Scout skimmed his lips across the shell of Clay’s ear. There was no mistaking the chill bumps on his neck. Scout kissed those too, making things worse. Clay’s breathing turned faster. Yeah. He knew there was no going back.
“You’re crossing a line we can’t uncross.”
Scout smiled against Clay’s neck. “That line has never existed between us, and you know it.”
“You should let me cut in.” The booming voice broke the spell Scout tried to weave.
Clay immediately took a step back and motioned toward Scout, silently offering Scout to the man who had interrupted his plans. He wore a leather harness along with leather pants. Scout’s gaze moved between the objectively sexy interloper to Clay and back again.
Scout shrugged. Maybe a hint of jealousy was exactly what Clay needed. Scout smirked at his new dance partner and motioned him closer.
Lips immediately pressed against his ear to be heard over the noise surrounding them. “Jay.”
“Scout.” He didn’t know why they exchanged names. Scout already knew who he would leave with tonight.
“You have a last name, Scout?”
Honestly, Scout was a tad annoyed. Clay hadn’t gone back to the bar. He danced nearby, laughing with a blond.
“Agafonov.” He didn’t know why he had done that. Now would come the inevitable questions about his accent and surname.
“That’s what I thought.” The unmistakable feeling of a knife pressed against the spot beneath his ribs. “Move toward the back exit. Don’t draw any attention, or you’ll be dead in less than five seconds.” There it was: the Russian accent. It was another operative. Scout had gotten complacent. Living with Beau had given him a sense of protection. He had let his guard down, and here he was. Scout danced his way toward the door Jay had indicated. He didn’t draw attention to himself or look for Clay. The last thing Scout wanted was for Clay to get hurt because of him. Plus, Jay obviously underestimated Scout. Scout fought another smirk. This time, for a different reason. Jay didn’t know him. He had been off the leash for over a decade. There were no rules for him.
Darkness engulfed them as Scout stepped outside. The alley where the club obviously dumped its trash was completely devoid of life. That was good, since Jay was about to lose his life right here. Scout readied himself while ensuring no move he made gave him away.
“I suggest you drop that knife if you want to keep your head.”
Scout blinked. Clay stood behind Jay with a gun pressed against the back of Jay’s head. Scout couldn’t believe Clay got the drop on both of them.
The knife hit the ground.
Scout felt Jay tense, readying to attack. Before he could, Clay had Jay’s arm at an odd angle with Jay bent and twisted with the gun still against the guy’s head.
“Don’t even think about it, motherfucker. You have no idea who you’ve fucked with.”
Despite the pain Jay had to be in, Jay chuckled. “He no longer has our government backing him. You’re the one fucking with the wrong one.”
An evil smile stretched Clay’s lips.
Scout took a step back. This was a man Scout hadn’t met.
“Oh, I didn’t mean him. It’s me you won’t walk away from.”
Goddamn. He was sexy.
Clay’s gaze flickered his way. “Call Beau. Let him know we were attacked. We need a cleanup crew.”
That got Jay’s attention. He struggled against Clay’s hold. If Clay even noticed, he didn’t show it. Meanwhile, Scout was shocked into complete uselessness. Jay was trained by the same people as Scout and Clay treated him as if his skill was nonexistent, which enraged Jay more by the second. He spat, cursed, and fought.Clay calmly held him twisted like a pretzel with one hand and a gun to the guy’s head with the other.
All Scout could do was take out his phone and call Beau, as ordered. He imagined this was one for the private line.
Beau answered on the first ring, proving the number was only for emergencies. “What’s happened?”
“We’ve been attacked.”
“Is my boy hurt?” The bite to Beau’s tone was even more terrifying than Clay’s cold calm.
“Not yet. Threat hasn’t been neutralized. Clay says we’ll need a cleanup crew.”
