Cash
Cash wokeup with tiny hammers pounding the inside of his skull. He groaned and blinked, and the world began to come into focus. Through the aching confusion, he figured out that he was propped up in an armchair and sitting in a small bedroom that smelled faintly of stale pizza.
“We have to tie him up.” Raiden’s low voice rumbled from the other side of the door. “Until we know why the hell he’s been stalking you, he’s too dangerous.”
“But what if there’s some kind of explanation?” Lawrence objected in a fierce whisper. “And we’ve already assaulted him and kidnapped him!”
That’s right. Cash remembered Raiden running out of the shadows. He scolded himself that he had been so careless. The bodyguard must have been tracking them all night to appear at just the right moment. But Cash had gone and let himself get distracted by flirting with Lawrence and enjoying the game of pretending he was a normal person for once, someone a guy would bring home to a family dinner.
Guess he had gone and proven himself wrong there. And the beating he received from Raiden definitely made him second-guess his choice to taunt the guy by leaving that chocolate heart in the intercom box.
He rubbed his fists into his forehead as blinding pain shot through his skull. That’s what he got for taking his eyes off the prize. Even just one minute of distraction could cost him everything, and Lawrence and Raiden were both proving to be terribly distracting.
Cash, for instance, didn’t think it would be the worst thing in the world, were Lawrence and Raiden to tie him up.
He rose to his wobbly feet, but as soon as he got his balance, the door flung open.
“Fuck,” Raiden shouted. He lurched forward, and Cash collapsed back into the armchair, his bruised body aching.
“You really do pack quite the punch, Raiden. Didn’t see it coming,” he said, wincing to get the words out.
“All right, smartass. Why don’t you use that mouth for something useful for once?”
Cash wiggled his eyebrows at Raiden. It was hot as hell, having a man like Raiden towering over him, and like with any dominant man, Cash’s instinct was just to poke the beast more and see how loud his bark got. “Why, Raiden,” he said, then licked his lips slowly. “I thought you’d never ask.”
But then he turned his eyes to Lawrence. The sweet guy stood behind his bodyguard, peering at Cash with hurt concern. His lip was positively quivering, which sent a pang through Cash much worse than the pain wracking his body.
“Come on,” Lawrence said softly. “What’s happening, Dixon?”
Cash considered his options. He might be able to muster the strength to make a run for it, break through that window, and aim for the fire escape. Assuming they were in Raiden’s apartment, he thought he remembered its location from surveillance. But even if he managed to live through that stunt, he’d still be fucked, cut off from Lawrence and permanently on Reed’s shit list.
Escape might have been the smart choice, but all of his instincts were begging him to stay. To look in Lawrence’s brown eyes and trust his budding affinity for Raiden and maybe even try to listen to that advice and use his mouth for something smart for once.
“You want to know why I took your father’s hard drive?”
“That would be a good place to start,” Raiden growled.
Cash crumpled back into his chair. He turned to Lawrence, held his gaze, and then nodded.
“I’m sorry I stole from your father, Lawrence. And I’m sorry I wasn’t entirely honest with you.”
“Is that the only reason you came to dinner with me in the first place?”
Cash winced. “It’s not like that. Not entirely, at least.”
“Not entirely,” Raiden spat out, then stepped forward menacingly. “Just like I thought. More fast talk. Tell me this, how long have you been following Lawrence around, huh? Huh?” Raiden pulled his arm back, and for a second, Cash thought he was about to receive another of those wrecking ball punches. But Lawrence placed his hand on his bodyguard’s arm first, stilling him.
“I thought it was too easy to be true,” Lawrence said, his voice cracking. “I can’t believe I fell for your lies.”
And that was it. That pushed him over the edge. Because on top of everything else, Cash could not handle making Lawrence cry right then.
“My name is Cash,” he said abruptly. “Not Dixon.”
“What?” Lawrence and Raiden both asked at the same time.
Cash groaned as his head throbbed again. “It’s a long story,” he managed.
Raiden sighed. “Lawrence,” he said, “will you grab this guy some Tylenol and a water while I keep an eye on him? Medicine cabinet.” He glared at Cash. “Won’t do us any good if he passes out from the pain again.”
