She was not going to be pleased with the prospect of losing both Gabriel and Justin, but every merc had a shelf life. He and Justin had just reached the end of theirs.
“I think she will accept the news with her usual poise and grace,” Gabriel replied.
“Ha!” Justin barked. “If you believe that, then you get to tell her the good news.”
Gabriel smiled at Justin. “Not a fucking chance.”
With lunch completed, they wandered for a few blocks, taking in the sights before Gabriel managed to flag down a taxi. He shoved a slightly protesting Justin inside, and they were zipped across the bustling city to what Gabriel was sure would be the perfect spot for Justin to play tourist.
When the taxi pulled up to the curb, Justin jumped out, his mouth falling open in shock, and Gabriel chuckled. He loved Justin’s almost childlike glee. He paid the driver and came to stand next to his companion.
“What do you think? A good place to blow a couple of hours?”
“The Tower of London! You brought me to the Tower of London!” Justin said, excitement bubbling through every word.
“Well, I figured it has a long history of violence, intrigue, and scandal. It also houses the British Crown Jewels. All things that would interest a scoundrel like you.”
“I love it!” Justin turned and grabbed Gabriel’s lips in a hard, hungry kiss that shook Gabriel down to his core.
When he and Justin had worked together, there had been a few stolen kisses in public, but this was different. They weren’t pretending to be a couple to keep up a façade for a job. They were two people who happened to be dating…sort of…and they were sharing a personal moment around strangers. They were free to kiss and hold hands if they wanted. There was nothing to hide or be ashamed of. Their lives weren’t in danger from sharing a kiss.
Justin pulled away first, but he remained close as he looked at Gabriel, a question in his eyes. “You okay?”
“Yes,” Gabriel said on a sigh. “Still getting used to that. Let’s try it again.”
A wicked grin graced Justin’s lips as he leaned in, but the kiss was slower, as if he wanted to take his time tasting and savoring Gabriel’s mouth before pulling away.
“Are you sure you’d rather see the Tower of London? We can always go back to the flat I’m renting,” Gabriel offered.
“Sex later.” Justin stepped away and grabbed Gabriel’s hand, pulling him in the direction of the entrance. Gabriel noted that a few people seemed to have noticed their kiss, but most of the pedestrians didn’t give them a second look. “I’ve been wanting to see this for years and never got the chance,” Justin continued. “I’m not missing this now…with you.”
Gabriel tried to ignore the little shaft of warmth that cut through his chest at Justin’s words. The man was worming his way deeper and deeper into his heart and soul with every word and action. He was excited to share this place with Justin. He’d been here a couple of times, but always in relation to a job. Contacts often liked to use tourist attractions as meeting spots because of the heavy foot traffic. They felt safer where a lot of people were gathered—as if Gabriel couldn’t find a way to strike even with hundreds of eyes all around him.
“How is it that you’ve never been here?” Gabriel asked after they got their tickets and were walking through the entrance.
“I’ve only made a couple of trips to London, and my business didn’t take me to any of the usual tourist spots,” Justin said with a shrug. He glanced over at Gabriel and gave a little sheepish grin. “I think I might have managed to see Big Ben and the royal palace from a cab window, but that was about it. I was usually outside the city proper for work.”
London was an amazing city, and Gabriel felt a little sad for Justin that he hadn’t seen more of it. He’d used London as a base of operations for a couple of years and had learned a number of her great hidden spots for food and entertainment. It made him wish that they had more time, so he could show Justin more of the city that he’d come to love.
“Don’t give me that look,” Justin said suddenly, rolling his eyes. “I don’t feel like I’m missing out all that much. Besides, I feel quite sure that I know Budapest and Vienna far better than you do.”
“Oh, do you now?” Gabriel teased.
But Justin didn’t answer. As they neared the Traitor’s Gate, they joined a large group gathered around a Beefeater guide in the standard black-and-red uniform. Gabriel watched Justin as he stood there, enthralled by the guide’s talk about the history of the fortress and that particular gate. They continued with the group, up the stairs and past the shining White Tower standing tall in the center of the fortress. The Beefeater spoke of the escapes and the beheading of the wife of King Henry VIII.
After a while, they wandered away from the tour group and started to check out the rest of the fortress. They spoke of random things as they walked, mostly mentioning places they’d been during their lives and interesting things they’d seen.
As they left the White Tower, Gabriel noticed a man in a light jacket and sunglasses watching them. The first time he spotted him, he’d hoped that the man had just noticed them because they were two men holding hands as they strolled through the fortress. But after losing the man in the torture display, Gabriel was a little unsettled to spot him again as they crossed toward the display for the Crown Jewels.
“You noticed him too,” Justin murmured as they crossed the open square toward the next exhibit.
The sun was starting to peek between the clouds, sending down little shafts of golden light. Trees swayed in a gentle breeze, glowing a warm green in the afternoon sun. Everything seemed peaceful and wonderful, but the man watching them was a painful reminder that Gabriel wasn’t free yet.
“Were you hoping that I wouldn’t?” Justin asked when Gabriel still didn’t speak.
“Maybe I was hoping that I was wrong about his attention, but denying it doesn’t do either of us any good.”
Justin’s rough hand tightened around his, squeezing it reassuringly. “Is your next target a target because of a contract or because you’re his target?”
“I thought we weren’t discussing this.”
“G Love,” Justin said in a low, warning voice, which seemed at odds with the strange nickname. Gabriel had to fight not to smile. Justin had used it a few times in texts, but it was different to hear it growled in his ear. He didn’t want to admit it, but he’d missed the ridiculous moniker.
“He’s a target because I’m his target,” Gabriel admitted and then muttered, “He’s early.” Gabriel had known to expect him, but he’d not been expecting him to show up in London for another few days. It was cutting his time with Justin short, and he didn’t appreciate it.
“Shall we leave now so we can do something about our shadow?”
Gabriel shook his head. “Not yet. We haven’t seen the jewels, and he’s not going to do anything. Not until he knows how you factor into his contract.”
Justin looked at him a little dubiously but then shrugged and started toward the exhibit. Smiling, Gabriel picked up his pace, threading his fingers through Justin’s when he was at his side again. Justin glanced over at him, arching one brow while grinning. Yeah, it was kind of a big step for Gabriel. It wasn’t too long ago that Gabriel had lived under the belief that he was going to be beaten and shot if he dared to show affection for a man in public. He’d been so accustomed to moving in the shadows, keeping this part of himself hidden.
But not anymore. Justin had dragged him out into the light, and Gabriel was never going back to that old life.
Unfortunately, living life in the sunlight meant that he still needed to take care of some old monsters lurking in those shadows.
For a moment though, that old life and the threats that came with it were forgotten as he and Justin stepped into the darkened room with long glass cases that held millions of dollars’ worth of gold, diamonds, and other gems. Their steps slowed as they looked over centuries of royal raiment from swords to sc
epters to spurs and orbs. And finally…crowns.
Justin leaned close enough that Gabriel could feel his lips brushing the shell of his ear. “Did you ever think about leaving the whole assassin gig behind and take up being a cat burglar?”
“Not really, but that could be interesting,” Gabriel said with a smile, strongly suspecting Justin wasn’t being serious in the least. Switching occupations to burglary would allow him to keep the sneaking and high-adrenaline lifestyle but with a lot less death and violence.
“Mmm…we’d make a good team.”
“We could start right here.”
Justin gave Gabriel’s shoulder a little bump, and they continued along the winding path past the glass displays. “It would make for a pretty spectacular haul. Of course, anything we do after wouldn’t be half as exciting.”
“True, but that’s for future us to worry about. You know, after we get tired of fucking in a bed covered with diamonds, rubies, and sapphires.”
“That is a damn sexy picture.” Justin paused and nodded. “All right. I’m sold. What do we do?”
“I say you climb to the top of the White Tower and start shouting like the insane American that you are. While everyone is distracted by your scene, I’ll start scooping up the jewels and then escape out the back door.”
Justin snorted. “Really? Out the back door?”
“You don’t think the Tower has a back door?”
Justin laughed loudly this time and ushered Gabriel through the exit, past numerous guards and video cameras, and into the sunlight. “No, I doubt it has one. And I’m not playing the part of the distraction.”
Gabriel stepped in front of Justin, blocking his path, as he leaned in close and whispered, “But I’ve always found you to be incredibly distracting.”
Narrowing his eyes at Gabriel, Justin stared at him for a moment. “Do you want in my pants…or are you trying to distract me from our new friend?”
“Can’t it be both?”
“Yes. Yes, it can,” Justin agreed, and then his expression turned evil. “So, what are we going to do about our friend?”
“Lose him.”
Justin’s mouth dropped open and he instantly looked dejected. “That’s it?”
Gabriel led the way from the Crown Jewels display toward the Fusilier Museum. He had no intention of engaging the man who was currently watching them. Justin was not getting involved in his problem if he could help it. They were going to have one day together.
Was it so much to ask? To have one fucking day of normal. To try to figure out what it meant to date someone where they would go out for a meal and maybe some entertainment without having to look over their shoulders and wonder who was going to try to kill them next. He deserved one day.
But even as he had that thought, Gabriel knew he didn’t deserve it yet. There were too many things he needed to take care of first, obstacles that had to be eliminated before he was truly free.
“Do you know what you’re going to do after it’s all over?” Gabriel suddenly asked when they were inside the museum to view the extensive collection of uniforms, medals, flags, and other memorabilia.
“You mean when we leave the life?” Justin asked, looking a little surprised. Gabriel nodded and Justin sighed softly. “I thought maybe I’d just take a break for a bit, but I know that I’d be bored inside of a couple of weeks if I did. I was thinking I’d stick with security, but I’d try building and designing them instead of tearing them down.”
“I have a feeling you’d be very good at it.”
Justin grinned at the praise and then nudged Gabriel when he fell silent. “What about you?”
“I…I don’t know. I’ve been doing this for so long. Even when I didn’t have to, I couldn’t bring myself to stop, because it was all I knew, all I was good at.”
“It’s not all you’re good at.”
Gabriel rolled his eyes. Dipping his head, he lowered his voice to say, “I’m not prostituting myself because you think I’m good at blowjobs.”
“I wasn’t suggesting that!”
Gabriel continued on to the next display, not waiting for Justin. He stared blindly at the red uniform, the words on the little placard not making any sense because the same worry was repeating through his head. There was nothing else for him. He was only good at killing. At hunting down people at the end of a contract and ending their lives. That was it. He’d been doing it for so long that it was a part of him as much as eating and breathing.
But he couldn’t continue that life if he wanted to even try to make one with Justin. He needed to walk away from it. Not just for Justin. He needed it for himself, to save what shreds of his soul were left.
Yet, if he wasn’t strong enough, would he lose what he was trying to build with Justin? He couldn’t lose Justin. The man made him feel alive for the first time in years. His heart beat in his chest and the blood rushed with a new zing through his veins.
“Hey,” Justin said. A strong hand clamped down on his shoulder, and Justin’s cologne wrapped around him in a reassuring fog that calmed the worries that had been trying to rampage through his brain. “You don’t have to figure it out right now. Or even in the next couple of years. But I know you will figure it out, and you’ll be great at it.”
“I don’t want to fuck this up,” Gabriel murmured.
“You’re not.”
Gabriel didn’t completely believe him, but he still nodded. “Let’s get out of here. We’ll lose our new friend and relax back at my flat before dinner.”
“Do we really need to lose him? Can’t we play with him now?” Justin said in a teasing whine.
“Nope. I thought we’d make him our after-dinner entertainment.”
Justin frowned at Gabriel, his dark brows meeting over his nose. “Then what’s our before-dinner entertainment?”
“There are a few surfaces in the flat you’ve not fucked me on yet,” Gabriel suggested.
And with that, Justin’s wicked grin was back.
Chapter 3
At Gabriel’s town house, Justin jumped in the shower and set about attempting to iron the worst of the wrinkles out of the one suit he’d grabbed on a whim. Gabriel refused to tell him where they were having dinner, only that it required a jacket and tie. It didn’t sound like his kind of place normally, but if it put Gabriel at ease and made him happy, he could wear a tie for a few hours. Then maybe they could find something more fun to do with that tie when they got back to the rental.
A smile teased Justin’s lips. He really couldn’t get enough of Gabriel. The stiff, all-too-formal man he’d met months ago had largely disappeared, but there were little hints of him here and there when Justin managed to catch him off guard. A spark of joy flared in him each time he made Gabriel grin or caught a particularly evil glint in his eyes, as if he were plotting something wicked. No, he definitely had not had enough of Gabriel’s wicked side.
But more than just enjoying a few stolen hours together, Justin needed to help Gabriel unravel his current dilemma. Escaping the life Justin had created for himself wasn’t nearly as complicated as it seemed to be for Gabriel. He’d left both the military and the CIA on good terms. He was even open to doing a little freelance work for the CIA, not that he’d actually taken them up on any of the contracts they’d offered. He’d left The Company because he didn’t trust their methods or politics.
The only complication Justin could see on the horizon was his handler, Marilyn. He wasn’t entirely sure if she was going to be happy with the news. Over the years, she’d made a tidy sum over from him and, he could guess, from Gabriel as well. Finding new, reliable, and professional mercenaries couldn’t be an easy thing, but that would be for Marilyn to work out.
Justin sighed. Well, it would be for Marilyn to work out when he finally got the balls to tell her about his planned change in occupation.
He was nearly finished when Gabriel stepped out of the adjoining bath in a cloud of steam, a towel wrapped around his waist and his dark hair slick
ed back.
“I never expected you to have so many domestic skills,” Gabriel teased.
Justin put down the iron and started to reposition the shirt on the board. So maybe he did come off as this chest-beating, brainless he-man type who wouldn’t know how to use an iron or a vacuum cleaner, but he’d proven Gabriel wrong more than once. The man had moaned over his coq au vin and the other meals he cooked while Gabriel had briefly stayed with him. They’d both managed to clean their clothes without any disasters. Justin was proud that he had more skills than just hacking computers and killing targets.
“I’m a man of many talents. You should learn never to doubt me.”
Gabriel stepped up behind him and trailed one hand down his spine, fingers lightly sliding over each bony bump. “I have a few talents I think you’d appreciate as well,” he said, voice almost a harsh whisper.
Before Justin could come up with a teasing reply, two hands pushed into the back of his boxer briefs and cupped his cheeks. Those strong fingers massaged the muscles there, kneading his flesh until a low groan fell from his parted lips. Gabriel then slid his hands around to Justin’s front so that long fingers wrapped around his swelling cock and moved down to caress his balls. Justin spread his legs out a little farther to give Gabriel better access, which succeeded in pressing his ass against Gabriel’s cock. Fuck. He didn’t know when Gabriel had lost his towel, but he could clearly feel his hard length wedged between his cheeks and rubbing so enticingly.
Gabriel stroked him with one firm hand while at the same time thrusting against him, sending little sparks of pleasure tingling through every nerve ending. Justin released the shirt and had his fingers wrapped tight around the edge of the ironing board, steadying himself.
“G, I don’t think this is going to hold me,” Justin warned.
Hot breath brushed against Justin’s shoulder. “Then I guess you need to figure something out because I need to play with you.”
Justin wanted to ask what playing entailed, but Gabriel was already releasing his cock and stepping back. Looking over his shoulder, Justin watched as Gabriel pulled down Justin’s briefs while dropping to his knees. When Gabriel looked up at him, that wicked glint in his dark eyes had returned, causing his cock to throb. He was so fucked, and it was going to be amazing.
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