22. Brooks
CHAPTER 22
brOOKS
I knocked on Diego’s office door, not surprised when he responded with, “Just a second!” even though it was 2:30 am. He’d never come back to our room last night, and eventually I’d given up on waiting for him and gone to sleep with Skye and Mav in Mav’s room. Luca and Wes had been a little busy in the main bedroom. I’d wondered why they all had their separate bedrooms when most of the time they slept together, but I guessed last night had answered that question.
I walked into the office to see Diego hunched over the keyboard, typing away. “Do you plan on leaving here at all while we’re gone?”
I walked up to him and sat on the desk in a clear spot, trying to get a good look at my brother.
I was already dressed and ready to go. We were leaving in half an hour. Skye was helping Maverick load the van, but I didn’t want to leave without talking to Diego first.
D shrugged and glanced at me. “I’m assuming my babysitter will make me leave sometimes.”
I grinned. “Oh, don’t act like you don’t want Wes around. You’ve got the hots for him.”
Diego rolled his eyes and threw a pen at me. “Hots for him? Really? And you were making fun of me for saying made eyes at each other? That’s just as cheesy. Also, I don’t—or I don’t know. I don’t mind his presence. Isn’t that enough?”
For D? That was basically a love connection. I lightly kicked at his shin with the toe of my Chucks. “I’m happy for you, bro. Seriously. Wes is a good fucking guy.”
Diego shrugged again, his cheeks heating. “Is that why you came in here? To try to set me up with the guy currently fucking the guy who was fucking you earlier?”
“Actually, pretty sure Luca is fucking him, but no, that wasn’t my only reason. I wanted to come say goodbye before I left.” I paused and cleared my throat, trying to keep the emotion out of my voice. “This is the longest we’ll be apart, like ever. I’m gonna miss you, D.”
Diego softened and finally brought his full attention to me. “Fuck, man. I’m gonna miss you too. It won’t be the same without you here, hogging the bed and demanding attention all the time.”
I grinned. He fucking loved it. “Don’t worry, I’ll FaceTime you as much as possible. Take your pills, get some sleep,” I told him seriously. That was what worried me the most. Diego would run himself ragged, anything to avoid sleeping on his own. I’d even warned Wes about it, though I wasn’t sure what he could do if D wouldn’t let him get close. I’d almost considered staying here because of it, but Diego wouldn’t let me. He knew how much I wanted this.
“I will. I swear. I don’t want you worrying about me the whole time, Brooks. I’ll be fine. You have no idea what you’re walking into. I need you to focus on yourself and being safe. Because I’ll kill you if you get yourself hurt or killed.”
I gave Diego a lopsided grin. “See, you try to act like I’m a nuisance, but then you say stuff like that and I can tell how much you love me.”
Diego’s expression turned serious. Like super serious, even though I was just teasing him. “You know I love you, Brooks. You’re my fucking person. Mom and Dad saved my life, but you’re the reason I’m living .”
I swallowed, all choked up. Fuck, he couldn’t say stuff like that. “This is your two-second warning that I’m gonna hug you. Safeword or prepare yourself.”
I gave him a full five seconds. Counted the Mississippis and everything. When he just arched an eyebrow at me, I launched myself at my brother, nearly knocking him off the chair.
He laughed and awkwardly patted my back while I tried to situate myself on his lap. It was not comfortable. We were pretty much the same size, plus the chair wasn’t big enough for both of us, but it was perfect.
“You’re my person, too, D. I might’ve been an annoying kid, but I knew the moment Mom and Pops walked in my bedroom with your grumpy ass in tow and told me I had a new brother that you’d be the most important person in the world to me. Whatever that means. Whatever happens with Luca and the others or you and Wes, that won’t change what we have. Okay, D? You’ll always be my brother. And also something more. Don’t think you’re any less important to me now than you were when I was seven.”
Diego’s breath hitched, and then he surprised the fuck out of me by turning his head toward me and kissing my hairline. It was a peck, super innocent, and he was backing away. But for Diego to initiate was everything. I nuzzled into his neck, scenting him like a fucking dog before finally getting the strength to back off.
Diego’s shoulders immediately tensed, but the moment had happened and I’d carry it with me for fucking ever.
“You better get going before they start looking for you. I’ll be with y’all every step of the way. Stay safe, Brooks. I fucking mean it.”
“I will, D. I promise. Take care of yourself. And try to let Wes in, okay?”
Diego groaned, but finally nodded. “I’ll try.”
I straightened my shirt. “Love you, D. See you soon.”
“Love you too.”
I left before we both got too uncomfortable. I knew Diego would need some time for himself after that.
By the time I got to the garage, Luca was there with a half-dressed and very sexed up Wes. Skye grinned at me while he loaded a bag into the trunk. He was wearing faded jeans with more holes than fabric, a T-shirt with a mug and a tea bag on it that said I’m just here for the tea, and the most worn-out pair of Chucks I’d ever seen, and I had some beat up sneakers. Despite it still being dark, he had oversized sunglasses on that covered half his face and his hair was pulled back.
“Morning, sunshine.”
“Good morning. You know it’s dark out, right?” I asked him, gesturing to the sunglasses. He just hummed a yes and went back to work. Thick arms wrapped around me from behind, and I couldn’t help the giddy feeling that worked its way up my core as Maverick’s beard tickled my neck.
“Good morning, brat. Ready for this?”
Fuck, why did his arms feel so good? I turned in his hold and pecked his lips. I loved how naturally our relationship was developing. I’d never really expected it, but after he’d helped me go under that day, Mav and I had just clicked. In a different way than Skye and I, but not any less. Skye was like my best friend that I would have absolutely no objections to adding benefits to, and Mav, well he was like my Dom. We hadn’t really explored it, after that one scene there had been no time, but just everything about him made me feel subby. It would be hard, outside of a job, to shut that off. Even harder than it was with Luca, but maybe it was still fear that was holding me back. Good thing Maverick seemed to have no interest in turning the natural dynamic off.
“I think so, sir. Excited. I’ve never been out of the country.”
“You’ll like Finland. Lots of nature to explore.”
An exasperated groan from Luca had both of us turning our attention to him.
Wes seemed to be doing a very good mother hen impression, double-checking everything packed.
Luca shot him an exasperated look. “We’re good, Wes. Believe it or not, this isn’t our first job.”
Wes cursed quietly. “Shit. You’re right. Sorry.”
Luca cupped Wes’s cheek and kissed him softly. It wasn’t some crazy porn kiss, but fuck was it intimate. They might have only just gotten their shit together, but they were already goals. I could only hope that my and Luca’s very tentative connection would eventually be that strong.
“I’ll miss you too.”
Wes laughed. “You better fucking call me.”
“I will. Diego will be tracking the entire mission. You can stay completely up to date, and I’ll call you when I can.”
Wes gave Luca another stern glare before kissing him one last time. “Alright. Be safe.”
Luca smiled. “Stay gold, love.”
“Stay gold.”
It wasn’t until that whole exchange was over that either of them noticed their audience. Luca rolled his eyes and walked up to me. There was a second of hesitation like he didn’t know how I would react to him touching me. So, I tilted my face up and pursed my lips, demanding a kiss. Things were still very new, and I’d probably be doubting Luca and waiting for him to run a lot, but I refused to let that scare me. This whole thing was the start of a new chapter in my life. One titled Fuck it, let’s see what happens. And I really wanted to see what would happen with Luca.
“Morning, trouble.” He closed the distance between us, gripped my chin, and kissed me. I swore I could still taste Wes on his lips, and I fucking loved it. I wasn’t sure how I’d be, being neck deep in this poly family, but honestly it was the fucking best. No matter who was busy or not around, there was always someone there. Someone to give me attention and to cuddle with. The connections between these men were electric, and being around them felt like an honor.
“Mornin’,” I replied, a little hazy from the kiss.
“Are you all ready to go?”
“Yeah. I just said goodbye to Diego.”
I turned toward Wes. “Don’t let him push you away. He’s good at that. But he likes you. And I think he needs you.”
Wes met my eyes, and fuck, his stare was intense. I wiggled under his gaze. “I won’t, Brooks. Ask anyone here, I’m really patient and I don’t get scared off easily.”
Wes came up to me and, to my surprise, hugged me. “I’ll take care of him.”
I didn’t realize that was what I was waiting for, but immediately I felt more relaxed. I returned the hug and kissed Wes’s cheek. “Thank you. He deserves to be cared for.”
Wes said goodbye to Skye and Maverick and then did one last double check that we had everything. Luca let him good-naturedly before kissing him quiet and pushing him inside. Then it was just the four of us.
It kind of hit me that I would be in a different country or possibly countries, trapped in a safe house for however long, alone with these three men. All of whom watched me with hunger in their stares that both scared and excited me. Diego was worried about the mission, but he should be worried if I’d survive these men. And honestly, did I even want to?
I stood in the middle of the safe house that would be my home for a while, still trying to get my bearings. I felt kind of foggy and I wasn’t sure why. It was probably all the traveling and sitting I had been forced to do. My eyes found Skye as he manically unpacked the kitchen. It looked like he was as strung out as I was.
I was in fucking Finland. Not that I got to see much of it. After an 8-hour flight on a fucking private plane, because Luca, all I’d really seen was the airport and then whatever we’d passed on the few-hours’ drive from Helsinki to our hidden home. Larsen originally had Matthew hidden in Sweden somewhere, but Diego’s best guess on a starting place to find them was here in Finland. He had been able to trace the money that was removed from the account Covington set up and saw that another account had been set up with a home address in Finland. So here we were.
I probably should’ve paid attention to our surroundings, but I’d been in this awkward mood between exhausted and wired. All the traveling had worn me out, but also, I couldn’t sit still if I tried. I’d sat too fucking much all day. I was bored, and excited, and wanted a nap, but I needed to get all this pent-up energy out. I wanted a snack, a shower, a fuck, and a cuddle. I wanted to call Diego and my mom. I wanted to explore the lush forests our house sat in the middle of. I wanted to find Matthew and get this job started. I needed pain and praise. Fuck, what I really needed was to remember to take my ADHD meds, which I may or may not forgotten to take today. I did not travel well.
As soon as we’d arrived, Luca had claimed one of the rooms as his office and gone in there to make phone calls. Apparently, there were people he had to alert that we were in their territory, and others he had to call to cash in favors to get us everything we needed. It was a lot. I just needed an address and a way to bypass security and I was good. All the politics bullshit was way above my paygrade.
Maverick walked in from outside, where he’d been checking the perimeter. Somehow, the bastard didn’t look any worse for wear, like 15 hours of traveling was nothing.
Maverick looked from me to Skye who was now singing Britney Spears while rinsing off a head of lettuce, that came from—someone—I wasn’t totally clear on how these groceries got here, and raised his eyebrows. “How’s it going?” he asked skeptically. I glared.
He laughed at me, the bastard. “Oh, so it’s like that, brat? Huh?” Fuck, that tone of voice. I swallowed, but couldn’t answer if I wanted to, my mouth suddenly so dry.
Maverick pursed his lips, eyes bouncing between Skye and me. “Alright, both of you, listen up.” Skye perked up from the kitchen and placed the head of lettuce on the heavy wooden table. Why did we even have a head of lettuce? Did anyone eat that crunchy water crap?
Skye looked intrigued. “What’s up?”
“You two need a release. Both of you, go shower, clean up—everything. I’m going to drag Luca out of that office, and then we’re going to have some time just for the four of us before this shitshow starts. There’s a stable out back. Thirty minutes, boys, then I want you both out there, sparkling clean and naked, waiting for us.”