Chapter 4
Stepping out of the restaurant into the slightly chilly night air after a wonderful meal, Gabriel suggested they stroll through the West End for a bit, so Justin could see a little more of London. Once they’d had some time to digest their delicious dinner and stretch their legs, Gabriel fully intended to steal the man back to his town house so he could have his wicked way with him. Their dinner had only settled things more in his mind. He needed to clear up the tangles from his past and quickly.
It might have been the middle of the week but as usual, the London streets were busy with pedestrians seeking entertainment or just a good meal with friends. Tourists were easy to spot, as they always seemed to look lost and overwhelmed when wandering about. The old town held endless hidden nooks and crannies, whispering of ancient secrets and lurid tales all but forgotten by the world.
“You’ve lived here,” Justin declared after they’d walked a block in comfortable silence. A breeze had kicked up and was ruffling Justin’s brown hair.
“I have lived here off and on for a few years. Why?”
Justin shrugged. “Just the way you walk around here. Like your feet know where to go without your head and eyes telling them. You seem relaxed.”
Gabriel had to admit, he’d spent countless hours wandering these sidewalks in all types of weather. Whenever he was between jobs, he was cursed with an endless restlessness. He had to be moving and doing something. Wandering around London, discovering little shops and pubs, had been an enjoyable way to pass the time.
Of course, he had a similar familiarity with Berlin and Paris. He’d wanted to learn Rome as well, but there was something about that city. It had always felt crowded to him, as if he were going to run into one of his professional peers around any corner, and he preferred to avoid that whenever possible. He doubted there were too many people like Justin in the world who would keep things civil.
“I like London.” Slowing up a step, Gabriel purposefully bumped his shoulder into Justin’s. “What about you? What city does your feet know?”
“Cincinnati.”
“Of course.” Gabriel had enjoyed his brief stay in the Queen City. It was a nice, friendly place that held plenty of interesting sights. He wished he’d had a chance to explore it a little bit more, but if that happened it was going to come only after Gabriel had shed his past. “Any others?” he prodded.
Justin pursed his lips and drew his eyebrows together in thought. “Years ago, I knew Minsk and Helsinki, though I think I’d struggle now if I went back.” He paused and a slow smile returned to his mouth. “I’m sure I could walk blindfolded through Istanbul and still find my way. Vienna too.”
“So, neither of us worked much in Asia,” Gabriel said with a chuckle.
Justin shook his head, frowning. “Nope. The flights were always too damn long, and I felt like I stood out too much.”
Gabriel smirked and opened his mouth to make a slightly snarky comment about how Justin stood out no matter where he was when something, or rather someone, caught his eye. The person had just stepped into a shadowy crevice of a building on a poorly lit side street, but Gabriel caught the upward arc of his arm as if he was raising his hand. A chill swept down his spine and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He didn’t question the sense of foreboding. He simply grabbed Justin and shoved him into a darkened doorway that was deeply inset from the street.
“Wha—” Justin started to say as Gabriel pressed into him, protecting his lover with his own body as much as possible. But Justin didn’t need to continue speaking when they both heard something hit the brick not a foot from where they had been standing just a moment earlier. A chunk of brick flew away as what Gabriel was sure was a bullet embedded itself into the side of the building.
“What the fuck?” Justin snarled.
“Apparently my target has gotten a little more confident and decided that he’d be safe to take me out at night among all the people,” Gabriel replied. He relaxed his hold on Justin and slowly looked over to where he had spotted the man. “Do you happen to be armed?”
Even in the dim lamplight, Gabriel could easily read Justin’s look of disgust.
“Of course.”
“Silly me,” Gabriel muttered. He looked over his shoulder again, confirming that the shooter had taken off down the opposite street. Releasing Justin, he stepped away and straightened his own jacket. There was no continuing their relaxing stroll if he was going to be hunted. “Then how about a game of cat and mouse with our new friend?”
“Do we get to be the cat?” Justin didn’t sound pleased at all, but Gabriel had begun to guess that either Justin didn’t care for being shot at, or he didn’t like Gabriel being shot at. Either way, Gabriel was sure Justin preferred to be the hunter. So did Gabriel.
“I’m always the cat when I play.”
Gabriel led the way down the side street where he’d last seen the would-be assassin dart. They hadn’t gotten more than a few blocks from Rules. Gabriel had been slowly winding them toward the theatre district and Chinatown with the eventual goal of Piccadilly Circus where they would finally grab a taxi back to his place. Judging by the direction the shooter had headed, Gabriel was willing to guess that the bastard was retreating toward an older section of Covent Garden where some of the alleyways were narrower and darker. The perfect cover.
Keeping a quick pace, they moved smoothly around other pedestrians lost to their own world, oblivious that three trained killers lurked among them. Oh, Gabriel was sure those people were aware that dangers were on the street with them, but would he or Justin have been picked out of the crowd? No, he truly doubted it. They had spent too many years perfecting their personas, giving off that lawyer, accountant, or simply white-collar drone aura.
And Gabriel liked it. He liked wearing the mask and pretending to be something else, something harmless. Was he really planning to give all this up to be with Justin? The hunt. The masquerade. Glancing over his shoulder at the man following just a step behind him, Gabriel’s heart skipped a beat at the almost-feral look of joy on Justin’s face. Maybe it wasn’t going to be as much about giving it up as it was gaining a fellow hunter.
That could be even better.
Dim lamplight glinted off the barrel of a gun, giving Gabriel only a second to react. He rocked back, his shoulders crashing into Justin’s chest. They had been about to enter an alley, but the fucker had been waiting for them. This time they were close enough to hear the shot the suppressor was working to muffle.
“It’s stupid for both of us to chase directly after him,” Justin grumbled. His hand tightened around Gabriel’s upper arm as if he was trying to hold him back from going after their shooter.
“Agreed.” Gabriel straightened and the movement had Justin releasing him. He pointed down the street they were on. “Head down two blocks, make a left. Go another block and then make another left. I’ll drive him toward you.”
Justin stared at him for a second, and Gabriel began to fear he would argue, but he nodded. “Don’t do anything stupid,” he said. Justin started down the street at a brisk pace, his hard-soled shoes echoing off the sidewalk and bouncing off the brick-front buildings.
Gabriel waited, watching him follow the directions he’d given. Yes, he wanted Justin as a partner on fun adventures, but not this one. This was different. He couldn’t stand to lose Justin to the same people who had stolen Ivan from him so many years ago.
With his right hand, he reached into the sleeve of his left, carefully withdrawing a blade he’d secretly tucked there while getting ready that evening. He took a deep breath and headed down the alley he and Justin had attempted to walk down only moments ago. The strip of ground was covered in large, uneven cobblestones, making the path treacherous. But then there were multiple places around the area like this as the past tried to stay merged with the present.
“I’m alone now, Dmitri,” Gabriel announced in Russian when he stepped out of the alley and onto the connecting street. Ther
e were fewer people in this area, but he didn’t spot his target. Didn’t matter. He knew Dmitri was close. He thought he’d recognized the person following them at the Tower of London, but he hadn’t been sure. The last shot Dmitri had taken had briefly put his face in the full lamplight. There had been no mistaking him.
With his identity confirmed, Gabriel knew there was no way he’d leave without making another attempt on Gabriel’s life. He wouldn’t be allowed home until Gabriel was dead.
“You’ve never been alone,” Dmitri replied in Russian. His voice carried across the street, coming from around another corner. “We’ve always been watching you.”
“You should leave now. Go back and tell them that this is their last chance to walk away and forget about me.”
“That’s not an option.”
Gabriel grinned, his fist tightening around the handle of the blade. “I was hoping you’d say that.” He quickened his pace, following Dmitri down another street and into the square for Covent Garden Market. It was in the opposite direction of where he was supposed to be herding Dmitri toward Justin, but that was the point. He didn’t want Justin hurt by this man. This was personal in a way he wasn’t ready to explain to Justin.
As he reached the square, the stone pavement became more even and smooth to accommodate the steady flow of shoppers during the day. But the posh stores were all closed, their lights off and doors locked for a couple of hours now. The main market and café that overlooked the square where the first performances of Punch and Judy were seen more than three centuries earlier were locked up and dark as well.
Crossing the square, Dmitri finally stepped out of the shadows of the great columns that supported the St. Paul’s Church portico. He lifted his gun to fire, but Gabriel was faster, throwing the knife in his hand. The blade flashed through a strip of light before embedding in Dmitri’s shoulder. A cry leaped from Gabriel’s target and he lurched backward. He squeezed the trigger of the gun, but the shot went wide.
Gabriel didn’t wait for him to regain his footing but charged. His heart pounded hard against his chest, but he felt calm as he pounced. Dmitri dropped his gun and managed to pull the blade from his own shoulder. He slashed at Gabriel, catching his cheek. Hissing in pain, Gabriel slammed his fist into Dmitri’s jaw, jerking his head to the right. The blade cut through the air again, but Gabriel was ready, dodging it.
With a grunt, Gabriel grabbed the hand holding the blade and smashed it against the smooth stone wall of the church again and again until Dmitri cried out, his fingers loosening their hold. Gabriel deftly snatched up the blade and plunged it into Dmitri’s throat. Gritting his teeth, he forced the sharp blade across, severing arteries and windpipe. He was determined to make sure that he either bled to death or drowned in his own blood.
Leaning close so his lips touched the shell of his ear, Gabriel whispered, “You should have stayed away, cousin. Now I’m coming after all of you.”
Dmitri choked and gasped, but the sounds were soft and wet. Releasing his hold on him, Gabriel stepped back, allowing the man to fall in a heap in front of the false door to the church. No sanctuary. No salvation to be found. These people had never allowed Gabriel to find it. So now he was happy to return the favor.
He took a couple of steps away, listening to the last gurgling breaths saw in and out of Dmitri. Blood spread black in a widening circle across the cold stones. And then he was silent.
Slipping the blade into his pocket, Gabriel reached for a clean handkerchief in his breast pocket. He could feel the blood sliding down his cheek, and there was a sharp sting where the blade had sliced his face. Justin was going to be pissed. He almost didn’t want to face him. At least not armed with only a knife.
He started to smirk at his own thoughts when he heard the soft scrape of hard-soled shoes. Reaching for the knife again, he turned toward the sound to see Justin briskly stride into the square. He hurried straight for Gabriel, but his steps seemed to slow just before he reached Gabriel.
“Motherfucker,” he swore softly. “You did that on purpose.” Gabriel tried to reply, but Justin grabbed his chin and turned his face to the side so that the cut was exposed to some lamplight. “Doesn’t look too bad,” he murmured, but he still didn’t sound happy about it. He released Gabriel’s jaw and looked down at the rest of him. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”
Gabriel shook his head “Will you doctor me this time?”
“You’re lucky I don’t shoot you in the ass for that stunt. Where is he? Did he get away?”
Gabriel pointed toward the church where he could still make out a lump in the shadows. Justin started to take a step toward him, but Gabriel grabbed his elbow. “There’s nothing that can be done for him now. Let’s get out of here.”
“Fine, but I get answers when we get back to your place.”
“As you wish,” Gabriel murmured. He started leading them in the direction opposite the way they had been walking. The Strand was just a couple of blocks away. It was a busier street, and it would be easier for them to grab a taxi there.
As they walked, Gabriel began to sift through the truth, trying to figure out what he was willing to tell Justin…and what would just have to wait. He wasn’t going to lie to this man. If he was lucky, Justin would be the one person he would never lie to again.
But there were things he wasn’t ready to talk about yet. And Dmitri was just a very small part of the entire mess.
Chapter 5
Justin dug through the medical kit hidden in the bottom of Gabriel’s leather shaving bag. He was too damn familiar with the kit after their first adventure together. That time, Justin had been stretched out in a hotel bed while Gabriel poked around for a bullet in his side. While Justin was always happy to not be the one who was bleeding, he wasn’t thrilled to be using its contents on Gabriel even if the injury was small. His lover sat quietly on the edge of the tub, allowing Justin to clean the cut across his cheek and carefully place a couple of butterfly closures to hold the wound together.
He was pissed.
The only problem was that he couldn’t decide if he was more pissed at Gabriel for excluding him from the fight or at himself for believing Gabriel in the first place. What would he have done if their roles were reversed? Probably the same damn thing.
Justin knew deep in his bones that if he were the one being targeted, he’d do everything within his power to remove Gabriel from the line of fire. And it wasn’t because he didn’t think that Gabriel couldn’t handle himself. The corpse bleeding out in front of the Actors’ Church proved that Gabriel could handle himself just fine in a fight.
Gabriel had removed his jacket, shirt, and tie when they reached the bathroom. They’d already been splattered with blood, but there was no reason to get more on them. Justin straightened when he was satisfied that Gabriel’s cheek was properly cared for, but his eyes still skimmed over the man. He was heavily tattooed in thick, black ink across his arms and chest, but standing so close, Justin could easily see the white scars that crisscrossed his body. When he’d spotted them upon first arriving that morning, those scars whispered of old secrets and stories that Justin wanted to unravel. Now they just reminded him of the danger that Gabriel had survived and what he still faced. Was it so wrong that he wanted to help Gabriel so that more scars weren’t added to his flesh?
“Justin…”
“Don’t,” Justin growled. Turning away from Gabriel, he tossed the bandage wrappers into the trash can and then zipped the little medical kit closed. He looked up and frowned at his own reflection. If he was being completely honest, it wasn’t anger he was feeling. It was fear. Fear of something happening to Gabriel. Fear of pushing too hard and Gabriel walking away. Fear of messing up what they had before they could actually figure it out.
Taking a deep breath, Justin leaned forward, bracing his hands on the sink counter. “I can’t make you tell me what’s going on or who is hunting you,” he started in a low voice. “I want you to feel like you can trust me with that in
formation. Want you to want to tell me. But I know that’s not how we’re wired. We have to figure out how to trust each other. How to rely on each other.”
He closed his eyes and hated the ache deep in his chest. He could demand Gabriel tell him what the fuck was happening, but it wasn’t the same as Gabriel coming to him for help. And he couldn’t judge Gabriel for his reluctance. Justin knew he wasn’t any better. Fuck, they didn’t even know each other’s real given names. Didn’t really know shit about each other besides the censored little bits they’d carefully revealed so far.
Fuck! Why was this dating thing so difficult? It hadn’t seemed that hard in the past when he’d tried it, but he knew those past attempts had been destined to fail. He hadn’t even tried to be honest with those other men. Not like he was with Gabriel. But he always felt like he was on unsteady ground with Gabriel, as if he were slowly inching his way through a minefield. One wrong step and it would all blow up in his face.
The only thing Justin knew for sure was that he wasn’t ready to give Gabriel up.
A hand slid slipped under the T-shirt he’d worn under the button-down shirt. He’d shed his dress clothes when he’d followed Gabriel into the bathroom. That warm, firm touch pressed against his stomach while Gabriel’s long, muscular frame stepped up behind him.
“I’m sorry,” Gabriel murmured, but Justin was already shaking his head.
“I don’t want sorry. I probably would have done the same damn thing. I want to know what I can do to help you. Or what you’re doing to stay safe.”
“Have patience,” Gabriel said.
Justin straightened and turned to face Gabriel, pulling out of his arms. “Patience? Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?”
“Maybe.”
“G—”
This time it was Gabriel who heaved a heavy sigh before he walked out of the bathroom. Justin followed behind him to the bedroom. He watched as Gabriel marched over to a bureau and jerked open the drawer. He grabbed a sweater and pulled it on in a series of jerky motions.
The Exit Strategy Bundle Page 25