that never failed to hit Dane square in the crotch, hardening him immensely. “We should stop,” Angel shuddered. His lips trembled against Dane’s mouth, plucking tiny kisses from him. “Axel doesn’t need to see this right now.”
Exhaling hard, Dane nodded and lifted Angel off his lap. “You’re right,” he groaned. He adjusted his crotch and cleared his throat. “But I won’t be able to stop myself by tonight. So whether we’re here or at our place…we’ll just have to be extra quiet and discreet.”
Dane didn’t have a lot of faith in pulling that off, though. They might be able to start out slow and quiet, but it was damn near impossible to stay that way –for them both.
The bedroom door opened and Axel came down the hall, pausing at the edge of the living room. His eyes were red and puffy as he glanced at them. “I’ll stay at your place,” he whispered with a tremor in his voice. “If that’s still okay.”
“Of course,” Dane nodded.
Axel looked away then retreated back down the hall to the bedroom, closing the door quietly behind him.
Chapter 12
“The Shooter”
♦
Clint hadn’t spoken more than a few words to the Egyptian when he’d returned, inquiring only about Cory. Upon leaving Cory’s room while he made his call, Clint found Cochise in the parking lot where he’d left him earlier, sitting on the metal bench outside the waiting room.
“I called Anthony,” Cochise muttered. “Let him know you were back. They’ll be here in just a few.”
Nodding, Clint sat down on the far end of the bench and rested forward on his knees, his stare blank and rooted to the ground. He dreaded going back into Cory’s room after Cory talked to Axel. Clint realized that this wasn’t going to be a clean break. Cory clearly wasn’t going to allow that, and after speaking with Axel…he would surely come down on Clint harder than ever.
“Did Cory tell you anything about the shooter?” Cochise asked low, tight.
Clint scratched his temple. “Some,” he mumbled. “Not enough to identify him. When Anthony and Angelo get here, maybe we can find out more. I don’t think he told me everything.”
“So why are you out here?”
Clint sighed and rubbed his face. “He had to make a personal call.”
“A personal call?” Cochise murmured. “To who?”
Clint didn’t answer and continued to stare at the ground.
Properly interpreting Clint’s silence, Cochise asked stiffly, “Did you get things squared away?”
Pressure squeezed Clint’s chest. “Yeah,” he rasped with a rigid tone.
“Our world would destroy him,” Cochise said. “He doesn’t belong here.”
“I said I dealt with it,” Clint hissed through his clenched jaw, his throat aching. “Now fucking drop it.” He stood quickly and walked across the parking lot to his car. Whether the man was speaking true or not, Clint wasn’t in the mood for the fucking truth right now. Not when it told him everything he didn’t want to hear.
He leaned against the driver door and stuffed his hands in the front pockets of his Wranglers. He tried to shut out the sound of Axel’s cries and pleas, the sound of his heart breaking –but there was no getting away from it.
You did it before, you can do it again. Just shove it down and bury it deep –and just fucking forget.
That might not be as easy this time with Cory on him about Axel.
Easy? It was easy before?
Clint closed his eyes, resisting his thoughts. He had enough to deal with concerning Axel, and finding the shooter. He didn’t need to be digging up shit that was long dead and buried. Problem was –sometimes even the “dead” got restless. And something about Axel had disturbed their slumber.
You know what it is, his mind insisted, but Clint turned away. The past was not a place he journeyed into anymore…yet he could feel it creeping up on him, prickling the tiny hairs of his neck and chilling his blood.
He said something about a storm coming…and it
Exhaling hard, Dane nodded and lifted Angel off his lap. “You’re right,” he groaned. He adjusted his crotch and cleared his throat. “But I won’t be able to stop myself by tonight. So whether we’re here or at our place…we’ll just have to be extra quiet and discreet.”
Dane didn’t have a lot of faith in pulling that off, though. They might be able to start out slow and quiet, but it was damn near impossible to stay that way –for them both.
The bedroom door opened and Axel came down the hall, pausing at the edge of the living room. His eyes were red and puffy as he glanced at them. “I’ll stay at your place,” he whispered with a tremor in his voice. “If that’s still okay.”
“Of course,” Dane nodded.
Axel looked away then retreated back down the hall to the bedroom, closing the door quietly behind him.
Chapter 12
“The Shooter”
♦
Clint hadn’t spoken more than a few words to the Egyptian when he’d returned, inquiring only about Cory. Upon leaving Cory’s room while he made his call, Clint found Cochise in the parking lot where he’d left him earlier, sitting on the metal bench outside the waiting room.
“I called Anthony,” Cochise muttered. “Let him know you were back. They’ll be here in just a few.”
Nodding, Clint sat down on the far end of the bench and rested forward on his knees, his stare blank and rooted to the ground. He dreaded going back into Cory’s room after Cory talked to Axel. Clint realized that this wasn’t going to be a clean break. Cory clearly wasn’t going to allow that, and after speaking with Axel…he would surely come down on Clint harder than ever.
“Did Cory tell you anything about the shooter?” Cochise asked low, tight.
Clint scratched his temple. “Some,” he mumbled. “Not enough to identify him. When Anthony and Angelo get here, maybe we can find out more. I don’t think he told me everything.”
“So why are you out here?”
Clint sighed and rubbed his face. “He had to make a personal call.”
“A personal call?” Cochise murmured. “To who?”
Clint didn’t answer and continued to stare at the ground.
Properly interpreting Clint’s silence, Cochise asked stiffly, “Did you get things squared away?”
Pressure squeezed Clint’s chest. “Yeah,” he rasped with a rigid tone.
“Our world would destroy him,” Cochise said. “He doesn’t belong here.”
“I said I dealt with it,” Clint hissed through his clenched jaw, his throat aching. “Now fucking drop it.” He stood quickly and walked across the parking lot to his car. Whether the man was speaking true or not, Clint wasn’t in the mood for the fucking truth right now. Not when it told him everything he didn’t want to hear.
He leaned against the driver door and stuffed his hands in the front pockets of his Wranglers. He tried to shut out the sound of Axel’s cries and pleas, the sound of his heart breaking –but there was no getting away from it.
You did it before, you can do it again. Just shove it down and bury it deep –and just fucking forget.
That might not be as easy this time with Cory on him about Axel.
Easy? It was easy before?
Clint closed his eyes, resisting his thoughts. He had enough to deal with concerning Axel, and finding the shooter. He didn’t need to be digging up shit that was long dead and buried. Problem was –sometimes even the “dead” got restless. And something about Axel had disturbed their slumber.
You know what it is, his mind insisted, but Clint turned away. The past was not a place he journeyed into anymore…yet he could feel it creeping up on him, prickling the tiny hairs of his neck and chilling his blood.
He said something about a storm coming…and it
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