But now that Cash had said the truth, he needed Raiden to accept it. He needed his man, otherwise nothing would be right again, and he would always be like he was in that moment.
Alone.
The door to the street swung open, and Raiden stomped out. His brow was furrowed, but there was a light in his eyes, and he crossed straight to Cash. “Damn it,” he said, grabbing the back of Cash’s head and pushing their foreheads together. “I love you, too, Cash.”
Cash pushed their faces closer, a thrill warming his skin as he tried to process the words coming across Raiden’s lips. No one had said that to Cash in years, and the feeling was strange, almost unreal. “You and Lawrence both,” he said softly. They held still for a minute; then Raiden pulled Cash into a deep kiss. It felt like it always did with him, like Cash was somehow leveled out and able to think clearly again.
Like when he wasn’t alone, everything suddenly became possible.
“I guess that means you’re in?” Cash asked. He loosened his hands behind Raiden’s neck, then traced his fingers down the other man’s shoulders, trying to soothe his tense muscles.
“You really think you know where Lawrence is?”
“I do. I’m so sorry for all the mistakes I made, Raiden. But I’ll do anything to get him back. And I’ll do anything to get you back, too.” He planted another kiss on Raiden’s mouth, just to feel that he was there. “It’s not right unless we’re all together.”
For a brief second, Cash thought that Raiden actually blushed. “I missed you, Cash,” he grunted under his breath. “And I’m in. I’m doing this, whatever it takes to get him back.”
A surge of confidence shot through Cash. “We’redoing this,” he said. He turned, then grabbed his box and backpack. “And we’re doing it fast.”
Raiden nodded, then grabbed the box out of Cash’s hands and popped it on his shoulder. “You need to meet Declan and Seb. They have a lot of information on Reed and Horizon Zed that you’ll want,” he said, straight to business. “They’ll be able to help make a plan.”
“Thank you,” Cash said. “For trusting me again.”
Raiden let out a puff of air, then pulled the door open. “Come on,” he said. “We can thank each other when Lawrence is safe.”
The immediate switch to focusing on work was comfortable for Cash, and it gave him something to think about other than how much he had fucked up. He wanted to jump on top of Raiden and get the release he truly needed, but there just wasn’t time for that until Lawrence was safe. And in the meanwhile, the steamy glances Raiden sent his way were enough to keep him going.
Cash was also surprised when Declan and his boyfriend Seb seemed to welcome him. Sure, they were still careful, and Declan in particular was like a hawk, the way he kept an eye on Cash. But once Cash started unloading the files he’d brought along, and once they realized their shared animosity toward Reed, they fell into a natural rhythm.
“The black site is right in New York City,” Cash explained. He pulled a map out of the box, spread it out on the table between the four men, and then pointed at the location. “There on the Gowanus Canal. It’s in the subbasement of a warehouse. The building is only separated from the street by a barbed wire fence and a couple guard dogs, but there should be five, six guards inside, maybe more.”
Seb pointed at the box. “What else you got in there?”
Cash grinned. Seb was a little awkward at first, but sweet as pie. After only a few minutes of working together, Cash could already sniff out a talented hacker, and Seb was as bright as they came. “Lots of cool shit,” Cash answered. “Here’s my notes on the security systems and network infrastructure Reed normally uses…”
Seb accepted the file. “Great. We can compare these with our research.”
“Let’s see,” Cash continued. “Here’s a shiny rock I keep for good luck and some old network passwords. Oh! And there’s my backpack.”
“Coltan,” Seb said.
“What?”
“Your shiny rock is columbite-tantalite,” he said distractedly, his eyes on the security note. “It’s called Coltan.”
“What’s in your backpack?” Declan asked.
Cash grabbed the bag, then pulled back the zipper. “It’s kind of my signature move,” he said, then pulled out two cases made of molded plastic. He popped them open, revealing the silver guns and the orange tipped darts inside. He lifted one in the air, then turned to them all with a hesitant smile. “It’s silent, discreet, and effective with just one hit practically anywhere on the body. And not only is it fun to watch the bad guys drop after you fire the tranquilizer, but a lot of times, they piss their pants, too.”
Declan and Seb both tilted their heads quizzically as they stared at him, but Raiden just snatched one of the guns from the case. “Cool,” he said as he felt its heft in his hand. “This feels right.”
Cash smiled softly. The way the men all seemed to trust each other did feel right. And even though he knew he still had to redeem himself, for the first time since Lawrence disappeared, Cash was beginning to believe the fight was one they could win.
RAIDEN
From a rooftop across the Gowanus Canal, Raiden peered down on the warehouse. It looked like any other old building, with dirty windows, worn brick siding, and piles of junk surrounding it from every side. Between him and Reed’s hideout, dirty water trickled down the wide canal, nearly still against the concrete embankments.
Could Lawrence really be in there? Raiden hated the idea of the kid being trapped in such a dirty, dark place. But as he stared through his scope, a guard casually strolled around the corner of the building, and anger boiled behind his eyes.
