Herald the Night

Chapter Seven

Pulling himself from the bed took an insane amount of effort. Weekends were Luke’s favorite days of the week. The warm body sprawled over his chest seemed inclined to agree with the want for a slow start. No matter how many times he nudged Taz’ side, he couldn”t get the man to budge. Considering they’d exhausted themselves with a marathon between the sheets the night before, Luke wasn”t particularly surprised.

“Rise and shine, Scrappy.” Luke smacked his palm to the bare ass in his hands and was rewarded with a slow, subtle grind and a soft, syrupy moan.

“No. I don”t want to,” Taz groused, shifting himself higher over Luke’s body to bury his face against Luke’s neck.

“We have company coming and there’s no way in hell we can get away with not showering.”

“Fuck it. I don”t give a shit.” Taz bit down on the tendon in Luke’s neck. He shivered in response.

“Be a good boy,” Luke whispered, low and gravelly. “I’ll reward you, but only in the shower.”

“Daddy,” Taz petulantly whined and squirmed. That word always managed to get Luke’s pulse pounding.

“Now, Timothy.” A firm pinch to Taz’ backside finally got him moving, albeit with a scowl that could melt ice.

They found their way into the bathroom, eventually. Taz made sure Luke knew just how irritated he was about that fact. Among the plethora of muttered insults, “punk ass bitch” and “knuckle-dragging Neanderthal” were the most creative. Taz bitched and bemoaned the unfairness of the situation until Luke had him breathless and mewling at the precipice of yet another orgasm, this time with his face pressed to the tiled wall of the shower and three fingers wedged between his ass cheeks. Watching him come undone was Luke’s favorite part of the day. So much so that it usually happened multiple times a day.

Finally mollified and adequately cleansed of the evidence of their repeated escapades from the night before, Taz begrudgingly dropped the attitude in lieu of becoming the clingier version Luke loved most of all. Neither made any attempt to keep their hands to themselves the entire time they got dressed, made coffee, and ate breakfast. Taz was damn near fused to Luke’s side, even as he rose from their seat at the table to answer the door.

Connor glanced between both of them with a thinly-veiled smirk and a curt nod. “Luke, Taz. Mornin’.”

“Good morning, bud. Come on in.” Luke pushed the door open wider and dragged Taz out of the way.

“Yay. Another meathead. What fun.” Taz’ monotonic deadpan was par for the course. His displeasure was merely a reminder of the mask he wore. For as much shit he talked about muscle jocks and meatheads, he was gladly surrounded by them. Between Luke, Connor, Luke’s brothers, and the rotating door of friends who came and went, Taz and his scrappy techie black cat attitude were the minority. The smiles he failed to hide were the running joke of the Gendry household.

“Sorry I”m a little early. Traffic was surprisingly light today.” Connor kicked his tennis shoes off at the door and dumped his backpack on top of them.

“I see you remembered your running gear.” Luke led their trio back to the kitchen.

“Affirmative. Thanks for invitin’ me.” The affable blond flashed a smile of gratitude as Luke pushed a cup of coffee across the counter.

“I”ll holler for the guys. They”re chomping at the bit to get you on board.” Luke shrugged Taz from his side and parked his ass back in the chair they”d recently vacated. “Sit. Stay. Play nice.”

“Fuck that. When the cat’s away…” Taz steepled his fingers with a mischievous glint to his eye as he sized up Connor from across the table. Luke and Connor made eye contact immediately, both reacting to the casual idiom said in jest. Taz, unaware of what had them on high alert, rolled his eyes. “You can”t expect me not to grill the fucker, Luke. I”m still mad at him.”

“Eh, I can take it. Do your worst, Taz. I reckon I deserve it.” Connor recovered quickly, a smile that was only skin-deep spreading over his features.

Luke ventured deeper into the house as he mulled over the reminder of the unsettling photos Connor had shared with him a few days earlier. He hadn”t discussed it with Taz. There was no need getting him worked up without any evidence of foul play. That didn”t mean he hadn”t silently ruminated on it. Connor had likely been doing the same. After all, they were both overprotective former Marines. Everything was a red flag until proven otherwise. He made a mental note to circle back and discuss it with Connor later on as he called down into the basement that his brother’s had turned into the headquarters of their new business venture.

He and his twin brothers Liam and Leon returned to the kitchen, interrupting the staring contest going on between Taz and Connor. Taz looked pissy. Connor looked flushed. He didn”t want to know what had transpired in the brief absence. Knowing Taz, it could be anything. Thankfully, he had two new targets to pester with the twins” arrival.

“Oh, it”s Dumb and Dumber. You survived another night. Shame.” Taz rolled his eyes while trying to hide another smile as the twins approached and sandwiched his face with simultaneous cheek kisses.

“Sup, bro? Someone had a good night if I had to judge by the sounds coming from you guys’ room.” Leon ruffled Taz’ hair with a grin.

“Daddy, Daddy!” Liam dramatically swooned, dodging out of the way just in time to avoid Taz’ attempt at a tackle. Muffled shouts turned into laughter as Liam let Taz drag him into a headlock. He was grossly outmatched, but Liam always let Taz win. The spectacle warmed Luke’s heart.

Clapping his hands twice, he tried to regain control over the madness. “Guys, come on. We’ve got a lot to cover and I have plans later.”

“Fine, Daddy.” Leon gave Luke a shove and then beckoned Connor to follow. “We can show you some shit on the computer first.”

Somehow, the discussion about the job involved them all. Luke and Taz ended up in the living room with the twins and Connor, with Lance arriving shortly thereafter, wearing only a pair of briefs and still scrubbing sleep from his eyes. To his credit, Connor appeared unfazed by the overwhelming onslaught of Luke”s family. It was a good sign if he accepted the job they were offering him. They talked numbers, jobs, protocols, debated the pros and cons of independent contractor versus salaried employee, and a plethora of other things that had Luke’s head spinning despite the fact that he knew exactly what his brothers were doing.

“Basically, at the end of the day, what we’re saying is that we can all make a boatload of cash if you sign on.” Liam turned his laptop and held it out for Connor to take.

“Seriously. Do you know how many people would die to have a former Secret Service agent as their personal bodyguard?” Leon made meaningless flailing gestures over his head. “You could have your pick of the best and never be hard up for options. Don”t make us beg, man. It”ll get awkward. We have to listen to Taz do it every night. My vocabulary has grown considerably in recent months.”

“Fuck off, Tweedledee.” Taz kicked at Leon”s ankle with a scowl. “I do not beg.”

Luke immediately jumped in to cover his younger brother”s mouth to keep the situation from escalating again. He didn”t need his family sharing any more of the sordid details of his sex life with his new friend. Especially when that new friend was dating the ex of his boyfriend. It would get awkward. Fast.

“I reckon it”s a yes. But I want a flexible schedule and the option to turn shit down. I got a lot of shit I need to handle and I ain”t about to be pulling midnights and overnights and overtime.” Connor shifted in his seat to set the laptop on the coffee table. “No travel outside the district. No long term contracts. If you can make that work for you, it’ll work for me.”

The cheers and whooping cries filled the room, along with numerous high fives and a laughable mob scene as every one of his brothers managed to smother a very surprised Connor with hugs. Luke couldn”t help but laugh and shake his head. It was another full hour before the insanity settled down again. Connor reappeared from the basement with a duffel bag full of odds and ends, looking flustered and disheveled.

“Well, that was something.” He grinned so hard, his eyes crinkled shut.

“Welcome to Amarat Associates, my friend. And congratulations.” Luke stepped forward and pulled Connor into a back slapping hug. “I bet that takes some of the pressure off.”

“Yeah. Shit was getting dicey there for a minute with my savings.” Connor stepped back from their embrace and ran a hand through his short, military style haircut. “We still got time for that run you promised?”

“If we leave in the next ten, we’ll be right on time.” Luke snagged Taz’ hand and pulled him closer. “I”ll meet you at the car, Connor. Go get changed.”

Taz took full advantage of the stolen moment and damn near climbed Luke’s body like a spider monkey. As much as Luke wanted to spend the next ten minutes kissing, he had to break away prematurely, much to Taz’ very vocal chagrin.

“Later, baby,” Luke soothed in a breathy voice. “Are you still going out with your friends this afternoon?”

“God… so unfair.” Taz nipped along Luke’s jaw before exhaling a heavy sigh. “Yes. Lily and Theo. We’re getting dinner afterward.”

“Good. Behave yourself.” Luke lowered Taz back to the floor. “Please promise me you”ll be safe. Stay aware, pay attention, and call me if anything comes up.”

Taz cocked his head with a furrowed brow. “Okay, GI Joe. Tell me what you aren”t saying.”

“It”s nothing, just promise me you’ll call.” Luke searched his lover’s eyes and tried to keep the concern from his expression.

“O-kaaay.” Taz wasn”t buying it. Luke had a feeling he wouldn”t. The man had lived in a constant state of hypervigilance for his entire life. There was no way Luke could get anything past him. Thankfully, he dropped the subject as Connor returned.

“Ready?” The equally vigilant man glanced between Luke and Taz with a cocked brow. Luke bobbed his chin just once. They nearly made it to the door before Taz pounced to steal another kiss.

“Promise me the same?” His whispered words were only for Luke, edged in worry and vulnerability.

“Always, Scrappy. Always.”

Nearly forty minutes later, Connor and Luke were finally at their destination. It was now or never. There was a high probability Connor would be incredibly displeased over the omission of a few key details about their plans. Namely, the fact that it was a veteran”s support group in addition to a running club. As they strolled toward the meeting spot at the base of the Washington Monument, Luke rested a hand on Connor’s arm to pull him to a stop.

“So, here”s the deal. You don”t have to share if you don”t want to. There’s never any pressure to share. But, hear me out,” Luke murmured quiet enough that the group of men and women stretching nearby wouldn”t hear. “It does help. I know you’ve been hesitant about therapy and counseling and all that. I get it. This is different, though. These guys are all former soldiers, just like us. Not a therapist or counselor in sight. Give it a fair go before you bite my head off, okay?”

Connor’s eyebrows nearly hit his hairline. He glanced between Luke and the group of people mingling in running gear before scoffing out loud. “Man, did y’all seriously trick me into joining a support group?”

“Running club?” Luke shot a lopsided grin at his irritated friend and shrugged. “Just give it a shot before you write it off.”

“Fine,” Connor lamented with a roll of his eyes. “But I reckon you owe me dinner after this, eh?”

“Deal. Now come on, Magnum is a dick about punctuality.” Luke jogged ahead toward the group with a very begrudging Connor on his heels. Fingers crossed this would go well.

“Attention! We have a new recruit today. Sound off!” Magnum, the de facto leader of this unusual group, called everyone to order. One by one, every person fell into formation, and called out their name and former rank until Connor was the only one left. Luke stifled a smile as the younger man floundered for a second. Just as he had assumed would happen, Connor’s training took over and he volunteered his name and rank. The welcome cry of “oo-rah” carried over the lawn, and then they were in motion.

“Left, right, lefty, right, left!” Magnum”s call was answered by the former soldiers as they took off at a jog. The back and forth cry continued as their group fell into step together. Luke loved this part. They always took the same route, garnering attention from the tourists and visitors to the National Mall, but it was the comradery between them all that eased something errant in his heart ever since he’d left the service.

“Oo-rah!” “Oo-rah!”

“Oh, yeah!” “Oh, yeah!”

“Here we go!” “Here we go!”

“Gimme that good old Marine Corps spirit!” “Gimme that old Marine Corps spirit!”

The familiarity of the cadences they’d all learned throughout their careers as Marines rang out over the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, bonding them together across the vast differences in age, race, gender, sexuality, and lived experience. The sense of belonging that so many veterans mourned when returning to civilian life was alive and well in the group. Luke snuck a glance toward Connor, never missing a beat in his pace, and smiled in relief at the hint of a grin on his friend’s face as he answered every call with vigor.

Once their long and winding circuit was complete, everyone gathered into a loose circle on the grass near the Washington Monument. Sweaty, winded, but smiling. The routine broke down walls between the soldiers. Each person shared their wins, losses, and struggles, regardless of how big or small. No matter what was said, it was met with a resounding “oo-rah” from everyone involved. Luke wasn”t surprised that Connor didn”t share. He was confident the man would share eventually, judging by the contented smile on his face and the ease with which he joined in on the affirmations they shouted together as a group.

Just as the gathering was winding down and starting to disperse, Luke glanced back toward Connor and instantly felt his adrenaline spike when he saw a look of pure rage on his friend’s face. The angry scowl was aimed at his phone. Within seconds, he leapt to his feet as his eyes flew toward Luke.

“Where were they going tonight?” The tension rolled off Connor in palpable waves.

Luke didn”t even need to clarify. He knew instinctively who Connor was talking about. “Hinckley Pottery. Blues Alley between Wisconsin Ave and 31st Northwest.”

He tossed the phone and bent to grab his water bottle and bag. “We have to go. Now.”

Luke caught the cell midair and turned it to look at the screen. What he saw had his blood instantly turning to icy sludge in his veins. A grainy, zoomed-in shot of Lily, Theo, and Taz showed them seated at a table, frozen in time as they laughed at something together. The details were blurry, but there was no mistaking them or what they were doing. Luke shot to his feet just as fast as Connor had. Without a word, they were sprinting toward where the car was parked. The prickling unease eclipsed his fatigue and spurred him faster. They’d figure out what to do about this alarming situation on the way. All he could do was hope they”d get there before anything could happen.