That effectively ends the meeting. Shock ripples through the gathered officers at the mention of Lucinda being alive, and our men disperse with wide, unbelieving eyes, murmuring quietly to each other as they exit. Percy stays behind to deal with Creed’s body, and Matt slips him a handwritten note on our way out the door.
“What was that about?” I ask.
“Rico’s body. It’s still at the motel.”
“Shit.” I cringe. “I forgot about that.”
Matt pats me on the shoulder. “It’s okay. In our line of work, one dead body can easily slip our minds.”
I’m not sure I like the truth of that comment. I’ve certainly forgotten my share of dead bodies, and the mention conjures memories of our last moments in the barn before I rescued Matt.
I shot out the lights, which made shards of glass rain down on everyone. I shot blindly at where the Empire guards had been standing, hoping to take out at least one of them. Either one of those actions could have hurt or killed my daughter, but I did them without a second thought. I could only focus on getting Matt out of there.
Was it the shock of learning that I fathered a child with my half-sister, or was it something else? Does my relationship with Matt supersede my instincts as a father? Why did I put him first?
The answer comes when Matt opens the door to the gym and looks back at me. That look of devotion, the affection in his sapphire eyes … It makes my heart flip in my chest.
“Come on, Don Aron,” he says playfully. “We haven’t sparred in a while. I think we’re both due to release some pent-up aggression. Don’t you agree?”
I follow him in, locking the gym behind us. I hear muffled sounds of confusion from the guards who were dutifully following us, but I don’t give a shit. Matt and I deserve some time alone, and who’s going to get us here?
Despite my certainty that the gym is safe, old habits die hard. I’m halfway through a sweep of the facilities before Matt’s laughter brings me back to the here and now.
“Checking for bombs?” he asks with a grin.
I shrug and go back to my task. “It’s ingrained at this point. I did a cursory check when we entered the office today, too.”
“I noticed.” Matt opens his locker and starts shedding his suit, folding each item carefully and placing it in the bottom of the locker before removing the next, then pulling his gym clothes from the top shelf and donning them. My eyes dart to his crotch while he’s between outfits, watching his cock bouncing with every move.
I shake my head to clear it and begin my own wardrobe change. Since Matt didn’t put on a protective cup, I forgo myjock strap, too. I’ve sparred with Matt plenty of times, and I know that he prefers an even match.
Once we’re both in tees and gym shorts, Matt hands me a roll of boxing tape and some gauze. We tape our hands in preparation for bare-knuckle fighting—no gloves today.
The silence between us is comfortable … safe. I don’t feel awkward when it’s just us two.
After taping up, we step onto the mat and square off. We’ve both got injuries in various stages of healing: Matt’s blow to the temple before I got to the barn, my still-recovering gunshot wound from when Matt shot me at the docks … Granted, we’ve fought hard with worse, but they should make this bout interesting.
Chapter 5
Matt
I hope Aron doesn’t take what I’m about to do as a personal affront.
I’m about to kick his ass.
Dad always believed in teaching valuable life lessons whenever possible, and this seems as good a time as any. I need to show the Syndicate that I’m not soft just because I’m gay, and I need to show Aron that I’m not going to go easy on him just because I’m in love with him.
Now, some might argue that beating Aron will makehimappear soft, but I’m not worried about that. Aron can take as good as he gives, and I know that no matter how hard I hit him today, he’ll walk out of here like nothing happened. He might be bloodied and bruised, but I have no doubt that he can hide his pain better than anyone. What our men will see are two hardened criminals, fighters who have no compunctions about beating the shit out of those who might deserve it—even if the ones who deserve are people we care about.
As if he can read my thoughts, Aron chuckles and says, “Am I the example here?” before we begin.
I shake my head with a rueful grin. “We both are. I want people to remember what the Syndicate is about: Rule by blood. Dad’s been gone long enough that I think some of them have forgotten that. Gone soft.”
“Oh, so I’m free to mar that gorgeous face?”
“Mar whatever you want, but remember that if you break it, you can’t use it later on.”
He winks at me. “Same goes for you, lover.”
