Chapter 20
Connor
That was close.
Too fucking close. I should have spotted the SUV earlier.
But the boy kicked ass…
The highway stretches out like a black ribbon, cutting through the rolling hills beyond Crestwood, but I’m not heading to the Riverbend safehouse.
After that cartel thug tried to run us off the road, my instincts are screaming to keep moving, to stay unpredictable. Cartels thrive off chaos—so maybe it’s time to use that against them. They’ll try and predict our next move, but if we’re as off the cuff as them, then that might stump them.
Luke’s quick thinking with the golf clubs bought us time, but the cartel’s too close, too relentless. His name’s at the top of their hit list, and a static safehouse feels like a trap waiting to spring.
After powering through a seriously bumpy track back onto a proper road, I spot a flickering neon sign for a motel off a quiet exit—peeling paint, a gravel lot with only a couple of rusty cars.
It’s the kind of place no one looks twice at, perfect for going dark.
I glance at Luke in the passenger seat, his eyes still sharp with adrenaline from the chase.
That kiss last night has my heart in knots, old feelings roaring back, hotter and deeper, complicating everything. And if I’m feeling it, then I’m pretty damn sure that the boy is too.
We’re in this together now, in more ways than one.
“We’re not going to the safehouse,” I say, my voice low as I pull into the motel’s lot, the gravel crunching under the tires. “Too risky. We’re holing up here, off the grid. You good with that, Little Scoop?”
Luke nods, his fingers fidgeting, his lips pressed tight but his fire still burning.
“Yeah,” he says, his voice steady despite the fear I can see in his eyes. “As long as we can work on the flash drive. I need to know what’s on it, Connor. It’s why they’re after me.”
I park in the shadows, scanning the lot—empty except for a beat-up truck and a sedan with a cracked windshield.
No immediate threats in sight, but my Guard instincts are on edge, every nerve wired for danger.
“We’ll crack it,” I say, grabbing my gear bag from the back. “But you stay close, and we move fast. No traces.”
We check in with cash, fake names, the clerk barely glancing up from his neon fruity vape.
The room’s on the second floor, a cramped box with a sagging double bed, a chipped desk, and a window overlooking the highway. It’s not great, but it will do for us right now, that’s for sure.
I lock the door, check the window’s latch, and set my gun on the desk, within reach should I need it—and by God I hope I don’t. The last thing we need is to be discovered here.
Luke drops his backpack on the bed, pulling out his laptop and the flash drive, his hands trembling but his jaw set, all journalist now.
“Let’s do this,” Luke says, his voice firm. “I’ve got a decryption program, but it’s slow. You said you had tech that could help?”
I nod, pulling my laptop from my gear bag and setting it up beside his.
“Night Ops Guard’s got tools for this,” I say, plugging in a secure USB with decryption software Cole sent. “We’ll run it through my system, cross-reference with yours. Whatever’s on that drive, we’re finding out tonight.”
Luke hands me the flash drive, his fingers brushing mine, and I feel that spark again, electric and distracting. He’s trusting me with this, at least enough to let me help, and it’s a step, even if he’s still holding back the full scope of what he knows.
I plug it in, the software whirring to life, and we sit shoulder to shoulder at the desk, the air between us charged with tension—part mission, part something else.
The screen flickers as the decryption kicks in, code scrolling fast, and Luke’s breath catches, his eyes glued to the display…
“It’s working,” he whispers, his voice a mix of excitement and dread. “Connor, this could be everything.”
I nod, my eyes on the screen, but my mind’s half on him—the warmth of his shoulder against mine, the scent of his hair, the way his trust in me is growing, even if it’s fragile.
The software beeps, a file unlocking, and we lean in, the screen filling with documents—emails, bank records, memos, all stamped with Haynes’s name.
It’s a damn jackpot, and it’s way worse than I imagined.
“Holy shit,” Luke breathes, scrolling through an email chain.
“It’s all here—Haynes’s cartel network, top to bottom.
Names, dates, payoffs to Mallen, Garcia, even a DEA agent on the take.
And… oh my God, Connor, there’s a hit list. Mike’s name, others…
and orders for ‘permanent solutions.’ He’s been greenlighting murders. ”
My gut twists, but I keep my voice steady, scanning a memo detailing a drug-and-weapons shipment through West Quay’s docks in three days.
“He’s cocky,” I say. “Thought no one would dig this deep, that he’d buried it all in encryption.
Arrogance will always catch up with you in the end.
But these white collar guys who get caught up with cartels, they just can’t help themselves.
They think they’re untouchable. But they’re not.
You were right, Luke. This is huge—enough to take him and his cartel buddies down for good. ”
The boy nods, his eyes wide, fear and determination warring in them.
“This is why they want me dead,” Luke says, his voice barely above a whisper. “This could destroy them.”
Before I can respond, my phone buzzes, Cole’s name flashing. I grab it, my heart sinking as I read:
COLE: Cartel’s closing in. The guy they sent had a tracking device on his SUV. They’ll be close, no matter which direction you went in from there. Stay alert. It’ll be more than one car next time. You’ve got this.
My blood runs cold, and I stand, grabbing my gun and shoving it into my waistband.
“We could be burned,” I say, my voice sharp, cutting through the room’s quiet. “Cartel’s got eyes on us. They’re coming, Luke, and they’re not fucking around. We need to move soon.”
Luke’s face pales, but he moves fast, slamming his laptop shut and stuffing it into his backpack with the flash drive, Swift’s beak bouncing as he zips it up just right.
“How did they find us so fast?” Luke asks, his voice shaking but his eyes sharp, that journalist fire still burning.
“Doesn’t matter,” I say, checking the window—still dark, but I can feel the threat, like a storm about to break.
“They might not be here yet, but it’s only a matter of time.
They’ve got resources, probably a spotter in Crestwood.
We’re out the back window, through the woods, to the car. Stay with me.”
He nods, slinging his backpack over his shoulder, his hands trembling but his jaw tight. I grab my gear bag, my mind racing—escape routes, ambush points, the cartel’s playbook.
They’re coming in hot, no prisoners, just like Cole said.
This is kill or be killed, and I’m not letting them touch him.
My Daddy side’s roaring, wanting to shield him, to promise him everything’s okay, but my Guard side’s in control, calculating, ready for a fight.
Those feelings for Luke—the kiss, the spark, the way he’s got me twisted up—are making it hard to stay sharp, but I shove them down, focusing on the mission.
I pull the boy close, my arms wrapping around him, his body warm and soft against mine. The boy is breathing hard, and I can feel his fear, his trust, his fire, all mixed together.
“Listen to me, Little Scoop,” I say, my voice low, steady, Daddy and Guard blending into one. “I’ve got you. I’ll guard you with my life, and I promise, everything’s gonna be okay in the end. You trust me?”
Luke nods, his eyes glistening, and buries his face in my chest, his arms wrapping around me.
“I trust you, Connor,” he whispers, his voice muffled but sure. “I’m scared, but I trust you.”
Luke’s words hit me hard, and I hold him tighter, my heart pounding.
My Daddy side wants to stay here, to lose myself in him, but my Guard side’s screaming to move, to get him out before the cartel hits.
The flash drive’s contents are why they’re desperate, why they’ll stop at nothing to kill him. He’s not just a target; he’s a threat to their empire, and I’m his shield.
“Daddy,” Luke says, a look in his eyes that I know I can’t ignore. “I want you to make me feel safe. I want…”
Luke’s breath catches, his eyes lifting to mine, and I see it—the want, the trust, the same fire that burned in that kiss last night.
My Daddy side takes over, just for a moment, and I lean down, my lips brushing his, soft at first, then deeper, hungrier.
He melts into me, his hands sliding up my chest, gripping my shirt, and it’s like the world narrows to just us, the danger fading for a heartbeat.
The kiss is electric, reigniting everything—those old feelings, the spark from three years ago, now a goddamn wildfire.
I cup his face, my thumb grazing his cheek, and he presses closer, his body warm, his lips eager, like he’s been waiting for this as much as I have…
“We need to move,” I say, my cock achingly hard in my jeans as Luke grinds his hard crotch up against me.
“Daddy, we’ve got time,” Luke replies, his eyes wide as he licks his lips and kisses me once more, this time his tongue swirling inside my mouth.
“Damn it, boy,” I growl, my desire taking over as my hands slide underneath his hoodie and remove it, exposing his bare chest. “You’re a very mischievous boy, one who likes to take risks. I think it might be time for your Daddy to set you on the right path…”
“Mmmph, yes Daddy,” Luke gasps. “I need a big, hard, Daddy dick to teach me a lesson…”
With that, our remaining clothes fall away in a blur of hands, limbs, and pure Daddy and boy passion as our bodies intertwine and I push him up against the wall, my dick standing tall and hard as it presses up against Luke’s soft, toned stomach, his hard cock throbbing up against my leg.
“Are you sure?” I ask, my breathing heavy as my hands take a big squeeze on Luke’s supple, round cheeks.
“I’m sure, Daddy,” Luke replies, his cock harder than ever up against me as he grinds. “Make me yours, make me yours right now while we still can…”
I might be a Night Ops Guard, but I’m a true Daddy too.
So what the boy wants, he’s going to get…