“What did you talk about when you were here with him?”
Colby let out a sound that was between a laugh and a sob as he stared at Jaden, “How did you know????”
Jaden stepped towards him as he smiled, “Just tell me babe,” he whispered as he reached out to Colby’s hand and began pulling him towards the mattress.
Colby had a flicker of panic as he wondered what might be hiding inside a sleeping bag that had been abandoned for over five years. But then he looked into Jaden’s eyes, felt the love in them wash over him like a wave, and he didn’t give a fuck about squirrels or anything else – all he cared about was Jaden, his Jaden.
Jaden’s knees bent as he dropped down to the mattress and for a moment Colby just stood there staring down at him, his hand still clasped in Jaden’s. Jaden appeared to be waiting for something and then it hit him; he was waiting for Colby to join him, but not just down on that mattress. By dropping down onto that mattress, onto that sacred place that had belonged to just him and Wes, Colby wouldn’t be pushing his memories of Wes to the side never to be forgotten. No. He’d be incorporating them into new memories that he would share with Jaden as they began their journey together. By accepting Jaden into his heart and loving him, Colby wasn’t forgetting what he had with Wes, he was embracing it for the beautiful journey that it was, a journey that taught him the amazing joy of loving someone else. A joy that he could now be free to share with someone new.
He dropped to his knees in front of Jaden and wrapped him so tight in his embrace that they could both barely breathe. He pressed his lips onto Jaden’s neck as the tears flowed from his eyes, “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” he whispered.
It took him a few moments to realize that Jaden’s hands were fisted in the back of Colby’s shirt and his body was shaking as he silently cried.
“Tell me,” he whispered into Jaden’s hair.
“I’m scared.”
“I’m not going anywhere, Jaden, I promise.”
Jaden fell onto his back on the mattress, his arm over his eyes and a surprisingly small amount of dust rising up when he landed. And, thankfully, no furry critters came running out.
Colby lay down next to him, pulled his arm from his eyes and laid it on his chest and then turned Jaden’s head until he was forced to look at him. “Tell me,” he said again.
“I, I haven’t been painting bridges this entire time, Colby.”
Colby’s fingers brushed Jaden’s hair off of his forehead as he patiently waited.
“I enlisted right out of high school. Being around my folks was so hard, I felt invisible all the time. It was as if when Wes died they ceased to be parents, they were just the two adults who lived in the same house that I did. We didn’t celebrate Christmas, didn’t celebrate birthdays, nobody ever freaking smiled. I remember laughing at something on a TV show once and my Dad sent me to my room.”
“Jade”
“No, let me finish. I need to do this Colby. I have to tell you, I should’ve told you earlier and I’m so sorry I didn’t. So, I enlisted but I never became what you would think of as a normal soldier.”
“No?”
Jaden shook his head, “No. Halfway through basic training, there were some things about me that, um, got noticed by others.”
“Like?”
“Things like I didn’t really give a shit what happened to me, that I didn’t get along well with others and my talent with sharp objects.”
“Sharp object?”
“Knives, razor blades, broken glass, doesn’t matter. If it’s sharp, I can be deadly accurate with it.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah, so because I wasn’t very socially acceptable, my CO’s words, not mine, he placed me on a very specific team, a unique team, called the LOAs. It stood for League of Angels. We were angels of death, Colby. Killers. Assassins. Somewhat legal hired hitmen. We would be sent out alone on missions in the middle of the night to take out certain targets. Some of us were sharpshooters, some were close-range gun assassins and then there was me, a guy who could slit a man’s throat and be back out into the night before the man even realized he was dead.”
“Jade”
Jaden ignored Colby and continued on, “I did this for four years, racked up more kills that would make anyone tremble and towards the end, even Justice knew something was wrong with me because I had shut down completely. I became the robot that my parents had been for years. I never felt happy, sad, angry, hurt, excited, hell, even when I jerked off I didn’t give a shit if I came or not, I just did it, well, just because.”
“Jade.”
Jaden’s gaze was out the window as he continued on, seemingly oblivious that Colby was still in the room.
“I walked into my CO’s office to sign my re-up papers and I just flipped. I said to him, “Fuck you, fuck your Navy, fuck your missions, fuck the team, fuck all of you, I’m out,” and then I just walked out the door. I didn’t wait for my discharge papers, I didn’t wait for my separation ceremony, I just fucking left. Justice tried to call, Kelly was out on a mission but I’m sure he tried after he got back but I didn’t answer. I couldn’t talk to them, I just couldn’t, because they reminded me of who I was when I was with them and I didn’t want to be that person anymore.”
“Jade,” Colby whispered as he reached for Jaden’s chin and turned his head back.
Tears shimmered in his eyes and his lip quivered when he looked at Colby.
“I love you, Jaden Payne. I love YOU, all of you, including all these broken pieces that you hide deep inside.”
The tears overflowed the dams of Jaden’s eyelids as he finally let go and collapsed into Colby’s loving arms.
Thirty-Five
“All jewelry and cell phones on the table,” Campbell said to Row and the two other men in the room. He saw the other man standing behind them with a wand but he wasn’t worried about that, he knew that the tech guys back in the van had his back and would turn off the cameras and tracking devices that were hidden in various items. But, if he was told to leave everything there, that might be an issue.
Campbell nodded at the man with the wand and he stepped forward and waved it over the pile on the table.
Nothing beeped or triggered any sort of alarm.
Then the man stepped up to the Neanderthal to Row’s left. He waved the wand up and down the front of the man’s body and then, with a teeth-missing grin, he reached forward and cupped the man’s junk.
The man glared, “Feel something you like?” he growled.
Toothless, as Row had decided to nickname him because, well, it fit, nodded at glaring dude and stepped around behind him. The wand made its way up and down his back and then toothless slid his hand down the back of glaring’s pants.
“Dude, what the fuck?” glaring guy said as he jumped.
I’ve got to make sure you’re not hiding something in here.”
Glaring guy yelped, “In my ass? What the fuck would I be hiding in my ass?”
“You’d be surprised,” Campbell said. Montero, move on.
Toothless, or Montero, mumbled, “Pity,” as he pulled his hand back out. Then it was Row’s turn. Montero lifted Row’s hand, “Off,” he said as he glanced at the large ring.
“Fuck you. I don’t take off my grandfather’s naval academy ring for anyone, not anyone,” he said as his eyes shifted to Campbell.
Montero looked back at Campbell and waited for his response.
After a few tense seconds, Campbell dipped his head and said, “Scan it.”
Back in the surveillance van, King let out a deep breath. That ring was one of the two items still left on Row’s body that had a tracking device in it.
“Good call on throwing a grandpa in there. Your boy is doing good,” Brent said with a pat on King’s shoulder.
King’s fists were clasped in front of his mouth, his thumbnail flicking over his front tooth while his leg bounced incessantly.
He watched as the toothless guy waved his wand in fr
ont of Row’s body but when he reached out towards Row’s junk, Row cupped himself, glared at the guy and said, “Not without dinner and a movie first”
Toothless looked back at Campbell and waited.
After what felt like an eternity to King, Campbell dipped his head. Toothless let out a frustrated huff then moved behind Row. When, after waving the wand over Row’s backside, he moved on to the man to Row’s right, the guy to his left said, “Hey, how come he doesn’t have to get his asshole probed like I did?”
“Maybe he knew how much you’d like it,” Row mumbled with a smirk.
“I ain’t no goddamn faggot!” the guy yelled as he bumped Row’s shoulder.
Row opened his mouth to say something but Campbell beat him to it, “Says the guy who was buried balls deep in Rooster’s ass just last night.”
The guy blushed a deep scarlet, “That’s different,” he mumbled.
Row’s smirk got bigger while Campbell crossed his arms over his chest and lifted one eyebrow, “And how is it different?”
“It was a demonstration scene,” he mumbled.
“So? You do them with Rooster all the time.”
“I know but…..”
“But what?”
Denial-dude, as Row now thought of him, threw his arms in the air, “Rooster, he, he gets me, okay? He knows what those edging scenes do to me, he knows how crazy they make me. He brought me to the brink of orgasm fifty times last night! Fifty-fucking-times! I know because he made me count! Do you know what that feels like? Do you know how crazy that can make a guy, how hard and painful his dick can feel? He knew the only way I’d find the relief that I needed would be with my dick buried in his tight, throbbing hole.” A shiver racked denial-dude’s body and he reached down to press his dick.
He froze when he caught Row smirking at him and dropped his hands, “Fucking fag,” he mumbled.
“And damn proud of it,” Row said.
Denial-dude whined at Campbell, “Do I really have to work with this, this, guy? He’s going to try to get in my pants.”
Row barked out a laugh, “Even if you were the last dick on earth I wouldn’t touch you. The closet is so not my thing.”
Toothless finished checking the guy to Row’s right and then Campbell held out blindfolds.
“Do we get our stuff back?” Denial-dude said.
“When we come back, it will all be here,” Campbell said.
“And when will that be?”
“That depends on how efficient the three of you are. Could be tonight, could be three nights from now.”
“What? I’ve got another scene scheduled for tomorrow night! What’s gonna happen if I can’t make it?”
“Then Rooster will just have to work with a different partner.”
Denial-dude puffed up his chest and clenched his fist, “That is not happening,” he growled.
“Why? You don’t want your boyfriend touching someone else?” Row said.
“He is not my boyfriend,” Denial-dude mumbled.
Apparently, Row had reached his limit. He turned towards denial dude, “If he’s smart he’s not. I don’t know who this Rooster guy is but he deserves someone who will acknowledge him, someone who will be proud to stand next to him. He deserves someone a hell of a lot better than you!”
Denial-dude’s fists flexed and for a few tense moments Row thought, hoped even, the guy might take a swing at him. But then he blew out a breath from his flared nostrils and turned away.
“Are we going to have a problem here?” Campbell said.
Row watched as denial-dude shook his head and through clenched teeth he muttered, “No, no problem.”
“Good. Because I need calm, people. Calm. These kids are going to be frightened. Your job as you unload them off the truck is to reassure them that everything will be okay as you get them to their rooms.”
Row’s head whipped around, “Wait, they’re coming in now? Today?”
“Yes, is that a problem, soldier?”
Row’s jaw clenched, “No. I just thought we were getting the site ready. I didn’t realize they were going to be arriving today.”
**********
“Motherfucker,” JD said in the van as he pulled his cell phone from his pocket.
“I’ve got this,” Justice said.
JD glared at him, “You are NOT going in by yourself, Justice.”
Justice crossed thick arms over his chest with a look that could only be interpreted as ‘try me.’
Whoever JD was calling answered the call. “Hang on,” he said and then he barked at Justice, “Take Brent and King with you. Get set up once you know where they’re going but do not engage until backup arrives.”
With a swoosh from his long black leather coat, Justice turned towards the door. He slid his arm around Garrett’s back and pulled the man in for a deep kiss. Once he released him he said, “I’ll be back soon for my post-Op victory fuck. Be ready, baby.”
“You know I will be. Don’t die on me, J.”
“Never.”
With that, he threw open the back door and jumped down to the ground, his huge, black steel-toed boots kicking up a cloud of dust in his wake.
He, Brent and King climbed into Brent’s Charger. Brent fired it up and then dialed Billy from the large screen in the dash, “Are they on the move yet?”
“Affirmative. Head south,” he said.
The adrenaline surge from all three men was thick enough to practically see.
“You with me, King?” Brent said as he looked in his rearview mirror at the man in the backseat.
“Yeah, I’m good,” he mumbled.
Justice looked between the two men, his brows furrowed in confusion.
“Row is his boyfriend,” Brent told him.
Justice’s eyebrows shot up, “I’m not sure I like that.”
King’s head snapped around to glare at him, “Yeah? Well, too bad. I’m staying.”
Justice pointed a long finger at him, “Fine. But if you fuck this up for us, I’m coming after you.”
“If I fuck this up, I WANT you to come after me.”
Now that was something that Justice respected. He dipped his chin in a nod and turned back to face the front.
Thirty-Six
Jaden had stopped crying a while ago but his head was still buried in Colby’s chest. “What did you two talk about when you were here?” he whispered.
Colby’s caressing fingers faltered for a moment before restarting on Jaden’s back. His eyes glanced around the room and for the first time he saw it with……hope. When he’d looked at the room before when he held Wes in his arms and they talked about what they hoped their future would be, it always had this overwhelming sadness that clouded it, as if deep in their hearts they both knew that none of it would really happen.
With Jaden it felt different. For the first time in his life he felt like he could talk about the future and maybe, just maybe, it might actually happen.
“We talked about buying this place, fixing it up, living here, getting a dog, putting up a white picket fence, things like that. We both knew it was never gonna happen, though.”
“Why?”
Colby shrugged, “Don’t know. I think we both somehow knew that the two of us were never meant to be.”
“And what do you feel now, Colby French?”
Colby looked into Jaden’s eyes, “I feel like I could take on the entire fucking world, and win.”
Jaden smiled, “Me too. Do you, um, do you want all that stuff for us?” he said with a blush.
Colby reached over to cup Jaden’s cheek, running his thumb back and forth under his long eyelashes, “I want all of that and more, Jade.”
He pressed his lips to Jaden’s and for a moment they were both lost to the kiss. When they pulled apart to breathe, Jaden said, “It’s sad that this place is still empty. I wonder why nobody bought it.”
“Somebody did.”
“Really?” he said and then he frowned as he looked around, “But, but
why wouldn’t they fix it up? This place has so much character. I can totally see how beautiful it would be with fresh floors, new paint on the outside, some chickens running around, maybe some goats too. It could be so peaceful.”
Colby smiled, “It could be. Want to help me?”
Jaden frowned, “Help you what?”
“Fix it up.”
“Wait, you mean, you own it?”
“I do.”
“But why haven’t you done anything with it?”
“Because it hurt too much to come back here. The memories were too painful.”
“And now?” Jaden whispered.
“Now I have new memories and they’re beautiful.”
Their lips came together for a moment in one of those kisses that could turn molten or it could just as easily be a slow-burn to nothing more than this. It wasn’t until Jaden sighed and pulled his lips away that Colby knew there was too much on the man’s mind for things to heat up right now.
“I need to deal with the Navy, Colby. I don’t know what happened when I left. Yeah, my time was up but I just fucking bolted. I don’t know if they’ve got me listed as AWOL or what.”
“And we will, Jade,” he said, pressing his thumb to Jaden’s lips when they started to open, “Yes, we, babe. My heart is in here now, Jade,” he said as he pressed his palm to Jaden’s chest, “Whatever you feel in here, whether it’s happy or sad or anxious or frightened or pissed, I feel it too. I’m here for whatever life brings to both of us. We’ll find you the best representation and we’ll deal with this shit head on, okay?”
“Okay,” Jaden whispered with a nod as he leaned in closer. “Colby?” he whispered.
“Yeah?”
“What if I want to feel turned on….like right now?”
A huge grin broke out on Colby’s face, “Then I’m here for you, always,” he said as he leaned in to press their lips together.
This time there was no doubt about where this kiss was going to lead.
Thirty-Seven
“Double back,” Billy’s voice said through the speakers in the car.
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