by K. Sterling
“Where are you? I smell pot but I don’t see you,” Paul called from somewhere around the pond. Reginald quickly slipped the keyboard and the screen into the transformer box with the motherboard and cut it off then closed the lid and locked it. He took out the earpiece and slid it into his pocket as he stood and ambled back to the path. Reginald lit the joint and filled his lungs so a long plume of smoke would spill from his nose as he intercepted Paul.
“Divine in hookas, glorious in a pipe, when tipped with amber, mellow, rich, and ripe...” Reginald recited and gathered Paul in his arms so he could dance him down the path and away from the transformer box. “Let’s get high and take a dip in the pond,” he purred.
“You’re already high and I don’t want to smell like fish and pond water,” Paul whispered but his hand spread across Reginald’s back possessively and they twirled dramatically around the fountain in the center. Paul brought them to a halt and bent Reginald back. “What have you heard?” He asked very quietly as his lips brushed against Reginald’s.
“Beg your pardon?”
“I saw you pick up the earpiece,” Paul mouthed as they straightened and Reginald’s brows jumped.
“Have I told you how much I love you lately?” He asked and groaned as he pecked at Paul’s lips. He was so, so smart and so hard as Reginald rubbed against him.
“Several times this morning,” Paul murmured.
“But I haven’t told you this afternoon. I love you,” Reginald said and laughed when Paul backed him into the trunk of an orange tree. Paul hummed as he lowered his head and bit into the side of Reginald’s neck, causing goosebumps to explode and spread down his back. “They know the CIA’s been hiding Blackout from them and they know I’ve got a smartphone,” he panted and Paul growled in approval as he worked Reginald’s belt loose and flicked the button at his waist.
“What else?” He asked and Reginald shivered as Paul unzipped him. His hand cupped the front of Reginald’s jock and he rose on his toes as Paul squeezed.
“Alon thinks the Chinese might be involved as well,” he breathed then reached between them and grabbed Paul’s wrist. “Really hard, right now.”
“Is that all you heard?”
“Alon is impressed with you.”
“Is he?” Paul chuckled as he spun Reginald. His chest hit the tree and Paul’s breath wafted against Reginald’s ear as he jerked his belt and his fly open. “Let’s hope he’s watching. This should be pretty impressive.”
“Holy Fuck, I love you so much,” Reginald sighed and held onto the tree as Paul pushed a long string of spit from between his lips and stroked it onto his cock.
“Hold on,” Paul soothed but Reginald bit down on his lips as hard, driving heat filled his passage and forced all the air from his lungs. He was stretched too tight and the pressure was intense but Reginald’s balls throbbed and pre-cum drooled from his cock. He could feel Paul, hot and pulsing in his core and Reginald’s eyes rolled at the bright, raw burn as he withdrew. Paul braced his hand over Reginald’s shoulder as he rolled his hips. “I love you, Reginald,” he huffed. “And, God, I love fucking you. More than life itself,” Paul said then chuckled hoarsely as he bit the back of Reginald’s neck. “Which is good because you’re going to be the death of me.”
“Nonsense,” Reginald slurred. Paul snorted and pulled Reginald’s hips back so he could grind hard and crush his prostate. Reginald’s jaw stretched on a silent sob as waves of slow, heavy pleasure rolled down his legs. There was a lush swirl of silken heat in Reginald’s passage and Paul moaned and pumped his hips harder and faster. “That’s it... Let go and wreck me,” Reginald begged breathlessly and his head hung and bobbed limply as Paul filled him with deep, driving thrusts. Paul reached around and grabbed the front of Reginald’s jock and squeezed his cock and sac. The pressure was sharp and overwhelming and tears burst from Reginald’s eyes as he swallowed an ecstatic sob.
“Come for me,” Paul ordered and bucked hard, lifting Reginald off his feet.
“God!” Reginald choked out as cum flooded the pouch of his jockstrap. He saw stars and heard music and Paul chanted his name like a wish before a tide of molten heat flooded Reginald’s passage. “You’re my world,” he said and held onto Paul’s arm as it wrapped tight around him.
“I know.” Paul’s lips and nose trailed up his neck and nuzzled his ear. “I just wish you’d stop trying to turn the world upside down for ten minutes.”
“But then we’d be boring like Sharp and West or Denver and Gabriel,” Reginald predicted and pouted loudly as Paul pulled out.
“I don’t think we’ll ever have to worry about that.” Paul ducked to get Reginald’s pants and hummed loudly as he parted his cheeks and lapped greedily before hopping to his feet. “Let’s go upstairs so I can lick you clean and then we’ll take a shower. Maybe we can get in a nap before dinner.”
“That sounds like heaven but I don’t think there’s any chance we’ll be taking a nap.”
Chapter 24
“It’s...quiet,” Lavender said and shut his eyes so he could savor the peaceful stillness of the house. Cyril laughed under his breath as he reclined with his feet propped on the corner of his desk.
“Sloan was successful and able to...distract Marston. They’re resting in their room.”
“I find myself more and more in awe of Sloan,” Lavender confided as he sank onto the edge of Cyril’s desk.
“I’m pleasantly surprised and I wasn’t expecting to pity him as much as I do,” Cyril said and Lavender snorted in agreement.
“You know, I don’t often smoke cigars but these are superb,” Lavender noted then took another puff from one of Cyril’s fine Cohiba Behike cigars.
“They help me meditate,” Cyril said. His eyes stretched beyond the window and Lavender got the distinct impression he was deep in his thoughts.
“Have you figured out what it is yet?” He asked quietly and there was a long, heavy silence between them until Cyril shook his head.
“No. I honestly can’t think of anything I’ve done or taken lately—or even in the last decade—that the CIA would take serious offense to. If anything, they should be happy with some of the bigger moves I’ve made recently,” he mused and Lavender hummed.
“Clearly, someone’s pissed,” he said then spun as Toly hurried into the study.
“Not at Mr. Blink, it seems,” Toly announced and Cyril sat up, alert and ready, as Alon slipped into the room from behind a suit of armor.
“What did you find?” Cyril demanded and Toly pointed at the wall as the large screen lowered. A moment later a celadon-glazed vase appeared.
“The Goryeo meiping?” Cyril asked in disbelief. “I bought that from Olinescu...six months ago.”
“That’s why they held up the Bodhisattva bronze. They thought it might bypass security when it reached Blackhurst because of your connection to Olinescu and the meiping,” Alon predicted and Cyril nodded.
“Why, though? It’s rare and valuable but why would the CIA care?” He asked and Toly grinned.
“Because the CIA and the Chinese have been in a race to find a list of North Korean double agents that was lost on its way out of South Korea. Apparently, it was meant to pass through customs in your vase because it would be waved through but the receiving agent was never able to intercept it when it arrived in the states,” Toly explained and Cyril pressed his knuckle against his lip as he chuckled.
“Those incompetent bureaucrats have been trying to get it back before I figured it out,” he realized and Lavender snorted.
“It must be worth quite a bit to them if they’re willing to pull us all into it,” he noted and Alon nodded.
“Lahav isn’t cheap and his budget would be astronomical,” he said.
“They paid O’Malley’s widow a million dollars,” Cyril said as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Farris hasn’t inspected the meiping yet. Let’s see if we can find it before they realize we’re on to them.”
“Sir, I believe they know
we’re on to them,” Toly said heavily and Cyril spun around.
“What?” He demanded.
“I have grabbed two very recent messages: one between Shamir and one of his surveillance people and another between Shamir and his handler at the CIA. They saw Sloan return to Blackhurst from DC after his visit to the CIA and they see that their files for Operation Blackout have been corrupted. It couldn’t be avoided. They don’t know who is looking but they know someone’s been looking,” he said and Cyril’s head snapped toward the elevator in the foyer.
“They're going to come in after it. They’re going to try and get into the vault,” he realized and they all ducked as the ground shook and the walls rattled as they heard a loud explosion.
“It’s the front gate!” Alon said.
“Farris!” Cyril hissed and ran for the foyer and they froze when the power went out. “Get the generators turned on!” He ordered but Alon stopped him.
“The vault doors and the elevator are designed to only operate when power is coming from the main grid, so it can’t be entered in the event of a break-in or an attack,” he reminded Cyril and he swore as his hands dragged down his face.
“It’s designed to act like a panic room,” he explained and Lavender winced as he looked around.
“I’m sure we can find a way inside but we should see what the weapons situation is like, since it looks like we’re under attack,” he suggested and a menacing smile spread across Cyril’s face.
“Alon, gather everyone and escort them to the armory.”
Chapter 25
Lavender was like a kid in a candy store and his eyes sparkled as they scanned the walls and shelves of Blink’s armory. Wilder and Denver went to work, stowing ammo clips in their vest pockets and taking M16’s off the racks on the wall but Lavender’s arms spread and he turned in the middle of the wide bay as if he was in a cathedral addressing a congregation. Their party was finally allowed to leave the house and they sped into one of the stables in a convoy of golf carts. Grim and Hawk peeled away in their own cart and Lane heard Lavender make note that they were headed for the C stable. Grim’s storage was there and that’s where he kept his more dangerous samples and weapons, apparently.
“Here. To keep you warm,” Lavender teased as he handed Lane a bulletproof vest.
“You’ll wear one too,” Lane ordered and gave Lavender a hard look before he could protest.
“Fine,” he said and quickly took off his coat then looked around for someplace to hang it.
“I’ll have it sent to your room,” Alon offered quietly and Lane laughed.
“I just saw a tank speed up the lawn to hold the front gate but you two are worried about his coat?”
“I take my job very seriously, sir,” Alon murmured and for a moment, Lavender looked like he was in love.
“God, if I could afford you...”
“I’m afraid you’re not even close,” Alon replied with a gentle grimace then went to have Lavender’s coat whisked up to the main house. Everyone traded their coats for bulletproof vests as footmen filed in and out as they armed themselves and headed out to defend Blackhurst.
“Alright, Casper’s still stuffing his cloak with as much as he can before his bay is locked down,” Hawk announced as he arrived wearing a backpack full of medical supplies. “I’ve got my SIG but throw me one of those M16s,” he said and Denver made sure Hawk was squared away in a matter of minutes then they were in their golf carts speeding back to the house. They heard gunfire in the woods and Lane leaned out to get a better look as a helicopter passed overhead.
“Jesus! Do they think the neighbors and the police won’t notice?” He said and Lavender shook his head.
“Alon said they’ll call it a National Guard exercise if anyone notices but the nearest neighbor lives four miles away. Let’s get back inside and hide our husbands someplace safe,” Lavender said to Lane once the cart came to a stop. Unfortunately, one of their husbands was being a pain in the ass again.
“Absolutely not,” Aiden said and his hand cut through the air defiantly. “I am not getting locked into another panic room so I can wait to find out if you survived another firefight. Not after you dragged me all the way to fucking Rhode Island again. I could have stayed home and missed all of this!” He argued. Ezra nodded and crossed his arms over his chest and Toly’s lips were pulled into a stubborn frown.
“Yeah. I’m not hiding either,” Ezra said.
“I’m going to fight and I can’t do that if I’m cut off from the internet. There’s no reception in there,” Toly said and pointed at the “silver room.” It was a long, fireproof storage room with a reinforced steel door and a retina scanner where all of Blackhurst’s silver serving pieces were stored.
“It is the safest place in the house, outside of the vault. There could be a lot of firing in the house and I don’t want to worry about you getting caught in the crossfire,” Lane explained but Aiden shook his head and pointed at his sternum.
“I’m wearing a vest.”
“I’d like to live to finish this paper so I’ll hide with the silver,” Matteo said and held up a thick binder as he hurried past them.
“See? It’s so easy, being reasonable,” Lavender said sweetly to Aiden then glanced at Sage hopefully.
“Part of me really wants to go with Matteo,” Sage admitted as he scrubbed the back of his neck. “But I think I’ll stick with Aiden and see what I can do to help out here.”
“Fuck!” Lavender whispered and his head fell. “Is there any way...”
“No,” Sage stated simply so Lavender pressed a PPK into his hand.
“Keep your head down and stay out of the crossfire,” he begged and Sage grinned.
“Got it. I’d tell you to do the same but I know better.”
“We need to be going,” Alon said and looked around to make sure Matteo was the only one with any sense before he shut the door and locked it. They filed into the foyer as Reginald hurried down the stairs.
“Toly,” Reginald said and pointed at him. “You can’t guard Blackhurst, hack the CIA and watch your own back. You need me and I can’t help you with the Frankenlaptop I built in the conservatory,” he said. Toly’s cheeks puffed out as he considered. “Come on!” Reginald urged as he clasped his hands together.
“Fine!” Toly said then waved wildly before they ran back up the stairs. “We’ll be right back,” he called over his shoulder.
“What’s the plan?” Blink asked as he strolled out of his study with an M204 slung over his shoulder and a cigar clamped between his teeth. Alon and Wilder were hunkered in front of the open elevator shaft and the house’s plans were spread on the floor between them.
“Both access points are blocked by reinforced steel,” Alon explained as he pointed at the elevator shaft and the entrance at the other end of the vault and Blink nodded.
“They’re designed to close when the backup generators come on,” he said and Wilder grimaced as he chewed on his lip.
“Smart but not great for us. It looks like this door at the elevator is the way we’re getting in. The double doors are twice as thick and we’ll be exposed while we work,” he noted. Alon nodded as he pointed.
“They know we’ve locked down the stables and secured the dogs and horses underground. They see that those doors aren’t for a garage and they’re going to put most of their fire power there,” he predicted.
“Then that’s where I’ll be,” Lavender decided and checked the sight of the rifle he selected from the armory.
“I’ll join you,” Denver said but he grabbed Ezra by the back of the neck and pulled him close for a kiss. “Stay with Wilder and listen to him,” he commanded and Ezra snorted.
“Trust me. I just want to make it out of this alive. I’m not trying to be a hero, that’s your department.”
“I’ve got them,” Wilder said and gestured at the alcove under the stairs. “They’ll hang out there with Toly until we can get them into the elevator shaft. It’ll be safer down
there and they can help us cut through the door,” he explained and Denver nodded quickly.
“Perfect. They’ll be out of the crossfire and underground,” he said and high fived Wilder. Lavender captured Sage’s cheek and traced his lip tenderly.
“Do what Wilder says and everything will be fine,” he promised then ran off with Denver.
“Promise you’ll come back,” Sage called and Lavender’s “Always” trailed after him. There was a loud explosion from the west side of the property and Sage’s eyes were wide as he looked in the direction Denver and Lavender had just headed.
“They’ll be fine,” Lane promised but he was a little concerned as he herded Sage, Aiden and Ezra under the stairs. The gunfire sounded like it was getting closer.
“Everyone cover your ears,” Blink said as he went to the elevator shaft and aimed the 204 down it. The elevator had been raised so they could propel down to cut through the door.
“What are you doing?” Lane demanded but Blink ignored him and fired a grenade down the shaft and leaned away. There was a loud explosion and the ground shook as smoke plumed from the opening and into the foyer.
“I can’t get through to Farris so I’m letting him know we’re on our way. It’s all reinforced with steel and concrete. It’s bombproof,” he said and fanned in front of his face. A squad of footmen opened the front doors to let the smoke out and set up a firing position.
“That’s where I’ll be,” Paul announced and went to help them.
“I’ll be right there,” Lane said as Reginald and Toly rushed down the stairs. Reginald was wearing a headset and had a laptop under each arm and Toly was punching and rapidly swiping at the air.
“It’s not the CIA. It’s Shamir. He’s got a whole army of hired thugs. They’ve taken the front gate and tactical vehicles are spilling in from the west,” Toly yelled as he worked frantically.