Chapter 14
Diesel
“W hat’s that?” I asked, eyeing the huge gift basket loaded with expensive crap that was sitting on Dion’s desk.
“A gift,” the French asshole stated the obvious.
I peered back at the basket, my eyes narrowed at the handwritten note pinned to the top. It had a fucking heart drawn on it.
A. Fucking. Heart.
“Yeah, but to whom?”
“My lawyer.”
Ah , I should have known. Ever since Soren got shot, Dion had been overdoing it with the gifts. It would have been cute if it weren’t for, well, him .
Stepping farther into his office, I sat down on the couch while he continued to mess with the damn basket. Checking my phone, I saw Oro had texted me dozens of times since the morning, asking when I’d come to see him dance. I had no interest in seeing him perform half-naked on a stage, but since he’d been helping me quite a bit the last few weeks with intel, I had no other choice .
Me: I’ll stop by tonight.
Oro: For real?
Me: Yeah.
Oro: Bring me a gift when you come. Okay?
I didn’t bother responding to that last text and pocketed my phone before reaching for the fruit plate that was on the small table in front of me. Picking up a few grapes, I popped one in my mouth and looked at Dion. “So why am I here?”
“I want you to bring this to the lawyer in person,” he said while I chewed.
“What?” I grimaced after swallowing. “Why?”
“Because I want to make sure he gets it.”
Unable to hide my smile, I shook my head and got up. “You sound like a girl with a crush.” Stopping by Dion, I looked down to see him fumbling with the ribbon.
“Hardly.” He tsked, finally done with whatever he was doing. “But I do want him to have nice things so he’ll consider coming back to work for me.”
I side-eyed him because, by now, I highly suspected all of this was a courtesy of goodwill after the lawyer took a bullet.
He then pursed his lips. “Although, I’ll admit that I wouldn’t mind seeing him on his knees with his mouth full of my cock… But since I have high respect for the institution of marriage—”
I snorted, then popped the last grape into my mouth and chewed while rolling my eyes.
Looking offended, Dion ground his jaw. “Why are you still here? Didn’t I order you to bring this basket to my darling lawyer?”
“You’re right,” I said, trying to keep a straight face because this was too funny. Not to mention, being a delivery boy was a much better job than collecting money from thugs. “I’ll be going, then.”
Grabbing the basket, I realized it was much heavier than I’d expected. “You can send someone else, you know,” I complained with a grunt while trying not to drop this shit.
“For some unknown reason, his husband isn’t fond of me, so all my gifts found their way to the garbage,” he said with a dramatic sigh after he leaned back against his table. “So I assumed a familiar face would do the job.”
He’s definitely crushing on the lawyer.
“Whatever. I’ll be going, then—”
“By the way, any news about our mole?” His eyes narrowed down on me, and I noticed the second he turned serious. Until then, the vibe in his office was somewhat amusing. That was no longer the case.
“Not yet, although I did eliminate many people.”
“Well, hurry up.”
“I want to be done with it more than you do, but I’m trying to keep a low profile so whoever it is won’t catch on.”
Nodding, Dion waved his hand. “Fine. Now, go before the macarons I had shipped from Paris get ruined in your clumsy hands.”
Even though I’d been back for over a month now, I still hadn’t had the chance to visit Chief’s house. At first, I foolishly drove to our old place, only to find out Chief was no longer living there. A man who claimed to be his uncle answered the door, and if it weren’t for how much he resembled Chief, I would have assumed he’d been joking. To be honest, I always thought his uncle had died or something… Anyway, Aiden gave me Chief’s new address, and would you believe it, the fucker had moved to fucking Carpinteria. He sure had taste. Or maybe it was the lawyer’s decision? Well, whoever picked this location sure knew something about living life because this new place was fucking gorgeous.
Located by the shore, the mansion looked rather new. It reminded me of a fancier Spanish-style home with large windows and a red-tiled roof. A beautiful garden surrounded the driveway, with huge lawns spreading behind. I could definitely picture myself living in a place like this if only I had the money. I did earn nice those last four years, but it was dirty money, which I’d rather get rid of altogether. Unfortunately, I wasn’t in a position to say no to cash. Not now, anyway.
Picking up Dion’s basket from the passenger seat, I got out of my Jeep, which technically belonged to Dion’s company, and climbed the stairs leading to the front door. I was impressed by the amount of detail they put into everything, including the hand-carved wooden door I just knocked on.
A few moments later, someone opened it—
“The hell are you doing here?” Andrei asked with a smile.
“What does it look like?” I lifted the heavy basket. “I’m here to deliver this shit.”
Andrei laughed before he cleared the way for me to pass. As I did, I looked around the place, still fucking impressed.
“This is one big upgrade,” I said, whistling as we walked farther in.
“I know, right? They moved here about three years ago. After Chief’s uncle returned to LA, Chief gave him his house back.”
“No shit.” I snorted. “I actually met the dude.”
“When?” Andrei frowned.
“Earlier. I first drove there by mistake.” I then turned to look at Andrei. “What’s your ugly ass doing here?”
“We’re having a BBQ this afternoon, so I came to help.”
Fuckers . They didn’t invite me.
Reaching their kitchen, which had a panoramic window to the ocean, I paused and took a moment to appreciate the view. It was breathtakingly beautiful, much better than the view I had from my crappy place of an old shoe factory.
After putting the basket down on the kitchen island, I stretched my arms and looked around the room. I bet Shay-Lee had been here a lot of times because of how close he and Soren were.
Hearing the sounds of nails scratching the floor, I turned in time to see Puma and Pooh running at me. Fuck. I missed them. Bending down, I spread my arms to give those puppies a bear hug. Their fur was as soft as I remembered, and their breath stank just like always, which was adorable.
“Hold on girl,” I snorted while Puma tried licking into my mouth. “Where’s Pacha?” I asked Andrei, still busy petting the dog.
He coughed before letting out a deep sigh that made me look at him. “He passed away two years ago. Right before June was born. Chief was so heartbroken, and still is, so it’s better not to mention him.”
Sorrow washed through me as I slowly got up from the floor. Pacha was one good friend. “Well, he’s in heaven now,” I said, smiling to myself.
“I guess.”
The two dogs suddenly left our side, and a moment later, someone spoke.
“Diesel, what a nice surprise.”
Recognizing Chief’s voice, I turned to look at him. He wasn’t alone, and I wasn’t talking about Pooh and Puma, who wiggled their docked tails while walking around his legs. Surprised, my eyes latched on the baby girl Chief was holding in his arms. She was the girl from the photo Andrei showed me, June . Her light brown hair was pulled into two adorable ponytails, and she wore denim overalls with a striped shirt underneath. She was the single most adorable thing I had ever seen, with the way she snuggled in her dad’s embrace, half hiding from me, half studying me with a child’s curiosity.
Snapping out of my shock, a smile spread on my lips as they stopped before me. “Hey there, princess,” I said, bending down a bit so I’d be at eye level with June. “Aren’t you gorgeous.” I stroked her chubby cheek with the back of my finger.
She snuggled closer to her dad, so with a chuckle, I moved my hand away. I didn’t want to scare her or something.
“June, do you know him?” Chief asked his kid, and the little angel shook her head. “This is Diesel. He’s a good friend of Daddy’s, just like Andrei is.” June’s brilliant green eyes moved to Andrei, who was standing beside me, before a smile spread on her lips .
“Yeah, baby girl. Diesel’s my best friend in the whole world. Did you know that?”
June giggled, her sweet voice like a bundle of joy that melted my heart.
“June also has a best friend,” Chief said while jumping her in his arms. “Isn’t that right, sweetheart?”
June then pulled up a stuffed animal she was hiding, showing it to me. It was a jaguar with black spots all over.
“Wow. Who’s that?” I asked, acting shocked.
“Tigy,” she said in a cute little voice while showing him to me.
“Tigy? He’s so cool, June.”
Her smile grew before she pointed at my neck.
She was looking at my tattoos.
“Diesel has spots like Tigy does?” Chief asked while June giggled. Her joy filled the room with a purity I wasn’t used to. It made me think back to the time I was a kid and watched my sister dancing. The room was always so bright while she was in it.
“Does that mean we can be best friends, too?” I asked to distract myself from those memories. After all, I didn’t want to ruin this moment with my shitty past.
She nodded her little head.
“How old are you, precious?” I asked her because by now, she wasn’t as startled by me and seemed curious enough.
“Two,” she said loudly, and the confidence with which she spoke made me smile like a jackass.
Looking up at Chief, I couldn’t stop smiling. “She’s precious.”
“She really is.” He kissed her head right before June reached her hands forward toward Andrei, who took her from Chief’s arms.
I was ashamed to admit I was jealous of him because I wanted to hold her, too.
“What do you say, baby girl, wanna go play in the yard?” Andrei asked, and June nodded. He then looked up at Chief. “Where’s Cyrus? ”
“Resting with Soren. He’ll probably be up soon, so you better enjoy the quiet while you can.”
“Does he cry a lot?” I asked, making Andrei laugh.
“No. But whenever he’s awake, Jess finds his way here, and he’s the one making all the noise.”
That sounded very suitable for Jessie.
With June in his arms, Andrei started walking toward the sliding door leading outside. I wanted to follow them when Chief spoke. “What’s that?” he asked, pointing over the basket.
Rubbing the back of my neck, I walked toward Dion’s gift. “I think my boss has a crush on Soren.”
Chief responded with a tired sigh. “That’s the guy who keeps sending us excessive gifts?”
“Probably.”
“I really wish Soren would stop taking scum like that as clients,” he said, mostly to himself, before he grabbed the basket with two hands. “I’m going to find a place for it. You feel at home, Diesel.” He was about to move when he stopped. “We’re having a BBQ this afternoon. Why don’t you stay?”
Since I wanted to wait until the other baby was awake anyway, it sounded like a sweet excuse, so I nodded. “Yeah, I’d love that.” What could I say? I fucking loved babies. They were precious little beings that needed protection at all costs.
“Oh, by the way,” I said, and he turned to eye me.
“What is it?”
“Being a dad looks good on you.”
Chief’s expression softened as he gave me a genuine smile that reached his kind eyes.
“Thank you.”
I spent the next few hours playing with June and Cyrus, who, by now, were my favorite people in this world after Shay-Lee. We played dolls and read picture books, built sand castles, and even made my awesome vegan pancakes. Unfortunately, after all that fun, it was time for the kids to rest while we waited for the food to be ready for our BBQ.
With Soren and Chief in the kitchen, busy with the last preparation for the meal, Andrei and I were chilling by the pool. Since it was still winter, it was too cold to dive in, but the weather was nice enough to lie on the beds by the pool. Until a few minutes ago, Jessie and Levi were also with us, but they’d gone inside the house to do whatever.
Sipping from the beer I had taken earlier, I enjoyed the cold, bitter drink, then placed the bottle on the floor, savoring this rare moment of peacefulness.
“You look happy,” Andrei said after he took a sip from his own drink.
“Life’s good at the moment.” And it was. I’d spent the day with two little angels and now was enjoying a cold one.
“Yeah?”
I nodded, taking another gulp. “Absolutely.”
“What about Shay-Lee?”
Finishing my beer, I smiled. “Things are good with him, too.”
“Seriously?” Andrei asked, his face full of doubt.
“Fuck yeah. He’s starting to crack.”
I hadn’t reached out to Shay-Lee ever since what happened in my apartment Saturday evening. He was finally starting to let down his guard and show me the parts of him he showed no one else. His words hurt, and the fact I’d failed him would forever haunt me, but his breaking down was a good sign. It showed his true emotions. In a moment of anger, he even admitted to loving me. I had no doubt that he had, but hearing him say it out loud brought me hope.
Still, making him cry was never my agenda, and that was why I decided to give him a few days to calm down before making my next move.
“That’s good to hear, man. I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks,” I said, moving to a sitting position to grab a new beer from the table. “Oh, there’s something I wanted to ask.” I opened the cap. “How did this thing happen?” I pointed back at the house, then swung my head backward and emptied half the bottle. “I mean, Chief and the lawyer. How did that happen?” I asked after clearing my throat.
Andrei chuckled. “You missed the whole love triangle thing that happened during your trial, bro.”
“No shit.” I wiped my lips with the back of my hand. “So you’re saying my trial was only the side story?”
“Basically.”
“And what about Kai? Where’s he now?”
Rubbing his palms together, Andrei leaned forward. “Okay, that’s quite the story—”
“There you are.”
Cut off mid-sentence, Andrei turned to look at his boyfriend, Miles, who’d just come out of the house and was walking toward us. Always being a pain in the ass, he had the worst timing ever .
“You came after all,” Andrei said as he got up to greet his twink with a hug.
“I told you I would once I was done shooting.” Miles hugged him back. Once they broke their connection, His Royal Highness gave me the pleasure of glancing my way. Checking me out with a raised chin and pursed lips, he forced himself to smile. “Nice to see you, too, Diesel.” My name sounded like the f-word coming out of his entitled mouth.
I see he still loves me.
Turning to face Miles, I gave him the most fake smile I could manage. “Wish I could say the same, sunshine.”
Taking off his sunglasses, Miles sighed like the diva he was. Who knew this dude could grow more annoying over the years?
“I see you haven’t changed and are still as charming as always,” he sneered.
It was truly amazing how whenever he opened his mouth to speak, all I heard was irrelevant mumbling like the buzz of a fly that kept you up at night.
“Come on, guys. How about we start a new page this time around?”
Miles looked away while I kept my lips busy with my beer. Clearly, Andrei was still delusional.
Understanding he had no chance of making us friends, he changed the subject. “So the shoot went well?”
“Oh, it went amazing. I’m telling you, Andrei, I’ve outdone myself.”
“What shoot?” I joined their conversation.
Resting a hand on his waist, Miles put his sunglasses back on. “If you must know, Papa and I have a cooking blog. We have over nine million subscribers on different social platforms,” he said proudly, completely full of himself. “It’s called Cooking with Papa Elliot.”
Speaking of social media, Shay-Lee had deleted all of his accounts. That brat used to be obsessed with posting selfies of his abs, so it definitely made me wonder what happened to change his mind about it. At least I managed to screenshot all of his posts before he deleted his accounts. Fuck . I was such a creep it made me laugh.
Miles’s lips twitched with displeasure. “What’s funny?”
“None of your business,” I grunted.
“It’s a cool blog, D,” Andrei cut in. “They’re really famous all around the world. I need to show you some of their videos.”
“I would rather die.”
“Finally, we’re agreeing on something,” Miles muttered.
Once again, we exchanged fake smiles while Andrei rubbed the bridge of his nose. “You’re really something, D.”
“Aww, thanks, chica .”
Miles huffed. “He wasn’t complimenting you.”
Getting up to stand with them, I placed my hand on Miles’s shoulder. “And neither are those pants you’re wearing, but I assume we’re denying the few pounds you gained? ”
Miles’s whole face twisted with horror, and he gasped as if I’d just killed his child, which I assumed hitting his ego was just as bad.
“Come on, D. Now you’re just being mean.” Andrei turned toward Miles. “Don’t listen to him. You look sexier than ever, Zaychik.” He kissed his cheek.
Pushing Andrei away, Miles took a deep breath. “That’s fine, darling. Diesel here is just bitter over his failed relationship, so he’s taking it out on me. Hence why I can’t blame him.”
Oh, that little jerk, spouting that crap with a devious smile on his face.
Holding back from throwing him into the pool, I turned to pick up my empty bottles from the ground. This whole banter with Miles was fun until this point. “Say whatever, but Shay-Lee and I are soon getting back together.”
Ready to leave, I stopped when Miles snorted, and half turned to look at his scrunched-up face.
“Really? So how come Shay-Lee and Jordan are going on a romantic getaway on the other side of the world tomorrow?”
As if a fuse just lit in my brain, my eye twitched.
“What?” I hissed as Miles stuck up his nose in the air.
“Oh, since you and Shay-Lee are so close, I thought you knew about it.”
“What on earth are you babbling about, asshole?”
“Seriously, Miles, what do you know?”
Miles shrugged. “Not a lot, actually, but Papa met Shay-Lee earlier this morning, and Shay-Lee told him about this trip. I bet Soren knows more than I do.”
Feeling like my body was going to explode, I slammed the bottles hard on the table and dashed inside the house, Miles and Andrei following me there.
“Shay-Lee’s going on a trip with Jordan?” I asked Soren, who was standing with Chief in their open kitchen.
Soren’s eyes focused on me, his brows narrowed. “What?”
“Are they going on vacation together? ”
Putting down the jar of tomato paste he was holding, he nodded. “Yes, they are.”
I rounded the kitchen island to stand in his face. “When?”
He laughed. “I’m not going to betray Shay-Lee’s trust and disclose that information with you—”
“Yes, you are,” Chief cut in, surprising us both.
“Ashton?” Soren gasped.
Nonchalantly, Chief placed a new cucumber on his chopping board. “You’re going to tell Diesel everything you know, Soren, or you’ll have a problem with me.”
He sliced the poor cucumber in half, and I shrank on the spot, feeling sorry for the lawyer, who eyed the cut vegetable in horror.
Soren swallowed hard. “Is that a threat?”
Chief shrugged. “Not at all.” He put down his knife and looked at his husband. “Just a warning.” He smiled, showing off a side I’d never seen of him before. “Besides, remember that I’m still mad at you,” he added before turning to take something out of the fridge.
“It wasn’t my fault I got shot— ugh .” Soren sighed before looking at me. “Fine. They’re going to Thailand for a week.”
My eyes widened. “Thailand?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Their flight leaves tomorrow morning.”
Shocked by this new information, I took a moment to think it through. Grinding my teeth, I tried thinking when Jessie and Levi joined the room with the kids in their arms.
“What’s going on?” Jessie asked with that idiotic smile on his face.
It then hit me.
“We’re going to Thailand.”
“We are?” Jessie beamed.
“We what now?” Levi snarled.
“You heard me,” I told Levi before turning to face Andrei. “You need to get us on their flight. ”
Trying hard not to laugh, Andrei shook his head. “I’m not doing that. I have school, and besides, we’re not going to help you chase Shay-Lee to fucking Thailand.”
I flashed him a toothy smile. “Oh yes you are.” I stepped toward him. “Because remember that party where you took a bad pill that made you shit your pants?”
Andrei grimaced while trying to look away. “Diesel—”
“You begged me to give you my pants, and I did. I then spent the rest of the party in my fucking boxers.”
Andrei’s jaw twitched while Miles scrunched up his nose.
“Eww.”
“D—”
“That night, you said you owed me one. Now’s the time to pay it off.”
Andrei looked aside before he sighed. “Fine.”
His agreement made Miles gasp. “Are you for real?”
“Yeah.” My best friend shrugged. “I sort of owe him for that time.”
“Well, whatever.” Miles pulled out his phone. “I wouldn’t mind a last-minute vacation. I bet I can vlog it.” He bit on his bottom lip, already typing shit into his phone. “I’ll tell Papa…”
And while Miles continued mumbling to himself, I turned to Levi. “You too, hombrecito .”
“No way.”
“Yes way!” Jessie cheered, almost dropping Cyrus with his excitement.
Thankfully, Chief grabbed his baby from Jessie’s arms before he could.
“No, Kotik. We’re not going on this trip.”
“Aww,” Jessie pouted. “But I always wanted to go there.”
“Oh, don’t worry, Jessie. You will,” I promised him before wrapping my arm around his shoulders and pulling him close. “Because you see, your boyfriend here is forgetting he also owes me one. ”
Levi’s eyes snapped to mine as he hugged June a bit closer. “What are you talking about?” he asked, voice low.
I lifted four fingers in the air. “Four words: summer break. Blueberry vodka.”
Fear struck Levi’s eyes as he covered June’s little ears. “You bastard,” he hissed, then closed his eyes. “Fine. We’ll join you.”
Ha! Thank God for that one night where Levi drank a little too much and— oops . I promised never to tell that story.
Now, with all the guys on board, I smiled to myself. I might not have had a real plan, but one thing was for sure—
We’re going to fucking Koh Samui, bitch.