“Dad said no?” Cam repeatedquietly.
“Yeah, bro. That was the line he wouldn’t cross. And, uh. For what it’s worth, it looks like he donated all of the money Alexei paid him to charity.Anonymously.”
Drew’s hands came up to thread through his hair and Bas let some of the tension he’d been holding bleed out of him. “See, it’s not black and white,” Drew whispered, low enough that only Bas couldhear.
Bas nodded and grabbed one of Drew’s hands so he could press a kiss in the center of hispalm.
“So, it sounds like you have plenty there to convictMichael Paterkinto a whole host of crimes,” Cort said. “And it’s all been obtained legally. But you’ve got two problems. One, giving all this information to the authorities is going to cause serious problems for SeaverTech.”
“I don’t care,” Bas saidquickly.
Cam’s answer was slower, more reluctant, but no less heart-felt. “Yeah, Bas is right. I hate to see my dad’s legacy go down in flames like this, but if it means putting Alexei away, there’s noquestion.”
There was a rustle on the other end of the line, and Bas strongly suspected Cort had wrapped Cam up tightly, just as Drew was now doing with him. Thank God they had both found men who loved them for far more than their lastnames.
“Well, the other problem is that we need to find a way to connect Michael Paterkin to Alexei,” Cortsaid.
“And the only way to do that is to get into Alexei’s money. And we can’t dothatunless we can get into his fucking server.” Bas groaned. “So, we’ve traveled in a circle and found ourselves right back where westarted.”
Someone, likely Cort, sighed. “Seems that way. Don’t suppose that drive contained any contact information for people who’d love to testify againstAlexei?”
Bas snorted. “‘Fraidnot.”
“Figured. Well, I’ll give Cooksy the update. Decide whether you wanna give him a copy of the drive for safekeeping, just incase.”
“Right. I’ll consult my attorney,” Bas said, winking atDrew.
“Your attorney is overworked,” Drew replied. “The answer is no. We’re not turning anything over to the FBI, even unofficially. But we’ll giveyoua copy, just in case,Cort.”
“Fair enough,” Cort agreed. “So, uh. What should I tell Sean about the auction? It’s in less than a week and he needs toprepare.”
Bas opened his mouth to tell Cort exactly what Sean could do with his stupid fucking idea, when Drew slapped a hand over his mouth. “Tell him we’re still considering,” Drew said. “Give us New Year’s Eve to think about it. We’ll get back to him bytomorrow.”
“Fine.” Cort seemed to hesitate before he continued. “For what it’s worth, Bas, I share your concerns. But I agree with Cam. The alternative is waiting for Alexei to come for us another time, another way, and that’sunacceptable.”
“We’ll talk to you tomorrow,” Bassaid.
“I, ah, take it you won’t be coming to our place to hang out tonight, then?” Cort teased. “How am I notsurprised?”
“Uh huh. Happy New Year to you and Cam, too!” Drew said brightly, then he leaned over Bas again to disconnect thephone.
“Smooth,” Basremarked.
“Sebastian,” Drew said, turning Bas’s chair around to face him. “Did you hear what Cort said a minuteago?”
Bas wrapped his hands around Drew’s lean hips and brought him forward until he was straddling the chair. “The part where he totally knows why we’re not going to his house tonight, or the part where he’s still trying to convince me to fall in line with this asinineplan?”
“Neither.” Drew shifted until he was sitting sideways on Bas’s lap - not the most comfortable position in this chair. But when Drew leaned down and brushed his lips against Bas’s neck, Bas decided it was his new favorite. “I meant the part about knowing someone who’d testify againstAlexei.”
Bas rubbed his hand up Drew’s back, distracted by the warm breath on his skin. “What aboutit?”
“Well, we do know someone who knows them,” Drewwhispered.
Bas pulled back. “Who?”
Drew licked his lips. “Well.Gary.”
“Gary,” Bas repeateddryly.
