“Scar’s done some real foul shit back in the day,” Roz said matter-of-factly, not judgmental. “But I’d be a hypocrite if I acted like people like him can’t change. I know he has. And I know he loves you…hard.”
Gage’s heart skipped a beat.
“I never thought I’d say this, but I trust him with you. He’ll protect you with his whole life and kill for you without hesitation.”
Gage shouldn’t have loved that part so much, but he did. “Thank you, brother.”
Roz took another loud, sloppy bite of his burger and circled back to his original question. “You looked stressed when you came in. Why?”
Gage exhaled. “I think Adrian’s overstepping his bounds…and I’m getting a bad vibe. I have been for a while, but now he’s making comments about Scar. Saying I’m making a mistake.”
Gage felt Roz’s demeanor darken. Before he could add anything else, Roz was already on his phone.
“Aliyah, I need to come and…I mean, um, Dr. Rockwell.” Roz cleared his throat. “I need to talk about Adrian’s assignment. Now.”
Gage reached out as if he had the slightest chance of slowing his friend down. “Roz, hold on, let’s just—”
“I’m your handler. So let me handle this shit.”
Not wanting to hear Roz going off and cursing up a storm with Dr. Rockwell, he put his earbuds in and pulled up the new thriller he’d downloaded last week.
He let the narrator’s deep voice fill the edges of his mind until his dinner arrived.
He’d only eaten a few bites of his meal, when a subtle spark of awareness lit in him, as a low, steady warmth bloomed in his chest.
Scar.
He walked in with Ex, Meridian, and their handler Corvo.
Meridian’s presence was always heavy and cold, and the clove scent of his lingering cigarette smoke was unmistakable. Gage knew Ex was with him by his proximity to his partner. Only one man could walk that close to Meridian without being consumed.
And, well, Corvo’s hair gel and Old Spice body wash were always a dead giveaway.
Scar didn’t pause.
He came straight to him, gripped the back of his neck, and kissed him to within an inch of his life.
“For fuck’s sake, man.” Roz balked. “You’re gonna’ suck his goddamn face off,”
Gage chuckled, breathless, even as Scar kept kissing the hell out of him.
Scar dragged his chair closer until he was between Scar’s legs, pinned there as though it was where he belonged.
Scar grabbed a stalk of steamed broccoli from his plate, bit off a floret, chewed a few times, then gagged. “How the fuck do you eat this shit?”
Gage shook his head. “It’s a vegetable. You should try them.”
“It’s a punishment.”
“Your pizza’s almost ready,” Mina told Scar.
The group began to congratulate them for their mission’s success.
Scar kept his hand on Gage’s thigh while he leaned back on his chest, still riding his love-high, still turning the ring when he thought nobody was looking.
“So, when’s the ceremony?” Roz blurted.
Gage smiled, turning toward Scar, waiting for him to answer.
