul, Lavender and Blink were concerned but Reginald waved them off and held up his glass. “Just thought I’d buy him a drink and talk a little shop,” he said but they didn’t look reassured as they went back to their tense discussion.

  Perfect.

  “I’ll have one of those,” Grim said and eyed Reginald warily with his real eye. Reginald decided the best way forward was to level with Grim and make an ally, if that was possible. “What do you want?” Grim asked as they watched the footman prepare his drink. Reginald smiled broadly and tipped his head to the right so Grim would follow him to the window.

  “I intend to do exactly what I’ve been told I shouldn’t and I need to create a bit of mischief,” he murmured quietly from behind his glass. Grim’s eye swept upward.

  “Good. Blink’s parties are boring as fuck and I feel like breaking something expensive.”

  “I thought so,” Reginald said with a wink then cocked his head. “You know, this suits you.” He was pleasantly surprised by how well Grim cleaned up and how good a little confidence looked on him.

  “What...?” Grim said hesitantly.

  “All of this,” Reginald replied as he waved his drink at him. “The hair, the suit, the lack of foam around the mouth...”

  “Yeah? Fuck off,” Grim replied. “What do you need me to do?”

  “I want Napoleon’s earpiece so I need him to hit me. And I need a smartphone,” Reginald said then cleared his throat loudly as the short footman arrived with Grim’s gin and tonic.

  “Sir,” he said as he held up the tray. Grim chuckled as he snatched the glass.

  “You going to let him say that about your father?” Grim asked and the shorter man’s head jerked back but he locked it down.

>   “I don’t know what you’re talking about, sir,” he said stiffly. Grim shrugged as he sipped then hummed in delight as he saluted the younger man with his drink.

  “Very nice. He said he fucked your dad in Columbia,” he whispered and Reginald admired Grim’s precision. He studied all of Blink’s footmen’s profiles and knew their weaknesses.

  “What?” The unfortunate younger man growled under his breath as he stepped up to Reginald.

  “Mmmm...” Reginald nodded as he swallowed and pointed at him. “Definitely fucked your dad in Bogota,” he said then squeezed his eye shut and braced himself as the footman pulled back his fist then launched it at Reginald’s face.

  “Help!” Reginald cried as he staggered back and clutched his jaw.

  “You son of a...!” Paul growled as he tackled the footman and they crashed into the wall. The earpiece flew from the footman’s ear as Paul grabbed him by his lapels and shook him. “Are you out of your mind?”

  “Seriously. Is he new?” Reginald asked as he wandered over to the potted palm by the curtain. “Is that my tooth?” He mumbled and bent so he could swipe the earpiece off the floor. He examined it and shook his head before he pretended to throw it over his shoulder, at the cracked French door. “Just a pebble.”

  “That’ll be enough, Sloan,” Blink said calmly. Reginald sighed in agreement.

  “Let him go, Paul. I have no idea what set him off but we’ve all had bad days. And now that I think of it, there isn’t much of a resemblance at all,” he added softly with a grin at the other man then thanked Alon when he appeared with a new drink and something cold for Reginald’s jaw.

  “Dinner is ready,” Alon announced and went to lead their party into the dining room.

  “Here,” Grim said under his breath as he discreetly slipped a phone into Reginald’s pocket. “You’re good at stopping a punch with your face.”

  “I do have a bit of experience.”

  “Glad you’re not totally useless. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do to help.”