Chapter Seven
Sunlight poured through the blinds, pulling Diesel from the sleep of the dead.
There was no moment of confusion. The bed beside him was empty.
Diesel didn’t move. He didn’t check to see if Kuba’s car was in the driveway.
The disappointment was thick. The surprise wasn’t.
Diesel would have been more surprised if Kuba had stayed.
A slice of light streaked across the ceiling.
It was rare for Seattle to have sunny days this time of year.
He already knew the neighborhood would be filled with people walking, getting as much relief from seasonal depression as they could.
A walk wouldn’t help the way he felt. No amount of sunshine loosened the vise on his chest. Diesel didn’t let himself think.
He kept his mind intentionally blank. Diesel’s eyes fell closed again at the realization he should probably call Steel.
Maybe Kuba already had. Maybe Blaze would take him back.
They had gotten along really well—no sexual undertones.
Just friends. Things would probably be kind of boring since Blaze planned to marry German.
That was fine. At least he wouldn’t feel like this.
Life was so much better when he didn’t stray from the sidewalk.
He didn’t need a sex life. In fact, Diesel was better off without one.
His mind immediately dove into the memory of the way Kuba looked when he came.
A random thought came out of nowhere. What had he expected?
Truly? What? Kuba was young. Fuck, he couldn’t even legally drink yet.
The guy was famous and sexy. He could have anyone anytime.
Diesel was proof of that. Kuba wouldn’t want strings.
Why had he let himself believe differently for even half a second?
He was twenty. He felt so much older. Older even than Diesel. Kuba was six years younger than Diesel.
Damn. Diesel was only twenty-six. He felt so fucking old.
He had felt obligated to find a job as young as possible, doing whatever it took to ensure he wasn’t a financial burden on his mom.
Diesel knew she never expected him to work.
In fact, she would likely be pissed off if she knew that was why he had kept the pedal to the metal his entire adult life.
He had done and seen so many things—cool experiences most people never even knew existed to dream about them.
There had been bad times too, but he had remained focused.
His job with Steel was an amazing opportunity not just anyone got.
Diesel needed to remember that and throw himself on Steel’s mercy.
Diesel sat up and dropped his feet to the floor.
His gaze slid toward where his phone sat on the bedside table.
He needed to retake control before he faced the firing squad.
Diesel ran through enough of his morning routine to get him ready for his morning jog.
His mom’s bedroom door was closed. He heard the shower running.
Diesel headed out while he still could without being forced to explain his dark mood.
He popped in his earbuds, found his playlist, and hit the pavement.
Air filled his lungs and released. The vibration of every footfall ran up his legs.
Diesel focused on all the minute details of his body while forcing all thought from his head.
He needed a break from himself. Diesel had been pretending to be an adult for way too long.
He should head to the Seattle home office today rather than calling Steel.
The Seattle office was run by a guy named Saint.
They got along great. A snort escaped Diesel.
Truthfully, the Seattle office was run by Saint’s husband, Clover.
Now, that guy was who he needed in this situation.
Clover was sassy and brave. He stood up for the downtrodden.
Clover cared about people. Maybe he could extend that kindness to him in the form of a new position.
Maybe if he explained the situation to Clover—a scenario that felt way less humiliating—Clover might switch him to someone else, and they could bypass involving Steel.
A simple transfer of clients. After all, technically, Diesel reported to Saint now.
A huge weight lifted from Diesel’s chest. He had been out much longer than his usual run.
With his head cleared and a solid plan in place, Diesel made his way back to the house.
As he neared the driveway, he noticed a pile of glass and a side-view mirror had been swept aside, as if a wreck had occurred right outside their house.
Diesel really must have slept like the dead if he hadn’t heard a crash.
Geez. Kuba had rocked and drained him. The thought didn’t hurt as much now that he had a plan to never set eyes on Kuba again.
They were both young. Diesel would chalk the entire situation up to that and learn from this… as he should have done the last time.
He pulled out his earbuds and popped them back into their case as he came through the door. His mom sat on the couch in a robe, holding a coffee and scrolling on her phone.
She looked up as he came through the door. “Hey, baby. I thought you’d gone to Kuba’s.”
That was an odd assumption, considering he jogged every day around the same time. Plus, he didn’t officially work for Kuba yet. “Why would I abandon you? I’ve still got seven full days with you before I get back to work.”
Her brow furrowed. “Did he not talk to you before he left this morning?”
Fuck. She knew Kuba had stayed the night. No doubt she also knew exactly where he had slept. “No.” Diesel kept all emotion from his voice. She probably already had questions. He didn’t need for her to have more.
Nova set her phone aside. “I half expected it woke you up when I stuck my head in the door this morning.” It just kept getting worse.
“When I pulled in, Kuba’s car had been beaten all to hell.
The windows had been shattered. The paint was scratched in several places.
Someone really did a number on it. The doorbell camera caught some of it, but I couldn’t make out any faces.
I forwarded the recording to the cop who responded. ”
Rage built inside Diesel. The twins. Goddamn it.
Kuba should never have left here without him.
It was obvious these guys were crazy and dumb.
That was a dangerous combination. “I’ll grab a quick shower and head over there.
” He took one step toward the hall and paused.
“If that's okay with you, that is. I’m here for you.”
Nova waved him away. “Go. It’s obvious he needs your services more than I realized. He’s not safe. Someone definitely has it out for him.”
Diesel nodded along. “I just wanted to make sure. This assignment doesn’t technically start until after the first.”
A smile exploded across Nova’s face. “This has nothing to do with an assignment. Your man needs you, and I get the feeling he has way too much pride to fully accept that.”
Heat flooded Diesel’s face. He hated that. “Kuba’s not my man.”
Nova grabbed her phone and went back to scrolling. “If you say so.”
Diesel fought the urge to argue. The smart thing to do was to walk away.
Anything he said at this point would lead to questions, and he wasn’t ready for that.
For now, he needed to get to Kuba so he could put the guy in his place.
Diesel was his guard. No more trying to handle things alone.
Diesel had him now. No one would hurt Kuba.
Like a pendulum, Kuba moved back and forth between enraged and images of last night filling his head.
The twins had fucked with his car. Goddamn, no one had ever looked at Kuba the way Diesel had as he came.
What was he supposed to do with that? The poor guy had looked so peaceful when Nova had woken him.
Kuba had done his best to let Diesel sleep.
He deserved his rest. Diesel had already dealt with the twins once.
No need to get tangled up in the matter again.
At least not yet, since Diesel didn’t officially start his position until after the first. Kuba had hoped Diesel wouldn’t get thrown to the wolves immediately.
Kuba’s life was a bit of a mess. Way more than Diesel knew.
Kuba hated the idea of Diesel knowing everything.
He just kind of felt good when Diesel looked at him.
Maybe once he knew everything, he wouldn’t have quite so much admiration in his eyes.
He definitely wouldn’t, and that shit hurt.
“The car made it to the body shop. What do you plan to do about these cunts?” Jayme’s thick Australian accent cut through Kuba’s thoughts.
He looked up from where he had been staring at the phone on his lap.
Jayme looked enraged.
It seemed the time had come for Kuba to actually do something about the pair.
He just hadn’t decided what. “Nova gave the police the footage from her doorbell camera. She said she would visit her neighbors today and see if anyone else’s cameras caught anything.
The best outcome is there being enough evidence to arrest them, and I won’t have to do anything. They took themselves down.”
Jayme didn’t look as if Kuba’s response made him happy.
“That’s your plan? To do nothing? You know you’re not the only one involved here, right?
These guys are psychotic. Both of them are a stubbie short of a six-pack.
What were you even doing over there all night?
Christmas, I understand, but have you really been that hard up for friends? ”