Keeganturned to look at his back. Scars fromcigar burns ranacross the top of his buttocks. No amount ofplastic surgeryhad gottenrid ofallthe evidence. Keegantook a deep breathand closed his eyes. He repeated his mantra over and over inhis head. I can do this.
Lookingat the time, he realized he was late to visit his mother. Keira Ripleycould be vicious whenshe wanted to be and very protective. He hadn’t told her where he was goingand she knew better thanto ask. As the wife ofanFBI agent, his mother had known not to ask too manyquestions. Whenhis father had gottensick, Keeganhad worked overtime tryingto paythe medicalbills.
Sadly, KeiranRipleydied ofprostate cancer whenKeeganwas just graduatingfrom the academy. Right after that he’d come out to his mom, who smiled and said she’d known. Ofcourse, he’d never brought a girlhome; Spence had beenthe onlyone who had knownhe was gayfromdayone.
Trevor Spence, his best friend and partner since the academy. Keeganclosed his eyes and sighed. He’d beenforced to watch as theykilled Spence right infront ofhim. They’d talked about what would happenif either one ofthemwas captured, but it didn’t help knowingthat ifhe’d just opened his mouth… Keeganshook his head clear. It wouldn’t have helped; not onlywould they have killed Spence anyway, he’d be dead as well.
Keeganmade his wayinto his room and grabbed his clothing. The picture ofhim and Spence was onthe wallright above his dresser.
“You’d be laughingyour ass offright now, Spence. Theyare sendingme after my crush.”Keegansmiled and took the picture down. “I miss you, man.”
Keeganput the picture back and sat onthe bed. Lookingaround his room, he lie back onthe bed and stared at the ceiling. Growingup KeeganRipleyhadn’t beeneasy. For starters, he had stuttered whenhe was younger. Badly. He’d learned to controlit over the years but whenhe was nervous it came out witha vengeance. Whichbrought up another one ofhis … quirks:Whenever he got nervous or scared he got a boner. It really hadn’t helped inschool. At all. Despite allthat, he had managed to finishcollege injust a few years and started onhis FBI career at a younger age thanmost future agents. The academyhad beenrough, but Spence had befriended himright away. Quirks and all. His ringingcellphone brought himout ofhis thoughts and he looked at the caller ID witha smile.
“Mom, I’mjust gettingdressed.” “Well, hurryup. Lunchis getting cold.”
“Yousound stuffy, Mom, what’s goingon? Did youtake your medication?”
“The insurance companywon’t cover it anymore, says it’s experimental.”Keira sighed infrustration.
“Goddammit!”Keeganrana hand throughhis hair. “I’llfigure somethingout Mom, I promise.”
“Keegan, youare not supposed to be takingcare ofme.”
“Tough. Did the super fixthe air?”
“No.”Keira checked the thermostat. “I think it’s cooler outside.”
“Allright, I’llbe there soon, okay? Put some ice onyour head.”
“What do youthink I’mdoing?” ~~
Keeganparked his car inthe parking garage and made his wayup to his mom’s unit. The apartment buildingwas fallingapart, and as manytimes as he told his mother to move inwithhim, she’d refused. He stopped at the super’s door and knocked. He heard the TV oninthe background.
“I know you’re inthere, Mr. Williams. The air is offagaininthe building.”Keegan listened for footsteps and heard silence. Dammit, the manwas always avoidinghim. He growled infrustrationand took the last flight of stairs to his mom’s unit. Keeganunlocked the door and immediatelybeganto sweat.
“Okay, that’s it. While I’mgone you are stayingat myplace, Mom. This is ridiculous!”
Keira poked her head out fromthe kitchen. “Come on, I got the freezer openin here.”
“Mom, Jesus.”Keegansighed and sat downat the table. “I’mserious, Mom. While I’mgone youare stayingat myplace.”
Keira sat downand took her son’s face inher hands. “Youare so sweet, Keegan.”Keira looked at her son’s beautiful face. “Whydon’t youhave a man, honey?”
Keeganblushed, lookingdownat his plate. “Mom…”
“Ohcome on! Youare beautiful, Keegan.”
“I’mscarred, Mom,”Keegan whispered.
“Whenthe right mancomes along, he won’t care. Youare beautifulinside and out. Look at the kind ofmanyouare. Youtook care ofyour dad’s medicalbills, and now you take care ofmine. Youare a good man, KeeganRipley.”
Keegansat back and sighed. “I stutter, I get spontaneous boners and I’m scarred for life, Mom. Oooh, what a catchI am!”Keegansaid, sippinghis water.
Keira smacked her son’s head. “Stop that! The boner thingcould be good.”
Keeganspit out his water. “Mom!”
“Well? It’s true.”
Theysat and ate lunch, his mother talkingofher stuck-up friend who lived ina richneighborhood. Ofcourse her friend had married for money, not for love. Keeganknew his parents loved eachother; youonlyhad to see themtogether. It had beenhard whenhis father died. The medicalbills piled up and he’d tried to take care ofeverything. Now his mother was sick. He couldn’t lose her, too. Whenthis assignment came along, Keegan jumped onit. The moneyhe’d make would cover themfor a long time. He was startled out ofhis thoughts byhis mother.
“I saw this youngmanat the super store the other day… he might be the one for you.”
“Oh, Lord, I need to get going,” Keegansmiled, rollinghis eyes. “Go to my apartment! Got it?”
“Yes, sir!”Keira smiled and hugged her son. “I don’t know where you’re goingor what you’re doing, but please be safe, Keegan. Youare allI have left inthis world.”
The urge to tellhis mother where he was goingwas strong. Keeganclosed his eyes and lied. “It’s nothingdangerous, Mom. I’llbe home before youknow it.”
“I love you, Keegan. Be safe.”
“I will.”
~~
Keeganlooked over the file onVince Markovonthe flight to Rio. He knew everythingthere was to know, but it never hurt to double check. Vince Markov, fortythree, sixfoot two, two hundred thirtypounds of solid muscle. One child, NikolaiMarkov. Married to AndreiPanchenko for twenty-one years, divorced a year and a halfago. Keegan flipped throughthe pages. He remembered the exact dayhe’d found out Vince was married. He’d gone to a bar withSpence and gotten drunk offhis ass. He’d also gone home witha seventeen-year-old, whomhe’d thought was twenty-one. He’d turned himselfinright away. Thankfully, the kid had done it before and the parents hadn’t pressed charges. He had learned his lesson, though, and hadn’t gotten that drunk again.
Keegansighed, sittingback and recliningthe seat. His life was boring. The most excitement he’d had was throughhis friends. Keegansmiled at the thought of Mateo, Josh, Samand Troy. The guys had givenhimshit over the years, but he knew it was allinfun. They’d hurt anyone who messed withhim. He’d witnessed that more thanonce, withJoshMontgomerybeingthe most vocal. He’d met the husbands, which had beena laughriot. Mark Montgomerywas absolutelyenchanting; no wonder Joshhad caved so fast. And Riley? OhLord, the guy was so sweet and cute he gave youcavities. Dakota and Sawyer were a little different, bothbeautiful, but theyseemed a bit more… masculine.
Keegangiggled and thenlooked around to make sure no one had heard him. He hid his face inthe folder, lookingat the eight bytenglossyofVince Markov. The man could have beena modelhad he not turned into a monster at seventeen. That had all changed at about the age ofnineteen; Vince didn’t stop killingpeople, he just focused on killingbad men. DamonSantorno had taken care ofVince fromthe age offifteen. Training the teenager, he made himinto anefficient killingmachine. Vince had alreadybeen trained byhis father up to that point. Taught to turnpainoff, Vince was the perfect assassin. No pain, no mercy, nothing. Keeganlooked up as the fastenseat belt signcame on. He lie back inthe seat and closed his eyes. I can do this….
Chapter Two
Vince sighed infrustration. The club was packed to the damnrafters and he was bored offhis ass. No one was catchinghis eye tonight. Sippinghis beer, his eyes travelled the crowded club
lookingfor just the right guyto fuck. He wasn’t inthe mood for a woman tonight; infact he hadn’t beenwitha womanin over twentyyears.
Half-dressed menshakingtheir asses lined the floor and walls and Vince leaned back inhis chair eyeingthem. It was no use; his dick wasn’t risingto the occasionfor any ofthem. He finished his beer and made his wayover to the bar, passingthrougha sea of people onhis way. At forty-three he still looked thirty, whichalways worked inhis favor.
Halfwaythroughthe fleshparade, his eyes fellonone manat the bar. Vince swore his mouthwas hangingopen. How could he have missed this fine morselofman? The guy was leaningagainst the bar, wearingtight Levi’s withanequallytight black V-neck shirt. Vince’s eyes roamed over the man’s body; he was built, but not too big. And his face Vince had to take another look. MyGod, the manwas breathtaking. Vince felt movement in his pants the closer he got.
He made his wayto the bar and leaned over, lookingat the bartender and wavinghis emptybeer bottle. The cologne the manwas wearingcaught his attentionright away; it smelled fantastic. A sideways glance gave hima perfect profile shot:strongjaw, beautiful, plump, juicylips and high
cheekbones. The man’s skinwas flawless and it looked so soft. Damn, he wanted to touchit. The bartender came back withhis beer and Vince pulled his classic move. He leaned over to grab it, allwhile rubbingagainst the man next to him.
“Oh, excuse me.”Vince moved over a bit.
“No problem.”
Vince contained the gasp that was risingas the man’s eyes fellonhis. Jesus. The club lights passed over the man’s face and Vince got a good look. Green-greyeyes were lookingat him. The man’s black hair was styled, gelled for sure, spikingup slightlyinthe front. Vince put his hand out. “I’mVince.”
Keeganlooked at the offered hand, thenback at the dance floor. “Keegan, I’m not interested.”
Vince almost fellover fromthe shock. “Excuse me?”
Keeganturned to face Vince head on. “I said I’mnot interested. Now, ifyou’ll excuse me.”
Vince watched as the man, Keegan, left. To sayhe was surprised was an
understatement. Inallhis years he’d never heard anyone say“I’mnot interested.”
It took hima few seconds to come out ofhis shocked state, and thenhe ranafter the man. He could see the black hair moving throughthe crowd, but the club was so damn packed he couldn’t get to him.
Bythe time Vince made it outside the club, Keeganwas gone. Vince cursed, looking bothways downthe busystreet. Hailinga cab, Vince directed the driver to take him back to the Copacabana Hotel. Watchingthe lights ofRio go by, Vince thought about what had just happened. Was he losingit? Was his age finallyshowing? Vince shook his head clear. Hellno, menand womenstillchecked himout ona dailybasis. What the hellwas goingon?
As soonas he got to his roomhe called Andrei. The phone ranga few times before his ex-husband’s voice came over the line.
“Vince, what is wrong?”Andreisat up inbed.
“I’mstillsexy, right? Youstillfind me attractive?”
Andreisighed and lie back inbed. “What is this about, Vince?”
“I was at Cine Ideal and I hit ona guy.”Vince closed his eyes and blurted it out. “He said he wasn’t interested.”
Andreisat up inbed again. “What?”
“That’s what I said!”Vince blew out a sighoffrustration. “AmI losingit?”
Andreichuckled softly. “No Vince, youare as sexyas youhave ever been, even more so withage.”Andreirana hand through his hair. “Was he blinded bythe club lights?”
Vince chuckled. “That’s sweet, babe, but no.”
Andreibit his lip inconcentration. “Youshould go back to the club tomorrow; perhaps he was havinga bad night?”
“I don’t think so, but I amgoing back.”Vince sat downonthe bed and looked around the hotelroom. “Yousure I stillgot it?”
Andreismiled into the phone. “Vince, youare one hellofa gorgeous man. Youare used to beingpursued; for once a manis makingyoupursue him.”
“I don’t chase men, or womenfor that matter. Youthink that’s what this is about? He figured me out, just bylookingat me?”
“I would think so. Youare one gorgeous man, Vince Markov.”
Vince lie back onthe bed, and stared at the ceiling. “Youhave to saythat, you’re myex.”
“No, I don’t have to saythat because I’myour ex. It is the truthnonetheless.” “Thanks, Andrei.”
“Mypleasure. Goodnight, Vince.” “Night, Andrei.”
~~ Keeganbarelymade it back to the hotel. His legs were wobblyand his heart rate was throughthe roof. It had takenevery ounce ofcontrolhe’d had not to take Vince Markovonthe floor ofthe club. After years of watchingand listening, he had knownwhat would grab Vince’s attentionfromthe get go. The word ‘no.’ It had worked like a charm; in fact, he almost hadn’t made it out ofthe club intime. He was two floors up fromVince at the Copacabana and had watched Vince come back to the hotel. The manlooked confused as fuck, and Keeganhad to smile at that. He also felt giddy; Vince Markovhad hit onhim.
He’d arrived right at openingtime and seated himselfat the bar where he had a view ofeveryone enteringit. WhenVince had come intwo hours later, he’d seenhimright away. Youcouldn’t miss Vince Markovifyoutried.
At sixfoot two, the mancommanded attention. He could have beena model- with thick black hair and eyes dark as night, he oozed sex. His face was one ofbeautyand Keeganhad always beenentranced byhim. Keeganflopped downonthe king-sized bed and let out a loud sigh. He’d made contact, and animpression. He would spend the next two days reelingVince in. James Pruitt had made sure his identitywas kept secret. He was stillKeeganRipley, but aninvestment banker, not anagent for the FBI.
Keeganpeeled his pants offand lie back inbed. He’d beeninches fromVince; he could stillsmellthe man’s cologne. Keegan sighed heavilyand tried to sleep, he knew it wouldn’t come anytime soon. His bodywas buzzing.
He looked at the trackingbracelet on his wrist and smiled. Josh, Mateo, Samand Troyhad ordered himto wear it. As friends go, he couldn’t ask for anybetter. It was cute how theywere so protective. It wasn’t as ifhe couldn’t take care ofhimself, he’d put a lot of muscle onover the last year gettingreadyfor the assignment. Keeganlooked at the time and forced his eyes closed. The hard part ofhis job was done, he’d gottennoticed.
The next part was goingto be even harder. Not fallingfor Vince Markov. ~~ Vince woke up to the damnalarm buzzingat him. He threw it offthe table and made a mentalnote ofhow muchhe already owed the hotel. Last night’s rejectionhad hit himhard and he’d brokena few things. Vince sighed and dragged his ass out ofbed.
Standinginthe shower, he closed his eyes and thought ofthe manfromthe club. Keegan. Who the hellnamed their kid Keegan? Vince shook his head and washed his hair. Whywas this botheringhimso much? Because the guyhad turned himdown, that’s why. Inallhis years, he’d never, ever, heard the word no.
Vince stroked his cock and thought about Keegan’s body, his face. He was hard inseconds flat, and strokinghis nine inchdick withpurpose. He came allover the shower tiles, alongwithsome other places. Damn. Vince dried offand called Nikolai. This was reallybugginghim. Nikolaipicked up onthe fourthring, and he sounded groggy.
“Hey, Pops.”
“What’s wrongwithyou?”
“Jet lagged. How are you? See
Nardozziyet?”
“No, I have to go out todayand be seen.”Vince fellonto the bed witha heavy sigh.
“What’s wrong, Dad. Yousound… pissed? Frustrated? Horny?”Nikolaiasked.
Vince chuckled. “Allofthe above. I got turned downlast night at the club.”Vince could hear noises onthe other end ofthe phone. “Nik? What are youdoing?”
“Pullingout mygun, the zombie apocalypse is coming.”
“What?”Vince sat up onthe bed.
“The end ofthe world is at hand. My father was turned down. This is not normal.”
Vince laughed into the phone; Nik always knew how to make himlaugh. “Very funny. How’s Seatt
le?”
“So far, so good. I’mat a hotelfor now. I’llgo get Wyatt later.”
“Youneed anymoney?”
“Ha, ha, veryfunny, Pops. Between youand Dad, I have plentyofcash. I look like a pimp, or a reallyfrustrated hornyguygetting readyto go to a strip club.”
“Yeah? Take a picture and buya fedora.”
“Look, don’t sweat this, Dad. There’s no waythis guywasn’t attracted to you. It’s just not possible. I meanlook at us!”Nikolai cracked up.
“We are ruggedlyhandsome,”Vince snickered.
“We are just too damnsexy.”Nikolai looked inthe mirror, runninghis hand through his hair.
Vince laughed and shook his head. “Allright, pimp, I have to go be seen. Take care and callme soon.”
“Yup, watchyour back, Dad. Put Nardozzidownand soon.”
“Youbet, love you.”
“Love you, too.”
~~ Vince spent the daybeingseen. Spendingwildlyand makingsure he was seen at everyshop and restaurant. It was actually exhaustingand he contemplated stayinginuntil he remembered he’d beenshot down. Bya guynamed Keegan. Vince shook his head and smiled, he couldn’t get over the name. How old was the guyanyway? Twenty-four at the most?
He’d beenso preoccupied about the guy; he hadn’t realized he’d walked right into someone onthe sidewalk.
“What the fuck?”Vince growled, lookingup. His breathcaught inhis throat. Keeganwas scowlingat him, withcoffee all over the front ofhis shirt.
“ You raninto me, not the other way around.”Keeganscowled.
“Ohshit, um; let me buyyoua new shirt,”Vince said.
“Don’t bother.”Keeganwaved his hand inthe air and dropped the now empty cup inthe trashcan. “I need to stop drinking coffee anyway, it’s after noon.”
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