Flawed Justice

by Tibby Armstrong

  Grip spasming Lawson growled. “I’m going to kill that motherfucker.”

  “Not if I get to him first.” Head on Lawson’s shoulder, Matt pictured all of the terrible ways he could lay Ram low, Lawson by his side. “I’ve never hated anyone this much.”

  They were both quiet for a minute. Matt drank in Lawson’s strength and heat, knowing there were parts of the story he had yet to relate, needing every ounce of will he possessed to face telling them to the man next to him.

  “I’m assuming they were separated?” Lawson spoke first. “Ezran and Garet?”

  “No.” Matt whispered. Voicing the truth aloud made it too real. “They stabbed Garet in front of Ezran… But Ezran wouldn’t say more. Nobody has been able to get him to say anything other than that he’s fine.”

  Lawson swallowed. “And Noah. Has anyone…?”

  “His mom told him only what he needed to know this morning… And he said that you need your ass kicked for going off like that—and he’ll kill anyone who tries, because he owes you for saving Ezran.”

  Lawson huffed, a self-conscious sound. “So, how did Doc come to find your brother?”

  “He only said that he’d noticed the trash open, knew it was going to rain, so went to close it on his way into the club. The security light came on and he saw Garet…” Matt swallowed down bile. “He saw Garet inside.”

  Minutes went by, during which Lawson didn’t speak, only moved his knuckles up and down Matt’s arm. Matt didn’t press him. When he’d found all of this out, he’d had to lock himself in a bathroom stall for twenty minutes to get his breathing under control.

  “You okay?” Matt asked after a while.

  “I will be. Eventually.” Lawson kissed the top of his head, lips lingering. “You?”

  “I don’t know. Yes. No?” Matt frowned, unable to parse his feelings. “I’m alright as long as I’m with you.”

  “Thank you.” Hearing the tiredness in Lawson’s voice, Matt knew he’d need to rest soon, but selfishly he wanted just a few more minutes with him awake.

  Breakfast wouldn’t be served until eight, which would give him a few hours of rest. The doctor had said if Lawson continued to do well he might be released as soon as the following day.

  “I want to train and fight more. Not just for Garet’s college tuition, but to build a security fence around The Asylum.” Voice quiet, he mused on the fantasy that had grown in proportion to his fear last night. “I want it to be a fucking fortress.”

  Lawson’s hand stilled. “You know you can’t lock yourself away from the world?”

  “I know.” Nodding, Matt rolled a little so he could gaze up at the grid-pattern made by the evenly spaced ceiling tiles. “I just want to know that when we’re all there, only the people we want inside can get in.”

  “Hm.” Swallowing, Lawson reached for his water, took a sip and placed the cup back down on the elevated bedside table. “That’s one of the many reasons Noah and I decided to name it The Asylum. It’s a refuge, a place to be who we are, to teach each other and challenge each other, and it’s…”

  “A fucking madhouse?” Matt finished for him, breathing out a laugh.

  “Definitely that.” Shifting, Lawson brought his hand up to run through Matt’s hair. “I wish I could always protect you, but you’re right. You’re a grown man capable of making your own decisions. No matter what’s between us I don’t want to take that away from you. I’ll back whatever you want to do to keep yourself and Garet safe.”

  Laying his palm over Lawson’s heart, Matt curled his fingers. “You’re the safest I’ve ever felt. With anyone. The way we are together, I don’t want anything to change.”

  He brought their conversation full circle, needing Lawson to understand he wasn’t going anywhere. That a thousand Rams and Vincents couldn’t drag him away from him.

  “I’m glad.” Lawson’s hand trailed over Matt’s waist, down to his hip and back up. “Because I’d give anything to make sure that was true.”

  Matt fell silent, listening to Lawson’s breaths even out as he fell asleep. Doc came in, peered through the curtains at Lawson and met Matt’s eyes. Gave him an approving nod and retreated as silently as he’d come.

  “I love you, Law.” Matt whispered, not wanting to wake him, but needing to taste the words on his tongue as he said them out loud.

  Lawson shifted, tightening his arm. “Love you, too.”

  Matt relaxed, a smile ghosting his lips, and watched the sunrise over the city. Everything was going to be okay.

  Chapter Thirty

  The clink of metal, the scent of rubber mixed with gasoline, paint, and leather, still gave Lawson a sense of belonging, despite the other memories that came from working in an autoshop. He straightened from where he’d been rebuilding the carburetor. A few feet away, cheeks streaked with grease, Ezran was crouched down next to Curtis where he was taking apart the engine in the frame, explaining the process and pointing out the damage that had been done during the bike’s long time in storage.

  Of all the bikes Ezran could have bought, the 1971 Guzzi Ambassador was an interesting choice. He would’ve expected the kid to go for a flashy Harley, or even a sports bike. The Ambassador was a touring bike, meant for long rides.

  Which Ezran informed him was exactly what he’d use it for.

  Curtis might have been right in wanting the boy to wait until he was eighteen before letting him ride. The next time he took off, they’d be tracking him down to fucking Mexico.

  I should’ve made him get a scooter.

  He smiled as Curtis ruffled the boy’s hair and Ezran ducked his head and batted his hand away. The boy seemed to be coping well in the three weeks since he’d been freed from the gang’s clutches. For the first few days he’d barely slept and had been jumpy, but now he behaved as though nothing had happened at all.

  The only hint that everything wasn’t well with him had been when he’d come with Lawson to visit Noah. He’d been bursting with energy, hugged Noah and talked the man’s ear off. Everything had gone great until Noah shifted the subject to the therapist his mother had found.

  Who Ezran had refused to see.

  Unlike Lawson or Curtis, Noah wouldn’t let a bit of attitude from the boy deter him. While they’d take the approach of warning him about his behavior, then giving him some space if needed, Noah had a limited amount of time for his words to have any impact.

  “I’m leaving.” Ezran’s bottom lip trembled as he slammed his fist on the table. “You can’t make me talk to that fucker. I fucking missed you and you gotta go on about this shit?”

  Noah didn’t move when Ezran stood. His tone remained calm, but there was an edge to it that froze Ezran before he’d taken a single step. “Sit down, Ezran. If you’re going to act like an out of control child, you won’t be doing so here again.”

  Ezran sat, scrubbing away his tears and hiding his face in his hands.

  “If you don’t want to talk to the therapist, don’t.” Noah stared at Ezran until the boy lifted his head. “But you will go to every session scheduled. You will sit there for the full hour.”

  “And if I don’t?”

  “Then you’re losing the motorcycle and moving back to my mother’s house. She’ll hire two full-time guards to watch over you and act as your babysitters because I’m not letting her wear herself out trying to handle a little punk who’s gonna take off whenever the fuck he pleases.” He shot Lawson a hard look. “Keep something like that from me again and it will not go well for you.”

  Panic-filled gaze darting from Noah to Lawson, Ezran reached out abruptly and put his hand on Noah’s forearm. “I’ll go to the sessions. I won’t run off anymore. I swear it, just…” His face crumpled as he choked back a sob. “I need to stay with Curtis and Lawson, Noah. Please...please don’t make me leave.”

  Noah regarded the boy for a few long moments, then nodded. “Fine, but...damn it, kid. I love you and I’m trying to do right by you. Help me out here?”

 
; “I’ll be good.”

  “It’s not about being good, Ez. I need you to be okay.”

  The front door of the shop opened and Lawson glanced over, warmth filling his chest as his gaze locked on to Matt. He grabbed a rag to wipe off his hands, meeting Matt halfway and taking advantage of his hands being full of takeout bags to tug his head back with a firm grip on his hair and claim a long, deep kiss.

  Coming in with Reed, carrying the rest of the bags and drinks, Garet wrinkled his nose. “Holy shit, can I go more than a couple hours without seeing you two fucking making out? Gross.”

  “The swearing gets you two days on dish duty.” Curtis joined them, retrieving the case of sodas from Reed and bringing it to the long wooden table positioned away from the workstations, where the guys at the shop usually had lunch. He hooked his arm around the back of Garet’s neck when the boy followed him, grumbling to himself. “You were doing so good too.”

  Garet tried to scoot under Curtis’s arm, concealing a wince at the sudden motion. His tone sounded a little strained as he attempted to hide the lingering pain from his still-healing wounds. “You’re just looking for reasons to punish me.”

  “He’s an asshole like that.” Reed took the bags from Garet and placed them by the drinks. Then leaned over and jabbed his fingers into Curtis’s ribs, making Curtis jerk and loosen his grip. “Lay off him, he’s still fragile.”

  Face red, Garet shook his head. “Am not!”

  For a second, it looked like Curtis was struggling to hold his temper as he eyed the man who was pointedly avoiding his gaze. Then he nodded and gently drew away from Garet. “He’s right, that was fucking stupid of me. Sorry, buddy.”

  The sudden shift seemed to confuse Garet. He looked between Reed and Curtis. “So I’m not punished?”

  “No.” Curtis moved behind Garet, making him sit, then rubbing his shoulders. “You’re tough so it’s easy to forget you still need to take it easy. I’ll keep doing your chores for a bit longer, but...tone it down with the swearing, all right?”

  Lawson walked with Matt toward the table, surprised to see his man’s attention on Reed, rather than his brother. Following his gaze, Lawson wasn’t certain what had Matt’s expression tightening with concern. Reed had moved to the other side of the table and was serving himself up a plate of fried chicken and coleslaw. When Ezran sat next to him, he snorted and grabbed a wet wipe, opening it and rubbing it over the boy’s entire face, ignoring his laughing protests.

  “We’ve got to do something about them.” Matt spoke quietly, leaning close as Lawson slipped his hand into the back pocket of his jeans. The attempt to distract him was ignored, though red crept up the back of his neck and over his cheeks. “If this keeps up they’ll end up as bad as you and Curtis were.”

  Brow furrowed, Lawson considered the two for a moment, trying to see what Matt did. They both seemed focused on the teens, but when Curtis glanced over at Reed, Reed’s jaw hardened. Curtis frowned, but didn’t say anything.

  Way out of character for both of them.

  How long had this been going on? He understood that there was plenty of guilt and blame to go around after what had happened to the teens, but it was past time to leave it where it belonged. On Ram and the fucking gang.

  He pulled out a chair and sat, tapping his fingers on the table until both men turned their focus to him. “Is there something I should know about?”

  Curtis’s eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Reed fisted his hands by his plate. “Not a damn thing.”

  “Right.” Lawson shook his head. “Either talk it out or I’m putting you both in the fucking ring. Understood?”

  That had Reed’s lips parting. He stared at Lawson. “Are you serious?”

  “Yes. Obviously, the terms would be different, but you need to work this out of your systems.” Lawson wasn’t sure what to make of the way Reed’s lips thinned, but the young man would have to let go of whatever grudge he was holding. “Throw a few punches, bet on fucking drinks for all I care. But you’re not dragging this shit out.”

  Sitting back in his chair, Reed folded his arms over his chest. “How about it, Curtis? You wanna challenge me? Show me what a bad boy I’ve been?”

  Pressing his eyes shut, Curtis visibly counted to ten. Then shook his head. “No.”

  “Didn’t think so.”

  Sitting across the table from one another a silent exchanged passed between Ezran and Garet. Ezran muttered something. Garet shook his head. Sighed. Then nodded.

  Ezran cleared his throat. “I’m thinking of trying to get into Berkeley.”

  This was...sudden. Lawson didn’t doubt that, with his grades, Ezran could get into any school he wanted, but this was the first time he’d brought up going away to college. Though maybe he should have expected this, considering Garet had been leaning toward going to the same one.

  He smiled, hoping to ease the uncertainty from the boy’s expression. “That’s impressive, Ezran. And a damn good choice.”

  “Does that mean you decided to apply there, too?” Matt turned to his brother with a grin, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder. “Let me know if you need any help. Doc had some suggestions to improve your chances. We’ve got a few months to work on it.”

  “Thanks, I’d appreciate that. Fu-freakin’ suck if Ez got in and I didn’t when it was my idea.” Garet rubbed the back of his neck. “Figured it would be cool to have a friend there. We weren’t sure if you guys would be pissed at him being so far, though.”

  Chewing and swallowing his mouthful of chicken, Curtis looked at Reed, then back at Ezran. He smiled seemed a little forced, but he managed to sound enthusiastic at least. “No one’s gonna be pissed. Be weird without you two around, but we’re damn proud of you.”

  “We really are.” Reed’s voice was tight with emotion, but he put his arm around Ezran’s shoulders and kissed the top of his head. “So fucking proud.”

  After lunch they spent a few more hours working on the bike before locking up and heading back to the club. The teens went to Curtis’s loft, excitedly discussing the road trip they planned for that summer to go check out the campus and familiarize themselves with the city. Curtis looked exhausted just listening to them. Lawson had a feeling the man, like him, was considering how much this was going to cost.

  Reed went straight to the bar and grabbed himself a beer, bringing two more for Lawson and Matt when they pulled up a couple stools, then handing Lawson a glass.

  “Berkeley.” Reed took the collar of his grease stained, bright pink shirt and used it to wipe the sweat off his upper lip. “Fuck, when did he grow up? I’m still trying to wrap my head around teaching him to drive.”

  Lawson chuckled, tipping his glass toward the younger man. “Hopefully it goes smoother than when Noah taught you.”

  “You’re one to talk.” Reed grinned, his expression lightening up for the first time since lunch. “At least I knew what it was like to sit in the front seat.”

  At one point the reminder would’ve pissed Lawson off, but as Matt put a hand on his thigh and looked over at him with concern, he simply shook his head. “I was damn clueless.” He rolled his eyes at himself, thinking back even further to another subject that had lost its sting. “Vincent had to teach me how to use a car door handle.”

  Matt stilled, his grip on Lawson’s thigh tightening. Then he abruptly laughed. “You’re joking, right?”

  Perhaps it would be best not to confirm or deny.

  “You have noticed Lawson drinks his beer out of a glass, right?” Reed picked up his bottle and held out a pinky. “He seems all tough, but he’s a fancy boy.”

  Lawson latched on to Reed’s wrist, bringing it down to the bartop and holding his gaze. “If Curtis isn’t willing to take you in hand, I’m sure I could find someone else.” His lips curved slightly when Reed swallowed hard. Good. He understood. “If need be, I’ll do it myself. Behave.”

  That seemed to get through to the man. His playfulne
ss could be endearing, but he’d been testing his limits to the point that if he went any further he’d trip over them and fall on his face. If he’d teased Lawson like that in front of anyone other than Matt, Lawson wouldn’t have had a choice but to act.

  Maybe that’s what he wants?

  Tilting his head slightly, still holding Reed’s wrist, Lawson considered him for a moment. “There’s only so much I can give you, Reed. If it’s boundaries you need, I can do that. But I don’t think you’d enjoy me punishing you.”

  Reed bit his bottom lip. Glanced over at Matt. “I wouldn’t.”

  “You’ve been through a lot lately and you need a release.” He let Reed go and sat back. “Pick up a challenge for this coming weekend. Your choice or mine, but either way, I want you in that ring.”

  Matt shifted beside him. “Lawson—”

  “No, it’s cool, Matt. He’s right.” Reed tipped his bottle to his lips and drained it in a few long gulps. Then he gave Matt an impish grin. “Might get weird between us if Lawson pulls me over his knee and I start yelling ‘Spank me, Daddy!’.” Before Matt could do more than sputter, Reed ducked out from behind the bar, scooting up the stairs after tossing back a quick, “G’night!”

  Hands over his face, Matt shook his head and groaned. “He’s—”

  “Yes.”

  “I can’t—”

  “No.”

  “Ugh.” Matt finished his beer and stood. “I’m glad I’m not a Dom. The only solution I can think of is a gag.” He pressed his lips together, shooting Lawson a cautious look. “But I have very bad ideas.”

  Lawson chuckled, rising and putting his hand around Matt’s waist, eager to get him upstairs. The man still had a lot to learn. “I don’t think that’s a bad idea at all.”

  Hours later, after having shown Matt several of his gags and their different uses, Lawson relaxed with his man pressed against his side, still amazed at what his life had become. He’d come a long way from the young man Noah had found. And then further from the man Matt had met. The walls he’d built around him weren’t completely gone, but he’d taken down enough of them to let in the man he loved.