by Sue Brown
“Delta E,” Jesse instructed. “Notify the office, and for God’s sake, don’t scare the tourists.”
No one said anything but the tension was obvious. The car following them could have been the police but the presence of the motorbike had ramped it up into something more serious. Jesse looked at Gil and Josh. “If we have to separate, get to the nearest tube, and go to Notting Hill Gate. Turn left out of the station, six turnings down go right, then to number eighty-six. Ask for Mrs. Jones. That applies the whole time you’re here.”
“Notting Hill Gate, left, six blocks, right, eighty-six, Mrs. Jones.” Josh recited it back and Jesse nodded. Gil muttered it under his breath.
The vehicle’s movements felt more deliberate than before and Josh realized Rick was trying to shake off their pursuers.
“Motorbike coming up on the right-hand side!” Rick snapped.
“Get down.”
They followed Jesse’s order. Josh held his breath and waited, expecting the thud thud thud of bullets hitting the reinforced body of the SUV. Nothing. It was almost an anti-climax, but then Rick spoke again.
“Coming back on the right, down, down, I can see a gun. Delta A!”
The vehicle swung to the right, and Josh hung onto the side. He heard the screech of metal, then “Motorbike down, motorbike down.” They lurched again and then they were speeding away.
Jesse sat up and smoothed his dark hair. “What about the Merc?”
“Gone, boss. Lost it after the motorbike.”
“Let the office know so they can smooth things over with the police.”
Gil sat up straight and Josh heard a crack as he rolled his shoulders. Josh hated it when he did that and swore he did it deliberately. “Didn’t get shot this time.”
“Get shot a lot?” Jesse asked.
“Not if I can help it. Last time was a bitch.” Gil rolled his left shoulder, his face a study in painful memory.
“Through the shoulder,” Josh explained.
Jesse’s wince was enough. Instead of sleeping this morning Josh had investigated his new English friends. Jesse was still fresh from being a field agent. He’d resigned after being held for nearly a year by a drugs and guns cartel. When his cover was blown he’d been kept alive by a warlord so that the man could exact his vengeance on Jesse for their losses; literally carving it out of him. Jesse had returned broken and battered, taking months to recover. Josh discovered that the only reason Jesse had returned to this agency was because his ex-handler had been killed by a drunk driver and they’d begged him to return. Dominic had told him not to ask questions and not to piss Jesse about. Any smart-aleck response Josh was tempted to make died at his fierce look. He understood. Jesse was off limits. It was so rare Dominic laid down any hard orders about people that he knew it was serious.
“We’ve got a tail again.”
Jesse sighed at Rick’s words. “The Merc?”
“Not this time. SUV. Looks like the usual.”
“Christ, they’re all out this evening. Delta E. Then take us home.”
“E?” Gil asked.
“Ditch the bastards,” Jesse said.
Josh raised an eyebrow. He remembered Rick’s words just before they had tried to evade the motorbike. “And A?”
“Kill.”
Gil made a loud snort. “And B, C, and D?”
“Between dead and ditch,” Jesse said with a smile that made Josh shiver. Under the polite exterior Jesse was a killer and Josh had better not forget it.
Chapter 5
Thursday 24th November
“Morning Angel.”
Josh knew he’d be there as soon as he logged on. That’s why he’d worked for an hour using his notepad before he signed in. “Morning Charlie. Can’t sleep?”
“I slept just fine. Found him yet?”
Josh huffed at the screen and tapped out an impatient reply. “How the hell can I find him when no one is sharing information?”
“That’s why Dominic sent you. You’re not telling me you can’t do the job?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“That’s what I thought. You never let me down.”
Josh gave a wry smile at the screen. Charlie was always his cheerleader. He just hoped his faith wasn’t misplaced. They’d spent an entire day yesterday sifting through Michaels’ life and turned up zilch.
“Why aren’t you here?”
“Busy busy.”
“Oh fuck off!”
“Would Jill speak like that to her Charlie?”
Josh wanted to stab him because Charlie knew Jill Munroe was his favorite from the original series. “I hate you!”
“No, you don’t.”
No, but sometimes Josh skirted on the edges of it. They’d be good together. They both knew it, but Charlie wouldn’t make the first damn move. Josh changed the subject. “Jesse.”
“What about him?”
“Is he to be trusted?”
“Yes.”
He nodded at the screen. Charlie didn’t deal in shades of gray. If he trusted someone he said so unequivocally. “But he’s keeping secrets.”
“It’s his job. Focus on Michaels. He’s the one who’s important.”
“That’s what Dominic said. Oh God, you’re not him, are you?”
“You’ve asked that before.”
“And you didn’t answer.”
“I’m not Dominic.”
“That’s a relief!”
“Are you on your own?”
Josh blinked. Charlie had never asked that before. He usually had no compunction about getting him aroused in the middle of the office. He just assumed that Charlie always knew where Josh was. A frisson of excitement zinged along his nerves and headed south. “I’m alone.”
“What are you wearing?”
“A tux.”
“Ass!”
“Ya know it. I’m wearing the hotel robe and briefs.”
The robe was huge on him and his briefs had little pink hearts on them, but Josh wasn’t going to tell him that.
“I wish I could see.”
Did Josh catch an edge of wistfulness? “We could Skype.”
“Nice try!”
“I’ll never stop trying. I’ll get you one day, Charlie.”
“I know.”
And there it was. Finally. An acknowledgement that it was gonna happen. Charlie and his Angel. Josh’s cock perked up in anticipation. Okay, it’s corny, but he had to ask. “What are you wearing?”
“A suit. I’m in a meeting.”
Josh gaped at the screen. “You’re talking with me in the middle of a meeting???”
“One question mark is enough. And yes, the meeting is boring.”
Josh growled at Charlie’s grammar nazi moment and then something occurred to him. Great Big Flashing occurred to him!
“You’re in a meeting at”—Josh looked at the clock—“ten at night?”
“No.”
“You’re not in Seattle.”
“Well done. Not so blond after all.”
“Fuck off x2. You gonna tell me where you are?”
“No.”
Josh settled back in his chair, loosened the robe, and slid his hand over his flat stomach—he worked for those muscles—in lazy circles. “You could always come suck me, Charlie.”
“It’s tempting.”
“Me, lying back in the chair, you between my legs.”
“If anyone’s doing the kneeling it’ll be you.”
Josh chuckled at the alpha response. “I can do that. You’d like that? Me, naked, on my knees in front of you?”
“Oh yeah.”
“Hard. Cock tied up in leather.”
“You’ve got a kinky streak.”
“A mile wide, Charlie, don’t you forget it.”
“I never forget.”
“7 ½ inches.”
“6 ½ thick and curved,” Charlie corrected.
Josh snickered, because yeah, he had told Charlie his exact measurements. Not tha
t long but more than a handful. “You wanna hold it?”
“Hold it, suck it, cage it. Make it mine.”
“Possessive bastard.”
“Don’t you forget it!”
If only it were true. Josh’s dick felt like it was being strangled by his tight briefs. He pushed the elastic down, tucking it under his balls. He had a fleeting sympathy for Charlie, stuck in a meeting and unable to relieve himself. “If you told me where you are I could join you. Kneel under the table and suck you off. Imagine my mouth sliding down your meat.”
“You’re wicked.”
“Always.”
“Make yourself cum. Do it.”
“Yeah. Tell me what to do. Can’t jack off and type.”
He waited for instructions, his hand loosely wrapped around his dick. This was new, a next step for them. Two fucking years and it was the first cybersex they’d had. No wonder he’d got blue balls. There was a long pause and he thought for a moment Charlie had got scared off, or worse, busy in the meeting, but then…
“Take it slow.”
Josh could do that. It wasn’t him in a meeting. He tightened his grip and tugged his dick, once, twice. Slow, he could that. Would Charlie know if he lied?
“Slow down! Play with your nips.”
Josh gritted his teeth. Either there were cameras or Charlie knew him too fucking well. Probably both. Fine, he wanted a show? Josh would give him a show whether there were cameras here or not. He pushed the robe open more, sucked his finger and thumb, then slowly circled the areola and pinched the nipple.
“Wish it was me touching you!”
Ditto.
“Cup your balls and play with your hole.”
Jesus, it must be a really boring meeting. Josh lightly squeezed his balls and slid a finger to his hole. He contemplated getting up to fetch lube from the bathroom but he couldn’t be bothered.
Press one finger in.
It occurred to Josh that Charlie had no clue whether he was doing this or not. He sucked in his breath at the slight burn.
“Imagine it’s me.”
Josh leaned forward for a better angle and typed you only you
“Punctuation!”
“fuck punctuation”
“Going to have to wash your mouth out. With my cum.” Josh groaned at the image. “Next time you’re gonna have a dildo.”
“want your cock”
“Want to shove my cock right in, open you up, make you scream.”
He wanted to scream now at the sheer frustration. “gotta cum”
“You can last longer than this. I know you, Josh. You’re a tease.”
“two fucking years blue balls” Josh gasped as he replaced one finger with two. Yeah, okay, Charlie didn’t tell him to do that but Josh needed more than a walk in the park.
“Stop!”
Josh froze mid-thrust. Frozen in the fucking chair with two fingers in his ass.
“I give the orders.”
“gjrre ofedre bastafg”
So Josh couldn’t type when he was angry, horny and mid-fuck.
“Take your fingers out of your ass.”
Fingers. He knew. Josh gave himself one last thrust because what the hell and then he sat back in his chair, gasping as his channel clenched around nothing.
“Meeting over soon. Need you to cum before I leave. Long strokes.”
His cock was leaking and his balls were so tight he could’ve flicked a rubber band off them. Closing his eyes, Josh got down to business, breathing heavily as he jacked harder. It took mere minutes before he grunted in relief and spurts of come spattered the floor in front of him.
Josh managed a Done in case Charlie was waiting for an answer. He had visions of Charlie sitting alone in a conference room waiting for his reply.
“Good boy! Wish I could do the same.”
“Wish I could take care of it for you.” He typed the words slowly, his coordination shot to pieces.
“It will happen. Got to go, Angel.”
He didn’t bother typing a goodbye. The conversation was over. He shuffled slowly to the bathroom and took his second shower of the morning. As Josh washed off the sweat and come, he couldn’t help noticing the difference between being offered a tight butt and cybersex, even if it was one-sided, with Charlie. There was no comparison. His heart and soul, cynical as they were, lay with the man he’d never met.
Landry and Gil had nearly finished their breakfast by the time Josh arrived in the dining room of the hotel.
Landry raised an eyebrow as Josh slid carefully into the booth. “Late night?”
“Early morning.” Josh looked around for a waiter. He needed coffee and plenty of it.
“Here.” Gil poured a cup from his pot and waved at the waitress. Of course, he was successful and she fluttered under the warmth of his smile. “Hi…,” he checked out the name-tag pinned to her breast pocket. “Kora, coffee for three please and toast for my friend.”
She didn’t even bother to look at Josh as she asked, “White or brown?”
“Brown, please. Brown is always best.” Gil winked at her and she fluttered again before walking away.
“Only you could stare at her rack for that long and not get smacked in the face,” Landry said as he poured himself more coffee.
“I was looking at her name-tag,” Gil protested.
“Your nose gets longer every time you lie,” Josh said before swallowing the last of the dark brew and hoping she came back quickly with more.
“You mean my dick.”
Landry snorted into his cup. “No wonder you failed anatomy.” He batted away the corner of toast that Gil flung at him.
Josh stayed out of their bickering. He’d not had nearly enough coffee to join in. The boys settled down as the waitress returned. This time both Gil and Landry flirted with her, and Josh saw her looking between them and weighing up the possibility of a threesome. She’d be unlucky there. Landry was devoted to his girlfriend (she’d have his testicles flattened into a waffle iron), and he and Gil didn’t share their interests or their bed. Kora put the toast in front of Josh, poured the coffee, and handed Gil a paper napkin. He looked at the phone number and winked at her again before she got called away.
More interested in getting as much caffeine in him as he could, Josh ignored the byplay. Although, technically, CDR frowned upon assignations in the field, he didn’t have a problem with hook ups on their assignments if time allowed. It’s not like they were ever going to see them again. In reality having enough time to hook up during an assignment was rare.
Gil looked at his watch. “We gotta go. The car’ll be here in ten.”
“I’m ready,” Landry said, throwing his napkin on the table.
Josh drained the last of his coffee. “I’ve got to go back to the room.”
Gil folded the napkin from the waitress and slid it into his pocket. “We’ll see you out there.”
Feeling less zombie-like, Josh hurried back to his room. It took him a try or two to use his entry card, but before he put a foot in the door, he knew something was wrong. The room had been searched, albeit carefully. No one else would have noticed anything out of place but Josh, because he left the bed in a certain way every time.
He called Gil. “Check your room then get in here. And Landry’s.”
“On my way. Landry, come on.”
Josh disconnected the call then snapped on the pair of latex gloves he always kept in his pocket. A faint trace of grease told Josh they’d opened the room safe only to find it empty. Not that he was surprised. He’d have been shocked if there had been anything in it.
There was a sharp rap at the door. Two knocks, followed by another two. Primitive, but he knew it was Gil. Three knocks and it would have been Landry. Still, Josh cautiously looked through the spyglass to make sure it was them before he let them in.
“Ours have been tossed too,” Landry said as he stepped into the room.
Josh would have been surprised if they hadn’t. “Which means they’r
e watching us.”
Gil grunted, the sound coming from low in his throat. “But who are ‘they’?”
“Fuck knows,” Landry said. “The Feds? British spooks? Jesse? Whatever they’re looking for, did they find it?”
Josh texted a code to Dominic. It was the middle of the night in Seattle but he needed to know. He called immediately.
“What?”
Josh put him on loudspeaker. “We’ve been searched.”
“Anything taken?”
Josh looked at Gil who shook his head. “No. And they were neat.”
“Our side then.” He didn’t sound surprised.
“How many sides are there?”
“Leave it with me,” Dominic replied, although Josh noticed he didn’t answer the question.
“’Kay.” Josh disconnected the call and looked at the twins. “Let’s go.”
“Is that it?” Landry asked.
Josh grabbed his jacket and bag. “We’ve got a meeting with Michaels’ employer.”
Gil and Landry had an unspoken conversation over his head. Josh once asked Landry if they had that telepathic twin shit. Landry had laughed in his face. Josh waited for them to stop eye-rolling at each other and then Landry looked out of the room, checking both ways before they headed down the hallway. Landry and Gil towered over Josh as they waited in silence for the elevator to arrive. He had a lot to think about. He bullet-pointed them in his head.
Charlie
Who searched their rooms?
What were they looking for?
Jonathan Michaels – dead or alive?
Where’s the money gone? Has he been framed?
Jesse – friend or foe?
Josh didn’t care what Dominic or Charlie said. He didn’t know Jesse or his agency.
“This is all bullshit,” Gil said as the elevator doors closed.
“What is?” Landry asked.
“This whole set-up.” Gil looked at Josh. “What the fuck is this all about? We’re supposed to find a man who disappeared weeks ago with millions of pounds, and they get a ransom demand after three weeks? That’s bullshit too. We’re bodyguards, not the fucking FBI.”
“They’ve got us here for a reason, which means Dominic’s involved and he’s not giving us the intel,” Josh said and the twins nodded in agreement. Josh’s smile was grim. “Let’s find out what it is.”