Chapter Seven
S on of a bitch!
Rogue swallowed the piece of sandwich that seemed to have lodged in his throat and took several sips from the juice bottle.
Those softly pleading words did all kinds of things to his stomach, heart, and head.
“I want to learn swords,” Azrael said, wadding up the empty wrapper in his hands. The boy tossed the paper on the tray and snagged a chocolate pudding. Popping the top, he scooped out the treat with a plastic spoon.
Taking a deep breath, Rogue meant to refuse, but with Wrath’s pale blue eyes burning into him—along with Azrael’s hopeful gaze—had entirely different words emerging from his mouth.
“All right. We’ll need to purchase a set you can use. Even if you don’t love them and don’t carry them, you’ll need your own.”
“I have money.” Azrael waved his spoon in the air.
“We can expense them.” Wrath shook his head at Azrael.
“Why, when I have money?”
“Save it for something else.”
“Like what?” Azrael’s lips pursed.
“Your future,” Wrath said.
Azrael scowled and hurriedly ate the rest of the pudding.
“Thanks for dinner,” the boy said, rising from the edge of the bed.
“Where are you off to?” Wrath frowned.
“My house. Call me when you want to train,” Azrael told him and Wrath.
With that said, the boy disappeared out the door, shutting it firmly behind him. Azrael lived at the former SecDef’s home, so at least they knew where the boy slept at night.
Of what Rogue had been able to piece together, Dave’s place was built like a fucking fortress, plus it had assassins and former military personnel going in and out all damned night and day.
“Why do I feel like I was just given an order?” Rogue muttered and opened a pudding before handing it to Wrath. When the man took the dessert, Rogue opened his own.
“Seriously,” Wrath agreed. “I bet you someday, Azrael will be the leader of Erebus.”
“Probably.”
Rogue could see that. Although Azrael was young, the boy had an old soul. He’d lived through more shit in his short life than most people did an entire lifetime.
It sucked because he had had a chance to get Azrael out from beneath Solomon’s thumb. Only, he hadn’t taken the opportunity and then Azrael had been rescued by Echo.
That should have been his job, and he hated himself that he’d been so far under Solomon’s thumb that he’d failed.
He was a coward. He should have killed Solomon and Tanis himself.
Azrael wasn’t a coward, though, the boy had guts. And that courage had Azrael killing Solomon.
Suddenly, the pudding tasted like dirt, and he placed the container carefully on the tray.
He jerked when Wrath took his hand and linked their fingers.
“You’re the best at the swords.”
“Fisher’s better. He’s smaller and he can move fast.”
Wrath grinned at him. “Yeah, but you can put more force behind the swing.”
Rogue nodded because it was true, he did have the muscle. Wrath pushed the tray cart with his free hand and the small table rolled away.
“Are you staying the night?”
“No.” He ignored the hopeful tone in the man’s voice, pried their fingers apart, and stood from his chair to step away from the bed.
When silence settled between them, he darted a look toward the bed and found Wrath’s face turned away from him, gazing at the darkness beyond the window.
Rogue shoved his hands into the front pockets of his black pants to keep them from reaching for Wrath.
“So…” he began, sorry that he’d been so abrupt a moment ago.
“There’s the door, I won’t keep you.” Wrath’s voice was quiet and devoid of emotion.
Hot anger flooded his chest, and he squeezed his hands into fists. Wasn’t this what he wanted? To drive a wedge between him and Wrath? Yes, that was exactly what needed to happen! Then why did he feel like shit? And why was he beyond pissed off at the sudden indifference in Wrath’s voice?
Call him stupid, but he did something he never thought he would do in this lifetime.
Stalking to the bed, he sank fingers into Wrath’s long hair at his nape and turned the man toward him. With that one clenched fist, Rogue tipped Wrath’s head up and glared down into the man’s surprised pale blue eyes.
This was a long time coming for them.
Wrath’s tongue came out to wet his lips and when the man fisted the front of his black, skin-tight shirt and pulled him down, Rogue didn’t resist.
There was nothing tentative about the kiss when his lips touched Wrath’s mouth.
Explosions rocked the room, and Rogue crushed his mouth down on Wrath’s, parting the man’s lips, and swept inside the warm wetness until their tongues tangled. Craving didn’t describe what blasted through his body and when Wrath bit at his mouth, Rogue’s cock turned into hardened steel.
A throat clearing at the door was like a shock of cold water and he pulled back and turned away, shielding Wrath with his body in case of any threat.
The charge nurse gave him a tentative smile.
“Visiting hours have ended,” she said with a cheery voice, coming further into the room.
Rogue took that moment to beat a hasty retreat.
He didn’t stop his hurried strides until he reached the parking lot and was inside his truck.
“Fuck me,” he muttered and shoved the key into the ignition.
That was not going to happen again.
No way in hell.
When his cell phone rang, he answered it from the steering wheel, pulling out of the parking lot.
“How’s your friend?”
Rogue clenched his teeth with irritation. “He’s a pain in my ass.”
Quick laughed. “He must be important.”
“I’m not sure about that.” Rogue pulled out onto the main street that would lead to the highway.
“You still coming to Nevada?” Quick changed the subject.
Rogue wracked his brain, searching for a time he could make it out of state for a visit. A few years ago, he’d met Quick through a friend while doing a job in Alaska.
“I’ll make it happen. Will Jagger be at the ranch?” Rogue asked. The three of them had hit it off and completed the job together.
The property he was talking about was a one hundred and eighty-five acre ranch that Quick owned in Smith, Nevada.
Quick grew quiet. “No, he’s on a job.”
“Ah, okay.”
“There’s been some…changes on the ranch,” Quick murmured.
“How so?”
“I’ll tell you about it when you get here. Why don’t you bring Wrath when you come?” Quick suggested. “He can relax and get well here.”
“How do you know his name?” Rogue squeezed the wheel; he had never told Quick.
Quick snorted into the phone. “He kills people for a living.”
“Okay, so…you know about them...” Rogue kept his voice even.
“Erebus? I do.”
Which made sense when Rogue thought about it. Quick did work for Phoenix, a covert unit that reported to the former SecDef, but still, he was curious.
“How? When?”
“I’ll tell you when I see you,” Quick said with a chuckle.
“Okay. I’ll ask him,” Rogue murmured, thinking of having Wrath with him on the spur-of-the-moment trip made his stomach jump.
That meant he’d have to search out Wrath again.
Heat raced through him at the memory of their kiss.
That fucking kiss.
The one that had rocked his world.