Nina bumped Danny with her hip. “There’s still time for us to put some hydraulics on your car so you can enter the low rider contest.”
Danny burst out laughing. “If you put hydraulics on that poor little car it would shatter into pieces the first time it bounced and slammed back to the ground.”
Jordan had to agree with Danny’s assessment. The Altima was past its prime and as far as he was concerned needed to be replaced. If it were up to him, he’d put Danny in a giant Hummer, specially fitted with bullet proof glass and extra air bags to keep him safe.
“Okay, but you’re missing out. You know where to find me if you change your mind.” She left, leaving Danny there alone with Jordan.
Jordan stood, and Danny tilted his head back to look up at him, still smiling.
“I like your crew.”
“They like you too.” Something in Jordan’s chest squeezed tight even as he returned Danny’s smile. As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t fully relax and enjoy this time with his lover. Not with the memory of Lattimer’s attack so fresh on his mind. Half of him wanted to keep Danny with him, truly make him his. The other half wanted to walk away for good, keeping him safe by staying far away.
“It’s awesome that you put on a Fourth of July celebration.”
“I don’t do much. The committee runs the show.”
“Yeah, but you’re the main financial sponsor and you came up with the idea and got it started. All of that is pretty important.”
Jordan shrugged. “The neighborhood deserves a nice day. And not everyone can make it downtown to the Arch.”
“This sounds better anyway. Downtown is crowded and everything is expensive. I’m looking forward to going.”
Jordan smiled. “Good.” He looked at the clock. It was four forty-five. “It’s almost time for me to go upstairs and do paperwork. You want to wait for me?”
Danny stood up and shook his head. “I’m going to go and set up shop in your dining room. I’ve got a couple of designs I need to finish so I can get them off to the printers. Gonna head up while you finish down here.”
Danny stretched up on his tiptoes and Jordan bent to meet him half way. They exchanged a brief, chaste kiss, but it still set off a round of whistles and catcalls from the garage crew. Danny ducked his head to hide his grin as he hurried over to the elevator. Jordan eyed his crew in exasperation, they just laughed and started wrapping up whatever they were working on to clock out for the day.
Thirty minutes later, Jordan jogged up the stairs to his office level. It would have been nice to head up to his place and spend time with Danny but he had to get his work done. As he sat down at his desk, he couldn’t help but think of the other work he’d been neglecting.
He hadn’t hit the streets as Blaze since Danny’s attack. And he had no plans to do so either. Not until Danny was completely healed, and he knew for sure that Lattimer wasn’t going to be let out to harass him again. They were going through the process of filing charges and getting a restraining order. Thanks to the assault and screenshots Danny provided, it looked like Lattimer would not only do time, but would have restrictions on his internet use when he was released.
After working for an hour, his phone beeped with a text. Dinner is ready if you’re finished working.
Be right up, he texted back.
Upstairs, Danny had warmed up one of the meals that he had delivered from a local home cooked meal service. They ate in the kitchen, relaxed and at ease as if they’d lived together for years. And they worked together to get the dishes and tabletop clean when they were done. Danny came up behind him at the sink, sliding slender brown arms around his waist.
“So. You haven’t been out on patrol the last few nights.”
“Had somewhere else to be. Here with you.”
“And I appreciate it. But I’m all right now. I promise. I know protecting the city as Blaze is important to you. If you need to go out, go ahead and go.”
Jordan turned off the water. Drying his hands, he turned around to face his lover. “The last time I went out on the streets and left you alone, a maniac fanboy broke into your house and attacked you.”
Danny wrinkled his nose. “Yeah, that sucked. But you saved me. And Lattimer is locked up now. No one else is after me. Are you going to stop going out forever just to sleep beside me at night on the one in a hundred bazillion chance that another loser is going to try and smash my hand with a hammer?”
“It was a mallet.”
“That’s not the point.”
Jordan had a feeling he was about to come out on the losing end of this discussion. “No, I’m not going to stop going out forever.”
“Then you might as well go out tonight.”
Jordan searched Danny’s expression, making sure he meant what he said and wasn’t saying what he thought he needed to hear. His expression was honest and clear. Danny really was okay with being left alone for a few hours. “Fine, I’ll patrol tonight. Bossy.”
A triumphant smile curved Danny’s lips. “Good. Can I come and watch you gear up?”
“Yeah. Come on.”
Hand in hand, they went down to the underground garage. Danny stepped off the elevator, wandering around to look at his various tools and gear while Jordan went to the mats to warm up. After he’d stretched and shadow boxed for cardio, he sat down at his work station. He spent a few minutes listening to the police scanner and scrolling social media to see if there were any incidents brewing. A Facebook post from someone bragging about their new strength caught his internet scan bot’s attention. Jordan selected it, and viewed the person’s account.
There were hints all over his page that he was a member of the L Street Posse, and had something big happening tonight. Sending out more scan bots with detailed parameters picked up info on a big street race scheduled for that night. That looked promising. He’d check it out and see if Leon’s people were involved. Once he had all the information he needed, he went to the wardrobe to gear up. Danny took his seat in the chair he’d abandoned, spinning it around to face him.
“This really is a cool lair.”
“You know I don’t call it that.”
“Well, I’m calling it that. That’s your fault for not giving it a cool name. Like the Electric Hideout, or the Blaze Quarters or the Blaze Lounge. Okay maybe not that last one,” he finished with a cheeky grin.
Danny swiveled the chair back and forth, watching as Jordan stripped down to his briefs. He bit his lip when Jordan pulled on the leather pants, reaching a hand in to adjust his cock. Jordan could practically feel the heat from his gaze as he ran those dark eyes over his bare chest before he covered it with the suit’s top.
“You keep looking at me like that and I won’t make it out of here to patrol,” he said as he buckled on his weapons belt.
Danny grinned, his dimples creasing the curves of his cheek. “Sorry.” He got up from his seat and crossed the room to where Jordan stood.
“In case you were wondering, I’m feeling up to fun outside at the neighborhood cook out. And private grown-up fun inside with you.”
“You’ve still got bruises and rope burns.”
“Ice packs and ointment are taking care of those. And the rest of me feels fine.”
Jordan drew his cowl up, settling it securely over his head and face before he answered. “You’ll be sleep by the time I get back.”
“Then wake me up,” Danny said with a sassy eyebrow raise.
“I might. Give me a kiss to help me decide.”
Danny put his little hands on the sides of Jordan’s helmet and tugged him down to his level. Jordan let him control the kiss for a few moments, before he took over, cupping the back of his lover’s head to hold him steady. He kissed him deeply, again and again, licking into his mouth and sucking on his plump bottom lip. Danny returned each kiss, letting him lead, sweet and submissive as always.
When they parted, they were both breathing hard.
“I’ll take that into consideration,�
� Jordan whispered against kiss-damp lips.
“I hope you make the right decision, Mr. Blaze.”
Laughing, Jordan pulled on his gloves. “I’m sure I will.”
“Be safe out there.”
“I will.” He pressed a kiss to Danny’s forehead then went to get in the car.
Behind the wheel, he looked in the side door mirror, watching Danny walk back to the elevator. The soft gray sweats he wore were snug on his thighs and cupped his firm, round ass almost as lovingly as he often did. Blaze grinned. With that waiting for him, he might have to cut tonight’s patrol a little short.
***
Blaze drove to an area in St. Louis County, arriving at an abandoned shopping mall. The street and parking lot lights were out but the place was well-lit with car headlights and glowing lane markers. He parked the Challenger at the back of the rows of cars. His customized vehicle wouldn’t be out of place — there were lots of tricked out and souped up rides with both legal and illegal street modifications.
After activating lockdown mode, Blaze moved in to get a closer look. He couldn’t help but be impressed at what he saw. Street racing was already dangerous. But this was on another level. The track started in the parking lot, then followed a path onto the street, up onto the highway for three miles, exited back onto the street and circled around to the other side of the parking lot. But that wasn’t all.
There were obstacles set up throughout the parking lot sections of the track. Oil spills, ramps, tire shredders, giant pot holes filled with water. It looked like a vicious round of the old R.C. Pro-Am game. Huge sums of money had to be changing hands for a race of this magnitude. As he watched, a car spun out on one of the oil slicks and slammed into a barricade. The people in front him booed in disappointment.
“Dude lost a five K buy-in and didn’t even make it out the parking lot,” one of them said.
Five thousand. With that amount of money on the line, Blaze wondered if Leon was here personally. He didn’t often show up to the races these days, in order to minimize the risk to himself, but a five thousand dollar buy-in and the elaborate track might have drawn him out. There was only one way to know if he was there. Blaze set off through the crowd. People stared at him in surprise, but no one moved to stop him. One woman laughed.
“Check out the fanboy cosplayer!”
Blaze turned and pinned her with a hard look. He didn’t even have to let his fist spark before she stopped laughing and shrank back behind her friends. Blaze kept moving, headed for the area set up near the finish line. If Leon was here, that’s where he’d be.
As he strolled past the line of drivers waiting their turn, he noticed something different about some of the race entrants. Compared to the other drivers, the L Street Posse racers, identified by their red vests, looked eager. Too eager. Their eyes shone bright and they practically vibrated with energy they were so amped up. Once they were behind the wheel of their rides, they plowed through the obstacle course as if they had no fear. Unless someone had given them a hell of a locker room pep talk, there was only one thing that could elicit that reaction in so many different people at once. Croton.
Blaze finally spotted Leon. He sat on a dais that put him above everyone else, with a long-limbed, scantily clad blond on his lap. The current race ended, hot exhaust washing over those close to the finish line as the cars zoomed past. The winner must have been one of Leon’s drivers, because the blond bounced and twerked in celebration. As the next race began, Blaze approached his former friend. A burly bodyguard stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
“Turn around and go back the other way.”
“Says who?”
The guard grinned and cracked his knuckles. “Says me.”
Blaze grinned right back. The man obviously wanted a go at him, so he let him take the first swing. Blaze ducked the blow, came back up with a cocked fist and smashed the guard in the jaw — knocking him out cold. Blaze stepped over him and continued his progress to the dais. “You need a new bodyguard,” he said when he reached Leon. “That one has a glass jaw.”
“Blaze. Here to enter the races?” Leon answered his own question before Blaze could speak. “No, of course not. You’re a changed man.”
“Change is good.”
Leon patted his boy on the ass. “Give Daddy some room to talk to our uninvited guest.” The blond pouted before he rose from Leon’s lap and flounced off.
Jordan watched him go, but not because he was interested. He passed right in front of a woman who handed a packet to one of the racers before tucking a small box out of sight. Blaze caught a flash of the red wrapping he remembered from his bust at the warehouse. Croton. Just as he suspected. Damnit. If Leon was freely handing it out to his street racers, he had to have replenished his stock by now.
“You like what you see? I’ve got plenty more where that came from if you need some company tonight.”
Blaze directed his attention back to Leon. “I’m good, thanks.”
“That’s right. You’ve got your own piece. I heard he got smacked around the other night.”
Blaze clenched his jaw, trying not to react with anger. With the connections Leon had inside the corrupt circles of the police force and the scum on the streets, he should have known that he would be aware of what went down with Lattimer’s attack on Danny.
“You’ve got time to protect the people of St. Louis but you can’t keep your own boyfriend safe from an internet loser?” He shook his head, tsking as if he were disappointed. “Be a shame if next time he doesn’t get off so easy. As a matter of fact, how do you know he’s not getting roughed up right now while you’re out here playing hero?”
“You’re trying to distract me so I don’t notice your little minion sneaking up behind me.” Blaze whipped around and struck out with a tooth-jarring punch to the sneaky Red Vest, sending them stumbling backward. He spun back to Leon before their ass hit the ground. “But I noticed.”
Leon chuckled. “So you did.”
Before either of them could say anything else, a distant wail sounded over the screeching tires and revving engines. Someone in the crowd yelled.
“It’s the police!”
People everywhere scattered. Doors slammed and cars pulled out. Some people took off running into the night.
Leon looked down at Blaze from his seat high on the dais, his face twisted in a sneer of disgust. “You ratted us out to the police?”
“You know me better than that,” Blaze snapped.
“I haven’t known you in years.”
A big white SUV rocked up to the dais. Leon threw one last comment at Blaze before he stepped down from his perch.
“Take care of that little chocolate drop. Wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to him.” He got into the back of the SUV and it took off, gravel spitting behind the tires.
Blaze growled his disappointment. He’d hoped to gather more information on the Croton dealings tonight. Leon liked to run at the mouth, he could have got him talking about his plans. Or if he was unable to get anything out of Leon, he could have scoped the crowd for rumors and whispers. But thanks to the arrival of the police and P-Bots, this place would be abandoned as a site for future races. He’d have to keep his ear to the ground to find the next spot. A panicked shout caught his attention.
“Daddy L! Wait!”
Leon had left his paramour behind. That wasn’t Blaze’s concern. But by now, police and P-Bots had swarmed the area. One of the bots went for the blond. Fuck. Blaze had no way of knowing the extent of his criminal involvement with Leon. But he did know it was dangerous for a guy like him to be locked up — whether it was by the police or Pruitt’s private force.
Blaze sprinted forward and leaped at the bot that had the blond in its grip. He caught it with a drop kick, knocking it away seconds before it managed to get blondie in shackles. A roundhouse kick to the thing’s metal head and an electric blast to its chest knocked it off line. It crumpled to the ground, the red light in its camera visor
fading into black.
The young man threw himself at Blaze, flinging his arms around his neck.
“Thank you!”
Blaze recoiled, disentangling himself from the unwanted embrace. “Get out of here,” he growled as he pushed him toward one of the retreating cars. Lucky for him they waited and let him jump into the back seat. Blaze sprang back into action, helping those who’d appeared to do nothing more than watch from the crowd. The racers he left to escape on their own.
It didn’t take long for the bots to focus their efforts on him. At the direction of their Commander, they formed a circle with him in the middle. Blaze had seen the commander several times — always in the same purple and black metal armored suit, with a helmet that covered his entire head and a mirrored visor. He had no idea if it was a human inside that suit, or the most advanced A.I. Pruitt Inc. had. Either way, it was time for a strategic retreat.
He hit a button on his weapons belt then clapped his palms together to blast out an electromagnetic pulse. The button he’d hit magnified the pulse, increasing the voltage to a level that scrambled the bots’ processors, momentarily shutting them down. It wouldn’t stop them for long and it wouldn’t affect the bots that hadn’t been in his immediate radius.
Taking advantage of his small window of opportunity, Blaze charged forward, barreling through the bots in his way with a shoulder block. Clear of the ring of metal limbs and computer chip brains, he sprinted to his car, got behind the wheel and took off.
As he drove, he heard Leon’s snide voice in his head, chiding him for leaving Danny alone while he went out. He knew the words had been said to get under his skin. But what if... A spark jumped off his hand, dissipating into the air. His hands tight on the steering wheel, Blaze floored the accelerator to get back to his lover.
Chapter Nineteen
D
anny sat up in Jordan’s bed reading. He’d teased Jordan about waking him when he got home. But since he’d been restless and wide awake after napping that afternoon, he’d stayed up reading a comic series about a futuristic scavenger hunt. Now he was too into the story to fall asleep. He turned the page, excited to see who was going to win the hunt. Before he made it mid-way down the page, the lamp on the nightstand buzzed and flickered.
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