Sweet Hart

by Rae Marks

  Mase thrived on the adrenaline of close encounters like this. Sam preferred the end of an op and the satisfaction of putting scum like the two men in front of him in jail. He wouldn’t cry if a few died either.

  Usually Sam enjoyed backing someone into a corner, like he had with Andreiko and Kozak. This time, though, he couldn’t enjoy it. He was distracted. He was worried and that pissed him off.

  He gave the correct responses and was easily able to drum up some anger when appropriate, but his mind kept drifting to the room a few doors down. Bray had promised not to talk, so why was Sam’s gut twisting?

  When they finally agreed on a deal, Sam was relieved. And the relief wasn’t because he’d negotiated well within the budget. It was because he needed to lay eyes on Bray.

  When he opened the door to the room where he’d left Bray and found it empty, his lungs seized. Bray’s backpack was sitting on the table but the man himself was nowhere to be seen.

  “He’s probably just in the john,” Ax said from behind him.

  Sam turned to see Kozak and Mase sauntering up behind them.

  “Where’s Bray?”

  Mase’s eyebrows snapped together in confusion and probably concern as he turned to Kozak and shook his head. Kozak told the guy standing behind Mase to find Fedir.

  “You let that homophobe watch him?”

  Sam’s voice was louder than he’d expected, but the anger burning in his gut had him fisting his hands.

  “Sam,” Kozak said quietly, “all my men have…reservations.”

  “Reservations? He told me to my face that I was disgusting. I understand I have to make allowances for your country being in the dark ages, but if one hair on my boyfriend’s head has been mussed, I’m going to burn this fucking place to the ground.”

  Kozak’s eyes widened slightly before he schooled his expression. Sam expected a reply about a piece of ass not being worth ruining a deal, but Kozak simply turned to Mase and asked him in Ukrainian to get Andreiko.

  When Mase suggested checking the security cameras, Kozak nodded. Sam paced the hallway as they waited. Finally, the guy who’d been sent to find Fedir came back empty-handed. Sam made a noise of disgust as Kozak told him to get others to help him find Fedir and essentially what translated to ‘Mr. Wheeler’s little pedophile’.

  “Let’s go to the security room. Mr. Mason will have the videos queued up.” Kozak turned and started walking down the hallway.

  Ax lagged behind as he leaned over to tie his shoe. When they stopped at a security door, Kozak entered a code. While they waited, Ax sidled up to Sam and gently slid his backup weapon into the waistband of Sam’s slacks.

  Sam turned and nodded his thanks. Just as Kozak slowed in front of a door, it flew open. Mase hurried out and—ignoring Sam—turned to his ‘boss’. He told Kozak that Fedir had carried an unconscious Bray through the compound.

  “Where would he take him?” Sam demanded.

  Kozak shrugged and shook his head. Mase whispered something about Sergiy and Sam’s spine stiffened. Were Sergiy and Fedir in cahoots?

  “I’m going to find my boyfriend myself.” Sam turned and lengthened his stride down the hallway.

  “Is this really worth ruining a long-term business relationship?”

  Sam turned and looked at Kozak. The lie flowed off his tongue a little too easily.

  “He’s it for me. You may go through women like people go through tissue, but when I find something special, I hold on to it. Bray’s special. He’s unique. He’s a sweet-hearted optimist. He’s smart and loyal, resourceful and tenacious. That’s not something you find every day.”

  Kozak’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He was probably realizing he was going to lose everything because he’d been stupid enough to trust a bunch of ignorant assholes.

  “If he’s alive, there might still be hope for our business relationship, especially if you use your resources to find out where the fuck he is.”

  Kozak nodded. That was all the response Sam had time for as he hurried out of the building. As soon as Ax shut the car door behind him, Sam was dialing for a secure line. When Jazz wasn’t available, Sam almost threw his phone across the car until an idea hit him. He pulled up the number that had called him a few days ago.

  “Is he in trouble?”

  Sam pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at it for a moment.

  “Hello? Is this Sin?”

  “Let’s not waste time on pleasantries if Bray’s in trouble. I can’t imagine any other reason you’d be calling me.”

  “Someone named Fedir took him from Kozak’s compound while we were in a meeting he couldn’t sit in on.”

  “Does he still have the coin?”

  “Coin?” Sam asked as he pulled out the coin Bray had given him.

  “Yeah. Was he able to give one to Mase? The other one was either to keep track of you or to keep for himself, depending on what was needed.”

  “He still has one. He gave one to me. He hasn’t had the opportunity to give one to Mase.”

  “Give me your coordinates so I know which is you and which is Bray?”

  Sam had Ax pull over as he gave Sin the address. He heard the click of computer keys being tapped. Within thirty seconds, Sin was spouting off a location.

  “But they’re on the move,” Sin said. “Any idea where they might be headed?”

  “No. He might be double-crossing his bosses or he might be working under his boss’ orders. I tend to think the former, because Mase should have had a heads-up if it were sanctioned.”

  “But what if it’s Andreiko who’s double-crossing?” Ax asked.

  The sun was moving toward the western horizon and there was no way Sam was letting Bray spend a night with the likes of Sergiy.

  “They’re still moving, but I’m going to text you coordinates to move toward. I’m also sending you a link. Download the app. It’ll allow you to track Bray’s signal for up to seventy-two hours. I’ll extend that if needed.”

  Sam’s phone pinged with a message just as Sin stopped talking. It pinged again a moment later.

  “When they stop moving, I’ll tap into any cameras nearby. Someone needs to call me as soon as you have eyes on him. Bray’s going through a hell of a lot of trouble for family who’ve turned their backs on him.”

  Sam opened his mouth to demand to know what Sin was talking about, but the line went dead. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what he was saying, but he wanted to know how old Bray had been when his family had abandoned him for being gay. Had he been reaching out to Mase for support?

  Sam rubbed at the ache between his eyebrows. He did not want to be the one to tell Mase his family was still a bunch of assholes. He also wanted to punch his friend in the face for not returning any of his brother’s emails. Bray could have used a big brother.

  When the app had finished downloading, Sam opened it. It was a map of Kiev. A blinking ‘B’ was moving through the city and a solid ‘S’ was sitting at his coordinates.

  Sam quickly got out and looked around before opening the trunk. He pulled out the small bag containing his weapons before jumping into the passenger seat and directing Ax.

  Thirty minutes later, they slowly approached a club that was owned by Vladyslav Bagan, Andreiko and Kozak’s biggest rival.

  “Looks like Sergiy and Fedir went to the darker side,” Ax said as he put the car in park.

  Sam pulled a ski mask out of his bag of tricks and handed it to Ax. Just as he was getting ready to put it on, his phone pinged. It was a text from Mase.

  Right behind you.

  A moment later, Mase slipped into the back seat of their car. He had a dark hoodie on that hid his face.

  “Mase—”

  “Don’t fucking say it, Sam. He’s my brother.”

  “We can handle it.”

  “Kozak sent me to follow you anyway. Andreiko went M-I-A. It seems he’s been hiding things from Kozak that I hadn’t even picked up on.”

  “Shit,” Sam said.


  “What makes you think Bray’s in there?” Mase asked.

  “His ace in the hole is now helping us track him.” Sam showed Mase the app.

  Sam’s phone pinged again and again and again. Sin sent him the architectural layout of the building. He sent him stills from the video cameras showing Bray was inside…and alive. He flagged the room he thought they’d tucked Bray into. Sam showed the texts to Ax and Mase.

  “Who is this fucker and how do we pull him onto the team?” Mase asked.

  Sam had been wondering the same thing.

  “We need to wait until the club opens,” Mase said. “All his men will be distracted by the strippers and there’ll be fewer men downstairs.”

  Sam’s muscles twitched to jump out of the car and bust his way in, but Mase was right. After a moment of silence, Sam felt a fist to the back of his shoulder.

  “What was all that about Bray being ‘it’ for you?”

  “Did you know your family turned on him for being gay too?”

  Sam turned to look at his friend. He expected Mase to be surprised, but there was raw rage in his eyes. “My dad wouldn’t make the same mistake again.”

  “Maybe you should have answered one of his fucking emails.”

  Mase’s jaw ticked, but he didn’t say anything for a moment.

  “I promised my dad I wouldn’t—”

  “Fuck your dad. I’m talking about your brother.”

  “I was stubborn, okay? I took it too far, but I didn’t know how to turn back. I told Bray to leave me alone when he first reached out. He did. He left me alone until I got kicked out. Then he started again, but I was too raw, too—”

  “I get it. Fuck. But that first time he was probably reaching out because he needed support,” Sam said.

  “And the second time he was reaching out in case I needed support. I get it, okay? I’m an asshole. I never said I wasn’t.”

  “No one’s going to dispute that,” Ax said.

  All three men huffed out a laugh. For once, Sam was happy that Ax was there to break the tension. The streetlights flicked on and they looked at the clock in the dashboard.

  “It’s time,” Mase said.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Brayden

  Bray’s head felt like it weighed three hundred pounds. He tried to open his eyes, but they were glued shut. Then the rank odor hit him and his stomach revolted. It smelled like an outhouse.

  The last thing he remembered was waiting for Sam, trying to keep his mouth shut. The guy in the room with him had paced like a caged animal. It had made Bray uneasy, but he hadn’t asked him to stop.

  The guy had paced closer and closer. Bray had just gotten uncomfortable enough to say something. He’d opened his mouth and…nothing. He didn’t remember anything after that.

  His hands and legs were bound tight with what felt like zip ties. Spreading his ankles, he tested the restraints. Whoever had bound him had been smart enough to put the zip ties directly onto his skin. They’d hurt like a motherfucker, but he could break them if he needed to.

  He’d wait to see what they had in store for him first. He didn’t want to lacerate his skin in a place that smelled like sewage.

  With effort, Bray finally got his eyes to open. He had been tossed onto what was probably the world’s most disgusting mattress in the middle of a dark, tiny room. There was a table and chair in the far corner and a lone lightbulb hung from the ceiling with a pull-string dangling from it.

  He could feel the pulse of dance music beating through the floor. Was he underneath some dance club? He had no idea where he was or what these people wanted from him.

  The door rattled open. Bray closed his eyes and hoped they wouldn’t try to beat him awake. If it was Kozak’s men who’d taken him, they’d know he had no intel on Sam’s dealings.

  When the men in the room began speaking English, Bray almost opened his eyes in relief. A man with a French accent thought the plan was ridiculous. Another man assured him the plan would work. A third man confirmed that having Bray would at least get them a meeting with Sam.

  “I was promised bait that would have Wheeler on his knees.”

  “Believe me. Wheeler will grovel over broken glass for this piece of shit. It’s his lover.”

  “Wheeler is gay?” asked the man with the French accent.

  “It’s disgusting.”

  “It’s interesting. All the women who come through… It’s genius. He’s completely immune to their wiles.”

  “Men come through too.”

  “Mostly boys. And contrary to what you believe, being gay and being a pedophile are not synonymous. He wouldn’t touch the women or the boys. So often the inventory gets manhandled before they reach their destination.”

  “You thinking of trying to hire Sam away from his employer?”

  There was a laugh.

  “As you’ve said, Wheeler is a loyal man. We’re counting on that by holding his boyfriend. If he’s that devoted, I doubt he’ll walk away from Bernard for a few extra dollars.”

  The men moved around the room. They were probably coming around to look at Bray since he was facing away from the door. He tried to even out his breathing and kept his eyes lightly closed.

  One of the men mumbled in Ukrainian. Someone else chuckled but said something back that sounded like reluctant chiding. The Frenchman remained quiet for a moment. Bray heard shoes shuffle closer and he had to concentrate all his effort on not tensing his body.

  “No one touches him. If Wheeler doesn’t want him, I don’t care what you do. For now, he’s a commodity.”

  “He deserves—”

  “Bagan, if you can’t keep your men under control…”

  There were harsh Ukrainian words spoken and someone left the room, closing the door with a bang.

  “I control my men, Clement. I am completely in charge of my operation, unlike Andreiko.”

  “I had no plans of pitting you against each other. You can work together, much like Andreiko and Kozak.”

  “I can handle both sides. I can handle everything.”

  “And yet Andreiko is the reason we have this opportunity to get information from Wheeler.”

  “I’ll be the one to get the information from him.”

  “We’ll see if your methods are successful.”

  Bray’s breathing kicked up, but it was muffled under the grumbled Ukrainian and the clip-clap of feet moving across the concrete floor.

  When the door clicked shut, Bray cracked one eye open and listened to see if he had a guard in the room. Hearing nothing but his own breathing, he opened his eyes and looked all around. He even took the chance to twist around and search for anything he might be able to use as a weapon

  They were going to torture Sam and they were using him as bait. His arms were bound in front of him, so he tried to pat his pants. He felt coins jingle in his pocket. The sound both relieved him and sent fear coursing through his veins. Sam was sure to find him, and if he didn’t, Max would.

  His phone wasn’t in his pocket and was probably turned off somewhere or ground to bits. This whole thing had turned into a huge mess, and if Sam got hurt, if Mase got hurt, even if Ax got hurt, it would be his fault.

  Bray closed his eyes as soon as he heard the door handle a few minutes later. The footsteps he heard sounded a little like the Frenchman’s, but the stride was different.

  Hands gripped Bray’s bound wrists and wrenched him up. He cracked his eyes open as he flew through the air. He landed with a thump onto a wide shoulder. In the distance, he heard someone speaking in Ukrainian.

  Were they moving him to try to bait Sam? As relieved as he was to be out of that room, Bray feared the destination he was headed for would be much worse.

  If they were taking him to a meeting with Sam, then Max was their only hope. If Max couldn’t get a hold of them… Max would think of something—he had to.

  Bray kept his eyes slitted open, but the hallway was too dark to see anything. The man carrying him mo
ved sideways. Bray realized he was stepping around something lying on the floor. The beat of the music got louder as he was carried up a flight of stairs. The screech of a heavy door opening on a rusted hinge had cool, fresh air blowing over him. He took a breath and tried to assess the situation.

  Everything was dark, but he could make out a car. The streetlights were too far away to help him see anything. The headlights of the car shed light on everything far away, but Bray couldn’t make out much up close.

  A few long strides over gravel in the back-alley parking lot and Bray was unceremoniously plopped down in the back seat of the car. Everything clicked into place at once. This was his only chance.

  Curling up, Bray got all the momentum he could. Spreading his legs, he sucked in a breath at the pain of breaking the zip tie, but he was able to kick out harder with both feet. It was a direct hit to the chest. The guy stumbled back but didn’t fall. Bray slammed the door shut and locked himself in as he threw his body over the console and into the driver’s seat.

  His hands were still bound, but with his legs free, he could easily drive. Bray struggled to get the car in drive. He crouched low in case they shot out the windows. Just as he changed the gear, he heard someone yelling.

  The car lurched forward, because with the pain in his ankles, he hadn’t had enough pressure on the brake. Nothing would stop him now. As he lifted his foot, someone stepped in front of the car.

  He was just getting ready to run the guy over when he pulled back his hood enough for the headlights to illuminate his face. It was Mase. Bray slammed his foot on the brake and moved his bound hands back to the gear shift. He fumbled as he tried to get the car back in park.

  Mase walked around and tapped on the window. With shaking fingers, Bray pressed the unlock button. He was confused and scared about what exactly was happening, but he was trusting his brother.

  “Scoot over,” Mase ordered as soon as the door was open.

  Bray scrambled into the passenger seat. Before he was fully over, Mase was in the driver’s seat with the door shut and his foot pressing on the gas.

  “What’s going on?”

  His voice sounded hoarse and rusty. He hadn’t actually spoken with his brother since he was nine years old. So many emotions and questions bubbled up now that they were actually alone together. In person.